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The House On North Street

 

The following is a story I have been wanting to tell for years. I have been on this site reading its multitudes of stories for some time, but this is the first time I am submitting my own. This story centers around a home that was in my family for years and the experiences encountered there occurred over the years to many different family members. I will do my best to relay the events as best I remember them and as chronologically as I can.

This home was purchased by my great aunt in 1946 and hosted a sort of extended family there. In addition to my great aunt, my grandparents (Father's side) my dad and his siblings, and assorted cousins lived there on and off over time.

There was a cluttered front porch that opened up into a dining room. The back right corner of the dining room would contain the entrance to the one bathroom in the house. There were two doors that opened off the dining room, one led into the kitchen and another into a middle living room. There were actually 2 small living areas leading toward the front of the house. The kitchen had an enclosed back porch that accessed the backyard. The kitchen also had an enclosed staircase complete with door that led to the 2nd story. The upstairs was a unique layout. The stairs led into a short hallway that opened into a large open area that was used for sleeping. At the opposite side of this room and parallel to the small hall, was another hallway. The first room off this hall overlooked the front porch and street and was the only one that wasn't wired for electricity. The hall led to an attic and off the back of the house, three different bedrooms which all linked together. To get to the 3rd bedroom which was my great aunt's you would have to walk through the other 2. It wasn't really designed for privacy apparently.

I'm not sure when the events actually started, but some of the neighborhood children playing alone upstairs, would come downstairs confused wanting to know who the woman was that was standing at the other end of the upstairs hall. They were certain that all of the adults were downstairs. My great aunt would go upstairs and look around and of course, no one would be up there. There was only one set of stairs and they were in the kitchen which is where my grandparents would camp out most of the day. It was a small town and many parents would just kind of watch the neighbors children by unspoken mutual consent. No one thought of kids wandering in or out or remaining unattended in the house if their playmates (cousins) would wander off.

It got stranger from there. One morning everyone was to leave for a fishing trip and only my Great Aunt and another aunt would be staying behind. My aunt went upstairs to be sure the beds were made and in one of the rooms, someone was apparently asleep huddled under the blankets. When my aunt went downstairs she mentioned to my aunt that someone stayed behind to which my Great Aunt replied she had just seen everyone off that was in the house, she knew everyone had left. This alarmed my aunt who went upstairs and saw the bed now empty but the sheets were rumpled, as if someone had just been in it. My Great Aunt had been downstairs and had seen no one come out of the stairway, while my other aunt was up there. The bed thing seemed to be a recurring issue, many times after all the beds were made they were found messed up again even with only one other person in the house. My relatives say it wasn't the kids wandering in and out because the kids always announced their presence and they could be heard when playing. This also happened after the kids were in school as well.

The sightings continued. One day one of my cousins wanted to know who the woman was upstairs who went into the attic. Of course another search found no one up there.

One cousin stated she had been pushed downstairs, but most of my family said she was kind of clumsy so they wrote that claim off. One of the cousins staying there had went to go downstairs to get a drink of water but as he entered the stairwell he saw a woman standing at the bottom of the stairs. He didn't recognize her but when she started to float up the stairs toward him that put an end to his desire for a drink, and he fled back to his room.

My Great Aunt would be woken up many nights to find a woman rummaging through her trunk at the end of her bed. The unidentified woman would look up and then fade away. Footsteps would be heard on the stairs at night, too many to be discounted as the house settling. Many nights my aunt would come down in the middle of the night and hear the sound of dishes being washed or the the floor being swept. The first time she was confused but didn't question it too much and went back up. The next morning the floor was still dirty and the dishes still dirty and in the sink. Many people had this kind of encounter over the years and to my knowledge no one actually investigated while the noises were heard. I finally heard years later from different family members that while they were having these experiences they rarely spoke of them for fear of being ridiculed and some just flat out refused to believe it was happening!

Finally one day, my dad while a teenager was upstairs getting something from under his bed. His bed was in the big open area upstairs. When he turned around, SHE was right there. It was the closest of the encounters that had occurred to my knowledge. My Great Aunt and grandparents (his parents) were at the kitchen table when he came downstairs apparently white as a sheet. He talked about it then but has clammed up over the years. He described this woman as wearing a purple dress, old fashioned, maybe like something from the 20's or 30's. She also wore a cameo pin. What scared him so bad was that she had no face, just a dark spot where her face should be. Prior to this, most people had only seen her in the dark, but this was in broad daylight. I had heard the story from my grandmother and fascinated I asked my dad about it, but he got kind of short with me and says it was so long ago he couldn't really remember.

My Uncle Pete, who was dating my youngest aunt had some interesting encounters. One night while he and my aunt were snoozing on the couch downstairs, he felt someone tap him on the shoulder and awaken him whispering his name. He came to and saw only my aunt near him sleeping soundly. He caught the movement of someone moving up the stairs. He knew full well that they were alone and so leaving my aunt he pursued the 'intruder' upstairs. He saw someone at the end of the hall go into one of the bedrooms, but when he went in there and turned on the light, no one was in there. As he turned around, he saw this 'person' go into another room further down the hall. When he got to that room, no one was there! This game went on for some time, before he gave up! Another night he came to their house drunk and though his memory isn't the best, he thought my aunt (his future wife) threw him out in the snow! In the morning my aunt told him she had stayed in her room the whole night and no one else had been at home at the time. My Uncle swears it was a stern angry sounding woman who tossed him out in a snow bank! No one admitted to this incident and my aunt says she didn't even know he had come.

In the 80's my Great Aunt leased the house to my aunt, my dad's sister, to have for her growing family while she moved into an apartment. My aunt woke up one night to see someone standing over her. She screamed and turned on the light but no one was there.

My cousin claimed someone grabbed him one night upstairs in the dark. Both of my cousins state that on more than one occasion they had seen a man lying on the floor upstairs and when they attempted to approach him, he would get up and go into another room and lay back down.

My Aunt & Uncle began to remodel the place and knocked out the walls to the downstairs rooms including the kitchen as well as moving the stairs from the back of the house in the kitchen to the front in the living room. They were making the whole downstairs one huge open area and in doing so found what appeared to be the bones to a hand, which they assumed to be a monkey's paw. They threw them out and didn't have them analyzed or notify anyone of what they had found. My other Uncle had told me that he had knocked a hole in the wall of the room upstairs without electricity and had found a mummified hand there. He also tossed it without telling anyone, god only knows why? This same Uncle one time entered my Great Aunt's bedroom while she was still staying there and saw a woman standing near the trunk, she appeared to looking for something in the trunk and promptly disappeared upon being discovered. I did hear that for a while, the footsteps on the stairs stopped and then eventually resumed. I guess moving the stairs must have confused the ghost for some time!

There is a 2nd part to this story, containing my own experiences there but it's so long already, I figured I'd split it into 2 parts. I wanted to include as much as know, not to make a longer story but to try and give a complete picture. I have always enjoyed the stories on here that were rather detailed. I will be glad to answer any questions I can. Be aware many of these older relatives involved have passed on, so questioning certain people is not always an option here.

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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, The_Lost_Voyage_11, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will read the comments and participate in the discussion.

Linjahaha (22 stories) (109 posts)
+2
7 months ago (2023-08-17)
Thank you Lost Voyage for remembering my story. I, also, wish to thank you very much for your insight, & comments.
I, too, am well aware of the effect that electrical energy can have in paranormal occurrences. I used to read the books of a famous parapsychologist by the name of Hans Holzer. He, likewise, made mention of how spirits can draw on energy. Whether it be from 'us' or the environment. Such as electrical sources.
I agree, also, that whatever was in 'that' house was not friendly in the least. It wanted us out, & it won. Sometimes just leaving is the best avenue to pursue.
I have always been a very rational, & analytical women. I've never been the hysterical type. I approach everything in a calm, & sensible manner before coming to any type of resolution.
My husband, & mother-in-law were both psychic. My mother-in-law was born with a veil over her face (a fibrous membrane easily peeled off the baby.). The belief was that being born with a veil over you face gives one the gift of 2nd sight. She read tea-leaves with astonishing results. Trust me. I saw her do it many times.
Whatever was in that house was beyond 'all' of us to cope with. I'm, somewhat, glad that you 'can' identify. I believe that we both came out of our experiences with a better understanding of the unseen universe around us.
Thank you again for your comments. I appreciate them! 😜 😊
The_Lost_Voyage_11 (7 stories) (233 posts)
+2
7 months ago (2023-08-15)
Hello Linjahaha, thanks for reading my story and commenting! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I do remember your story, I'll have to revisit it. Living in a haunted house can be rather traumatic and everyone has different ways of coping. In your case leaving was the best option. I know for my cousin's they had no choice but to stay on North Street and I think they sort of developed a coping mechanism to the bizarre events that took place there. Like my cousin's nonchalant reaction to the man at the end of our bed that woke my brother up. He made it sound as if seeing a ghost was an everyday and rather normal occurrence!

As you'll find out in part 2 as well as the comments, I did do rather extensive research on the house and area and haven't found anything conclusive. I remember even going through the microfiche in the town library to see if there were any articles that may relate to what happened, but nothing came of it.

I believe you're spot on about the man, if he was an alcoholic, his behavior makes sense and of course it goes without saying that he goes on doing it with no complete awareness of his activities or state of being. Now the woman, I'm not sure about, I feel there's more to her appearances and how she shows up than meets the eye. There's a mystery there for sure.

I will check out part 2 and see if there's anything there you've posted that I can comment on. For what it's worth, and I know it was hard for you to write about and relive the experiences on Erie Road, I am glad you did post it for those of us in the community to read.
Linjahaha (22 stories) (109 posts)
+2
7 months ago (2023-08-13)
Hello Lost Voyage, I'm so glad that you were inspired to post your story about the North Street house.
My late husband, & I lived for almost 4 years is a terribly haunted old Farm house that was converted into up, & down apartments. I wrote about it on here-The House on Erie Road.
It took me almost 40 years to write about it because we were, literally, 'driven' out of that awful place. We left a vapor stream behind us when we left. It took us almost a full year to get over what happened to us there.
The lady you mention in your story doesn't seem to be hostile. She seems like a former owner to me. That's just my opinion of course.
Have you tried to research the complete history of the house before it came into your family? You just 'might' get some answers there.
As for the sleeping man. If he was an alcoholic, he may not even 'know' he's no longer living. If he passed in an altered state of consciousness that just 'may' be possible.
I, definitely, look forward to reading Part 2!

All the best 😊 😊
The_Lost_Voyage_11 (7 stories) (233 posts)
+4
8 months ago (2023-07-31)
Hi mighty_light, I will respond to your comments on the second part too, and I appreciate your interest!

I believe that the woman seen rummaging in the trunk is the same one my dad saw, but I can't definitely confirm it. It was dark at night when my aunt saw her, and my uncle was startled and didn't get a really good look at her before she vanished. The problem with her ghost is she was mostly seen at night and in the dark and at a distance (when she was glimpsed during the day) at least until my dad's encounter.

Their behavior is definitely curious. The man, my understanding is (from what the psychic told me) was an alcoholic. That might explain his bizarre behavior of laying down and seeming to pass out on the floors in various rooms. The woman, does seem to have a prominent presence in the place, mostly upstairs where most of the sightings occurred. Besides the creepy bathroom, there were the house cleaning noises downstairs, the man (from the other story) and the noises on the stairs.

BTW, in my second story, the man my brother saw may well have been the same man seen lying on the floors. My brother saw him clearly, but when my cousins witnessed the man laying down, it was fairly dark in those rooms, so they didn't get such a good look.

Anyways, you'll see the research I attempted on the place in the second story, and I'll leave comments on that as well!
mighty_light (2 stories) (21 posts)
+3
8 months ago (2023-07-31)
Hello The_Lost_Voyage_11,

Such a fascinating story. The house seems to be very active with these ghosts. I'm assuming the faceless woman is the same one that keeps rummaging in the trunk, and then another male ghost who's a chronic sleeper. I'm curious as to their behavior especially the faceless woman. What is she looking for and why does she act like she owns the place? Seeing her float up the staircase must have been terrifying.

Did you happen to find out the history of the place before your great Aunt bought it? The monkey paws and mummified hand seems like great mystery to me.
Cheers!
The_Lost_Voyage_11 (7 stories) (233 posts)
+3
8 months ago (2023-07-27)
Hello MiaG, thanks for reading my story and commenting! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

A spiral staircase in the kitchen, that must have been interesting, at least you could clearly see who was coming down the stairs! It does sound similar as wherever my grandparents lived and were, it was always a gathering place for sure! A great many relatives spent some time on North Street, which is why there's so many stories and consequently why I look forward to the family reunions on my Dad's side of the family (I love my mom's side too) but I really enjoy the ghost stories my dad's side passes around! I do have some good memories of North Street, as I was a teen when I discovered it's supernatural side.

BTW, if you found this story intriguing, you and your sister should check out Troyarn's story "The Burns Ranch". His experiences there also include a spiral staircase! It's a really good read that I highly recommend. That story alone is one of the reasons I posted my own encounters/connection with North Street! You'll have to let me know what you think of the 2nd part to the story!
MiaG (28 posts)
+3
8 months ago (2023-07-26)
Hello The_Lost_Voyage_11,

This was really intriguing. As CrimsonTopaz (my sister) said, it sounds a lot like our grandmas home. My grandmas kitchen had a spiral staircase from the kitchen to the second floor with a kitchen table under it where they also hung out drinking tea and talking.

Funny thing, all the cousins in our family also gathered there to eat grandmas snacks and play. (Uncanny how similar that is) Nothing negative in our grandmas home though, it was always good visiting. I have fond memories to treasure from there.

I'll try and read the second story this week.

Best wishes,
Miandra/SWS
CrimsonTopaz (1 stories) (238 posts)
+3
8 months ago (2023-07-26)
The lost Voyage11, What a shame you and your brother didn't get a chance to go back inside the house posing as potential buyers. Who knows what happened there and why the woman without a face, lost her face. Maybe she doesn't want to be identified, knowing someone someday will figure out she murdered those kids.
Hopefully the bodies of those poor little kids will be found so they can be put to rest.
I really enjoyed this post, so interesting with a suspense factor. Thanks again.
The_Lost_Voyage_11 (7 stories) (233 posts)
+4
8 months ago (2023-07-26)
Hello CrimsonTopaz, thanks for reading and commenting on my story. I will reply more to your comment on the second part, but to answer your question, I'm not sure if anything else of human remains (or similar) were uncovered in the walls. The place did have a lot of walls!

Most of the walls removed downstairs created (almost) one big open floor plan. The dining room and adjoining bathroom were untouched. I don't believe they did much at all with the upstairs. What I was told was a monkey's paw was found in one of the kitchen walls downstairs and the mummified hand was found upstairs in the small bedroom without electricity. Both hands were small enough to be considered a child's. Someone believed that a body could be buried under the crawlspace, beneath the house.

The ghost could be trying to communicate something, but there are some who believe she is the murderer and the the fact that her face couldn't be seen is because she disfigured herself, but again it's all conjecture and story, I haven't been able to find anything to back it up.

As an aside, a few years ago the place was up for sale and while on my Christmas vacation to see family, my brother and I were going to pose as interested buyers just to get in and see the place and see if other structural changes had been made since the few photos submitted on the real estate website were unrecognizable to us. We simply didn't recognize a few of the rooms or their locations. However time ran short and we couldn't arrange it. The place has new owners now.
CrimsonTopaz (1 stories) (238 posts)
+2
8 months ago (2023-07-26)
The lost voyage 11, You got me hooked from the first sentence of this interesting occurrence. The way you described the house reminded me of my grandparents house. Funny thing was, it was so big that an aunty and uncle lived downstairs with their 2 kids. They lived there to help my grandparents with this and that around the place.
Anyway, I was pretty spooked when you mentioned how a monkeys paw and a mummified hand was found during the renovations. Do you think there were more skeletal parts in the walls in other areas of the house? I got a feeling when I was reading this post that the woman everyone saw floating around was trying to tell you all something. Maybe she was murdered and hidden in the walls? Spooky. I really enjoyed reading this post and am going to read part 2 now. Thanks for sharing.
dido (5 stories) (20 posts)
+3
3 years ago (2020-10-08)
Hi The_Lost_Voyage - Wow - Can you imagine seeing a woman without a face! Off the the next story! 😊
LFrog1386 (1 stories) (73 posts)
+3
3 years ago (2020-09-28)
Man, that is a LOT of sightings in one location! It's a shame no one ever got an investigative team in the house to capture evidence. With the sheer amount of stories involving full bodied apparitions, it might have netted some really cool evidence. Thanks for your story-I am headed on to Part II now! 😁
The_Lost_Voyage_11 (7 stories) (233 posts)
+4
4 years ago (2020-09-12)
BojanTheGoTFan84, thanks for commenting. This are some interesting lyrics you've shared, thanks! They in turn remind me of another place I knew as a child where people would feel that intense anxiety and of being watched as soon as night fell. It was eerie during the day some, but boy was the effect amplified as soon as darkness came. It makes you think for sure! I wonder if darkness and night play with some of our more primitive emotions of fear, and if theory holds true, some entities and ghosts thrive off our fear, then it would explain why so many more seem to be seen at night?
BojanTheGoTFan84 (1 stories) (6 posts)
+4
4 years ago (2020-09-07)
The_Lost_Voyage_11
This story is really interesting and scary, the part where your cousin saw a woman
floating up the stairs towards him really made me shiver a bit, and the part where
you describe how your aunt saw someone standing over her in the darkness in the
middle of the night, screamed and turned the light on reminded me of the lyrics
'When the light begins to change
I sometimes feel a little strange
A little anxious when it's dark
Fear of the dark
Fear of the dark
I have a constant fear that something's always near
Fear of the dark
Fear of the dark
I have a phobia that someone's always there
Have you run your fingers down the wall
And have you felt your neck skin crawl
When you're searching for the light?
Sometimes when you're scared to take a look
At the corner of the room
You've sensed that something's watching you'
From the song 'Fear of the Dark' by the British heavy metal band 'Iron Maiden'
From their 1992 album of the same name. I cannot wait to read part 2 of your story,
I'll tell you my impressions when I finish reading...
The_Lost_Voyage_11 (7 stories) (233 posts)
+4
4 years ago (2020-09-05)
Hi t_bev and thanks for commenting. I stayed there a lot as a kid and never heard anything, most of these stories came out after my great aunt moved out but my aunt & uncle and cousins still lived there. More stories surfaced after it was sold and everybody was out. Almost every family reunion now, somebody invariably brings it up. The only thing that bothered me really as a kid that I remember was this weird carved coconut head in the back porch that really creeped me out for some reason. My grandpa tried to help me get over that fear and I don't know what happened to that coconut?
t_bev (3 stories) (32 posts)
+3
4 years ago (2020-09-04)
The_Lost_Voyage_11 - Great story! It seems like there were so many encounters with so many different people; did the family talk much about what was happening while living in the house or more after?

Now I'm heading on to part 2! 😁

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