Talking to the other side?

I had a chance this past week to speak to a medium who was incredibly helpful with my research. She is hesitant about talking to anyone and has asked me to use a pseudonym when referring to her so I'll call her Edith.

What I enjoyed about Edith's stories was how random were the messages she received and which she passed on to living relatives. In one case someone presented her the image of standing in a kitchen and making Nestle Quik cocoa. She found out from talking to his mother that this man (who died as an adult) had as a child made himself a glass every day when he got home from school. On another instant the person told her he was all right but that he missed the noodles. Edith later found out from his wife that noodles were his favourite home-made meal. And in a third instance the person showed her three raised vegetable beds which, sure enough, existed in the backyard of his home.

Another thing for me to think about and more stories for me to add in my continuing research into the haunted history (and folklore) of southern Alberta. And, don't forget, keep sending me your stories. The collection gets longer and better every week.

Haunted Picture Butte

If you drive through Picture Butte you will probably notice the old hospital building standing there -- empty and run-down. But is it really empty? Or do the strange sounds that staff heard when the place was a hospital still pervade the hallways and rooms? Have all of the patients actually left the building?

I have had the opportunity to talk with several of the people who worked as staff and they have graciously provided several stories. Two staff were working the night shift. Late in the night and after all patients were in bed, as they were sitting at the nurses' station they both heard shuffling feet walking down the hallway. They looked at each other and realized that they were both hearing it. Each tried to convince the other to get up and check on the noise. Finally, they went and had a look. The hallway was empty. They checked all of the patients' rooms to make certain no one had got up in the middle of the night. Everyone was sleeping. When I asked past staff to describe if they had any experiences the person who told me this story above remembered it as clearly as if it had happened yesterday.

Other staff who worked there mentioned also hearing footsteps but said that sometimes it was not just a person walking but that you could clearly hear the sound of a walker going down the hallway. But the hallway was always empty...

Any other ghosts at Picture Butte? Well, you'll just have to wait and see. Or, if you have stories to share, you'll have to get in touch with me so your stories can be told.

Would you want to live in a haunted house?

I'm curious. Would you want to live in a haunted house?

Considering some of the things people have told me about some of their houses, I must admit, I would want to move. What about you? Would you stay? Or, more importantly, have you stayed? Do you have stories of a haunted house in southern Alberta? Or a house with unexplained and weird happenings? If you do, please share.

The following is from a report I was given about a house south-east of Lethbridge. This haunting seemed to affect the women of the house much more than it ever did the men who lived there.

The first reports of noises and strange footsteps came when a new bride came to the house as a newlywed. Her first night in the house she heard footsteps upstairs, walking the full length of the house, shuffling around the upstairs and coming to a stop at the top of the stairs that lead down into the kitchen. Over the years she was not the only one to hear the steps as visitors to the home also heard the ghostly walker.

The strangest occurrence came years later. The family was painting the downstairs and so were sleeping upstairs on this occasion. The baby's crib was left in the upstairs hallway. In the middle of the night, the baby started to cry. Before the parents could react and get out to the child, they heard the footsteps walk down the hall and stop by the crib. And then very quietly they heard a gentle voice say "shush, be quiet." The baby calmed and returned to sleep. But everyone else in the house had a very restless night, indeed!

Stories from 50+ places in southern Alberta

Yeah! I have now collected stories from over 50 places from across southern Alberta -- houses, garages, hospitals, theatres, hotels, schools, parks, and so many more. But I'm certainly looking for more so please get in contact with me if you have stories you want to share -- don't worry, you can be anonymous!

It's always interesting to me where I get stories. I was talking to someone this weekend, someone I see quite often, and she sheepishly (and finally) told me about a story she had. She was on a tour of a historic building and, though she has never had the experience before or afterwards, she felt a deep, insistent, gut feeling or voice deep inside her that said -- "you gotta move, you gotta move, you gotta move, I want to see." She said that she responded immediately to its deep urging and moved to the side and the voice and the feeling both instantly disappeared. I asked her what she thought the voice was about and she felt that it was curious about what we were doing and wanted to get inside our group. She felt it wanted to see and hear what we were doing. Since she was standing in a part of the building that has had many other reports, it was interesting to connect her story with all of the others I've been collecting.

I also had someone come forward about her house west of Taber. Her son has reported seeing people walk through the house. She has reported several times a woman peeking around the kitchen door and watching her as she watches TV in the living room. She has also had someone tap repeatedly on the shower curtain when she was in the shower (even though she was the only one home). And late at night the blender started all by itself...

So, keep the stories coming. I can't wait to hear what else is happening around southern Alberta.

Why are schools so often reported as haunted?

First, Happy Friday the 13th!

Many of our local schools have ghost stories associated with them. And one of my friends asked me why. Why are there so many ghost stories from schools?

I think it's partly to do with all of the emotions and activities that take place in schools. I think it also has a lot to do with the fact that schools are full of kids and kids can create some great stories.

Let me explain. Galbraith School is said to be haunted.

Well, a few weeks ago I had a group of young people in the museum and one burst out that there was a ghost at Galbraith School. I replied that, yes, I had heard that but no one could ever provide me with background as to who the ghost was supposed to be.

He told me the first principal of the school had gone crazy, murdered his family and then killed himself -- and that he now haunts the school.

At that point, I had to laugh. I told him the first principal had been killed in action during the First World War and that none of that was true.

He looked at me quietly and then said, well, then it was the second principal. I said, no, the second principal was a woman and only was principal for 6 months before she moved to Ontario. And, before he could say anything, I said and no, it's not the 3rd principal either. The 3rd principal was also a woman and was principal for 20 years before she, too, moved to Ontario.

I felt a little guilty bursting his bubble (but I really can't allow people to misrepresent history) and I really had to chuckle how incredibly detailed, fabulous and spooky his story was -- even if none of it was true.

My Friend's Grandmother Was a Psychic

This one isn't a ghost story, but I found it so interesting when she told it to me, that I had to share it. But I can only share it with the extreme understanding that my friend (and her grandmother) remain anonymous.

I was telling this friend about how I'm trying to collect ghost stories from southern Alberta and she said that she didn't have any experiences with ghosts but that her grandmother had predicted a fire and a murder. Needless to say, she had me hooked and I wanted to know more.

When her grandmother was a child, she mentioned to her mother (friend's great-grandmother) that the school was on fire. Her mother hushed her saying that it wasn't true and it wasn't funny. The daughter looked at her mother and asked what time it was. The Mom said around noon. The daughter said something to the effect of, well, at 1 o'clock the school will be on fire. The great grandmother told her to stop joking and sent her off to school. When the young girl arrived at the school, the fire bells were ringing and the school was on fire. The time was exactly 1 o'clock.

Many years later, now an adult and married, she had a premonition/dream about this young woman that she knew who was calling for help. When she woke up, she was horrified to read the paper and found out this girl was missing. She told her husband that they should go to Park Lake, because the woman needed help. Or at least to tell the police that they should go to Park Lake. Her husband told her not to do anything because they would think she was nuts. So she reluctantly left it alone. A few days later the police found the young woman's murdered body at Park Lake.

Ghost Stories -- many leads to track down

Just the past weekend I heard 6 more ghost stories from across southern Alberta -- one in Picture Butte, one near Taber, two around Vauxhall, one in Brooks, and one in Rolling Hills. Added to the one I heard last month from the Enchant/Lomond area, this makes for a lot of fun research in the next while. Now I have to follow up with these people and get them to email me the details.

One site is a hospital. No surprise there -- people report the elevator working when there was no one around, hearing a walker move up and down the hallway after everyone had gone to bed, strange footsteps. There's always a lot of strange occurrences reported in hospitals.

But what rather surprised me is that two of the ghost stories (one in Rolling Hills and one in Vauxhall) were about garages. In the Rolling Hills case, it appears that the owner of the garage (who died on the property) was not willing to leave and he remained to protect the garage. Strange occurrences happened such as a fire that started and stopped repeatedly and with no explanation. People hearing someone walking through the snow but with no one ever appearing and no footprints in the snow. The other garage, from Vauxhall, is supposed to have a woman ghost. Haven't heard yet any explanation for why she's supposed to be there.

Had a couple of ghost stories associated with houses. And one building that's now a day care. That should be an interesting one to track down.

So many great stories to follow up on. And, as always, if you have a great story to pass along, don't hesitate to contact me.