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The Old
Henhouse
Liberty, SC Investigation
9/12/2009
Sometimes
the spirits of our loved ones who have passed stop by from time
to time to check on us. And sometimes, if they were pranksters
in life, they have a little fun. So it was as we visited the
snug and pretty little brick house in the country to investigate
claims of paranormal activity about the property.
The original owners were much-loved members of this rural community; the uncle was a tall, sparely built man, noted for his work ethic, and the aunt, socially active and involved in the community, was also known for her warmth of attitude. The aunt lived to a ripe old age and in her last years had been lovingly cared for in her home by her niece, who currently owns the home with her husband. A family friend who passed away on the property many years ago also lived with the couple and helped with the family’s henhouse. But the incidences of apparitions and other claims brought a call to the Ghost PRO team via Statesville Ghost Hunters asking if we could take a case close to home. All about the property there were claims of activity to investigate. On multiple daylight occasions an apparition had been seen on the exterior grounds always heading in a westerly direction. The client had named the apparition the "Silver Man" due to the shimmering, silvery glow that emanates from it. Subsequently, Janet’s diligent research through newspapers, web sites, and additional contact resources revealed that the area had been home to a native Cherokee Indian population and did not become settled until well after the Cherokee Wars of 1760-61. The area where the Silver Man is seen is along the route of this former Indian trail which bisects the property. In 1825 a grist mill was built along the stream whose downstream waters create the flood plain at the back of the property.  A
snug little building on the property had doubled as a sewing room and
craft/hobby/work shop at various times. As we investigated the building,
Cat related a psychic sense of an old woman trying to
communicate. Her description was very clear. She described the
voice, saying, "It’s not coming
out right, like maybe she can’t speak right.” It was later
revealed the aunt had suffered a stroke and did indeed have
trouble speaking. Cat was able to discern the former uses of the
building and cigar smoke was smelled. Perhaps it was the
otherworldly presence of the three friends enjoying another
pleasant evening together after a day tending the henhouse. In the main house there has been witnessed an elderly female apparition described as wearing a housecoat and "cat-eye" glasses in the bathroom and the master bedroom. The Ghost PRO team made use of our allophone software to attempt real-time communication which generated some intriguing responses. As Janet posed the question, “Why are you appearing here?”, Cat began to chuckle, explaining she could sense and hear a lady with a sassy, ball-of-fire personality resembling the beloved cartoon character ‘Maxine’ retorting, “Because I live here, that’s why!” Our grinning host then revealed that his mother’s ashes were resting on the mantelpiece, and yes, she most definitely had been a ‘"Maxine" in life! It was as we explored the old henhouse that we experienced for ourselves an event that had been among the claims of a type of activity occurring on the property of which we were not yet aware. We had just moved from the old entrance to the former "office" of the henhouse and into the main barn area where the hens nested and the freshly-laid eggs were gathered. After a sweep of the area, we trooped back to the entrance and out into the fading daylight. Cat promptly bent down to scoop up a small black and white photo that was resting at the foot of the broken steps where only moments before we had gingerly navigated our way. The photographic quality and subject's manner of dress and hairstyle suggests an age estimate of it being produced between 1920 into the later 1940's. Its condition was pristine from any recent weathering, appearing dry and easily flexible to the touch, as if it had just fallen from a wallet. The clients did not recognize the lady in the photograph. This incident, that seemed at first a possible fluke or happenstance, became more significant when we learned that among the possible paranormal activity reported were several incidents of items translocating on the property. To this day, neither we nor the owners have been able to identify the lady in the photo. Is she bringing us a message from beyond? Perhaps. That, and enjoying a laugh with friends. ~~The CatHerder with LadyJEM 
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