Today's That Day

Happy Halloween Everyone!

I was recently asked if there are more ghosts out and about on Halloween. One of the legends of this holiday is that yes, there would be, but in reality--I believe that ghosts are active year-round. If anything, Halloween puts ghosts and the paranormal in the consciousness of the general public. Other than that, you're just as likely to see them at Thanksgiving as you are on Halloween.

That Time of Year

Halloween is like Christmastime for ghosthunters--our busiest time of year in terms of the public eye. In my case, DCMAG is working with the Decatur House Museum, doing investigations there and giving a presentation on Thursday.

To answer my earlier questions, the 3rd floor was once all bedrooms, but there were never very many people in the house at a time as it was primarily a residence for lavish parties. As for the slave pen, still looking for definite evidence. The staff believes there is confusion between Lafayette Square's pens and the Decatur House having one although John Gadsby, a former owner, was a notorious trader. There's a legend about the window being bricked up and supposedly that was part of the original design. The back door he supposedly slips out of is the one that leads to the courtyard. Those motion detectors were off both times, so they wouldn't make any noises on their own and we couldn't move around with them on. Hmm. Tomorrow I get to talk to the maintenance staff--one who's worked there for 25 years--who seem to have had more sightings than anyone else.

Who said being a historian was boring? LOL.

Debunking and Proving

We are returning to the Decatur House Museum for a follow-up investigation. As DCMAG's Historian, what I focused on last time were the staff's experiences and the general lore of the house. I am also looking at the layout and construction of the home, as I also need to ID hotspots. We know, for instance, that the 3rd floor seems to be active. The thing I need to figure out now is why. What did the 3rd floor used to be and who would've been its primary inhabitants?

Here is an interesting thing...there is the story of a maintenance man rushing in from the courtyard saying that he felt as if chased and heard the sound of chains. Last visit, a staffer told us of the possibility of slaves being sold in that area. I did some research recently. Not only were the grounds on Lafayette Square in front of the building notorious for their slave pens, but supposedly there was one located at the Decatur House itself. Did the maintenance man encounter the spirit of a slave? Who knows? If anything, the historic research would actually support the man's claim.

My biggest questions right now are:

1. More about the slaves, courtyard and slave quarters of the house
2. More about the women of the household
3. The legends of the bricked up window & the back door sightings
4. Do the motion detectors make noises on their own?

Back in the States

Yup, I know it's been a while. I've been overseas for 3 weeks roaming all over Spain, London, & Paris. It was a great trip, and pretty cool to see all of these places that are probably haunted as hell. I can only imagine what in the world the yeomen at the Tower of London see from time to time, or priests working at Notre Dame. Notre Dame was the only place that had me lightheaded like crazy. It's just thick there. Wish I had some equipment.

Europe is also a good example of how orbs may not be orbs. Almost every picture I took--especially in Spain where it's dustier and drier--had orbs in them.

When I was in Ireland, staying in those castles, I swear there was some weird stuff going on--but that's a story for another posting...