Ghost Stories & Paranormal Encounters

On Saturday, May 12th 2007, my oldest son and his wife came to spend the night with me. My son asked me what I wanted to do for Mothers Day,which was the next day, the 13th. I told him about a place on Old Columbia Road, not far from my house, which I had read about in Louisiana Legends Magazine. I said that I would like to personally go check it out, and he suggested that we do it tonight.

Realizing it would be harder to find in the dark, we drove to the location around 4 pm and found the site. The afternoon was hot and we rode with the windows down. I  got out of the truck and walked through the tall weeds until I came to the area where the old homestead use to be.

From what I’ve been told, the way you can tell where the old house use to set, is no weeds grow there. Only a short patch of blackberry bushes, in the center of all those weeds. Thinking that very strange, I wiped sweat from my forehead and continued my stroll. I was now in the midst of that area where the old house once stood, many many years ago.

I walked on into that round berry patch, not really expecting anything, but suddenly goose bumps popped out on my arms and I felt like I had just stepped into an air-conditioned room. I yelled back at my son and his wife and said, “Y’all got to come here and feel this so I’ll know I’m not going crazy!” When they reached where I was standing, my son instantly remarked “Man, it’s cold over here.” My daughter-in-law says ” Oh my God!” and starts praying. Then she races back to the truck. I set a marker out by the roadside so we could easily find this place when we returned later tonight.

When we got home, we were telling other family-members of our late-night plans to again visit the Haunted Acre and some of them wanted to go. So, around 11 pm, we headed back out. Myself, my oldest son and his wife, my niece, and my mother. Going Ghost Hunting.

I have always been fascinated by tales of ghost, spirits, the supernatural, and of course, Big Foot. Not really expecting to see or feel a ghost, I came prepared anyway. Took along my video camera and digital camera, just in case.

As I parked the truck  at the edge of the blackberry patch, everyone piled out. They were all mumbling and grumbling about the truck not having an air-conditioner. It was hot. Unusually hot for this time of year. I was hoping for a breeze. But, there was no breeze. Not a breath of one. There was also no moon, just a few stars. The night was still as the dead.

The one’s of us that had been there earlier pointed out the spot, then hung back to see if the others would experience what we had earlier that day. They did! My niece felt the temperature change as soon as she set foot on the area. That was enough for her and she high tailed it back to the truck, refusing to get out again. My mother felt the temperature change and began talking to the spirits, saying she was a grown woman and wasn’t impressed by a dip in temperatures and to “show her more.”

Becoming a trifle aggravated because I felt no one was taking it seriously, I asked everyone to get back in the truck and be quite. My son positioned himself on the truck’s hood and began to video the area, using night shot, while I entered the briar-patch holding my digital camera. I told my son to keep the video camera on me and if he saw anything to warn me of it. I stepped into the center of the patch and stood as still as the statue of liberty, with nothing moving but my finger on the shutter-button of my camera. I turned the flash off and was basically taking pictures of the black night.

Suddenly, my son said “Momma, something is moving around you.” Figuring he was trying to scare me, I said yeah, right. But, then, I saw the weeds in front of me begin to move, and still not the slightest breeze blowing. I pointed my camera at that area and began snapping away. All the pictures were just showing black on the screen. I began to speak. I said, ” We mean you no harm. I just want to know who you are.”

The others in the truck, about 20 feet away – although it was to dark for me to see them, I could certainly hear them – laughing at me! I continued to stand there, rigid, in my statue position, snapping pictures, and then it happened! My mother began screaming from inside the truck that something was outside the truck. She yelled that she could hear someone or something walking nearby and it had gotten very cold on her arm resting on the truck door.

I turned my camera in the direction of the truck and snapped some more pictures. It was too dark to even get the truck or my son, sitting on it’s hood, to pick up on the pictures, but what did pick up was a ball of light, known as orbs, in the same area where momma was sitting.

Right after this, I felt something brush against my back. Not breaking my statue position, I fussed “Thought you were gonna stay on the truck and video?” From a ways back behind me, I heard my son say, “Momma, I am still on the hood. I ain’t moved.” My heart raced! Well, I asked, then what just touched me? Momma, everybody is in the truck, except you.” He seemed skeptical.

I, then, started speaking to the spirit again. I said, I know your here, because I felt your touch, now let me see you. I stood there a little longer and nothing happened, so I said, Well, if your not gonna let me see you, then I’m leaving. I snapped a few more pictures and yelled to the truck for them to turn the headlights on so I could walk out of there without stumbling and falling.

Not a bad night, I thought. I had gotten a picture of an orb and saw some weeds move, and experienced the cold spot, been touched by something un-known, so I figured I’d have to settle for that. When I reached the truck I told everyone that I had filled up my cameras memory card of 100 shots, so we might as well head home. On the ride back, I was reviewing my shots and other than the one orb, I was seeing just one black screen after another until I came to the last three shots which I had taken after telling the spirit I was leaving.

Third to last was a clear lighted picture of the weeds, although I had never turned my flash on. All the others of the same area were just black. Second to last picture was showing a blurry spot or maybe another orb. The very last picture was showing something but it was too small to make out on the thumb size screen. I told my son to hurry up and get us home so I could plug into the big screen TV to see it better and that’s what I did the very moment we got home.

It was plain to see the man I had been talking to. He had gray hair, bushy sideburns, and a beard. The style of his sideburns and beard was obviously of a style from a previous era in time. This picture was published in a magazine and you can clearly see the face of the man. This old ghost man revealed himself to me for a reason, and I want to know what it is. Also, I would love to know who this man is or was. Why his ghost continues to haunt the site of the Old Moaning House on Old Columbia Road. What keeps him here after all these years? Why all other reports of this place that was originally suppose to be a school that never opened became years later a home and as legend goes says a black man was killed in the doorway of the house and all renters after it was closed up for years and nearly unfit to be lived in say a spot was on the floor just inside the doorway that they would always scrub away but would come back every time. Was the old mans blood stain refusing to be forgotten?

Numerous stories have been written about this location and all the stories from three in particular now adults that say they lived in that house as children more than 40 years ago, amongst others all report being frightened, seeing a man leaning over their mothers bed, hearing screams, and things flying across the room would make you think this ghost was evil but the ghost man I got a picture of was in no way scary. I feel in my heart there is more than one ghost there and I think the old man is a protector against the others. &nbsp;<br />  After my picture and story were placed in the magazine a group of paranormal experts went to this site with expensive equipment and came away empty handed. They said a voice told them to get away from there and they high tailed it out of there. I don’t believe a word of it. I’m just a country girl who believes what I see and I saw a picture I had took of a real ghost.

At the end of our outing I wasn’t the only one in the family to believe in ghosts. I just can’t get them to go with me anymore. This area is located just outside Fort Necessity, Louisiana, just off hwy. 4. I May have a new story soon. I’m going to spend the night soon at a camp told to be haunted by a little girl named Abby and see what’s happening at the old forgotten cemetery that is back behind the camp. An old hand drawn map hangs on the wall in the camp that has a note written on the side that says, don’t go near the cemetery. The note is a warning for the hunters that rent the place. I’m gonna find out why it says don’t go near the cemetery.

Written by Joan Smith Brown, Copyright 2008