Pennies From Heaven

It's said that when an angel misses you, they toss a penny down from Heaven for you to find.  I had heard of this in passing many years ago, but never really put much thought into it.  I don't believe in coincidences, and I do believe that spirits of our loved ones try to communicate with us in sometimes very mundane ways.  I've heard of experiences with songs that are heard more often than is typical, feathers found in odd areas or odd ways, butterflies interacting with people or showing up in unexpected locations and of course, pennies, and sometimes dimes, showing up in unexpected places.

When my grandmother passed, I lost not only a family member, but a very close friend.  Despite knowing she was on borrowed time, her death was still not easy to deal with- what death is?  Two years later, I still tear up at those times when I think about something I would have liked to share with her.

Some time after her death, I went into work as usual.  I unlocked my office door, turned on the lights and went over to my desk.  There I found three pennies sitting in front of my keyboard face up all in a row.  While odd, it didn't completely register how odd it was.  Luckily, something told me I should save the pennies someplace safe and out of the way.  A few days later, I was doing the dishes at home.  I finished loading the dishwasher and rinsed out the sink.  As I placed the dishcloth on the faucet, I noticed 3 pennies lined up in the sink.  This caught my attention because just moments before there were no pennies.  No one had come into the kitchen while I was there.  The pennies just showed up.  A week later, I was shopping at a plant nursery and as I walked to an area with a display of African Violets, there on the floor were three pennies face up in a perfect line.  It was at that moment that I realized the pennies I was finding were more than a small windfall.  They were signs from my grandmother.  She and I took many trips to plant nurseries where we always left with plants- almost always African Violets. The timing of the pennies was interesting too.  They began showing up at a particularly stressful time in my life.  It was as if she just wanted to let me know that she was there in spirit.

This past summer, I've also had some interesting encounters with birds.  I'm sure there are some people who would scoff or question how I could consider a bird a "sign" since birds are around all the time.  It's true, one of the bird species I had an encounter with- an Eastern Bluebird- is a common enough sight in the rural area where I live.  However, it's typical to see only one or two, usually a mated pair.  One day, while walking the dogs down to our barn, I had seven bluebirds fly over and line up on the split rail fence next to me.  I was only about 5 feet away and walking two very large Labrador retrievers and yet these 7 birds just sat there looking at me.  I laughed.  Any time 7 bluebirds of happiness line the fence as you walk past it means you're either a Disney Princess or it's some sort of sign.  My grandmother loved birds, it was an interest we both shared.  I had even purchased a bird identification book for one of the last Christmas gifts she received.  I knew it was a sign from her.  But my bird encounters didn't stop there.

My family owns property in Virginia and April of 2011 the house was hit by a tornado.  We were lucky that most of our damage was to our trees, though that loss cut deep.  Those trees were very old and had been there all my life.  The landscape had forever changed.  I was most concerned about one tree in particular and the birdhouse that was nailed to it.  My grandparents had made a birdhouse out of a coffee can years and years ago when they used to live there.  It was knocked down at some point, found in the brush, and after sitting around for a few years, I finally managed to fix it and put it back in the tree.  I couldn't recall any birds actually using it as a house, but it was something from my grandparents and I placed it there for nostalgic reasons.  When my parents called with the damage report, I asked about the coffeepot birdhouse, knowing it must be long gone.  Imagine my shock when not only had the coffeepot not moved off the tree, but that tree was one of the few we has left.  When I managed to travel down to the house, I went over to check out the birdhouse to make sure it was secure.  I noticed that for the first time a bird was nesting there- it was an Eastern Bluebird.

In addition to the Bluebirds, I also had a few sightings of an Indigo Bunting.  While familiar with what an Indigo Bunting looks like, I had never had the pleasure of seeing one in the wild.  And one morning at our backyard feeder, there one was.  My second sighting was again at our house in Virginia.  There amidst the trash and torn up trees that comes with the aftermath with a tornado, sat a couple of Indigo Buntings in the brush.

Along with an interest in birds, my grandmother and I also shared a love of gardening.  At her house she had a blue hydrangea bush that had already bloomed a few months earlier.  Walking around the side of the house, I was surprised to see that there was a large bloom on the plant.  Knowing, without a doubt, that this was another of her "signs", I snapped a photo. 

So, remember, those we love might be gone in the physical sense, but they are still very much a part of our lives.  Look for those odd, out of place occurrences that might signify something more profound. 

Save those pennies from Heaven.

Be Prepared

Who doesn't like a good storm?  And what paranormal enthusiast wouldn't find some humor in a storm dubbed the "Frankenstorm" that is hitting close to Halloween and on a full moon?  While I get excited at the prospect of losing power for a bit and relying on candlelight to read ghost stories by, this storm isn't one people should take lightly.  So for all those in the potential path of Hurricane Sandy (the East Coast) or in areas that will undoubtedly receive the effects of Sandy, please be prepared!  Here are some suggestions:

Power outages will be widespread and could last for days! Keep in mind, those with a well will also lose water along with electricity.  

• Have flashlights and batteries- one for each person in the household
• Have water on hand for drinking and personal hygiene
• Fill tubs with water
• Fill available pitchers and containers with water
• Fill and freeze empty plastic bottles to put in freezer- a full freezer holds cold better than an empty one
• Get coolers ready- if power goes out, use coolers for things you need often out of the fridge to limit the amount of times you have to open the door
• Set freezers and refrigerators to coldest setting
• Have an alternate way to cook if you have an electric stove
• Fill grill propane tanks
• purchase sterno cans
• have a manual can opener
• Have matches or a lighter on hand
• Have a radio with batteries or a hand crank radio 
• Charge cell phones
• Make sure you fill your car's gas tank, park vehicle facing out and try to park away from trees
• Secure any loose items in your yard
• Check on your elderly or invalid neighbors

We hope for the best but prepare for the worst.  Stay safe out there and hopefully we'll be back to blogging next week

The Hat Man

About 12 years ago, I had an encounter with an apparition that left me terrified.  More terrified than I had ever been before- and I've had my share of creepy encounters as a paranormal investigator.  It was a Saturday night, and I had been out on the Gettysburg Battlefield doing an investigation.  That night, I opted to stay at my parents' house rather than go home to my place.  I went to bed in my old room and had no issue falling asleep.  Some time late in the night, I suddenly woke from a sound sleep. I laid in bed for a moment listening, wondering if there was a noise that could have interrupted my sleep.  It was dark in the room.  There were no curtains on the window and no moon, or at least not a large enough moon to create enough light.  I happened to glance down at the foot of my bed, and there I saw a dark figure standing at the end of the bed.

The most notable feature was the wide brimmed hat that it wore.  It seemed to be wearing a long trench coat like garment or some type of long sleeved large collared jacket.  The bed was a 4 poster bed and the posts were painted an off white.  I distinctly remember seeing the man's hand curled around the post as if holding on to it.  The moment I saw the figure I was overcome with fear and panic.  I'm not talking about that "oh crap there's a ghost at the foot of my bed" fear, I'm talking about fear that comes from knowing that what's there isn't good.  I squeezed my eyes shut and began reciting The Lord's Prayer over and over until the sun started to peek over the horizon.  I finally managed to get up and started getting ready for work.  I couldn't find my glasses.  I'm a creature of habit, sometimes with a few slight OCD tendencies, so believe me when I say that I place my glasses in the exact same spot every night when I go to bed. Even now, 12 years later, I place them in the same spot- directly in front of my alarm clock. Yet that morning they were nowhere to be found.  Not under the bed, not on the floor, not anywhere near the clock.  I ended up being 15 minutes late for work and having to leave without my glasses (which I need to drive).

Luckily for me, my supervisor at the time was a fellow ghost enthusiast and didn't care about me being late because it came with a story.  I went through what happened and then got to work.  A few moments later, I heard my boss call out from the back room, " I thought you couldn't find your glasses."  "I didn't find them," I said.  "But they're sitting on top of your clothes in the bag!" I went to look and sure enough, my glasses were sitting right on top of my clothes. I threw my clothes in the bag myself and I know that there was no way that my glasses were in there, let alone set neatly on top of the pile.

It was several years later that I came across some information regarding what was called "the hat man".  I was shocked as I read about someone else's encounter with the very same entity I had seen.  I was intrigued and researched further and found hundreds of people around the globe have had eerily similar interactions with this "hat man".

The following are the most described details of a hat man encounter:

• Humanoid figure wearing a wide brimmed or "gaucho" type hat
• Appears to be wearing a trench coat or similar long sleeved collared jacket
• Commonly appears in bedrooms, usually at the foot of the bed
• Some claim to see red eyes while other see no eyes at all
• Witnesses describe an overwhelming fear, sometimes paralyzing
• Appears 2-dimensional
• Some people see it only once while other have repeated encounters with it 
• His visit usually comes after visits from shadow people

As with shadow people in general, it's hard to say what the Hat Man is, what he wants or what his agenda is.  With the majority of people having a sense of fear or dread, it doesn't seem as though it is something "good" or something with "good intentions".  Some people feel that he comes to monitor things.  There have even been some who believe that he monitors people with psychic abilities or those who investigate the paranormal.  Whatever his intents, I certainly hope he never makes another appearance in my room again.

Have you had an encounter with the Hat Man or with another form of shadow person? I'd like to know about it.  Email your story to investigations@gettysburgghosts.net

Shadow People- A Growing Phenomena

You're watching TV and suddenly catch something out of the corner of your eye.  You turn your head to look and see a shadowy figure dart quickly around a corner or through a wall.  Or you wake up in the middle of the night and see a figure darker than night staring at you and you're gripped with fear.  These are just a couple of scenarios people report of visits from "shadow people".

What are shadow people? By definition, they are supernatural humanoid figures that are described as being blacker than night with quick jerky movements and the ability to quickly disappear through walls, around corners or into mirrors.  Some are described as having red eyes though many have no facial features at all.  Some believe that shadow people are simply ghosts, however, there is a distinct difference between the two.  Apparitions that are seen tend to be describe as wispy forms and many have describable details such as facial features and clothing.  Shadow people have no discernible features or details.

For years, most encounters with shadow people involved seeing them out the the corner of the eye.  The encounters were brief with the entities disappearing quickly- making some question what they had actually seen.  Now encounters are starting to include more direct sightings with people viewing them full on in front of them and for longer periods of time.  In 2012, sightings of shadow people was one of the most reported paranormal phenomena.

I've had my own run-ins with these entities.  Approximately 14 years ago, I was regularly seeing figures out of the corner of my eye looking around corners at me.  As I would notice movement in my peripheral vision, I would quickly turn my head and see a dark form pull back behind the wall. After mentioning the sightings to my mother, I learned that my father was witnessing the same thing in the same areas of the house that I was. 

October 2010 I had another encounter with a shadow figure, this one more frightening.  I was taking my daughter and a couple of her friends out on the Gettysburg Battlefield for some ghost hunting.  We went to the tower at Culp's Hill.  While we were sitting on the steps of the tower platform, we heard footsteps on the tower.  At the time, there were no other cars or people in the area.  I climbed up 2 flights of steps on the tower and sat quietly listening.  There was no other noise heard.  At this point, the girls were feeling uncomfortable as was I.  We opted to head out.  As we made our way across the road to our parked vehicle, I felt someone watching us and turned to look behind us.  There I saw a shadow figure standing on the platform of the tower.  We kept walking to the van, and I turned and looked again and saw the figure had moved closer. I unlocked the van doors, but as everyone went to open the doors, they locked again.  It took 3 tries before we were able to open the doors and get into the car.  The encounter left me rattled.

So what are these things? There are many theories about what they might be.  Some think they could be astral bodies or spiritual bodies of people  having out of body experiences.  Others think they could be time travelers, aliens or inter-dimensional beings.  Some argue that they're dark beings or demons and still others claim that they are guardian angels.  In my own experiences, I felt apprehension and fear, but I'm not quick to say they're evil.  I simply do not know.

Have you had your own experiences with shadow people? I'm compiling stories of this phenomena and would welcome you to email me your stories at investigations@gettysburgghosts.net

Stay tuned for information regarding another shadow figure known as "The Hat Man"

The Lost Silver Mine of Silver Run

In the County of Carroll in the State of Maryland sits a small town called Silver Run.  In the late 1700's, a master silversmith by the name of Ahrwud lived in the area with his daughter Frieda.  They lived apart from the other settlers of the area, and Ahrwud was known to be a friend to the local Native Americans.  People wondered about Ahrwud's friendship with the Indians, his beautiful daughter who was know to run around the woods with her hair in braids and the fact that Arwud was able to sell his wares at an unusually low price.  It was almost as if he had access to an unlimited supply of silver.

Each night, Ahrwud would lock Frieda in her room.  She would hear her German father speaking the language of the local Indians and then she would hear her father close and lock the shop door.  Frieda was angered at being treated as a child when she was 17 years old.  So one night she waited up for her father to return.  When she heard Ahrwud come into the house, she went to him begging him to tell her where he had been all night.  Seeing his daughter's tired and worried face he agreed to take her with him the following night if she swore never to reveal his secret.

The night came and Ahrwud did as he promised.  He blindfolded his daughter and started out into the night leading his daughter in one hand and holding a lantern in the other.  The trail was rough and had them going up hill and down through briars and brush.  At a stream, Frieda was allowed a drink and the blindfold taken off momentarily.  She took the opportunity to get a bearing on her surroundings before being blindfolded again and continuing on their way.  They eventually came to a cave.  Ahrwud led Frieda inside and removed her blindfold to reveal a silver mine with silver coins and bullion lying about and a thick shimmering vein of silver striking through the rock.  Ahrwud explained to his daughter that the mine belonged to the Indians who shared its location with him because of their friendship.  Ahrwud warned his daughter that should the secret of the mine ever leave their family, they would pay a penalty with their lives within 3 days.  The mine would vanish and their souls would walk the earth until 3 lives were sacrificed to set them free.  Only then would the local settlers learn of the mine's location.  Frieda swore to keep the secret.

Ahrwud began melting down the silver and making coins.  An hour before dawn, he blindfolded his daughter and they made the trip back to their home.  Frieda, though blindfolded, was able to mark the trail by breaking branches.  Once home, Ahrwud went to sleep, but Frieda was too excited and immediately went to tell her friend of the treasures she had seen.  After some coaxing, Frieda's friend convinced her to show her the mine.  Using the broken branches as markers, the girls made their way to the cave.  They loaded up with as much silver as they could carry and made their way home.  Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched. 

The first day passed without incident as did the second, but on the third day, several Indians showed up at Ahrwud's home.  Telling Ahrwud of his daughter's betrayal, they took both father and daughter out of the house and to the mine.  There Frieda was beheaded and burned Ahrwud's eyes from his head with a rod of hot silver.  It's said that people still see the shadowy form of Ahrwud in his wide brimmed hat carrying his lantern making the trek back and forth to the mine and his daughter by his side. 

The location of the mine is thought to be in the vicinity of Rattlesnake Hill just east of Union Mills.  Just recently, my parents (who reside in Silver Run) had a sinkhole open up in their pasture.  It made me immediately think of the mine.  Sadly, there was no sign of silver.

The Family Witch

Grandmother Scheufele in her "church room"

Years ago, I interviewed my grandmother for an Anthropology project.  The topic was my great-great-grandmother who was reputed with being a psychic-medium.  Grandmother Scheufele had a room in her home that was called her "church room".  Here she would conduct services.  My grandmother Pauline remembered attending one or two of these services where she witnessed Grandmother Scheufele going into a trance and speaking in a voice that was not her own.  Mt grandmother claimed these "services" were actually seances.  Later in my grandmother's life, when she was married, she was having some health issues.  Her mother took her to the doctor, but nothing seemed to be helping.  Finally, they went to talk to Grandmother Scheufele. It was suggested (by Grandmother Scheufele) that someone (my grandmother's mother-in-law) had placed a curse on her.  She told my great-grandmother to cut open my grandmother's pillow and there she would find a hard lump of feathers.  They were instructed to burn the lump of feathers in an outdoor fire while saying an incantation.  Unfortunately, my grandmother was unable to remember what the specific incantation was, but did say that it was to take place during a specific time of day and month.  After burning the feathers as instructed, my grandmother began to heal. 

Another story involving Grandmother Scheufele had to do with my grandmother's cousin Will.  Will lived with his grandparents because of his stepmother (who, according to my grandmother, did not like Will and was not very nice to him).  Will was described as something of a daredevil.  He like to torment the bull at the nearby farm and generally wasn't afraid of anything.  One night while he was downstairs at Grandmother Scheufele's house, he saw a face looking in the window at him.  He screamed and threw the closest weapon he had- a hammer- right through the window.  Grandmother Scheufele came to see what the problem was, and after Will told her what happened, she told Will that his stepmother had sent the devil after him.

The paper I wrote for my class was titled "The Family Witch" though my grandmother took offense to that reference.  She would get downright angry if she heard me refer to Grandmother Scheufele as being a witch.  Not that it is meant in any derogatory way.  However, recently I discovered that Grandmother Scheufele had a book (or possibly more than one) that was written in German (she came from Germany) that contained recipes for potions.  She also had a crystal ball.

It's unfortunate that I was never able to meet this fascinating woman.  Though I am thankful that was able to record some of the stories about her before my grandmother's passing.

Ghost Ships: The Titan

 On April 14, 1912, the huge "unsinkable" ship the Titanic was steaming across the Atlantic towards New York.  This was the Titanic's maiden voyage, and her captain was encouraged to break the record for speed while making the voyage. As most people know, after striking an iceberg, the unsinkable ship went down in only a matter of hours.  Out of the 2,201 passengers, only 711 were saved.   Since then, there have been many books and movies about the Titanic.  

    There was one fictional story written by a merchant seaman by the name of Morgan Robertson.  Robertson's book was about an unsinkable passenger liner that sank while carrying the elite people of the time.  The ship in Robertson's story was called the Titan and the book was titled The Wreck of the Titan.  Even though the book is fictitious, the events in the story parallel the events of the Titanic.  Both ships were built to be unsinkable.  Both ships sank after striking an iceberg.  Both ships were on their maiden voyage.  The most well to do famous people were on the Titan and Titanic.  Only one third of the passengers on each ship survived.  Both ships had an inadequate number of lifeboats.  Both ships were encouraged to break speed records during their voyage. 

    Robertson's book The Wreck of the Titan was never published.  Each time it was rejected by editor's, they told him the same thing.  The story was unbelievable.  Surely the events he wrote of could not possibly happen to an unsinkable ship.

The book The Wreck of the Titan was written in 1898,

fourteen years before the Titanic hit an iceberg and settled on the bottom of the northern Atlantic.