Ghost Story

London Free Press ^ | 30 Apr 04 | Ian Gillespie

[CurlyBill]

Ghost story

Several unexplained phenomena at the old courthouse in St. Thomas have sent chills through many.

Ian Gillespie, Free Press Columnist 2004-04-30 03:05:48

ST. THOMAS -- Somebody calls the newspaper with a tip and I find myself clambering up the steps of the old St. Thomas courthouse, thinking I'm wasting my time on a wild goose chase. Maybe a wild ghost chase.

It's a grand old building, to be sure. First built in 1852, it burned down in 1898 and was rebuilt the following year. Situated atop the hill on Wellington Street, the three-storey structure features five arches out front and a cupola on top.

The building, which is being renovated, holds a Crown attorney's office, a land registry office and provincial and Superior courtrooms.

Maybe the courthouse holds something else, too.

Several people tell me that years ago, a husband and wife team of custodians lived on the top floor. They say the wife died in a tragic accident and she has haunted the building ever since.

I tug on the door leading to the top-floor apartments, but it's locked.

I hear that, for years, there have been strange things happening here. Most of the people who tell me these tales don't want their name in the newspaper. Not in a ghost story, anyway.

One yarn goes like this: A caretaker, spooked by a vacuum cleaner that kept mysteriously turning off, finally lost his patience and spoke aloud. "Now look," he said. "The sooner you let me finish my work, the sooner I'll be out of here."

The vacuum immediately started up.

I'm told nighttime cleaners have found all the trash cans upended. I'm told a worker changed the brand of liquid cleanser she was using; later, she found all the new cleaning bottles on the floor, tops off, spilling into a drain.

I talk to a St. Thomas police officer in one of the courtrooms. He tells me that about 20 years ago, he and his partner responded to a possible B and E -- breaking and entering -- at the old courthouse.

It was a hot summer night. But, he says, as the two men climbed a rickety staircase to the top floor, the temperature suddenly dropped.

"It got so damn cold," he says, "it was like climbing into a fridge."

Then, he says, he felt a pressure on his left side and was shoved aside with such force that he would've tumbled off the steps if his partner hadn't grabbed him.

"That was my last experience being in here at night," says the cop. He laughs, but I don't think he finds it funny.

Then I meet a couple of electricians working on the renovations. Do they know anything about the ghost? One nods.

Dave Eels tells the story matter-of-factly, almost as if I'd asked him how to upgrade a fuse box.

Eels says it happened back in February. It was dark, about 7:30 p.m., and Eels and two other men were working in the courthouse. One of the guys asked if they wanted to go outside for a break.

Later, the man explained why he'd wanted to leave the courthouse: He'd been working alone in the basement when he felt something tug his overalls.

Then the room turned suddenly cold -- so cold, says Eels, the man could see his breath.

While they were standing outside, the three men heard a loud noise -- a sort of banging -- echo from the supposedly empty building. One guy figured a sheet of drywall had fallen. They heard more noises and went back to investigate.

And this is what they found in the small basement room where the one man had been working: They found the man's drill case, where he'd left it. Atop that they found the man's sweater, where he'd left it. And atop that they found a wooden chair, smashed to pieces.

Eels says the chair had been sitting, intact, in another room down the hall.

Eels shows me the broken chair. I ask if he believes in ghosts.

"Something was going on that night," he says.

Later, I re-enter the small basement room, with its curved, brick ceiling and old stone walls. I'm a skeptical guy. It's mid-afternoon. There are at least a dozen people upstairs.

Still, it feels good to get out of there. And I do. Fast.

[foolscap]

Please add me to your ping list. Thanks!

[tiamat]

I love this sort of thing.

Thanks!

[tiamat]

The house I live in right now is haunted.

When we first bought it, it needed a lot of work.

One day, I was in the house by myself upstairs laying tile. I found a couple of nails in the floor-boards that needed to be 9999pulled and didn't have a hammer.

I heard heavy foot-steps downstairs and assumed it was my contractor. So I yelled down to him that if he was coming up, would he please bring me a hammer?

I went back to my tile.

A moment later, I hear heavy boots on the stairs, coming up.

Not looking u I said, "Good morning, Lee! How are you

No answer. The boots continue on the stairs

So I look down the stairs and there's no one there.

EVERY hair on my arms u

[tiamat]

Sorry about that.

My keyboard went nuts on me...

Hmmmmm.... mayebe they don't like me typing about them?

:-)

Would you please add me to your ghost ping list?

thanks!

[Blue Eyes]

Please add me to your ghost story ping list. Thanks!

[Blue Eyes]

What part of Maryland do you live in? I'm in St. Mary's County, in the southern part of the state.

I work on a Navy base, in a WWII building that used to be the hospital. The story is that the section where I work used to be the morgue, but I can't confirm. Anyway, from time to time, people hear footsteps, though no one is around to make them. I have not heard the footsteps, but I have heard "voices". They sound like some men are outside an open window talking. Only, there is no window nearby, nor are there any men nearby. It's puzzling, but strangely not scary.

My kids think our house is haunted, as their bathtub drain stops up from time to time and then suddenly drains, with no explanation. Do ghosts play pranks with plumbing?

Ghost stories are fun.

[sonserae]

Please add me to your ghost ping list too. I think reading Nancy Drew mysteries when I was young, got me hooked on spooky stories.

I live in a house built in 1925...for So. Ca it's old. The doorbell rings by itself at 1 and 2 in the morning and the toilet even flushes by itself sometimes. It's never creeped me out and I lived alone there for 7 years before I got married. Guess I figured that it was nice to have some company.

[CurlyBill]

I'm in Elkridge, but my family is originally from the Leonardtown area.

[DollyCali]

catching up on thread.. please add me to the new (and improved?) Ghost Story Ping LIst. thanks!

[7.62 x 51mm]

Pls add me to your list! I love this stuff, but have never had such an experience. I hope I do before I die. (Just once, please Lord?)

[7.62 x 51mm]

Here in York County, PA, we delivered for Toomey. It was tight with that other lib-dem moron in the race:

U.S. Senator

Joseph M HOEFFEL Democratic 10822

Pat TOOMEY Republican 19420

Arlen SPECTER Republican 18461

[Hollywoodghost]

I believe in ghosts because I have seen several in my life. The scariest one was the phantom I saw on Sound Stage 28 at the Universal Lot in Hollywood. It was several years back and I walked though the stage and saw a figure in black walking slowing across the floor. No one was to in in there so I yelled "Hey, What are you doing in here?" It moved silently and I followed it. I thiught it was some member of the crew--But when I got there there was no one there. It was ice cold. I heard the place was haunted by Lon Chaney Sr. but, I never believed it til then. They made "Phantom of the Opera " there in '25.

[tiamat]

I've heard of that ghost.

Have you always seen them?

I did, even as a little kid.

I seem to attract them.

[tiamat]

Kids are often right about stuff like that. Ghosts play pranks with all sorts of things.

I lived in one house with one who loved to slam and lock the doors. Locked me out once It also stole things.

The ones I have here now mostly walk around, but you can sometimes here voices.

One of them likes to knock on doors, too.

[CurlyBill]

Nice area up there, only about an hour or so away.

[Living Stone]

My ex was always telling me one of the houses we lived in was haunted. Ghosts seemed to be attracted to her also.

Then one summer night we were lying in bed, both wide awake at about 2 AM., with the window next to the bed wide open. We both heard footsteps in the pea gravel beside the house as plainly as I have ever heard anything.

I grabbed a rifle (rural area, we were pretty isolated) and let our extremely territorial German Shepherd out. Told the dog to "hunt him up". If there had been anyone there, that dog would have found them in short order. There was nothing there for the dog to find.

[tiamat]

Is your house old?

I had a dog that could actually sense them. She'd stare and growl, or, alternately, "woof" and wag her tail like she was happy to see someone.



I'm out in the country, too. I keep a shot-gun, but I expect ghosts don't care about 12 guage! LOL!

[Mackey]

Please add me to your ghost story ping list, I find this subject very interesting. Thanks!

[Living Stone]

It was a pretty old house, and we did not know any of the history of it. We didn't live there but a year or so, because she could not stand the ghosts. The above described incident was the only thing that I ever noticed happening there that could not be rationally explained.

I did witness a pretty strange occurence on a river once, though.

[tiamat]

Living Stone wrote:



I did witness a pretty strange occurence on a river once, though.

---

This is me asking!

What happened on the river?