The Many Ghosts of King's Island

It is amazing what you can find along the way when you go on a road trip.  Ghosts lurk around every corner and phantoms seem to find you when you are looking for fun.   In my past travels,  I have noted that many places devoted to fun are also haunted by sorrow.  Many of the Six Flags are haunted and Disney Land is as much of a ghost land as a wonderland.   It is, therefore, no surprise that King's Island in Cincinnati, Ohio is teaming with ghosts.  What was a surprise to me, was that I should just happen upon such a haunted place by accident.  While staying at Great Wolf Lodge, I thought I would ask the staff about the allegedly haunted Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky.   What I found was that the amusement park that I could see from my back patio is notoriously haunted.  

There are a plethora of ghosts haunting the various rides at King's Island.   A little blond girl in a lovely blue frock is said to wander the Waterworks.  Her ghost is said to be linked to a tiny cemetery located just off the grounds of King's Island.   The Eiffel Tower ride is haunted by a ghost named Tower Johnny.   He is said to have made an unfortunate decision on the night of his graduation.   In 1983, he climbed up the elevator shaft of this ride and lost his footing.  He fell to his death after being cut in half by the elevator cables.   His ghost has been seen wandering the Eiffel Tower ride and tormenting those who are seeking a more earthly thrill.  The Octopus Ride is also said to be haunted by an ill fated rider who died  on the ride and White Water Canyon is haunted by a ghost named Woody who comes out after dark and throws rocks at those who happen by. 

I couldn't go to King's Island during my trip because it was still closed for winter.  But peaking through the fence at it in its stark, lonely, winter garb made it seem all the more haunted.    The rides were quiet and the air was thick with the last breath of winter.   I could imagine ghosts wandering in the shadows of the silent park and as night came I could almost see a lonely girl in blue looking for her way home.

.

Tommy's Lawyer

From: Tom Lee

Subject: Dear Counsel We have a collection/litigation

Date: March 16, 2012 8:26:28 AM PDT

Reply-To: TomLeeEsq@consultant.com

I am Tom Lee Esq with Asca Patent Law Office firm here in Japan.

We have a collection/litigation matter for you in your jurisdiction.

Kindly get back to me as soon as possible so that i can furnish you

with further details. Due to time difference between Asia and America

we prefer communication via email.

Regards

Tom Lee Esq

Asca Patent Law Office

Morikawa Bldg. 5-29-7 Shimbashi

Minato-ku Funabashi

Japan

Email;TomLeeEsq@consultant.com

Strange Photos

I spent yesterday driving around Detroit. Its beauty still lingers in the shadows. Although much of the city has wilted and decayed, the architecture is still stunning in a way that would invite ghost stories and dark tales. I tried to capture a few photos with my phone, but didn't do a very good job. The last photo I took of one abandoned building was the most interesting. The picture didn't even look like a building. It looked more like an X-ray of someone's spinal cord. It is quite haunting.


-









Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My Number Is Up

At last my story Waiting For The Number Eighteen has appeared in this week's People's Friend – March 17th edition. I thought I must have missed it as it was accepted before Christmas and I was paid ages ago. First thing I did was ring my mum. The central character is named after her and the picture they've used even looks a bit like her.

Apart from that things have dried up a bit but I'm persevering. I did win Nottingham Writers' autumn prose competition with Rachael's Party and on Wednesday it's our Verse Of The Year competition which I won last year so I'll be trying to defend my title. I'll keep you informed of the result.

The Moonshiner's Ghost

My family is from Michigan. On my grandmother’s side, the family has lived in the farmlands of the thumb of Michigan for many generations. The Washington Township Cemetery is filled with the gravestones of my ancestors going back for many generations. The Vincent name covers the stones that fill the pastoral cemetery. Wandering through the old graveyard is like wandering through my history. In the center of the old cemetery, there is a monument that tells a different story. It tells the story of an old ghost.

The monument is known as the moonshiner’s monument. It is the largest and prettiest marker in the cemetery. Apparently, during prohibition it was used by moonshiners. The moonshiners would hide their moonshine in the old marker. The panels were easily removed and they would place their product within the tombstone. Distributers would then pick up the moonshine and leave their money behind. As was often the case, the distribution of these illegal spirits ended badly. In some kind of skirmish near the stone, one of the moonshiners was shot and died near the monument. His ghost is said to linger in the cemetery. He wanders the shadows looking for a peace that may never come.

The Lady of the Lake

Huddled up against the shores of Lake Huron and tucked away in the shade of maple trees, there is a small cemetery. The cemetery is called Forester Cemetery and is the home of a lonely white lady ghost. The cemetery sits perfectly positioned to provide a perfect view of the great lake. The tombstones there are old and some have been broken and propped back up. Many of the markers have been so eroded that the names are gone. The wind from the lake has wiped away all traces of those who lie beneath them.

One of the many occupants of this quiet necropolis is named Minnie Quay. When Minnie was only fifteen years old, she fell in love with a sailor. She loved this sailor with a poignancy that only first love can offer. Her parents, however, did not share her passion. They forbade Minnie from ever seeing her beloved and told her that she could never expect to see her young beau again. Minnie was heartbroken. Her young man sailed away and died at sea. Minnie was so overwhelmed by grief she couldn’t bare it. She dressed herself in white and walked down to the shore of Lake Huron. She cast herself into the icy waters and died beneath its frigid surface. Her body washed up on shore and she was buried at Forester Cemetery. Since that time, people have claimed to see Minnie wandering the shores by Forester Cemetery. They’ve seen a tragic figure in white wandering the beaches looking out in hopes of catching on last fading glimpse of her lost love. Some even claim to have seen Minnie walking from the beach and through the grounds of the small cemetery by the lake, her cheeks stained with tears and her eyes desperate with grief.

The Ghost of a Girl Named Howard

The Weedon House was built in 1817 and sits at the center of Huntsville, Alabama's historic district.  It is surrounded by constitution village and other historic structures.  It is a classic example of Federalist style architecture and was home to Howard Weedon, one of Huntsville's more renknowned female artists. Ms. Weedon was famous for her lovely and touching paintings of African Americans.  In an era when most African Americans were depicted as either animals or fools, she captured the spirit of her subjects and gave them life and humanity.  Her painting were even used as models for some of the characters in Gone with the Wind.  When Huntsville was occupied by Union forces in 1862, the Union Army requisitioned Weeden House and used it for its officers quarters.  After the war, Howard Weedon and her sister Kate lived out their lives in Weedon House.  There, Howard was able to paint and live her dreams of creation as a starving artist.  Ms. Weedon lived and died in Weedon house.  Some say she still stays there.  Weedon House now belongs to the city of Huntsville and is open for tours.

My mother got to visit the Weedon House this week.  She interviewed to be the director of the museum that now occupies the house.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for her because she has a passion for history and old houses and she would do an amazing job tending to this old house.  While she was there, she saw water damage on the walls and those interviewing her explained that the walls always weep there.   They aren't sure why and they haven't been able to stop the weeping.   Those that believe in ghosts site this as the most conclusive evidence of a haunting a Weedon House.  The walls there always weep and no one knows why.  The weeping isn't the only sign of haunting in the old house.  The old grandfather clock in the foyer is said to continue chiming even though the clock has no working parts and phantoms have been seen lingering in the upstairs window.   I hope my mother gets her job at the Weedon House, maybe I can learn more about the ghosts there and maybe I can find the secrets behind its weeping walls.