Ghosts of Charleston

                                                         

In between fighting a sinus infection, ear infection and a broken tooth, my ghost hunting friends and I actually got in some good research. While we were at Wilmington North Carolina, we visited the battleship USS North Carolina.
                                                                             
It wasn’t until we got to the section of the ship that houses the engines, that I experienced that familiar unsettling in my stomach (it’s my “tell” that a spirit is nearby). Whenever this happens, I block out all other noises and concentrate of the spirit, but all I could sense was that the very young sailor in front of me, had died on the ship and the engine room was his scheduled work area. One of my friends, who entered a few minutes behind me, also sensed the young man, but we weren’t able to ask or record our “interview” as a large group had now entered the room. I picked up the sense that although this young man was confused on how he had died, he was proud of being in the Navy and a part of this ship’s crew.

                                                              

                                                                                                                                              

Once we had reached Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, we headed into Charleston and the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, but although there were stories of pirates being held there, we picked up no sensations of spirits in the building that day. Doesn’t mean the place isn’t haunted, but I sensed nothing during that visit. We were told about a woman and her husband who were hanged because of some rather nasty dealings. Her name was Lavinia Fisher,  a serial killer.

The Prison
                                                                  

My friends and I were under the impression that Lavinia and John Fisher were held at the Provost Dungeon, and so, when we went to the prison, we went there not knowing that this is where she was actually hung.
                                                                   

                                                                                                                                   
 While waiting for our guide to take us into the building, Rita who often has an experience where she's either touched by or sees a spirit (experiences that she is not at all comfortable with), commented to the guide that she saw someone climbing up the stairway. The stairway was visible through one of the prison windows; this was not witnessed by anyone else in our group. The guide assured us that no one was in there, but Rita argued that she saw someone in a white dress climbing the stairway. Brushing off her insistence that she saw something, the guide led us into the building. Jean and I, who normally sense if spirits are near us, didn’t feel a thing until we walked up the steps and into a large holding area.

                                                                      

There was something in this room and it wasn’t happy, but I wasn’t able to tell if it was male or female, at first because I was concentrating on the anger of the spirit. Suddenly, a black shape moved beside me, blocking off my line of vision to another person that was standing next to me. The anger I felt, was strong and I began to say the protection prayers while holding on tightly to my rosary beads in my coat pocket. When it moved passed me, I began to edge backwards towards Rita and Jean. “Something evil is in here,” I warned both of them under my breath.

“Someone is a dress just passed by me and headed in your direction,” Jean replied.

“It’s the woman, from the stairway,” Rita added. 
                                                                        

                                                          

Before we could take pictures or get our equipment set up, the spirit was gone. We asked our guide if he knew anything about the female ghost that all three of us had encountered and that is when he told us that Lavinia was hung at this prison. Now, all the clues fell into place. We had encountered Lavinia, herself. The guide then mentioned that there was an investigative team in the prison a while back and since they left, the staff has been experiencing more sightings. This sometimes happens if an investigation is done improperly and the investigative team has taunted or angered the spirits.

                                                                       

My next experience was at a cemetery behind the St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Charleston. We were walking through the cemetery with our cameras at the ready and our equipment on. I had walked away from my friends because I could sense that a spirit was nearby, then I heard someone call my name. Spirits don’t usually call out my name, so I was freaking nervous and curious as to why this was happening, now. I thought I saw something moving and took a picture. Who was it? What did they want? How did they know my name? I don’t know! 
But here is the photo with an orb. It's positioned right in front of the tombstone. This is one of the best orb pictures that I’ve ever taken. It almost looks solid. I called out to my friends, but they were unable to get a good shot.

                                                            

                                                                           

I don’t have to be in a cemetery or actively looking for ghost, but I can sense them when they’re around and recently a friend asked me to check out her house; the house was haunted by the former owner; kind soul who was watching over the little family now living there. The wall between the living and dead is only a heartbeat away. Sometimes, after a soul has passed over, if that person really loved their home, they may come back to visit. Here is a closer shot of that orb.

                                                                  

                                                           

 

Have you’ve ever encountered something from the other side. Would you like to share your story with me? contact me at mariegilb@comcast.net