Spirit Lights II Recording

Check out this video, recorded by Loralie, that took place at one of our investigations at a haunted antique shop. We were in one of the front rooms, sitting around a table and asking questions. During this time when the lights on the screen are active, Loralie felt a distinct presence in the room that felt like something was sitting on her lap and then as soon as the activity stopped, it was gone. 

 

Have a spooky tale to tell?

Want to be a Ghost Writer and have your story featured on SPOOKSPITTSBURGH.com?

Then we want to hear from you! If you've got a true story to tell, then drop us a line. Give us all of the details, share any pictures that you might have. As a Ghost Writer, the content is up to you.

Visit us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/SpooksPGH and send us a message that you've got a story to share (please do not send us the story yet - we'll send you information on how to submit).

If you're story is selected to be featured on our website, we'll send you a FREE SPOOKS PITTSBURGH t-shirt to say THANKS!

Ghost Writer Feature Story: Powers of the Subconscious

 

 

 

As told by Victoria Collier, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
 

I have always been gifted with the ability of knowing things before they happen through premonitions and dreams that come true. I cannot control these premonitions, they just happen. I have had them since I was a kid and as I was growing up. Of course, I have only told people who have been there to witness these events and people who believe or share the same ability. When I was 23, I was approached by a complete stranger, a man, who walked right up to me out of nowhere. He told me I was clairvoyant. He told me he knew because he was, too. He went on to tell me details about where I lived and my life events. He told my friend details about his life. He was dead on, and there is no way that he could have known those things. My friend and I were from completely different states and did not grow up together. He said that he could help me sharpen my ability. He gave me his card then left. I never contacted him because my ability is a little unsettling. It is scary to know something is going to happen and not know what to do about it. When I was young, I just wrote it off as a coincidence. After all these years, too many things have happened that it is no longer possible to be a coincidence. This is also true for the paranormal events that I have witnessed throughout my life. Events that are unmistakably real. The story to follow is one such event.

If you know me, you are well aware of the strange happenings surrounding my house, family, friends and me. I have been living in my house with my son (now 17), three dogs, and a cat for 12 years. The inexplicable activity is common. 

Friday, September 11th: I had a dream that my son phoned me out of the blue. He asked me to call his orthodontist. He wanted to get his permanent retainer off. This is a metal bar that was placed behind his lower, front teeth so they do not shift after his braces were removed.
He has had the retainer on since he was 8. He has never asked about it.

Saturday, September 12th: My son left to go hang out with his friends. He was gone for about an hour. It was a rainy, cold day. I was sitting on my couch watching TV. My son called me. This surprised me because if you know any 17 year old boys, they never call their mom - especially when they just left the house an hour ago and are out with friends. I answered, “Hello”. He didn’t even say hello back. He said, “Hey can you call the doctor so I can get this retainer off?” I told him I dreamt last night that he called me and said the exact thing.

I normally share stories like this with my friend, Autumn.

Tuesday, September 15th: It was a long day at work. I called my son while driving between jobs. He was sitting on his friend Jeff’s porch with some other boys. He said they were going to head to the skate park later.

During my class, I receive a call from the hospital. My son had been admitted, due to a dislocated shoulder. His two friends, Jeff and Q, were there with him. I was worried about him. This would be the fourth time he dislocated his shoulder since January. He said he was ok, his friends would ride him home when he was finished having it put into place. I finished teaching my night class and called my son. He said he was still at the hospital, but almost finished. He asked if he could go get something to eat with his friends. I told him it was ok, as long as he wasn’t too long. To my surprise, he came in the door right after I did. He said he had to get a hoodie because it was cold. He left out the back door, closing it tightly. We always use the back door.

I got comfortable and sat on the couch to watch TV. My 115 pound German Shepherd and my 250 pound Leonberger were laying by the front door, while my smaller Jack Russel dog was laying on the couch with me. About 15 minutes after my son left, I heard the back door screech open. My dogs shot up from their slumber and ran towards the back door barking. I called out, “Cole?” I called out again as I got up to see who came in. I walked around the corner where my dogs stood looking at the door. They were no longer barking, and the door was halfway open. I hurried over to look outside, through the window and the back door to see if anyone was there. I closed and locked the door. I went to the front door and turned on the light to see if anyone was on the front street. I had a very eerie feeling and goosebumps. I know that nobody would walk into my house with my dogs. Plus, I have a screen door that I would hear open and close if someone was there. I was really freaked out. I relayed this message through text to Autumn, knowing she was probably sleeping. It was 10:48 pm.

I called my son and asked if he just got something out of the kitchen. He said, “No, I was just sitting on Jeff’s porch with friends.”

Wednesday, September 16th:  I went to work the next day. Autumn apologized to me for not answering her text and explained that she was sleeping. I said, “I thought you would be.” I went on to tell her the events that happened. She replied:

That is so weird. I had a dream about your son. He was sitting on a porch with a bunch of boys, but it wasn’t your house. I had to keep focusing to see the house and porch.

She went on to tell me about her dream. I asked her to describe the house.

Skinny house, pointed roof, porch on the front of the house. Not metal railing, but closed in with steps. With an empty lot on the side of it.

She described my son’s friend, Jeff’s, house to a T. She described the house in the photo above. That is Jeff’s house. The boys were sitting on the porch. Autumn has never seen Jeff’s house.

Ghost Writer Feature Story: Becks Run Road

As told by Patrick McNicholas, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

As officer Murphy pulled up to the accident site, all he could see beyond the lights of the ambulance and first responders was mangled metal wrapped around a telephone pole. All he could hear was the sound of a young girl, who seemed to be the only survivor of the accident, screaming uncontrollably, “Where is she? Where is she? The woman in the woods! Where is she?”

Upon inspection of the accident scene, there looked to be two dead. It was tough to tell because the accident was pretty horrific and worse than he had seen on this road in a long time. The young teenager’s body in the front passenger side was contorted and twisted. The other was tossed at least 30 feet from the wreckage into the woods beyond the telephone pole and there was blood dripping from the open car door, as well as all over the blown out windshield.

Officer Murphy thought to himself, “My god! I can’t believe the amount of blood and carnage this time.”

Unfortunately, he had been in this situation quite a few times during his career with the Baldwin Police Force. Becks Run Road is known in this area as a very deadly road to travel on because of the unusually high amount of fatalities that the road has seen over the years. Every couple of years, the police are called out to clean up another car accident; but this time was different, this time he had a survivor.

The young girl looked to be about 16 years old and was pretty bruised up. It was obvious that she was very scared, but was talking and still coherent. When Officer Murphy approached her, she looked right in his eyes and said, “I saw her. I saw her and now they’re all dead!”

He asked her, “Who? Who did you see, tell me what happened so I can help you?”

She said they had been driving home from a party when they started down Becks Run Road.

“We had come around the first bend and I saw a figure walking on the side of the road. As we drove past I could see that it was an old woman in a long black shawl. The woman looked directly at me and had a stark white face, as white as a ghost, with black hollow eyes. We drove by her so fast that when I looked behind me, through the rear view mirror, she was gone, but as we moved further down the road, I saw her again. I yelled to Brandon and Mellissa, who were in the front seat, “Do you see her this time?”, but they weren’t paying attention. When I tried to point her out she was gone, it was like she had just disappeared. As we got to the bottom of the hill she appeared again on the road in front of us. We all saw her this time! Brandon swerved to miss her and that’s how we wrecked. When I came to, I could see her in the woods looking down on me. I could see her pale face in the moonlight and her eyes staring in to my soul.

“She is coming for me isn’t she? She is coming for me like she came for them!! Please don’t let her get me, don’t let her take me too!”, the girl screamed.

Officer Murphy couldn’t help but to think of the folklore that surrounds this road. This wasn’t the first time he had heard about an old woman who haunts this road and the woods surrounding it. Up until this point he always dismissed it as simply that, folklore, just an old story to tell kids so they slow down when they drive this road.

The young girl was becoming hysterical and needed medical care immediately; they took her away in an ambulance. As Officer Murphy surveyed the scene one last time, he noticed something very odd. Carved six feet above the mangled vehicle in to the telephone pole that the kids hit, was a strange symbol. It looked like a crescent moon with the letter ‘t’ in the center. It struck him odd and then he remembered where he had seen it before. A few years back he had responded to a call about a group of kids who had committed suicide together in the woods, right above where this accident had taken place. There was a water tower back there where the kids used to go and party. They found three kids dead, hanging from that tower; seared in to the side of the tower, next to the dead kids was that same symbol, like someone had burned it in to the metal. Officer Murphy took one long last look in to the woods before he got back in to his car and drove away, down the winding stretch known as Becks Run Road.

Merry Christmas and have a haunting new year...

 

 

The SPOOKS crew recently had the opportunity to visit an actual haunted, haunted house! The McCue Mansion or "Demon House" (www.demonhouse.com), as it's known, is located in Monongahela, Pennsylvania and has a long and unique history. At over 143 years old, it's seen it's share of tragedy, from murder to suicide and alleged disappearances.

The new owner welcomed us into his home and he and his business partner were gracious enough to give us a tour of the property and a behind the scenes look at the place while it's not a Halloween attraction. It was quite interesting to walk through the a "haunted house" that's now decorated for the Christmas holiday. We weren't sure if they loved Christmas or Halloween more (though, it was awesome to see the combination of the two). Oh, and almost forgot to mention that it was a bitter cold night so the Christmas decor was quite fitting for the evening.

This place is amazing. Being able to freely walk through the "haunt" was cool and creepy at the same time, especially after hearing tales of the house and what others have experienced. Out of respect for the owner, we are not going to be able to share some of the stories that we've been told -- but wow, they had some stories to tell! The darkness in the corners and the props lurking about made us jump quite a few times.

After talking with the guys for a pretty long time and finally getting the cameras set up, we got started on our investigation. Unfortunately, due to the insanely cold temperatures and the house not being fully heated, we didn't spend as much time there as we had planned to. Plus, it was even too cold for the spirits to come out to play with us. We did have some luck with the dowsing rods and had some activity on the KII in the basement area, but overall, it was a relatively quiet evening. You can check out some pictures from the investigation below. We are still in the process of reviewing video footage and will post it soon.

We're hoping to be able to return to the Demon House in the spring and have a full investigation of the house and the grounds.  

 

 

If you're in the western Pennsylvania area and you're looking for an awesome haunted house, be sure to check them out next October! Their actors are amazing and the atmosphere that they've created on the property is defrightful (delightful & frightful). Plus, no waiting in a long line -- roam the property, get warmed by the fire, or watch a scary movie on the big screen. These guys do it up right.

 

This photo was taken by Loralie around midnight. She recalls being in the room and clearly seeing the dark shadow in the corner. It wasn't a negative feeling at the time. You can see in the "zoomed and adjusted" version that it is over the chair, which you can see through. What was this darkness lurking in the corner?

 

 

Ghost Writer Feature Story: Get back, Jack!

As told by Patrick McNicholas, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 

As many of you know, a few months ago I lost my puppy dog. His name was Jack. He was a miniature pincher from the Doberman pincher lineage. Jack was a small dog. He only weighed about 18 pounds when he died. Jack passed away unexpectedly from a bronchial sickness and I truly miss that dog. We buried Jack in the backyard in the far back corner of the yard and I put a statue of St. Francis there to mark his grave. I keep fresh flowers and doggy treats out there at his statue and change them out every couple of weeks. Sometimes when I'm in the backyard, I can feel Jack's presence. I have three other dogs and I think they can feel him there too. Every once and awhile I will see my other dog, Nowanda, just sitting there staring at that statue like she can see something I can't. 

Well, one night at about two in the morning, I woke up to use the bathroom and right next to the toilet in my bathroom is a window in to the back yard. You can't help but to look out the window while you are standing there using the bathroom.  So I was staring out the window in to the back yard and all of the sudden, I saw something moving in the darkness. I looked more closely and I could see the back gate open up and a dark shadowy figure move across the backyard. Of course, my heart sank in fear. As I stared more closely and as he moved closer to my house from the fence line, I could see a silver shiny object in his hand, reflecting off the moonlight that was shining down in the back yard. When I looked back up I could see the man's face staring right at me. He saw me through the window and raised the knife so I could see it. He had the true face of evil! All I could think was my phone is on the dresser in the bedroom, so I ran as fast as I could and grabbed my phone and started dialing 911. 

I ran back to the bathroom and looked out the window again to see where this intruder was and I was shocked at what I saw. The man hadn't moved. He was frozen in the middle of the back yard. Just then I could hear it... this horrible growling noise. As I got closer to the window the noise got louder and louder. It sounded like a mad, mad dog or a wolf of some kind and I could tell that the intruder could hear it as well. The noise was coming from the far back corner of my yard, back by where Jack was buried. At this point my other dogs came running out in to the backyard through the doggy door, barking and growling as well, but as soon as they stepped off the back porch they became silent and just stared at the man in the darkness. Just then, the 911 operator came on the line and I quickly gave her my name and address and told her there was an intruder in my backyard with a knife. As soon as I got those words out, I looked out the window again and I could see the man now cowering in fear and backing away from the corner of the back yard.  Just then I could hear the growling noise again and this time is was so loud, like it was in my head and all around me. All of the sudden the man turned and I could see the absolute fear in his eyes as he ran past my house along the side and over the small fence in to the front yard. My dogs came running back in the house. Following the man was a black mist, like a cloud of darkness. I ran to the front of the house and I could see the man hunched over my bushes and screaming "get it off me, get it off me"! Just then the police pulled up and the man actually ran to them screaming, "Please save me"! They immediately took the man in to custody. He had large bites marks all over him and was bleeding profusely. I told the officers that I saw the man enter my backyard with a knife in his hand. The police told me they were not able to find any weapon on the man and they searched my yard looking for it, but could not find it. 

The police noticed my dogs, which are all very small and could not have caused such bite marks as what this man had endured. The police were very puzzled and asked me if I had another dog? To which I replied "no." The officers told me that once they calmed the man down and got him in to ambulance he said he had been mauled by a very large and very mean Doberman pincher! A couple of weeks later, the police informed me that the intruder they apprehended in my yard that night was linked to a home invasion and double homicide in another town not far from here. 

The next day, after all had calmed down, I noticed all three of my dogs were lying down at the foot of Jack's grave. Laying there in front of the statue was the large kitchen knife that the intruder was carrying. 

I still make sure to keep fresh flowers and dog treats out there for Jack.

Coming soon!

We've got a super awesome investigation coming up soon! Stay tuned for more details!!