Ghosts of Strataca

Let me introduce you to Strataca. Formally the Kansas Underground Salt Museum, this attraction in Hutchinson, KS is the only salt mine in the United States open to tourists. Descending 650 ft below the Earth's surface, guests get to explore exhausted portions of the still active mine through various tours and exhibits. I've personally never been (although it's definitely on my to-do list) but my mother went a couple years back and came home with one of the greatest souvenirs I could ever hope for: a creepy story!

So, one of the experiences offered at Strataca is something called the Dark Ride. By opting for this tour you are taken on a tram ride down abandoned shafts beyond the museum galleries. Here the only light offered is from the tram's narrow head beams as it rolls past the gaping maws of long spent veins. This was the ride my mom and aunt opted for. At one point along this tour the guide stopped the tram to discuss a particular crystal formation right beside one of these abyssal veins. With no interest in what the guide was saying, my mother instead turned to look out into the darkness of the old shaft. As she did so, she started to see something, something that she at first mistook for pareidolia (where the mind creates a familiar pattern where none exists) but the more she watched it the more evident it became that this wasn't just some visual trick. What it was was the silhouette of a man some distance down the tunnel, lighter than the surrounding blackness. As she sat watching this, suddenly the figure charged down the shaft towards her, not stopping until it reached the mouth of the tunnel. This put only a few feet between my mother and the entity. Up close she could see that he was dressed in outdated mining gear with a strange sort of visible electric charge running through his body. The man wore a look of shock, making eye contact with my mother (though whether or not he actually saw her is unclear) before turning around and running back into the darkness from whence he came.

No one else appeared to have seen the entity.

Next thing my mother knows the guide is actually driving the tram down the passage where she had just seen this apparition and he stops right around where she estimated the figure first manifested. While pointing out a barricade in the wall the guide explained that in the early days of the mine, spent veins would be blocked off with old dynamite boxes to redirect air flow to where it was most needed. Things didn't always go as intended however, and sometimes there'd be cave-ins (I assume from leftover dynamite). Upon hearing this my mother had her "ah ha" moment and was able to piece together her experience. At some point in the mine's history there must've been an accident here, and what she saw was the ghost of someone reliving that horrific moment over and over again. Now, whether he was sentient or simply a residual haunting is unclear but my mother did seem to sense a certain degree of consciousness from the entity, a very human vibe of panic and desperation. It might also be worth mentioning that at the time she had no clue Strataca is supposed to be haunted, a fact the tour guide didn't bother to mention until the very end of the ride.

Ghost or pareidolia? My mother, who has encountered full bodied apparitions before, says she has never seen anything like this and I don't doubt her in the least. Pareidolia doesn't behave this way, doesn't come rushing at you in a surge of electricity fully dressed like a miner. No, I 100% don't believe my mother's mind was playing tricks on her. The fact that she was the only one who saw it doesn't surprise me either. Not only were the others focused elsewhere but I've found that a lot of people just have no sensitivity, no awareness of the spirit world and as such are rendered oblivious to its going ons even when they're occuring right in front of them. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram!

UFO Over Olathe

The following was originally written in March of 2015:
So, Saturday night I get this text from my roommate/best friend Hannah saying she'd just seen a UFO but wanted to wait until she saw me in person to get into details. Needless to say, this perked me right up. An event so spectacular it warranted face-to-face conversation? This was something I needed to hear ASAP. Unfortunately ASAP wouldn't come for another four days, as we keep very different schedules. Luckily, we were finally able to sit down for dinner today and over drinks this is what she told me:

    

This past Saturday (March 28th) Hannah was taking out the trash at her job in Olathe, KS. It was a bright, clear night and while she was out back she decided to light up a cigarette. As she stood there puffing away she happened to look up and notice a "pale gray crescent"  moving steadily across the sky. The thing, whatever it was, appeared to possess no light of its own, ruling out any known aircraft, and the only way she was sure she was able to see it was because of the reflecting moonlight. At first Hannah assumed it was a weather balloon or perhaps even a flock of geese but as she tracked it across the sky what at first appeared to be a crescent revealed itself as actually more elliptical in shape, only appearing as a sliver before because of the way the moon reflected off of it. Stranger still though was the color. Hannah couldn't tell if it was black, the same color as the night sky behind it, or perhaps hollow like some sort of flying donut and that what she was actually seeing was the night sky through it. It produced no audible sound, appeared somewhat lower to the ground than most planes and after about five seconds of movement disappeared completely. Poofed. Vanished. 

What gets me the most about this story however is the absence of lights on the object. Most UFOs seem to possess some sort of illumination. But this? If it hadn't been for the moon she probably would've never noticed it was there. As for what it was, I really couldn't say. I'm not even sure I have a theory. Even within the realm of the already bizarre world of UFOs this is one unusual case! One thing I can say with some certainty though is that if this was indeed some kind of craft (terrestrial or otherwise) it sounds like it was operating in some kind of stealth mode.

In the above photograph my roommate used her expertise as an artist to illustrate what she had witnessed. In the top shape, the red denotes what she initially saw, where as the orange is the object as it later appeared. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram!

Local Legends: Sauer Castle

 Kansas City’s Sauer Castle is the quintessential haunted house. It's large, old, completely off limits and totally out of place in a neighborhood otherwise populated by unassuming ranch homes. But no matter how paltry the evidence of a genuine supernatural presence might be, there's simply no shaking the collective notion that the place is haunted.

Built in 1871 by Anton Sauer, the house was residence for five generations of Sauers and witness to several natural deaths (including Anton's), one suicide (Anton's son-in-law shot himself over his declining health), an early infant death, and one accidental drowning of a young girl in the home's pool. After Anton Sauer's daughter Eva passed away in 1955 the house passed through several different owners before coming back into the family by way of Anton Sauer's great-great-grandson Carl Lopp in 1988, with hopes of fixing it up. Those hopes however have been slow in coming to fruition, as only minor repairs have ever been made to the old house. 

Legends surrounding Sauer Castle include:

-Previous family was murdered by father, who then committed suicide

-One owner left to go fight in the civil war, leaving his wife behind. He told her to wait for him, but when he failed to arrive on the expected ferry she assumed the worst and hung herself from the widow's watch. Unbeknown to her though, he'd simply missed the ferry and so when he finally got home and found his wife dead he too hung himself.

-There is buried treasure somewhere on the property

-There are unmarked graves on the property

-There are secret tunnels under the property

However, there are no records anywhere supporting any of the above legends, making them, as far as anyone can tell, just that. Legends. 

As far as the paranormal is concerned, there have been reports of inexplicable lights both in the tower and around the property, disembodied voices crying, shouting, laughing, singing and talking, and several full-bodied apparitions including that of a few different women, a man, and a small boy.

On a personal level, I have driven by Sauer Castle many times and have, on several occasions, even parked for a spell in hopes of seeing something spooky, but so far have come up with nothing. I would do more but there really is no getting closer to the house. It's heavily fenced off and the caretaker takes his job very, very seriously. Do I think it's actually haunted though? It's hard to say. It certainly is creepy, but is that because it's actually haunted or simply because it's old and abandoned? Neither I nor anyone I know has experienced anything at the house, but then again how much can one experience from a few minutes parked outside? Perhaps if I actually lived by the house I would have something more interesting to report but the most I can come up with now is vague information gleaned from the Internet.

With all that being said, if someone has a personal ghost story relating to Sauer Castle, I'd really appreciate it if they'd share it with me, as first hand accounts for the Castle are actually really difficult to come by. 

And if anyone is interested in driving by and checking it out you can find Sauer Castle at:

935 Shawnee Rd

Kansas City, KS 66103

It is also on the National Register of Historic Places.

Wikipedia

True Hauntings of America

UPDATE JULY 2023

Sauer Castle has new owners! After years of neglect at the hands of Carl Lopp, the property came up for sale this past March as a means to cover Lopp's mounting tax debt. Hopefully the new owners can give this magnificent home some much needed TLC. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram!

Time Slip At Stein Mart

 

Several years back one of my aunts shared the following experience with me and now I'm finally getting around to blogging about it. This story is a good one (at least to me), as it concerns time slips/glitches in the matrix, which are a personal favorite of mine.

The year was 2002, and my aunt was at a Stein Mart in Kansas City MO dress shopping with a friend for an upcoming wedding. Now, picking out just the right dress can be a real ordeal and in the chaos of it all my aunt somehow managed to misplace her keys. Leaving her friend in the dressing room with a large pile of clothes, my aunt ran out to check her car to see if she had accidently left them there (something she has a history of doing). Altogether it took maybe five minutes for her to check the car and re-enter the dressing room. Only, when she came back she found that something was...off. Her friend was gone, as were all the clothes. Not only that, but it appeared as if the entire work staff had changed. No one looked familiar. Not the customers, and certainly not the employees. Altogether it would seem that a great deal of time more than the estimated five minutes had elapsed. In fact, everything was so out of whack that my aunt went into full panic attack mode. She did eventually manage to compose herself enough to look for her friend, who my aunt eventually found clear on the other side of the store. When she found her, the friend seemed completely oblivious that anything was out of the ordinary. My aunt estimates that at least thirty minutes passed in what was certainly supposed to be only five.

 (BTW she did eventually find her keys, upstairs in the bathroom). 

So, did my aunt simply fail to gauge the time properly? I personally find it unlikely that someone would mistake a few minutes for a full half an hour but perhaps she really did just lose track of time. These things do happen. But maybe, just maybe, she took a small leap forward in time. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram!

The Orb

If I were to compile a list of the ten strangest things to happen to people I know the following would definitely be near the top of said list. It's one of those encounters that's eerie no matter the potential explanation, be that natural or supernatural.

It early June 2012 and my sister Hilary was hanging out with her best friend (who we’ll call Katie) when the subject of the Midnight Man* came up. For those not in the know, the Midnight Man is one of many paranormal games/rituals popularized (or more likely invented) by the internet and the once popular creepypasta genre (spooky internet urban legends). The two had been toying for quite some time with the idea of braving the notorious horror game and were finally feeling up to the task. My sister, however, wanted to first make sure both girls were properly protected. And the best way to do this? Jesus t-shirts, of course. Stored away in our parents' basement. Whatever works for you, right?

So down into the basement the two went. However, before they could get to the bottom of the stairs my sister caught something peculiar out of the corner of her eye. At first she assumed it was an eye sparkle (you know, those glittery illusions that sometimes appear when you get up too quickly) but out of curiosity turned her head anyways to investigate. And there it was, as real as you or I: An orb. A blue, baseball sized ball of light, glowing brightly yet casting no light onto surrounding objects. My sister watched in awe as it floated away from the basement's eastern wall before promptly moving back towards that same wall and disappearing. Unfortunately Katie’s attention was elsewhere at the moment and by the time my sister was able to gather her wits the orb had already vanished. Needless to say, after that my sister was too spooked to proceed with the Midnight Man.

So, what the hell did my sister see?

Over the years Hilary and I have discussed this event quite a few times and as such have developed several theories. Our first theory is the most obvious, that in the mere act of preparing to play a game that involves the invoking of dubious entities my sister and her friend actually managed to stir something up. Perhaps it was a warning, or just a wandering ghost taken in by the two girls' openness to the supernatural. Maybe it was the Midnight Man himself, getting ready for game night.

Another theory is that my sister was visited by the ghost of a recently deceased great aunt (a nun no less). But as my sister hardly knew her it seems unlikely that the nun's spirit would reveal itself to her, unless you tie it in with our first theory.

Theory #3 is that this was a case of ball lightning. Considering that the air conditioner (a major electricity guzzler) is stationed right outside where Hilary saw this orb, combined with the old wiring in our parents’ house, it does seem plausible that this was some kind of natural, though abnormal, electrical phenomenon witnessed at a very coincidental time. This is the theory my sister most subscribes to. As an aside however  I will note that 1) the object did not behave in the destructive way typically associated with ball lightning and 2) I have put an EMF reader up to both that air conditioner and the area where Hilary saw the orb and got absolutely no spikes. Don’t know what the weather was like that night though. Maybe the air was exceptionally charged? Hmmm…

Several other ideas we’ve tossed around are poltergeist activity (which I’ll get into at a later date) or fairies (which I will also cover at a later date).

*For those unaware, here’s how you play The Midnight Man (also known as The Midnight Game). First off, this is traditionally a single player game. Two could play but they would each need to go through the entire process separately in order for everything to work. Next, gather a candle, a lighter, a piece of paper, something to write with, a pin, salt and the location of a closed wooden door within the house. A little before midnight you will write your full name (first, middle, last) on the paper, then use the pin to prick your finger. Squeeze until a drop of blood appears and use this blood to dot the paper. After this is done go ahead and turn off all the lights. Go to the closed wooden door and lay down your paper with the candle on top. Now light the candle. Next, knock on the door 22 times, making sure that the final knock happens precisely at midnight. Open the door, blow out the candle, close the door and then relight said candle. The game has begun. With candle in hand and your matches and salt nearby begin to move about the house. You must keep moving so The Midnight Man can’t find you, and keep doing so until the game ends at 3:33 AM. If your candle goes out you must relight it within ten seconds or else surround yourself in a protective circle of salt and remain there for the duration of the game. At 3:33 AM the game is over and you may move out of the circle and turn the lights back on. Check out Youtuber Brittney Crabb to see the game in action and read more about legends surrounding the Midnight Man here on The Ghost In My Machine. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram!

Where Hilary saw the orb.

A Creepy Encounter In Kansas City KS

Back in 2003 my father was in the process of selling my grandfather's home. Now this house - the childhood home of my dad - has the kind of back story that reads like a stereotypical horror film. Old house, once owned by casket makers and located within spitting distance of notoriously haunted Wyandotte High School. It's not a particularly remarkable home at first glance, but beneath that unassuming façade lurks a dark energy. Simply put, it's not a very welcoming place. 

Eventually my dad was able to find a buyer for the house and as such thought he was finally done with the property, but the house apparently felt differently. It was Thanksgiving, and my family and I had just returned from a day spent at my other grandparents' home when Dad received a strange call from the new owners. Apparently they'd been locked out. Not in the absentminded way that one accidentally leaves their keys somewhere else. No, it seemed that the dead bolt had been engaged, something that could only be achieved from inside the house. Intrigued, my dad offered to go investigate and, equally curious, I offered to tag along. 

The house.

So here we were, standing on the porch of an empty, possibly haunted house in what had become a somewhat questionable neighborhood. We try the front door thinking maybe there's just something wrong with the new owners' keys but as my dad turns the key it breaks, lodging itself firmly in the keyhole. The house just wasn't going to make it easy for us. Knowing that we needed to get inside to further our investigation, we started to look around for another way in. We tried the back door, but it too had been latched. So we turned to our best bet at this point: tools. Lucky for us the back door was much easier to unhinge, allowing us to finally gain access to the home.

Once inside we made for the front door and sure enough, the deadbolt had been activated. But as weird as it all was, we still had the matter of the broken key to tend to, so my dad set to work while I waited inside, the whole time convinced something was watching me (I can't remember exactly why, but apparently I needed to be inside). Eventually my father managed to remedy the key situation and we were able to get out with no more resistance but my god, it was weird. I just can't imagine how both those doors could be latched up without someone in the house to do the latching. Since both lock mechanisms could only be accessed from inside the house the only way for a human to achieve what we encountered would be to hook all the latches and engage the dead bolt and then exit through a window, which seems an unlikely scenario.

Years later (editing this May 26th, 2018 [and again June 2023) this whole experience still stands as one of the strangest encounters in my personal repertoire of unexplained phenomena. The whole thing was just so strange. After that night though we never heard anything more about the house, but we do occasionally still drive by just to see how it’s holding up. A few renovations have taken place over the years but I would say that the property still retains much of the same odd vibe that I grew up with, and I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if future residents have accumulated a few haunted house stories of their own.  Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram!

Chicago UFO

These photographs were sent to me over ten years ago along with an explanation of what happened:

"I'm always looking for an excuse to take photos, even if it means going out in my slippers at 1:30 in the morning during a Chicago snowstorm. The only source of light was from the poll in our back alley way, and I used it to capture the snow as it fell. Nothing out of the ordinary appeared as I snapped each one, hoping to get the perfect image.

Returning indoors, I began to scroll through my snowy prints, overlooking the ones featuring the light poll (they were terrible). Right before I shut the camera off, a strange bell shape near the light caught my eye. At first I thought it was another light fixture hanging from the cable wires, but it moved around as I looked back on the other photographs. That's when I realized it was a UFO! I couldn't believe that I had missed it, or that I was prompted to take as many images as I had. Despite the near foggy sky, my camera (a Nikon D3100 with 35mm lens) caught it. And that's what happened." 

What do you think? Earthly, extraterrestrial or simply a trick of the light? 

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