Exploring the Unknown: One if by Land

Mysterious Locations Part One…or not

Ok, so you’re probably wondering about the subtitle above. What the heck does she mean by ‘or not’? Has she gone mad?

Actually, no. At least, I don’t think so. Let’s back up a second. My intention (what is it they say about good intentions and the road to hell?) in this series was to share three or four of the countries most haunted or strangest locations on land. This would be followed by the next in the ‘Mysterious Locations’ series, covering the most haunted or bizarre locations by sea. Get it? Only, after doing a bit of research, I’ve concluded that there are just too many of these places to stop at three or four. So, in true Quinn fashion, I’ve decided to rise to the challenge and separate these two series into a few parts; only then will we delve into the next series and the mysteries we find at sea. Sound good? Groovy. So strap into your seats for a wild ride of spooky spirits and creepy places all over our great nation.

We start with one of my personal favorites, The Winchester Mystery House. Owned by the widow of William Winchester, designer of the famous Winchester rifle, Sarah Winchester built the home in San Jose after a visit with a medium following the her husbands death. Sarah’s goal was to find peace and comfort, perhaps even contact her beloved husband or infant daughter in the great beyond. Instead, she received a shocking communication that would change the course of her life.

The spiritualist (definitely not an Oda Mae Brown type of gal) immediately went into a trance, appearing to channel William Winchester. During this trance, she delivered a dire warning— the ghostly victims of the Winchester rifle were angered at Sarah’s lavish lifestyle. According to William, the spirits believed she attained her wealth through ‘blood money’ and would haunt her ass for all time unless she built a grand home where the spirits could dwell.

The caveat? Construction could never stop.

Now, make no mistake, Sarah was a wealthy woman who could afford such renovations. But to do it, like, forever? Hammers and saws and dozens of workers trampling through your house night and day? I mean, literally night and day…BECAUSE CONSTRUCTION COULD NEVER STOP! If it did, the medium warned, Sarah would die.

Bummer.

And so, she built… willy-nilly, with no vision and no plan, for 38 years until her death. The result? A home with staircases that led to nowhere, trap doors, and hidden rooms. In fact, some say that no one knows the exact number of rooms in the labyrinth-type mansion. Or the reasons behind her fascination with the number 13. Or why she had a secret room (the séance room) where she would allegedly spend hours in communication with spirits. One thing we do know, though, is that the Winchester Mystery House has had reports of ghost sightings, disembodied voices, footsteps, and even the sounds of construction when none was occurring. This makes it one of the spookiest places in California, and one that I would love to visit!

And talking about visiting…how about a trip to that Lizzie Borden house in Massachusetts, huh? You remember that cheeky broad, don’t ya? How did that creepy song go? Something about Lizzie taking an axe, giving her mother forty whacks, then when she’d seen what she had done, gave her father 41? Or is it reversed? Either way, definitely overkill, right? Actually, it was more like 17 or 18 on mom and less than that on dear old dad. Although, it’s all relative, right? (See what I did there?😜)

Lizzie was, and remains to this day, the prime suspect in the murders of both her father and step-mother. Although acquitted at trial, there have been several books and articles claiming that Lizzie was guilty. The motive to the killings remains a mystery. Her father, Andrew, was a wealthy miser, well-known for his dour personality. There are those who suggest he mistreated Lizzie and her sister, Emma, and his was a revenge killing. As far as Abby Borden, his wife? Town talk back then was that Andrew was giving away his fortune to Abby’s family while Lizzie and her sister scraped by with a small allowance, and Lizzie resented her for it.

The Lizzie Borden house is now rated as one of the top haunted locations in the world. Operating as a Bed and Breakfast now, guests have told tales of hearing a woman weeping softly and being ‘tucked’ in at night. Shoes seem to move on their own, while phantom footsteps walk the halls at night. (Maybe that’s why the shoes are moved?😜)

My kind of place.

Perhaps the most tortured and, in my opinion, most likely place for a haunting, is in the trenches of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. During a three-day period in 1863, nearly 51,000 men were killed on various battlefields in perhaps the most crucial showdown of the Civil War. When it comes to hauntings, two specific areas are known to produce an amazing number of spirit encounters.

Little Round Top, a.k.a. The Valley of Death or The Slaughter Pen (due to the high number of bodies left to lay for months) is rumored to have had George Washington’s ghost leading the battle. And who is to say good ol’ George didn’t lend a hand? Regardless, looking a the sheer number of dead and injured, George didn’t carry much weight in the spirit department.

Another, more well-known, area is called The Devil’s Den. It was here, on this rock formation, that more than 20,000 men lost their lives inside of 72 hours. Its name came from the belief that the devil himself resided within the rocks there. Today, visitors report hearing the sounds of cannon fire, military commands, and claim to see ghost soldiers re-enacting their final battles.

Now, that would be cool 😎

Another interesting tidbit surrounding The Devil’s Den is how cameras seem to malfunction whenever anyone attempts to take a photo on that field of battle. Batteries drain, shutters stick, and flashes fail to go off, despite being accurately set. Word on the street is it is because the dead are plenty pissed at photographers in general. Historians, after closely examining old pictures, concluded that many of the battle photos had been staged. They noticed a peculiarity in that several photos of the fallen depicted the same soldier, staged in death, at various spots among the field.

Meaning that some fool had moved one body and repositioned him different ways for a photo shoot. No wonder the ghosts don’t like cameras.

download (1).jfif — via ghostcitytours.com

An honorable mention goes to St. Augustine Lighthouse in Florida. Many paranormal researchers have investigated this tourist attraction because of its claim of being haunted. Visitors hear the giggling of children (thought to be the children of a former lighthouse keeper) and see a shadow figure who peers over the enormous staircase.

The many tragedies that have occurred over the years in St. Augustine’s Lighthouse leads one to conclude that some of the visitors found there are not visitors at all, but residents…. spirits of those who perished in or near the lighthouse who refuse to leave.

Sounds like frightfully good fun!

There you have it, the first batch of eerie places on land. Stay tuned next time for another thrilling episode of Exploring the Unknown: Mysterious Locations/ One if by Land.😃