IS THIS THE GHOST OF A 9 YEAR OLD BOY?

The bereaved family of an American boy who was killed in a tornado are drawing comfort from a ghostly image of him they say has appeared in a photograph.

Nicolas McCabe, nine, died when his school was hit by the destructive winds in Oklahoma earlier this year. Six other youngsters were killed at Plaza Towers Elementary School, which had neglected to build a storm shelter due to lack of funds.

Now his father Scott has claimed Nicolas has returned from the dead as a spirit who is watching over his cousin Madison.

Madison (front) with what appears to be a partial apparition in the background.

Scott believes Nicolas appeared in an image of Madison playing with a sparkler during the 4 July celebrations. When family members saw it, their "hair stood up," Scott said.

In the picture a partial apparition of a figure can be seen behind Madison. The two figures in the image appear distinct from each other - with different skin tone and hair.

But doubters online have ascribed the presence of the spectral second figure to the camera shaking when the image was snapped.

Scott McCabe - believes late son was caught on camera

'They can say what they want. I believe. I believe he's watching over us,' said Scott.

McCabe described the moment he believes he set eyes upon his deceased son in the photograph.

"I couldn't believe what I was seeing," he said. "Nicolas loved the Fourth of July and he loved firecrackers." Speaking of the figure behind the girl, he said: "It's obviously not Madison. It's obvious there are two people there or one person there and one spirit there.

"My brother, when he saw it, he said the hair stood up on his neck. I was in awe. It touched my heart."

Source: Ibtimes

BRITAIN`S `MOST HAUNTED` BUILDING - OR BRITAIN`S MOST HYPED BED AND BREAKFAST?

The Ancient Ram Inn, in the village of Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, is believed to be riddled with up to 20 spectres who torment the paying punters of the 12th century home. Above, owner Caroline Humphries

Welcome to Britain’s most haunted B&B  (Bed and Breakfast) - where terrified guests have been left so scared they have even jumped out of the windows.

The Ancient Ram Inn, in the village of Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, is believed to be riddled with up to 20 spectres who torment the paying punters of the 12th century home.

Built on an ancient pagan burial ground - and also believed to be the scene of child sacrifices and devil worship - the Cotswolds cottage is haunted by the likes of a murdered young girl called Rosie, a high priestess, and even a male sex demon, known as an incubus.

The strange goings on include a blood-curdling child’s scream, ‘electrified’ wooden beams, and even the touch of an invisible force.

Caroline Humphries, whose family has lived in the Ram Inn for nearly 50 years, said: 'My father won’t go anywhere without his Bible.'

But despite its ghoulish reputation, Ms Humphries is inundated with visitors who are desperate to spend a night in Britain’s spookiest lodgings, which were built in 1145 and costs between £25 and £30 per night.

Past guests have fled from the house in the middle of the night after claiming to have seen furniture flying around the bedrooms, visions of a little girl wandering the hallways, and have even been pushed down onto a bed by a randy incubus.

Is that a ghost on the staircase? The Ram Inn, built in 1145, has long been home to a variety of spooks

Some have leapt from first-floor windows at the back of the property onto a grass slope from a height of a few feet - but no one has been injured as a result.
Now, it is packed out with ghost hunters and horror writers - who are queueing up to spend a night with the demons.

One ghost investigator who visited the house was spooked when a presence pushed up against his back - and felt the wooden beams of the medieval house vibrate and tremble when he grabbed onto them in fear.

A mysterious child’s scream was even captured on video - seconds after a man’s voice is heard to shout: 'Get out!'

Ms Humphries, 51, said: 'When I was a child, I was so scared of the house I used to sleep in a caravan outside.

'It was normal for us to see people running out of the house, screaming in terror.
'Once, I woke up and found a chest of drawers hovering over my bed - before it crashed down the staircase.

'People have told us they’ve seen a high priestess sitting in one of the bedrooms, objects move and spin, and we used to hear the ghosts of murdered children screaming and crying in one of the bedrooms.

'We put some children’s toys in the room for them to play with and they don’t cry as much any more.
'The whole house is absolutely terrifying.'

Ms Humphries father, John, 85, was pulled from his bed by a spirit on the first night the family moved into the home - and after researching the history of the house, he was horrified to discover an ancient burial ground lay beneath.
                                   Video from the Ancient Ram Inn


And years later, while renovating the home, he discovered small bones and daggers under the earth - and believes that children had been sacrificed there to pagan gods years ago.
Ms Humphries added: 'Once we had disturbed one grave, we didn’t want to go digging any further, and we’ve left the house exactly as it stands.

'Paranormal experts love staying here, but we couldn’t carry on running the house as a normal bed and breakfast - it’s just too haunted.

'I don’t think we’ll ever be able to sell the house - no one in their right mind would buy it.
'But after nearly 50 years here, I’ve accepted that we have to live with some unwanted house guests.'

Story: TheDailyMail

My view:

Firstly, I have never met the owners of the `Ancient Ram Inn`, nor have I ever visited it. And in all probability, I never will. Here is why.

The building is certainly very ancient, and the history of the building as an Inn is fascinating.
But is it really as `bad` as they claim?

`A randy male sex demon, known as an incubus`, an unverified alleged `ancient burial ground` that no archaeologist or historian can confirm. Human sacrifice, and a witch being burnt to death. The building `shaking when touched by an investigator`,  quite a feat in a stone and timber framed building which should have created some structural damage. Many, many stories and not much else from the owners. And lastly, the many props that have been put into the house to enhance it`s ghostly reputation.

I cannot and will not deny that this place is haunted, but being over 900 years old you would expect some activity, and some fantastic captures on camera, which surprisingly are hard to find.

But regarding the unverifiable claims, and the stories generated by the owner, it is clear to me that this is nothing more than a `Halloween Haunted House` type business, determined to sell beds to get the punters in.

For anyone to claim that all of the legends are true, is simply ridiculous. If you are a serious investigator of the paranormal then you should take all of the claims with a pinch of salt. This place is more for the `thrill seeker`, and in that regard they will certainly get their monies worth, and possibly a few interesting photographs too.

But as Britain`s most haunted house, it is not. Unless you believe everything you read or are being told.

Chris Halton

GHOST OF A CAT CAUGHT ON HAUNTED SHANLEY HOTEL VISIT

Here is a video shot at an investigation held at the notoriously haunted, Shanley Hotel in Napanoch, New York.

Screenshot showing the upright tail of a cat crossing
the hotel corridor. (Image from video by Stephen Barcelo)

The video is mostly an interview with the owner, Sal Nicosia who explains more about the cat that haunts.
But watch from 1 minute in. Quite amazing! There is more footage of the activities of my own `ghost cat` below this report.



Video Source: stephen barcelo

My own `ghost cat` footage is my former little friend, Shelly who was absolutely devoted to me in life, and in death (she died over a year ago) and periodically she still appears, particularly at night when I am in bed, as sometimes I feel her physically as she walks in spirit across me. It isn`t unpleasant at all, and in many ways is quite reassuring.
Initially she appeared in the form of EVP of a cat purring within my own home. Afterwards, she started to `appear` as more contented purring on outside visits, and on one which was many miles from where she lived with me.
Here is such an example which was shot inside Thetford Forest in Norfolk. Watch from 13:08.



Cat`s are very spiritual creatures, and far more psychic than any human I`ve met. The reason is that their minds are 100% open to spirit, and they don`t suffer the same insecurities that many humans feel when confronted by the paranormal.

Historically, cat`s are linked to the devil, and that primitive fear of them is manifested by drawings and paintings which depict them as `Satan`s familiars`. Indeed many were walled up alive - and sometimes with their kittens, inside houses in a bid to keep the devil from entering the home.

And even in the 21st century, there are still humans that have this fear of these creatures.
I have never seen cat`s as `evil`, instead I have found them to be quite the reverse. However such an opinion in the 17th century could have led to a quick show trial for `witchcraft`, and a slow death by fire.

I have many more examples in my work of my cat`s evp. And here below is another example from my own home.

Post by Chris Halton Haunted-Earth.

A sceptical thought was that somehow my camera motor/tape/battery, and indeed anything else was responsible for the purring. However, the argument is actually quite weak as all the activity thus recorded has been on three Hi8 tape DV camcorders. And as I use this equipment professionally, they are all checked and serviced regularly.

Chris Halton

NEW VIDEO FROM HAUNTED EARTH - `HOUSE OF THE ANGELS`

A journey to an unusual medieval building with a bloody past. Once owned as a private chapel to the Bishop of London, the church gained notoriety during the Elizabethan period when the then incumbent Bishop, Edmund `Bloody` Bonner, a hard line catholic, who was thrown into prison by Elizabeth I.

Bonner, was a brute, who tortured Protestants under Mary Tudor and refused loyalty to the new Queen. Bonner died in prison, and his ghost is alleged to haunt the church grounds and that of the former palace, now occupied by Copford Hall.

Even before you enter, there is a reminder at the entrance of a man who was nailed alive to the entrance door.

But despite the tales that regale this site, the most marvellous is that of the angels, in the form of the many fine quality paintings inside the church.

Join me as I take you through this fascinating building and share with you the many wonders that adorn it`s walls.

Copford stands testimony not only to the glorious art of medieval England, but also to it`s rich history too.
In this video, I was not able to record any activity to share, but regardless this building compensates for this well as you will see.

YOUTUBE VIDEO LINK:



VIMEO VIDEO LINK:

RE-VAMP OF HISTORIC HOTEL INCREASES GHOSTLY INCIDENTS

BRADENTON -- The former Manatee River Hotel has had thousands of guests in its 87 years, but some are wondering if a few never checked out.

Yes, Bradenton could have its own haunted hotel. Much of the hotel was gutted during its $21 million renovation to become the Hampton Inn & Suites, to form new rooms and walls. But a new door never stopped a ghost.

The stories can give chills to those who believe, which is why Liz and Ron Reed of the Paranormal Society of Bradenton Florida want to scan the hotel for ghosts and spirits of Bradenton's past.

"My husband and I are dying to get in there," Liz Reed said.

The two have every reason to believe entering the Hampton Inn is like entering the Twilight Zone.

"It's probably more active now that it's renovated because it has been disturbed and has changed things around," Liz Reed said. "Sometimes that can make it more active."

At one time, the hotel at 309 10th St. W. was an assisted living center and retirement center, where at least a few people spent their final seconds on earth, but those spirits might not even be the people who roam the halls at night, Reed said.

"It could be someone who loved the hotel, and their spirit decided to return," she said.

Several recent tales could help support the Reeds' case. Perhaps the spookiest is one from Bradenton Police Sgt. Tony Cerniglia.

While talking to a security guard contracted to watch over the property during the renovation, the guard told him a tile worker noticed something on the fourth floor.

"The tiler was doing tiling and said he looked down a hallway and saw a white female in a white dress at the end of the hallway. He put it on his cellphone and got a good picture of it," he said.

But Cerniglia hasn't seen the photo himself. That's how these stories usually go -- somebody hears it from someone but hasn't experienced it for themselves.

Reed has heard reports that the seventh floor is the most active for ghost activity. So has Dave Gustafson, director of the Bradenton Downtown Development Authority, with people alleging that objects seem to magically rearrange when they return, and it probably wasn't from the housekeeping staff. Gustafson has also heard second-hand stories of accounts of police walking their beat and seeing something strange in the windows while the hotel was boarded up.

Police Chief Michael Radzilowski said he doesn't recall any calls for service to the hotel through the years for paranormal activity. He hasn't seen any ghosts, either.

But it's not seeing the ghosts to detect activity, it's feeling their presence, Liz Reed said.

The couple are equipped with voice recorders, infrared cameras, laser grids and electromagnetic field detectors to see if there is a spirit among them.

The tales, passed on from generation to generation in Bradenton, say Clark Gable, Babe Ruth and Greta Grabo all stopped in at the Manatee River Hotel. Famous gangster Al Capone supposedly once stayed here, too. He did have a place in St. Petersburg and Miami, and Bradenton might have been the best place to stay the night to and from.

When the hotel was being renovated in the mid-2000s, local investor Darrell Reha was making improvements to the building before he wanted to bring condos to the assisted living home.

During that renovation, the contractor found a gun in the penthouse that appeared to be a .38 special revolver, Cerniglia said.

"I guess it was actually initialed A.C., which stood for Al Capone," he said. The contractors also found a guest log with Capone's signature on it, Cerniglia said he was told, but the location of the gun and log book today are unknown. Reha could not be located Wednesday.

A 1992 story about an auction of Capone's belongings said one of the items available was a glass water pitcher with the initials A.C. on it, so having his initials engraved on his belongings isn't out of the question.

Gustafson is not a believer in ghosts, but at least one experience challenged his skepticism. During his honeymoon 20 years ago, he stayed in a slave's quarters in Charleston, S.C., and woke up in the middle of the night and heard chains and people singing.

Maybe those spirits in transition are here, too, in Bradenton, and haunted hotels could be another segment for tourism.

"I think it's another opportunity, and I think it's really cool," he said.

The hotel staff understands the legends, but until they see proof, the stories are open for interpretation.

For what it's worth, the hotel was full during its opening night, and Wednesday morning, staff didn't have any reports of paranormal activity or bumps in the night, says Kelly Ann Dixon, director of sales and marketing for the hotel.

"With its unique and colorful background, there always could be a chance," Dixon said during a recent evening tour of the top floors.

Dixon said the Reeds are welcome to book a room and use their instruments to satisfy their curiosity.

"We welcome everyone as guests," she said.




The chance of seeing ghosts already prompted at least one visitor to stay the night. Nick Walsh, 11, was with his grandmother Mary Walsh at the hotel Tuesday, and was part of the first family to check-in. The 11-year-old said one of the reasons he wanted to come to the historic hotel was because of the stories.

"I heard that there's ghosts," Nick said.

Brian Long, director of development for the hotel's operator, Widewaters Hotels, isn't sure if he should embrace ghost stories at his hotels. Another group wanting to investigate paranormal activity contacted him during the Hampton Inn's construction, but he politely declined.

"I don't know if it's a benefit or a deterrent," Long said. "To a 3-year-old girl, that could be a deterrent."

Has he experienced any ghosts?

"I haven't run into any," Long said. "And if I would, I might not tell you."

Source: Bradenton

My view:

It is often discussed that when historic properties are renovated or extended, it generally stirs up more paranormal activity then was possibly seen before. This is an interesting story, and one that I will follow to keep an eye on any `ghostly` activity.