A VERY HAUNTED VENETIAN ISLAND UP FOR SALE - POVEGLIA

A lease of a Venetian island described as one of the most haunted places in Italy is due to be auctioned off next month as the Italian state desperately seeks to raise revenue.

Poveglia, a small, uninhabited island in the Venice lagoon, minutes from St Mark’s Square, is among five prime properties, including a castle and a monastery, that will go under the hammer in an online auction to help cut Italy’s massive debt pile.

The 17-acre island was fought over by the Venetians and the Genoese in the 14th century - and still shows traces of being fortified - before it became a quarantine station for ships arriving at Venice in the 18th century.

After a plague was discovered on two ships, the island was sealed off and used to host people with infectious diseases, leading to legends of terminally ill Venetians waiting to die before their ghosts returned to haunt the island.

A hospital for the elderly which opened in 1922 and operated until 1968 is rumoured to have hosted experiments on the mentally ill, including crude lobotomies, carried out by a director who was driven mad by ghosts before throwing himself from the hospital’s tower.

The island is currently closed to visitors, but an American TV presenter who visited the island and entered the abandoned hospital for the Travel Channel series Ghost Adventures claimed to have been briefly possessed by a ghost there.

The Italian state is now hoping that offers will arrive to transform the hospital into a luxury hotel under a deal giving the buyer a 99-year lease to redevelop the property, while the island remains the property of the state.

A further four properties listed for auction will be sold off rather than leased, including a monumental monastery in the crumbling old town of Taranto in Puglia, in the heel of Italy, and a 15th century castle in Gradisca d’Isonzo, near the border with Slovenia, that was built to defend against the Turks.

The state sales agency is selling off the properties after first ensuring buyers have the permits to redevelop - an essential prerequisite in Italy, where red tape can deter investors.
A former barracks in Trieste is also going under the hammer, one of dozens of disused barracks buildings built in the centre of Italian towns and dating back to the unification of Italy, which the state is trying to sell.

A spokeswoman for Italy’s state sales agency declined to put a possible price on Poveglia but noted that barracks buildings had previously been sold for up to €3.8 million. Another 148 properties are due to be auctioned off this year, with the state hoping to raise €500 million.

Source: TheTelegraph

COLLECTION OF FAUX GHOST PHOTOGRAPHS BEING SOLD AT AUCTION

The art of spiritual photography dates back to the 19th century when William H. Mumler made a name for himself as a photographer-turned-medium allegedly able to conjure deceased individuals with his camera. The psychic photography movement had been around for a few decades, but Mumler is considered the first to have commercialized the trend, producing images -- like the famous Mary Todd Lincoln portrait -- that feature what appear to be, well, ghosts.

Fast forward a few years, and photographers like the London-based Richard Boursnell and J. Evans Sterling, as well as the Scottish brothers Craig and George Falconer, took up the helm of spiritual photography. The former followed in the vein of Mumler, capturing ethereal figures hovering beside sitters. The latter specialized in "ectoplasm" portraits, eerie images that show a thick white cloud near or around subjects' faces. (Ectoplasm, for the uninitiated, is a substance or spiritual energy "exteriorized" with the help of mediums.)

From a group of eight photographs of séances, silver prints, 1930s. Estimate $1,000 to $1,500. At auction April 17.

We came to the attention of these strange, historical objets d'art thanks to The Vault and the folks at Swann Auction Galleries, who unearthed photographs by the Falconer brothers, Boursnell and Sterling, and their contemporary Frederick Hudson for an upcoming sale entitled "The Vernacular Eye: Photographic Albums, Snapshots & Objects." According to Swann, men like the Falconers invited viewers to not only observe the mediums at work during seances, but also the loading, shooting and developing of film during the photographic process. The process amounted to images like this:

Of course, a healthy dose of skepticism accompanied the rise in popularity of spiritual photography throughout the early 20th century. "The brothers were arrested and convicted, in 1931," Swann writes on its website, "when two plainclothes policemen, who were posing as sitters, charged that 'extras' (spirits) were actually photomechanical images and the cloudy ectoplasm was manipulated." Not surprisingly, Mumler also faced legal scrutiny back in the 1860s. As art history has proven, the camera, in the hands of seasoned professionals, can be a powerfully manipulative tool.

Nevertheless, the act of recording "supernatural visitations" has clearly persisted. Take, for example, the plethora of ghost hunting shows that populate television channels like Animal Planet, Discovery and SyFy. So, if you're as intrigued by ghost hunting's past as you are by today's pop paranormal activity, feast your eyes on Swann's collection of spiritual photographs here.

From a group of five British photographs depicting spirits and a bearded man, albumen prints, 1895-96. Estimate $2,500 to $3,500.

"The Vernacular Eye: Photographic Albums, Snapshots &; Objects" sale will take place on April 17, 2014. All photos courtesy Swann Auction Galleries.

Article: HuffPost

DAHMER MURDER HOME UP FOR SALE - MAY BECOME VEGAN EATERY

The house where serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer grew up and committed his first murder is for sale again in northern Ohio.

Situated on a private wooded lot in a wealthy neighborhood near Akron, the three-bedroom home is priced at $295,000.

The home was first listed two years ago before being pulled off the market. Realtor Rich Lubinski said it failed to sell then because of the depressed housing market and its notorious past.

"If you can get past that little problem, you'll have a wonderful place to live," said Chris Butler, the home's current owner.

He bought the house in 2005, well aware of its history. He said he was drawn to the house by its 1950s style and wooded lot.

"The fact that it was Jeffrey Dahmer's house was not an attraction," Butler told WKYC-TV in Cleveland. "I am not a ghoul. I am not interested in the supernatural."

Dahmer and his parents moved into the house in 1968 when he was 8 years old. Ten years later, he committed his first murder there, killing a hitchhiker he had brought home and then burying the remains in the woods.



Dahmer moved to Wisconsin in 1982 and went on to kill 16 more people before his crimes were discovered in 1991. He was killed in prison in 1994 by a fellow inmate.

Lubinski said he has gotten calls every day about the house since it went back on the market about two weeks ago. About half the people don't seem to care about its past, he said.

"The others, they're immediately not interested," he said.

He tells potential buyers that "this house never killed anyone."

The ranch-style house was built in 1952, and a year later it was featured in the Akron Beacon Journal for its modern style, open layout and floor-to-ceiling windows that provided views of the wooded hillside.

It's shielded by trees, but still draws attention. A film crew from Japan came last month for a story on who lived there.

The house isn't open for tours, and Lubinski will only show it to serious buyers. "This is not a museum," he said.

An animal rights group is taking a stab at buying the childhood home of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in an effort to transform the Ohio house into a vegan eatery.

PREVIEW VIDEO OF DOCUMENTARY SHOOT AT ST BRIAVELS CASTLE

Following from my earlier post on our visit to St Briavels Castle, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.

Link: PARANORMAL WEEKEND AT HAUNTED CASTLE SURPRISES GUESTS AND INVESTIGATORS

I`ve been working on the day edit from the shoot which includes a tour of the castle`s ghostly history with the author, Ross Andrews.
Here is a taster of what is to come. In this edit rough, I`ve created the imagery in sepia to add a particularly period `taste` to the events.
The full video will be conjoined to the night footage edited by Adam Heath, of Forest Paranormal Investigations. When a release date is imminent, you will all be informed.
Hope you enjoy!

Post by Chris Halton Haunted-Earth.

Chris Halton

PARANORMAL WEEKEND AT HAUNTED CASTLE SURPRISES GUESTS AND INVESTIGATORS

Over the weekend of Friday to Sunday, March 28th - 30th, 2014, both team mate Sean Kim and myself attended St Briavels Castle, in the beautiful Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.

The occasion was as a guest of our friends Adam and Paula Heath, who run Forest Paranormal Investigations. As you recall late last year, we worked with Adam on two joint productions shot in Tintern, Wales and Coleford, Gloucestershire.

Great use was made of K2 EMF`s and Ghost Boxes which produced some spectacular results.

So the opportunity to work again with Adam at the weekend `Phantomfest`, was something I could not resist.

Joining us at the castle were a goodsized crowd for the building, as St Briavels is quite one of the smallest castles I`ve ever been to, with the exception of Leap Castle in Eire.

The guests were from Lancashire, Nottingham, and even further afield with a party of Australians, who wanted to sample a flavour of St Briavels haunted past.

During that weekend some very strange incidents of paranormality were recorded but not only us, but also by the guests too. And these experiences ranged from seeing spiritual activity, as well as more coventional contact sessions in a circle or on ouija boards and/or ghost boxes.

But for me, the very best part was when I and guests from Lancashire and Nottinghamshire were with Adam in the Chaplains Room at the top of the East Tower, which like many dormitories were named after it`s periods as a castle defensive, and later as a prison where many people died.

Adam Heath (right) with team mate, Sean Kim

Adam set up an experiment using modern Zenner (esp) cards, and a ghost box to hear any responses. Additionally, we had a K2 EMF detector to use as a communication device with spirit.

And here I was simply blown away. On the first face up cards, spirit was able to identify the card by it`s image, and after some minutes, I decided to place the cards face down on the table and selected at random (face down) a card which I placed directly onto the table.

Spirit was able to easily identify the face down card by stating auditorily through the ghost box the image on the card. As an extra confirmation I asked spirit to confirm the choice by flashing the lights on a K2, which it quickly obliged.

The test with the zenner cards

This went on for some further minutes, and it was quite obvious that the spirit responding to the test was conferring with others, and that these voices could clearly be heard on the ghost box speakers.

The assembled guests ranged from believers like Jan, a medium, to Chris, a sceptic. Adam, had left shortly after setting the test up.  And the audience were a good cross selection of investigators.

Jan, Bob and Nik

Chris the sceptic was visibly shocked to see this experiment, and for him, this was a ground breaking moment. But for the rest of us, it was spirit showing itself again, but in a manner I never thought possible. Truly astounding!

I then at the end of this period placed two zenner cards face down, and although it was apparent that spirit was flagging in energy, the choices were again, 100% correct.

The ouija board and ghost box in use inside the old kitchen

We then went later to the former downstairs kitchen, and again using the same set-up as before, spirit came through, and kept repeating my name. I assumed this spirit wanted 

me to continue with this game, which clearly this spirit was enjoying with us. And again, spirit correctly identified the imagery on the face down zenner cards.

As an aside, using the ouija board present during the second test, the spirit identified itself as a former servant at the castle called Beth Jones, and also stated she was Welsh.

She shared some aspects from her life there, but by this time the energy was starting to wane, and so the contact session ended.

Without any corroboration, this story would be just that, a story. But both events were recorded on a nightshot Sony camcorder, of which Adam has the tapes (with masses of other evidence) to share as a joint production with Haunted Earth tv.

But for me the supernatural didn`t end there.

That night, I was sharing the Chaplains Room with team mate Sean Kim, when after a few minutes we could clearly hear below us in the Constables Room, the sound of furniture being dragged around and other noises which suggested the guest in that room was having some kind of a party.

Unbeknown to us, the same noises were being heard - but for a much longer period, by Adam and Paula Heath in the bedroom below the Constables Room.

In the morning, the room was examined and found to be exactly as it should. There was one occupant, the author of many books on the castle`s ghostly history, Ross Andrews.

He stated that during the noisy period, he was fast asleep in his room. But he wasn`t surprised we could hear this noise as there have been similar reports in the past.

Dressed for the documentary shoot

But not all went well with spirit. On the second night (Saturday) I was carefully walking down the stone spiral staircase in the East Tower, and beside the entrance door to the Constables Room, when I felt two smallish hands touching my waist. This then became a sharp push, and I went all the way down the stairs before ending up on my back.

I ended up suffering from grazing on my left elbow and little finger, with bruising down my spine terminating in more bruising on my coccyx.

I know that many guests at the castle had many paranormal encounters, and I am not privy with the details of these. But by Sunday when the guests finally left, many had decided to return at a future date to experience more nights as guests of St Briavels Castle.

The full video will be available later on as a joint production between Forest Paranormal Investigations and Haunted Earth tv.

Finally, may I thank Adam, Paula and Mark of FPI, as well as the many wonderful guests that made this weekend very special.

Chris Halton