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The House on Cambridge

 

I am going to be relating to all of you a series of small stories about a house my family used to live in. Out of the seven people who lived there, three experienced overt and direct contact with unseen forces. Another three family members were witness to seemingly supernatural events, but were not touched or spoken to outright. Only one person in the family has not ever experienced anything unusual in the house other than an uneasy feeling of being watched.

I must start with one caveat, though: despite living in a very, very unusual house and having suspicious things occur all around me, I remain very skeptical and hesitant to label these activities the product of "ghosts," so to speak. Until I was jabbed in the back and whistled at by an unseen entity in Holland this autumn, I maintained that I did not believe in ghosts. I try to remain as objective as possible and consider all possibilities. However, I believe there are things out there that we cannot understand and for the sake of clarity, I will employ traditional modes of diction to describe these phenomena. And I guess I now DO believe in "ghosts"...

Let us start right at the beginning. My mother remarried in 1984 and had three children in addition to the two from her first marriage. I will refer to these people as brothers 1 and 2, and sisters 1 and 2. Sister #1 is my full-blooded sister from the first marriage and the others are all half-siblings as we share the same mother, but have different fathers. (It matters not, we're all brothers and sisters!) The house we lived in was too small for such a large brood. We moved into a large Victorian house on the west side of Columbus, Ohio. It sat on about two acres of what had once been pastoral land, but what was now the suburbs. The house was built in 1898 and had once been the abode of a wealthy family. There was a carriage house out back that included what had been the butler's quarters. The third floor of the house was where the maid once lived. There is an expansive basement with several rooms. There is a grand staircase the goes up to a landing which winds around the second floor giving access to four bedrooms where everyone but me slept. I slept on the top (third) floor because I am the oldest. I am now 30, but was about 13 when we first moved-in in 1991.

We purchased the monolithic house for an amazingly low $200,000. It wasn't like the place was so haunted that the previous tenants needed to move the place fast or anything. It was cheap because it was in desperate need of repair from the inside out. My stepfather is a carpenter and he and my mother were excited to renovate the place. They did a great job of expanding our previous home to accommodate seven people and were looking forward to fixing up this house, as well.

We moved in during the fall of 1991. Things had gotten off to an auspicious start even before we signed the papers. The first time my mother looked at the house during an open house she had an experience. She was in the downstairs bathroom looking out the window into the backyard. There she watched two young girls in dated dresses laughing and playing in the grass. She asked the realtor who's children were in the backyard thinking they might be the neighbors' daughters. The Realtor went to look, but the girls were nowhere to be seen. The neighborhood was full of kids, though, so neither thought much about it. That is, until we actually moved in.

This is the first experience of dozens that led many members of my family to believe our house was haunted. My parents were moving things into the house while the rest of us kids were at school. They were running a "bucket-brigade" of objects and appliances from the moving truck into the house. My stepfather was running from the truck to the door, and Mom was shuttling said things all over the house's interior. She was taking pails of paint down into the basement and stacking them in one of the small rooms there when she heard children's footsteps running down the hallway towards her. The foot steps stopped in front of the door and she heard a child's voice say, "Mama! Mama?" And she instinctively said, "Yes, dear?" thinking it was one of her children. She came out of the room wondering what any one of them was doing home from school since it was the middle of the morning. Brothers #1 and #2 were at elementary school and sister #2 was at daycare. Sister #1 (from the first marriage and my full sister) was at middle school with me. Upon stepping out into the hallway, Mom was surprised to find nobody there. She looked all over the basement and in every room, but discovered no one. Confused, she went upstairs to ask my stepfather if the kids were home. He was perplexed by her story and insisted they were the only two people in the house. They had a lot of work to do, so they brushed it off (somehow...) and continued moving stuff in.

Later that afternoon, as my mother was back in the basement storing odds and ends, she heard music playing from upstairs. My stepfather loves all sorts of music and our house was rarely without it. The music was old and sounded like big band music from the 1920s. My mom went upstairs and found my stepfather bringing things in the house. She asked delightedly, "Oh, so you already hooked-up the stereo--great!" My stepfather looked at her quizzically and denied having hooked-up the stereo. In fact, it was one of the few items still at the old house they were going back to retrieve later. Mom insisted she had heard music playing clearly from upstairs while she was in the basement and wanted to know where it had come from. My stepfather said he had never heard any music at all and had been in and out of the house for sometime. He never said this to Mom, but to himself, he was starting to question her sanity a little. At the very least, he was concerned that she had come to him with two explicit and mysterious requests that day that he could not satisfy.

My parents eventually got the house in order and we began to settle in nicely. Everyone loved the place. It was big, bright, welcoming and was the social center for all the neighborhood's kids. If you didn't know where your children were one afternoon, you simply walked over to the Bulls' house and chances were they were playing with one of the five kids in the big yard or about the neighborhood. It wasn't until my little brother #1 complained of being tickled at night that things became decidedly creepy.

But that is where chapter two will lift off later...

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Comments about this paranormal experience

The following comments are submitted by users of this site and are not official positions by yourghoststories.com. Please read our guidelines and the previous posts before posting. The author, Ohiowatha, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will read the comments and participate in the discussion.

FreeSpirit (2 stories) (11 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2008-04-05)
Ohiowatha:

I live near Columbus, and there are many homes like the one you descirbe. In one area in particular I have often drove by admiring them, and wondering to myself... "if those walls could talk..." I associate large Vicorian homes with history and paranormal.

I too had an experience in a large older home in Columbus, but it was not Victorian, but it was scary. I will post it today. You gave me inspiration. I feel fortunate to have read 1-4 in order. If I had only had one at a time, they would have been cliff-hangers for me. I hope the dark cloud did not become a terror. I look forward to your next recollection.
whitebuffalo (guest)
+1
16 years ago (2007-12-10)
So this was your start, eh, Ohiowatha? I can just imagine the thoughts going through your mothers mind through that first couple of instances. 😊 This story is truly fabulous as a starting point. Thank you for sharing it with us.
bossymiss (1 stories) (30 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-11-15)
how scary now I'm never going down NEVER going down into my basement again and my friend was home alone once when her mom was next door and she put her favorite record on her sterio and
she went down stairs to get a drink and when she went back up the sterio was off and when I mean off I mean the plug took out and evrything and she has a ghost in her house and he said his name is george bye ❤ 😊 😉
luvparanormal (12 stories) (268 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-11-15)
I can't believe I missed this one. This is awesome. Now I'm going to numero dos
Annie (202 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-26)
Ohiowatha, Maybe Bellissima's little white spots are paying you a visit at work.
Ohiowatha (11 stories) (415 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-26)
I actually had some time today and I was going to launch into parts II and III, but the submissions are down. I'm writing it in word and pasting it as soon as it's up again.

Sidenote: yesterday here at work, I saw a white "flash" race across the ceiling. I work in a cubicle-type area with no windows. I've been watching all day hoping to see it again, trying to figure out what it could be. It could be as simple as someone shining a flashlight across the ceiling (why, I wouldn't know, but...), or it could be something beyond the realm of modern science. Not sure. Sort of intriguing, though.
Shane (13 stories) (1258 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-25)
Sorry forgot to mention we didn't have family or friends in Grandview Heights. I first learned of the area when my Dad was in the Hospital. Didn't want to confuse you with my orginal comment and my last one. Thanks again for the story.

Peace, Love, and Luck be with you.
Shane (13 stories) (1258 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-25)
Sorry I couldn't remember the home correctly. I just remember when my dad was at Doctor's Hospital West, they always had this 12 to like 3 quiet time for paitents to get a nap or something, so my Mom, brother, and I would drive around Columbus and look at the older homes. Not to mention I use to do construction work out of Columbus installing brick patios, ponds, and walls. So I did do some work over in your neck of the woods, though I doubt you were still living there in 2001.
GO BUCKS! 😁

Peace, Love, and Luck be with you.
pscnldy (1 stories) (5 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-25)
Hi Ohiowatha,
Please hurry up with part two... I'm dying to read it. Its so interesting. You must be lucky to live in such a wonderful place.
Abby (710 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-25)
Dear Ohiowatha,

I meant to say basically that I have been around older homes and neighborhoods, "most all of my life". Ha! Ha! :)

Will await your photo and next story. :)

Blessings, Abby
Abby (710 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-25)
Dear Ohiowatha,

Welcome! Like everyone else who commented and those who did not, but thought it, your story was a good read and I very much enjoyed it. It reminds me of the neighborhoods and homes I grew up in. Not to mention the haunts. I can relate, except for the skeptic part, I am more of a believer with open skepticism who also relies on the use of all my senses, sixth sense, as well as my common sense.

I am glad that you and Shane have the state of Ohio and even the neighborhood you lived in, in common. My own genealogy traces back to Ohio as well. :) Can't wait to see your photograph. I like big, old, rambling Victorian homes. My grandfather or grandpa built his own Victorian farm, out buildings and home in the late 1800's, so I have been blessed to have been around, now considered much older homes in age, most all of life.

Again, welcome, and I look forward to your next story. :)

Blessings, Abby
Ohiowatha (11 stories) (415 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-25)
Holy Mackeral, Shane, my house WAS indeed in Grandview Heights! My house was on the southern terminus of that street right before where it went into a cul-de-sac. The house was not, however, made of brick, but actually sided in wood. I have a picture of it I will scan and upload. We did have a long row of shrubs in front, which we eventually torn up and planted a flower garden and some pear trees. The squirrels got the cherry trees, unfortunately.

Go BUCKS!
Ohiowatha (11 stories) (415 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-25)
Mustang Shelby, you are right on every count. I like the cut of your jib!
Thanks.
mustang (5 stories) (749 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-25)
Liked your story and it is good to hear that you are expanding your mind a little to the possibilities of another dimension. Now that you are accepting what has happened to you in Holland and the things your family has told you, maybe, just maybe more things will happen. I think you always have considered believing but that you were afraid you would sound crazy or maybe it scared you to think of such things that you cannot see. There are some things that cannot be explained away through science. Anything that happens to me I don't jump at the chance to blame it on a ghost or anything paranormal. I actually nit pick through it just to try and debunk it but there are times things that happen are just not logically explainable. I can't wait to read your future entry. See you soon! -Shelby 😊 ❤
Annie (202 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-25)
Well, however you tell it, I know it will be enjoyed by all of us. Snowballed? Sounds very interesting! Can't wait to read it.
ChrisB (6 stories) (1515 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-25)
Hi Ohiowatha. I loved reading your story And I hope that I will be able to read your next one. I think that the expierence that you have had don't end there. I Hope you will write your next storry soon. See you soon and take care
Shane (13 stories) (1258 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-24)
No I was raised in Springfield, but spent a lot of time in Columbus, all over Columbus for that matter. We had a lot of friends and family that lived up there and we would go and visit. Was your place, "if I am remembering correctly", a brick home, with white trim around the windows. Large yard, with shrubs or small trees out front? Actually it was like the Grandview Heights area wasn't it. If I have your old home mixed up with another I apologize. You know how the mind can play tricks on you after a while. If it is the one, I had no clue it was haunted, I use to just love to look at old houses and imagine the day to day life of those that use to live in them. Thanks again Ohiowatha for the story.

Peace, Love, and Luck be with you.
Ohiowatha (11 stories) (415 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-24)
Haha, I'm still pretty skeptical until faced with proof. For example, there are still a lot of stories I read on here that I must take with a grain of salt, if not a bucket.

I'm not sure how to start the next installment because it really snowballed from here...
Annie (202 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-24)
Great story, Ohiowatha. I'm looking forward to your next installment. Glad to hear you're no longer a skeptic! 😁
KimSouthO (27 stories) (1960 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-24)
Thnk you for sharing your encounter with us. I look forward to reading additional chapters.

God Bless!
Ohiowatha (11 stories) (415 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-24)
Shane man, are you from Columbus, perchance? This house is not a famous one, but local residents of the West Side on our street were aware of the goings-on. Pretty much only our friends and neighbors were aware of our home's odd character. Our old neighbors say there have been no further "sightings" at the old homestead. As of yet, anyway...
Shane (13 stories) (1258 posts)
+1
16 years ago (2007-10-23)
Ohiowatha, thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. Well I guess we can no longer call you our resident skeptic since you now believe. Looking forward to the second chapter of your story. Oh and by the way, I think I know just where you are talking about.

Peace, Love, and Luck be with you.

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