THE BELL WITCH

ADAMS, TN - One of the strangest paranormal stories you may ever come across is the odd, long account of the Bell Witch. Starting in 1817 a series of events occurred that defied explanation then and still remains unsolved today. Unsolved despite being one of the most investigated and documented cases on record. Most of the town of Adams had at one time or another heard or saw something that scared them. And, even more bizarrely, it is one of the few documented cases that seems to point a finger at a ghost as the cause of a man’s death.

John Bell

 Accounts differ on whether the first paranormal activity on the Bell farm occurred in a field where Bell and his sons were hunting, or in a nearby cave, but it is not disputed that when they returned home they were confused and frightened by what they had seen. From that day onward John Bell’s health would deteriorate even as the manifestation became stronger and stronger.


Next the family heard and saw strange animals near the house. Then they heard scratching noises that seemed to come from outside the home. The nuisance continued into the house in the form of scratching, and growling distinctly heard by all family members.


Neighbors were finally invited over to hear the strange phenomena as the family reluctantly realized they needed help. Even the most hardened skeptic left puzzled and disturbed by the noises. As the events escalated, John Bell began to have pain and numbness in his tongue and jaw. Just as it became more difficult to for John Bell to talk, whatever was making the noises found a voice. She called herself Kate, and the disembodied voice was heard by one and all to heckle and harass the family as they tried to go about their daily activities.


Kate did not end her feats with just speaking. Witnesses heard her whistle, sing, and tell bawdy jokes to the embarrassment of the conservative farming family. Eventually the spirit seem to bring “guests” in the form of other entities each having a distinctive personality and voice.


The spirit who identified herself as Kate kept up her torment of physically and mentally torturing John at any opportunity. Finally as the man lay dying she was heard to sing and laugh. After the poor man past away she even took credit for having poisoned him!


No one is sure what caused the poltergeist/ spirit activity but theories have been cast around. A skeptic theorized that no ghost was present and that one of the Bell family was secretly an accomplished ventriloquist. Another theory is that John Bell’s trouble started when he brought the land for his farm from an older woman who thereafter accused him of cheating her. Others have brought forth that the cave behind the house was believed to be a sacred place by local Native Americans.

  The Bell Witch and Andrew Jackson

BIGFOOT IN TEXAS?

NEW BRAUNFELS, TEXAS -  On a farm-to-market road in the southwest part of  Comal County lives a creature, a rarely seen, often heard creature the kind written about in urban legends. People along its path have reported strange occurrences like mason jars missing out of  locked storage sheds.  Doors taken off of hinges while still locked. Huge footprints are found the next morning. Is the legendary "Big Foot" in Texas?

A young couple heading down the farm-to-market road, after watching a movie in nearby New Braunfels, decided it was too early to go home and pulled over to the side of the road. It was a quiet night with no moonlight to illuminate the darkness. The young man turned off the engine, the car radio and lights to sit quietly paying attention only to his beautiful date.   After talking for a few minutes the young man noticed the cattle in the nearby fenced-in field moving rapidly away. Thinking it must have been their presence that made them nervous he kept  his concentration on the young lady. 

Captured from the famous Patterson-Gimlin film

 Then out of the blackness came a sound neither of them had ever heard before, a loud scream or howl. The amazing sound was followed by complete silence. The young lady knowing her date had been raised in the country asked him what could possibly have made that sound. He thought a bit and told her it didn't sound like a coyote or a dog. He wasn't sure what it was, but he strained his eyes looking out at the darkness trying to see anything in the pitch-blackness.

He told her not to worry it was probably  just a wild dog or maybe a sick cow, but both remained alert, staring out into the darkness surrounding the car. There was no wind or even a summer breeze to ruffle through the trees. Suddenly another scream was heard but this one was so close it rattled the windows in the car. It sounded like a freight train, and the young man considered getting out to see what the source of the sound was, but the young girl was adamantly opposed to the idea of her boyfriend leaving her in the car alone. She held him and was frighten into tears. Then they both heard the sound of the fence wire being pushed down by something heavy just on the other side of the car door. Quickly the young man turned the ignition key and floored the car's engine afraid to look back at whatever had just climbed the fence. Whatever it was seemed entirely too interested in finding out more about them.  

  Bigfoot Sighting in San Antonio 2009

Unsolved Mysteries - Bigfoot

ROSWELL

ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO- Roswell, New Mexico is often referred to as the Mecca of the UFO controversy.  The beginning of the fame started in 1980 when Charles Berlitz and William Moore brought the story before the public with their book “The Roswell Incident”.  While the book itself has been largely forgotten, the tale of a government cover-up of a real UFO captured the imagination of the public and has never let go.

Newspaper Headlines

The Roswell Army Air Field was in 1947 the home of the only nuclear bomb squadron, the 509^th, which had seen action in the U.S.’s attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan.

The little town of Roswell itself was in some ways supported by the business brought to it by the Air Field.  On July 8, 1947 the town must have been abuzz with the news reports that stated: “Roswell Army Air Field Captures Flying Saucer on Ranch in Roswell Region.”  The excitement was short lived.  The next day a retraction was printed that explained the findings were nothing more than an experimental Weather Balloon.  This information seemed to satisfy the public at large until the “The Roswell Incident” was published 33 years later.  Since that time, the arguments about what really happened have raged on, and the little town of Roswell has never been the same.  

Famous photo of the material found at the crash sites

The story that came out after the book included such intrigue as Military Personnel taking control of parts of the town for several hours on that July day in 1947.  Witnesses who claimed to have been threatened and intimidated by the Military now detailed stories of having seen alien bodies, strange technology, and even an autopsy of the lifeless aliens conducted in a morgue on the Base.     

The claims also included having seen spacecraft, and parts of a spacecraft removed from Roswell and transported possibly to Area 51.  Witness run the range from being local farmers, soldiers, nurses, doctors, and people who had been children at the time of the incident.

Since the ‘80’s numerous books, movies, and of course Websites have made the Roswell story famous worldwide.  The town now does a brisk tourist business and hosts an annual celebration commemorating the crash.  

 Unsolved Mysteries - Roswell (Part 1)

  Unsolved Mysteries - Roswell (Part 2)

 

TEXAS: GHOST LIGHTS!

THE STATE OF TEXAS - The mysterious phenomena of spectral lights have been reported throughout time by reasonably sane individuals. Most of the ghost lights seen by witnesses have been characterize by scientist as originating from natural or man-made causes. Reports of swamp gas, ball lighting, and witness hallucination have been listed as sources. However, very few scientist have actually done true investigation on the phenomena. This article will try and focus on a few of the most popular sightings and give you the reader information on where and how you too can witness these illuminated phantom orbs.

Marfa Lights By Robert Thomson

The State of Texas has several well known light phenomena within it's borders. The town of Marfa being the most willing to talk about their "Marfa Lights".

• MARFA - Located in far west Texas near the border with Mexico, the county seat for Presidio County, is the city of Marfa. Marfa is known for some of the largest mountains in the state and for some of the most beautiful scenic drives. The movies Giant (1956) and the Andromeda Strain (1971) were filmed in and around Marfa. However, Marfa is by far best known for the nightly visits of strange glowing orbs of lights known as the "Marfa Lights" or the "Ghost Lights of Marfa". Observed in 1883 by some of the first settlers the mystery has spanned generations and the legend of the lights has spread world wide. The popular television show "Unsolved Mysterious" featured the lights on a broadcast October 25, 1989. The lights are described as "Small, ethereal, lights suspended in the air with no apparent source, no identifiable location. They float, they ebb, they glow and move . . . and they defy explanation." The lights can been seen by driving nine miles east of the city, near the base of the Chianti Mountains. There's an observation area set-up so you can watch the lights.

Unsolved Mysterious - Marfa Lights

•  ANSON  - Anson, the county seat of Jones County, is at the intersection of U.S. highways 83/277 and 180 at the center of the county. The mysterious lights that appears in the rolling hills of west Texas have been seen by curious college students for year. Several legends have been told by locals that the lights are caused by the specter of a woman looking for her long lost son. The lights appear near the Anson Cemetery at the junction of two dirt roads. Before you head out there be sure and tell the Jones County Sheriff department that you plan to check out the Anson lights. The deputies will ask you to move along if they catch you parked on the dirt road. Just a fair warning. What are the lights, it's still an unsolved mystery.

 Anson Lights

• BRAZORIA COUNTY - Another white ball of light that floats about four to six feet off the ground occasionally makes an appearance to onlookers between West Columbia and Angleton, Texas in Brazoria County. This light has become a legend and is known around the world as "Bailey's Light". According to the legend the light is reported to be that of a lantern being carried by the ghost of JAMES BRITON BAILEY.  

• SILSBEE - Near the town of Silsbee, which is north of Beaumont, in Hardin County appears the "Saratoga Lights". Take the Old Bragg Road (also known as "Ghost Road"), which turns off of Farm Road 1293 about seven miles west of Honey Island and head straight for Saratoga. The unpaved, tree lined, dirt road is long and straight. Eyewitnesses have seen the lights amongst the pine trees in the darkness of the Big Thicket. Many people who have seen the Saratoga ghost lights leave very frighten. They say because, "the lights are so close" comparing them to the distances of the Marfa lights. 

Saratoga Lights (Warning: Bad Language is used in this video)

S.S. EDMUND FITZGERALD

LAKE SUPERIOR  - As a teenager I didn't notice a lot of what was going on in the world. My world was busy doing teenager things. However, I do remember a story that caught my attention November 11^th, 1975 on the CBS Evening news. A huge iron ore ship disappeared on Lake Superior with all of her crew aboard. She was the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald.

Last known photo taken at Great Lakes Steel, Detroit River - October 26, 1975

 THE SHIP

 On February 1, 1957, the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin entered into a contract with Great Lakes Engineering Works for the construction of the first "maximum sized" Laker ever built. I worked with a guy a few years ago who remembers walking by the ship yard as a kid and seeing this beautiful ship being built. He said it was amazing! The builders laid the keel of Hull 301 at its yard at Ecorse, Michigan, on August 7, 1957. Instead of construction from keel up, the Fitzgerald was built on the ground in prefabricated hull sections.  Over 900 people worked on the Fitzgerald and the vessel was launched on June 7, 1958. An estimated 10,000 people witnessed her launching and christening.  She was the biggest ship ever launched on the Great Lakes at that time, 13 feet longer than her nearest competitor. Some say that was the day the Fitzgerald was cursed.

September 22, 1958, EDMUND FITZGERALD was delivered and operated for her entire career under charter to the Columbia Transportation Division, Oglebay Norton Company, Cleveland

THE WITCH OF NOVEMBER

On November 9, 1975 at 7 p.m. the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a gale warning for Lake Superior. In a gale, the wind speeds range from 34-40 knots. The NWS predicted east to northeasterly winds during the night, shifting to NW to N by the afternoon of November 10. At approximately 10:40 p.m. the NWS revised its forecast for eastern Lake Superior to easterly winds becoming southeasterly the morning of the 10th. At about 2:00 am November 10 the NWS upgraded the gale warning to a storm warning (winds 48-55 knots) with a prediction of "northeast winds 35 to 50 knots becoming northwesterly 28 to 38 knots on Monday, waves 8 to 15 feet". Around 2 a.m. the Captains of the Anderson and Fitzgerald discussed the threatening weather and decided to change their course to a safer route that would take them northward, toward the coast of Canada. The northern route would protect them from the waves that the storm generated.

Neither Captain had anticipated the wind shifting to the northwest. The gale let loose with winds at 42 knots and the waves came steady at 12 to 15 feet high.  The ships were no longer protected by the land giving them some buffer and were at the mercy of nature. The Fitz was traveling just ahead of the Anderson her lights visible, a steady object on their radar. At 7:10 p.m. on the 10th of November the Anderson saw the Fitzgerald crest a wave. Her lights never reappeared and she was gone from the radar.  The ship and her crew were gone.

 
Later it would be remembered that the bottle sent flying at the ship during her christening did not break.  Those who had built her would remember the many accidents that had occurred during her construction.  All would consider the many tragedies that seemed to happen during the month of November.  Whether these facts are merely hindsight or indicate the proof of a curse is hard to say.

THE FAMOUS SONG

WRECK OF THE EDMUND FITZGERALD
by Gordon Lightfoot

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy.

With a load of iron ore - 26,000 tons more Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed When the gales of November came early The ship was the pride of the American side Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin As the big freighters go it was bigger than most With a crew and the Captain well seasoned. Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms When they left fully loaded for Cleveland And later that night when the ships bell rang Could it be the North Wind they'd been feeling. The wind in the wires made a tattletale sound And a wave broke over the railing And every man knew, as the Captain did, too, T'was the witch of November come stealing. The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait When the gales of November came slashing When afternoon came it was freezing rain In the face of a hurricane West Wind When supper time came the old cook came on deck Saying fellows it's too rough to feed ya At 7PM a main hatchway caved in He said fellas it's been good to know ya. The Captain wired in he had water coming in And the good ship and crew was in peril And later that night when his lights went out of sight Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Does anyone know where the love of God goes When the words turn the minutes to hours The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay If they'd fifteen more miles behind her. They might have split up or they might have capsized They may have broke deep and took water And all that remains is the faces and the names Of the wives and the sons and the daughters. Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings In the ruins of her ice water mansion Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams, The islands and bays are for sportsmen. And farther below Lake Ontario Takes in what Lake Erie can send her And the iron boats go as the mariners all know With the gales of November remembered. In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed In the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral The church bell chimed, 'til it rang 29 times For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald. The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee Superior, they say, never gives up her dead When the gales of November come early. © 1976 Moose Music, Inc

Crew of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald

Captain - Ernest M. McSorley, 63

First Mate - John H. McCarthy, 62

Second Mate - James A. Pratt, 44

Third Mate - Michael E. Armagost, 37

Wheelsman - John D. Simmons, 60

Wheelsman - Eugene O'Brien, 50

Wheelsman - John J. Poviach, 59

Watchman - Ransom E. Cundy, 53

Watchman - William J. Spengler, 59

Watchman - Karl A. Peckol, 55

Chief Engineer - George J. Holl, 60

First Assistant - Edward E. Bindon, 47

Second Assistant - Thomas E. Edwards, 50

Second Assistant - Russell G. Haskell, 40

Third Assistant - Oliver "Buck" J. Champeau, 41

Oiler - Blaine H. Wilhelm, 52

Oiler - Ralph G. Walton, 58

Oiler - Thomas Bentsen, 23

Wiper - Gordon MacLellan, 30

Special Maintenance Man - Joseph W. Mazes, 59

AB Maintenance - Thomas D. Borgeson, 41

Deck Maintenance - Mark A. Thomas, 21

Deck Maintenance - Paul M. Riipa, 22

Deck Maintenance - Bruce L. Hudson, 22

Steward - Robert C. Rafferty, 62

Second Cook - Allen G. Kalmon, 43

Porter - Frederick J. Beetcher, 56

Porter - Nolan F. Church, 55

Cadet - David E. Weiss, 22