Portsmouth's Haunted House

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Today’s blog is another vintage newspaper article that I’ve stashed away. It comes from the May 11, 1868 edition of the Wheeling Daily Register, and made the front page of the paper!  In this tale, a man suspects that the ghost plaguing his family may not necessarily be sent from the grave. He sets a trap for the ghost, and in a twist straight out of a Scooby Doo episode, finds out that the entity is none other than his own shady neighbor, who has been trying to underhandedly depreciate the value of the property so he can buy it for an optimal price. You know I love a good antique ghost story, but I also have a soft spot for these debunking tales of old.  Here’s the story as it appeared in the newspaper:

A gentleman living near Portsmouth, Ohio, has identified a ghost. His family had been often annoyed by ghostly visitations during his absence. He concluded to “possum” absence, but watch at home for the spook. The Tribune says: “About midnight his ghostship appeared and commenced his ‘spiritual manifestations.’ The watcher, with revolver in hand, slyly slipped to the door, opened it suddenly, and laid violent hands upon his visitant. Bringing him into the house, a light was struck, the “winding sheet” torn off, and there stood revealed, to his astonished gaze, the form of one of his neighbors, who had long been anxious to purchase the ‘haunted house,’ and had taken this course to depreciate its value. He went down upon his knees and begged his captor not to expose him, and he, after a judicious application of cow-hide, turned the rascal out. The house has not be ‘haunted’ since.”

I hope you enjoyed that humorous lil’ tale as much as I did! And on a serious note, Spectral Research and Investigations (SRI) is currently looking to expand into Ohio and Kentucky! If you own or have access to a building YOU think may be haunted, we’d love to come check it out! We’d prefer to focus on businesses, historic homes, museums, hotels/inns, and similar locations. We are also willing to accept private residences on a case by case basis. If you’d be interested in speaking to my team about possibly setting up an investigation of your location throughout the tri-state area of West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio, please see our website, or send us a message on Facebook!