Haunted Collector – Bare Bones and Octagon Haunting – S02E08

Forestville, New York

For this episode the team heads to New York to investigate a pretty odd set of circumstances. There is a home tattoo business in a house from the 1800’s, which sits right next to a cemetery and they have bones crumbling out of the wall. None of this sounds good at all. I think the first time bones came tumbling out at me, the place would be up for sale.

The activity in the house consists of the sound of footsteps, the feeling of being watched, bones in the walls, the sound of running up and down the stairs and their son claims there is an evil man in the closet of his room. Seems like there is a little bit of everything going on here.

John is able to determine the bones are animal rather than human. The strange cement structure dig into the ground out in the back yard was a bomb shelter rather than a cold storage place for bodies and has nothing to do with the cemetery.

During the investigation they get the EVP of "Jerome", which they associate with Jerome Bennet who died of tuberculosis in the 1800s. While investigating the attic they find a leech pot which would have been used to try and treat TB by letting leeches try to clean the blood.

So putting these together they assume that the jar was used on Jerome and that the attic would have been his sick room. Most likely it’s also where he would have died. Instead of taking the leech jar back to his museum, John put the jar in a wooden box and put it in the running water of a nearby river.

I didn’t really get the sense much was happening at this house. They only captured one (very faint) EVP and that was all. There didn’t appear to be any other activity going on. The house has the usual bumps and knocks and considering it’s age, I would expect it to make the sounds of footsteps as it settles and for there to be plenty of other noises since I’m sure some critters have made their home in there – thus the bones in the walls.

Does the leech pot hold the key to all the activity? Perhaps it does, but is that the only item from that time period? They didn’t find anything else? If that was the sick room, I would suspect they would find other things in there as well.

Octagon Hall – Franklin, Kentucky

The Octagon Hall was built back in the early 1800s and is being converted into a Cival War museum. The current owner says he has a lot of usual things going on such as strange noises, voices, a little girl singing and multiple shadow figures. From the way he describes it, the shadow figures are everywhere. And one witness says he was charged by a shadow figure and was all but knock out because of it.

A lot of the claims about the house are easy to debunk. Uneven floors would cause the wheelchair to move. Sagging floor and the usual wear and tear on a building this old would cause plenty of noises including footsteps. And air currents would help make that pot swing in the kitchen that everyone associates with the little girl. Once again, some pretty debunking by Brian.

This is also another place where I don’t think they captured any real activity. When asked the question, "Did you die here?" they get a very faint yes. That really seems to be it. There was the faint sound of bell, but you have to remember, just walking around that place could cause the walls, and floor to shake and make those noises. There was the feeling of being touched, but when you’re down in a dark basement that sort of thing always happens. And it didn’t happen again. And there was no other evidence gathered at the same time.

Their item for the night turns out to be a picture frame of Elizabeth, the first wife, who died at a young age, along with her children. Wife and children passed away and the husband re-married and started over. They hear some bangs, although they don’t find the source of that bang, they start playing with a picture when a card falls out. It simply says the name of Elizabeth Caldwell. They put this together with the Ovilus recordings they got outside which said, "three", meaning the passing of mother and two children. to sum it all up they believe Elizabeth is getting upset because she is being ignored and her importance in starting the house and being the first wife is being overlooked.

Again, the crazy random happenstance way of finding that card is a little odd, but the story is plausible. I’m not saying I agree, just that it’s plausible. I do agree with John that Elizabeth should get a little more of a spotlight for her place in history, but I still didn’t see too much evidence to support any paranormal claims. Pretty much everyone they reported is indicative of an old house.

Other Articles of Interest:

• Haunted Collector – Haunted Seminary and Ghost Games – S03E11
• Haunted Collector – Uncivil Spirit & Revolutionary Ghost – S01E05
• Paranormal Lockdown – S02E11 – Scutt Mansion
• Haunted Collector – House of Pain and Antique Spirits – S03E12
• Ghost Adventures – Palmer House Hotel – S07E04
• Haunted Collector – Hulbert House and King House – S02E02
• The Kehoe House – Tragic Scene, Funeral Home, Bed and Breakfast
• Haunted Collector – Stirring the Dead and Ghost Writer – S02E06
• Haunted Collector – Casino Phantom and California Nightmare – S02E07
• Haunted Collector – Ghost Tavern and Terror House – S02E09