Posted on 03/11/2005 11:17:54 PM PST by CurlyBill
By Emily Quirk
equirk@seacoastonline.com
RAYMOND - Tim Louis never believed in ghosts before he bought the old Bean Tavern on Fremont Road more than 20 years ago. Now he says he’s a believer. In 1982, after his father-in-law died, Louis and his wife, Peg, were searching for his father-in-law’s will. Louis had just come home from work the day after Christmas with The Boston Globe and placed the newspaper on the kitchen table. He went upstairs looking for Peg and she was frantically looking for her father’s will, which Louis said must have been filed away in a safe place.
"Peg was tearing the house apart looking for the will and she went down the stairs to look downstairs. I was only 10 seconds behind her. When we walked into the kitchen the will was sitting on top of the newspaper," Louis said. "It was an eerie feeling. No one else was in the house but someone put them there."
Louis’ story is an example of the many "true ghost stories" in Raymond residents Kathleen Chamberlain and Barbara Edgar may be researching. Chamberlain and Edgar are looking for stories of Raymond’s most haunted places for a Channel 22 documentary set to air sometime around Halloween. They will be accepting local stories of paranormal activity until March 31.
Chamberlain said they hope to investigate and host interviews between April and June. Sometime this summer they also want to host an overnight investigation of one of the haunted locations with the paranormal investigation agency True Ghost.
"We are hoping to get stories from local citizens," Edgar said. "We’ve had a few people call and e-mail. It’s very interesting. Being in Raymond for 18 years we’ve heard rumors of paranormal activity and are hoping people will talk openly about it."
Chamberlain said some residents are hesitant to talk about their ghost sightings because they don’t want to scare or make the ghost hostile while others don’t want their home to be labeled as a "haunted house." She added that they’d like stories to be on the record but some could remain anonymous.
Although they haven’t started interviews yet, Chamberlain said they’ve talked with librarians at the Dudley-Tucker Library about strange happenings. Years ago before a new addition was put on the library, staff would hear noises in the evening when no one was in the library, such as numerous books falling off the shelves.
Another ghostly rumor is the presence of former fire chief Philip A. Fox, who served between 1934 and 1941 and 1948 to 1969, at the old fire station on Epping Street. Fire Chief Kevin Pratt said firefighters use to joke around saying the strange noises they’d hear at the station was Fox.
"Strange things would happen," Pratt said. "The doors would open by themselves and when the dispatcher was alone at night he’d hear footsteps upstairs, where Chief Fox had an apartment."
When the fire station was moved to Scribner Road in 1990, the disturbances stopped. Pratt said Fox was the town’s longest-serving fire chief and was "forced out" owing to his old age. He may have stuck around the station a lot longer than the town intended, Pratt added.
Louis believes there is a presence at his home. The old Bean Tavern, now a residential home, was built in 1750 as a tavern and was the town’s first meeting place. Citizens used to discuss town issues, vote and drink, he added.
In 1989 the Bean Tavern was voted the Seacoast’s most haunted house by radio station WERZ. At the time Louis heard about his home being a finalist for the contest on the radio as he was driving home from work. "I almost drove off the road," he said.
His wife, Peg Louis, had written a letter to the radio station about strange events occurring at the home. The Bean Tavern ended up winning the haunted house contest and the morning crew from WERZ spent a Halloween night at their home.
The night before crews set up the wires and the feed was working perfectly. When they went to broadcast the next morning, the feed wasn’t working. Louis said the broadcast was done via telephone. By 9 a.m. the feed started to work again when a picture on the living room wall fell off.
"The wire wasn’t broken, nothing. It looked as though someone took it off the wall," he said. "It was bizarre. I never believed in this stuff but now I tell ya, I am a true believer."
"Everyone has a story," Chamberlain said. "We’ve never done this before. We have no experience with documentaries or ghosts. It started on a dare and a dream. We want to have fun and tell a true story."
If you have a true ghost story or have experienced paranormal activity in your home contact Chamberlain and Edgar at 1truestory@comcast.net or visit www.1truestory.org. You may also mail your story to P.O. Box 458, Raymond, NH 03077.
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" -Carl Sagan
You really need to get a grip. I didn't insult anyone. My post was not insulting either. Calm down and try to be civil.
In fact, the only one who has broken any rule seems to be Houmatt who called us all "Jackasses".
Now that's not very nice at all.
I have disagreed with many a FReeper, but have refrained from name-calling. The argumentum ad-hominem is not a way to convince people of your righteousness.
Did you friend mention, by any chance, how many bottles of pumpkin wine he'd consumed before he saw the apparition? :-)
Gee, couldn't we just sit down and make up crap like this too?
I think the apparitions started after the first $250,000 in lawyer bills.
You not only make two posts in response, but also send me a Freepmail.
As I am so fond of saying, build a bridge and get over it.
I stand by my original post, and it applies to anyone and everyone who wishes to mock those who believe in ghosts.
Kinda like the irrefutable fact that UFOs are only spottable from rural trailer parks.
Is a private home that a family lives in fall under your description of a WalMart?
Every family member can tell of doors being opened and dishes in the kitchen being placed or moved on the kitchen counter or in the sink.
They have never reported this for public consumption and as yet, have yet to make a dime from this female ghost who happens to be the wifes mother.
Ghosts...dead people. Haunting us from the other side or limbo or whatever. This is a pretty incredible assertion. Where does the burden of proof fall?
Evidence. I want something that can be measured, repeated, quantified, held up to peer review to the world. What is the most likely explanation? Ghosts or the human mind?
We are still figuring out how the human brain works. Look at what hypnotism can do with the human mind. It is pretty complex thing we are just scratching the surface.
A human also makes a poor scientific apparatus for recording such things. We all have propensitys to give explanations to things we dont fully understand with what our minds have been taught by society. Ever talk to two people that saw the same event? Both are usually different.
Lots of little experiments with that in school Im sure we all have done them.
People believe all kinds of things. Doesnt make it fact. My brother thinks hes been to Mars through out of body experience. Hes my brother, never know we were related in this regard. I dont argue with him anymore, let him believe what makes him happy. He wants to believe it so bad it becomes real.
I will never change a "believers" mind to consider another explanation. However I am open to any and all evidence, and I mean real evidence that has stood the test of scientific process and peer review. This is usually rejected by believers. Always some kind of reason why it cant meet scientific criteria. This is a big red flag to me on anything.
Its like the UFO phenomena, something is seen that has no immediate explanation and a terrible logic flaw is made. Jumping to conclusions that its "aliens".
Whoah, its just something in the sky that is unidentified. You cant jump to conclusions like that.
Seeing things and bumps in the night do not an afterlife make. I need more then feelings or storys from people.
I need more then wanting to believe or *not* wanting to believe. I simply seek evidence.
Proof of an aferlife has been sought for millenia. Nobody has proven it yet. Faith is usually the required mindset.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence- Carl Sagan
When and if that extraordinary evidence comes, Ill be right there reading every word.
Please read post #19.
Like I said, spend a weekend at the Myrtles Plantation. They have extraordinary evidence coming out of the tuchis.
I just went to their website and you're right....
$230 a night scared the hell out of me : )
WOW! I haven't seen that crew since the 50's!
I'd like to be relatively polite and say you owe me a new keyboard, but I'm afraid I'll be needing a new office chair. ;-)
Bump
Anne Jeffreys - the ghostess with the most-ess!
You are wise in your assertions, but have you had any experiences yourself that cannot be put to your tests? You think your brother is crazy, but did you inquire throughout your family and close friends their stories, where you could look then in the eye enough to give them benefit of the doubt?
The stuff we are talking about requires YOU to experience something, then as "victim" justify said experience without coming off as a mental patient, or out to sell something.
Topper... good childhood memories.
Sounds like y'all's ghost needs more aggressive marketing.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.