Is That Old Spooky House on the Road Haunted?

I grew up down the road from a dilapidated two-story house. I used to know the old woman who "cared for" (term used ever so loosely) the grounds and grew her weed-infested garden there every year. I even got to walk through the house and skirt around the edge of the living room, as the middle of the floor had caved in to the basement when the floor of the above level collapsed from rot (not a very safe idea now, but it was awesome when I was 12). This house always drew my attention and I loved to hear stories from the old woman about growing up there. As her grandfather built the home she knew everything that had happened there, and while a little was tragic, the vast majority of it was happy.

Since we were in the country I had to ride the school bus, and every day I got to hear others on the bus talk about the house when we passed it. I was always amazed at how they knew so much of the history when the old woman had never told me such things. One day I asked her about the double murder that had happened there (the older kids on the bus said it so it must have been true). She looked aghast at me and asked where I had heard such rubbish. When I told her, she laughed and said that to the best of her knowledge there had never been a double murder (or any murder) in the house. The most tragic occurrence was the death of her little sisters. One from the flu, one from scarlet fever and one as a baby. Was the house haunted? I never asked at the time, but I always paid attention as the old woman would talk aloud to "Sissy" as if there was another person in the back room with us (the only room that didn't yet show signs of caving in).

As I got older I couldn't help but notice that many at school would talk about the house. It sparked terror in some and curiosity in others. Occasionally I would get the urge to butt in and mention that I had walked through the house and been there several times. Generally though, this led to me being called a liar. Stories of the supposed horrible history of the house continued to grow and distort. By the time I was a Sr. in high school there hadn't been just a silly double murder at the house, but some children had been killed (tortured first by some accounts), a man had hanged himself after massacring his entire family and the bodies hadn't been found for months, there was a ghost dog (who bit trespassers), an old ghost woman walked the grounds (more than likely the old woman I had talked to for years), phantom lights could be seen going from window to window at night, a ghost butler would answer the door if you had the courage to knock, oh, and there was a little girl seen playing from time to time. I should add that these stories were not only spread by the kids in my school but also by an adult or two.

By the time I graduated the house still looked as if a strong wind might collapse it completely, but by then all of the glass windows (even the beautiful stained glass) had been broken out by vandals and most of the locks that had been installed to keep people out were either ripped off or cut in half. The old woman was no longer visiting as much as she used to and her vain efforts to control the tall grass closest to the house had stopped altogether. The neighbors across the road had moved and the new ones were very good at calling the police when they saw a car parked too near the old home.

A few years later, the house was still standing, I think by sheer will. I had fallen fully into paranormal research and decided I should get to the house before it completely collapsed. I talked to the neighbors (who I knew) and assured them I would not attempt to enter the house. I did walk around the perimeter and talk aloud to Sissy though. I reintroduced myself and took a bunch of pictures. Looking in the sagging windows I could see that all of the floors had caved in except for the front entrance and back room that had no basement under it. Even the stone front steps were crumbling. Despite all of this I got a wonderful picture that I call my ghost girl. A little head with visible shoulders is looking at me out of one of the upper floors window. A window that has no glass and a room that has no floor.

The old house, though decrepit and having more holes than good Swiss cheese, is still standing. The neighbors keep their efforts to control vandals and the old woman is currently in a nursing home (she has to be in her 100's by now). Out of all of the stories bantered around about the house the only one I ever had any proof for was Sissy, the little girl seen playing from time to time. Keep this story in mind the next time you pass by the old spooky house in your area and remember that out of all of the stories, maybe one is true.

**Update: In the fall of 2006 the house was burned to the ground. The case was listed as arson and it is thought to have been caused by some kids who broke into the home. There are no suspects.