Dave's Haunted House
…and a ghost named, "KATE."
Kate & T: "Come play with us, Danny!"
Like many turn-of-the-century houses, mine was a neglected mess when I bought it in June, 2006. On the day I got the keys, the weeds in the yard were as tall as corn, and the interior was a nine room petri dish of human DNA & bad decor. It took two solid weeks of cleaning, painting, and dragging trash from the basement before I dared move a single piece of furniture in...and then another 6 months before I got the house to a state where I could walk around in white socks, and to not have to throw them away afterward. When I began the same process on the exterior the following spring, neighbors often stopped to compliment the property’s turnaround...and to vent their stories of the house’s previous absentee owners & tenants -
Many of the stories were ugly.
About this time, a chance encounter connected me with “Lois” - the woman who lived in the house from 1941 to 1973. Lois offered to share some pictures of the property from that period, and I jumped at the chance. A few days later, a CD arrived in the mailbox; it contained 30 years of family photographs & memories, most from the 1960s. It was eerie to glimpse into the lives of these people, knowing that we all shared the same space, only in different times. And it was also no less than absolutely chilling when a single picture confirmed something I’d known since my third week here: my house was haunted.
Many of the stories were ugly.
About this time, a chance encounter connected me with “Lois” - the woman who lived in the house from 1941 to 1973. Lois offered to share some pictures of the property from that period, and I jumped at the chance. A few days later, a CD arrived in the mailbox; it contained 30 years of family photographs & memories, most from the 1960s. It was eerie to glimpse into the lives of these people, knowing that we all shared the same space, only in different times. And it was also no less than absolutely chilling when a single picture confirmed something I’d known since my third week here: my house was haunted.
Kate's house, 1972
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Kate's house, 2013
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Kate's house, 2018
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Kate's room, exactly as I saw in my "flash."
Jumping back to May 2006 (the day my Realtor & I initially walked through the property), I remember a vivid “flash” when I entered an upstairs bedroom - a room that had clearly been used for a child. Though the space was white/empty in the present, in my mind I saw what it looked like in the past: yellow walls, a single bed in the corner, and Beatles pictures (the Fab Four) hanging on the walls & ceiling above the bed. In particular, I recall how several of the pictures were hung at angles on the “dormer” portion of the ceiling, as though a little girl wanted the boys to be the last thing she saw when she went to sleep - and the first thing when she woke up.
I later learned that girl’s name was “Kate” -
And Lois’s CD contained a photo of Kate’s room, exactly as I’d seen it in my head:
I later learned that girl’s name was “Kate” -
And Lois’s CD contained a photo of Kate’s room, exactly as I’d seen it in my head:
Looking back at that time now, it’s clear that Kate made her presence known very early on. I didn’t notice her at first, often dismissing the opening/closing doors & creaking upstairs footsteps as the sounds of an old house settling, and I certainly didn’t experience the same chills that others felt, when Kate came up behind them, usually in the kitchen.
I genuinely believe that Kate wanted us to see her though, and as we weren’t paying attention, her antics grew bolder and harder to ignore...and started to involve major appliances. On one occasion, the washing machine turned on by itself. On another occasion, the furnace fired up unexpectedly - an act that required flipping two separate basement switches, then turning on the upstairs thermostat after the system warmed up. And of course there were the light games...lights on, lights off, lights on, lights off.
I genuinely believe that Kate wanted us to see her though, and as we weren’t paying attention, her antics grew bolder and harder to ignore...and started to involve major appliances. On one occasion, the washing machine turned on by itself. On another occasion, the furnace fired up unexpectedly - an act that required flipping two separate basement switches, then turning on the upstairs thermostat after the system warmed up. And of course there were the light games...lights on, lights off, lights on, lights off.
Lois & Kate, on the living room stairs
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Kate & T, on the same stairs, some years later
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But the most telltale sign of paranormal activity happened when Josie - my sedentary/elderly cat - suddenly “came to life” in the house, after 10 years of, well...sleeping. Josie would follow Kate’s (invisible) movements with her eyes during the day, but the nights were even stranger: Josie brought out toys she hadn’t used in years and scampered room to room as if she were a kitten, clearly playing with someone that only she could see. One morning in particular, I came downstairs to find all of Josie’s toys laid out in a circle on the living room floor. I remember thinking, “At least it’s not a pentagram,” before breaking the pattern with my foot and grabbing a cup of coffee. From that day forward, I began to speak to Kate directly whenever I sensed her presence. I still talk to her now, and remind her of our deal: “I won’t fuck with your house so long as you don’t fuck with my computer.” :)
Lois, Kate, and T
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Lou & Kate
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Two quick things:
First, I believe that Kate is a “friendly ghost,” the spirit of a child who died both young and somewhere else...but returned to my house because it’s where she felt happiest. I also believe that Kate is a prankster, and engages people until she knows their intentions...that is, until they prove that they love this house as much as she did.
First, I believe that Kate is a “friendly ghost,” the spirit of a child who died both young and somewhere else...but returned to my house because it’s where she felt happiest. I also believe that Kate is a prankster, and engages people until she knows their intentions...that is, until they prove that they love this house as much as she did.
Kate & T, late 1950s. Wow…look at that room's color scheme. It reminds me of the 1970s K-mart logo.
Second, a former roommate snapped a photo of Kate with an iPhone 4. (See below.)
Yeah, I know...it’s the typical white blur that can be easily explained away, and I’d dismiss it myself if I wasn’t 100% sure it was real.
Yeah, I know...it’s the typical white blur that can be easily explained away, and I’d dismiss it myself if I wasn’t 100% sure it was real.
My roommate had just left the bathroom, when he felt a "presence" behind him. He had been texting on the toilet with his new iPhone 4 (don't make that face - we all do it), so he had it in his hand, ready to go. He turned around and took four fast photos. Three of them were normal, but one of them caught Kate.
And I assure you, Kate is very, very real...
Kate's gang, 1958.
This has absolutely nothing to do with Kate, but...
(Chuckling.) I know this is just a coincidence, but I thought it ties into this page: I came home one night and found two vultures on my roof. Luckily, they were watching a pile of roadkill guts in the street, but you've gotta' admit…it's a little unsettling.
They flew away as soon as they finished dinner.
They flew away as soon as they finished dinner.
I looked up and did a double-take.
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Cloudy, grey sky - adds to the effect.
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It looks like a HITCHCOCK movie poster!
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Kate's House…Late Summer, 2013
Here's one of the biggest reasons that started liking me: I really take care of her yard. Unfortunately, I don't have any "Before" photos of the property, but trust me…it was a mess. These photos were taken during the summer of 2013. All the flowers are real - and yes, the grass is that neat/green. I live in a goddamn Norman Rockwell painting...
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