Ghost Stories with Becky, Holiday Edition!

Well, Christmas is almost upon us, so what better time for a new edition of Ghost Stories with Becky!!
Becky writes about her time at the famous paranormal site Eastern State Penitentiary. Fascinating read with some very cool pictures! Check it out!

Happy Holidays!

During this time of family and friends, parties, and being thankful for what we have, I started thinking about someone who touched my heart in a most unlikely place and in a most unlikely way. I'd like to share a story with you that I was saving for Halloween but due to family issues, I never shared it. Though in hindsight, I believe it was suppose to be written now as opposed to then. Its about a man I believe is called Peter. He lives in Philadelphia, PA in the center cell on death row at Eastern State Penitentiary. I met him on my first “official” paranormal investigation with my friend's group centered in Virginia. 



Eastern State Penitentiary

We stopped at Eastern State one warm August afternoon to walk around before our investigation later that night. The place itself is like walking back in time. On the outside, a gorgeous work of architecture in a Gothic style, inside a spider web of hallways to confuse the inmates. Walking down some of the cell blocks you can just imagine the daily routine. Eastern State was born in the home of Benjamin Franklin in 1787 when a group of prominent Philidelphians felt there was a need for a new type of “jail” one that would not punish using corporal punishment and ill treatment but one that would make its inmates reflect upon their sins and repent. Cells were individually sized with a sky light in the roof for them to be able to look to the heavens. Eventually, it was found to be cruel to keep inmates in such solitary confinement all the time without books, contact with the outside of any kind and no letters from home or family. For a bit of perspective, most of the inmates were there for crimes such as thievery, assault, murder, and armed robbery to name a few. These were the worst criminals our young country had to offer. The most famous criminal before it closed its doors in January of 1970 is Chicago gangster Al Capone (1929-1930) whose cell has been reconstructed to look like it did when he was there. For more history visit its site here! A fascinating place, if I do say so. 

Al Capone's cell

 

Walking down the cell blocks during the daylight was a humbling experience not to mention the other strange experiences we had. One hallway or cell block gave me a really creepy feeling. So much so that when I had to place a camera down there for our investigation that night I made someone go with me. Down a different cell block Erin asked me to stop, I did, then she said to move to the left, as I did a shadow bolted to the right and disappeared.  



The "eye"

Finally the time I'd been waiting for; set up is done it is time to Investigate!! We went down a cell block which was super quiet. Scott gave me the recorder and said “go do your first EVP session wherever down this block.” So myself and another investigator walked a little ways when we were drawn to one of the open cell doors, we went in and started taking pictures. At one point I was feeling like something was staring at me. (remember we are in the pitch dark, no light) I turned around and took a picture at the doorway behind me. Well to my surprise, the flash on my camera revealed a HUGE eyeball painted above the door. We giggled (yes I know how childish but it certainly wasn't laughing when that thing caught us off guard) and started our EVP. We didn't get anything on the recorder but we did smell smoke like something was burning. I'm not 100% but I believe there was a fire in that cell block or the one near it. All I know, is there was nothing burning that night.

 

Next we went to the “Klondike” or “The Hole” which was where solitary confinement was later put

when the need arose for some of the more troublesome prisoners. This was a small area where my 5'4” just made it without hitting my head on the ceiling (thank God since there were tons of spiders!) Needless to say anyone taller than 5'6” wouldn't be able to stand up straight. These cells were also made underground and in between the pipes that held the hot water. Not a very comfortable space by any means. Within minutes of entering, one of the women in our group had a headache. We talked to the walls and I picked up on a young man, one of the youngest who had been incarcerated. He was mad, something to do with his girlfriend and he couldn't see her. My guess – he was given permission to have her visit and got himself thrown in Solitary, but I honestly don't know. Later I got a really sharp pain right in my ribs... your guess is as good as mine, only way I can describe it is like being stabbed. 

Once we left the Hole, I was fine. We went down a few other cell blocks but I'm going to go to the heart of my tale: Death Row. It is a short cell block with only 5 cells that are blocked by a big metal gate. Executions didn't take place at Eastern State, they were transported elsewhere to receive this. I stood by the gate and was soon drawn to the middle cell. We started our EVP session and one of the women in our group mentioned how staying there must have really “sucked” I immediately heard a male voice saying she should watch her language. I mentioned it to her and she apologized. (not that you would know this but I literally just searched my house for my disk of that session so I could give you verbatim information – can't find it any where so I'm thinking Peter doesn't want his tale told. Sorry buddy! I will go from memory.) We asked him when he was born and he said 1873 (unfortunately, the recorder didn't pick up on any of this, just my translation of what he told me). He was incarcerated in the 1920's. He doesn't trust anyone because they always disappoint him in some way. He doesn't have any family, I got the impression he was an orphan who grew up on the streets. When we asked him if he would like us to help him cross over, he said 'no he is fine where he is' I asked him why? He said, 'he doesn't know where he would be going, heaven or hell, so he would much rather stay where he knows what

to expect' We then asked if he ever had a dog because pets could receive on the other side as well. Just then everyone heard a dog bark. I wish I had the CD, but I believe he also mentioned that he was an accomplice to a murder which is what added to his not knowing where he would go if he crossed over. He also challenged us as to why we would “try to cross someone over when we couldn't prove it existed” A valid point if I do say so and have kept that with me ever since. He gave me several other details, vague but stuff I would never have come up with. I promised him I'd be back later to say good-bye, he didn't believe me. A little after midnight I did go back with Scott and the “medium” that came with us. (I will restrain from giving my full opinion of her but I will say I didn't like “something” about her from the moment I met her.) Peter was pleasantly surprised I followed through. Our “medium” kept saying there was no one there, that she felt nothing. She continued to talk about crossing him over and it was ok. As she talked he was talking to me making fun of her, saying she talked too much, and that she thought too much of herself. She asked a particular question (I can't remember what now) and I could feel him looking at me asking “is she f-ing serious???” I cracked up then which she didn't appreciate. By the end, I swear he was holding his hand up saying “blah blah blah”

It was tough leaving his cell. I felt like we really made a connection and neither of us wanted me to go. I told him so and he said “go, I'll be ok” I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried as I left him. He is always close to my heart and I do miss him. Sadly I haven't made it back there to see him though I've had people tell me spirits have no concept of time. Whether he does or not, its a promise I made and will eventually keep when the timing is right. Its funny how many opportunities I've “Just” missed to go there again.

So during this holiday season I want to wish all of you a fun filled time with the people you hold most dear. Thoughts to those who miss out on the true spirit of family and friends because they are without. To all those who are serving in the military and are unable to make it home, a huge THANK YOU to you and your loved ones. And to Peter, in the small span of 60 minutes I made a dear friend whom I wish all the best, that you are thought of and not alone any more! Until we meet again!!!

 

 

Check out Becky's paranormal groups blog "Fallen Angels" you can find them on Facebook here as well!

 

Until next time

Bottoms up my friends

 

The Beer Czar

Ghost Stories with Becky "Ghost Hunting and History"

Here is one more installment from my good friend Becky, looking at how history plays a part in paranormal research, check this out!


"Ghost Hunting and History"
Wow! What a great response on my last segment. Thank You all for your support
and interest in my stories! I can only hope I can keep up with your expectations as I
sit here trying to figure out what to share next.... How about funeral homes and
religions?
Many people think of the “glamor” aspects of investigating the paranormal; having
the experiences, hearing the evidence and getting to visit some really cool places.
However, there is a lot done behind the scenes as well. History plays a HUGE part
in an investigation for many reasons. For one, it lets us know the previous
occupants and experiences of a building. It can answer if any deaths occurred on
property and possibly how. It gives us a tiny window to see what life was like for
generations. If you don't learn the history behind a case then you could be making
things worse instead of better.

grumpy ghost!

Let me take you on a case. A homeowner calls with concerns about her house, she  has been hearing voices of several people in conversation, a grumpy man and also  children. There have also been unexplained knocks, lights being turned on and off, and items being moved around the house. It is an older house built in . Basically – this is the type of information a home owner gives you to upon request of an investigation. Not a whole lot to go on. We do ask questions such as an address,  how long they have lived there, any known deaths, and if they know anything about the history of the property. (For confidentiality purposes I won't be giving you the name or location) . The answers to these questions give us a starting point.


So this residence was built in a field just about ¼ mile from a Meeting House, either
Quaker or Puritan. History could play a huge roll here and you'll see why shortly.
When we first started to look into the house we were under the impression it was
Puritan land. Puritan's were very steadfast and strict in their beliefs. They came to
the new world for that freedom to follow the Bible. They were not open to other
beliefs and in fact, did NOT like people who did Not believe in God.
Our homeowner was mostly concerned with the Grumpy man that she would hear.

This past spring she planted an herb garden unearthing some old metal nails and
fixtures. She was awoken the next night by a very mean voice accusing her of
something. She was very shaken up. It was never described as evil, which is
important, just grumpy and not nice. When we investigated we got several EVP's
(electronic voice phenomenon) with a grumpy male voice saying “Get Out!”
A possible important fact, our homeowner is a practicing Wiccan, also thought of
as a witch. If the information is correct and this is Puritan land, with its meeting
house just ¼ mile away... How do you think any one still lingering is going to take
the news that a “witch” is practicing on their land?
We go home and diligently go over evidence where to our surprise we get a name.

Quaker Meeting House

We continue to dig deeper, this time looking for names of possible Puritan clergy
and continue our research into the property. It is very important to us to be able to
give the homeowners the most truthful explanation we can, not to mention we would
love to validate the name we got. Much to our surprise, we discover it wasn't Puritan
land but Quaker land. This puts a new spin to our theories. Quakers are quite the
opposite of Puritans, they are peaceful people who are tolerant and open to other's
beliefs. They believe in salvation for all. Hmmmmm doesn't really sound like our Grumpy man. So the theory of it being a difference between religions may not be the answer.
Believe it or not, it was the homeowner who seems to have solved the mystery of
Mr. Grumpy. She was talking to her neighbors and learned there was a man named
__________ who lived and died in the house. In life he was a grumpy, stuck in his
ways man and it appears he doesn't want to share his house even in death. The
homeowner sat down one night and had a little chat with him setting up the ground
rules and how they need to share the house now. It has been pretty quiet ever since,
though now she keeps hearing children so we may just be heading back soon!
Will we ever know all the answers? Probably not but at least history points us in
more accurate directions.

Another home we investigated had undergone many changes throughout its time.
Starting out as a farmhouse built by a young couple, to a funeral home, back to a
private residence. (just to name a few) The currant homeowners contacted us as
activity started to pick up during their remodeling of the home. Disembodied
voices, objects moving, objects being thrown, and their grandson playing hide and
seek for hours with an invisible little boy were a few of the reports. The day we were
to investigate, their grandson had no idea we were coming, he gave the toy found in
the wall to his grandfather telling him to give it to us so we can return it to his
“invisible” friend. (I refer to him as invisible but to the grandson he was as solid as
you or I)

We arrived and took a tour of the house finding the hot spots and hearing the accounts of activity. As we were setting up in the room where the toy was found in  the wall, the whole group heard plain as day, “Mama?” a little girl was calling for her
mama. Throughout the evening it was hit or miss, as it often is during investigations.
I can't stress enough how spirits don't perform on command, they were/are people
and if they don't want to come out and talk, they won't. At the very end of our night we were in what is now the master bedroom but at one  time was the viewing room for the funeral home. The air was heavy feeling and we
were doing an EVP session. One of the other investigators, Chris, and I like placing
our flashlights down to see if spirits can turn them on and off on command to
answer questions. It isn't fool proof by any means, vibrations can set them off as
can rolling.

It is a fun tool to use, however, and tonight it was a show stopper. I was
sitting in a chair by the windows (where the bodies would be displayed) with Chris'
flashlight next to me. She was sitting on the bed with my flashlight on the floor at her
feet. We also had a 3rd flashlight that night in the hand of another investigator in a
direct line from mine and Chris'. We started asking questions and discovered it
was Sylvia, the original homeowner's wife with us. What blew us away, was that
whenever I asked a question she would light up my flashlight on the floor, when Chris asked a question she would light up her flashlight next to me. In fact while she was lighting the flashlight next to me, my leg would be pushed out of the way by
what felt kind of like a hoop skirt. It wouldn't matter who asked the question she
would answer using the correct flashlight. Sylvia was able to light up all 3 lights in a
row and then all at once. It was an amazing display of communication between our
world and theirs.

To come around full circle, if we hadn't done our research on this house, we would
never have asked if it was Sylvia, we wouldn't have been able to put her at ease
and the amazing communication through the flashlights wouldn't have happened.
The fact that we put her at ease enough to light up the flashlight in our other
investigators hand is pretty incredible. I know it is an experience he won't forget
anytime soon.
Stay tuned for my last segment on Halloween Night! I have enjoyed sharing my
stories with you all. Please continue to follow on my team's newest site beginning
Halloween, Fallen Angels. A link will be available next week!



Thank you Becky! We will have one more post from Becky before her and her groups blog goes on line. I will keep you all up to date and let you know when it goes live, and provide the link for it!

Thanks again Becky

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar

Ghost Stories with Becky - "Do Ghosts Drink Beer?"

With Halloween fast approaching, we wanted to give you some more"ghost stories" So my good friend Becky was kind enough to provide us with another installment of "Ghost Stories with Becky"

Check it out! (if you missed the first one, check it out here.....)


Ghost Stories with Becky
Do Ghosts Drink Beer?

As I sit down again on a Sunday night, relaxing with my favorite, Sam Adam's Octoberfest. I am left thinking about my weekend full of friends, football and of course a few drinks. Last night my fellow "Fallen Angels" and I were reminiscing about some of our past investigations (be looking for our new blog coming out October 30^th). 
I was reminded of a couple of experiences that oddly enough, tie into this blog's favorite topic.....beer. 
So my question to you is, "Do you think spirits give up their love for favorite foods or drinks just because they are now dead?"

As you contemplate that question let me share a couple of stories with you. But first! I want to take a moment and give a very brief history. Beer, wine, and other various alcoholic spirits have been around for forever! Many celebrations as well as everyday life throughout the years have had Beer and Wine as its primary beverage. They are easy to make and are usually readily available, not to mention healthier than water depending on which century you are in. Think about what happened here in the US during Prohibition?! That didn't go over very well, people found ways around it. As I said, a Brief history, but I can see I have you thinking now. History tells me one thing for certain, "Beer and Wine are very important to societies for a variety of reasons."
With all that in mind I'd like to share with you one of my own family experiences and one that really pushed me into this field. My now husband, and I were dating only two months when I first met his grandparents. He is from a HUGE Irish/Italian family (need I say more about beer and wine here?) and I was quite nervous about meeting everyone all at once for the latest cousin's christening. Everything went well. I only mention this because this was the only time I had met his grandmother. She passed away about 6 months later. Fast forward now to about a year after her death. I was teaching in the school her children went to and was right next to her church and neighborhood in Dorchester. I was near my desk when I started smelling a floral perfume and hearing the name Mary. I start looking around trying to debunk and figure out what is going on. I'm on the second floor and it is a cold bitter March so my widows are all closed tight. I couldn't figure out

what was going on so like any sane person looking to not be insane, I didn't mention it to anyone.
A couple of weeks later the same thing happened right next to my desk, by the way – I rearranged my classroom and my desk was now on the opposite side from where it was the first time this happened. That night I stopped home to change before going to see my "boyfriend" I just wanted to put on a warm cozy sweatshirt. I had two sweatshirts from college, one big, cozy and maroon with dark letters the other not as cozy, white with maroon and black letters. Guess which one I wanted to wear and which one I HAD to wear. It was the craziest feeling because I argued with myself over this. Unfortunately or Fortunately the choice wasn't really mine to make.

I arrive at his house wearing, yup, the white one when his mom opened the door (he lived in the in law apartment at his parent's house I always went to the main door so I could say HI) Long story shortened. His mother had been trying to reach a professor at Franklin Pierce College who taught about the Paranormal. When I showed up wearing my sweatshirt she was thrilled! She showed me a picture she had taken of her father sitting on his couch with a mirror he had brought back from WWII above him. In the mirror was Nana, legally known as Mary holding a glass of her favorite, red wine. Did I mention that this picture was taken only a month or two earlier (a year or so after her death)?

Another tale, (not as long winded) takes place at a home investigation we did. We were looking for Triggers to draw out the spirit who was there and maybe get it to interact.
** I need to interject here by reminding you that ghosts don't appear or perform on command. Sometimes though, you can draw them out using a "trigger object" (something they can relate to). The Angels and I do not believe in provoking or harassing spirits. That is just disrespectful and being a bully.** Someone came up with the idea of Beer. So we left an empty beer can on a table for him, telling him we did so. When we returned later, we found the can under the stairs which were on the other side of the room.

My final tale is aboard the ship the USS Salem. We were investigating her for the first time and as we went along we invited the sailors to the officers Gedunk for a game of poker. We brought for trigger tools, a deck of cards, a pack of cigarettes they would have smoked and a zippo lighter. We then sat around the table and tried to have a "game" It would have been great if we could have brought in a beer or two but they didn't seem to mind playing for cigarettes. We caught a great picture in front of the Admiral's chair, What do you think??



So I leave you again with the question, "Do you think spirits give up their love for favorite foods or drinks or cigarettes just because they are dead?"

Until next time.
Becky


Thanks again to Becky, and again, look for details as her own blog for her paranormal group "Fallen Angels" gets up and running, I'll provide all the details here when I get them

Until then, you can follow them on twitter here....



Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar 

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Guest Contributor - "Ghost Stories" with Becky....

We have another guest contributor this morning! This time, it is a none beer related post, but still extremely interesting none the less (to me at least, and I hope to you too), which is why I asked my good friend Becky, a friend from my college days in NH, to write up a quick piece to post on the blog. Becky is part of a paranormal investigation team in Massachusetts.
Again, this is none beer related, but doesn't mean you can't enjoy a beer while reading it. So, I recommend, either sit by a fire, or imagine yourself sitting around a glowing campfire, enjoying a few beers, and trading scary stories, seems like a logical combination to me! So, without further ado, here is what Becky has to say..


"Ghost Stories" with Becky....

Ahhhhh Fall, my favorite time of the year. I invite you to grab a Sam Adam's Octoberfest with me or your favorite Fall beer and enjoy this spooky time of year with tales from a Ghost Hunter.
I bet you're wondering what Beer and ghost hunting have in common? Why is there a “blog” about the paranormal on a blog devoted to beer?
The answer is simple... Nothing! Just like beer has no connection really with a hard day at work, sporting events or other social gatherings. It is simply used to help the body relax and unwind, or for some people, provide that false courage used to face the unknown.

So, as I've alluded to, I am a paranormal investigator from Massachusetts. I do not use beer to help with courage but I have used it to help unwind after a particularly eventful night. My goal as an investigator is to rule out all the “known” possibilities so that I am left with the unexplainable. One needs a clear head to do that. If there is evidence I am left questioning, I toss it out. I have had several of these “unexplainable” experiences I'd like to share with you.

I am currently with a team whose home base is on board a Navy cruiser just outside of Boston proper. Though it had never been in combat it has seen its share of suffering through its commission as a hospital ship. Now, for those of you who watch the paranormal shows, they neatly tie everything into an hour or less “highlight” reel. When we do investigations they span over a good 6+ hours. Most of our time is spent talking to air in the dark hoping for that 60 seconds of possible contact. This doesn't include the time it takes to go over the evidence which can be 3 times or longer than the actual investigation.

Last weekend I was aboard the ship with 4 other team members and 2 guests. We were down near the anchor windlass room doing an EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) session. As we were introducing ourselves and asking if anyone was around we heard giggles and voices that sounded like young children answering questions with yes or no. All 6 of us heard these voices with our own ears. Thinking there had to be other people outside, (the hatch was open and a commuter boat docks next to the ship) so we went to look. The commuter boat was no where to be seen and there wasn't anyone else around. Who were we talking to? We did a quick review of our voice recorder and heard a very loud and clear EVP of a man saying “NO” We are still going over the evidence so who knows what else we may hear...
Later that same evening, one team member saw a man standing on the flag bridge in Navy dress whites. When we went to find out who he was, he vanished. There were no men in uniform on board and we never did find him. Who was he and what was he doing?

Another area of the ship was used as a “burn unit” for people who were severely burned and the best care they could provide was basically pain management. The bunks are stacked 3 high with just enough room for care givers to walk between them. So, you can imagine the lack of room and privacy for these poor people. Many others on the team have seen an apparition of a man who was burnt upon most of his body. A strong smell of sulfur and burning flesh is usually present when this individual appears. We were informed that he had been seen just last week laying on the third bunk. Upon entering, there was an incredible heaviness to the air no real scent. I introduced myself and the team, and acknowledged how the victims must have suffered. I asked how they were doing, and in a pain filled, male voice I heard the sarcastic reply “how do you think we are doing?” My heart going out to them, I asked what they were getting for the pain. His response “morphine”. That was it. Could it have been my emotions for what I was feeling for the injured? My knowledge is that morphine was used during that time? Yup, I won't deny it but the voice, the voice was not mine.... You can decide.


One thing I love about the paranormal is that there are no “experts” Each experience is as unique as the situation and people you may be contacting. Stay tuned for other experiences I have had throughout the month of October. Until our next encounter...
Bottoms Up!


My thanks to Becky! What I love about the paranormal is that, weather you believe it or not, it is fascinating. You can't "disprove" anything, and its hard to prove anything as well. You can just take what evidence is collected, and draw your own conclusions, and have faith that what you believe is correct. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope to hear more from Becky soon, especially as Halloween approaches!
(note- none of the photos are from Becky, or her team, they simply stock photos from the internet)

If you are interested, and want to learn more about Becky, or her team, drop me a line at thebeerczar@gmail.com and I will get you whatever information I can.

Thanks again Beck, well done!

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar