Ships' Logs and Sea Monsters

From Fortean Times Magazine By David Clarke
The Ministry of Defence does not keep any secret files on sea monsters reported by Royal Navy personnel, but crews of ships and submarines who make unusual sightings can record their experiences in official logbooks that are public records. This emerged as a result of a Freedom of Inform­ation request made to the MoD by marine bio­logist Sebastian Darby in February. Darby’s request asked the MoD if there were “any abnorm­ally large, or dangerous sea monsters hundreds of metres under the sea that haven’t been revealed to the public”. If such creatures did exist, he argued, it would be in the public interest to publish the facts as marine bio­logists’ lives could be at risk.

Navy FOI officer Heather Godfrey’s response admitted neither the Navy nor the MoD maintained “any form of central repository of information purely devoted to sea monsters”. Although there was no formal requirement, the Navy did encourage personnel to record sightings of marine mammals “and it’s possible this could include unusual sightings”. All such reports were sent to the UK Hydrographic Office in Somer­set, while individual ship’s logs are retained until they are deposited at The National Archives after 30 years. But a search of thousands of ship’s logs for entries on sea monster sightings would exceed the cost limits allowed for a FOI request.

Nautical folklore is replete with such stories and first-hand accounts of sightings have been recorded in Atlantic waters since the Middle Ages. In more recent centuries, one of the most cele­brated sea serpent reports was made by the captain and officers of the frigate HMS Daedalus off the Cape of Good Hope in the South Atlantic on 6 August 1848 (see 'The Golden Age of Sea Serpents'). On arrival in England, the captain, Peter M’Quhae, sent details to the Admiralty and to The Times. He supervised a detailed drawing of the 60ft-long creature that was visible for 20 minutes. But his story was rejected by palæonto­logist Professor Richard Owen, who insisted the crew had seen a giant seal.

A number of other 19th-century accounts have emerged in British Admiralty files deposited at The National Archives in Kew. One contains an account of a sea serpent written by Captain James Stockdale in May 1830. Stockdale and the crew of the barque Rob Roy were near the island of St Helena when they heard a scuffling noise in the water. As they turned to the port bow, they were amazed to see the head of “a great thundering sea snake” whose head rose six feet out of the water “as square with our topsail [and] his tail was square with the foremast”. Stockdale said his ship was 171ft long with the foremast 42ft from the stern, which would make the monster 129ft long. He reported to his masters in London: “If I had not seen it I could not have believed it but there was no mistake or doubt of its length – for the brute was so close I could even smell his nasty fishy smell.”

A Board of Trade file from 1857 contains an account from Comm­ander George Henry Harring­ton of the 1,063-ton merchant ship Cast­ilan, again near the same South Atlantic island. On 13 December of that year, he and two officers saw “a huge marine animal” which suddenly reared out of the water just 20ft from the ship. For a few moments, its long neck and dark head, shaped “like a long buoy” and covered with white spots, were clearly visible “with a kind of scroll or ruff encircling it”. The creature was submerged for a moment and then reappeared, leaving the crew in no doubt they were watching a sea monster “of extraordinary length [which] appeared to be moving slowly towards the land”. The boatswain, who watched it for some time, said that it was more than double the length of the ship, which made it 500ft long.

Both reports appear to have been filed away without comment by the Admiralty, in much the same way that the Air Ministry dealt with reports of flying sauc­ers and UFOs from RAF crews during the 20th century. Unless a clear threat was identified, either from sea monsters or aliens, unusual sightings like these were classified as interesting but of “no defence significance”.
[PA] D.Telegraph, 16 May 2010; Rickard & Michell: “The Rough Guide to Unexplained Phenomena”, 2007

The Most Haunted House in the Midwest, McPike Mansion, Alton IL

The McPike Mansion in Alton, IL sits atop a hill surrounded by large gnarled oak trees, giving the derelict house a foreboding sinister feel. When I arrived one early morning I was taken aback by its presence. The house seems to be sitting, brooding over its former glory. It has the look and feel of every image a haunted mansion should be: iron fence around the property, broken windows, a graveyard in the back, and plenty of ghosts. No wonder McPike has been given the unique distinction of being one of the most haunted houses in the Midwest, if not the country.

Built in 1869 by architect Lucas Pfeiffenberger for Henry Guest McPike and his family, the house was built in the Italianate-Victorian style, featuring 16 rooms, 11 marble fireplaces, beautifully carved stairway banisters and a vaulted wine cellar. Many of the wonderful architectural features vanished when it sat abandoned for years. The only hint to its golden years is an intricate carved trim that still borders the ceiling in one of the front rooms.

Originally on a country estate of fifteen acres of land called Mount Lookout Park, the mansion was the perfect place for Henry McPike to practice his love of horticulture. Trees, shrubs, orchards, flowers and extensive vineyards made the home one of the most beautiful in the area. During his time at the mansion Henry McPike perfected his McPike Grape, which became well-known all over the country. Some of the vineyards still exist today. McPike and his family lived in the house until 1936.

Paul A. Laichinger, purchased the house around that time and owned it until his death. It's unclear whether Laichinger lived in the house or rented it out to tenants. The house became abandoned and has remained that way since.

In 1994, Sharyn and George Luedke purchased the house during an auction. Their dream has been to restore the mansion to its former glory and turn it into a Bed and Breakfast. With extensive repairs and upkeep the restoration has been long and expensive. To help finance the restoration the Luedke's hold regular ghost tours and overnight campouts in the front yard.

When the Luedke's first purchased the mansion they never imagined that the place was haunted. Six weeks after purchasing the house Sharyn was tending plants in the front yard and looked up to see a man standing in the window looking back at her. The man disappeared but she noticed he was wearing a striped shirt and a tie. After researching the history of the building, Sharyn came across a photograph of Paul Laichinger wearing the same outfit.

Visitors have seen figures throughout the house. Many have had the sensation of being touched yet no one else is there. Sounds of footsteps are heard pacing up and down hallways and down the staircases. Objects vanish only to materialize in other odd places of the house.

The wine cellar is the most active place in the mansion, where footsteps and voices are heard. Several times a strange mist has materialized from nowhere and follows visitors around to the many rooms in the basement. The large heavy metal door that leads into the basement opens and closes by itself as it scrapes across the floor. Many people think that Henry McPike, members of his family, former owner Paul Laichinger, and a domestic servant haunt the mansion.

The Luedkes' love for the mansion shows by how much attention they give to investigating and learning about the history of the house. They have welcomed visitors from all over the country and are eager to share what they have learned with those who are brave enough to venture inside.

On my visit, Sharyn Luedke walked with me talking about the history of the mansion and the many strange events that have happened, while a black cat followed us around adding to the mystique. As I walked through the abandoned mansion, I noticed the wooden slats exposed from the fallen plaster. Many areas are too dangerous to walk through due to large holes in the floors. A large crack can be seen running from the bottom of the foundation to the roof of the house. Seeing this reminded me of Edgar Allan Poe's classic story "Fall of the House of Usher".
Sharyn told me of again seeing a figure standing in the upper part of the home with the window swung opened to the outside except the windows on that floor only open to the inside of the house.

Outside magnolias from a nearby bush were in bloom, giving the air a sweet scent in contrast to the melancholy atmosphere of the mansion. As we ventured out Sharyn mentioned that an unknown child's grave can still be seen on the grounds. The lid of the exposed vault is broken and has been overgrown by the surrounding vegetation.

Unfortunately I didn't experience anything unusual that day, but my wife and I would love to return and hopefully feel and see what the most haunted house in the country has waiting for us.

Book Review "The Perfect Medium Photography and the Occult"

Photographs are like ghosts of the past, they can show us where we have been and show us who we are. Pictures speck to us, we can view a passed-on loved one's face and remember the time we spent with them. We can enjoy a laugh with friends viewing vacation photographs of days gone by. Photography has always been a record of the past but in some ways it may show us where we should go for our future.

Doing researching on haunted places has led us to many fascinating and unusual avenues, such as Castle Frankenstein and the most notorious haunted house in Wisconsin called Summerwind Mansion. We have a passion for history which plays a big part in what we do.

Being a photographer I love pictures especially vintage photographs and the history of the early days of photography. We enjoy finding unusual books about the paranormal and learning about its legends from its early forms to modern day hauntings. One book I came across the blended both of the passions was "The Perfect Medium Photography and the Occult" by Cheroux, Fischer, Apraxine, Canguilhem, and Schmit, published by Yale University Press. Written in 2004, this large book discuses a topic that is virtually obscure and has been taken for granted.

The book has three parts, Photographs of Spirits, Photographs of Fluids, and Photographs of Mediums. The book begins with the early days of Spiritualism in the Victorian era and the spirit photographs that came about during that time. Photographers like William Mumler gave rise to spirit photography and in Europe began with Frederick Hudson. The reproductions of the photographs and collection of cartes de visites are amazing. The images are clear and well reproduced. Some spirit photographs are obvious fakes but the information on the photographers is very interesting, thorough, and well researched.

The second part, Photographs of Fluids, chronicles photography's use in providing evidence of the invisible world like the aura of a human hand or the life force of a freshly plucked leaf. The universal fluid was a theory developed by German doctor Franz Anton Mesmer, who suggested that every living thing has a universal fluid, a magnetic field that governs the body and its surroundings. The photographs of the "fluids" are both strange and fascinating. I found myself staring at them for long periods of time trying to make sense of them all.

The final part of the book, Photographs of Mediums, shows mediums at work levitating, levitating tables, producing ghosts at will, vomiting ectoplasm and other various phenomenons. The photographs in their time may have been used as a tool for debunking. They are a treasure trove of various occult images, along with a well researched narrative and historical context for the contents..

The only complaints I can really come up with that the book is a bit pricey at $45. I also wish they would have included modern ghost hunting photographs. I think this is an important part in the larger scope of photography and the occult. The book appeals to anyone with an interest in ghosts, photography and history, I find myself referencing it often and find it highly recommendable.

Built for the Dead, Stickney Mansion - Bull Valley, Illinois

Since I was a child I've heard legends about the "mansion with no corners." For years I thought it was all a myth, until I researched for this project and found that the mansion does exist and the legends are true. When we found and stood on the grounds of the mansion a few years ago, a chill ran up my spine as I thought about the story associated with this mysterious house.

Both accomplished mediums and devout practitioners of Spiritualism, George and Sylvia Stickney built this unusual two-story house in 1836 on an isolated country highway in Bull Valley, Illinois, thinking this corner-less design would assist them when holding séances and gatherings at the property. The couple had twelve children but only three survived to adulthood; they would often try to contact their nine dead children during their séances.

The Stickneys' believed that spirits have an inclination of getting stuck in the corners of houses, producing terrible results. They also felt that having a 90 degree angle corner would attract evil spirits. Therefore, all the rooms in their mansion have round smooth corners except one. For some unknown reason this room accidentally ended up with a 90-degree measurement.

According to legend, George Stickney was one day discovered slumped to the floor, dead from an apparent heart failure next to the only corner in the house located in that very mysterious room.

Reports claim Sylvia Stickney continued to live in the house as an accomplished spirit medium. People from all over the world come to take part in séances upstairs in the converted ballroom.

In the 1970s, Rodrick Smith moved in and began to hear strange noises and his dog began to exhibit strange behavior. After awhile Smith became more and more uncomfortable in the house and decided to research the home. According to Smith's findings, satanic worship took place in the mansion during the sixties and the black magic rituals conjured up an evil presence which resides in the house. Other researchers feel it was hippies during that time that changed the atmosphere of the house with drug use and painting the rooms dark colors, spray painting messages and leaving their abandoned drugs after they left.

The mansion was later sold and the Village of Bull Valley police department moved in as their headquarters. The police have reported hearing footsteps in the ballroom area, formally the séance chamber. Disembodied voices and strange noises have been heard on the stairwell and through out the house several times. Objects have moved on their own, door knobs have been seen turning on their own. Lone workers have seen and heard doors opening and closing on their own when no one else was in the building. One police officer saw the apparition of what he later described as Stickney's father-in-law. Two police officers have quit due to the disturbances that take place in this bizarre house.

Further research into town cemetery records often yield different facts to the dates in this story, but little else is recorded of this time. We have the old legends and the stories from the mansion's modern-day occupants to work from on our journey. Most important of the details, is the fact that the reputation of the house is firmly based in the Stickneys' practice Spiritualism and the regular attempts to commune with the spirits who have passed on into the beyond.

The day we arrived to visit the mansion two springs ago was bright, warm, and friendly. On the grounds of the mansion, however, the air was still and tense. The home felt isolated on its road winding off of the main road through town. Walking around the mansion, we felt uneasy staring into the black windows as if the house was watching us. The very look of this odd house makes one feel uncomfortable, which shouldn't be a surprise since it was built specifically to talk to the dead. Perhaps the spirits still wander freely through its rooms and corridors waiting to make their presence known.

Fan Request...

Hi Blog and Facebook Fans,
We recently received a blog comment from Marisela about her dream wedding at one of our possible haunted destinations, the Jacob Henry Mansion in Joliet, IL.
She and her fiance would like to have a dream wedding there, since her fiance Chris is into haunted happenings, and are part of a Crate and Barrel Dream Wedding contest: Marisela and Chris
Click on their VOTE button, login to the Facebook link that pops up on the left and, viola!  You have helped a sweet couple get closer to their dream.
By the way, if any of you are interested in a more imaginative photography duo for weddings, we'd LOVE to put Corey's infrared and our color photo skills to work to give your event a flair that reflects your interests.  There aren't a lot of edgy photogs out there in the wedding world.  We could change that!

Spring Haunted Road Trip

During the winter months we spend much of our time researching and looking for new ideas and places to photograph. We find inspiration from many sources from music, movies, stories and converstions we have with others. So when the snow starts to melt, weather begins to warm-up and the grass begins to turn green we get very excited because another season of photographing haunted places begins. At the beginning of the year our trip had taken on many forms and not until recently we decided on certain places that would work for our schedule. We have found some new and wonderful mansions to photograph they are just beautiful and mysterious from the pictures we have seen. I don't want to revel to much detail on where we will go, but you will not be disappointed by them I assure you. Here is a few place we are wanting to go to. If any one has suggestions of places that would be great for us to photograph feel free to send us an email with a picture and a bit of the history (if you know it) behind the place. We would love to see it and included in it in upcoming trips.

Lincoln-Tallman House, Janesville - WI

Jacob Henry Mansion, Joliet - IL

Hegeler-Carus Mansion, LaSalle - IL

Premature Burial at Rosedale Cemetery, WI

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) himself like many others of his time feared being buried alive, which inspired the author to write one of his greatest short stories in 1850, “The Premature Burial”.

“Fearful indeed the suspicion–but more fearful the doom! It may be asserted, without hesitation, that no event is so terribly well adapted to inspire the supremeness of bodily and of mental distress, as is burial before death”.

"I was lost in reveries of death, and the idea of premature burial held continual possession of my brain. The ghastly danger to which I was subjected haunted me day and night. In the former, the torture of meditation was excessive–in the latter, supreme. When the grim Darkness overspread the Earth, then, with every horror of thought, I shook–shook as the quivering plumes upon the hearse”.

On March 30, 1898, The Pardeeville Crank newspaper reported a gruesome discovery at Rosedale Cemetery, which is next to the Rosedale Presbyterian Church a few miles east of Pardeeville. The grave of Julia Sarah Smith daughter-in-law of John Smith was opened for the purpose of removing the remains to an adjacent lot. Upon opening the coffin, it was found that she had been buried while in a trance, she must have come to after being interred. There where signs she had partly turned over and the right hand was drawn up the face and the fingers indicated having been bitten in agony of finding herself interred alive. She had been buried thirteen years.

There is no doubt the suffering that many have experienced being buried alive. The strain of mind that the victim surely must possess laying in complete darkness with muffled cries of agonized “help” being unheeded. Many have been known to have lain in a trance for the period of six weeks and then revived.

The fear of being buried alive was so real that it led many inventors to find a variety of ways to allow the interred to signal up to the service that they are still alive and needed to be rescued.

In 1897 Count Karnice-Karnicki of Belgium patented a rescue device, which mechanically detected chest movements to trigger a flag, lamp, bell, and fresh air. Along similar lines, in Great Britain various systems were developed to save those buried alive, including breakable glass panels in the coffin lid and pulley systems which would raise flags on the surface.

Facebook Visitors Get Free Things

Hello to both new and faithful blog followers.

Please be sure to occasionally drift over to our Facebook page from time to time. We are prone to frequent print giveaways as we gain more and more followers. We'd love to see you there now and again. ~C&A

Castle Frankenstein, Germany

“It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.” These are the horrific words that describe the creation of the monster in the classic gothic novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus written by 19 year-old Mary Shelley.

The story was created on a dismal rainy summer vacation in Switzerland, where Mary Shelley and her soon to be husband Percy Bysshe Shelley, and friend Lord Byron amused themselves with opium, alcohol, and the telling of German ghost stories. They whiled away the hours discussing topics of galvanism and the occult while writing their own supernatural stories to help pass the time. One night during a terrifying nightmare Mary had a vision which began the seed of inspiration for the classic novel. "I saw—with shut eyes, but acute mental vision—I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life and stir with an uneasy, half-vital motion. Frightful must it be, for supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavor to mock the stupendous mechanism of the Creator of the world."

The next morning Shelley began writing the short story and was later persuaded by Percy Shelley to expand the idea into a full novel, which became her greatest and most influential story that still resonates today.

The mystery still remains to where Mary Shelley came up with the name Frankenstein. Mary may have visited the Darmstadt region during her travels and heard the local folklore of Burg Frankenstein and the German alchemist Johann Konrad Dippel, whose life has a has a close parallel with Victor Frankenstein in the novel.

Built in 1250 by Konrad Reiz von Breuberg, Burg Frankenstein sits on a hilltop about 5 km south of Darmstadt, Germany. The once large fortress was the part of territorial and religious disputes between the Catholic Frankensteins and the Lutheran landgraves of Hesse-Darmstadt, the family in 1662 eventually sold their possessions around the Castle to the landgraves and retired to their possessions in the Wetterau. The Frankenstein family died out in 1602. The castle fell into ruin in the 19th century and, along with many ruined castles of Germany, became inspiration for poets, authors, and artists traveling through the country during the Romantic area. Today only two towers, the chapel, and fortress walls remain.

Several legends are connected to the castle and the Frankenstein dynasty. One is of a vampire that frequented the castle in medieval times, roaming abroad at night to drink the blood of the villagers, and a young Frankenstein bride who was said to have been found, pale and lifeless in one of the castle’s many towers. The other tells of Georg von Frankenstein, the Dragon Killer, who liberated the people of the valley from the terror of a giant reptilian monster in the 16th century. He was mortally wounded in the battle and his sepulchral effigy can still be seen in a nearby church, the monster beneath his feet.

The most well-known legend is that of Johann Konrad Dippel. With no relation to the Frankenstein family, Dippel (1673-1734) was born and lived at Castle Frankenstein. For school purposes 'Frankensteinensis' was known to be twice added for administrative purposes to his signature, indicating his birth place. Dippel studied theology, alchemy, and philosophy. Folklore of the region accuses him of body snatching in an attempt to bring the dead to life. In a secret laboratory Dippel was said to conduct his experiments for the search of the secret of life by boiling bones and hair with iron flecks and blood clots. He also attempted to create an “elixir of life” which he claimed would keep him alive to 135 years of age, and which upon taking it, killed him.

This colorful history has lead to many supposed supernatural occurrences on the castle grounds. The place is said to be haunted by several ghosts including Dippel and those he exhumed for his experiments. Dippel is said to haunt the roof of the chapel. The chapel is also said to be haunted by the last knight of Frankenstein, Philipp Ludwig who died at the age of 20. The knight was on his way to see his girlfriend while riding his coach too fast and was thrown out and broke his neck. The one of the two remaining towers was where Dippel was said to have had his secret laboratory and is where the ghost of Anne Marie, a figure associated with a Knight George legend, settles down to cry and pray hoping for her boyfriend to come back and be with her in the tower. Two ghosts who don’t want the castle disturbed are said to throw stones from top of the tower at visitors. Shadows and disembodied voices have been seen and heard in the chapel and tower. Another legend tells of a series of labyrinth vaults that store the Frankenstein families treasure beneath the castle.

Most of these stories about the castle’s history and the haunted legends are highly contested. Mary Shelly’s own connection to the castle and her Frankenstein figure’s parallel to Dippel’s life have come under scrutiny in recent history, as well. Fact and fiction have become difficult to separate. In recent years the owners of the land and restaurant have given in to the legends, running a year-round Horror-Mystery theater and ultimate haunted house for the month of October http://www.frankenstein-halloween.de/content/e566/index_ger.html. No matter what the true story is, the legends make this destination an even more interesting destination for those intrigued by the potential for supernatural comings and goings.

We began our own journey in the morning after breakfast at a hotel in Darmstadt. We took a train as far as we could and walked the rest of the way up a very steep hill through the town of Malchen. Carrying a pack full of camera equipment we wove our way through the paths and roads of the Odenwald Forest that lay beneath the castle. In Germany most locals can find where they need to go so many destinations are not well marked for tourists. The walk seemed to last forever, especially knowing the overcast skies could open up on us at any time. Once we found signs leading to the castle we both felt relieved...plus the sun started peeking out behind the clouds.

The incredible journey came to an end 35 minutes after we began the hike up the hill. We made it! After a short rest enjoying the view from the overlook frequented by locals on the north end of the grounds, we entered the courtyard and were taken aback by the size of the ruin, which must have been impressive in its day. We walked around taking photographs and enjoying the more impressive view that can be seen from the tower where Dippel setup his secret laboratory. The room inside the tower was small and dark. It must have been very cold and lonely those hundreds of years ago, if Dippel truly did frequent that tower for his experiments. It was a chilling thought while standing in that space.

The sounds of swords clashing together from medieval re-enactors were heard during our visit. We also visited the chapel that looks nearly the same since medieval times, and studied the wonderful figurative effigy of Philipp Ludwig, made of alabaster and sandstone.

We stayed as long as we could, then we began our walk down hill to the small village of Malchen where we had started. As we walked through the village we passed a very old church which featured a tree in the courtyard that was reported to be 500 years old.

Our journey was memorable and we could see how Burg Frankenstein inspired such a wonderful timeless novel for Mary Shelley. We felt this place held a sense of foreboding mystery that just resonated with us and our photography. The lure of the Frankenstein legend that captivated generations will continue to be the source of nightmares and monsters.

Germany

There is SO much editing and mental processing of our Germany trip. Castle Frankenstein as a trip unto itself was epic and story-worthy. The legend behind the Werner Kappelle is also sad and spine-chilling. So much to do in the next few weeks. We though we'd leave you with some highlights until we come to a time when we might really be able to give this time a thorough work-over.

Burg Frankenstein:

Summerwind Mansion, Wisconsin

Considered the most notorious haunted house in the state of Wisconsin, Summerwind mansion is steeped in legend and mystery. Many purchasers reported an unease about the property even though even if they had never experienced any ghostly activity themselves. Now a burned-out ruin among the pines of the Northwoods, the former mansion has gained a cult following, becoming a place for those looking to experience bizarre phenomena themselves.

Built in 1916 by Robert P. Lamont for himself and his family on the shores of West Bay Lake in northeast Wisconsin, the mansion was an escape from the pressures of political life in Washington D.C. during the summer months. The original structure, a fishing lodge, was purchased by Lamont, who employed Chicago architects to remodel the property and convert it into a mansion.

During his 15 years at the mansion Lamont believed the structure was haunted. Lamont suddenly abandoned the mansion in the mid 1930s after one particularly frightening evening. He and his wife had just settled down to an evening meal in the kitchen, when the door to the basement shook itself open and a ghostly form of a man appeared. Lamont grabbed a pistol and fired two shots at the apparition as door swung shut. Holes in the basement door could still be seen many years later after the home came under new ownership.

From the 1940s to the 60s the house was owned by the Keefer family but remained largely unoccupied. When Mr. Keefer died his widow subdivided the land and sold it to purchasers but they experienced financial difficulties in keeping up payments.

When Arnold and Ginger Hinshaw and family moved to the house in the early 1970s many strange occurrences began to unfold and much of the haunting seemed to take place during this time. Shadows would be seen moving down the hallways, whispers would be heard but then stop when the Hinshaws entered the room, unexplained electrical and mechanical problems often occurred at the home, windows and doors would open and close by themselves. One window raised and lowered so often at all hours that Arnold nailed it shut. An apparition of a woman would appear near the dining room.

During this time the Hinshaws tried to renovate their historic home but had trouble keeping workers because Summerwind gained a reputation for being haunted. Workers would not show up for work, usually claiming illness, a few of them simply outright refused to work. The Hinshaws decided to do the work themselves. During the renovation, Arnold was painting a closet in one of the bedrooms and removed a shoe drawer from a closet. He discovered a hidden dark space behind it. When Arnold investigated the space he thought he saw the remains of an animal. The entrance to this space was too small for him to fit into so he sent his daughter Mary with a flashlight to investigate. Moments later Mary let out a scream and claimed discovering a human skull and strands of black hair. For some reason no report was made to the police. The body mysteriously vanished when Ginger's father and brother investigated the space many years later. The discovery of the corpse marked a turning point for the family. Arnold began display strange behavior, staying up late at night playing their Hammond organ that they purchased before moving into the house. The music became a strange mixture of senseless melodies which grew louder during the night. Ginger pleaded for him to stop but Arnold claimed the demons in his head demanded that he continue to play. He often played the bizarre music until dawn as his frightened wife and children took refuge in one of the bedrooms. Six months after moving into the house, Arnold suffered a breakdown and Ginger attempted suicide.

Several years later Ginger's father, Raymond Von Bober, bought Summerwind and wanted to turn the house into a restaurant. The Von Bobers' attempts to renovate the house suffered the same problems as the Hinshaws' years ago. Von Bober's son Karl experienced a variety of unnerving events. While walking through a hallway he heard a voice call his name, but he was the only one in the house. Then he heard what heard what sounded like two pistol shots and ran into the kitchen to find the room filled with smoke and the smell of gunpowder, an apparent supernatural reenactment from the 1930s Lamont incident.

During Von Bober's renovations workmen also began to report uneasiness as tools began to disappear. Furnishings appeared in photographs, which had not been existence since the original owners had possession of the home. Room dimensions appeared to change in these photographs and as draftspeople tried to produce blueprints of rooms.

By the 1980s the mansion was abandoned for good. People visiting during this time reported seeing objects flying around, disappearing and reappearing, and photographs would have odd shadows in them. Some experienced seeing the mansion as it would have appeared in earlier times.

In June 1988 the mansion was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. All that survived was the house's chimney stacks, foundations, and stone staircase.

For us the house seemed to retain its sense of mystery. On our first trip to explore and photograph the house we never found it, despite being within several yards of the ruin. A few days later after further research we decided to try again. This time we found it and we felt a sense of sadness and abandonment contrasting the pleasant sunny day, as we approached the ruin. The chimneys stood like tombstones against the sky, an epitaph to its former glory. The dull buzzing sounds of the spring hatching of flies on the mansion grounds added to the eerie atmosphere. As we walked around the ruin among the weeds and wild growing trees, Anna and I photographed and talked about the house, how sad that such a grand home had become so desolate. In spite of the walls having burned down long ago, the house seemed to retain its sense of volume. The weed-covered foundation and archways that still remain hinted to a grander time. We both wondered why no one has tried since the 1980s to clear the land and rebuilt another home.
This reminded us of TS Eliot:

In my beginning is my end. In succession
Houses rise and fall, crumble, are extended,
Are removed, destroyed, restored, or in their place
Is an open field, or a factory, or a by-pass.
Old stone to new building, old timber to new fires,
Old fires to ashes, and ashes to the earth
Which is already flesh, fur and faeces,
Bone of man and beast, cornstalk and leaf.
Houses live and die: there is a time for building
And a time for living and for generation
And a time for the wind to break the loosened pane
And to shake the wainscot where the field-mouse trots
And to shake the tattered arras woven with a silent motto.
- excerpt from EAST COKER
(No. 2 of 'Four Quartets')
T.S. Eliot

Automata obsession

Recently I've been interested in, more like obsessed by, mechanical toys or Automata.

An automaton (plural: automata or automatons) is a self-operating machine.

I've always been fascinated by mechanical objects since I was a kid. We own a few animated motionettes of the Universal Studios Monsters that I proudly display in the house year round. What began my recently renewed fascination was a few weeks back I had to travel to Madison WI for my job. Luckily my family was able to come with and we spent the day going to various stops and eating at one of our favorite restaurants. After I fulfilled my obligation to my job, Anna felt we should visit one restaurant she had visited in her high school days.

Ella's Deli is a full kosher deli and ice cream shop with an amazing display of whimsical animated displays that fill the entire restaurant. Every table has some sort of interesting feature from working model trains to marble maze races built into a recessed glass-covered box as the tabletop. Mechanical figures move and rotate above your head. There is something to see and do everywhere. During the spring, summer and fall months a restored 1927 Parker Carousel complete with organ music is available for rides outside. The amazement and wonder in the kids' faces upon our visit that day was priceless. I felt the same way and wondered if I could do something similar with the mechanical figures but with a more macabre touch to it.

Over the past few weeks I found a few websites about Automata and mechanical toys. We posted a few on the blog that are the most interesting. I began to dive deeper and we will be ordering a book in a few days about how to make them. The whimsical nature, the craftsmanship, the simplicity of the machine, and wonder that they evoke is the fascination I just adore. I want to begin reading a few books about the subject, then I want to purchase a few kits before I begin designing and building an original machine.

Here is the link to Ella's Deli : http://www.ellas-deli.com

Leaving winter hibernation

We have remained busy during the winter months, scheduling a trip to Germany and other places in the US, as well as designing a few new items that we will be presenting for purchase in the coming months. We are ready to emerge from winter's hibernation and venture to a few haunted places for more images and stories in the coming weeks.

For us the spring and fall months are ideal for our haunted project. The grass remains green but the leaves are gone leaving only the bare trees. The weather can be very cooperative with warm and cool days. Just perfect for Infrared photography.

Here are a few images of just some of the designs that will be available for purchase at Zazzle very soon as tote bags and shirts.