Capturing Spirits in Photographs

 

 It's the most wonderful time of the year ... Welcome to October! This month, we'll explore the odd events, and bizarre findings that make our world wonderfully spooky and weird.

 

The Fox Sisters

It all began in 1848 in Hydesville, New York when the Fox sisters claimed to be able to communicate with the spirits through rappings. Only years later did one of the sisters confess to a large audience that it had all be a hoax; the girls had the sounds by manipulating their joints.

 

 

Spiritualism and spirit photography became popular after the Civil War, thanks, in part, to First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. Mary had lost two sons, Willie at age eleven, and Eddy at the age of four. When a group of mediums known as the Lauries approached her, Mary began attending seances in Georgetown. She got so much from them that she held more than half a dozen seances in the Red Room of the White House.

 

Mary with Abe's "Ghost" 

 

 

These “visits” from her dead sons offered her solace, and a means to go on. When her husband, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, Mary began “talking” with him, too. Other bereft families throughout the country were also seeking to communicate with their lost loved ones. In fact, by 1897, more than eight million Americans believed in spiritualism. And spirit photography helped make the metaphysical seem real.

 

One of the better-known U.S. spirit photographers was William Mumler of Boston. He is the person who took the photo of Mary Lincoln with the “ghost” of Abraham leaning over her. Mumler left Boston after being accused of faking his photos by double exposing the photographic plates. He moved to New York where he was put on trial for the same charge in 1868. Mumler was acquitted due to lack of evidence, but this ended his spirited career.

 

A Spirited Brother

In typical spirit photos, faces and heads appeared hovering over the shoulder or head of the living subject. These faces usually had a connection to the living – a husband, wife, parent, sibling or child who had passed on. Most were said to be created by double exposure, or having an accomplice step from behind the curtain as a subject sat for a portrait, thereby imposing the image of another person on the plate.

Maggie Fox

In 1888, Maggie Fox appeared at the New York Academy of Music and confessed before a large audience that she and her sisters had created the mystical rappings by manipulating their toe joints and knuckles. She proceeded to remove her shoes and show the audience how she could  "rap her toes." One year later, she recanted, but the damage had been done. By the close of the century, spiritualism was losing its bewildering hold.     

 

Doyle and a Ghost

World War One brought a resurgence of spiritualism and ghost photos. Again, the nation attempted to reach beyond the veil to communicate with lost husbands, fathers, and brothers who had perished during the Great War. In 1916, Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, attested to the legitimacy of ghosts in his book, The Case of Spirit Photography.

 

Houdini & Fake Lincoln Ghost

But magician Harry Houdini wound up on the other side of the pall. Houdini had attended seances to contact his dead mother, but soon realized that the mediums were fakes. He then wrote a book, A Magician Among the Spirits, which detailed how mediums created their illusions.

 

The Brown Lady

The most famous ghost photograph was taken in 1936 at Raynham Hall in Norfolk England. In it, the Brown Lady can be seen descending the manor staircase. Supposedly, this is the ghost of Lady Dorothy Walpole (1686-1726) whose husband locked her in her room after discovering an alleged affair with Lord Warton. She died there of smallpox in 1726.

Her ghost was first seen during the Holiday celebrations in 1835. The ghost was sighted again in 1926, and photographed in 1936. Charges of fraud were quickly issued, and ranged from double exposure to rubbing grease on the camera lens in the shape of a figure. No resolution was ever reached.

 

Orbs - What are they?

Today, spirit photographers say it is hard to be taken seriously with the hoaxes of the past. When they photograph orbs, many claim it's backscatter caused by the reflection of particles or waves sent back in the direction they came from. But others claim these orbs indicate the presence of spirits, and life from the beyond.

 

 

The Lady in White

Regardless of whether you believe in the presence of spirits, and the ability to visually capture them, there are numerous photographs that have been taken over the decades that defy explanation; the Brown Lady being one of them. Also questionable is this photo of the Lady in White in Bachelors Grove Cemetery in Chicago.

 

 

Can a spirit’s presence be visually captured? 

 

It remains in the eye of the beholder.

 

~ Joy

Haunted Towns in the Midwest - Miamitown, Ohio

Walking Haunted Miamitown Ohio with the Miamitown Ghost Tours

Once again, the month of October is upon us…. a time for hauntings, Halloween - and all things spooky.  This month, A Grave Interest will travel around the Midwest, taking ghost tours and getting a look at some ‘lively’ places, and, maybe, the spirits who make them so…

I decided early on that it would be smart to get some guides for these haunted jaunts. And who better to seek out than the local experts on all things paranormal in their town.

Matt Hopkins & Garett Merk

On this cloudy night I met with Garett Merk and Matt Hopkins for a private preseason tour. Both men are ghost hunters by trade and more skeptical of sightings and stories than you would expect. Garett is an author of several haunted books and the founder of the Tri-State Paranormal and Oddities Observation Practitioners. Matt is the lead investigator for Cincinnati Area Paranormal Existence Research.

Miamitown Historical Society

The stories told on the 90-minute tour have come from first-hand accounts. History is a passion for this group and it shows. They research the stories and information they are told using newspapers, the local historical society, and by holding their own investigations.

Map of Miamitown, OH

Miamitown is a river town with a rich history. Located on the banks of the Great Miami River, just southwest of Cincinnati, the land was once sacred Shawnee hunting grounds. Then settlers began arriving in the early 1800’s, pushing the Indians westward. Miamitown was incorporated in 1834.

Once the Miamitown Methodist Church

Our tour began at what was once the first church in town, the Miamitown Methodist Church. Founded in 1834, this was the only church in the village for years and it became the heart of the community.

Marker About Event

Tragedy struck on New Year’s Eve morning 1939. On this Sunday fire swept through the church. The children's Sunday school class in the basement did not escape.

Church and Graveyard

Over the years the church has housed an antique store, and is currently home to an art studio. Several specters have been seen wandering the aisles of the antique store, but one seems very poignant. The owner reported it was usually little things like the bell above the entry door ringing, but no one had entered or left. Or items moving around from one place to another. Then one day, while in the basement, she was approached by a little girl dressed in white. When the owner asked if she needed help, the child replied that she was looking for her mother. The owner went upstairs to find the parent but instead discovered that there was no one in the store. When she returned to the basement, the little girl was gone. (But she has been seen from time to time darting among the tombstones late at night.)

Antique Shops on Main

The antique shops in the town are favorite haunts for the spirits of Miamitown. Several others have interesting stories connected to them.

Village Pump Antiques

Tombstone Walk

It’s no surprise that the Village Pump Antiques has had a resident ghost – it is located on what was once cemetery ground. The walkway up to the front porch is paved with old tombstones. In fact, most of the town is located on ground that at one time or another was used to bury their dead.

Stray Cat?

When the building was a private home three sisters lived there. But then one married and moved out and another moved away leaving the third sister, Margaret, content to remain in her family home with her cats.

The Upstairs of Margaret's House

Her home was sold after she died and odd occurrences began happening when the home became a store. A psychic told the owner that there was an older woman upstairs who used to live there. She was very friendly and would appreciate it if people would just say “Hi” to her. Soon everyone greeted Margaret when they entered the store. The psychic checked back about a year later, but Margaret had gone, apparently satisfied that her home was being visited by very friendly people.

Glass Creations

Side View

There is also a haunted glass shop where ghostly children laugh and play. During the Civil War it was home to a family with eight children. Three of them died there – and apparently never left.

Miamitown Elementary School

School Windows

And speaking of children, the local elementary school is said to be haunted by an early settler who has taken up residence in a utility closet. But again, it’s no wonder that spirits roam the hallways. When the town officials were preparing to build the school in the 1950’s they decided that the best location for it was the land that was Cemetery #2.

Matt Standing By Reburials

Miamitown Cemetery

Graves were dug up and the remains and stones moved across the highway to the current cemetery. But as workers began digging deeper they discovered another layer of bodies. These too were moved across the street and reburied near the front of the cemetery. But workers again discovered a third level of graves, probably remains from the cemetery site where the Village Pump Antiques is now located. These were also taken across the road and reburied in the cemetery, where, hopefully they will finally get to rest in peace.

Driving Toward Harrison Street Bridge

But some spirits continue to seek that chance to cross over. The Harrison Street Bridge has a sordid past. This bridge is the fourth structure to cross the Great Miami River here. The first was burned down in 1863 in order to stop Morgan’s Raiders from crossing it. A steel bridge was put up in 1894 and remained for many years, but several fatalities occurred on it. Then in 1989, a temporary bridge was built so that a new one could be constructed across the river.

It was a May day in 1989 when heavy flooding

Flooded Great Miami River

caused the river to swell and the foundation for the temporary bridge began to give way. The bridge was quickly closed, but unfortunately one car did not make it across to the other side before the bridge fell into the raging river. The two women in the car were killed. But those who witnessed the collapse said that there was also a pickup truck crossing behind the car, and it too had fallen into the churning waters.

Close Up of Harrison Street at Bridge

Although officials searched for months, no truck was ever found, nor were any other bodies. What did those on the riverbank see that day, following the car? No one knows for sure but a white appreciation has been seen starting across the bridge just as the car did, hurrying to get across, but it always vanishes before ever reaching the safety of the other side.

Garett and Matt

And there are so many more eerie stories that revolve around this quaint little town. The ghost walking tours lasts about 90 minutes and covers around ½ mile with 13 stops. Tours are suitable for adults and older children. Call (513) 846-0018 or visit their web page at http://www.miamitownghosttours.com, or their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/miamitownghosttours

for more information. Tours are available throughout the year.

Horse Drawn Ghost Tours

And, this Saturday, October 5^th will be the annual Miamitown ParaFest http://miamitownparafest.com from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. This free event is family-friendly and includes well-known ghost hunters, paranormal authors, UFO researchers, psychics, and more. Over a dozen paranormal groups will be on hand to tell stories, answer questions and show off their ghost hunting gear. There’s also a Zombie Walk, horse drawn ghost tours, a ghost hunt for the kids, and you can register to win an opportunity to go on a ghost hunt at a Miamitown haunted site with the Tri-State Paranormal and Oddities Observation Practitioners.

And, did I mention, this event is FREE?!

 

Next Wednesday I’ll have more on a haunted lounge that serves spirits with their spirits on Joy’s JOY of Wine @ http://joysjoyofwine.blogspot.com

Michael Henry

And next Friday, a noted ghost author will take us on a spooky trip through another river town, searching for a missing grave yard, and a lost coven. This is a town which has more than its share of ghosts and spirits…

~ Joy

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* Had to share the very odd photo I took during this tour. This was in the cemetery - Any ideas?