Demolition workers photograph ‘ghost of former guesthouse worker’

The image is said to bear an eerie resemblance of Frances Grimshaw, who worked at the guesthouse and stood for hours at the same window taking bookings.

David Grimshaw, a former resident at the property, said he was convinced the figure is the ghost of his mother, who died nearly a year ago aged 87.

He believes her spirit may have appeared to protest at the demolition of Meadowbank House, which she adored.

“That is my mother. I’m totally convinced – no one else looks like that. She had glasses and big earrings and she used to wear a dress with a bow at the front,” he said.

“She used to stand in that room for hours on the phone – it was the guesthouse reception and she took bookings from there.”

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The Rosenheim Poltergeist: Hoax or Haunting?

A fascinating concept in the research and study of psychic and paranormal phenomenon is that of the ‘poltergeist’. Poltergeist in its literal translation from the German means ‘noisy ghost’. Quite simply, it is kinetic energy that is manifesting from a source that makes itself physically known. Witnesses of such activity have spoken of items flying around the room, furniture moving, sounds of knocking from an unknown presence, and even actual attacks.

Piazza del Popolo, Rome

Piazza del Popolo

One of the most spectacular sites in Rome, the Piazza del Popolo has its fair share of history in a city renowned for its past. The crowning jewel of this stunning landmark is the Obelisk of Rameses II, which was brought to Rome after the conquest of Egypt and moved to the Piazza during the 16th century by Pope Sixtus V. Other popular tourist destinations in the Piazza are a trio of churches: the Santa Maria del Popolo, Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria di Montesanto, which together contain artistic treasures created by the likes of Raphael, Bernini, Carvaggio and other Renaissance greats. This popular square is a place where people come together to celebrate events such as New Year’s Eve and various festivals. In fact, translated “Piazza del Popolo” means “Plaza of the People”.

Grand Cimetière De Port-au-Prince, Haiti

The Grand Cemetery in Port Au Prince, Haiti suffered like the rest of the city when the devastating earthquake hit in January of 2010.  Tombs collapsed upon themselves; the pathways through the raised mausoleums were covered with rubble. Coffins were exposed and bones were jostled from within their formally secure confines.

After the tragedy, when so many Haitians were left homeless (and many remain so today), a large number of survivors turned to the Grand Cemetery for shelter.  The mausoleums that were intact were converted to unofficial dwellings for the living…after all, the stone and concrete structures provided a more solid level of protection from the elements than did the tent cities that sprang up around the city.  Long term (deceased) residents of the tombs were often evicted to make way for the living.

But while the structures may have  been more sound than others offered in different parts of the city, the cemetery wasn’t exactly a refuge from the tragedy outside the gates.  Hundreds, if not thousands of bodies were brought for burial, although a scant few of the victims’ families could actually afford the burial fees.  Without the funds to provide the burial service, many bodies ended up being abandoned at the gates and along the walkways, left to slowly deteriorate in the hot tropical sun.

The once prestigious cemetery was now a place of horror. It’s no wonder that two years after the tragedy, locals still whisper about apparitions of decomposing corpses scattered among the tombs and grave markers. A nearby place of worship for practitioners of Voodoo doesn’t help to calm the rumors of other-worldly activity.

Whether or not the cemetery actually holds the earth bound spirits of its interred or un-interred residents, it remains a horrifying and scary place on its own and will probably remain so until Haiti is able to get back on its feet.  To help, please visit the Red Cross website at www.redcross.org or any one of the many sites organized to help the victims of Haiti’s earthquake, who are still suffering two years later.

Tenn. town needs to scare up some cash

(Reuters) – Harriman, Tennessee hopes that ghosts, or rather ghost hunters, can raise enough money to restore an historic and reputedly haunted building.One ghost hunter wants to use the “dark entities” supposedly haunting the 121-year-old Temperance Building, a former jail, to attract both tourists and paranormal enthusiasts to Harriman, which was founded by anti-alcohol crusaders in the 19th century.

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