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Buyers Beware: Know the facts or you may find a Ghost has taken your Watch!
October 31, 2014

When checking out that new dream home, make sure that you will be the only one residing in it and that it doesn't come with any unexpected extras...

One such home to watch for would be the Molly Brown House located in Denver, Colorado. Built in 1889, this Victorian style home was owned by James Joseph Brown and his wife, the "Unsinkable Molly Brown", female rights activist, actress and survivor of the Titanic disaster. The fate of this house was passed around to many different hands after the death of Molly Brown in 1932. The first owners altered the home as to create 12 different spaces to house many different renters. They then sold it to Art Leisenring in 1958 where it became a gentleman's boarding house for a few years. Leisenring then leased the home to the city of Denver who made it into a home for wayward girls. In 1970 the home was set to be destroyed when Leisenring formed the Historic Denver Inc and raised enough money to save Molly Browns home and turn it into a museum. Today many people are attracted to the Molly Brown House...both alive and dead! It has been said that the deceased Browns have returned to their home and there have been reports from museum staff and guests stating that they have smelled pipe and cigar smoke, one of JJ's enjoyments, as well as cold spots that have been felt in Molly Brown's room. There are also reports of an apparition looking like Molly Brown that has been seen going around the corners in the hallways of the house. There is also a female apparition that has often been seen sitting at the dining room table, dressed in Victorian attire. She doesn't mind if you take her picture and has been known to rearrange the chairs around the table when she's feeling up to it. Molly and JJ had a daughter, Catherine Ellen, who died very young. There have been reports of the window blinds in Catherine Ellen's room rising and lowering on their own. Catherines Grandmother, Johanna has also been seen in the window of young Catherines bedroom.

And then there is the Berclair Mansion located in Berclair, Texas. This beautiful 10,000 square foot, 22 room house was built in 1936 and has housed many spirits! After inheriting her family's fortune, Etta Terrell purchased the mansion after the home she was living in was destroyed by fire. Etta and her four sisters occupied the home until their death. The house was donated to the Beeville Art Association to be used a museum in 1999, and that's when things got crazy! Workers and Volunteers in the house have reported seeing elderly women waving to them from the windows as well as hearing voices and doors closing in the empty house. Not to mention the unexplainable chills...brrrrr

These types of homes are everywhere, even in Sunny Miami, Florida where you can find the Deering Estate in Cutler. During normal business hours this estate serves as the home to the Seafood Festival, Cabaret Concerts and many other holiday events, but at night....that's when the unexpected happens! According to Colleen Kelley, from the League of Paranormal Investigators, "This is what we consider the holy grail in paranormal investigation." In 1896 this 444 acre estate was the retreat to industrialist Charles Deering, but before that, this land was the home to a tribe of Paleo-Indians. Charles Deering died in his home in 1927 and his heirs took over the estate until 1985 when Miami-Dade, alongside of the state of Florida, purchased the home jointly and made it a historic site. Within these walls apparitions of a headless woman dressed in Victorian garb have been spotted, over 60 disembodied voices have been recorded and there have been reports of elevators moving on their own. One of the voices seemed to be saying, "We're trapped here".

So what does Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana have that the Deering Estate doesn't? Thieves!! That's right! These spirits will actually heist your jewelry! Built in 1796, Myrtles Plantation, like any historic home in south, is shrouded in mystery and romance. It all began when General David Bradford, AKA Whiskey Dave, received a land grant of 650 acres of Spanish owned land while he was fleeing from the US to avoid imprisonment. Whiskey Dave created and enjoyed his new life here until 1920 when the mansion was sold to his son-in-law, Judge Clarke Woodruff. 14 years later the mansion was sold to Mr. Ruffin Stirling who completed the mansion into what you can see today, if you dare to step inside these walls. Myrtles Plantation has been dubbed as one of "America's Most Haunted Houses". Sightings include, hand prints on the mirrors, footsteps on the stairs, odd smells, people appearing and disappearing randomly in photographs and disappearing jewelry. Some folks have even reported waking up to find themselves completely tucked into their beds! Why you would stay the night here is beyond me.

Then, of course, there is the Winchester Mystery House located in San Jose, California. Now, I will admit I'm intrigued with this Victorian Style maze of twisting, mile long hallways, staircases that descend seven steps and then rise 11 steps and secret passageways in the walls, but even more intriguing is reason behind the many secret passageways, hallways and staircases that lead to nowhere. You see, Sarah Winchester held a seance every evening to aid her in building her home and protecting her from the evil spirits. There were never any blueprints or home inspections, all of her additions and changes were created by her simple sketches and trusty foreman, John Hansen. The Winchester Mystery House also known as "the house built by the spirits" once sported over 550 rooms but due to the many changes in an attempt to confuse the spirits, only a mere 160 rooms remain. Which of course resulted in stairs that lead to the ceiling, doors that go nowhere and chimneys that stop only inches from the roof! It is said that a a medium from Boston had consulted Sarah Winchester and informed her that her family and her fortune were being haunted by the spirits of American Indians, Civil War Soldiers and many other spirits that were killed by Winchester rifles. The death of her husband and her daughter were blamed on these spirits. The medium told Mrs. Winchester that she was to move west and not just build a great house for the spirits, but do not stop building, and in doing so the grieving widow's life would not be in danger. Whether the house was built to confuse the evil spirits or to ease the friendly spirits is not known, but either way the house is quite a sight to see.

All old houses are haunted in one way or another, and these haunts have a way of playing tricks.

Happy Halloween, stay safe!