It's been a while!

Nearly 6 years have passed since my last post. I think it is time that I dust off this blog and get it up and running again! It's been a while!

Hope you all are safe and healthy! Big hugs and much love.

Missing 411: "The Devil's In The Detail"

A must read!! An excellent write up by Dustin Naef about David Paulides' latest book Missing 411: The Devil's In The Detail

Gloucester Cemetery Investigation

In these two videos investigators from Can Am Paranormal met up in Gloucester, Massachusetts to conduct a cemetery investigation. Many thanks to Dominic Bouchard for sending me the videos and to Mike Galante for the background info.

Part 2

"Gloucester, Massachusetts was founded in 1623 on an expedition by the Dorchester Company from England. They arrived at Half Moon Beach and set up a fishing settlement at Stage Fort Park. The first settlements were harsh and short lived and the settlers moved to what is now Salem MA. In 1643 it became an official town and named after Gloucester, England a strong hold in the British empire. The cemetery in which we investigated was the 1st Universalist burial ground in America in 1806 as well as underground forts for our fight against Great Britain for our freedom." (Mike Galante, Investigator, Mass Ghost Hunters Paranormal Society)

Intro to 'The Limestone City' - Canada's Most Haunted City

Photo Copyright Marica Sutic

When it comes to haunted places, there are few cities in Canada that can compare to Kingston, Ontario. The city's heritage, geographic location and construction combined play a key role in the amount of paranormal activity that has occurred there.

Centuries ago when European explorers came to North America, the waterways surrounding Kingston were vital routes for fur trappers and traders. This made the area highly sought after by the different nations seeking an alliance with natives and control over the trade.

Photo Copyright Marica Sutic

Soon after an important military influence became established. The strategic placement of its many garrisons were monumental in their protection of Upper Canada in times of conflict. Kingston is situated at the point where these three main waterways (Lake Ontario, The Rideau Canal and the St. Lawrence River) converge. One popular theory in the paranormal field is that water acts a conduit for paranormal activity. Energy is drawn to energy. Water has and will always be a powerful and vital element, perhaps these waterways provide the necessary "charge" needed for manifestations. Kingston is nicknamed 'The Limestone City' for its many beautiful, historic buildings constructed entirely out of this rock. Limestone is abundant in the region, and the buildings in Kingston were literally built from the ground up. Limestone is believed to both absorb energy and amplify paranormal activity.  The 'Stone Tape Theory' hypothesizes that human energy can imprint in natural materials made up from the elements of Earth; playing over and over like a recording when released.

Recently I was fortunate to spend a weekend here - wandering the city while being taken in by the charm of this historical gem.

Pennhurst State School and Hospital

Opened in 1908, Pennhurst State School and Hospital was a place where the disabled and mentally challenged were brought with the intent for proper treatment and care. Unfortunately,  society cast them into a place of miserable hell, where all were stripped of any dignity and respect. Home to thousands, many whom were children, Pennhurst was a place of tremendous suffering and unnecessary loss of life. In 1968, a young reporter named Bill Baldini brought cameras into the facility exposing the dangerous conditions at Pennhurst. The result was the televised report: Suffer the Little Children. After numerous reports of abuse and a lawsuit, Pennhurst finally closed in 1987.

To this day, it is difficult to grasp the horrors and atrocities that took place within its 120 acres. Patients were crammed into rooms, tied down to their beds and left unattended for hours - where they eventually perished from neglect. Those that were deemed "disobedient" were punished and put into seclusion rooms with no regard for their safety.  Inhumane experimental therapies and surgeries were also conducted, where more than 75% of the people died on the table. The result: innocent, trapped spirits, unable to crossover and leave the confines of the place that took their souls.

There are multiple paranormal reports from this facility which is now abandoned and left to decay with time. Witness have seen shadows and full bodied apparitions, heard screams, loud bangs and have had the overwhelming feeling as if they were being watched. A number of paranormal investigators have been though this massive compound. An investigation for the television show Ghost Adventures was also conducted here.

Paranormal evidence:
Ghost Box Session Dom Ghosthunter

Nashville's Haunted History: Union Station Hotel

Located in Nashville, Tennessee, is a hidden haunted gem called the Union Station Hotel. This beautifully restored 19th-Century railroad station was built to bring the city's numerous railroad companies under the same roof. Rich in history, it is the tragic train collision of 1918 that many associate with the numerous hauntings reported at this site.

On a fateful morning in 1918, a train travelling from the station collided head on with another train at a section of track called Dutchman's Curve, tragically killing 101 people. Spectators came in droves to see the aftermath of the accident. Witnesses described seeing badly burned bodies scattered amongst the wreckage and those whose remains were completely torn apart from the impact.  The injured and dead were brought back to the station where a makeshift morgue and hospital were made.

The ghost of a young man wearing a WWII uniform has been spotted as well as the apparition of a woman wearing bloody torn clothes. Hotel guests who stay on the 5th floor have reported hearing banging sounds late at night and hearing the sounds of disembodied voices. Lamps, televisions and other electronics will turn on and off for no apparent reason. Also, objects tend to move and go missing with no explanation.

Great Train Wreck of 1918 

Ghost Soldiers of Old Fort Niagara

 Photo © 2014 Marica Sutic

With more than 300 years of history, Old Fort Niagara is believed by many to be haunted with the ghosts of soldiers from its past.  With a history soaked in violence, death and misery, it is no wonder there are so many claims of paranormal activity at this location.  Once occupied by three nations - France, Great Britain and the United States, today Fort Niagara sits along the Niagara River and Lake Ontario perfectly preserved as it appeared in the 1700's.  

Recently, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to visit Old Fort Niagara, and attend the Para-History Festival taking place on site. A number of paranormal investigators were in attendance, along side members of the TAPS family and former Haunted Collector, Brian Cano. After saying hello to a few friends, I excitedly headed out to explore the grounds and take a step back in time.

A short distance from the building where the festival was being held, is a small  fenced in cemetery with numerous headstones, many of which are unreadable. Two monuments to honor the fallen soldiers from the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 are also in the cemetery. Beyond the cemetery, near the gated entrance to the fort, stands a historic, inactive lighthouse that served a great importance during its operational years.

Photo © 2014 Marica Sutic

Filled with excitement, like a kid in a candy store, I made my way over to the fort. My eyes were immediately drawn to the magnificent sight of the French Castle. It is within these impressive stone walls, where sightings and stories of paranormal activity are a plenty. As I stepped inside my eyes were drawn to a stone well. A longtime local legend tells a story of a decapitated French soldiers' body being thrown down the well and his head tossed in the nearby lake. According to this legend, a bitter feud erupted between two French soldiers over their love for the same woman, ending in the horrific murder.  It is said that the spectre of this headless soldier has been seen wandering the parade grounds and within the buildings on moonlit nights. * I have found no historical records to validate this story.*

 Photo © 2014 Marica Sutic

I continued my exploration of the building and grounds, taking numerous photographs; allowing my senses to guide me. I didn't capture any anomalies on film,  and I felt very comfortable throughout my exploration of the fort. At times I thought I heard a few odd sounds, but the winds were fierce coming off the nearby lake and I dismissed the sounds as mother nature being the cause. When I returned to the location of the event, I spoke to a number of paranormal teams who have investigated the site before. They told me that they captured a number of clear EVPs in the French Castle. Also, the sound of heavy boots coming from the upstairs level was heard and numerous shadow figures have been seen. Later that evening, a public investigation was being held at the fort. I did not participate and am waiting to hear from those that did as to what, if any, evidence was captured. I look forward to returning to this beautiful historic location in the nearby future.

A Paranormal Card Game

©2014 CORE Films, Inc

"THE THREE PILLARS™  is a fast-paced, witty game of checks and balances that celebrates the paranormal community while gently satirizing the drama that is often encountered within it. Assemble your team, visit haunted locations and submit evidence to close the cases - but be warned - not only must you deal with Murphy's Law, but with other paranormal teams investigating the same places as you - and chances are, they won't be helpful. Never before has Paranormal Division been so fun."  

This game looks like a lot of fun and will be the perfect add to my paranormal collection. I especially like the chosen design for the Evidence Cards - a very nice touch! 
 
***The Three Pillars is now available for pre-order in the SCARED! store. (Release date: 4/10/2014)

Fort Pulaski: The History and the Haunts

Haunted Fort Pulaski: Located on Cockspur Island, Georgia, near the mouth of the Savannah River, stands a battered "monument of military ingenuity". This massive fortification, shaped like a truncated hexagon, played a critical role in the American Civil War. Named in honor of the "Soldier of Liberty", Casimir Pulaski,  the fort took nearly twenty years to complete construction and consisted of a moat, parade ground and two powder magazines. Fort Pulaski also served as the southern most destination along the many vast and intricate safe havens for slaves known as the Underground Railroad.

On April 10, 1862, under the command of Colonel Charles H. Olmstead, Confederate militia occupying the fort came under Union attack. After a 30 hour bombardment by the Union's innovative Parrott Rifle cannon and percussion shells, Colonel Charles H. Olmstead surrendered.

Today Fort Pulaski stands as a vivid reminder of these past events, including the story of The Immortal 600.

"To the dead and living comrades of the Immortal Six Hundred, Confederate officers, prisoners of war, who were confined in the stockade on Morris Island, South Carolina, under fire of our own guns shelling that island; and who were subsequently starved on rations of rotten corn meal and onion pickle at Fort Pulaski, Georgia, and Hilton Head, South Carolina, 1864-65, by order of Edwin M. Stanton, United States Secretary of War to all who remained true unto the end, under the terrible ordeal of fire and starvation, this history is affectionately inscribed with a comrades love. J. OGDEN MURRAY. "

These unimaginable events have imprinted the fabric of time, leaving energy to remain on the grounds.
  

Creepy Balloon Carrying Clown Goes Viral

Photo by Michael Leavy

I've sat back and watched the "terror" unfold as sightings of a creepy, balloon carrying clown goes viral and terrorizes Staten Island residents long enough! I think that most of us would agree, thanks to Stephen King, clowns scare the shit out of the majority of us! However, not wanting to leave your home because of a man wandering around dressed in a clown suit -  is just ridiculous! I'm going with 'Creepy viral clown may be linked to film company'.  Think publicity stunt first people and Pennywise the crazy, killer clown second. LOL.