Nowhere
else would troubles fade
in charming pink cascades
except
within a citadel
of
cherry blossom shade
~
diedre
Just looking at the map of where I’ve virtually been this
past week makes me almost glad I’m
not really driving! I say almost because this is truly some
breathtaking country, at least during this particular season. I imagine the
amount of snow you must get in these parts is not good for cactus, so you can
keep it, but do the Cherry blossoms smell as heavenly sweet as they look? If I happen to be nosing around in your neck
of the woods, I hope you’ll speak up ;-)
Is there a method to this madness? Absolutely! What began as
a quest to visit oddly named places has simply expanded to include my favorite
pastime—chasing ghosts and exploring ghost towns! If a strangely named place happens to have
ghost or two, I’ll consider it a bonus :-)
First Stop: Athens, Ohio - The Ridges
Before the Ohio University took over, The Ridges was called
Athens Lunatic Asylum and surrounded by an enchanting, park-like setting;
complete with fountains, gardens, orchards, a dairy and a carriage shop. It was
also a place which, for over a hundred years, was known for its extensive
lobotomy practices. It might be easy to imagine the hauntings a place like this
could have, considering a report of a crude message carved in a windowsill that
reads “I was not crazy”. But only one story seems to have any merit and that is
of a female patient who went missing for so long that by the time she was found
in an abandoned building, her decayed body left a permanent stain on the
concrete floor. However, Room 428 at
OU’s Wilson Hall dormitory is reportedly sealed
off due to the hauntings of a female student killed there, and at the
nearby West State Street cemetery, the Angel of the Unknown Soldiers is said to
flutter a wing or shed a tear from time to time.
Moving on: Centralia,
Pennsylvania – The Burning Ghost Town
The exact cause remains a mystery, but upwards of fifty
years ago a fire erupted and spread throughout a labyrinth of underground coal
mines; torching trees and buildings and spewing toxic fumes above. Despite the over 40 million dollars, allocated
to relocate residents of this once-bustling mining town, by 2010 it was
reported that a total of nine stalwart people remained; though it is estimated
that the fire could continue burning for well over 250 years. Conversely, I was
astonished to discover that the Conemaugh River Lake contains at least six underwater ghost towns!
And then there was: Claremont, New
Hampshire - Topstone Mill
After sitting empty for several decades, the new owners of
this former shoe and furniture factory began to think perhaps it hadn’t been
abandoned after all when patrons of the new Bar & Grill kept getting bitten
by invisible teeth! Staff resorted to ‘travelling in twos’ when strange sounds
and voices were heard throughout the building, and faces were seen in the
windows of unused floors. The owner himself couldn’t stand on a ladder without
it being shaken by an unknown source. When an EVP team was brought in, many of
these claims were substantiated, but they too, were unable to place the source.
Have you visited any
of these places? Would you?
Happy 4th
of July!
