Posted on 12/15/2004 8:18:49 PM PST by CurlyBill
I'm not one who has ever really believed in ghosts. I've always thought there was a logical explanation for everything.
I have a couple of good friends in Greenwood who have always claimed they have a ghost in their house. Since I have never had a firsthand experience with a ghost, I always shake my head, laugh and think, "Yeah, right."
But after last Saturday night, I'm beginning to rethink my views on ghosts.
It's more than a week later, and I'm still a little spooked by what I saw.
As I was standing by my friend, Melanie Riley, on the porch of the Confederate Memorial Building following the late-afternoon wedding of her sister, Michelle Cleveland, to Ronny Joyner, the freakiest thing happened.
Several of us were taking a break from the after-wedding cleanup, when Melanie saw a cute picture of her sister, Cindy, wearing the boot of her boyfriend, Trampas.
She said, "This is hysterical. I've got to have a picture of this."
Melanie snapped the picture, and then her jaw almost hit the ground when she viewed the image on screen.
It was evident something wasn't quite right when she said, "Oh my God. I've always heard you can catch apparitions on camera, but I've never had that happen before."
We all kind of looked at each other for a minute and let what she said soak in. Then we all wanted to see the picture.
Even on the digital camera's miniature screen, you could see a ghostly image.
Immediately the group on the porch started analyzing the situation. I'd say there were at least a half dozen people standing there at the time.
In the picture, the ghostly image started across Cindy and wound around behind Trampas.
It appeared that at least two ghosts, who I think look like Confederate soldiers, decided to join in the wedding fun.
But being the skeptic that I am, I told Melanie to take another shot just to make sure it wasn't something with the lighting. There was only one person with a cigarette, so it couldn't have put out that much smoke. Plus, I would have noticed it. An image like what I saw in the picture would have been hard to miss.
The second photo was as clear as a bell, so there goes any theory about it being smoke - and it was a cool, crisp winter night, with no fog or haze to speak of.
Talk about a hair-raising experience. I've never had a feeling like that in my life.
There were no ghostly sounds. Things didn't move by themselves. There was no evidence they were even there, except for the images caught by the camera.
Needless to say, that incident has been a big topic of discussion this week.
Melanie immediately went inside to show her mom and dad, Bo and Jean Cleveland, who were downstairs cleaning up with a couple of their friends. Then she got on the phone with the newlyweds to tell them about the apparitions. And her brother, Donnie, and his wife, Angela, were there as well.
We were all trying to figure out what was going on, and we couldn't wait to see the photo on a larger computer screen.
Melanie went home and downloaded the picture, and she called me a little later to tell me what she saw.
On Monday morning, I had her e-mail it to me at the Commonwealth, so I could get a better look.
I thought surely after the weekend I would think about this image in a more rational way.
But there was no getting past it. It would be easy to write it off as something else if I hadn't been standing there and seen it with my own two eyes.
It still appeared to be an image of two men who looked, oddly enough, like Confederate soldiers.
The first thing I decided to do was call Mary Ann Shaw, who has been the driving force in restoring the Confederate Memorial Building. She said she had never heard any ghost stories about the building. But the incident piqued her interest, and she came by Tuesday afternoon to see the picture of the ghosts.
Some of us who were there Saturday have been wondering if there was something significant about Dec. 4. What could have caused the images to appear on the camera?
I haven't found answers to these questions, and I may never know, but it will always keep me wondering.
As people at the newspaper saw the photo, I got mixed reviews. Some are just as caught up in the ghostly image as I am, and others aren't so sure.
One woman came by to see the picture and said it looked like a bunch of smoke to her.
Another friend has examined this picture to the extent that she thinks it is one ghost that was moving so fast it appears to be two. She can show you what she believes are the facial features, the hat and everything else.
Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, and I respect that.
No matter what other people have thought about the picture, it has been so much fun to talk about. It has given me a new perspective about ghosts. I've even gone to Web sites to see if what we saw compares to other sightings.
Oddly enough, the picture Melanie took looks creepier than anything I've seen on the Internet.
The theme song from the movie "Ghostbusters" also has been ringing in my ears since someone on staff said that was what the picture brought to his mind.
And the funniest thing is, it's amazing how many people have ghost stories to share. I've heard more of them in the past few days than I care to admit, and it's not even Halloween.
It may be smoke, it may not be.
Since they took another pic, it seems like it may have been the real thing.
It does not have the characteristics of les flare or reflection etc. that come from digital cameras.
Whatever it took a pic of is real.
Due to the obvious cigarette in her hand, I am not as ready to jump on this being legit as I am in some cases.
I have seen lots of photos that clearly show something paranormal....this is just one I can't bite on.
It could be the smoke was gone enough to not register in the next pic.
Oh, remember the devil's face in the smoke on 9/11/01? It was an AP photo, no tricks they swore. You did not have to stare at the photo to see the face. It sure looked real.
It doesn't look like ghosts to me. Save it for a night with Washington Irving.
I see a demons face in that image. Seriously.
I had a similar experience taking a picture in a quaint old bar in Plum Island, MA a few years ago. Used a disposable camera and was photographing old murals on the wall. After the photos were developed I saw images quite similar to these in one photo (but not in the others). There were eight streaky wisps of light "flying" through the room that looked more like angel than human forms. Sent a copy to my friend who owned the bar and she said the place was definitely haunted and that a number of her employees had either seen things or quit working there because of it.
Yikes - looking again, I see it too!
I don't know if "spooked" is the right word for my experience at the Alamo, but it is one of several places I have been where I had an episode of what felt like being frozen in time. My immediate surroundings sort of faded away like into the distance and for a few moments it was like I was there and feeling all the energy around me of events that had taken place there. It was more like stepping into a time warp. Gives me chills, even now, talking about it.
Two other such places were St. Simon's Island in Georgia, actually, in two locations there....the graveyard at the church and Fort Frederica. But the most intensely that I have experienced that was at Pecos Pueblo, in New Mexico, so much so, that I was drawn to return on subsequent occasions.
Missippy ping
It has happened to me twice in my life, and the first time was at Fort Frederica, when I was only 6 years old. I have a very vague memory of it now, but I dreamt about it for years afterward - not nightmares, by any means, but odd dreams of being someone else.
The second time was at Devil's Den at Gettysburg. An overwhelming smell of blood and honeysuckle blossoms...my nephew and I both smelled it, and he almost blacked out. I came close to fainting myself. My husband and my son didn't smell a thing.
The next question should be...
..What kind of wedding gown was the present day bride wearing?....which should determine if anything 'bled through'.
I had the same feeling at an old Spanish Fort in Florida
interesting ping.
I would be interested to see if the previous picture in the camera was that of the bride sitting in a chair with her right leg lifted and the groom, to the right and looking up at her as he's kneeling down and removing her garter.
We don't know who the smoker is from reading the story (at least I don't think we do). If the smoker was close to the camera (smoking blowing directly in front of the lens) and a flash was used it would have created an effect similar to this, even if the writer didn't "notice" the smoke.
I'm unconvinced.
Those are really the sorts of pictures that only the bride and groom should see ... ;-)
Mental image: Bride and groom collapsing in lustful passion on the heart-shaped bed of their honeymoon suite as the bride coos, "Honey, finally... we're alone now, Take me, TAKE ME!!!"
Groom: Uh, Sweetie Pie? Who's that guy standing over in the corner?
Bride: Oh, him? Just ignore him... here darling, I'm reeeeeady.....
Groom: But, Sweetie, he's got a camera.
Bride: Well, duhhh, he's our wedding photographer, silly. Just pretend he's not there...
On a side note, what in the heck is this girl doing calling the bride and groom on the phone after the reception to tell them about a ghost for? And why on earth would the bride and groom still have their cell phones turned on? I'm sure that call could have waited until, at least breakfast.
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