Elvis lives

An oldy but goodie as they say! And a little break from some of my more serious ones.

The King is Not dead!

Elvis Aaron Presley died at age 42, on 16th August, 1977. He had been blighted by ill-health and had taken to drug abuse as well as over-eating. Fan’s across the world mourned his death, by overdose, and some went so far as to deny his death had even occurred.

The body of Elvis Presley was lain for view in an open casket, at his home in Graceland. Despite this fact there were still claims that he was not dead, sightings were reported and the King’s life carried on via speculation.

There were claims that he was a secret FBI agent that had been given a new identity, this was to hide him from the Drugs cartels and save his life. Part of the Men In Black Film pays homage to the speculation as they explain he went home…

 

Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro was a men who’s 1959 revolution brought Communism close to the USA, a boat ride away. Cuban exiles pressed for direct action against him, and in 1961 President Kennedy approved the Bay of Pigs landing. The operation was a disaster.

There were proposed CIA acts of terrorism sanctioned as a way of implicating Castro in plots that would mean a viable reason for his death or at least political destruction. They schemed to use hijackers to take planes, or to use urban bombings in the USA. The ‘Northwood’ planners also suggested sabotaging the spaceflight by Mercury astronaut John Glenn. When the CIA director was forced to quit in 1961 the President rejected the ‘Northwood’ plans outright.

The CIA still continued to plot a way to neutralize Castro, kill plans included using a mistress to poison him in bed, injecting him with a poisoned pen or slipping him an exploding cigar. Another was the idea of a contaminated wetsuit with a fatal disease, as they knew he was fond of scuba diving.

Despite these plans Castro continued to be an irritant to the US government but was forced to retire in 2008. With ill-health plaguing him he handed the power over to his brother, Raul.

Helltown

Yes there is such a place, Helltown (not actually called that in reality) is in the Boston Township, Summit County in Ohio. It’s got a vast legend of activity that I will try and go over in this post. Always good to know that there’s a nice cheery name to visit if you are in the area right? Do not get this place confused with Helltown, Richland County.

Boston Village was founded in 1806 and seemingly was quite a prosperous place until the 70’s. A bill was signed to allow the National Park to be made there and they brought several houses with an aim to demolish them, the houses were boarded up for a fair time before being demolished and of course the rumours started.

It was said that the houses were boarded up to conceal a chemical spill, tourists who were unaware of the of the purchase would see nothing but a ghost town. There are still some homes left standing but there were some destroyed in 2008. It is possible that the rumours for the chemical spill came about from a hiker that got ill in 1985, they got ill after touching some rusted drums at nearby Krejci Dump that was abandoned too.

Stanford Road – another road nicknamed ‘The Highway to Hell’, features in the town’s legends. It’s said that a steep hill and sharp drop off on the road lead to a barricade, this is known as The End of the World.

The Boston Cemetery is another local spot for a good old fashioned rumour or two. It is said to be haunted and there have been sightings of a ghostly man, a moving tree and grave robbers! (I’d love to hear more about that last bit if anyone has information.) The locals have had floodlights installed and they do tend to keep a good eye on the place, from all accounts it’s just a cemetery and doesn’t even have rest benches.

Another one is that there was an old school bus abandoned at the Stanford Road near the drop off, it is supposedly another haunted spot but the bus has since been removed. At night there was supposed to be a ghostly figure in the school bus smoking a cigarette. Okay so one of the other tales from this appears to be that the last trip on the bus was made with the kids and some crazy killer who butchered them. More mundanely (Ghosts of Ohio source) it seems that it was just a bus that was outside someone’s house that they lived in until the house was done up. The bus was towed away once it was done.

Suffice to say there’s also rumours of Satanists which were involved with animal sacrifice at a Presbyterian Church – Mother of Sorrows, decorative fascia boards on the church had upside-down crosses carved into them – this is more to do with it as an art feature of gothic revival than actually being satan worship. Again the boards were removed sometime around the 2000’s, and it’s said that there were reports of black hooded figures trying to stop people going through the village at night, blocking their cars in the road. More recently there has said to have been an escaped mental patient roaming the woods looking for victims, seems to be there’s plenty of scope for some new dodgy films!

Mutants? So with the rumours of the chemical spill there is a wonderful rumour of a large mutant python! There has never been a chemical plant in the area, and this particular myth seems to date back to the 1940’s. Not too sure that there is anything more to this one.

Deane Road Cemetery

The cemetery is located in Liverpool and has been recently granted money to restore the Jewish plot. A good thing too as it’s another piece of history that we shouldn’t let go to waste, well that and of course there’s always a good ghost story or point of interest if I’ve dug it up to read about right?

The Dean Road Cemetery is a burial ground that has been used for numerous Jewish families dating back to the 17th Century. It fell into disrepair sometime in the 18th Century, and residents around the area have said they heard children’s screams in the middle of the night or in the houses the doors slammed and furniture would sometimes be found moved without explanation.

Some of the older houses on the street may well have been part of the slave trade, slaves were undoubtedly kept in some horrific conditions in larger homes as the basements could be used to keep them away from prying eyes during the 198th Century. There have been reports of screaming, scratching sounds, loud footsteps, doors shutting and locking… and even possession.

The Cemetery Website

 

Arundel Castle

Arundel Castle, Sussex in England is said to be a pretty active place, and even the first Earl of Arundel is said to remain there. The Earl originally built the castle and is said to still haunt the keep.

Another spirit there seems to have a tragic history, a woman struck with grief following a tragic love affair threw herself from one of the towers. Traditionally seen in white the young lady appears to re-enact the death, suggesting that perhaps she is more of a playback/residual haunt that occur on moonlit nights.

“Blue Man” also gets a mention here, he is seen in the library and has been reported since 1630’s. It is possible he is a cavalier due to the time period. Another curious spirit that is mentioned is a white owl-like bird, it is also considered to be some form of death omen for any Castle resident.

And where would any good castle in England be without some mention of a terrible dark affair? I bring you a servant that was beaten to death who now haunts the kitchen. He has been seen scrubbing pots and pants and in the area a footman back in 1958 spotted someone near the servants quarters after being assured he was alone, he followed the spectre to find that it disappeared when he got close.

Planning a trip over? Let me know if you ever do and what you see!