By Jennifer Kornegay
When there’s something strange in the neighborhood, who ya gonna call? Forget proton packs and pink goo. The Montgomery-based Southern Paranormal Researchers team is the real deal, and is ready, willing and able to check out anything odd—from the curious to the downright creepy (and everything in between).
I don’t know if the tingly chill running up my spine calling every nerve ending in my body to rapt attention was the physical manifestation of my own fear, some unearthly “presence” in the room sucking up the heat energy around me…or a combination of both. Such a sensation is so subjective that it is difficult to say for sure. What I can state, with absolute certainty, is that the tiny red light on the voice recorder set up in the pitch-black space moved, not once, but twice, about three inches up and over to the left.
“Did you see that?” asked Jay, the leader of this particular Southern Paranormal Researchers’ (SPR) investigation. I had seen it; all five of us in the room had seen it, and right as I was in the middle of convincing myself that we were all victims of a self-imposed mass delusion and that my eyes were simply responding to my inner desire to “make contact,” I saw the green light on the K-2 meter move as well. And this time, it was not mere inches. The device had been moved close to a foot from where Jay had originally set it.
Voice recorders, K-2 meters (that measure electromagnetic energy), video cameras, temperature gauges and infrared cameras are just a few of the many tools in SPR’s arsenal for exploration of the paranormal.
SPR is a group of diverse men and women based in Montgomery that routinely investigates paranormal phenomena and helps people (all over the state and the country) with unanswered questions, strange events and unexplained happenings in their life. Founded four and a half years ago, SPR stays busy, with 12 active members around the Southeast, and this group of “ghostbusters” is actually a highly professional team of investigators who’ve each undergone a series of mandatory training classes.
The founder and one of the lead investigators, Shawn Sellers grew up harboring an interest in the unexplained. Sellers does have a day job, one that’s allowed him to feed this interest. As an insurance adjustor, he’s travels often and has never missed the chance to visit haunted historic sites. Sellers also possesses an innate gift that draws him to the paranormal.
“I’m what we call a ‘sensitive,’ which means exactly what you’d think; I am sensitive to the unseen world around us,” he said. “I had weird stuff happen when I was a kid, and my grandmother helped me cultivate some of the things I was picking up.”
The night I was lucky enough to join the crew we sought evidence of spirits in our material world in downtown Montgomery, scouting around Noble’s restaurant and on the empty floors above the eatery. The investigation was more for fun than anything else, and the presence detected by SPR in the past in this building was one they consider benign. (So don’t fret about finding a poltergeist in your pork tenderloin when dining at this local favorite.)
As Jay explained, “We wouldn’t bring a guest on an investigation where we thought we’d find anything truly sinister or dangerous—like something demonic.”
Despite multiple encounters, including actual apparition sightings, Sellers said he and other SPR members, ”still get shivers and goose bumps, and it can be fun because you never know what you’re going to get.”
But then there are the cases SPR was created to take on. “When something is really scaring someone, and it’s affecting their daily life, it gets serious,” Sellers said. “That’s when being scared is no longer exciting. These are the people who feel truly vulnerable and have to reach out and say, ‘Something strange and frightening is happening in my home, and my family is really scared.’ That’s who we want to help.”
When beginning any investigation into “haunting” phenomena—be it “for fun” or to rid a place of a dark presence—SPR tries to rule out all natural explanations first. “There is so much more to the paranormal than ghosts and demons; paranormal activity is sometimes just a product of someone’s mind; they may be throwing off negative energy and not even know it. The supernatural is always the last thing we look at,” Sellers said.
Once it is determined that activity is not man made or naturally occurring, SPR puts the event(s) into one of three categories. A “residual haunt” is one in which there is no interaction between the presence and anyone else and is usually attributed to leftover energy in a specific location. “These events seem to play over and over, almost like a recording,” Jay said.
An “intelligent haunt” is one where there is some level of interaction, a response to questions with either electronic voice phenomena (captured with super-sensitive microphones and often only heard when a recording is played back) or by energy pulses shown on K-2 meters or other devices.
According to SPR, the danger comes when the force or entity is (and never was) human. “Human spirits can’t hurt you; they can cause you to hurt yourself if you get spooked and fall down some stairs,” Sellers said. “But demonic spirits are dangerous.”
In these instances, SPR performs a cleansing of the house, followed by prayers and a blessing, performed by the pastor on the team.
Sellers recalled one such situation. “A lady who used to be a witch, and she and her husband played with a ouija board a lot, called us, said someone was running up and down their steps and that something had thrown a knife at her and had actually cut her,” he said. “They were freaked out. Ouija boards are so dangerous because you are opening a door to be attacked.”
Since they do deal with the dark side of the spiritual world, SPR members all share a strong faith in God. “I think we all feel that having a strong faith in God is imperative for paranormal investigators. There is spiritual warfare going on all around us. We come from a Christian perspective, and we have to have strong faith to do this, because we are opening ourselves to that battle and need God’s protection. It’s our faith that makes our group unique in this field,” Jake Bell, another member of the SPR team, said.
From a simple case of the spooks to events that recall the horror of “The Exorcist,” SPR has seen and handled it all. And they are constantly rewarded by the work they do. “We really help people, and we feel good about that, but it’s deeper than that,” Seller said. “It’s a real commitment because some clients don’t want to take our advice. They may have started the activity by opening the door, so we tell them to change something in their lives, and they don’t always want to hear that."
Trailing Ghosts
We all love a good ghost story, and Alabama is full of places where mysterious sounds shoot neck hairs straight up, spectral shadows float down long, dark halls, and other creepy things go on. With the newly created Alabama Ghost Trail, it is now easier than ever to check out some nearby spooky spots.
The Southwest Alabama Regional Tourism and Film Office has established the Alabama Ghost Trail stretching through 18 counties in the Black Belt of Central Alabama. The Trail is a self-guided driving tour with GPS coordinates for each site, and the associated ghost stories are also told on video posted on YouTube. The trail opened this summer with stories from Dallas, Perry and Wilcox Counties. New terrifying tales will be added from other areas as work progresses. Current stops on the Ghost Trail include the St. James Hotel on Selma’s Water Avenue. The 1837 building on the banks of the Alabama River is said to be haunted by infamous outlaw Jesse James. According to the legend, Jesse and his brother, Frank, visited the area after the Civil War and stayed in the local hotel. A light sometimes seen in a corner room is said to be Jesse’s ghost watching out for the law. “The Trail is really sparking interest in folklore and legend,” said Linda Vice, with the Tourism office. “it is just the beginning of a process to preserve local culture.” Visit www.alabamasfrontporches.com for a tour map and more information.
By Missy Birkle Wibbels
Recently, I took a trip to a place considered one of the most haunted houses in America, The Myrtles Plantation in Louisiana. Would I be able to spend a whole night by myself? Would I be brave enough? Or would I run to my car in the middle of the night and get the heck out of dodge?
I have always been intrigued by legends of ghosts and other unexplained phenomena. As a child, I would check out as many books as I could from the library and read for hours about sightings, spirits and ghosts. I thought long and hard about how I would react if I had an encounter. Would I scream? Would I run away? Or would I just rub my eyes in disbelief? But as a child, I never got the chance to find out.
History
Located in St. Francisville, about 30 miles northwest of Baton Rouge, La., and originally known as Laurel Grove, The Myrtles Plantation was built in 1796 by General David Bradford. For a few years Mr. Bradford resided at this home alone, using it as a hideout. At the time, he was a wanted man for his role in the Whiskey Rebellion. After being pardoned in 1799, his family joined him at the home. When he passed away, his daughter Sarah and her husband, Clark Woodruff, managed the plantation. Tragedy struck the family, and Sarah as well as two of the three children passed away at the home, all within a year.
In 1834 Woodruff sold the home to Ruffin Grey Stirling. Through this sale not only did the name change to Myrtles, but the size of the home and property greatly increased. When Stirling died in 1854, William Winter was hired to manage the estate. He married Stirlings’ daughter Sarah, and they acquired the plantation. In 1871, Winter was shot in the men’s parlor and was said to have crawled to the 17th step where he died in his wife’s arms. This is the only documented murder that took place at the home.
Through the years the plantation has changed ownership many times. In 1970 Arlin Dease purchased the home, restoring it to the era of the mid-1800’s Rococo Revival style, with marble mantles and crystal chandeliers. A majority of the windows and wood flooring are original to the home, and the plaster crown molding is beautifully detailed. Today it is owned and run by John and Teeta Moss.
The “Residents”
Two of the “residents” that are supposedly roaming the plantation are Chloe and William Winters. There is also a “haunted” mirror in the foyer of the plantation, which you can view if you take a tour.
Chloe is probably the most famous of the ghosts. It is said that she was a slave of Sarah and Clark Woodruff. As the story goes, she was caught eavesdropping on Mr. Woodruff. As punishment for this offense, he chopped off her ear and she was fired. In a plot to win her job back, she baked a cake with oleander, a poisonous evergreen. She intended to make the family sick, assuming they would need her to nurse them back to health. The plan backfired and actually killed Sarah and two of the children. Chloe has been seen in various places around the property wearing a green turban to cover the wound from her missing ear. The young children she inadvertently killed have been spotted as well.
Mysterious footsteps heard around the plantation have been attributed to William Winters. He supposedly died on the 17th step, directly across from the “haunted” mirror. Some visitors have reported capturing him in its reflection, as they took a picture of the mirror. Not only has Winters been seen in the reflection, the mirror also has streaks and an impression that looks like a face. While there’s nothing unusual about streaks by themselves, considering the glass has been replaced several times over the years, it is strange that they continue to appear in the same place.
You be the Judge
I will let you decide what you care to believe. As with most stories, especially ones involving paranormal activities, they evolve and change as they are told and retold. It can be hard to find accurate documentation and evidence about events that occurred or facts about a particular person. This is the case with Myrtles Plantation and the legends that surround it. Some stories say that the land is an Indian burial ground. To my knowledge, this has not been proven true or false.
There is no evidence that Chloe, one of the most famous ghosts at the plantation, was a slave of any of the owners. Perhaps the name was changed or misspelled. Or maybe she was never included in the family documents. These seem to be plausible explanations. And what about the story that she poisoned the Woodruff family? It is a fact that Sarah and two of the Woodruff children died at the home. Maybe they were poisoned or, more likely, they succumbed to Yellow Fever.
And William Winter, did he really die on the 17th step? Again, it is possible. He was murdered at the plantation; that is a fact. But where did he die? There is no way to be sure.
A Night I Will Never Forget...
I arrived at Myrtles Plantation early in the afternoon. The sky was dark gray, and it rained for most of my drive. Isn’t that how all scary stories and movies begin?
Pulling in the drive, a shiver went down my spine. Was I really doing this? The enormous live oaks dripping with moss, and the old plantation home with a wrap-around porch seemed like the ideal place for ghosts to reside.
Checking in I was assigned the William Winter room. Located upstairs in the main house there are four separate guest rooms in this section on the property. The room was cozy and decorated with furnishings from the era. I felt as if I had stepped back to a simpler time, especially since there was no TV or telephone. “Peace and quiet,” I thought (at least until the sun went down).
After a quick overview of my sleeping quarters, I headed back downstairs for a history tour of the grounds. Lasting about 45 minutes, the tour was informative and filled with stories of the previous owners and the present “residents.” I now had plenty of things to ponder in my room with no TV or phone.
The night seemed to last forever. There were plenty of “what was that noise” and “that must be my mind playing tricks on me” moments. At the time I was glad, but now I am just a bit disappointed that I did not have any type of unusual encounter.
So is The Myrtles Plantation haunted? I can’t say for sure one way or the other. I didn’t have anything unusual happen to me. But people claim to hear footsteps when no one else is around or have strange, transparent “people-like” images show up in the photos. It is an old home with a lot of history surrounding it. There is a good chance that there is some type of unexplained activity there. But I am not an expert on the paranormal. Besides, it is a beautiful home, a gorgeous property and a relaxing atmosphere. Haunted or not, it’s worth a visit.
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