I have two friends who moved into an old house several years ago. The house they lived in before the move was supposedly haunted. I won't go too much into detail over the why's and wherefore's because that will only make a long story longer......details provided upon request.......

The husband is a guy that loves a good joke, so everytime he would tell me about something that took place in his old house I would always take it with a grain of salt.....on the other hand his wife isn't the type that gets into practical jokes, much less keeping one ongoing for years. Since I have known her for over 20 years I'm quite comfortable with the knowledge that when she tells me a story.......well, I'm not going to say it's true but it does give me reason to stop and think what is going on?......

When they moved into their new residence they thought whatever spirits shared their old house made the move with them because of a couple of incidents that took place.....again details given upon request......one story was how from time to time they would see the ghost of a dog walking up the basement stairs. But for the most part the house has be quiet the last year or so.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend my friend decided he would do a little home repair. Over in a corner down in the basement there was a small bulge in the concrete floor that was just getting bigger over the years. Thinking it may have been a root or something else he decided to break up the cement and smooth out the problem.

When he broke open the floor and removed the debris he started feeling around the hole looking for a root or broken pipe or whatever. He felt what he thought was a good sized rock and he pulled it out....it wasn't a rock kids......it was a skull....

I kid you not.

After studying the thing he figured it wasn't human but perhaps one of a dog because it had somewhat of a snout to it.

He brought it over to his next door neighbor who is an ex-cop to check it out and to see if he should do anything about it.....his neighbor told him the two old ladies who lived in the house for years before him never had a dog so who knows how long the damn thing was buried down there. He told my friend not to worry about it because he didn't think it was a human skull at all.

My friend tossed the skull in the garbage and went back to his basement to fill the hole and resurface the floor. To say the least he didn't feel like rooting around the open hole and perhaps finding anymore bones!

Like I said before the house has been pretty much incident free for awhile now.....that is until the last couple of days.

--Their 12 year old daughter was watcing TV in their bedroom one night when she heard voices talking. She got scared and ran out of the room. (smart girl)

--The other morning the top of the garbage pail in the kitchen came flying off.......

--And.....here's the one that made my knees buckle........the wife was walking down the hallway yesterday morning heading towards the bathroom when something unseen brushed up against her legs and arm......when she was in the bathroom she heard a voice calling through the door......."Mommmmmmy"

I reiterate.....I kid you not.

I told them they should walk to the Church around the corner from where they live and fill a few bottles with Holy Water. I think they should sprinkle each room in the house.....especially in the corner of the basement where he broke up the concrete.......with the water and keep a spare bottle or two on hand for emergencies!

They won't do that because while they're unnerved by what has taken place the last few days.....something they've never been before despite all the stories they've told me......they don't feel threatened by what has taken place.

I think they should do it simply because of the old saying "No Harm No Foul".

Do you guys thinks there's anything else the should do?

Hi Gene,

I don't think your kidding, many people have had unexplained experiences, it sounds like your friends have had a few. What type of activity happened at the previous house that makes them feel something came with them? How old is the house? I know you didn't want to make for a long story but having the details you eluded to may be helpful.

Sometimes resonable explanation can be found as cause of unusual activity so it's good to rule that out first. For eg; Is there any chance the voices the young girl heard came from outside? Were they clear voices in that she was able to understand what was being said or was it more like a whisper? Good to hear the skull dug up was animal and not human. I imagine many homes have animal bones beneath them when you consider all the animals that lived on the land prior to the housing. You mentioned the bulge was growing, did they discover the cause? The dog seen coming up the stairs, I believe there are spirit animals among us so maybe that was once the dog's home (prior to the house)? It may also be an imprint seeing it's always in the same location. You mentioned two older ladies lived there, do they know if a child lived there once also? It's possible that a child is earthbound there which may explain her hearing Mommy and the feeling of something brushing against her. That would be sad. Was there anyone else in the house when she heard that? Did she hear Mommy after feeling something or were those seperate instances? Did they see they lid fly off or found it that way? Sorry for all the questions here, just trying to piece things together. I'm always intriqued by the experiences of others. Having had many myself I know it can take time to realize what or who is causing the activity and often little details provide answers. I have found reasonable explanation amid those that were of paranormal nature with my own experiences. Understanding both assisted me with my process of discovery.

Researching the history of the house and land is a good starting point. Did they research the prior home? I have read sprinkling salt around the house sometimes helps as salt is associated with cleansing and the crystals can affect energy. Thanks for sharing this with us, I look forward to hearing more. Wish I had more answers vs all the questions, I'm sure some others will have more advice and opinion for you.

Cat:)

Good Morning Cat!

Thank You for taking the time to read and reply to my post.

Here's a little more info on this story.......

The original house my friends moved into after they were married belonged to my friends grandmother. She lived in the house for years with her son (of course that would make that gentleman my frineds uncle).

As far as I know there were never any paranormal experiences in the house.

As the years went by Grandma passed away. My friends Uncle was a sad sack sort of guy. He never married nor did have any friends......he was just a sad and lonely man who would always say that when his time came all he wanted was to be buried with his mother.......

When the time came that the Uncle passed away nobody really had the money to pay for a funeral, so they had him creamated. I'm not sure how my friend and his new wife gained possession of the house but they moved in shortly after the passing of his Uncle......

Since nobody knew what to do with his Uncles ashes they stored him in a hallway closet!

Again, to my knowledge there were no paranormal experiences taking place at this particular time.

A year or so later my friends gave birth to a beautiful baby daughter. I'm wondering if the baby was the lightning rod that caused the fun to begin?

Once again I'm trying to keep this as brief as possible and not drag it out.

The experiences that took place were pretty stereotypical.

At times you could hear a wind chime coming from inside the house, pictures falling off the wall, cold spots, in the middle of the night battery operated toys would turn on, etc......

The only two sighting they had (that I can recall at the moment) was one night they saw the spirit of their dead dog walking around the kitchen and one night my friend wife woke up and saw someone standing at the end of the bed.....LOL she said at first she thought it was me because whoever/whatever was standing there bore a good resemblance to yours truly!....we still have a good laugh over tha one!

But nothing ever happened where they were frightened or concerned about.

When the incidents starting coming at a more frequent pace they started to become more annoying than anything else.

Someone suggested perhaps everything had to do with his uncle's ashes being in the house and maybe everything would stop if he removed them.

Once again to make a long story short he, snuck the ashes into the cemetary one morning where his grandma was buried......dug a hole about 2ft down on her grave.....and buried the ashes.

To my knowledge the events at his house didn't stop but they did slow down considerably......

Fast forward a few more years and my buddy and his small family had the opportunity to move into a larger home.

At first they thought they left their ghostly companions at their old home but a couple of events took place to prove differently.

They had another couple over one night for drinks when they noticed something was wrong. When they asked their friends what the problem was they were reluctant to tell them.

After some prodding the couple told my friends when they came into the house they both happened to glance up the stairway to the 2nd floor (which is right by the front door) and they saw a woman standing at the top of the stair wearing a white dress.....

Another time my friends wife got into the car parked in front of the house and when she checked the rear view mirror a man was sitting in the back seat.......

When they're sleeping (rooms are on the 2nd floor) they can hear voices coming from the downstairs living room........they stop when my friend shouts down to them to be quiet.

And of course the aforementioned dog on the basement staircase.......

Nothing frightening or threatening. And the events were not as frequent as what took place in their old home.

They've been in this house for about 4 or 5 years now and things seemed to have settled down......until he broke up the concrete floor.......

The house they're living in now is over 100 years old. I don't know much about its history and I'm not sure if my friend does either.

They bought the house from two old spinster sisters who lived there for years. I don't think there were any children or dogs living there, but of course I have no way of knowing that.

The neighbor (who he himself has lived there for years) told my buddy the two old ladies who lived there previously never owned a dog and there were never any children living there since he lived in the neighborhood. But who know what took place before any of them moved into the 'hood.

Now that I think about it when they bought the house they were surprised they were able to get it for a bargain price! Guess we know the reason for that now! I don't know about anywhere else, but here in New York realtors are required by law to tell prospective home buyers if the house they're looking to purchase is considered haunted . (No kidding on this one!)

Anyway, back to my story.....

As far as what has taken place the voices the daughter heard that night were whispery. While they could have come from the outside it's unlikely.

The bedroom is in the rear of the house. They have a long back yard with a fence that separates the long back yard of their neighbor. So it's a fair distance to the next house.

There was noone in the kitchen when the lid came flying off the garbage pail.......

When my friends wife experieced her incident with the "brushing" she was all alone in the house. The daughter was in school and her husand was at work with me......the "Mommy" voice she heard occurred only moments after.

This is the one that has my friend the most upset. He said he could always deal with the stuff (of course he used a much stronger word ) that's happened, but when it involves a child....well that's just too much. I dare say we would all feel that way.


I suggested he walk around with a digital camera or recorder to see what could develop, but he feels as long as noone is frightened or threatened it better just to leave well enough alone.

I will tell him about sprinkling salt around the house. Thanks for the tip.

And thanks for taking the time to read this!

Think I'll go soak my fingers now! I'm not used to typing this much!

[ December 04, 2004, 07:57 AM: Message edited by: gene ]

Hey Gene: (this is gonna be a long post, but bear with me.)

First of all, sounds like a lot of activity surrounds this family and I think they are seperate forms of activity. Let's go back to the things that started before they moved. (I'm going to address the "dog" seperately when I'm done.) In the first house, it could very likely be Poltergeist activity and very possible that has followed them to the new house. The reason I say this is:

1. Poltergeists seem to attract to children. You mention this started when a baby was born. Most often poltergeists are drawn in by children of the age of puberty, but they've been known to attract to younger children. (You also mentioned the daughter being 12 years old, so that fits too.)
2. Poltergeists delight in moving things, making noise, etc... So, the toys being played with, the lid flying off of the trash can, pictures falling off the wall could all be indicative of poltergeist activity.
3. Poltergeists have been known to "follow" whoever they are attracted to and get their energy from. So, if that's the case, it might have moved with them... it's been known to happen many times.

I don't think this activity has anything to do with grandma or the uncle. That's just my opinion.
----------
Now, they moved into a home that is 100 years old. This is the location where people have seen apparitions, the family has heard whispered voices, etc... Finding out some of the history of the location and/or previous owners would be of some help. It's possible, since it is an old house, that there are ghosts there: man (seen in rearview mirror,) woman (in white seen by guests,) and child (heard saying, "mommy" which that could be the poltergeist either/or.) This makes me wonder, if something took place there and for some reason a previous family didn't crossover and are earthbound. They should try talking to them and telling them that they are dead, and don't belong there, and they need to go into the light where loved ones are waiting for them. Blessing the house would be a good idea, also.
**** At this point, I'm going to refer to you the post made here by bobbygee titled, "Questioning Spirits" and was made on November 13th. There may be some answers in the reply to explain more about the difference in ghosts and spirits, and how ghosts perceive things.
One thing to remember about "imprints," is that imprints are not ghosts or spirits, just an event "stamped" in time. They are more like holograms and they will never interact with a person. That's one way you can tell the difference between them and ghosts or spirits. It's like watching a scene from a movie over and over again.

[ December 04, 2004, 02:04 PM: Message edited by: SavannahSilkie ]

Ok...I'm going to continue here and maybe give some insight into the "dog" issue. First of all, I don't know much about foundations, or plumbing, or what may have caused the swelling in the basement floor. I will go out on a limb, and venture to say, that I don't think the animal skull was the cause of that, but who knows... This is what I understand about animals and the spirit world, mostly from what I've read.

According to Sylvia Browne, animal spirits are a "perfect" creation. They all ready know everything they need to know before they get here. When an animal dies, it crosses over "immediately," because they dont have the emotional baggage that humans have.

quote:

Thanks for the reassuring words Savannah! I'll be sure to pass them along when I see my friend Monday morning. The part about the dog being a totem is very comforting.

I suggested to him many a times to get his house(s) checked out by professionals. I think its safe to say that one of the Universities (we have 3 here on S.I.) in town has a Paranormal department who would be more than willing to send out an investigative team.

As I said in one of the above threads as long as there isn't anybody feeling too frightened or threatened he's happy enough not to stir the pot.

I'll be sure to keep everyone updated should anything else occur!

Thanks again!

Gene

Hi Gene,
Thank-you for the additional info I think I understand things a bit better. This will be a longer post as well. This is just my opinion but I feel the activity at each house in unrelated. It's difficult to determine what may cause things without further investigation, as many factors need to be considered. From the info given that is what I feel:

House 1 - I'm not certain that someone/thing followed them from this house to the current. It seems to me that the Uncle may have been behind the activity in house 1. You mentioned how sad and lonely he was and that his only wish was to buried next to his Mother. We may understand the decision not to have a funeral due to finances but money and time etc. has no relevance once we depart our bodies so likely Uncle did not. With the activity slowing considerably after the urn was buried I can't help but feel it was the Uncle trying to get someones attention with the picture, wind chimes, toys etc. A baby brings new energy into a home and perhaps that new energy was enough for Uncle to be able to manipulate the picture, toys etc. It may be that he opted not to follow into the light because there was no burial as he wished. That would make sense to why activity diminished greatly after the urn was buried. I am a Sylvia fan as well and at a seminar I attended of hers this past summer she spoke of this. Sylvia indicated that she has often instructed earthbounds to go to the nearest funeral home as that is most often when a spirit goes to the light (after the funeral) so an earthbound can find their way home by attending the next funeral there. She jested that some folks realize they can now go where they want unseen and head off to snoop around so some miss the light that was there for them if they snooped to long. That's what makes me feel Uncle may still have been earthbound, waiting for the burial he wanted? Sylvia mentioned spirits will return to help those cross that have remained behind so maybe Grandma has since come to help him over (after your friends moved). If not I would suspect he remained with the house, his home.

The man at the end of the bed looking remarkably like you. There is a chance that it was you. Have you ever experienced an OBE? We all astral travel it's just most don't recall doing so. With this only happening once, it is possible you popped in for a visit. I know it sounds stretched or odd to some but there are many documented cases of this happening.

House 2 - I agree with Pate that this may be a family that for some reason have remained. They may have lived there before the spinsters did seeing the house is 100 yrs old. The activity seems different then the other house. That being the voices heard, the lady in white, child calling Mommy etc. It would seem they would have experienced some of that as well in the other house if the entities were on in the same. Researching the history of this house may help with this. It's also possible that only a Mother and child are there and the man in the car was actually a spirit guide or a loved one long passed that she may not have recognized who is there protecting? I say this because he appeared while she was in the car at home. Sorry to reference Sylvia Browne again but she is a remarkable proven psychic who is very gifted. She has indicated (books, seminar) that most often when you feel or see someone in the car with you it is spirit. Not always though and she exampled this as when your driving in known haunted area, it is possible that the earthbound attached to that area will pop in beside you while your in that area. She spoke of when that happened to her. Are male voices heard? This man seems to fit into either scenario so if no male voices it just might be he is not earthbound.

Good to hear they are not frightened and the activity is not frequent. I agree with Pate House blessings and telling whoever is there that they need to move on may help. The home we are in now and our previous has/had activity. We knew we had an earthbound in the previous and likely some spirit visitors as well. This one it seems to be spirit activity. We have had things moved, cold spots, electrical happenings, heard and seen things. I have had others (reputable psychics, mediums etc.) come to each home and it did help us to understand things. Researching our previous home validated some of what we learned. Pate makes a good suggestion in bringing in a reputable PN team, it can help them to understand what may be going on.

Do let us know if they do and if anything further happens. Now time that I soak my fingers. Cat =)

Hey Cat!

Your question on whether or not I ever had an OBE was a jolt to my memory. To my recollection I may have had at least one.

One of the 1st threads I ever started on this message board concerned that very topic.

Let's see if I can perform a successful Cut & Paste.......

CLICK[/URL]

I'm not very computer savvy, so if the Link doesn't work the post I'm referring to can be found on page two over on the "All Things Psychic" page. It's the very last one as I'm typing this.

Hi Gene,

Worked just fine. Ahhh yes I remember that post now that you've jolted my memory as well. Hmm well perhaps it's not such a far off notion that it was you? If you had been discussing the goings on with your friends (days or weeks) prior to her seeing the person resembling you it may have prompted such a visit much like your other experience seemed to have? Never know. =)

Wow, that's quite a tale. I think it's been well covered, but I do want to add something.
As a police officer for 8 years in one of the largest cities in the US, I can tell you without a doubt that your average police officer is not any better qualified than anyone else to judge whether remains are human or not- that is why we have forensics. It might be worthwhile to try to find other bones (I assume the skull is gone?) and have them professionally identified. The local medical examiner's office will probably do this for no fee.
Also...while this may not be the case at all...I'm not sure burying remains secretly in a graveyard would satisfy a spirit who feels that his remains have been abused. I realize no abuse was intended- but what do we really no about things like concecrated ground, and blessings over a gravesite? Something to ponder, anyway.
Several places my team in Texas investigated had very similar backgrounds- i.e. improperly buried remains. From what you've told me, this is where I'd start.
OTOH..it doesn't sound like the spirits are particularly malicious. If your friends are open to it, have them talk to the spirits- ask them if they can take their picture, then snap some photos...ask them questions, and try to get EVP's on a digital recorder. Regardless of what some internet sites would have you believe, there really isn't a required certification for PN investigating. Unless the entity seems harmful, why not try a few things, see what happens? I honestly believe that entities feel lonely- they often are just seeking attention. I have a good friend who had an entity who was very active, almost poltergeist-like. She began talking to it, just carrying on one-sided conversations while she did housework or what have you. Now she has occasional things happen, but they tend to be funny- and the house has a much warmer, friendlier atmosphere.
If this is beyond your friend's capabilities..ask them to locate a PN investigator in the area. Be sure to check around about them, ask for references, etc. See what they come up with. I find cases like this to be fun and challenging- investigate the house's history in the library or local paper, try to identify the person or incident, then try to verify it with EVP's or photos. It can actually be alot of fun. Of course, this isn't for everybody...they have to be comfortable with the idea, and should not feel forced into it.
Wish I could be more help...I'd love to be there myself.

Best of luck!

I did want to comment on the swellling in the concrete. When a body is encased in, say, concrete, it usually continues to decompose- and this releases gas. Frequently, bodies discovered under asphalt or concrete are discovered due to the expanding gases causing the concrete or asphalt to swell like a bubble. Apparently, if the initial burial seals the body in tight, it will stop or greatly reduce the decomposition- over time, shifting will occur and the concrete will crack, allowing air or bacteria in, and decomposition will then begin again. Therefore, even a body long buried may not completely decompose for years, but when it does, those gases can cause the swelling you describe. I asked a friend in San Antonio about it- he is a forensics expert on SAPD- and he said that this can occur even decades later. This probably accounts for the "bubble"...he also said that there should have been a strong smell of decomposition when the area was excavated.
Any help?

Best wishes,

Sorry for not responding sooner!

But my friend has been home sick the last couple of days so I haven't had the opportunuity to question him further.

He never mentioned any sort of bad smell before. You would tend to think that an odor would be given off, but he never said anything about that.

I let you guys know whats happening (if anything is happening that is)as soon as I get a little more info!

Thanks for the responses!

UPDATE

Well, perhaps I really shouldn't label this an update because nothing new has taken place......

My friends hosted a New Year's Eve party at their place last week and while we all had a wonderful time nothing out of the ordinary took place......I'm not sure if that's agood thing or bad thing!

As I mentioned previously my friends aren't really bothered that much by what takes place from time to time so they weren't interested at all in walking around with a vid cam or recorder to see if we could catch anything. They feel why stir anything up if there's no real need to. It goes without saying that I respected that wish and let it drop.

I entered the house with a wide open mind and felt I was being very receptive to anything that may occur, but nothing took place.

I made sure to take good hard looks into shadowy corners and especially up that front staircase where the woman in white was seen.....but no spirits were to be seen.

I guess the funniest part of the evening occured when after downing a few beers I had to use the bathroom which was on the 2nd floor. I realy didn't want to walk up that staircase and be all alone up there!

I figured if I was going to see anything it would be then and there when I was all alone in that hallway where my friend felt like something brushed up against her, but I was shut out again!

When we left I made sure to say a little prayer that whatever it is in the house couldn't follow us home.

I'll add to this thread if anything happens down the line!