Mysterious World

Situated at the junction of the Rhine and Nahe rivers, Bingen is a city that is connected to a very old poltergeist story. The report appears in the Annales Fuldenses which were written in the Abbey of Fulda, Franconia during the ninth century, covering the rule of the Carolingian line from Louis the Pious (778–840) to Louis III, ending in 1901. Read More »

The tiny village of Warfieldsburg in Carroll County is haunted by a black dog. Recounted by Maryland folklorists Annie W. Whitney and Caroline C. Bullock is the story of two men who were riding along near the Ore Mine Bridge at dusk around 1887. They saw a large black dog which passed through a fence, crossed the road, and passed through another fence. Read More »

Legends of black dogs and phantom hounds are widespread throughout the Chesapeake Bay region, which was one of the earliest areas settled by the English. Read More »

It is probably no coincidence that many of the oldest counties in Pennsylvania share the names of counties and regions of England (Berks, Bucks, Chester, Lancaster, Westmoreland, York) and that like Maryland and Delaware, dealt with in a previous article, Pennsylvania also has a number of tales of phantasmal dog-creatures. Read More »

In 1996 a man named Borovikov was diving in the Anapa region of the Black Sea hunting sharks. Whilst he was eight meters deep he had a strange encounter with a mermaid type creature. In his article UFOs in the Soviet Waters, Paul Stonehill described the encounter. ‘He saw giant beings rising up from below. They were milky-white, but with humanoid faces, and something like fish tails. Read More »

It could be just another variant of an urban legend or a wholly separate story, but the city Frederick (Frederick County) has its own Blue Dog of Rose Hill. The grounds of Rose Hill Manor off Route 355 in the northern part of the city are also haunted by a phantom blue dog. This blue dog was the pet of a previous owner of the manor. Read More »

Perhaps the oldest ghost story of Maryland is that of the Blue Dog of Rose Hill. Near the town of Port Tobacco (Charles County) is a rock covered in reddish discolorations. Called the "Peddler's Rock", it supposedly marks the spot where a trader was killed at some point in the latter part of the 1700s. In true ghost story fashion, there are many variants of the tale. Read More »

Charles J. Adams III cites the story of ghostly activity at the Stroud Mall in Stroudsburg, Monroe County, part of which was the appearance of what appeared to be a lion-headed dog. The sound of a whimpering dog was sometimes heard even when the phantom was not seen. The mall was formerly an old mill.

Castle Wildenstein (Schloss Wildenstein) dates from the around the 16th century and has acquired a reputation for being haunted. According to John and Anne Spencer in The 'Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits', on 1st March 1953, Baroness von Lobenstein reported seeing an apparition of a young boy in a sailor suit stood in the kitchen. Read More »

The Ark of the Covenant is the biblical vessel in which the stone tablets baring the ten commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai were kept. It is claimed that the Ark still exists and is kept under guard in a chapel within the holy city of Aksum (Axum) in Ethiopia. Read More »

In Phantasms of the Living (vol. II) (Frank Podmore, F W H Myers and Edmund Gurney), there is an account of an apparition experienced and identified by multiple witnesses. It is given in a letter by Mr Charles A. W. Lett, a member of the Military and Royal Naval Club, dated December 3rd, 1885, concerning events that took place twelve years earlier. Read More »

The case of the Dagg Poltergeist took place in the Ottawa Valley during the end of 1889 and centered around the farm and family of George Dagg. Read More »

According to ‘The Science of Fairy Tales’ (1891) by Edwin Sidney Hartland ‘A Danish tradition tells of a woman who was taken by an elf on Christmas Eve down into the earth to attend his wife. Read More »

On 20 April 2010, Regine Labossiere reported on the reputed haunting of the public library in Deep River, Connecticut. Read More »

The Dieppe Raid was a reconnaissance in force (division strength) to test the feasibility of an amphibious assault on German occupied France with the intention of attacking and capturing a defended port town, holding it for a short time then retreating with all gathered intelligence after destroying its strategic buildings and defences. Read More »

The empty ruined remains of the Diplomat Hotel on Dominican Hill, Baguio City, Philippines have the reputation of being haunted by headless apparitions amongst other things. The building dates back to the early 20th century and was constructed by the Dominican Order as a seminary, covering 17 hectares. Read More »

On 13 June 1993 in the skies above John Wayne Airport in Orange County a small red distinctive racing aircraft identified as belonging to astronaut Donald Slayton triggered automatic noise monitoring systems which led him being sent a noise violation warning letter. Read More »

In 1996, Abdul Alhazrad a man who lived in the Arab town of Jenin was travelling along the road to Dotan when he picked up a hitchhiker who got into the front passenger seat. Shortly after resuming the journey, the driver turned to look as his passenger and was shocked to see that his face had taken on the appearance of a dog with one eye. He wore dark clothing and had floppy dangling ears. Read More »

Drum Hill can be found on the northern bank of the Minjiang River, in the eastern suburbs of Fuzhou, Fujian Province. It is thought that it gets its name from a huge boulder, shaped like a drum that sits on the summit of the hill. Read More »

In The Science of Fairy Tales (1891), Edwin Sidney Hartland gives the following account of a Swabian* story where a human midwife is called to aid an Earthman’s wife (a name given to this type of fairy) give birth. Read More »

On 15 August 2012 the New York Daily News featured the following story by Mark Morales entitled ‘Gravesend woman’s sci-fi tale about living in a haunted house featured in SyFy reality show’. Read More »

In Danish folk belief every Elder Tree is inhabited and protected by a female spirit known as the Hyldemoer, and is revered as a sacred tree. This tradition may have some parallels in Britain, as I heard a similar folk belief when I was growing up in England. I was told that the tree was guarded by a female spirit and it was unlucky to bring the wood into the house. Read More »

The Fairbanks House at 511 East Street, dates from the mid 17th century and is thought to be North America's oldest surviving timber frame house. It was built around 1637 for Jonathan Fairbanks (Fiarbanke, Fairbanck, Fairebanke or Fayerbanke) (born 1594 – died 5 December 1668), his wife Grace (nee Lee) and their six children. Read More »

The following article entitled 'Farmers sacrifice 7-yr-old girl for good crop, held' appeared in the Times of India on 3 January 2012.  It concerns the alleged human sacrifice of a young child as an offering to ensure a successful harvest. Read More »

In 1723 a Royal Commission from Denmark visited the Faroe Islands in the Norwegian Sea to investigate claims of a mermaid being in the area. They saw a merman approach their ship, submerge then surface to stare at them intently with deep set eyes. Unsettling those aboard, the vessel was commanded to withdraw and as it pulled away, the creature puffed out his cheeks, roared and submerged again. Read More »