|
|||
Here are some of our photos taken of this beautiful old fort.  
|
Though disappointed at the loss of its county seat status, Fort Griffin continued to bustle, serving as a major supply source for buffalo hunters from 1874 through 1877, and a stop off for the many cowboys herding cattle up the Western Trail to the Dodge City, Kansas railheads. Businesses of all kinds sprouted up to meet the needs of the growing population which including numerous stores, saloons, and restaurants. A newspaper called the Fort Griffin Echo was published from 1879 to 1882, and the town even sported an academy for several years. At its height, Fort Griffin had a permanent population of about 1,000 and an estimated transient population of nearly twice that.
However, by the late 1870’s the buffalo on the plains were beginning to dwindle, reducing the many buffalo hunters that called the Fort Griffin home. Vital to the town’s economy, businesses began to suffer and soon packed up and moved to the new town of Albany.
In 1881, two events would spell the final death blows for the town of Fort Griffin. By this time, the Indians of the area had been pushed westward or placed on reservations and the soldiers of the fort were no longer needed. After 14 years of guarding the area population, the U.S. flag at the fort was lowered for the last time on May 31st.
|
||
| That same year, the Texas Central Railroad was pushing through the region and Fort Griffin was working desperately to entice them through their city. However, the citizens of nearby Albany raised $50,000 to lure them through their town.
The small town survived for several years, gradually diminishing in size. By the 1940’s the school was consolidated with Albany’s and a short time later the post office closed. Today, there are only a couple of original buildings left at the town site, but several “new” ones have been reconstructed over original foundations. What’s left of this once thriving town is situated on the Collins Creek Ranch, a wildlife habitat, working ranch, and commercial hunting property. Though privately owned, its owners do allow visitors on the property to view what’s left of this once lawless place. The fort itself was preserved for years as the Fort Griffin State Historical Park; however, on January 1, 2008, the site was transferred to the Texas Historical Commission. The 506 acre park features the partially restored ruins of old Fort Griffin on the bluff overlooking the old town site and the Clear Fork of the Brazos River Valley. Several buildings remain including the mess hall, barracks, administration building, powder magazine, and the restored bakery. Other remnants include a hand dug well, cistern, numerous foundations, and a rock chimney. The small soldier’s barrack buildings have been recreated. A portion of the official Texas Longhorn herd resides in the park that also provides camping, hiking, fishing, and picnicking. With the Texas Historical Commission now operating the site, a few changes are currently being made, including clearing the mesquite trees and cactus from the fort, as these are not historically accurate. This vegetation came up the trail with the longhorns. The Visitor’s Center will also be expanded and their are hopes that archaeological digs might be conducted in the future. The site is open daily year-round. Fort Griffin is located on the Texas Forts Trail on U. S. Highway 283, about 15 miles northeast of Albany, Texas.
Contact Information: Fort Griffin State Historic Site 1701 North US Highway 283
        
Replicas where the wild town laid At bottom of the cliffs before the river. It is a functional privately owned ranch. Got some cute cows and long horns freely roaming. Beautiful property. Excited that S.G.P was granted night time access as well. Hopefully I can mange getting through the photos and auto in the coming week.     |
|||
Latest
Fort Griffin, Throckmorton Texas
Stamford Inn, Stamford Texas
This old beauty had a very strong feel. Friends and I stopped for a short stroll on memory lane. A time of hope and growth in this old West Texas town.
Photos from the Compass Bank investigation
Ooo Orb! 🙂
No orb
We want to share your story!
If you have ever experienced the non living or perhaps lived in a haunted home, we want to know! message us your story and we will choose 2 of the stories we receive by next month and share them on our blog, facebook and twitter!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Southern-Goddess-Paranormal/265951726872673?ref=hl
10 Signs your home could be haunted
I’m sure you’ve heard plenty of stories about haunted places and the terrifying things that go on there, but what makes them so haunted? Hauntings can happen to everyone in all walks of life. Even famous people like Nicolas Cage, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Dane Cook claimed to have lived in haunted places, though most have either moved out or cleaned out the bad spirits. There are plenty of signs to look for when you are in a house that may be haunted, and these are the top 10.
10. Strange smells
One usual sign your place could be haunted is strange smells you normally shouldn’t sense. These scents can be abrupt and come from nowhere. A spirit may sometimes bring with it scents it was once familiar with or had, such as cigar smoke or fresh flowers. Knowing whether or not the smells are coming from the house, or from the spirit itself is one way of determining if your house has other inhabitants you may not know about.
9. Odd dreams of people or places you don’t know
If a spirit resides in the house, sometimes they can cause you to dream or even have nightmares about them. You may dream of strange places you’ve never been to or people you can’t recognize. It could be a sign that they are trying to explain their story or make contact with you. You have to understand that sometimes, these are spirits of people who have died under extremely unfortunate circumstances. Dreaming about them or places they are familiar with is a sign that the house is still imprinted with their signature and they may not have passed over. You can often find out the history of your home by going to a public records and seeing if you recognize any of the news stories or people contained in the archives.
8. Feeling of being watched
Some people can be more sensitive to the spirit world than others, and may feel like they are being watched by something lurking in the shadows. Although you shouldn’t rely on this feeling alone to determine whether the house is haunted or not, it can be a sign. If you sense that someone, or thing, is watching you, look around and see if you can detect any other strange phenomenon around you. Don’t be afraid to go out and investigate as this can provide reassurance that others aren’t around. Sometimes when people first move into a new home, they are overcome with the constant feeling of being watched, and it shouldn’t be ignored if it occurs in combination with other signs.
7. Heaviness in the Air
Some people are sensitive to the fields caused when a ghost or entity is present in the house, and it often gives the feeling of a heavyness in the air that can sometimes make it harder to breathe. Sudden changes in the air can be triggered by a spirit manifesting itself in the house, and it’s another sign there could be something lurking in your house. Normal people can detect these changes as well because of the abrupt changes that happen. Usually after a cleansing, or even an exorcism in more extreme cases, people report the air getting lighter almost instantaneously the rituals are complete.
6. Noises
Are you hearing strange noises, or even whispers that can’t be explained? There’s a reason for all the noises, and thats because the spirit or entity may be trying to make its presence known. Of course there can be many noises that can be caused by common household objects or by the house itself, but knowing what noises are normal and which aren’t can help you determine the possible cause. Most spirits don’t make noises that are detectable by the human ear and require evp equipment to track. However, there are spirits called poltergiests (noisy spirits) which are well known to produce some terrifying noises by throwing objects around and making things go bump in the night.
5. Changes in air temperature
Sudden changes in the temperature around you is often a good indicator a spirit is nearby. If you travel through the house and you notice some rooms are much colder than others, or you feel the air around you suddenly getting lower, then it’s probably not your a/c. Sometimes when spirits are around, the air becomes colder because it is absorbing the energy around it in order to manifest. Sometimes you may walk through an unusually cold spot in the house even though the air around it is normal. Just because things get cold however, doesn’t mean you’ll see the figure itself, but it’s still a sign that something is near.
4. Things moving around
Some spirits like to move things, sometimes when you’re not there. You should take notice when these types of things happen. If you know for sure that you’ve put an object somewhere, and it moves from its’ original place, then perhaps you should consider stranger reasons. Entities in the house may be trying to make its presense known by moving objects, or they may be trying to play tricks on you by hiding them in places you normally wouldn’t put them. Knowing for sure where you put things can help you determine what type of phenomenon is really happening. Sometimes things may move while you’re not there, such as doors opening and closing or objects falling off table. Know that any type of spirit that has the power to perform such feats may not be a friendly one. These spirits want their presence known to the homeowners, and should be taken seriously.
3. Being touched
Are you being touched when no one else is around, sometimes leaving a mark on your skin? Well, it could be another indicator your house has other inhabitants. You have to be careful though, brushing up against something or just feeling a slight breeze can sometimes feel like you’re being touched. Knowing for sure what touched you is important, so don’t jump to any conclusions just because you feel the hair on the back of your neck tingling. However, if marks are left after the encounter, or even bruises or cuts that you can’t explain, then it could be a sign of an evil spirit. If the problem escalates, you should research more into the subject and how to protect yourself from these types of entities as they can be very dangerous if left alone.
2. Sudden changes in mood or behavior
Although rare, depending on the types of signs you have, sometimes a more sinister enitity may be residing in your home. These spirits may in fact not be spirits at all, but demonic in origin. Sometimes the fear, anger, anxiety, and other emotions that the entity holds may be passed on to the residents of the house, causing mood and behavioral changes. In more serious cases, the outcome may be possession. One must be wary and cautious of both themselves and others if this is the case. Any changes in the mood or behavior of the household should be looked at more to prevent potential complications in the future. If full possession is allowed to take hold, then an exorcism will have to be performed.
1. Seeing is believing
The absolute best way of knowing your house is haunted is by actually seeing the entity itself. Spirits may manifest themselves before your very eyes, and if you got a sharp eye, you may be able to catch a glimpse of it. Seeing is believing, and it’s almost a surefire way of knowing your house is haunted. Figures of full bodied people may appear or disappear in some cases. You may see people who look entirely normal and vanish before your very eyes. These people may appear to be pale, wounded, bloody, or in the same state they died in. These people aren’t your typical shadowy figure or mist in the corner of your eye, and more often than not, these are the souls of people who have died in terrible ways. An example of this is at the Gettysburg battlefield, some visitors may see full figured soldiers marching into battle and fading away into the night. Sometimes these ghostly images may repeat what they previously did when they died, often replaying over and over like a video recording. Their souls have passed but the images of them remain stamped on the environment.
Scary High, El Paso Texas
El Paso has been called among the sweatiest, dumbest, and fattest cities in the country, but a website has given us major props for having the scariest haunted high school in America. We’re Number One! We’re Number One!
Mandatory.com checked out scary stories about high schools all over the U.S. and put El Paso High School at the top of their Top 10 list of haunted high schools. We beat out high schools that have ghostly body parts of a murdered girl show up in lockers, and then mysteriously disappear, and high schools that are built on top of cemeteries that might, or might not have been relocated when the school was built.
Didn’t those people learn anything from ‘Poltergeist’?
Anyway, Mandatory.com says of El Paso High:
“When it comes to the scariest school in America, El Paso High School has them all beat. Its ghost stories range from sealed off hallways full of mist and strange goo dripping from the ceiling to hidden classrooms beneath the building no one knew existed. However, nothing compares to the photo of the graduating class of 1985 above. While the woman in the center is certainly blurry, there is no doubt she is there. Or so you think. According to former students, there was no one standing there when the picture was taken, nor can the female in question be identified. Some believe the apparition to be a young girl who had taken her own life years before by jumping from a balcony connected to the misty hallway. Others have seen the very same ghostly figure jump from said balcony, disappearing before hitting the ground each time. Any way you slice it, El Paso High School takes spine-tingling to frightening new heights.”
El Paso High is scary looking enough on it’s own, but the photo of the ghost girl who showed up in a class photo makes it even scarier. It’s nice to be number one in such a cool category. Now, if we could just do something about our sweatiness.
Read More: El Paso High School Named Most Haunted School In America | http://kisselpaso.com/website-names-el-paso-high-school-the-scariest-haunted-high-school-in-america/?trackback=tsmclip
Before selling your HAUNTED home……
So, you’re looking to buy this charming old house, and the realtor whispers something to you about murders and spirits and unspeakable tragedy. Next thing you know, blood is running from the walls. It’s a common element in the haunted house story, but what about reality?
How do hauntings and other assorted grimness figure into actual spooky real estate dealings?
If your haunted house is going on the market, or you’re considering purchasing one of those charming but shady mansions down the street, certain information may or may not need to be shared. In fact, depending on what state you’re in, you might be required by law to live out that whole “So you know about the murders … ” scene for yourself.
Blogger Matt Soniak explains how real estate law figures into the strange business of buying and selling homes that come with more than four beds and two baths.
Most U.S. states require sellers to fill out a standard form disclosing what they know about the property’s condition and list any potential physical defects. This is a relatively recent reverse of the older “buyer beware” norm in real estate and lets buyers know ahead of time of any major problems with their dream home.
There are other defects besides faulty wiring and sinking foundations, though. Some states go a step further and require sellers to also disclose “emotional defects” that could impact and stigmatize a property. This includes traumatic events like murders and suicides, reported paranormal activity and even proximity to homeless shelters.
Whether you have to disclose anything and what types of defects you have to disclose all depends on the jurisdiction. If a seller does have to disclose emotional defects, which ones and how much detail they need to go into again varies among locations.
In Massachusetts, for example, the possibility of a property being “psychologically impacted” isn’t considered a “material fact required to be disclosed” to potential buyers. In Virginia, emotional defects like murders and ghost sightings only have to be disclosed if they physically affect the property (Blood running from the walls? Gotta tell the buyer). In California, as American Horror Story demonstrates, sellers do have to disclose emotional defects, but only in a very limited way. The state Civil Code requires that a death on the property only needs to be disclosed if it occurred less than three years prior to the sale and older incidents need to be addressed only if the buyer specifically asks. Some jurisdictions are a little more vague in the way they word things, so smart sellers could potentially disclose what they need to without having to drop words like “haunted,” “poltergeist” or “murder spree.”
If it seems odd that states have had to establish laws like this in the first place, it shouldn’t. We have so many fictional tales of murder and mayhem turning into real estate nightmares that a few real ones were bound to turn up, like the infamous case of Stambovsky v. Ackley.
In this particular case, Helen Ackley was the proud owner a big old Victorian mansion in Nyack, N.Y., and seemed extra proud that the place was filled with ghosts. She was so proud, in fact, that she described her paranormal pals—including some in colonial clothing and another who approved her new paint job—to the local newspaper and Reader’s Digest, and even put the home on a ghost tour.
Then it came time to sell it, and suddenly she wasn’t so happy to bring up the home’s haunted history. The Stambovskys, a couple from out of town, purchased the home for $650,000, doled out a downpayment of $32,500, and then lived that dreaded “You don’t know about the ghosts?” scene with a local. They weren’t happy to hear this, felt they’d been cheated, and took Ms. Ackley to court.
They lost the case, with the court citing their caveat emptor (“let the buyer beware”) responsibility to uncover the property’s defects before committing to a sale. They appealed and the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court ruled in their favor in a 3-2 decision.
Even if you don’t actually believe in ghosts or haunted houses, the presence of such a stigma on a house is enough to affect its value, whether positively or negatively. Since Ms. Ackley had spent all that time fostering the belief that her house was haunted, but then failed to reveal this to the conveniently non-local buyers, she was at fault. One of the judges in the case noted that home buyers can’t be expected to go to every house they look at with a psychic ready to inspect the joint for phenomena, so obviously the seller has some degree of responsibility here.
So, if you’re into haunted real estate, be sure to talk to a lawyer before you make any deals.
(Via Mental Floss)
http://www.blastr.com/2011/11/before_you_sell_that_haun.php
The Hidden Historical Landmarks
The stories of presidential ghosts in the White House are pretty well known. But plenty of other landmarks have their own ghost stories.
1. The Ghostly Curators of the Smithsonian Institution
quantabeh / Shutterstock.com
With so many items and artifacts – let alone mummies and skeletons – it should come as no surprise that many consider the Smithsonian Institution to be haunted. Aside from the typical ghostly footsteps and shadowy figures, many night watchmen in the early part of the 20th century claimed to have seen members of the Institute long after their demise. Some of these ghostly curators and researchers include Emil Bessels, an arctic explorer; Fielding Meek, a paleontologist who lived and worked at the Institute; Joseph Henry, the Institute’s first Secretary; Spencer Baird, the first curator; and even founder James Smithson, who died long before the museum was even built.
If phantoms really existed, Smithson would be the most likely candidate. His remains have been kept at the museum since 1904. In fact, his body was disinterred in 1973 because of what James Goode, former curator of Castle Collections, called ghost sightings. Officially, though, the Institute just did a complete study of the contents of Smithson’s casket, including his skeleton, which was still inside, not out wandering the halls scaring people.
2. The Haunted Hollywood Sign
Peg Entwhistle was an up-and-coming actress on Broadway in the mid-1920s. However, when she tried to make the transition to Hollywood in 1932, she found that she was just another pretty face. After a single film role, her prospects dried up and she was out of work.
Around September 16, 1932, Entwhistle told her family she was going for a walk; it would be the last time anyone saw her alive. She traveled to the Hollywood Hills landmark, the Hollywoodland sign, where she took off her purse, coat, and shoes, before climbing a maintenance ladder to the top of the H (other reports say it was the last letter, “D”). There, she plummeted some 50 feet to the ground below. Her body and belongings – including a suicide note – were discovered two days later.
Since then, “LAND” has been removed from the sign, but the spirit of Peg Entwhistle still lingers. Park ranger John Arbogast claimed to have seen her ghost many times, usually in the middle of very foggy nights. He also claimed to smell gardenias in the area, Entwhistle’s favorite scent, even during winter when there are no flowers in bloom.
In 1990, a man and his girlfriend were hiking near the sign when their dog suddenly began whining and backing away from the trail ahead. The couple soon saw a blond woman in a white 1930s-style dress walking towards them. She looked confused and disoriented, so the couple tried to steer clear of her, but then she suddenly vanished before their eyes. They claim to have been unaware of Entwhistle’s suicide at the time of the sighting.
3. The Demon Pirate of Liberty Island
Since 1886, Liberty Island has been the home of the Statue of Liberty. But earlier in its history it was known as Bedloe’s Island, and was reportedly a favorite spot for notorious pirate Captain Kidd to bury his ill-gotten treasure.
As reported by the New York Times in 1892, two soldiers named Gibbs and Carpenter were stationed at Fort Wood, the military installation on Bedloe’s Island that would later form the pedestal for Lady Liberty. Hoping to get rich quick, the duo sneaked out of their bunks to dig for the treasure at a location that had been foretold to them by a psychic. Then, sometime after midnight, the entire fort was woken up by a blood-curdling scream. As guards headed in the direction of the noise, they encountered a hysteric Carpenter, who led them to the dig site, where Gibbs was found unconscious.
The men said they had only dug a few feet down when they found a wooden box. But just as they were about to claim their fortune, an otherworldly creature appeared. Gibbs described it as a typical depiction of a demon – black skin, horns on its head, giant wings, and a barbed tail. Carpenter, though, said it was red, didn’t have wings, and moved about without any visible form of locomotion. Carpenter ran, but Gibbs stood frozen in terror. He claimed that it was the spirit of Captain Kidd, who breathed sulfur in his face before throwing him into the bay. The guards saw no wooden box or demon pirate, so apparently Kidd took his treasure with him when he disappeared into the ether.
4. The Ghosts of the Rock
DH Pohl / Shutterstock.com
Thousands of inmates passed through Alcatraz in its 100-year history, first as a Civil War-era military stockade and later a federal prison that housed some of America’s most dangerous criminals. Thanks to the isolation of the island, as well as the sometimes brutal treatment of prisoners, many men committed suicide, while others were killed by inmates who’d been driven insane. With so much blood staining the Rock, it should come as no surprise that ghosts are said to roam the halls today.
One allegedly haunted area is Cell 14D, one of the solitary confinement cells known as a “hole.” There, prisoners were stripped naked, thrown into a small, dark room, and were kept completely isolated for up to 19 days. By the time they came out, many suffered permanent psychological damage. In the 1940s, an inmate confined to Cell 14D screamed throughout the night that something with glowing red eyes was in there with him. The next morning, the cell was finally quiet, so the guards unlocked 14D to check on the prisoner. Inside, they found his body, strangled to death. An autopsy later revealed that his wounds could not have been self-inflicted.
It’s been said that one of The Rock’s most famous guests – Al “Scarface” Capone – never really left. Driven insane by syphilis, Capone feared that other inmates might kill him during the prisoners’ weekly recreation period in the prison yard. So Capone asked for and received special permission to practice playing his banjo in the prison’s shower room instead. Since the island became a national park in 1972, many park rangers have reported hearing the distinct sound of a banjo coming from the room, often near the end of the workday after all the tourists have gone.
5. The Widow at the Empire State Building
As one of the tallest buildings in the world, the Empire State Building has been the scene of over two dozen suicides in its 80-year history. There are many stories of people who have seen ghostly figures recreating their fateful plunge from the skyscraper’s 86th floor observation deck, but one story stands above the rest.
The story was first told in 1985, when a tourist went to the observation deck to get a bird’s-eye view of the Big Apple. While there she met a woman dressed in 1940s-style clothes, crying into her handkerchief. When asked what was wrong, the woman said that her husband died in the war in Germany. Obviously distraught, she said she couldn’t live without her beau, so she walked through the suicide prevention fence that surrounds the deck, and disappeared over the edge.
Shaken by what she’d seen, the tourist went into the bathroom to splash water on her face. Suddenly, the same woman appeared next to her at the sink, touching up her makeup in the mirror, before heading to the observation deck to replay her final moments again…and again…and again.
6. The Haunted Confines of Wrigley Field
According to Mickey Bradley and Dan Gordon, authors of Haunted Baseball and Field of Screams, the most haunted ballpark in the country is Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs.
One of the most well-known ghost stories is retold by security guards who have heard the telephone in the bullpen ring in the middle of the night. But it’s not a wrong number, because the phone is a direct line to the dugout, which they say is haunted by the spirit of Charlie Grimm, a Cubs manager in the 1930s and 40s. Some guards have even claimed they’ve seen Grimm in the hallways, but as soon as they speak to him he disappears. But why would Grimm still be haunting Wrigley after all these years? Perhaps it’s because his ashes are said to be buried in left field. Or because Grimm was the last manager to take the team to the World Series in 1945. We can only assume he won’t rest until the Cubs are in the Series again.
Fans say they’ve spotted famed WGN broadcaster Harry Caray in the press box and in the outfield bleachers ever since his death in 1998. Others have even seen Steve Goodman, writer of the Cubs’ anthem, “Go, Cubs, Go!,” sitting behind the batter’s box, despite his death in 1984. Goodman’s ghostly box seat would be appropriate since its rumored his ashes are buried under home plate.
7. The Phantom Ship of the Golden Gate
Although over 1,000 people have committed suicide by jumping from San Francisco’s most famous landmark, the Bay’s ghostly past goes back well before the bridge was constructed in 1937. In 1853, the steamer ship, S.S. Tennessee, ran aground at a spot that has since been named Tennessee Cove in its honor. Thankfully, 550 passengers and 14 chests of gold all made it safely ashore before the waters of the Pacific tore the ship apart.
Since then, there have been many reports of a ghostly, antique ship passing under the Golden Gate Bridge before disappearing into the fog. Perhaps the most famous sighting occurred in November 1942, when the crew of the USS Kennison claimed to have floated right past the phantom Tennessee; so close the Kennison crew could tell that the steamer ship’s decks were unmanned. The Tennessee was said to leave no wake as it passed, nor did it show up on the Kennison’s radar.
* * * * *
http://mentalfloss.com/article/29104/hidden-haunted-history-7-american-landmarks
Southern Goddess Paranormal 
Recent Comments