We are officially kicking off the Halloween season early this year with Miranda Enzor of the simply amazing Spooky Little Halloween blog! We discuss Halloween parties, playlists, candy, traditions, movies, and how Miranda can help us save Halloween in 2020!
Patrick Keller’s presentation from Troy Taylor’s American Hauntings Fall Festival, Becoming a Paranerd: A Brief Tour Through My Paranormal World. Plus 15 Reasons to Befriend a Paranormal Nerd Today!
Are you brave enough to stay the night at the haunted Myrtles Plantation? I did. Join me as I talk about the exciting stops on my summer vacation through the south, here in the US. Other paranormal spots included the King’s Tavern in Natchez, MS, Oak Alley Plantation, and the Lalaurie Mansion in New Orleans.
The haunted Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, LA.
Leaving St. Louis forLamberts Cafein Sikeston, MO 1:54
Stayed the night at theHilton Memphis(Sorry, Elvis) 2:49
Natchez, MS
We arrived in the beautiful and historicNatchez, MS. View the photos I took around the city in my Natchez album onFlickr. 3:14
King’s Tavern — Featured on Ghost Adventures in Season 7, episode 18 from 2013. Kings Tavern is the oldest standing building in the Mississippi Territory and Natchez and its history goes all the way back to 1769. 3:36
Plan B and stumbling into a beautiful surprise! 4:17
Dinner at the historicBowie’s Tavern— We talked to some residents who recommended we have dinner at Bowie’s Tavern, which is on Broadway in Natchez. And they made a great choice for us. Good food and really nice people. The historic building overlooks the Mississippi river and was originally a cotton warehouse. They also proudly display a mahogany bar that was built around 1880. They also have lodging on the upper floor with a view of the river! 5:04
Natchez City Cemetery
Spending the morning in the beautifulNatchez City Cemeteryfor some photography. Check out that photo album onFlickr. 6:03
The mysterious and unique grave of Florence Irene Ford (Sept 3, 1861 – Oct 30, 1871), who died of yellow fever at the age of 10. This grave was constructed with a set of open concrete stairs that descend next to what would be the head of Florence’s body, with the headstone above. Learn more about this grave atGhostInMySuitcase.com. 8:05
Monmouth Mansion
Before leaving Natchez, we toured theMonmouth Mansion(built in 1818) and the beautiful gardens and small cemetery that surrounds it. Check out my Monmouth Mansion photo album onFlickr. 10:03
The Myrtles Plantation
TheMyrtles Plantation(built circa. 1796) in St. Francisville, LA — If you are as big of a paranerd as I am, you’ve probably seen the Ghost Hunters investigation of Myrtles from way back in 2005, episode 1 of their 2nd season. You’ve also probably seen the The Ghost Adventures crew investigate the place just last year in season 9, episode 2. 10:46
The lovely Miss Hester 11:33
Some audio with a little bit of the atmosphere of the haunted Myrtles Plantation. 12:25
The ghost of Chloe — Probably the biggest legend of the Myrtles. Chloe was supposedly the slave closest to the Woodruff family, who purchased the home in 1820 and remodeled it. Was she Mr. Woodruff’s mistress? Did she poison Mrs. Woodruff, along with Cornelia and James, two of the children? Was one of her ears cut off? And was she hung from a nearby tree? 19:03
The nursery, or the “Ruffin Stirling Room”, which is where we stayed for the night. The two children, Cornelia and James Woodruff, were apparently taken to this room, where they later died. 21:26
Kate, Cleo, Voodoo, and other deaths at the Myrtles. 21:47
More about the “terrifying” bed shaking experiences that have been reported in the nursery/Ruffin Stirling Room. 22:34
Before bed we tried to reach out to any of the spirits of the Myrtles by conducting an EVP, Spirit Box, and Ouija session in the nursery. 23:06
Who changed the track on my recorder while we were sleeping? 26:23
More audio of me touring the grounds of the Myrtles, including the pond and cabins around the back of the property. 28:26
Our visit to Grace Cemetery and the Grace Episcopal Church in St. Francisville, LA. You can find the Grace Cemetery photo album onFlickr. 30:18
Oak Alley Plantation
The beautiful and reportedly hauntedOak Alley Plantationin Vacherie, LA. It’s one of the more popular plantations. In fact, you’ve probably seen it in photos or even as the Hollywood backdrop of a movie or two. It was featured in Season 4, episode 19 of Ghost Hunters in 2008. The rows of 300 year old oak trees are breath taking. Check out my Oak Alley Plantation album onFlickr. 32:36
French Quarter in New Orleans
Heading to New Orleans and the overwhelming heaviness or anxiety that I was feeling. 33:45
Dinner and my delicious Po’boy at theVacherie Restaurantat the Hotel St. Marie. 36:32
On the way out the French Quarter, mom dropped me off at the Lalaurie Mansion. Hopefully you remember my interview with Victoria Cosner Love, who authored the book on Madame Delphine Lalaurie, the real life murderess portrayed in American Horror Story: Coven. If not, you can check outepisode 7of the podcast from August 6, 2014. 36:47
What’s the opposite of the French Quarter in New Orleans? Long Beach, MS, which was the last leg of our trip. Long Beach is not far from Gulf Port, MS. We stayed at theHoliday Inn Expressfor a few nights. 38:28
On our first night we had dinner atShaggy’sright on the beach near Gulfport. 39:26
The Big Seance Podcast can be found right here, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn Radio, Stitcher, Google Play Music, and iHeart Radio. Please subscribe, submit a rating, or share with a fellow paranerd! Do you have any comments or feedback? Please contact me at Patrick@BigSeance.com. Consider recording your voice feedback directly from your device on my SpeakPipe page! You can also call the show and leave feedback at (775) 583-5563 (or 7755-TELL-ME). I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. The candles are already lit, so come on in and join the séance!
A new episode of the Big Séance Podcast is coming your way tomorrow. In this episode, I share the experiences my mother and I had on our recent summer vacation through parts of the south here in the US. We visited many historic locations, including several with a paranormal history, like the King’s Tavern, Myrtles Plantation, Oak Alley Plantation, and the Lalaurie Mansion. I spent quite a bit of time in 3 beautiful cemeteries while on the road as well!
Just for fun, here’s a video I took before bed outside of the Myrtles Plantation. I apologize for it being in portrait mode. Our room is the room lit up as the video pans to the right. It appears that someone is in the window, but really it’s the leaves from a tree limb in front of me. It would make for a great story though!
Hey that’s me! Does this spot look familiar?
Me in front of the Vacherie restaurant, which is located on the main floor of the Hotel St. Marie, where we stayed in New Orleans.
The same spot. The amazing Jessica Lange and cast in a shot from American Horror Story: Coven
Suffering from the winter blahs? Cabin fever starting to kick in? The winter tends to be a time when many paranerds out there, struggle to find enough paranormal activity or content to keep them happy. If you’re truly one of these nerds, the autumn/Halloween season just isn’t enough to keep you going for the rest of the year. For some, the days seem longer, even though they’re shorter, and maybe you’re longing for fall once again… or at least spring. Well I’m here to get you out of that funk with 9 tips to keep the paranormal alive in your life throughout the winter.
Tip #1: Find a good book on a paranormal, spiritual, or metaphysical topic… or even just a good ghost story!
Here are 4 recent books that I’ve read and can recommend to you:
“Reunions: Visionary Encounters with Departed Loved Ones” – Raymond Moody
“Paranormal: My Life in Pursuit of the Afterlife” – Raymond Moody
“The Spirit of Creativity: Embodying Your Soul’s Passion” – Karen A. Dahlman
“Soul Sensing: How to Communicate With Your Dead Loved Ones” – Janice Carlson
I’m currently Reading “Soul-to-Soul Connections: Comforting Messages from the Spirit World”, by future guest, Carole J. Obley.
If you’re looking for a more detailed list of book recommendations and reviews, you can check out myRecommended Readingpage. I’m very often adding to and updating that list.
Tip #2: Plan and hold a séance with a small group of friends!
Tip #3: Consider reading a how-to book on something like channeling, meditating, Ouija, Tarot, Astral Travel, EVP, or another equally interesting topic.
By the way, I plan on producing a kind of “how-to EVP” episode sometime soon. I know quite a few people who have talked about giving it a try, or have expressed interest in learning how to go about it. And I know these folks would be great at it and get a lot out of it. So stay tuned. And maybe you could let me know if you’re one of those people. Get in touch with me.
Tip #4: Find a cozy place to stay for the weekend. It doesn’t even have to be haunted. It certainly helps if the place has some interesting history to it, or maybe it just looks haunted!
Probably just about every region has a few cute bed and breakfasts.
How about the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado?
You can find more stories, audio, and photos from our stay at the Stanley Hotel if you find my post titledMemories of the Stanley Hotel.
Or how about theCrescent Hotelin Eureka Springs, Arkansas?
If you listened toEpisode #11from September 4, 2014, I suggested that listeners consider starting a new fall tradition of adopting graves.
Tip #9: Invite a paranormal investigation team into your home or a friend’s home and convince them to let you help investigate!
The Big Seance Podcast can be found right here, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn Radio, Stitcher, Google Play Music, and iHeart Radio. Please subscribe, submit a rating, or share with a fellow paranerd! Do you have any comments or feedback? Please contact me at Patrick@BigSeance.com. Consider recording your voice feedback directly from your device on my SpeakPipe page! You can also call the show and leave feedback at (775) 583-5563 (or 7755-TELL-ME). I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. The candles are already lit, so come on in and join the séance!
Tim Prasil, writer and author, shares how he inherited the stories of Vera Van Slyke, one of America’s earliest paranormal investigators, from an ancestor who chronicled them. Find these stories in his soon-to-be-published book,Help for the Haunted: A Decade of Vera Van Slyke Ghostly Mysteries (1899-1909)by Emby Press. Who is Finbar Kelly? Tim explains. We also spend a bit of time talking about our common love of cemetery photography.
The Big Seance Podcast can be found right here, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn Radio, Stitcher, Google Play Music, and iHeart Radio. Please subscribe, submit a rating, or share with a fellow paranerd! Do you have any comments or feedback? Please contact me at Patrick@BigSeance.com. Consider recording your voice feedback directly from your device on my SpeakPipe page! You can also call the show and leave feedback at (775) 583-5563 (or 7755-TELL-ME). I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. The candles are already lit, so come on in and join the séance!
Yesterday I carved my jack-o-lantern for 2014. As usual, I decided to go with a classic look that is very close to last year’s grin. And yes, that’s the Halloween Altar in the background, with the addition of the Beistle reprints that I ordered this year. As usual, I always have difficulty choosing which photos to share with you, so you’re getting several.
It has been so warm for October lately, and our 80 degree days will kill a jack-o-lantern in no time. I’ve decided that for the next few days we’re bringing them in late at night when we blow them out. That way they’ll be much more comfortable inside and away from the sun and heat during the day.
As you may know, Joe always has to break the mold with his jack-o-lanterns. Here is this year’s polka-dotted disco ball jack-o-lantern! We like the reflections on the post.
Another look at the Halloween Altar.
This evening I took a trip to the cemetery to pay my adopted souls a visit for my 2014 grave adoption project. I discovered so many beautiful trees that weren’t in this condition on my last visit. It cooled down quite a bit by the time I got there, and so it was beautiful weather. It’s still weird to be wearing gym shorts and a t-shirt in a cemetery on the week of Halloween.
One of my grave adoptions for the year. The small pumpkin is still going strong from 3 weeks ago. All of my small pumpkins that I kept in the comfort of my home rotted long ago, so I’m pretty impressed.
If you listened to episode 11 of The Big Séance Podcast on Cemetery Grave Adoptions, I promised to keep listeners updated on this year’s adoptions. Well today I took advantage of an absolutely splendid autumn-like day (finally!), and headed on out to a local cemetery that I’ve heard a lot about, but until today had never been. I had flowers ready to go, and I intended on finding two graves to adopt. I spent a little over an hour just taking photos and checking the place out.
Shortly after arriving, I met a Abby, who was very happy to see me. Once Sabrina, her owner, caught up with her, we had a very nice conversation about cemeteries and how much we enjoyed them. After Sabrina gave me some tips on where to find some of the older headstones, and after Abby (a dog, if I wasn’t clear enough) gave me a few last slobbery kisses, she got bored and ran off to find another friend, forcing Sabrina to follow. There were several four-legged friends and their owners enjoying the cemetery today. Just before leaving two hours later, a cute little doggie ran up to me as I was getting into my car. This little doggie looked almost exactly like my dog Meril, only smaller.
I was really having a hard time making this decision. After such a great experience last year, I really felt pressured to just be drawn to two graves. As I’ve said before, lately I tend to float through the cemetery with more of a photographer’s eye. Other than the ones I kept photographing, I wasn’t really feeling like I was being drawn or pulled toward any specific grave for adoption purposes. Then, like happens so often in my school gig with things like auditions and solos and choosing who gets spotlighted, I kept feeling guilt for passing up all of the other hundreds of graves and monuments. Don’t they all deserve to be adopted?
I couldn’t narrow it down to one named grave and one nameless (as I suggest in that same recent podcast episode), so what did I do? I decided to go with four of them. I may regret his decision in the busy month of October.
So here they are. I’ve done no research or genealogy at this point.
Schwester (Sister) Maria Georgia (1862) & Schwester (Sister) Maria Germana (1872), Requiescat in Pace
Sister Maria Germana’s monument is broken off of the base, which is right next to Sister Maria Georgia. One leaning on the other, it makes a beautiful photo, and I can’t help but wonder about the friendship these ladies must have had in life. I took so many photos of their crosses that I just knew I was adopting them this fall.
H.W. Rühenpohl (1812-1850)
I’m not entirely sure of the name on this soul, but the base behind the rest of the monument says “W.H. Rühenpohl”. To the best of my ability, the monument in front says “Hier Ruht” with a smaller inscription that I’m not able to make out (probably in German), and then “Rühenpohl”. Someone has tied the base and the top together with wire.
Unmarked
I’m really hoping this stone marks a grave. I can’t imagine it being anything else. It must just be incredibly old and weathered, or perhaps it is the base of a monument that no longer exists. This stone rests right in front of the crosses of Sisters Maria Georgia and Germana. I decided this was a good thing, because otherwise I’d have a hard time finding it.
The Tradition Continues
Today I introduced myself and explained my intentions with this grave adoption tradition. I’ll now return every two weeks (at least), leaving flowers or gifts, visiting with them (should they choose to be present), and praying that their souls are at peace. Hopefully I’ll be able to do some genealogy sometime soon. I’ll be sure to keep you updated.
Want to learn more about this cemetery grave adoption tradition? Again,check out episode 11 of The Big Séance Podcastto hear me discuss last year’s project, my inspiration for starting it, and my 8 tips for starting your own grave adoption tradition!
Patrick shares stories of the New Fall Tradition of Cemetery Grave Adoptions that he started last year, and meet Little Johnnie and Clara. He also gives tips and recommendations, so that you can begin your own grave adoption project.
8 Tips to start your new Grave Adoption Tradition:
Know that you have the right to be in a cemetery to pay your respects, just be sensitive and respectful of others.
Choose a grave or head stone that is interesting to you, most likely older, and out of respect, one that doesn’t already have signs of regular visitors, or family members paying respects.
If you’re interested in the genealogy of this project, be sure to choose a head stone that still clearly displays a name and dates.
Realize that the days will get shorter as you get deeper into the fall. Most cemeteries have times posted when the cemetery is closed, and it’s usually “dusk”.
Bring meaningful gifts or flowers on each visit… but realize that you’re responsible for disposing of them later.
Don’t be afraid to just talk casually, or even flat out describe your new tradition to your adopted soul.
Take photos on each visit. Document the work you’re doing, if for nothing else, to inspire others.
Have fun… don’t take it too seriously… and definitely don’t make it about MOURNING or being SAD.
The Big Seance Podcast can be found right here, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn Radio, Stitcher, Google Play Music, and iHeart Radio. Please subscribe, submit a rating, or share with a fellow paranerd! Do you have any comments or feedback? Please contact me at Patrick@BigSeance.com. Consider recording your voice feedback directly from your device on my SpeakPipe page! You can also call the show and leave feedback at (775) 583-5563 (or 7755-TELL-ME). I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. The candles are already lit, so come on in and join the séance!
Are you brave enough to stay the night at the haunted Myrtles Plantation? I did. Join me as I talk about the exciting stops on my summer vacation through the south, here in the US. Other paranormal spots included the King’s Tavern in Natchez, MS, Oak Alley Plantation, and the Lalaurie Mansion in New Orleans.
For More on Tim Prasil, or for up-to-date release information about the book:
Patrick shares stories of the New Fall Tradition of Cemetery Grave Adoptions that he started last year, and meet Little Johnnie and Clara. He also gives tips and recommendations, so that you can begin your own grave adoption project.
