Sunday, December 4, 2016

Peter Ferguson



Many people have claimed to see ghost, or something supernatural throughout their lives. The mysterious light that appears at night time on US Highway 21. At the beginning of Lands End Rd. there is a moss covered tree that it is said, if you park next to it at night you will experience an extraordinary and ominous light blaze past you. Lands End Rd. is located in the warmth of the coast in Beaufort, South Carolina. Much history surrounds the low country cities. The Charleston-Beaufort area has history embedded deep in its roots almost everywhere you go. During the civil war, Charleston was a key city for the confederates and was eventually going to be over taken by the Union as the war was winding down. They needed Charleston because it was the south’s biggest port.

During an attempted invasion of Charleston, Union soldiers were able to sneak up behind a Confederate soldier and cut off the head of Private Frank Quigley. Many of the Charleston and Beaufort area locals believe the mysterious “Land’s End Light” is the deceased confederate soldier searching for his head. In the research I did, many of the ghost light theories are believed to be the “spirits of people who are beheaded stays on earth in search of their head. (Jones)” Although this is a far-fetched idea it it’s still a possibility. It is also believed the light will lead you to the spot where Private QUIGLEY http://eatsleepplaybeaufort.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/fremont5soldier.jpg was beheaded.
           
For many locals, Lands’ End Light is very real, there have been many first-hand accounts of people who have claimed to see this supernatural light. The Charleston newspaper usually does a story about this supernatural phenomenon every other year during Halloween. The local police told local news stations about the line of cars parked along the ominous stretch of highway hoping to see the mysterious light. It can only be seen in the midst of the night and it’s believed if you are scared or fear what isn’t known then the light won’t appear. If you have an open mind and accept the unknown it will appear.
           
Humans go out seeking the unknown because we, as a species, want to understand the unexplainable. Two people died in the pursuit of this mysterious light in their vehicles. While in pursuit of the supernatural light the two men ran their car off the road into a tree. The mystery of the unknown fascinates us and makes us eager to learn more. As long as there are folk lore and ghost tale stories, there will always be people wanting to know more. Although some people might not realize what they really are getting themselves into.

Works Cited: 
Atteberry, Tom. “The ghosts of St. Helena’s chapel of ease and Land’s End light – true hauntings from South Carolina’s sea islands.” A gothic curiosity cabinet, 16 Oct. 2016, http://www.gothichorrorstories.com/behind-urban-legends/the-ghosts-of-st-helenas-chapel-of-ease-and-lands-end-light-true-hauntings-from-south-carolinas-sea-islands/.

Gooch, Bary. “Lands End Light – Frogmore, St. Helena Island, South Carolina.” SC Informational Highway. 16 Oct. 2016, http://www.sciway.net/hist/lands-end-light-st-helena-island.html

Jones, Louis. “The Journal of American Folklore.” American Folklore Society, vol. 57, no. 226, Fall 1944, pp. 237-254, JSTOR, doi: 10.2307/535356.  
Roberts, Nancy. nt. 2012, Eatsleepplaybeaufort, http://eatsleepplaybeaufort.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/light1.jpg 

Links for further research:
Graydon, Nell. South Carolina Ghost Tales, Beaufort Book Shop, Inc, 1969. This book is about all the supernatural phenomenon that go on in South Carolina. In this particular excerpt of the book it gives extensive information on Lands End Light and its history.

Heffernan, Erin. “The ghosts of Beaufort County: From strange lights to the Blue Lady locals share favorite ghost stories.” The Island Packet, 17 Oct. 2016,  http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/community/beaufort-news/article39629214.html. This web source talks about the many theories on what the supernatural light came from. This article also gives locals first-hand accounts as well as other ghost tales. 


Schlosser, S.E. “South Carolina Folklore.” American Folklore, 18 Oct 2016, http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/united-states-folklore/south-carolina-folklore/. This web sources discusses the importance of the many folk lore stories in South Carolina. The author also discusses many of the details of Lands End Light. 

Saturday, December 3, 2016

The Fox Sisters

Te’a Olivas


The Fox Sisters were known to be famous for being the creators of spiritualism. The spirits communicate with people known as psychics and mediums. That is what you can call the Fox sisters. The names of the three sisters were Margaret, Kate and Leah Fox. In 1848, the sisters lived in Hydesville, New York. The Fox sisters started to believe in spirits because they heard unusual noises throughout the house they lived in. They were convinced the house was haunted. The noises they would hear included furniture being move and knocking. The fox sisters decided to come up with a prank to scare the mother into believing in the bad spirits and ghost in the house. After all, the mother didn’t need a prank to be convinced that there was a ghost in house. She started to ask questions to the ghost by asking it to knock and answers the questions getting ask by moments in the house. Soon after, The Fox family found out there was a murder in their house two years earlier. The spirit was known as an older man in his early thirties who was married with five children of his own. That is when the sisters started to communicate with spirits. The Fox sisters claimed that they could receive messages for people from different spirits amongst the dead. The sisters started to perform rapping’s that were similar to the noises happening in the house. For example, the fox sisters used their toes for the crackling noises. The noises in the house triggered the Fox sisters to produce creative ideas about spiritual rapping’s. The sisters perform their very first rapping at Corinthian Hall in Rochester. The sisters wanted people to believe in spirits after the rapping’s to prove they could communicate with spirits, and can deliver messages from the spirits. Many people in the 1800's questioned the Fox sisters on if the rapping’s were real. Did the Fox sisters communicate with spirits? It was even more difficult to believe because one of the sisters claimed that communicating with the spirits were fake as well as the rapping’s that were performed in the 1800's. Until this day the world has no evidence that the rapping’s were real or fake. We will never know if the Fox sisters really communicated with spirits. The fox sisters will always be famous for their mysterious and suspenseful performances.



Work Cited:
Bann, Jennifer. "Ghostly Hands and Ghostly Agency: The Changing Figure of the Nineteenth-Century Specter." Victorian Studies 51.4 (2009): 663-85. 
http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.usca.edu:2048/stable/pdf/10.2979/vic.2009.51.4.663.pdf

"Speaking With Spirits." Skeptic 19.2 (2014): 65. Academic Search Premier. 8 Oct. 2016. http://ezproxy.usca.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=96430250&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Stuart, Nancy Rubin. "The Raps Heard Around The World." American History 40.3 (2005): 42-80. Academic Search Premier. 8 Oct. 2016, http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.usca.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=11&sid=657367c5-b699-4264-bdde-ec45603b2b42%40sessionmgr102&hid=113

Walliss, John. "Continuing Bonds: Relationships Between The Living And The Dead Within Contemporary Spiritualism." Mortality 6.2 (2001): 127-145. Academic Search Premier. 15 Oct. 2016. http://ezproxy.usca.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=6006954&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Williams, Kathy. Western Folklore 69.1 (2010): 131-32. http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.usca.edu:2048/stable/pdf/25735293.pdf.


Links for Further Research:

Valente, K. G. ""Who Will Explain the Explanation?": The Ambivalent Reception of Higher Dimensional Space in the British Spiritualist Press, 1875-1900." Victorian Periodicals Review 41.2 (2008): 124-49. http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.usca.edu:2048/stable/40587440. 
This source from the web, the John Hopkins University, gives information on how spiritualism begun. Also, it provides who was involve in creating spiritualism.

Monroe, John. "Making the Séance "Serious": "Tables Tournantes" and Second Empire Bourgeois Culture, 1853-1861." History of Religions 38.3 (1999): 219-46. http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.usca.edu:2048/stable/40587440. This web source, from University of Chicago, provides information about the Fox sisters experiences in the house that influence them to communicate with spirits. It gives information about the spiritual rapping performed by the Fox sisters.


Kattelman, Beth A. "Magic, Monsters, and Movies: America's Midnight Ghost Shows." Theatre Journal 62.1 (2010): 23-39. http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.usca.edu:2048/stable/40587440. This web source, from the John Hopkins University, provides information about how spiritualism grew after the world heard about the Fox sister’s experiences. People started to be involved in the sisters spiritual rapping performances.

Taj Mahal

Kayque Stoffel




The Taj Mahal has been around for a long time people in India and all around the world enjoy visiting this beautiful mausoleum. The Taj Mahal is one of the world wonders it is a very important to the people of India because it represents the rich history of India. The Taj Mahal is very unique because of how it was built the fact that they built a mausoleum this big with the tools they had back then is truly amazing. The reason why the Taj Mahal was built also attracts a lot of people to go visit the Taj Mahal every year which is around 3 million a year. The Taj Mahal is known to be the jewel of Muslim art in India.

The beautiful story of the Taj Mahal began in Agra, India when the emperor of the Mughal empire, Shah Jahan married Mumtaz Mahal. When she died he was very upset which was very strange because historians say that most emperors back then had multiple wives, but Shah Jahan did not. He ordered his men to construct a big mausoleum in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. It is said that Isa Mohammad was the chief designer of the Taj Mahal construction. There were over 22,000 people involved in the construction of the Taj Mahal. The construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632 A.D. and was finished in 1648 A.D. This was just the mausoleum itself they finished the outer courtyard in 1653A.D. In all it took them 21 years to finish the construction of the Taj Mahal. Historians believe that the Italian designer Geronimo Veroneo designed the Taj Mahal, but they do not have solid evidence to back this up. They had over 20 architects working on the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is located on the right bank of the Yamuna river in the massive Mughal garden.    

The were some incredible innovations that the planners and architects of emperor Shah Jahan did to build this mausoleum. Some of these innovations were where they placed the tomb. Emperor Shah Jahan ordered them to build the two towers on the side slightly slanted away from the mausoleum to make sure that if there were any natural disasters they would fall away from the mausoleum and not destroy it. They placed it at one end of the garden instead of placing it in the center of the garden. Which added a different perspective view from a distance of the monument. The Taj Mahal is also protected by the UNESCO. UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations which is based in Paris. The Indian government provides funds for the conservation, preservation, and maintenance of the Taj Mahal. This mausoleum is unique and beautiful I’m glad that they are protecting the Taj Mahal the way they are.           

   
  
Work cited:
Shane, Tasker. “Taj Mahal: Monument to love.” World History.Jan. 2008. http://ezproxy.usca.edu:2048/url

Kim, Uden. “Beneath a Marble Sky: A Novel of the Taj Mahal.” Beneath a Marble Sky Jun. 2004. http://ezproxy.usca.edu:2048/url  

Doraiswamy, Uma. “Taj Mahal: Passion and Genius at the Heart of the Moghul Empire.” Taj Mahal Feb. 2007.http://ezproxy.usca.edu:2048/url 

“Taj Mahal”. History Channel, 2015. http://www.history.com/topics/taj-mahal 

Links for further research:

Taj Mahal
This article mentions the Mughal empire and the influence they had in building the Taj Mahal.

Taj Mahal: Monument to Love
This article mentions the reason why the Taj Mahal was built. 

Taj Mahal: Wonders of the World
This article talks about the main information people need to know about the Taj Mahal. 

Five Tags:

Taj Mahal, Mughal empire, Mausoleum, Shah Jahan, Agra

Runestones in America

lanham

 In 1830’s the Indians were removed from their territory leaving the hunters to roam around and hunt.A little girl name Gloria Farley once hiked up the hill in 1928 and found a rune in the city of Heavener Oklahoma. Which she thought was a little rock, but came out to be a rune. Later on in life became seriously interested into the runes that she started to study them. The runes came from the vikings who traveled here long ago when they found the North America. Years later people around North America started finding the runestones in Oklahoma, Minnesota, Massachusetts, West Virginia, and Maine. The Heavener runestone is in the thirds and fifth century indication. The runes that were in anglo-saxon that is from the country England. The runes are the same writing as the same writing in the story Beowulf. Which is a story I read in twelfth grade and we had to do a poster with a phrase and writing it in runic. You can find the runes in the early times of Britain. People often wonder how the runestones get to North America. It’s obvious! Someone from the Britian area had to come over her by boat right? The answer is the Vikings are the ones who came over here and discovered this beauty of a land and left behind these runestones. 

Heavener Oklahoma Runestone 

In Heavener Oklahoma there is a place where runestones are located. Which was discovered first by a haunting party in the 1830's and again in the 1970's by two other men when they were hunting in Potala Mountain for bears. Years later, the runes were taken to the Smithsonian Museum in the Washington, DC. Back in 1928 Gloria Stuart found the runestones. She was so fascinated with the stones that she studied this topic for years. The location the runestones are at is a park just for the runestones.


Kensington Runestone

Works Cited: 

Covey, Cyclone, “The Oklahoma Runestone”, Ancient American Magazine,1994. http://ancientamerica.com/the-oklahoma-runestone/ 

MeandmyHDcam.“Heavener Oklahoma Runestone” Youtube. 07.Dec.2010. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXw49Uy17Rw 

North American Runestones- Sunnyway.com 
http://www.sunnyway.com/runes/americanstones.html 
This site tells about how people tried to find out the age of the runestones, but couldn’t because the runestones were in their original place. 

Heavener Oklahoma Runestone- Youtube 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXw49Uy17Rw 
The video is about the Heavener Oklahoma Runestone was found and how it’s a park for the runestones. 

Kensington Runestone Story (KBJR-TV Duluth MN) - Youtube 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3eXkcJ9vmE 
The video is about how a farmer found a runestone, but no one believe it was a real runestone

The Lost Dutchman Mine

Bri R

Phoenix, Arizona: heat, vacation, family, fun, but what if I told you that it also holds gold treasures, eerie feelings, and deadly outcomes?  This is all true and it lies in the Superstition Mountains.  Located in Phoenix, Arizona, is the mountains, where many people go, only to never be seen again.  Superstition Mountains is a collection of rough terrain that has earned the name of one single mountain.  Over many years, thousands of men and women lives have been taken, all in this very mountain, but why?  The Apache Indians were the first to set eyes on the mountains, followed by the Spanish conquistadors.  When the Spaniards reached the area, the Apache told them that the mountain contained gold, but refused to help the Spaniards find it.  The Apache, thought of the Superstition Mountains as their sacred ground where they worshipped their “Thunder God”.  It was said that if a person dared to trespass upon the sacred ground to look for the gold, the “Thunder God”, would punish them by death (Legends of America).  When the Spaniards tried to explore the mountain on their own, they noticed that some of their men would mysteriously vanish.  Even if one man strayed only a few feet away from the group, he was never seen alive again.  The bodies of the men who were found were mutilated, many with their heads cut off.  After seeing this, remaining Spaniards refused to return to the mountains, and named it Monte Superstition (Legends of America).

In the 1870’s, Jacob Waltz who had befriended one of the Peralta heirs, was allegedly told the location of the mine.  Waltz was a German immigrant, who had relocated to Arizona and owned a homestead on the northern side of the Superstition Mountains (Legends of America).  While there, he met an Apache girl named Ken-tee, who despite the fact knew Waltz was almost 60 years-old, became his mistress.  The pair moved near the Superstition Mountains range, and the Apache Indians believed that Ken-tee revealed the mine’s location to Waltz.  The Apache who were convinced that Ken-tee betrayed the site of their secret ground, attacked both Waltz and Ken-tee.  Although Waltz managed to escape, Ken-tee was seized and her tongue was cut out (Legends of America).

Years had passed, and Waltz would often appear in Phoenix, with saddlebags filled with gold before disappearing once again in to the Superstition Mountains.  People often asked of him the obvious questions, “Where was the gold coming from?”, “Where was the mine?”  To these, Waltz would give contradictory statements and directions.  When people tried to follow him out of town, he would "lose” them in the many clefts and canyons on the peak (Legends of America).  In 1891, Waltz homestead was caught in a flood and he barely survived, only to be saved by two rescuers.  The rescuers took him to a woman named Julia who tried to take care of him but he soon caught pneumonia.  Waltz would speak to the rescuers and Julia, until the day he had a stroke and was unable to talk.  When he would speak, Waltz would drop little hints of where the gold would be located on the mountain.  Soon Waltz died, and the rescuers including Julia tried looking for the gold throughout years.  Julia, after searching for many years, decided to give up and never return to the mountains whereas the rescuers, continued to search until the time of their death.  Since then, no one could find the hidden gold, and the mine is now known as ‘The Lost Dutchman Mine’.


This legend has plagued the mind of many, some saying the mine does exist, and some saying that it does not.  For the many of people who do believe the mine exist, they try to confirm their suspicions by going into the mountains.  Most never being seen alive again, add to the chilling suspense that the legend is true and gold mine does in fact lie within the Superstition Mountains. 



Works Cited:


Forbidden Treasure 2016. “The Lost Dutchmans Gold Mine.” YouTube, 19 June 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXjOYMpef9Y

Public photo domain. “The Lost Dutchman Gold Mine.” 2013. https://skeptoid.com/images/barkley-large.jpg

Weiser, Kathy. “The Lost Dutchman Mine.” Legends of America, Jan. 2015, pp 1-2.

For more information visit other references such as:
Dunning, Brian. “The Lost Dutchman Mine.” Brian Dunning, writer. www.skeptoid.com/episodes/4347. 29. January. 2013. This article, written by Brian dunning, gives us the background story of Jacob Waltz, whom the mine is named after. It tells us that since his death, the map he has created has been reproduced several times, all of which seems to be suspicious.  The source is unique because it focuses on the map being sold and reproduced by many in hopes to find the lost treasure.  The source is relevant because the map Jacob Waltz created was also found suspicious and unreliable because he made it on his death bed, which is probably the reason why no one can find the hidden treasure.  The article, which is online, is mostly about the origin of The Lost Dutchman Mine story and its intended audience is all the believers in the tale. 
Rhett Miller, Joshua. “Body of Man Who Hunted Legendary ‘Lost Dutchman’s’ Gold Mine Believed Found in Arizona Mountains. Joshua Rhett Miller, writer. www.foxnews.com. 29. November. 2012. This article, written by Joshua Rhett Miller, gives us details on a body that is believed to be of a person who was hunting the lost gold mine in Arizona. This source is unique because it focuses on the discovery of the body and how it ties into the legend that if you go looking for the treasure, you will suffer the consequences of death. The source is relevant because there are many stories of death that happen within the mountains because people go looking for its hidden treasures. The deaths are supposedly related to the curse for trespassing on the sacred ground of the Thunder God. The article, which is online, is about the discovery of the body, how obsessed he man was with finding the treasures in the Superstition Mountains, and the deaths that occur which can be related to the centuries old legend.  This article’s intended audience are people who believe in the tale and are being warned that searching for the treasure could lead to an obsession, which leads to death if you don’t heed the warning.
Speigel, Lee. “Lost Dutchman Gold Mine: Does ‘X’ Mark the Spot?”. Lee, Speigel, writer, reporter, paranormal expert. www.huffingtonpost.com. 3. March. 2015. This article, written by Lee Speigel, gives us a review of a documentary of people trying to find, The Lost Dutchman Mine, using a map.  The source is unique because it is a review of a documentary that shows a man hiking the Superstition Mountains to find the lost gold.  The source is relevant because it is a modern day look at the mountains instead of a story from years ago. The article, which is online, is about a man’s quest to find the lost gold as he has been searching for years now.  The intended audience, are people who want to know more information about the mine and get an inside look at what it is like to travel to and through these mountains.
Spencer, Monica. “The Legend of Arizona’s Lost Dutchman Gold Mine is Downright Deadly.” Monica Spencer, writer. www.onlyinyourstate.com Arizona. P, 2016. This article, written by Monica Spencer, gives us the chilling history of what has become one of Arizona’s most attractive places.  Explaining why the gold mine is deadly, the author uses the examples of the many deaths and disappearances that have occurred while searching for the Superstition Mountain’s treasures. The source is unique because it focuses on what makes the quest of finding the treasure so deadly.  The source is relevant and useful because the writer of the article lives in Arizona and writes about all other topics related to Arizona attractions.  The article, which is online, is just one of the many articles that the author writes about involving Arizona, and its intended audience are for people who are curious about the legend and why it is deadly. 

Taylor, Troy. “The Lost Dutchman Mine One of America’s Most Haunting Mysteries.” Troy Taylor, author. www.prairieghosts.com C, 2000-2008. The article by Troy Taylor, is an excerpt from his book, Out Past the Campfire Light, asks three important questions, “What strange secrets lie hidden near Superstition Mountain in Arizona?”, “Did a lone minor really discover a fortune in lost gold here?, and “What strange force caused many of adventurers to die brutal deaths and vanish without a trace in this rugged region?” The article uses the except from the book to explain the history of the haunted mountains as well as give examples answering each question that they asked in the beginning. The source is unique because instead of it being a curious person who wanted to write about a so-called legend that they heard it uses an excerpt from a book. The source is relevant and useful because the author of the book that the article uses, is a researcher of history, crime and the supernatural. The article, which is featured online and a part of a collection of other unexplained mysteries and ghost stories, is aimed at an audience who believe in hauntings that happen across the world.  

The Mystery of Coral Castle

Ali Hayes


Coral Castle and the crescent shaped moons
The sunshine state otherwise known as Florida has sand castles all around the coast, but have you ever heard of a coral castle in Florida? Well there is one and it has a mystery behind it.  A 5 foot, 100 pound man who moved from Latvia to America by the name Edward Leedskalnin  supposedly built this whole piece of art by himself in Homestead, Florida. The whole castle is made of sedimentary rock which is a limestone and he made into shaped walls, tables, and crescent moons, so the mystery is how did almost 100 years ago this little Latvian man build it all by himself over the course of 20 years (Radford). 

Wally Wallington a construction worker tried to replicate the work that Ed would have done to complete Coral Castle. Wallington said it is somewhat possible with the pull and levy technique, since there was not machinery while Ed was building the Castle. But there also is the belief that he had a unique insights to magnetism and electricity. People don’t know if it was on a spiritual level or he had built machinery since Ed unusually worked on building it at night with tall walls surrounding his work, he was very private (Dunning). Another theory behind the castle was that, local teenagers would spy of Ed at night while he was hard at work and they stated they heard him sing and see him lift his hands and the work would be done (Wagner). Why wouldn’t other people do the same thing as him then? It all is a mystery like the 9 ton gate that sits at the entrance to Coral Castle could be moved by the touch of a finger, when Ed was still alive and gave tours of his beloved museum people were fascinated, but later once Ed had passed away workers took down the gate and noticed  a metal rod was the reason behind the work. But still how did the little Latvian man do all this work by himself? Apparently Ed had recovered the secrets of the pyramids and he just knew how the Egyptians were able to create the massive pyramids, so that could of been a way that he built Coral Castle (Wagner).

The reason Coral Castle was built was for Ed’s former fiancé Agnes Scuffs. He moved away from his home country to America in hopes to get over his heartbreak when Agnes called off the wedding leaving Ed completely heartbroken. His broken heart couldn’t be fixed so he started to build Coral Castle in hopes that Agnes would take him back and the little Latvian man dedicated the rest of his life to building this for her, but it quickly became an obsession. He invited her in countless letters to come visit the castle and take him back, but his dream sadly never came true. 

Coral Castle is just a handful of places that have a mystery of how they were built or how they appeared there. But this one stands out in its own way Edward Leedskalnin dedicated his whole life into his love story and built a quite beautiful and mysterious now Museum that is toured and tells his love story to many tourists and local residents of Florida.  


Works Cited
Dunning, Brian. “Coral Castle.” Skeptoid. 2009.

McLachlan, Sean. “Coral Castle: Testament to a Broken Heart.” Gadling.2012.

Radford, Benjamin. “Mystery of the Coral Castle Explained.” Live Science. 2013.

Wagner, Stephen. “The Secrets of Coral Castle.” About Entertainment.n.d.

“9 Ton Gate- Megalitihic at Coral Castle, Florida.” Phenomal Travel Videos. 2015. 

Links for further research: 
Coral Castle Museum 
This website explains a lot more about how to museum and everything you need to know about Coral Castle 

Road Side America
This website goes into the 

Mystery Pile Ancient Mysteries 

This website has great information about Coral Castle as well as good photos of the property 

Shanghai Tunnels

Kaelah Bussey

Shanghai Tunnels
Shanghai tunnels are located underneath the streets of Portland, Oregon that run from the north to the south end. The tunnels provide access to many local downtown areas. They are made up of a series of catacombs (passageways to a religious place) and tunnels that wrap around to one level from the streets that come from the north side which is the historical downtown part of Portland. It is known to be a mysteriously haunting place. 
        
This end consists of attractions such as Skidmore fountain and China town. The south end tunnels lead visitors to the riverfront, to look at different businesses such as dance halls, saloons, and brothels (house of prostitution) such as the White Eagle Saloon and Brothel, gambling parlors, and a couple hotels. The Merchant hotel has different services of providing sensual pleasure via a sex slave/ prostitute. It is said, that the act of shanghaiing occurred in these tunnels in the 1850’s and ended around the 1940’s. They would steal men that would wander around the tunnels, many hung around the bars above the tunnels, and would be taken then sold to ship owners. The owners would pick out “able-bodied men” as they were called and used them as slaves on the ships.

        
Studies showed in The Haunted Shanghai Tunnels in Portland, Oregon, not all of the people who were taken on these ships were men, some of them were females, that were sold as prostitutes to work on the ships. There was one well-known individual named Nina. She is said to haunt the tunnels underneath “Old Town Pizza.” Locals claimed that Nina was a prostitute who was drugged one night and thrown down the stairway to the tunnels. The fall was fatal, and it is said that her ghost haunts the tunnels and locals can smell the scent of her perfume in the air (The Haunted Shanghai Tunnels in Portland, Oregon). Also, there is a carving in the brick in one of the passageways said to have been there since the tunnels were first used for shanghaiing that says “Nina.” (Haunt in Shanghai Tunnels Portland). Nina isn’t the only ghost that is said to haunt these tunnels. Many people who go through the tunnels of Portland have heard moans, talking, screaming, and even crying. It's believed that many of those sounds may be a result of the energy in that specific area, and could be residual based hauntings. Most of these hauntings are caused because most don't know how they got into the tunnels to start with, they have a hard time finding their way out.


There are many different tours that visitors travel to Portland to come find out if these hauntings are real and the history behind the tunnels. The Shanghai tunnels heritage tour is the main tour that gives information about history of the shanghai trade in Portland. They offer evening, day-time, and private tours. The shanghai tunnels ghost tour accesses spirits that still work or are imprisoned there. Shanghai Tunnel Ethnic History tour shares historical stories of the Chinese, Japanese and the Gypsies relate to the activities that took place in the underground community. The Portland walking tour begins just outside of the Old Town Pizza, offers a more detailed tour of the tunnels. This tour shows visitors the physical remains underground as well as the subcultures, political, and immortal underground of the city’s history, and exposes the myths and legends of the so-called “Shanghai Tunnels.”

Works Cited:
Mellema, Valerie. “Oregon Legends.” Portland Underground: Shanghai Tunnels. March.2008.www.legendsofAmerica.com/shanghai.

Whitley, Bryn. “Shanghai Tunnels.” Can of Mystery.2012.www.canofmystery.blogspot.com/shanghai_tunnels.

Owen, Rob. “Ghost Adventures: Drop in on Old Town Haunts.” 05 Mar. 2012. Updated 06 Mar.2012.www.oregonlive.com/movies/2012/03/ghost_adventures. 

Haunted House Inc. “Portland’s Shanghai Tunnels.” Www.hauntedhouses.com/states/or/Portland_tunnels.2006-2016.

For further research:
This article provides information about where the tunnels are located and the destinations that they take visitors to. It also talks about the places that are located around the tunnels and their mysterious hauntings that have been said occur there.


This article discusses deeper about the history of the tunnels and where the word “shanghaiing” originally comes from. It gives information about what happened in the tunnels around the prohibition period. The purpose of this article is to give readers a greater understanding about the shanghai tunnels and why the hauntings occur there.

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Alice Flagg of the Hermitage

Faith Cayruth

Alice’s Grave
Ghost stories can sometimes be grueling and creepy; they can give you nightmares even. Very rarely do you hear of any ghost stories that don’t have some horrifying story to go along with it. Alice of the Hermitage’s ghost is one of the exceptions. This story is about a sad, young teenaged girl who was in love with someone whose social class wouldn’t allow her to be with. She doesn’t haunt just because she wants to scare people, she haunts the earth in search of her beloved engagement ring.


Alice lived with her mother and brother in Murrells Inlet in South Carolina near the coast. She lived in a house that still stands today called The Hermitage  , which was built by her brother. Alice came from a family of wealthy doctors, so understandably when she fell for a lumberman who was beneath her wealth status, it was frowned upon. Alice paid it no mind, she loved him regardless of his economic status and ended up accepting an engagement ring from him. When her older brother and mother caught wind of this, they forbade it and told her to take off her ring. She did as they asked but in turn, she concealed the ring by tying it to a ribbon around her neck and hiding it underneath her shirt. Eventually, she had more disagreements with her mother and brother about her fiancé, which resulted in Alice agreeing to be sent off to boarding school in Charleston. While she was there she got “love-sick” and fell ill and weak to the point of borderline immobility. Her brother ended up having to take a 4-day carriage ride to go pick her up. The long ride didn’t help her already declining condition at all and it caused her to fall even more ill by the time they reached Murrell’s Inlet. While bed-ridden and weak, she had no energy to continue concealing her ribbon tied ring and it accidentally slipped out in her brother’s presence. He saw it and angrily threw her ring into a nearby marsh. After several attempts of asking guests to find her ring, no one ever attempted to search for it. About a week of being bedridden in her home in Murrells Inlet, she fell into a coma and she ended up passing away before she could search for her ring.

Now, she roams the earth in search of her ring because it was the only thing she had from her beloved since her family forbade their relationship. There are rituals performed by walking circles around her grave backwards thirteen times at night and then leaving a ring on her grave. Legend says that doing so will make Alice appear. There are other rituals performed, some that have reported granted your wishes or made a ring suddenly fly off of a visitor’s finger. People often visit her grave and leave different things from coins, jewelry, and flowers. Alice is just a mere, teenaged ghost who died of a broken heart and only longs for her dear ring.


Works Cited:

Segars, Bill. Sciway.net 2006. http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/wp-content/uploads/alice-marker.jpg. Accessed 10 Oct. 2016.

“The Hermitage.” Sciway.net. Sciway LLC. http://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/georgetown-county/the-hermitage.html. Accessed 10 Oct. 2016.

“The Legend of Alice Flagg.” Angel Fire. http://www.angelfire.com/sc3/mytrip/alice.html. Accessed 10 Oct. 2016.

“Ghost of Alice Flagg.” Hauntedstories.net. https://hauntedstories.net/ghost-stories/south-carolina/ghost-alice-flagg. Accessed 10 Oct. 2016.

Links for even more leads than this article provides visit:
The Ghost of Alice Flagg, Scary EPVs and Videos and Pictures
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9qSY6ODMCs
In this video, YouTube user Joey Blackrose is at the cemetery where Alice is buried and is taking a video of what he is experiencing, as well as EVPs of him trying to communicate with her spirit.

Honeymoon from Hell
http://www.mylifetime.com/movies/honeymoon-from-hell?cdn_provider=auto
In this movie, a young couple honeymoons to low country South Carolina but they end up getting stuck due to a hurricane and get haunted by the alleged ghost of Alice Flagg.

Ghosts of South Carolina: Two Stories of Lost Love and Tragic Death
http://archive.independentmail.com/features/ghosts-of-south-carolina-two-stories-of-lost-love-and-tragic-death-ep-412898299-349166541.html
This webpage tells anyone who is interested how to find Alice’s gravesite, the Hermitage and other historical sites in the area.

Hill of Crosses

Ariana McMahon

With a landscape full of seemingly random crosses, the country of Lithuania displays its religious devotion and pride. In their article on Lithuanian crosses, Giedre Mikneviciene and Marija Nemuniene, say, “Crosses are an inseparable part of the Lithuanian scenery” (1). Many people travel to on pilgrimages different places. The more popular places being Mecca, Jerusalem, or Stonehenge. One of the less known destinations is a hill located in the town of Siauliai, in Lithuania. The Hill of Crosses is known for being a place of remembrance for Lithuanian Catholics. The Hill is exactly like its name and is covered in crosses, placed there over the years by the many people who visit. The reason why the people of Lithuania placed crosses in different places is because of religious reason. Before the spread of Christianity stone pillars were placed to worship pagan gods. The different types of crosses are Cross Double-cross crest, Double-toried, roofed pillar, Pillar-type chapel, Chapel, and Curonian cross board (3).


In this image only a tiny portion of the Hill’s crosses are shown, but the variety of crosses is clearly seen

Siauliai, the town where the Hill is located was “o
ccupied by Teutonic Knights during the 14th century. The tradition of placing crosses dates from this period…” (Gray). Though the hill has a long history many of the crosses are relatively new. This is because the Hill has been destroyed several times. Once when the Tsarist Russia oppressed Lithuania and Poland. The people of Lithuania revolted and many were killed on the Hill of Crosses. So, to remember their countrymen crosses were placed, but were immediately destroyed multiple times. The Hill survived through german occupation during World war II, and both Mikneviciene and Nemuniene state, “There were four organized cross demolition waves but the Hill of Crosses would constantly revive. The fight for the survival of the Hill of Crosses lasted for about 20 years” (6). 


In 1993, the Pope John Paul II paid his respects to the those who lost their lives during the revolt. He commended their efforts in keeping their religion alive and then erected a cross in their memory. Also, “a hermit of the Franciscan Brothers was consecrated on July 7, 2000” (“Hill of Crosses”). Now the number of crosses placed on the Hill has grown exponentially due to tourism and the Hill is a place of peace remembrance and worship.

Work cited:
Gray, Martin. “Hill of Crosses.” Sacred Sites. 1982-2016, sacredsites.com/europe/lithuania/hill_of_crosses.html. Accessed 20 Oct. 2016.

Gray, Martin. Hill of Crosses, Siaulia. 1982-2016, Sacred Sites, sacredsites.com/images/europe/lithuania/hill-crosses-02-500.jpg

“Hill of Crosses.” Sanctuaries and Pilgrimage Sites. Catholic Internet Service, 1998-2001, www.lcn.lt/en/bl/sventoves/kryziuk/. Accessed 20 Oct. 2016.

Journeyman Pictures. “Hill of Crosses-Lithuania.” Youtube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0nX9PGRW64. Accessed 15 Oct. 2016.

Mikneviciene, Giedre and Marija Nemuniene. "Lithuanian crosses and the spirit of place: Transmitting the spirit of place." The Institute for Design and Restoration. Vol. 16, Fall 2008, pp. 1-10.


Motuzas, Alfonsas. "The Origin of the Hill of Crosses, Devotional Practices and Music of the Pilgrimages." Scholarly Papers University of Latvia: Oriental Studies, vol. 793, no. 10, Fall 2013, pp. 79-83.

For further information on Lithuania:
Hill of Crossses.com
This site contains more information and a way to book a trip to the Hill of Crosses.

Places of peace and power
This website provides a short history of the Hill of Crosses in Lithuania and little details on the different types of crosses present on the hill.

Lonelyplanet.com
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/lithuania/attractions/a/poi-sig/360107
This site gives a list of places in Lithuania that is not limited to just the Hill of Crosses.