THE ANSWER IS........ GHOSTS

Marion Pellicano Ambrose

As an Assistant Principal, I took our students on many fun and educational field trips, but
by far the best was the 4th grade and the 8th grade trips to Saint Augustine! Teaching is
my love but teaching Florida History is my passion! When my kids went to the Ancient
City, they knew all about Ponce de Leon, Menendez, the different Native Floridian tribes,
the battles, the Spanish, French, American (Union and Confederate) rule of Florida,
and even pirate history! They knew the Florida timeline right up to the present day and
remembered and shared so much on our trip that their parents were amazed.
How, you ask, was I able to accomplish such a feat of excellence in teaching? The answer
is……. Ghosts! That’s right, ghosts!

As we studied the history of each historic spot in Florida, I related the ghost stories that
went with each area. We read from Weird Florida (an awesome book by the way) and
many of the published accounts of paranormal activity in St.Augustine. So haunted
is this city, that on any given night, there are 7 or 8 different “ghost tours” going on at
once. The city is so famous for its ghosts that the cast of TV’s Ghost Hunters came to
investigate. They had one of the scariest nights of their careers right in the St. Augustine
lighthouse! Certified: Definitely haunted!

The lighthouse is said to be haunted by the spirits of 3 little girls. Two were the
lighthouse keeper’s daughters and the third was a friend. They liked to ride the cart on
tracks that led down to the water where ships would unload goods and wheel them up the
tracks. On one of these “rides”, the cart overturned into the water with the girls inside and
the friend was drowned. People often report hearing girls laughing down by the water and
see their little faces in the windows of the main house.

Another favorite haunting of my students is the secret room at the Castillo de San Marcos
(the fort). Years ago, while a crew was cleaning the canons on the upper level, the
ground beneath it caved in and the canon fell to the first level. Several workers went
down to see it, but no one could find it. Finally, someone was lowered down into the
hole with a light. He was almost overcome with the strong scent of spicy perfume. He
found the canon in a small room, completely sealed off, and to his horror he also found
2 skeletons chained to the cold coquina wall. After much research, it was discovered that
during the Spanish occupation of St. Augustine there was a Commander of the fort whose
wife was much younger than he, and known for her great beauty and the exotic, spicy
scent of her perfume. She was also rumored to be having an affair with the handsome,
young Captain of the Guard. According to entries in the Commander’s reports, his
beloved wife ran away with her lover, never to be seen or heard from again. Could
these two be the ones sealed up in the secret room? The skeletons have long since been
removed, but why do visitors still catch the scent of her perfume when they enter?

At the Mission of Nombre de Dios, there is a quaint little building which is the La Leche
Chapel. It is part of the original mission Menendez and his party set up and where the
first Catholic Mass was held in the United States. The first teachers were the priests
and sisters who came to teach the Timucuan natives of the area. These faithful nuns are
buried right next to the chapel. The story persists, even though the present director of the
Mission denies its truth, that one of the nuns was buried alive accidentally. This wasn’t
uncommon at the time since the only way to tell if one was dead was if you couldn’t feel
a heartbeat or see them breathing. Many people were buried with a bell on the grace, a
string leading down to the hand to ring if they regained consciousness. Someone was
hired to sit by the grave through the night (thus the “expression graveyard shift”) to start
digging if the bell rang. Unfortunately, this young nun had no such bell. There were
reports of moaning and the ground vibrating near the grave and people were terrified. It
was decided to dig her up to prove this was all nonsense. When they opened the coffin,
there were deep scratch marks on the inside lid and her nails were broken and blood
stained. Her mouth was open as if screaming. She was quickly reinterred, but to this day,
people standing by the grave sometimes hear moaning and feel the ground beneath them
tremble.

I told my 8th grade this very story and when we visited, they were most anxious to stand
by the graves. We were in the chapel praying, but it was a hot and humid morning. Two
of my girls felt a little faint and asked to stand outside for some air. They walked over
to the grave. I stood in the doorway where I could supervise both the students praying
and the girls outside. Suddenly there was a bone chilling scream and my two girls came
running to me. They clung to me for dear life and cried, “It’s true, it’s true! We heard the
moaning and the ground began to shake! It’s her!!! It’s the nun!” I held them both and
stood with my mouth open in surprise. Sure enough, the ground WAS trembling and I
could hear a low moan that seemed to be coming closer and closer……………..
Suddenly a man on one of those giant lawn mowers came riding around the corner of the
chapel. It moaned and shook the ground as it whacked away the grass and weeds. Tears
of horror turned into tears of laughter as the girls realized that their ghost was a big green
John Deere!

So if you love Florida history, ghost stories or both, Saint Augustine is the place to go!
Sure there are colorful shops, picturesque Bed and Breakfasts, sightseeing tours and
sun- kissed golden beaches, but most importantly, there are GHOSTS!

PARANORMAL PUB - "Tar & Feather"

Robert T. Rothschild. Jr.

Tar and Feathering of Charles Kelsey:

The Kelsey Outrage in Huntington, is a scar on the towns name. Was it justified, you be the judge!
the time in history was back in 1873 where men on the north shore of LI was all about whaling. So the townsfolk found the likes of Charles Kelsey as a quirky, odd fellow. Charles was an avid gardener, poet, and Sunday School teacher. One Sunday school meeting with 20 year old Julia Smith, is all it took for Charles to be smitten with the perky Julia.

On September 5th in 1873 the newspaper read that a funeral was held for the lower torso of Charles G. Kelsey. The 2nd Presbyterian church on Main Street was packed with patrons regarding the funeral for half of a man. The horrific events leading up to that point is one of the most sensational trials ever held on this ground. It had elements with sex, mutilation, spurned love, Tar and feathering, and half of a missing body...

PARANORMAL PUB GHOST OF SPRING STREET

Robert Thomas Rothschild Jr.


One night whiile watching TV, I caught an episode of Ghost Stories on the Travel Channel. It featured a story about the the ghost of Spring Street. The story took place on December 22, 1799. The main players involved 22-year Gulielma ("Elma") Sands and her 24-year old soon-to-be husband, Levi Weeks. On the night of her death, the two lovers were to meet at a Manhattan well. The night ended with Levi Weeks, a carpenter, throwing his fiancee down into the Manhattan well. It was rumored that Elma revealed to Levi that she was pregnant with his child. Upon hearing this news, just days before their Christmas day wedding, Levi got angry and concerned that his reputation was going to be soiled by the fact that his out-of-wedlock child would make his name mud.

PARANORMAL PUB

 

GHOST STORIES FROM NEW YORK

Marion Pellicano Ambrose

While Saint Augustine, Florida is my favorite spot to visit and experience haunting adventures, there are many other places I’ve been that have their own spooky tales to tell.

I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and have heard many stories of ghosts and hauntings close to home. One such tale is that of the young girl in Marine Park. It is said that the girl was walking through the park one evening, enjoying the crisp fall wind blowing through the leaves of the tall trees that surround the park. Behind one of these trees lurked a strange man who grabbed her from behind. He brutally raped and murdered the girl. Her screams echoed throughout the surrounding neighborhood, yet no one came out to rescue her. Instead, they hid behind closed doors and drawn curtains. The murderer was eventually caught and put to death, but the girl’s spirit could not rest. She continues to roam the park waiting for someone to come to save her. On nights when the air is crisp and clear, people sometimes hear screaming and crying coming from within the park. Many years have passed and most of those living there at the time of her murder are dead themselves, but still she wanders and screams in the night. Screaming for someone to help her!

PARANORMAL PUB

THE GHOSTS OF ST. AUGUSTINE - PART II

Click Here to Read Part I

Marion Pelicano Ambrose

At the Mission of Nombre de Dios, there is a quaint little building which is the La Leche Chapel. It is part of the original mission Menendez and his party set up and where the first Catholic Mass was held in the United States. The first teachers were the priests and sisters who came to teach the Timucuan natives of the area. These faithful nuns are buried right next to the chapel. The story persists, even though the present director of the Mission denies its truth, that one of the nuns was buried alive accidentally. This wasn’t uncommon at the time since the only way to tell if one was dead was if you couldn’t feel a heartbeat of see them breathing. Many people were buried with a bell on the grace, a string leading down to the hand to ring if they regained consciousness. Someone was hired to sit by the grave

PARANORMAL PUB

THE GHOSTS OF ST. AUGUSTINE
Marion Pellicano Ambrose

As an Assistant Principal, I took our students on many fun and educational field trips, but by far the best was the 4^th grade and the 8^th grade trips to Saint Augustine! Teaching is my love but teaching Florida History is my passion! When my kids went to the Ancient City, they knew all about Ponce de Leon, Menendez, the different Native Floridian tribes, the battles, the Spanish, French, American (Union and Confederate) rule of Florida, and even pirate history! They knew the Florida timeline right up to the present day and remembered and shared so much on our trip that their parents were amazed.

How, you ask, was I able to accomplish such a feat of excellence in teaching? The answer is……. Ghosts! That’s right, ghosts!