The following narratives describe encounters experienced by two readers:
TILLIE PIERCE HOUSE
Hi Lon!
After Phenomenology 105 was over at the Eisenhower Conference Center on March 24th in Gettysburg, my sister, Jeanne, and I stayed two nights at the historic, quaint and haunted Tillie Pierce House. We were the only guests in the Inn both nights so any noises were either ours, creaks of the old building or something paranormal. We stayed in the Pink Room, which is on second floor in the front of the house. Here is what happened the first night at around 4:20 AM: We both woke up to movement down the hallway towards the front of the house. It sounded like creaks on the floor as if someone was walking down the hall, but we also heard the noises above our room. Then we heard the creaks/knocks coming to our room. I looked at the door, expecting something to open it as "someone" was definitely AT our door. Then I felt a huge chill come over my entire body. (I was in bed.) (I get a chill/goose bumps when a spirit is near me, typically, so I felt the presence of someone very near.) The feeling lingered only a few seconds and then was gone. We slept the rest of the night in peace.
The following night at around 11:30 I sat in the hallway and tried to make contact with the ghost cat that has been reported. I was told that one could hear meowing and, two weeks ago, two people saw the apparition of a cat walk through a door. So I had my P-SB7 (ghost box) turned on and was calling out, "Here kitty, kitty, kitty!", hoping to hear some meowing. Instead I heard the voice of a human spirit say, "Cat!" very distinct and clearly. That night in bed we heard some creaks in the house, but nothing like we had heard the night before.
The Tillie Pierce House is a beautiful, quaint and historic place to visit. The location is ideal and I truly believe it is haunted. The spirits are just curious and I never felt afraid.
Julie H.
Gettysburg Unearthed:: The Excavation Of A Haunted History
Ghosts of Gettysburg: Walking on Hallowed Ground
Haunted U.S. Battlefields: Ghosts, Hauntings, and Eerie Events from America's Fields of Honor
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THE WOMAN IN BLACK
One evening in 1991, while enjoying a nice walk on my first visit to London, I nearly bumped into a woman. Apparently I was distracted by the sights because I certainly didn’t see her before almost walking into her. She was wearing a black dress and bonnet (of a style from the early 1800s much as I had seen on display in London’s Victoria & Albert Museum). She held a small purse in her hands. Her face was plump and decidedly English. Her expression was quite sad. We stood less than an arm’s reach from each other, face to face. Her eyes barely caught a glimpse of mine because she was, with apparent despair, dropping her head as if defeated. As she did so, she asked, “Have you seen my brother?” Uncomfortably, I said, “I don’t know your brother, so I don’t know if I’ve seen him.”
Then I looked behind her. Four meters away stood two men looking at me. I thought that perhaps they were escorting this troubled woman who was out in the dark of London asking strangers questions. The two men said nothing. Then she and I walked past each other. After I walked five or six steps, I turned around to watch her, concerned about her and curious to know what she was doing. But she wasn’t there. This was an open area. There was no obstacle that could have blocked my view of her. There was nothing for her to hide behind. My view was not obstructed by people. She just wasn’t there. Puzzled, I continued my walk and said out loud, “Well, I guess this is creepy old London.”
I’m thinking that those two men didn’t see her and only saw me talking. Perhaps she was only visible to me. That would explain why they said nothing to me.
Anyway, nine years passed. Again, I had business to do in London and would soon go there for a second visit. So I went to a bookstore in Los Angeles to get a useful book about enjoying London. I like to walk and wanted something compact and not heavy. From the shelf, I removed a book titled, Walking Haunted London: 25 Original Walks Exploring London's Ghostly PastIt featured several walking tours, each tour three to five kilometers long. To give the reader a better sense of history, the author usually began each by telling of battles and interesting commentary pertinent to the area. Then he wrote of specific ghostly events that have been observed by credible people such as Tower Guards, Winston Churchill, and countless people for a few hundred years.
At the bottom of page 23, I was intrigued to see a story tour titled, “The Woman in Black.” This was the story of Phillip and Sarah Whitehead. The author wrote that ever since she died, many people have witnessed that she appears out of nowhere with sad downcast eyes and is heard to say the one phrase she so often spoke in life: “Have you seen my brother?” My arms had goosebumps.
I could have lived my entire life without discovering the story of Sarah Whitehead. In fact, after that chance meeting with Sarah, the story eluded me for another nine years - and that book has since been out of print for many years. I contacted the Bank of England and they mailed information to me about Sarah Whitehead. I also contacted the author of the book and we chatted.
During my second visit to London, I was hopeful to see her again — and why not? For some reason I was fortunate to have had that experience. But I didn’t see her again.
I’ll never forget Sarah’s face. She looked as human, alive, and truly there as anybody. She didn’t look ghostly or like an apparition in any way. I marvel at the fact that Sarah was aware of my presence. She wasn’t talking to empty space. She wasn’t five feet to the side of me talking to nobody. She was extremely close and talking to me and only to me. I wonder what would have happened if I touched her hand and said, “Sarah, I’ve got some news for you. Philip is dead. Your search is over. It’s time to move on.” - Kent M.
