Post by Tomspy77 on Feb 15, 2015 6:25:39 GMT -6
Ghosts in Florida? It’s no laughing matter
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You have to go beyond the white, sandy beaches and bright, sunny days, into the dark waters of Lake Okeechobee, between Kreamer Island and Observation Island. Just under the surface of the water is a bone-chilling secret that has haunted the lake since the early 1900’s. Local fishermen discovered a massive amount of skeletons just lying in the bed of the lake, looking up at them, from a watery grave.
The fisherman of today still recount their stories of “catching the skulls” on their fishing line and reeling in the heads of a skeletons. No one lays claim to keeping one of the skulls.
With every unmarked grave there is a mystery of who, how and why. Are they the skeletons of an ancient people or the Seminoles who reigned in Florida in the 1700’s? Or, perhaps, they were victims of the 1928 hurricane that killed thousands of people.
Every year there are at least a half a dozen reported paranormal sightings around the lake. People report seeing shadowy bodies floating just above the water.
There is something about a grave that brings reverence to a face. It commands a pause, respect and acknowledgement. At the corner of 3rd Street and 10th Avenue South, in Naples, the first pioneer families and orphaned children were buried in Rosemary Cemetery. But, they were not allowed to rest there in eternal peace. In 1930 the residents of Naples decided that a downtown cemetery was a waste of real estate.
Edward W. Crayton, resident of Naples, donated 20 acres of land on the outskirts of town, along Pine Ridge Road between U.S. 41 North and Goodlette-Frank Road, so the graves could be relocated. Today, the only “remains” of the original Rosemary Cemetery have been reduced to a plot of land surrounded by a fence next to a parking lot on U.S. 41 North and Pine Ridge road, where a shopping center was built over the graves.
Over the past eighty-five years, there have been rumors of hauntings, told by local residents, who see shadows walking down the road and hear children crying. Strangely, businesses built over the grave site don’t live very long!
When you talk about ghosts there is always talk of “rising from the dead”. If you venture to Koreshan State Park, on Corkscrew Road, Estero, Florida, you might just meet the ghost of Dr. Cyrus Teed or one of his followers rising from the town inside the park.
In 1869, Teed, a 30-year old Chicago physician, had a revelation that he was the Messiah. In 1894, he led his followers into the muggy wilderness of Estero. He claimed it to be the new Garden of Eden. By the turn of the century, the population was estimated at 200 people. The town thrived with businesses, manicured gardens and a theater, it appeared a real utopia.
Teed died in December of 1908. His followers propped him up in a tin bath at the town theater, assuming he would resurrect after three days. When the three days passed without a resurrection the town’s people put him in a mausoleum by the beach. For 13 years his followers kept vigil, thinking he would resurrect. It was a hurricane that finally raised Teed’s body up and washed him out to sea.
The stories of Teed and his followers haunting the town are still alive. Many visitors recant hearing whispers behind them, soft crying and seeing glimpses of shadows. Many believe that the ghost of Teed did what he couldn’t do in life, rise up!
If you are taking a boat down the St. John’s River in Seminole County, Florida, you might want to avoid the Round Cypress Head. The centuries-old trees hold many paranormal activities. Residents and visitors describe seeing ghosts as shape-shifters that transition from human shape to animal shape. With thick leaves, no light and up turned roots everything is dark. Fisherman’s lore says that fisherman have gone missing there and they still hear them moaning and the smell of their bodies.
The fisherman of today still recount their stories of “catching the skulls” on their fishing line and reeling in the heads of a skeletons. No one lays claim to keeping one of the skulls.
With every unmarked grave there is a mystery of who, how and why. Are they the skeletons of an ancient people or the Seminoles who reigned in Florida in the 1700’s? Or, perhaps, they were victims of the 1928 hurricane that killed thousands of people.
Every year there are at least a half a dozen reported paranormal sightings around the lake. People report seeing shadowy bodies floating just above the water.
There is something about a grave that brings reverence to a face. It commands a pause, respect and acknowledgement. At the corner of 3rd Street and 10th Avenue South, in Naples, the first pioneer families and orphaned children were buried in Rosemary Cemetery. But, they were not allowed to rest there in eternal peace. In 1930 the residents of Naples decided that a downtown cemetery was a waste of real estate.
Edward W. Crayton, resident of Naples, donated 20 acres of land on the outskirts of town, along Pine Ridge Road between U.S. 41 North and Goodlette-Frank Road, so the graves could be relocated. Today, the only “remains” of the original Rosemary Cemetery have been reduced to a plot of land surrounded by a fence next to a parking lot on U.S. 41 North and Pine Ridge road, where a shopping center was built over the graves.
Over the past eighty-five years, there have been rumors of hauntings, told by local residents, who see shadows walking down the road and hear children crying. Strangely, businesses built over the grave site don’t live very long!
When you talk about ghosts there is always talk of “rising from the dead”. If you venture to Koreshan State Park, on Corkscrew Road, Estero, Florida, you might just meet the ghost of Dr. Cyrus Teed or one of his followers rising from the town inside the park.
In 1869, Teed, a 30-year old Chicago physician, had a revelation that he was the Messiah. In 1894, he led his followers into the muggy wilderness of Estero. He claimed it to be the new Garden of Eden. By the turn of the century, the population was estimated at 200 people. The town thrived with businesses, manicured gardens and a theater, it appeared a real utopia.
Teed died in December of 1908. His followers propped him up in a tin bath at the town theater, assuming he would resurrect after three days. When the three days passed without a resurrection the town’s people put him in a mausoleum by the beach. For 13 years his followers kept vigil, thinking he would resurrect. It was a hurricane that finally raised Teed’s body up and washed him out to sea.
The stories of Teed and his followers haunting the town are still alive. Many visitors recant hearing whispers behind them, soft crying and seeing glimpses of shadows. Many believe that the ghost of Teed did what he couldn’t do in life, rise up!
If you are taking a boat down the St. John’s River in Seminole County, Florida, you might want to avoid the Round Cypress Head. The centuries-old trees hold many paranormal activities. Residents and visitors describe seeing ghosts as shape-shifters that transition from human shape to animal shape. With thick leaves, no light and up turned roots everything is dark. Fisherman’s lore says that fisherman have gone missing there and they still hear them moaning and the smell of their bodies.
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