The word you are looking for is cemetery. Cemetery. C-E-M-E-T-E-R-Y. CEMETERY.
From Webster's:
cem·e·tery
noun \ˈse-mə-ˌter-ē, -ˌte-rē\
plural cem·e·ter·ies
Definition of CEMETERY: a good place to hide a corpse
Okay, maybe I embellished the definition part a little bit. But really. For the love of purple, please learn to spell this word correctly, especially if you're touting yourself as a "paranormal investigator". It's really hard to take you seriously as such if you cannot even spell such a basic word. I realize we all tpyo every now and then(see what I did thar?!), but when you repeatedly misspell a word so commonly used amongst the paranormal crowd, it tells me you probably don't really know what you're doing.
The excuse of "it doesn't matter if I spelled it wrong [repeatedly], you knew what I meant!" doesn't fly with me. Spelling does matter. It's the difference between whether or not people think you're an idiot. And possibly question your educational background.
If you'd like to pick on me a bit, I realize that I don't always grammar properly. 99% of the time it's done purposely. Because I can. Neener.
So, with that out of the way...
I have a list of new-to-me cemeteries to check out, though some will need to wait probably another month or so due to the weather. They're in the mountains and sound rather intriguing, particularly one that's shoved out in the forest somewhere. In the meantime, I have two that are closer to home-- one that I've already been to and one that I have not. Both of these are easily accessible... I just need the stinking weather to cooperate.
The cemetery I've already been to is one where I had an experience that I've never had in a cemetery before. It was weird and a little unsettling, though hardly terrifying (then again, very very little scares me, so something really outrageous would have to happen in order to elicit that sort of response from me). I'm not going to say just what it was quite yet, partly because I want to see if it happens again when I go back. The only problem with that is that I've already experienced it and may well anticipate experiencing it again, so I'll need to find a way to put the previous visit out of my mind. Alternately, I'll need to scrutinize any experience(s) I may have very carefully so as to determine whether or not they're legitimate the second time around. So, we'll see how that one goes.
The cemetery that I have not yet been to is one that contains the grave of an accused cannibal. This isn't an urban legend or somesuch; this person actually existed, but there are differing stories detailing that of which he was accused, largely because he kept changing his story over time. Regardless of how things actually played out, he was eventually convicted and jailed for this). His name was Alfred "Alferd" Packer and he was nicknamed "The Colorado Cannibal". Look it up, it's an interesting story. If nothing else, I think just seeing the grave could hold some entertainment value. Though I'm guessing he really should have listened to Chief Ouray.
As I am in possession(no pun intended) of a simple recorder(it's actually a basic mp3 player with a recording function), I may take it with me and see if I get anything. I'm not a huge fan of EVP recordings, though don't entirely discount them either.
So, once I've managed to get some of this accomplished, I'll report back, because I know all three of you who are reading this are waiting on pins and needles.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Do I smell jaded to you?
See, here's the thing. I have a very strong interest in the paranormal, and I have since I was a child. We allegedly had a ghost in our house, but if that was actually true I have no memory of it. All I have is a story my mother told me, one which I have no reason to disbelieve. She believed herself to be "sensitive". Her mother believed the same about herself and was also a palm reader. I know a lot of it was put on for show, but I think there was some legitimacy there as well.
Then there's me.
Me.
I have a tendency to look unhappy even when I'm not, and the odd desire to tramp around awesome places in the most uncomfortable clothes possible. See above photo for reference. It was only about 100° anyway. I survived, though it's possible I suffered some slight brain damage due to heatstroke. No matter.
There was a point I was getting around to, and it's that I've been doing both UE and paranormal related stuff for a long, long time, and I've seen some really out there people when it comes to the paranormal(with UE, it's mostly just really fucking dumb people, but natural selection will take care of them). I'm a "believer"(I feel stupid even saying that... we need a new term or something) but I'm also a hardcore skeptic. I look for the logic or the simplest explanation for things before leaping across giant canyons to the most unrealistic conclusions possible.
That dust-- or better, asbestos-- you kicked up from walking around that abandoned house is what's causing "orbs" in your pictures, not a thousand spirits trying to communicate with you. That thing that fluttered by your lens was a moth, not a bizarrely misshapen ghost. And that cigarette smoke that you claim is not cigarette smoke is quite clearly cigarette smoke. I should know. I smoke.
And if you think Zak Bagans and Amy Allan are for real, you need to seek psychotherapy immediately. Stop for one second and ponder why it is they both appear on the Travel Channel. THE TRAVEL CHANNEL. Also stop and think about anyone who does actual paranormal investigations. NO ONE finds something(or multiple somethings) on EVERY SINGLE INVESTIGATION THEY DO. No one. And if they claim they do, they're lying to you. But that might be because the word gullible is not in the dictionary, so how were you to have possibly known?
It's because of people, both "average" and well-known, that I've become so very jaded when it comes to this stuff, because 99% of it is smoke-and-mirrors. I could easily produce all kinds of wild pictures that some folks would fall for without a second thought, simply because the pictures would look odd and I'd claim it was some spook trying to get my attention. Then people would be flipping their shit all over my blog, and we can't have that, now can we?
I've had experiences. Real ones. They are far more rare than the paid TV actors want to make you believe. I'll get around to some of those, but for now, this was really just to establish where I stand with a lot of this stuff. I don't disbelieve. I'm also not a sucker. Unless we're talking about lollipops, in which case... no wait, still not a sucker.
But hey, does this butterfly smell like chloroform to you?
Well, does it?
Then there's me.
I have a tendency to look unhappy even when I'm not, and the odd desire to tramp around awesome places in the most uncomfortable clothes possible. See above photo for reference. It was only about 100° anyway. I survived, though it's possible I suffered some slight brain damage due to heatstroke. No matter.
There was a point I was getting around to, and it's that I've been doing both UE and paranormal related stuff for a long, long time, and I've seen some really out there people when it comes to the paranormal(with UE, it's mostly just really fucking dumb people, but natural selection will take care of them). I'm a "believer"(I feel stupid even saying that... we need a new term or something) but I'm also a hardcore skeptic. I look for the logic or the simplest explanation for things before leaping across giant canyons to the most unrealistic conclusions possible.
That dust-- or better, asbestos-- you kicked up from walking around that abandoned house is what's causing "orbs" in your pictures, not a thousand spirits trying to communicate with you. That thing that fluttered by your lens was a moth, not a bizarrely misshapen ghost. And that cigarette smoke that you claim is not cigarette smoke is quite clearly cigarette smoke. I should know. I smoke.
And if you think Zak Bagans and Amy Allan are for real, you need to seek psychotherapy immediately. Stop for one second and ponder why it is they both appear on the Travel Channel. THE TRAVEL CHANNEL. Also stop and think about anyone who does actual paranormal investigations. NO ONE finds something(or multiple somethings) on EVERY SINGLE INVESTIGATION THEY DO. No one. And if they claim they do, they're lying to you. But that might be because the word gullible is not in the dictionary, so how were you to have possibly known?
It's because of people, both "average" and well-known, that I've become so very jaded when it comes to this stuff, because 99% of it is smoke-and-mirrors. I could easily produce all kinds of wild pictures that some folks would fall for without a second thought, simply because the pictures would look odd and I'd claim it was some spook trying to get my attention. Then people would be flipping their shit all over my blog, and we can't have that, now can we?
I've had experiences. Real ones. They are far more rare than the paid TV actors want to make you believe. I'll get around to some of those, but for now, this was really just to establish where I stand with a lot of this stuff. I don't disbelieve. I'm also not a sucker. Unless we're talking about lollipops, in which case... no wait, still not a sucker.
But hey, does this butterfly smell like chloroform to you?
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
So here's one for you... [image heavy]
I detest Photobucket. DETEST IT.
That said...
This is an interesting one. There are actually two parts to this, but I'm going to start with the more "sensational" of them. This is an historic location in MD, though I'm not specifying exactly where. If you've been involved with anything paranormal in MD, you might recognize this place. The reason I choose not to say where it is is because part of this area has not been vandalized(probably because the bored kiddies with spray paint haven't been able to find it) and because the parts that have been vandalized have been through enough. :P
All photos in this post were taken in July 2012. I have older ones from previous visits that I'll post up sometime, including one very interesting one that I wasn't expecting.
These are the remains of a church
That part is sort of important. The full history of this church is known, though I'm not going to write it out because again, it would potentially reveal where it's located. It is in its ruined, abandoned state due to natural disaster. Said natural disaster also killed a bunch of people-- not necessarily at the church, but in the immediate area nearby.
Definitely ruined, definitely abandoned, definitely vandalized
There is a lot of paranormal speculation surrounding this place, some of which is legit and some of which is basically ridiculous. There's weird stuff that's gone on here, though not as, um, "imaginative" as some would try to make you believe. I've been here on numerous occasions and every damn time something slightly off-kilter has occurred. The most memorable event was the August day(and if you've ever been to MD in August, you know exactly how insanely hot and humid it is) that a friend and I ventured here, and upon stepping in to the vestibule(I use big words) we were hit with utterly freezing cold air. It was like stepping in to a room with the air conditioner on full blast, except, well, there's no air conditioning here.
No, no air conditioning. It would be sort of pointless.
Yes, that's me in there, only on this occasion there was no cold air, which was a shame, because it was hot as balls.
Actually, on this trip, there was a whole new element in place. It was utterly bizarre and not something I've ever seen out there before.
It was this.
That's a black vulture if you can't tell, and while they aren't all that unusual in MD, they're certainly less common than the boring old turkey vultures that are all over the place. This thing scared the crap out of me, not because I have some irrational fear of large black birds, but because it was directly above me when I stepped inside and I didn't realize it until I glanced up. It was not especially keen on leaving its spot in the window, but did eventually flutter over to a branch in a close by tree.
A branch. In a tree. Close by.
It did not move from that spot for the entire time that we were there. It certainly appeared to be guarding something-- a nest I would assume-- though it seemed late in the season to have little vulture chicklets running around. I also didn't hear any screeching of disgruntled youngsters, so... who knows. Maybe it just digs hanging out here.
OR MAYBE IT'S STRAIGHT FROM HELL!
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Anyway, I've heard everything from "there's a vortex here u guize!" to "iffen you go at night you'll see dozens of red eyes staring at you from the trees OMG1!one" to "there's this freaky red mist that appears out of nowhere! Nowhere I tell you!". Now, on that last one-- red mist-- I have seen a photo that is purportedly of said mist and was taken at night. It does appear red in the photo, however, that's so amazingly easy to fake and there's no way to verify the validity of that photo, so... that garners some pretty hard skepticism from me. Additionally, it did not come from the most reliable of sources, so I'm inclined to believe it's not the real deal.
Here are a couple more shots that are of the ruined interior:
It's ruined all right
One last thing about this place-- it was a Pentacostal church. I can't tell you the number of snakes I've seen here-- seriously.
That said...
This is an interesting one. There are actually two parts to this, but I'm going to start with the more "sensational" of them. This is an historic location in MD, though I'm not specifying exactly where. If you've been involved with anything paranormal in MD, you might recognize this place. The reason I choose not to say where it is is because part of this area has not been vandalized(probably because the bored kiddies with spray paint haven't been able to find it) and because the parts that have been vandalized have been through enough. :P
All photos in this post were taken in July 2012. I have older ones from previous visits that I'll post up sometime, including one very interesting one that I wasn't expecting.
That part is sort of important. The full history of this church is known, though I'm not going to write it out because again, it would potentially reveal where it's located. It is in its ruined, abandoned state due to natural disaster. Said natural disaster also killed a bunch of people-- not necessarily at the church, but in the immediate area nearby.
There is a lot of paranormal speculation surrounding this place, some of which is legit and some of which is basically ridiculous. There's weird stuff that's gone on here, though not as, um, "imaginative" as some would try to make you believe. I've been here on numerous occasions and every damn time something slightly off-kilter has occurred. The most memorable event was the August day(and if you've ever been to MD in August, you know exactly how insanely hot and humid it is) that a friend and I ventured here, and upon stepping in to the vestibule(I use big words) we were hit with utterly freezing cold air. It was like stepping in to a room with the air conditioner on full blast, except, well, there's no air conditioning here.
Yes, that's me in there, only on this occasion there was no cold air, which was a shame, because it was hot as balls.
Actually, on this trip, there was a whole new element in place. It was utterly bizarre and not something I've ever seen out there before.
That's a black vulture if you can't tell, and while they aren't all that unusual in MD, they're certainly less common than the boring old turkey vultures that are all over the place. This thing scared the crap out of me, not because I have some irrational fear of large black birds, but because it was directly above me when I stepped inside and I didn't realize it until I glanced up. It was not especially keen on leaving its spot in the window, but did eventually flutter over to a branch in a close by tree.
It did not move from that spot for the entire time that we were there. It certainly appeared to be guarding something-- a nest I would assume-- though it seemed late in the season to have little vulture chicklets running around. I also didn't hear any screeching of disgruntled youngsters, so... who knows. Maybe it just digs hanging out here.
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Anyway, I've heard everything from "there's a vortex here u guize!" to "iffen you go at night you'll see dozens of red eyes staring at you from the trees OMG1!one" to "there's this freaky red mist that appears out of nowhere! Nowhere I tell you!". Now, on that last one-- red mist-- I have seen a photo that is purportedly of said mist and was taken at night. It does appear red in the photo, however, that's so amazingly easy to fake and there's no way to verify the validity of that photo, so... that garners some pretty hard skepticism from me. Additionally, it did not come from the most reliable of sources, so I'm inclined to believe it's not the real deal.
Here are a couple more shots that are of the ruined interior:
One last thing about this place-- it was a Pentacostal church. I can't tell you the number of snakes I've seen here-- seriously.
Where's the good stuff?
You're probably wondering where my (potentially) paranormal content is. It's coming, I just had the other posts to put up first, because after all, this blog also contains my UE stuff as well. I also need to sort out the next batch of images and dump them on Photobarfit, because they are ones that you'll definitely want to take a closer look at.
So. Be patient. And stuff.
So. Be patient. And stuff.
Black Rock Mill, Germantown, MD
Just a few pictures from historic Black Rock Mill in Germantown, MD. This is owned by MCPS and is open to the public during daylight hours. There are also hiking trails all around it since it sits within the parks system. This is a very large structure and is one of the best preserved old mills in Montgomery County. It also sits directly alongside a creek and the interior of the building has flood markers on the walls. At least one flood took over 2/3 of the building.
These photos were taken in July 2012.
The "front". You can walk down the wooden walkway and look inside.
View of the "front" from the opposite side.
View from across the creek.
Interior showing some of the original gears and an original grinding stone.
The creek.
Plaque out front with a photo of the mill in its original state.
These photos were taken in July 2012.
The "front". You can walk down the wooden walkway and look inside.
View of the "front" from the opposite side.
View from across the creek.
Interior showing some of the original gears and an original grinding stone.
The creek.
Plaque out front with a photo of the mill in its original state.
Abandoned Gothic style Victorian, MD
This is an abandoned house that I've long known about(15+ years), and in fact when I first discovered it, quite by accident, it was still occupied. It wasn't too long after that that it was emptied and while it was still looked after, it was not a permanent residence. For the past few years it's been completely abandoned, though at one point it looked like someone was going to attempt some renovations. Those renovations never happened and all of the items that were brought in to do so are still sitting right where they were originally left. This house is located in MD, and that's as specific as I'll be. Very, very few people know about this house or its location and it's far preferable that it remain that way.
I have never been inside this house despite visiting it on more than one occasion. On all occasions all potential entrances have been padlocked, and as there has been no vandalism done to it at all, none of the windows are broken, providing no entryway. This house does have a history, which I know most of, but again I can't state just what that history is lest it be located. Sorry.
Haunted? Not haunted? Who knows. I get weird vibes off this place every time I'm there, but that could be almost anything, including the location itself.
Again, sorry for the picture size. I may need to switch to Photobucket in the future, as much as I hate it. If you're desperate to see the full sized images of these, leave your email address in a comment and you'll receive watermarked versions of all of them at 800x600 resolution in a zip file.
These photos were taken in July 2012.
Main gates, padlocked closed.
The approach, which is not actually directly from the driveway.
Getting closer. Yes, it really is as substantial as it appears.
Amongst the trees.
Suddenly: house!
More house.
Upper level.
Side view, upper level, showing the interestingly placed chimney.
Closer shot of chimney.
Wrought iron railing with grapes and leaves design.
Stone foundation and steps.
Rounded porch. I have a much better picture of this somewhere, from a previous trip. I suppose I'll have to dig it out.
And lastly, the saddest portion of the house. You might have noticed that the rest of it looks pretty much intact, and indeed it is. For whatever reason though, the clapboard here is not just rotting away, but this entire section of the house is collapsing in to itself. Very disheartening, especially since restoration efforts have been abandoned.
There's a chance that the next time I'm here, I'll try a little harder to find a way in. I'd like to get inside at least once before it falls down entirely(for the record, the majority appears to be stable overall). I'm sure it's utterly fascinating inside. And getting in would also give me the opportunity to see if it appears to have any kind of abnormal activity going on.
I have never been inside this house despite visiting it on more than one occasion. On all occasions all potential entrances have been padlocked, and as there has been no vandalism done to it at all, none of the windows are broken, providing no entryway. This house does have a history, which I know most of, but again I can't state just what that history is lest it be located. Sorry.
Haunted? Not haunted? Who knows. I get weird vibes off this place every time I'm there, but that could be almost anything, including the location itself.
Again, sorry for the picture size. I may need to switch to Photobucket in the future, as much as I hate it. If you're desperate to see the full sized images of these, leave your email address in a comment and you'll receive watermarked versions of all of them at 800x600 resolution in a zip file.
These photos were taken in July 2012.
Main gates, padlocked closed.
The approach, which is not actually directly from the driveway.
Getting closer. Yes, it really is as substantial as it appears.
Amongst the trees.
Suddenly: house!
More house.
Upper level.
Side view, upper level, showing the interestingly placed chimney.
Closer shot of chimney.
Wrought iron railing with grapes and leaves design.
Stone foundation and steps.
Rounded porch. I have a much better picture of this somewhere, from a previous trip. I suppose I'll have to dig it out.
And lastly, the saddest portion of the house. You might have noticed that the rest of it looks pretty much intact, and indeed it is. For whatever reason though, the clapboard here is not just rotting away, but this entire section of the house is collapsing in to itself. Very disheartening, especially since restoration efforts have been abandoned.
There's a chance that the next time I'm here, I'll try a little harder to find a way in. I'd like to get inside at least once before it falls down entirely(for the record, the majority appears to be stable overall). I'm sure it's utterly fascinating inside. And getting in would also give me the opportunity to see if it appears to have any kind of abnormal activity going on.
Cemetery near Morrison, CO
So here's a starter entry. I have so much more to put here, I just haven't had time to do so. Part of the issue is that so many of my photos are so disorganized, it's going to take me forever to get everything straightened out.
Anyway, this is cemetery near Morrison, CO. No, it is not the actual Morrison Cemetery(however, it IS nearby). These are just a few pictures I got of it. This place was really interesting because it's out in the middle of nothing. I'm not used to seeing that here(CO), whereas it's fairly common at home(MD).
Sorry the pictures are fairly small. Blogger automatically resizes them. :P
These photos were taken January 2013.
This is the way to and from the cemetery.
Cemetery from a distance.
Area surrounding the cemetery.
This is coming up the path to the cemetery. Notice there are 2 fenced off areas.
Approaching.
Approach where the fence is down.
Inside.
Wooden marker leaning against the fence. Nothing written on it.
Another wooden marker against the fence.
Wooden marker still in the ground.
One of two stone markers. Obviously this one has been repaired.
The other stone marker.
Lastly, this is the only thing present in the smaller fenced off area away from the main cemetery.
Nothing especially weird about this place other than it sits in the middle of nothing(although that middle of nothing is actually the middle of a park). Nothing seemed particularly out of order here, and these might be the first surviving wooden markers I've ever seen in person.
Anyway, this is cemetery near Morrison, CO. No, it is not the actual Morrison Cemetery(however, it IS nearby). These are just a few pictures I got of it. This place was really interesting because it's out in the middle of nothing. I'm not used to seeing that here(CO), whereas it's fairly common at home(MD).
Sorry the pictures are fairly small. Blogger automatically resizes them. :P
These photos were taken January 2013.
This is the way to and from the cemetery.
Cemetery from a distance.
Area surrounding the cemetery.
This is coming up the path to the cemetery. Notice there are 2 fenced off areas.
Approaching.
Approach where the fence is down.
Inside.
Wooden marker leaning against the fence. Nothing written on it.
Another wooden marker against the fence.
Wooden marker still in the ground.
One of two stone markers. Obviously this one has been repaired.
The other stone marker.
Lastly, this is the only thing present in the smaller fenced off area away from the main cemetery.
Nothing especially weird about this place other than it sits in the middle of nothing(although that middle of nothing is actually the middle of a park). Nothing seemed particularly out of order here, and these might be the first surviving wooden markers I've ever seen in person.
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