Cynthia of the North Carolina Foothills saw her first apparition at age 3. So did her daughter. In fact, most of the strange paranormal things she sees have been corroborated by someone…usually in her own family. Watch her family ghost stories now:

Or listen to part one here:

Then, watch part two:

Or listen to part 2 here:

About the Guest: Cynthia

Cynthia’s first experience with seeing spirits was when her Sicilian grandma and great Uncle Tony came down from the attic in a shaft of light to talk with her when she was 3 years old. Then, an angel tapped them on the shoulder, and said it’s time to go. The same thing happened to Cynthia’s own daughter at the same age, but she found it scary. When her daughter cried out, Cynthia ran into the room and had a feeling as though she was passing through static. Was she passing through the ghost of a family member?

In her formative years, she lived in the Adarondack Mountains, very near to where Dennis Rader, aka the BTK killer, was active at the time.

The book Cynthia recommended in this episode was Open Mic For Animals: Evidential Fairy Tails by Shannon Spring.

Cynthia’s Family Ghost Stories

Living near the Ramsour’s Mill Battle site, the area around Cynthia’s current home is a hotbed of paranormal activity. So active, in fact, that a ghost literally started speaking to her in the middle of this interview! In the first part of her interview, she details several unusual paranormal things she’s observed and interacted with there.

Strange paranormal things Cynthia has seen that have been corroborated by others

• Cynthia’s toddler daughter also received a visit an angelic grandmother figure, just like Cynthia did at that age.
• The ghost of a young boy runs into the road in front of both her car and her husband’s car.
• She sees “things” (big black blobs) that cross the road as well at night. They almost look like a cross between a turkey and a tumbleweed. They like to hang out in the empty house across a road. A group of high school students saw one once, and freaked out that an animal had gotten hit by a car.
• She sees elementals that look like old, very tall figures that live in the trees behind their house. They have deer-head-shaped heads, with deer antlers, and they communicate through crows, or telepathically through pictures. Since they act as guardians of the land, Cynthia leaves them offerings for it so it protects their chickens. They also see this creature crossing the road, and sometimes waving to them from the tree line.
• She also saw a scary Not Deer, with one eye, on the other side of the highway. She tries to avoid that one.
• She also often witnesses time slips, but these happen mostly in Colonial Williamsburg, VA. She describes the time slip as walking by something that feels out of place in time, and everything looking melty and not quite right, and they only last a brief time. Her husband corroborated her time slip at the governor’s house, and they both saw several dark shadow figures walking out of an archeological dig site there.
• As a kid, Cynthia often visited an open-air living history museum called Old Cowtown in Wichita, KS. There, she saw cowboy ghosts and spirits of saloon ladies. She thought they were costumes, until she realized her brother couldn’t see them. In the grand tradition of not talking about ghosts in the Midwest in the latter part of the 20th century, her mom told her she wasn’t supposed to talk about the ghosts…but it’s likely Mom could see them, too. A lot of the women in Cynthia’s family have inherited psychic gifts.
• A doppelganger trying to imitate a family member knocking at the door. Her husband also saw it, and he knew it wasn’t actually her when she spoke without moving her mouth.
• A ghost that manifests as a little girl in the dressing room of her family’s favorite haunted theater. She suspects the entity is more of a thought form than a spirit. The Ghost Radar phone app goes wild in the theater, with words from a ghost named Dr. Wilson, who simultaneously appeared on multiple security cameras right before a power outage occurred.
• The spirit of a young man named Phil, who was in a fatal accident nearby her daughter’s work. His spirit helps her mechanic daughter find missing tools and parts at her garage, in exchange for her telling his story.

Isn’t it interesting that someone else in her family shared nearly all of Cynthia’s ghost experiences? We guess that’s just what it’s like to have a family full of open, intuitive, and receptive individuals.

The Lake Lure Inn

Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, stars of “Dirty Dancing,” stayed at the Lake Lure Inn during the film’s production. So did Becky’s family last week. For more historical insights, visit the inn’s official page here.

Is The Lake Lure Inn Haunted?

Becky’s young son heard a ghostly little boy giggling in their room in the night. Later, the hotel’s staff corroborated his story; there’s a little boy ghost who has been seen by other guests, not just Becky’s super-haunted family. And they recently caught the ghost on camera in the dining room!

The hotel’s dining room is purportedly the most haunted part of the old Inn. A photographer recently took a photo of an ice sculpture, and inadvertently caught the transparent apparition of what appears to be a little boy.

We think it’s probably so active because of the giant antique music boxes, player pianos, busts and statues, all of which give the hotel lobby a highly anthropomorphized feel.

As for Lake Lure itself, Becky refuses to swim in its muddy waters. She’s paranoid about the extremely unlikely event of an encounter similar to the swimming pool flooding scene in Poltergeist. We can’t say whether or not there was a cemetery under the land that Lake Lure sits on now. It wasn’t uncommon, however, to flood entire communities when these lakes in the region were created. Maybe we’re just being unnecessarily fantastical. If you have information about what’s really under Lake Lure, let us know if it’s as spooky as our imaginations suggest!

More Episodes About Angels

• My 5 Best Dead Friends Are Ghosts of Celebrities
• The Possessions in D-Hall Dorms

Most Dangerous!

Today’s Most Dangerous segment is about (no, not Becky’s driving, but) the most dangerous animals that can come out of your toilet! Oh, the terror! For your own safety, we advise peeing standing up. These devices can help you achieve that goal, if your anatomy isn’t accommodating. Don’t get bit!

In the follow up episode, we guess the most dangerous foods people actually eat. Our money says you’ve eaten one of these risky dishes, and probably recently!

Tell us your family ghost stories

Have you seen an apparition that someone else in your family can corroborate? We love to host joint interviews that include multiple family members! We’ve simultaneously interviewed several couples, and some mothers and daughters. So wrangle up your siblings, parents, children, or great-great-step-cousins-twice-removed, and apply to tell your family ghost stories on the next episode of Homespun Haints, for another spooky day!

The post My Angels Are Telling Me It’s Time To Go: appeared first on Homespun Haints.

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Haunted places in Tri-Cities Appalachia

The Broad River Inn in Chimney Rock, NC

You may recognize Chimney Rock from the film “The Last of the Mohicans.” This inn provides a picturesque setting along the Rocky Broad River, in Western North Carolina. In addition to quaint and cozy rooms with separate balconies, the property includes a restaurant and a miniature golf course. We didn’t notice an elevator, so ask about accessibility at booking.

This inn is good for travelers to the area who would like to stay somewhere more rural and peaceful than the city of Asheville. Or, for those who’d like to potentially witness some mild paranormal activity in an otherwise cozy setting.​ You can visit the Broad River Inn website here.

Is The Broad River Inn Haunted?

One employee said she experiences fleeting amnesia and disorientation every time she passes through a particular area. Two of our friends had a similar experience in the hallway outside room number 4. They both remembered a full length mirror hanging on the wall where the odd disorientation occurred. Strangely, those of us who didn’t have that experience recall a painting hanging on that wall, rather than a mirror. Perhaps relatedly, the spot where the inn is now used to be a stage coach stop. Both inns and travel stops are liminal spaces. This location followed the trend of liminal spaces being haunted by phantoms that come and go, instead of consistent characters.

In a one-off paranormal event in this inn, an employee told us of a water leak in the bar’s ceiling. Water appeared to be dripping from room number 3. Except when she went to investigate, she found nothing wet in the room above. When she returned downstairs, the leak had vanished.

All five of us had dreams about being in the rooms we were actually sleeping in. This differs from our normal dreams, which usually take place in random locations that have nothing to do with where our sleeping bodies lie.

Chimney Rock is also the location of another very haunted inn. Becky’s family has stayed at the haunted Lake Lure Inn since this episode, where her son had an even more intense ghostly experience.

The Nickerson Snead House in Glade Spring, VA

Originally constructed as a two-room log cabin by Francis Kincannon, the house served as a fort during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War in the mid 18th century. In 1835, Dr. Snead acquired the property, expanding it into an Antebellum mansion. Because of the gradual expansions of the property, inside rooms feature exterior windows and exposed brick and log walls. The incongruity creates an overall sense of disorientation, that really helps amplify the haunted vibe. The house also functioned as a Civil War hospital. As such, its tiny, creepy cellar was used as a morgue during the war.

Over the years, the property changed hands several times. The Mason family owned it from the late 1800s until the 1980s. Ronda Caudill, recent guest on our podcast, transformed it into a museum in 2004. Today, the museum is a delightfully goth menagerie of arcane oddities, intriguing antiques, and goofy Halloween decorations.

The Nickerson Snead House Museum hosts a variety of events. Festivals, séances, and paranormal investigations happen on a regular basis. At Halloween, the real haunted house becomes a haunted attraction. Ronda recently opened the house to overnight guests as a haunted B&B. Becky, Diana, and friends had the honor of being the first overnight guests in the newly opened B&B!

Is The Nickerson Snead House Haunted?

Uhhhh, that’s a resounding “hell yes”! Deaths on the property include a young boy who was kicked by a horse, and two 1-year-old babies named William. The property was a fort that saw combat, and later became a surgery, so surely soldiers perished there as well. Investigators have captured images of several entities on the property. Repeat guests include Dr. and Betsy Sneed, Josephine, and Douglas, as well as a few unnamed children and soldiers.

Perhaps most creepily, Becky had a prophetic dream about this house long before seeing it in person. She tells us about it in this episode. Listen to Ronda tell Becky and Diana all about the ghosts at the Nickerson Snead House:

For more details and events at the Nickerson Snead House, please visit their official website here.

The Exchange Place in Kingsport, TN

Becky volunteered at this historic landmark when she was much younger. We pet a donkey, and saw some nekkid sheep. Initially part of a land grant given in 1750, it was developed by John Gaines post-1812 as a hub on the Old Stage Road for trading goods and currency. Later owned by the Preston family, the property was a significant local economic center until after the Civil War.

Today, the Exchange Place in Kingsport, Tennessee, is a living history farm that illustrates Appalachian life during the 1830s-1850s. It operates as a museum, and a meeting space for quilters and weavers, including educational programs and events. For more details or to plan a visit, see their official site: Exchange Place.

Is The Exchange Place Haunted?

People see the apparition of Aunt El, previous resident of the house before it became a historical landmark. We actually received a tour of the property by a descendent of Aunt El. We’ll let you know on Patreon what we find when we listen for EVPs!

The Deery Inn in Blountville, TN

Originally the building was a post office and general store on the Great Stage Road. The Deery also served as a key inn during the 19th century, hosting historical figures including Presidents Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson. During the Civil War, the inn was spared from destruction in the Battle of Blountville through strategic bribery by Gideon Cates. Today, it functions as a museum, managed by the Sullivan County Historical Preservation Association.

Plan a visit at the Deery Inn on the Historic Sullivan site or read about it on the Tennessee Vacation website. And while you’re there, do head across the street to the Ralph Blizzard Fiddling Museum. They have a neato display where you can visualize exactly how different sound waves are generated by the body of a violin. I won’t give away the whole plot here…let’s just say there was A LOT of glitter in that two room cabin.

Is The Deery Inn Haunted?

Ronda has investigated there, and found quite a bit of evidence that yes, the Deery Inn is haunted. While we were there, a bellows apparently moved on its own, according to one docent. We hope to do some paranormal investigating there someday. Until then, if you have any information about the ghosts of the Deery Inn, please get in touch to tell us about them!

The Historic Utopian Town of Rugby, TN

Founded in 1880 by British author Thomas Hughes, Rugby, Tennessee, was established as a utopian community for the younger sons of English gentry. It aimed to create a class-free society focused on agriculture and Christian values. Despite early struggles with disease and fires, Rugby is preserved as a historic site that showcases Victorian-era fronteering life. Historic Rugby, Inc., offers tours, lodging, and cultural events, maintaining an educational focus. For more information, visit the Historic Rugby website. Our friends at History, Highways, and Haunts, LLC, do the nighttime paranormal tours in Rugby.

If you visit, we recommend printing out a paper map. It sure is remote!

Is Historic Rugby Haunted?

Becky and Diana got the most intelligent responses and objective findings they’ve ever found on a paranormal investigation. We also got to play with a new ghost hunting toy—er, tool. This ghost trip wire allowed us to have the most comprehensive and interactive conversation we’ve ever had with a ghost. We’ll be posting the ghost evidence that we caught on our recordings and cameras over on our Patreon soon.

The Old Scott County Jail in Huntsville, TN

The 1904 Scott County Jail originally held about 50 inmates above and the jailer’s family below. 1922 saw the addition of a third floor for maximum security prisoners. Because of safety violations, a new jail was opened in the 1960s, but then the old jail had to be reopened due to inconvenient escapes from the new facility. The old jail permanently closed in 2008, following the construction of a modern justice center.

Today, it stands as a museum operated by History, Highways, and Haunts, LLC. Our friends Miranda Young and Kristy Sumner run the company. They offer tours that explore the jail’s history, paranormal activities, and architecture, reflecting its legacy on the National Register of Historic Places in Appalachia.​ Book a tour at the Historic Scott County Jail here. Or, plan a more comprehensive trip to Scott County here.

Is The Old Scott County Jail Haunted?

The Old Scott County Jail is indeed quite haunted. We encountered some intriguing paranormal activity there ourselves. Listen to Kristy and Miranda tell Becky and Diana all about the ghosts at the Old Scott County Jail and Rugby.

Thanks for following along on our paranormal Appalachian road trip!

If you missed our posts this time around, they’re archived over at our Patreon page. What are your favorite haunts in Appalachia for road trips? Let’s chat on our Facebook Group all about how to have a spooky day there!

The post A Paranormal Appalachian Road Trip: True Ghostly Encounters appeared first on Homespun Haints.

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Episode Summary: Is every hotel haunted?

Imagine, if you will, checking into a hotel for a business trip. Your coworkers are in a different, newer section of the building, but you seem to be in a section full of oddly-dressed partiers who seem oblivious to the no smoking rules and the absence of a pool. As you continue toward your room, you begin to realize that those people circling around you are ghosts. And they’re hanging out in the hallways because something far worse is lurking in your room.

Let’s talk to our repeat guest, Frantz, about his experiences in haunted hotels, today, on Homespun Haints.

About the Guest: Frantz

You heard him before on the episode I Am Talking to this Motherf*ing Ghost, but oh my, does he have more stories to tell. Frantz may be retired as a medium, but, as he says, he’ll never be free of ghosts until there’s a spirit witness protection program. Because it seems like everywhere he goes, the entities know he can see them, and they all want a turn at his attention.

Haunted Hotels Across America

We’ve recently come to the conclusion that most hotels are haunted. Or at least more likely to be than houses. Liminal spaces, and all that jazz. Here are some of our past episodes in which we discuss haunted hotels.

• The Drum Circle for Haunted Brothels
• Three Frisky Dead Johns On A Boat
• The Building Full of Cowboy Ghosts
• Lucumí and the Mango Tree
• Farting in a Museum and Alien Cunnilingus
• Get Out, Satan!
• Meeting the Ghosts at the Read House in Chattanooga
• Filipino Folklore: Manananggal, Engkanto, and Duwende, Oh My!
• A Christmas Ghost Story
• Charlotte is Spookier than You Thought.
• There’s more than pine martens in these here walls.
• Ghost Hunting in the English Countryside
• The Afterlife’s a Trapper Keeper
• When Children Go Ghost Hunting

Hotel Ghost Tours

We’ve also written up reviews of several haunted hotel ghost tours we’ve taken across America. Yes, we are the kind of people who get haunted on purpose. Are you? Here are our reviews of the top haunted hotel ghost tours we’ve taken.

• Fairmont Hotel Ghost Tour Review, Deadwood, SD
• Visiting The Overlook, errr, The Stanley Hotel
• The Crescent Hotel Ghost Tour Review, Eureka Springs, Arkansas
• The Haunted Read House in Chattanooga

From the holy to the spicy, and everything in between, Frantz has a hotel haunting experience for all seasons. We’re pretty sure this won’t be the last time we hear his true ghost stories on our show. After all, Ghost Witness Protection doesn’t seem like a forthcoming program in this economy.

Have you stayed at any haunted hotels lately? Apply now to tell your story on Homespun Haints, and let’s have a spooky day!

The post You Gotta Find the Head B*tch Ghost appeared first on Homespun Haints.

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Personal paranormal stories from Colorado

What would it take for your parents to believe that your childhood friend is actually a ghost? Would growing up in a haunted house lead you to fear entities from the other side, or would you go chasing after them, even voluntarily sleep in the same rooms as them?

Today’s guest is an artisan, a podcaster, and a ghost hunter, and her thirst for knowledge of the unseen began when a little ghost girl started braiding her hair.

About our guest: Angela Hartshorn of My Haunted Life

Angela Hartshorn of My Haunted Life Podcast loves finding things. You might find her gently paging through old newspapers, avidly researching her latest curiosity. But she also loves making things. Angela is a spooky haberdasher and seamstress. She has a lovely collection of witchy hats and fine leather hair accessories called Hart and Horn Wearable Art and Witchery. She also sells some of her hats and hairslides through a friend’s shop in Colorado Springs, Cronk Art and Curiosities.

Much to our delight, we stumbled across the Hart and Horn shop display at Midsummer Scream last week in Long Beach, CA, where we were able to corner her and coerce this interview out of her. And we think you’ll be glad that we did, Hainted Loves, because hoo boy, does Angela have some eerie personal paranormal stories. If these beauties aren’t enough for you, go follow My Haunted Life Podcast on YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Patreon, and/or Facebook for more.

Also, check out Angela’s recent episode on The Pine Barrens!

Haunted places in Colorado and California mentioned in this episode

• The Black Monarch Hotel in Victor, CO.
• The Lumber Barron Inn in Denver, CO.
• The RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA, where yourses trulies recently stayed.

Ghosts named John on the RMS Queen Mary

The Queen Mary is a permanently docked luxury cruise liner from the 1930s that is now a haunted hotel in Long Beach, CA. The ship itself boasts 600 ghosts, a lot of whom seem to be named John. Two ghosts named John (John Pedder and John MacKenzie) died nearly a decade apart by being crushed in two by the watertight Door 13. Both ghosts hang around that door and grab women’s butts.

John Henry was a welder whose body was found around the time of the Depression during the boat’s construction. His ghost also likes the ladies and hangs around what is now the Green Room. And Captain John Treasure Jones who can still be seen around the bridge. He’s not known as frisky, however.

Of course, yours trulies are no strangers to staying in haunted hotels or on haunted boats, so we thoroughly enjoyed swapping stories with Angela about our experiences on the Queen Mary.

Stay tuned for more about the haunted Queen Mary, including Amber’s strange experience in the engine room, where she had a spooky day!

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Episode Summary: Paranormal Investigations and Ghost Tours in Downtown Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Being a professional paranormal investigator and ghost tour guide sounds like an amazing job. But does it come with risks? Because this is the type of job where you don’t want to take your work home with you, no matter how badly your ghostly coworkers want to follow you back to your house.

Today, we speak with lead paranormal investigator Diane, who works at both the Crescent Hotel and Basin Park Hotel in Eureka Springs. She’s had quite a few encounters both on the clock and off the clock, and she’s sharing them all. Let’s hear about some haunted hotels and ghost tours in Arkansas, today, on Homespun Haints.

About the Guest: Diane Newcomb

Diane has been leading paranormal investigations at the Basin Park Hotel and Crescent Hotel for years. The pair make up the most haunted hotels in the state of Arkasas. She’s such a fixture on these sites that the ghosts follow her home looking for her when she tries to take time off.

Diane has curated a vast collection of photos sent to her mostly by tourists who caught ghosts on camera during her tours at the two historical buildings. She was a fabulous guide for the Basin Park Paranormal Investigation, energetically sharing fascinating history and people’s true ghost stories despite the late hour. We loved her style from the moment the haunted doll greeted us at the beginning of the investigation. We were honored and thrilled when she offered to come on our show and tell some of the real ghost horror stories she’s collected over the years!

How to protect yourself from ghosts while paranormal investigating

This is a topic many a paranormal investigator has felt was very important to bring up in past interviews. We have heard many suggestions for how to protect against spirits. The methods Diane uses include a “spirit dump,” which we’re picturing is like a colonic for dead things that may be clinging on to you or intend to follow you home.

She also taught us an Aramaic prayer for protection, which one of her investigation participants shared with her. We found the following Hebrew version at keysofenoch.org: “KODOISH, KODOISH, KODOISH ADONAI ’TSEBAYOTH.” That website translates this prayer as “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of Hosts.”

Sorry, but your princess is in a different castle

Interestingly, many of the ghosts at the Basin Park Hotel are actually not haunting the Basin Park Hotel, per se. Diane could not confirm if anyone has ever died on the property in its current iteration. Before the hotel was built, a lodging called the Perry House stood at the same spot. Well, where the South Wing now stands, at least.

Diane tells us that newspapers at the time reported that nobody perished in the fire that claimed the Perry House. But that doesn’t mean there were never any deaths on the property. If any cowboy died on the land to become one of the numerous ghosts photographed at the modern day Basin Park, they would’ve likely done so during the Perry House years. Given the time frame during which the Perry House stood, it’s a lot more likely someone would’ve died due to accident, injury, illness, or even murder, while lodging at the Perry House. The many ghosts that tourists spot walking through walls on the current property supports this idea. There’s a theory that, when an earthbound spirit walks through a wall, it is actually passing through an area that would’ve been open and passable during that person’s lifetime.

Healing water and snake oil

Diane tells us that the healing waters that founded the town were actually well-known to the Osage people. Once word spread that the waters could cause miraculous cures for multiple illnesses, the wagon stop became a tent settlement, which then became a town. Given the rampant risks and shenanigans that happened in 19th century medicine, it’s no surprise that sick people were willing to travel by wagon up a windy mountain road just to drink some spring water. Hell, people still do things like that.

At the height of the expansion of Eureka Springs, enter the Crescent Hotel. At a budget several times what a normal luxury hotel would cost, in a remote, mountainous area almost impassable in the icy dead of winter, the Crescent almost instantly became somewhat of a money pit. It repeatedly changed hands, and even purposes, attempting to stay in the black. The most notorious part of its history was the late 1930’s. The so-called Baker Hospital subsumed the entire hotel. This serial fraudster claimed a 100% cure rate for all forms of cancer. It wasn’t until very recently that the details of the ruse finally came to light.

In 2019, excavation on an undeveloped part of the hotel grounds lead to the discovery of both creepy human remains and the actual formulas used in their cancer treatment. Diane tells us that the first people to really get their hands on these new discoveries were the guys from Ghost Adventures. Analyzing the nearly century-old samples, local university labs found ingredients like corn silk, red clover, ground watermelon seeds, and carbolic acid.

Diana has a little more to tell about it in her recent stay at the Basin Park Hotel:

Wait, those supplements sound familiar.

Now, to be fair, as only a couple generations removed from Appalachian granny witches, we do appreciate the value of nutraceuticals. According to clevelandclinic.org, corn silk is a traditional supplement that is traditionally used for fighting inflammation. (Fun aside: corn silks are basically corn fallopian tubes! We like how corn just lets it all hang out like that.) Red clover does actually contain isoflavones that can influence sex hormones, according to nccih.nih.gov, an imbalance of which could be related to several forms of cancer. The lycopene in watermelon seeds also influences sex hormones and is currently undergoing research as a potential anti-cancer agent.

So these “cures” weren’t just a random assortment of cheap local plants that someone blended together haphazardly. The continued modern use and study of these exact nutraceuticals supports the notion that, at some point, someone at the Baker Hospital potentially had good intentions and a justifiable plan to enact those intentions.

You know what we appreciate more, though? That it’s illegal nowadays to claim that a natural supplement has a 100% cure rate for cancer. Bizarrely, some of the nutraceutical components Baker used may have potentially been sincerely beneficial in some ways. The accompanying lies, secrecy, and abuse were pretty obviously not.

It’s not a tumor

And all the strange human tissue samples in bottles labelled as “tumors”? Those were apparently displayed in the lobby of the hospital. They served as “proof” to visitors that the tumors were no longer inside the patients. But all treatments performed at the hospital were non-surgical (thank you, Jesus). So…how’d those tumors get out, then? Perhaps they were remnants from psychic surgery? If so, what do you think they really were?

Would you stay in a hotel room haunted by a cowboy ghost?

If you’re planning a trip to Eureka Springs, and you want to stay in a haunted room at the Basin Park hotel, book in advance! None of the most haunted rooms were available when Diana visited. Diane suggests you stay in one of the following.

• Room 310, which the spirit of famous cowboy John Chisum haunts, and where kids see ghosts of other children.
• Room 308, where guests report getting touched.
• Room 408, where the notorious “ladies’ man ghost” may give you a sexy foot massage.
• Rooms 514 and 515, where more nameless cowboy ghosts apparently share a suite.
• The entire third floor, where the paranormal investigators get constant readings on their EMF meters all over. The rampant beeping and flashing suggests the presence of some sort of fear cage on the floor. A fear cage may cause false positives in ghost hunting. It is also thought to feed spirits energetically.

In fact, Diana stayed in room 506, and two nights of her stay, a loud furniture scooting sound woke her up right around the witching hour. The sounds were coming from the floor above, which was unoccupied and locked. In fact, right above her room was a locked-up, apparently haunted bathroom. So no matter which room of the haunted Basin Park Hotel you stay at, you’ll probably have a spooky day!

The post The Building Full of Cowboy Ghosts appeared first on Homespun Haints.

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Episode Summary

For some of us, the word charming evokes images of lush gardens, cottage rooms and hearty food. For co-host Becky, charming also means taking her family to a haunted bed and breakfast thousands of miles from home, where centuries-old ghosts wander the grounds and warn of impending doom. Becky stayed at a delightful mansion in the northern Irish countryside, where she encountered beautiful scenery, warm hospitality, and sooo many Northern Ireland ghosts.

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About Ballylough House and the Northern Ireland ghosts

Ballylough House is a delightful structure about 5 miles from the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. The house itself is about 300 years old; however, it rests on top of the ruins of a castle decimated centuries ago.

The MacQuillans and the MacDonnells

Legend states that the MacQuillans and MacDonnells arranged a marriage between a young woman of the MacQuillan clan and a young man of the MacDonnells. The two families had been warring for generations, and the marriage would finally bring peace between the clans. The wedding took place at Ballylough, then occupied by the MacQuillans.

However, during the wedding feast, the MacDonnells swooped in and slaughtered everyone at the banquet, including the young bride and her mother. The MacDonnells then burned the castle to the ground; only the crumbling tower remains. The MacDonnells held the land until 1625, when they gave the land to their land agent, Archibald Stewart.

Other haunted castles we’ve covered

If you’re looking to visit a haunted castle, be sure to consider the following.

• Thornewood Castle.
• Leap Castle.
• Akershus Fortress.

Would you spend the night in a haunted B&B built on a castle?

We loved our time at the Ballylough B&B! We here at Homespun Haints would absolutely spend more time communing with the spirits there. It is certainly a reliable place to have a spooky day!

The post The Ghosts of Ballylough House appeared first on Homespun Haints.

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Episode Summary

Anywhere we go, we visit, or we move to can be haunted. But sometimes it’s healthy to think of the ghost as a houseguest that has just outstayed their welcome, and we are here to help them pack their bags.

Our guest today has had multiple run-ins with angry spirits. Some she accepts; others, she’s found a way to negotiate with. Perhaps you’ll find some inspiration from her stories if you, too, find yourself staying in a haunted room.

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The hairs on the back of your neck will prickle every time you light these candles based on the ambient scents of your favorite horror flicks. Smell-o-vision, here we come. Visit TheSmellOfFear.com.

About the Guest: Mel Trahan

Like you, Mel is a big fan of paranormal storytelling podcasts. After a personal supernatural experience, she wondered, where were the Latin American voices in this genre? Finding inspiration in podcasts like Lore and Stories by Sapphire, Mel started producing ¡Ay Ghost Mio! in 2021.

When she’s not podcasting, Mel is a software tester at NASA. She recently got to participate in the Artemis launch from within the firing room.

Follow Mel on Instagram and TikTok to see all her adventures, both in Latin American Spirituality and in her day-to-day life.

Episode Show Notes

What is an Egg Cleansing in Latin American Spirituality?

This isn’t the first time a guest has brought up this practice. Here’s a little more info about what an egg cleansing is within the context of Santeria.

Modern Spiritual Latina Tarot

Apparently, some people take multiple tarot decks with them on short trips. People like Mel. And Becky. And thank goodness Mel did, because the various tarot decks saved her butt from…what was that oppressive presence there at the hotel?

The Haunted Hotel Figueroa

Hotel Figueroa was LA’s first woman-owned hotel (originally a YWCA) for women travelling alone. It has been haunted ever since a tragedy Mel recounts in this episode. The staff claim that the renovations scared the ghosts off. But Mel’s personal experience begs to differ. The ghost of Cecilia certainly has cause to stick around, based on the story we hear in this episode.

Have You Stayed in a Haunted Hotel?

What do you think, Hainted Loves? Would you spend the night in Hotel Figueroa after hearing this story? Or do you have so many haunted hotel experiences that you’ll sleep tight no matter what? Why not submit to tell your true story on a future episode of Homespun Haints Podcast? C’mon; let’s have a spooky day!

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Listen here:

Episode Summary: the Read House Ghosts

Why can’t Becky and her husband agree on exactly what happened when they stayed the night at the Read House recently? Weren’t they both there hearing and seeing the same things? Was that ghostly sound just the air conditioner? And yet, despite being the professed skeptic of the family, why does Mr. Becky seem to get an equal – or perhaps even greater – amount of spectral attention?

Episode promo

If this story doesn’t have you sleeping uneasily, check out Scare You to Sleep, the sponsor of your next nightmare.

About the Guest, Becky

It’s our very own Becky, professional ghost stalker and ghost story teller, getting haunted AGAIN. Happy decaversary!

Who are the ghosts that haunt the Read House?

Our writer Kristy tells the story of Annalisa, the most famous of the Read House ghosts, plus some interesting history in this article. We hope you enjoyed all the sordid details Becky filled in in today’s episode.

Which room at the Read House is haunted?

Annalisa haunts room 311, the site of her tragic demise, and only room with bars on the windows. Room 311 isn’t usually available to the general public. Mainly because A. it’s part of the ghost tour, so it wouldn’t be very peaceful to stay in, and B. it’s so spooky and full of paranormal activity, that many guests can’t make it through the night.

But that changes during the month of October, when the room is opened up to overnight living guests for a very limited time, at $666.66 per night. Anybody wanna watch Becky and Diana attempt to spend the night in room 311? Hey, it might be in the cards soon! Follow us on social for updates.

Until next time, have a spooky day!

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(This video, Scare-cuterie!, is the second in our short ghostly film series, and certainly not the last! Here are some behind-the-scenes tidbits from making this short film, and what actually happened to that meat-eating poltergeist.)

But first, here is the video Scare-cuterie!:

A poltergeist that eats charcuterie

I know what you’re thinking. Where the hell did this idea come from? I’m not really sure either. These things usually come to me in a burst of inspiration while I’m shaving my legs. But, I think it has something to do with a charcuterie party a friend of mine held that I wasn’t able to attend due to illness. I was as bummed as a poltergeist that eats charcuterie but has to settle for kale.

(The funny thing is, once you start thinking of charcuterie, it comes up in conversation everywhere! It’s like considering buying a Nissan Leaf, and then everywhere you turn it’s Leaf Leaf Leaf. But I digress).

Can a poltergeist that eats even exist?

Diana and I are of the mindset that, in real life, ghosts cannot eat charcuterie, kale, or even mustard. They usually just try to eat your soul or your sanity. If they’re the bad kind.

The good kind eats chocolate and kittens.

How did this video even get made?

Oh, I’m so glad you asked! As you can tell from the watching, it was created using the highest-quality camera equipment (smart phones we had lying around), edited with professional software (and by professional, we mean “free”) and with sound design that would make the Lion King creators weep (with pity). But what we lack in technology and know-how we make up for with grit and our I’m-gonna-fucking-do-this-crazy-thing-no-matter-what attitude.

Was any real meat used in the filming of this video?

Absolutely! We’re too poor to invest in fake meat. The ham on a stick was Diana’s idea, and that was the most expensive meat purchase that went into this fine piece of cinematography. Did you know you can buy almost-expired meat for dirt cheap? That ham cost next to nothing.

Did Becky’s cat really help with the Ouija board?

Absolutely. That little imp is always talking to the dead while I’m not looking. She may not have opposable thumbs, but she can scoot that planchette around like a champ.

What did the spouses think of this whole craziness?

Oh, they were in it! We sat them down, gave them the script, and watched with sharpened knives as they hurriedly recited their lines. My husband, in particular though, was a little upset about how the meat was treated.

Where did the footage for Lettuce Scare You and Meat Your Doom come from?

We scoured through decades of microfiche to find these rare, lost-to-time photos. We think they may have come from another planet, maybe even another galaxy.

What eventually happened to Scare-Cuterie?

That is a mystery for the ages, isn’t it? We have reason to believe, however, that he developed a taste for shellfish and is floating around the Jersey City Red Lobster.

Are more videos like this coming?

Absolutely! Stay tuned for next week’s video about a haunted Theremin. Until then, have a spooky day!

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The Thornewood Castle, in Lakewood, Washington, boasts of a rich history and haunting past. Chester Thorne, one of the founders of the Port of Tacoma and Mount Rainier Park, spared no cost to make the mansion spectacular for his bride Anna. Even more impressively, Thorne dismantled a 400-year-old manor in England and shipped it, piece by piece, to the United States, so that all the bricks would be a part of the Castle. The mansion has 54 rooms, 28 bedrooms, and 22 bathrooms! In 1911, after four years of construction, Thornewood finally completed the 20,000 square foot castle. This testament to Thorne’s love for his wife gave the castle its sweet nickname: the house that love built.

The haunting of Thornewood Castle

So if the castle was built out of love, why is it so spooky? What makes this tudor-gothic mansion eerie? Several ghosts call it home. People believe these spirits stay at the mansion because of either their love for it, or the tragedies that have occurred there.

Ghosts of Thornewood Castle

Chester Thorne himself is the most active spirit there. He reportedly has made several appearances over the years. He usually shows up in the room that used to be his den, where he likes to unscrew the lightbulbs. No one really knows why; perhaps he feels nostalgic for the soft candlelight of 1911?

People have also reported seeing Anna, Chester’s wife, sitting in the window seat of her room that overlooks the garden. Today, Anna’s bedroom is a bridal suite which still has the original mirror from her time. Guests claim to see Anna’s spectral reflection in her mirror.

Guests have also claimed to see a child standing alone by the lake, only to find that when they rushed down to help, no one was there. Legend has it that the grandchild of a former owner drowned in the lake.

From Thornewood Castle’s current owners

Wayne and Deanna Robinson purchased the mansion in 2000. The couple claims that the most common encounter they’ve had is the phantom party they would see in the great hall. One night while Deanna was reading, the room suddenly lit up like a cocktail party was taking place. According to the website Weird US, “she heard people walking and dancing across the floor, the clinking of glasses and the mutter of conversation. It sounded like 100 invisible people had suddenly appeared.”

On another occasion, “Deanna has seen what she described as a vortex in the Great Hall. It appeared one night on the grand staircase. This stairway, like most fixtures at Thornewood Castle, is several hundred years old. She saw several spirits come out of the vortex, but having previously had a near death experience of her own, she did not investigate for fear of being pulled to the other side.”

Thornewood Castle Trivia

• The mansion has hosted many garden and dinner parties for famous guests, including Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft.
• The Stephen King film Rose Red used Thornewood castle as a set. So did its prequel, The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer.
• An obscure silent film, The Eyes of the Totem, funded by Chester Thorne, shot on the castle grounds, and released in 1927, was then promptly lost for 80 years. Archivists rediscovered the film in 2015 in the archives of the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.
• The manor has a collection of rare artwork which is hand-painted onto the glass. You can find this glass mounted in windows throughout the estate.

Visiting the Mansion

At the time of this writing, there is no formal Thornewood Castle ghost tour (or any tour) that you can take as a member of the general public. Staying at or attending an event at the inn are the ONLY ways to explore it. From their website: “We regret that time demands and our neighborhood setting do not permit us to show the Castle on a walk-up basis. The Castle is a private residence located in a gated neighborhood. It can be seen when staying as a registered overnight guest or attending a private event.”

However, the one exception to this rule might be to book a professional photo shoot there. Call Thornewood directly for details.

Accessibility at Thornewood Castle

The castle has no elevator. ALL of the rooms listed on their website are on the 2nd or 3rd floors. Remember in the States, the first floor IS the ground floor, so if you book a 2nd floor room, that’s just 1 flight of stairs to climb, not 2. 2nd floor rooms include the Grandview Suite, Presidential Suite, Anna’s Suite, Chester’s Suite, and The Blue Room. The other guest rooms all appear to be on the 3rd floor.

Some of the rooms do not have a bathroom en-suite, but may have private bathrooms that you’d need to exit your room and go down the hall to use. The house was built on its current site over 100 years ago, but is a replica (of sorts) of a 400 year old house, so expect the less-accessible features common to that time period.

But there may be another option: there are 2 (more modern) guest apartments on the property, one for 2 occupants, and 1 for up to 6 occupants, available by the week or by the month. Apartment guests get a key to the castle and are permitted to roam everywhere the guests staying inside the inn can. Be sure to call and specifically ask, as it’s unclear from their website just how accessible the apartments are.

Sweet dreams

Whether you believe these ghostly sightings took place or not, would you spend the night in Thornewood Castle? It’s on the National Register of Historic Places and serves as a country inn that has been restored. Online reservations are discounted by 15%. Again, at this time, ONLY guests of the Inn can roam the grounds; boat, swim, and fish in the lake; and have tea in the sunken English garden.

https://www.thornewoodcastle.com/

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