My Grandma's Only Personal Experience

This event took place in March 2013

My Grandma had gone to bed, and my Mom & I were still up, watching TV. Around 1 am, my Grandma came out of her bedroom, to the living room and said "are they gone yet".

My Mom and I looked at each other, then at her and said "is who gone?"

Grandma looked at my Mom with that "duh" look on her face & said "the two men who came out of your bedroom."

Apparently laying in the dark, in bed, my Grandma saw two men walk out of my Mom's bedroom, and walk to her bedroom and stand in the doorway and look at her.

Now my Grandma wasn't afraid of many things, and if she was ever afraid she never showed it; not even when her first husband was beating the tar outta her. But this, this scared her so badly that she hid under her blankets like a little child.

Well after assuring her, there were no men in the house, we finally got her back into bed, myself promising her that I would not let anyone hurt her (now that she has passed, I deeply regret that I did not sit in her bedroom with her, at least until she fell back to sleep, cause it was clear she was scared.).

Once she was back in bed, my Mom and I, still in the living room, began talking about what had just happened. While discussing it, we clearly heard a female voice, coming from back by the bedrooms (and no it was not my Grandma speaking). No we could not make out what was being said, but, by the tone of the voice, who ever this woman was, she was giving someone hell.

Needless to say no one got much sleep that night.

Come morning my Mom, quickly contacted a relative who has been able to communicate with spirits, her whole life, and this relative said, the two men Grandma saw had come to take her home that night. They'd come to assure her that it was okay to let go, that she didn't have to worry, that my Mom & I would be taken care of. That they never dreamed they would scare her that badly.

What about the female voice my Mom & I heard? Well according to our relative, that was one of my Grandma's Grandmothers, and she was yelling at the two men who had come to take my Grandma "Home" that night. Why was she yelling at them you ask? Because instead of taking Grandma "home" they scared the life outta her.

So my Grandma was meant to die in March 2013, but because the spirits that had been sent to bring her "home" scared her, she lived until May 19, 2015.

Personal Experience

Last night my Mom heard the sound of something sliding off the kitchen counter or table, making a very loud crashing noise.

I heard nothing.

Then this morning my Mom very strongly smelled the scent of the tobacco her Grandpa would smoke in his pipe.

Signs of a possible haunting

Article from CPS Paranormal

The first step is to determine, as best you can, whether or not you truly have a legitimate case of a haunting. Not all hauntings are alike, and they may exhibit a variety of phenomena. Some hauntings feature a single phenomenon - such as a particular door slamming shut that occurs repeatedly - while others consist of many different phenomena, ranging from odd noises to full-blown apparitions.

Here's a partial list of phenomena that might indicate that your house is haunted:

Unexplained noises: Footsteps; knocks, banging, rapping; scratching sounds; sounds of something being dropped. Sometimes these noises can be subtle and other times they can be quite loud.

Doors, cabinets and cupboards opening and closing:
Most often, these phenomena are not seen directly. The experiencer either hears the distinct sounds of the doors opening and closing (homeowners get to know quite well the distinctive sounds their houses make) or the experiencer will return to a room to find a door open or closed when they are certain that it was left in the opposite position. Sometimes furniture, like kitchen chairs, are perceived to have been moved. Very rarely will the experiencer actually witness the phenomenon taking place.

Lights turning off and on:
Likewise, these events are seldom seen actually occurring, but the lights are switched on or off when the experiencer knows they were not left that way. This can also happen with TVs, radios and other electrically powered items.

Items disappearing and reappearing:
This phenomenon, which we have dubbed "the DOPler Effect" (DOP = Disappearing Object Phenomenon), has been examined in the article "The DOPler Effect." Others have called this "the borrowers" phenomenon, and it's the familiar experience of not being able to find a regularly used item - say, your set of car keys - which you believe you placed in a spot you routinely place them. But they're gone and you look high and low for them with no success. Some time later, the keys are found - in exactly the place you normally put them. It's as if the object was borrowed by someone or something for a short time, then returned. Sometimes they are not returned for days or even weeks, but when they are, it's in an obvious place that could not have been missed by even a casual search.

Unexplained shadows:
The sighting of fleeting shapes and shadows, usually seen out of the corner of the eye. This phenomenon has also been discussed in some detail in "Shadow People." Many times, the shadows have vaguely human forms, while other times they are less distinguishable or smaller.

Strange animal behavior:
A dog, cat or other pet behaves strangely. Dogs may bark at something unseen, cower without apparent reason or refuse to enter a room they normally do. Cats may seem to be "watching" something cross a room. Animals have sharper senses than humans, and many researchers think their psychic abilities might be more finely tuned also.

Feelings of being watched:
This is not an uncommon feeling and can be attributed to many things, but it could have a paranormal source if the feeling consistently occurs in a particular part of the house at a particular time.

Those are some of the most common experiences of those who think their houses are haunted. Yet even stranger things can happen...

Stronger Evidence

The following phenomena are more rare, but could be stronger evidence of a haunting:

Mild psychokinetic phenomena:
Hearing a door open or close is one thing. Actually seeing it happen is quite another. Similarly, actually seeing a light go on or off by itself is greater proof that something unexplained is happening. Do you see the TV or radio turn on? Or perhaps you're present when a child's powered toy begins to operate on its own. Doors and windows are locked or unlocked. Some people report that when they are in bed they can feel and/or hear something sitting on the bed.

Feelings of being touched:
The feeling of being watched is one thing, and actually feeling like you are being touched is quite another. Some people feel something brush past them, something touching their hair or "a hand" on the shoulder. Some feel a gentle poke, push or nudge.

Cries and whispers:
On occasion, muffled voices, whispering and crying can be heard. Sometimes it's music from some unknown source. People hear their names being said. This phenomenon, as is true for the one above, gains more credibility if more than one person hears or sees the same thing at the same time.

Cold or hot spots:
Cold spots are classic haunting symptoms, but any instance of a noticeable variance in temperature without a discernable cause could be evidence.

Unexplained smells - the distinct fragrance of a perfume or cologne that you do not have in your house. This phenomenon comes and goes without any apparent cause and may accompany other phenomena, such as shadows, voices or psychokinetic phenomena. Foul odors can happen in the same way.

Rarer still are more extreme phenomena, some of which have been called poltergeist phenomena, and can be quite strong evidence of a true haunting:

Moving or Levitating Objects:
(severe psychokinetic phenomena) - dinner plates sliding across the table; pictures flying off walls; doors slamming shut with great force; furniture sliding across the floor.

Physical assault:
Scratches, slaps and hard shoves. This kind of personal assault is extremely rare, but obviously highly disturbing.

Other physical evidence:
Unexplained writing on paper or walls; handprints and footprints.

Apparitions :
Physical manifestation of a spirit or entity. These phenomena are also very rare and can take many forms: human-shaped mists or forming mists of some indistinguishable shape; transparent human forms that disappear quickly; and most rarely, human forms that look as real and solid as any living person, but that disappear into a room or even while being viewed.

Rule Out Rational Explanations
A person who has experienced some of these phenomena might have cause to believe that his or her house is haunted. But maybe not. In fact, according to most experts, probably not. The human mind and human senses (as any magician will tell you) are easily fooled. And people can often mistake explainable (if unusual) occurrences in their homes for the paranormal.

Before you decide there's a ghost in your house or move out from fear, do your best to find rational explanations for what you are experiencing. Virtually all of the phenomena listed on the previous page could have perfectly natural causes:

Of course, the more extreme the phenomena, the harder they are to dismiss. And, as noted above, if multiple witnesses experience the same phenomena, they are likely to be taken more seriously.

Get help in finding rational explanations for the phenomena. A plumber might help you find the cause of that banging. A carpenter can fix that door from closing on its own. A friend or neighbor might be able to look at your particular experience in a different way and offer a reasonable explanation for your "haunting" that you might not have though of. In short, make every possible effort to prove that your house is not haunted.

Keep A Journal

If you feel you have ruled out rational explanations for the phenomena that are taking place in your house, and they are still occurring on a more or less regular basis, document them. Keep a journal of the phenomena as they happen. For example:

June 2, 2002; 10:30 p.m. - Was sitting watch TV when the bathroom light switched on by itself. Went in and turned it off again.

June 10, 2002; 9:14 p.m. - Was in the kitchen and heard the footsteps crossing the upstairs hallway again. No one was up there. Went up to investigate and could find no cause.

A journal such as this could help with any formal investigation of the phenomena by experts.

If you hear unexplained noises, attempt to record them with a portable tape recorder. If there are physical phenomena of any kind, photograph or videotape them. Keep your journal, recording and camera equipment readily available so you can document the phenomena as it happens.

Call the Experts
When should you call a paranormal investigator? Only when you have ruled out any rational explanations for the phenomena you are experiencing and are thoroughly convinced that your house is truly haunted should you contact CPS. Of course, if the phenomena are extreme and you feel that you and your family are in any kind of physical or psychological danger, you should call for help right away

Galloway House; Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

This article came from Haunted Houses

Galloway House and Village

ADDRESS:

336 Old Pioneer Road, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
920-922-6390 or 920-922-1166

Open daily Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day and weekends in September, 10am-5pm; gates close at 4pm. Admission.

Location:

The Galloway house is part of a historical park, maintained by the Fond du Lac Historical Society called The Galloway House and Village, found on Old Pioneer Road.

DESCRIPTION & HISTORY:

French explorers first visited the Fond du Lac area in the early 1700s and established a trading outpost on the south shore of Wisconsin’s largest body of water Lake Winnebago.

The Galloway House is a lovely 1880, 30 room mid-Victorian farm home, with many Italianate details, part of a historical park, maintained by the Fond du Lac Historical Society. This historical society had rescued this Victorian home and bought some of its farm land as well, making it a place to move other rescued historical buildings, creating a nice village, made up of a church, photographers' shop, town hall, newspaper print shop, and one-room school.

The Galloway House was the family abode for 3 generations of the Galloway family. In the beginning, the first generation Galloway’s were strictly farmers , buying land and building a regular, wooden farm home, average garden variety, when this part of Wisconsin opened up to settlers.

Edwin Galloway invested in lumber after 1854, when the native Indians gave title to their forest lands to the government, around the lakes. Edwin made his fortune. As the Galloway's prospered, new grander additions were added, finally finishing this lovely Victorian home in 1880. This Victorian became a place where the Galloway’s raised their families, entertained others, perhaps hosting events as well.

In 1926, the grandson of Edwin Galloway moved his family into a 1910 Queen Anne Victorian in Fond du Lac, because his wife wanted to live in town. Various other people lived here, but the home eventually became empty of the living.

I highly recommend taking the tour of this lovely house, where one can learn how people in the past lived, as well as see the period furniture and decorum, and the house lay-out. The Fond du Lac Historical Society did a fine job in renovating and restoring this grand old lady, though some small projects still need to be done. Thank goodness for historical societies who save old structures from the wrecking ball, or from suffering the fate of a complete remodeling job which destroys its original personality. (The General Wayne Inn)

The older part of the house is well-laid out and practical in nature, with no wasted space. The add-on, mid-Victorian additions are lovely, and well-done, a great example of a mid-Victorian home with Italianate details, and inlaid and carved wood, and other very nice artistic touches.

I found out some interesting details about the Galloway’s.

Though Mrs. Galloway had a cook and servants, she served her dinner guests herself, taking the food from the window where the food to be served was placed when ready, from the kitchen.

There is a beloved dog, a stuffed black retriever, which is laying down in the living room.

In the tower area, they kept the ornate family coffin, used for wakes in the home, when one of their own passed on. The staircase accommodated the occasional need to take the coffin down from the attic, into the parlor for viewing of the deceased.

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HISTORY OF MANIFESTATIONS:

As with every family, people eventually die, and sometimes prefer to hang around their earthly things or home, instead of passing over to the other side.

Some feel that former slaves are still hanging around, perhaps left over from the early 19th century when slaves or indentured servants still existed in the north. However, according to a historical account, slavery wasn't the way people ran farms, or had help, even in the early days. There was plenty of hired help available; mostly Frenchmen. If someone moved with slaves from the South or Missouri, the pressure was on them to release them or not treat them as slaves, but members of the family. The practice of slavery was strongly discouraged, and harsh treatment definitely wasn't tolerated by the people of Wisconsin.

It is highly unlikely that the Galloway even had slaves. No mention of the practice is in evidence in the museum or the property itself, let alone the tour.

MANIFESTATIONS

Alleged Auditory Reports:

Sensitive people have heard dishes clattering in the kitchen.
People have heard giggling coming from the upstairs playroom.
People have heard unseen presences moving around and talking amongst themselves.

HAUNTED?

Can't say for sure...

No other reports from more reliable sources have substantiated these accounts. No tell-tale cold spots or other stronger manifestations besides the auditory ones have been reported by anyone. Usually, entities seek attention from the living, while getting some chuckles at the same time.

These entities could be really benign and gentle, well behaved and just going about their business, or perhaps some people may have an active imagination. Of course, the home is closed to the living after 4:00 pm, giving the home to any entity who may be lingering about. During the evening hours, many entities become active.