Hollow Hill

Frank’s Box – Reviewed

Frank’s Box is a device optimized by Frank Sumption, sometimes described (but not by Mr. Sumption) as “the telephone to the dead.”

Franks Box reviewed - ghost hunting Frank Sumption wasn’t the first to work with this concept, but his results are among the most impressive so far.

Others have tried variations of this concept — a radio receiver that scans a wide range of stations, “grabbing” snippets of sounds and words, to form messages — with some success.

(The popular “Shack Hack” was one attempt, but – as some designed it – it lacked the clarity or durability of its higher-quality counterparts.)

Frank Sumption – now deceased – seemed to make “Frank’s Boxes,” one at a time, and no two looked the same or produce identical results. (The photo with this article is symbolic. As far as I know, no Frank’s Box looks like an actual telephone.)

I read the EVP-ITC list online for several months, and I exchanged correspondence with Mr. Sumption, but — even — I’m uncertain of what was (and still is) going on.

I tend to take things at face value and… this seems to be a fairly complex subject with conflicting opinions.

(There’s been a lot of static on the EVP-ITC list, due to very vocal skeptics. That said, I have heard recordings on that list that claim to be genuine and — if the recordings truly represent what a Frank’s Box can do — they’re groundbreaking.)

I haven’t worked with a Frank’s Box myself. If and when I do, I’ll happily provide a review.

(Authentic Frank’s Boxes are very difficult to find in the wild, and I’m not sure how or why Mr. Sumption decided to offer them to people. I know both genuine researchers and questionable personalities who own them.)

For now, I try to keep my critical thinking skills engaged, and remember that absolutely anyone can fake “results” to support or dispute what others are saying. Particularly if money is exchanging hands… well, as the TV show used to say, “Be careful out there.”

However, it would be impossible to mention what’s popularly called “the Frank’s Box” without talking about Christopher Moon’s work.

CHRISTOPHER MOON and Frank’s Boxes

Chris Moon is a paranormal researcher. He was the founder of the controversial magazine, Haunted Times, now out-of-print.

Chris’s successes with the Frank’s Box brought the device to the attention of serious investigators.

From my personal experiences on investigations with Chris, I’m certain he can achieve remarkable and authentic results with the Frank’s Boxes that he owns.

Here’s a video that speaks for itself. Listen to the voices. Watch the video screen on the box. Also note the composition of his audience. Weigh all of those points, carefully.

That video is at https://youtu.be/zu9RxgyOZz0 (Apparently, there's a longer version, but this gets the idea across.

Maybe Chris’ success is due to his own gifts as a medium, as opposed to the device he’s using. That may be the best explanation.

Other than that…? Well, at the time I met him, and shortly afterwards, I saw some big red flags related to his business practices. Though I believed what I heard in two sessions with Chris (and a Frank’s Box), he then made a statement that made me uneasy.

I later learned that he’d made the same statement (not sexual, btw) to another woman in my age range. Comparing notes, we each raised an eyebrow.

I want to like Chris… but – as of December 2018 (eight years after writing the original version of this article) – I still don’t feel confident about trusting him.

That said, I am convinced of the authenticity of what I heard when he was using an actual Frank’s Box. (Emphasis: What I heard, not necessarily what he interpreted the box saying.)

CLAIMS AND RISKS

The credibility of Frank’s Boxes open doors even wider to problems we already have in this field: Charlatans and con artists.

People can be very vulnerable when they’ve lost someone dear to them, or have fears related to death.

After all, if you could pay a certain fee or fulfill a request, and you could talk directly with someone on the other side — via a “telephone to the dead” — well, I think most people would.

Would a Frank’s Box work in the hands of an unscrupulous medium? I’m not sure. I haven’t seen anyone except Chris Moon use one.

OPPOSING OPINIONS

Another high-profile researcher says she owns several actual Frank’s Boxes (acquired directly from Frank Sumption). I’m not sure if that’s true.

When I spoke with her, she insisted that Frank’s Boxes aren’t reliable for ghost research. She said that a Mini-Box is a better choice.

Maybe she’s right.

The problem is: when a researcher tells me one lie, I’m uneasy trusting other things they say. And, during the same lunch conversation where she & I discussed Frank’s Boxes, she told me something that – later – turned out to be untrue.

So, I’m not sure a Frank’s Box would speak to her, or that alternatives are much better. (When I mentioned her name to Frank – while he was still alive – he was very bitter about his experiences with her.)

Frank passed away some time ago, before he had a chance to give me one of his Frank’s Boxes. I regret missing that opportunity.

Now, I’m still looking for reliable opinions and first-person experiences with a Frank’s Box.

TRY IT AND SEE?

Until I’m more confident about these kinds of devices, I recommend experimenting, yourself.

Try every real-time communication device that you can. (Borrow them, or spend time with someone who owns one. Do not spend money you can’t afford to lose, on devices that may not work.)

Compare your results at home (or at any single, stable location) against results at “haunted” sites. Frank Sumption seemed pretty adamant that the box works anywhere you have it. He’s said there’s no point in taking it to a “haunted” site.

From what I’ve seen, a Frank’s Box can be remarkable.

Is it always…? I have no idea.

I am 100% convinced that it can work in the hands of Chris Moon.

If you’ve had experiences with a Frank’s Box, especially if you’ve used one yourself, I hope you’ll leave a comment below.

Resources

The ITC list of hackable radio devices
How to hack the 12-469 Radio Shack radio
Lots of Frank’s Box, etc., information at Steve Hultay’s KeyportParanormal.com

Here’s one video showing how to create a “Shack Hack.”

That video is at https://youtu.be/V1JOzalRojs?t=36  <- Directions start around :36 in the YouTube video.

Here’s one about working with a Thompson RT222

YouTube link for that video: https://youtu.be/8hL0T17qr20

Consider The Ghosts’ Contexts

I’m about to say something radical.

I believe that some active hauntings aren’t ghosts, but a brush with another time period… a time in which the person is still alive.

Radical? Yes., but it’s not an original theory.

(I’ve written an article, Were the Ghosts of Dickens’ Christmas Carol Real? In it, I describe Shelley’s doppelgangers, and Goethe’s encounter with himself in a future time.)

In a 2008 episode of the Ghost Hunters’ TV show, the TAPS team investigated New Hampshire’s Mt. Washington Hotel.

In crystal clear EVP, the “princess” seemed to be speaking from her own time period.

How does this affect ghost research?

For now, it’s just an interesting theory to consider.

However, it might be important.

When communicating with spirits, it’s vital to keep their contexts in mind.

Let’s say that the ghost can hear you.

To him, you’re a ‘disembodied voice’.

If the ghost is (or believes he is) still alive, he may think that you’re an evil spirit… something that’s a threat to his eternal soul.

If he thinks you’re in his own time period, he may decide you’re an intruder, a thief or some other kind of criminal.

You may seem foolish or rude, if you ask him to perform… tapping once for yes and twice for no, etc.

(In earlier times, some actors — especially women — were considered a bit tawdry. If the ghost thinks you’ve mistaken him for a performer, this could be very insulting.)

Let’s say that the spirit is a woman — alive or dead — and she has always lived in a highly structured, conservative society. Your clothing might shock her, because the style is too revealing to wear in public.

Your language, even when you’re not speaking to her directly, could alarm her or cause her to hide from you, temporarily.

I encountered something like this at an historical society in Massachusetts (USA). One of its ghosts was a minister from early American times. He was highly offended by my trousers (jeans), and the fact that I spoke to him directly. In his time, women didn’t speak to him unless he addressed them, first.

I had to leave the room. Then, he was willing to communicate with others in the room, as long as they addressed him respectfully, and through a designated (male) leader.

In the past, people were formally introduced before beginning a conversation. How many ghost hunters introduce themselves before trying to talk with the ghosts?

For more successful investigations, consider the time and culture that your ghosts lived in. By respecting their social rules, you increase your chances of establishing rapport with the spirits.

A little historical research can improve your ghost hunting results.

book-and-applewoodsy For further reading

Did your ghost live during the Regency? For insights, see Instances of Ill Manners to be carefully avoided by youth of both sexes and A Sample of Regency Manners.

George Washington’s Rules of Civility – described as The Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour In Company and Conversation, was transcribed before that American hero was 16 years old.

Your public library may have books about manners and society from the time when your ghosts lived.

For example, if your ghost is an American who lived during the Victorian era, the Essential Handbook of Victorian Etiquette can be very helpful.

Ghosts at Greycourt Castle Ruins, MA

Greycourt Castle (or Grey Court Castle) is haunted. VERY haunted.

Long ago, it was the estate home of Charles H. Tenney, his wife Fanny, and their son Daniel G. Tenney.

The castle-style mansion was built in the 1880s and used as a summer home by the Tenney family.

In the 1950s, it was sold and used as a drug rehabilitation facility in the mid-20th century, and largely destroyed by fires from 1974 through 1978. The 1978 fire was the result of arson.

As I explain in my book, Ghost Hunting in Haunted Cemeteries, we’re always looking for any of four characteristics of most hauntings:

Money
Power
Drama
Tragedy (sudden or extended)

If I see more than one of these elements, it’s a red flag that suggests the site is worth investigating.

In my earlier article, History of Tenney Gatehouse, I share details Greycourt Castle’s intriguing and tragic past.

From the land’s connections to a Colonial blockhouse, to the fire that destroyed Greycourt in the 1970s, the site’s history contains all four elements – money, power, drama, and tragedy – that make it a prime location for paranormal investigations.

My “gut feeling” is that many ghosts – perhaps many more than we’ve found, so far – continue to lurk around the Greycourt Castle ruins.

I’m also certain that the park-like areas of the Tenney grounds hold additional reasons for ghostly activity.

The nearby Searles site is certainly worth investigating, as well.

My October 2009 investigation

I did not spend time in the area where the monks’ graves were rumored to have been. (The graves were moved when the site stopped being used by the order.)

Earlier in the evening, I’d heard that some people had formed a circle to summon the energy or spirits from any remaining graves.

Unless you know what you’re doing, that can open doors best left closed. Even with the best of intentions, this can create unhealthy dynamics with the spirits.

So, I rushed past that area.

Walking up the path from the gatehouse to Greycourt, I immediately took a photo where I feel intense energy from… well, I think it’s the Gorrill brothers.

(For their story, see my article, Tenney ghosts – Gorrill brothers.)

As I continued to Greycourt Castle, I felt the familiar sense of entering an area with very different energy, as if it were a portal to another time.

The castle feels like something incomplete… in our world. However, I often feel that the stairs leading down from it show more than just a great view of Methuen (albeit blocked by trees).

I feel that it may offer something else, if you have patience, suspend disbelief, and use all of your senses to perceive what’s there.

For example, this is the second time I’ve smelled the vanilla-like aroma of tobacco around the stairway, too. (I describe it as a little like Swisher Sweet cigars.)

During this October 2009 investigation, several other people commented on that aroma as well, even before I mentioned it.

My photos from nearby showed some great lights but nothing paranormal.

One odd photo

tenney-treemist — I have no idea what this is.

One of my next pictures caught an odd, colorful mist. Someone else commented on her own misty photo, taken around the same time.

We both tried to replicate the mist by breathing near the cameras’ lenses as we took additional photos. However, we couldn’t duplicate the effect.

Though this still might be mist (it’s not cigarette smoke), it’s more likely an anomaly.

In the photo, that’s a tree on the right, surrounded by the mist. At the lower left, you can almost see the promontory where the stairs lead, and where I feel that the energy is different from “normal.”

Though city lights interfere with night photos, and there’s nothing obvious there to see… I still feel that’s a location for an in-depth investigation. But, because that could be something frightening, I’d only recommend it for very experienced ghost hunters.

(By “frightening,” I don’t mean that it’s necessarily dangerous. I think that it might be something very different from what we usually encounter at haunted sites like this. Perhaps “startling” might be a better word, but when something radically different happens at haunted places, beginners can interpret it as scary, frightening or dangerous.)

Eerie shadows

Next, I walked along the corridor. None of my photos showed anything unusual. castle-shadowarea However, I kept noticing moving shadows on the columns as I stood and took pictures. The shadows were very crisp and well-defined. It was as if someone was immediately behind me.

Every time I turned to look – at least four or five times – no one was there. Since there were only about four of us at that part of the ruins at the time, I don’t have any explanation for it.

I wasn’t afraid of the shadows, and I don’t think they indicate anything malicious… just odd.

More odd – probably not ghostly – photos

castle-ftn-orb Nearby, the area around the fountain seems very active, but with happier energy. Generally, I connect this with the “flower child” energy that may have resonated with earlier, Spiritualist activities at the site.

Or, it may relate to the ritual energy in a nearby wooded area.

Though the woods feel somber and even creepy to me, the energy around the fountain seems joyous. I wasn’t at all surprised to see an orb in the photo at right. I was amazed that I didn’t have more anomalies in the pictures I took there.

searles-orb On the walk back from the ruins, I was – as usual – intrigued by the Searles’ property and stone buildings. That location also contains very powerful, paranormal energy. That’s the only way I can describe it; it doesn’t feel like anything that’s from this world.

However, my “gut feeling” is that it’s not just the ghost of Mr. Searles. I’d fully expect cryptozoology reports there, because – in addition to something vaguely ghostly – there’s… well, something else.

A second photo included some lines that I’m still studying.

oddlines — Insects? Falling leaves? Pretty but probably not paranormal.

Everything else – full depth of field – is in focus. If the camera moved enough to create those lines, other objects should be blurrier.

Of course, it helps that the area by that stone wall feels unsettling. It’s the kind of site where we often see apparitions.

Yes, this is probably a perfectly normal photo, and it may be falling leaves.

The earlier orb pictures may show insects as well. I’m displaying them because they’re interesting, not necessarily paranormal.

IMPORTANT NOTE

When we look at odd things in photos from haunted places, we’re not suggesting that an orb or blurry shape is an actual ghost. (We’re not sure what anomalies are.)

Instead, we’re asking, “Why does this photograph show insects, dust, or lights in this photo… but they’re not in other photos taken at the same time or place?”

In my opinion, Tenney Gatehouse and Greycourt Castle ruins are worth investigating. And probably investigating them several times before drawing any conclusions.

Summary

For a first-time or casual ghost hunter, Tenney Gatehouse is the ideal place for an investigation.

For an experienced investigator, I think the rest of the Tenney property offers more intriguing energy and anomalies that haven’t been reported yet.

Tenney Gatehouse is maintained by the Methuen Historical Society, 37 Pleasant Street, Methuen, MA. The gatehouse and grounds are open to the public. Please check with the Methuen Historical Society for hours and additional information.

My related report: Tenney Gatehouse ghosts (October 2009)

Ghost Investigation at Tenney Gatehouse, MA

tenney-reportfrom-125 Tenney Gatehouse and the Greycourt Castle ruins are among Methuen’s historical treasures… and among that city’s most haunted locations.

Many investigation teams have visited Tenney Gatehouse and documented its ghosts.

The following are my notes from one of my investigations at the house.

Basement

The basement is an odd location. I don’t sense a lot of history there, though other investigators have reported significant energy.

Mostly, the atmosphere seems to get heavier (or denser) the longer you stay there, as if something is crowding you out. If you’re prone to headaches, especially migraines, stay away from the basement.

Some very hostile energy lingers in one corner of the room where the furnace is. That’s odd, since I’m fairly sure it’s a recently excavated area. [See the Methuen Historical Society’s page that describes the basement work.]

I also sensed a distraught young woman in a maroon dress. She’s from the second half of the 19th century. She has very high, elaborate braids and curls, characteristic of the 1860s and later. (Her hairstyle reminds me of a Swedish woven loaf of bread, but upright.)

Her skirt is fairly narrow, also suggesting a time from the late 19th century. She’s pacing and very unhappy, but also seems to enjoy the drama of it, as well as the attention she gets.

There’s also the energy of a little boy, but my “gut feeling” is: this is phantom energy. I’m not sure that there was actually a tragedy at the staircase where he seems to linger, and I wonder if he’s the created energy of several imaginative researchers.

Whether he’s a real ghost or not, the energy remains there.

Between the amount of running electrical equipment, fuse boxes, and pipes, the basement is unreliable for EMF studies.

Ground floor

In the parlor, the doll and the sofa she was on have been replaced by a lovely organ from Greycourt Castle. The wooden organ belonged to the Tenneys and not only survived its years when the mansion was a drug rehab center, but it’s also one of the few items to survive the fire as well.

We found a “cold spot” on top of the organ, and a couple of variable cold spots on either side of it.

Because of the organ’s surprising energy, it’s an item to research in more detail, especially in light of the Searles family’s connection with organ making.

Several items in the museum area seem to hold residual energy, in addition to fascinating history. In light of the history I’ve learned since this investigation, many of the museum’s objects are worth closer study.

emfx2-orb In the far room in the museum area, several people saw dramatic dowsing rod activity in one corner. We also saw baffling EMF meter readings.

(NOTE: I no longer recommend using dowsing rods at haunted sites, except to rule out underground springs and other sources of infrasound.)

At one point, it was as if the EMF meters were dueling; one would beep and flash three times, and then the other would, and so on.

I took a picture while this was going on, and there’s a very faint orb over the EMF meter on the right. As you can see from the light, that EMF meter was signaling when I took the photo.

(I wish I’d taken more photos, showing how the orb bounced back and forth between the meters as they beeped.)

Immediately beneath that floor, a large electrical box emits high levels of EMF. Though that would explain continuous, high EMF levels, it doesn’t explain the intermittent surges. (In fact, at one point the EMF meter closest to the floor showed no unusual readings, while another meter — about four feet above it — was surging off the scale.)

Several people felt very strong energy in that area as well, and some thought they were being gently pushed or otherwise in physical contact with a ghost, perhaps a ghostly dog.

However, when researching in areas of high EMF, normal disorientation is possible. So, we looked in other, low-EMF areas for additional and supporting information about the house’s ghosts.

In another room, a 19th-century dresser holds the residual energy of a grandmother who often laced her corset too tightly, and collected small figurines. I also detected the energy of two priests around that dresser, but not the priests (or monks) who lived at Tenney Gatehouse.

Upper floor

The upper floor continues to be my favorite. In one room, both mirrors — but one in particular — seems to have anomalous energy. It’s worth far more study than I’ve had time for.

That’s the same room where we previously used a K-II meter to communicate with a spirit that wanted the lights turned out.

I did not investigate the room next to it, where refreshments were served to event attendees.

The largest room on that floor had seating for about 30 people, and it was used for “Shack Hack” sessions presented by Chris G., another invited psychic and paranormal researcher. The Shack Hack indicated several spirits in the room, including two or three men and perhaps one young woman and a little boy.

Turret

The turret room may be the most famous haunted area in Tenney Gatehouse, and it’s also the part of the house that will be restored with the help of the funds raised at this event.

According to legend, but no historical evidence that I know of, a monk hung himself in that room. The stories say that he continues to haunt that room.

Whether that’s a true tale or not, the energy in the turret area is powerful and almost disorienting. I look forward to researching it further when it’s more fully restored and I can rule out normal EMF (from electrical wiring) as a factor.

Summary

Tenney Gatehouse (or Gate House) is a light, easy haunting for first-time investigators.

However, due to the large amount of traffic through the house, nothing truly scary is likely to happen during a casual investigation or event.

This site is ideal for in-depth investigations by small teams who’ll focus on specific areas and objects that may reveal far more than they do during a brief walk-through.

Next, see my notes and photos: Investigation – Ghosts at Greycourt Castle ruins

To return to Tenney Gate House for your own investigation – formal or informal – or to participate in another ghost-related event at the site, contact the Methuen Museum of History. (That’s the current name of the Tenney Gate House.)

History of Tenney Gatehouse’s Ghosts, MA

tenney-reportfrom-125 Tenney Gatehouse (37 Pleasant Street, Methuen, Massachusetts) and the nearby Greycourt Castle ruins are great, gently-haunted sites. They’re ideal for first-time ghost hunters.

I compiled the following history from a variety of sources. I’ve done my best to be accurate, but I only briefly surveyed the history.

The Methuen Historical Society – and the Tenney site, now the Methuen Museum of History – are good resources for additional research.

In this summary, I’ve included story elements and additional notes that could relate to the hauntings at Tenney Gatehouse and Greycourt Castle.

(Note to ghost hunters: This is the kind of research that adds depth to any investigation. It reveals the most likely “hot spots” for on-site research, and can support existing ghost stories.)

History of Tenney Gatehouse and Greycourt Castle

The bedrock beneath Methuen includes Merrimac quartzite. That could be important. Sites built on quartz tend to report far more hauntings than those that aren’t.

The land around Tenney Gatehouse (also spelled Tenney Gate House) was originally part of the Pawtucket Plantation. Its boundaries were established in 1640, and the land transferred by Indian deed in 1642.

The Pawtuckets were also called Penacooks and Pentuckets. 50 – 85% of the Methuen Pawtuckets died during the 1617 – 1619 epidemics, and the Indian wars that followed.

Though no known Indian battles were fought in Methuen, events related to the “Battle of Bloody Brook” in September 1615 (not the 1675 event) may have involved local members of the Agawam nation, fighting off the Tarrantine raiders.

Methuen was first settled in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

The town was named for Paul Methuen, 1st Baron Methuen (21 June 1779 – 14 September 1849) of Corsham Court, Wiltshire, England. Methuen was a Privy Court friend of Massachusetts’ Royal Governor William Dummer.

The first buildings

A blockhouse was the first reported use of the property later owned by the Tenney family. A blockhouse was a heavy, plank-style house where settlers could gather for protection from fierce weather, roving bands of wild animals, or reported Indian attacks. The building wasn’t quite as formal as a stockade, but served a similar purpose.

Around 1726, Methuen’s community meetinghouse and parsonage were established near where the Tenney Gatehouse and Greycourt Castle ruins are today. The site was called Meetinghouse (or Meeting House) Hill.* The meetinghouse was about 40 feet by 30 feet, with 20-foot posts.

Soon, a burial ground (1728 – 1786) – where all the gravestones point west – and a schoolhouse completed the development. Much of that land – later part of the Tenney property – was the original center of the village.

There’s reference to a devastating meetinghouse fire in 1796, and a second meetinghouse being dedicated for public service. That story is worth researching, to see if it parallels the later fires at Greycourt Castle.

The hill was also nicknamed Daddy Frye’s Hill. That name referred to Frye Tavern owned by Jeremiah and Elizabeth Hall Frye and their six children. (The Frye family had been in the Methuen area since the mid-1600s, after emigrating from Basingstoke, Hampshire, England.)

Interestingly, a 1916 book, A Handbook of New England, mentions Frye’s Tavern and the Searles estate, with no reference to Tenney Gatehouse or Greycourt Castle.

Frye’s Tavern was probably at the northwest corner of East and Brook Streets.

Also, another Frye Tavern, “provender for man and beast,” was located in Lowell and owned by Ira Frye.

The origins of Tenney Gatehouse

Between August and November 1830, a stone house – later renovated and expanded as the Tenney Gatehouse – was built as a farmhouse by the Richard Whittier family, and it soon became a popular stagecoach stop.

In the 1840 census, Richard Whittier’s household was large, including 2 males ages 10 – 15, one between 20 and 30 years old, and one between 40 and 50. Females included one between ages 5 and 10, two between 20 and 30, and one between 40 and 50. (Richard has been noted as the brother of Ebenezer Whittier, part of an extensive family that is famous throughout the area.)

The Whittiers’ neighbors included Major Nathaniel Gorrell (or Gorrill) and his wife, Jane Armour Gorrell. Two of their descendants, Mark S. Gorrill and Nathaniel W. Gorrill, became part of a later, ghost-related story. (See Tenney ghosts – Gorrill brothers.)

The Tenney Gatehouse – purchase and development

In April 1882, Charles H. Tenney bought the Whittier’s house as a gatehouse and then added the adjoining acreage, then called Jones Hill.

Charles H. Tenney was the youngest son of Methuen grocer John Ferguson Tenney and his wife, Hannah Woodbury, who’d previously lived in Salem, New Hampshire.

Charles H. Tenney had started a manufacturing business in Methuen in 1869, and expanded it to a much larger hatmaking factory in 1872. At its peak, the business employed about 150 people.

Starting in 1882, Charles H. Tenneys had the gatehouse remodeled and used it as a residence.

In 1883, Charles H. Tenney sold his interest in the Methuen hatmaking business to his brother and business partner, J. Milton Tenney.

(The hat business faltered, and – after selling the factory building to neighbor and friendly rival Edward F. Searles – the Tenney Hat Factory was torn down in 1906. The site was used for the Selden Worsted Mill. Today, 225 Broadway has been restored as the Espaillat Mills building. It’s probably worth investigating for ghosts.)

Also in 1883, Charles H. Tenney moved to New York and became a wholesale commission agent, representing most of the U.S. hatmaking business. His new Methuen estate became the family’s summer home.

In 1884, a stock stable was added to the property, and an 1885 newspaper article describes a “tally-ho” drive to the front entrance. That stable was remodeled in 1966 at 30 East Street.

In 1887, Tenney renamed his Methuen property Fair View Park, and in 1890, began building Greycourt (or Grey Court) Castle. The project took three years, and no expense was spared in creating the spectacular estate home.

Later years

By around 1950, the Tenney family had stopped using Greycourt Castle as their home. In 1951, the estate of Daniel G. Tenney donated 26 acres to Methuen for Tenney High School. That school, at 75 Pleasant Street, is now Tenney Middle School.

The Tenney estate sold the remaining land, castle ruins and Tenney Gatehouse to the Basilican Salvatorian Order of the Melkite Rite.

For several years, monks lived in the gatehouse, and the Tenney’s former mansion was used as a drug rehabilitation center. But, by the 1970s, the mansion needed repairs and it was further damaged by a series of fires starting around 1974. A 1978 fire, set by an arsonist, left the castle in ruins.

In 1985, most of the Greycourt Castle ruins were removed as a safety hazard. However, the foundation and some of the walls are still part of the site, which are open to the public.

The land owned by Charles H. Tenney, and several locations near it, offer a considerable (and sometimes confusing) history to suggest a wealth of reasons for hauntings.

Today, Tenney Gatehouse is the home of the Methuen Historical Society (Methuen Museum of History)… and several ghosts.

NEXT READ: An Investigation at Tenney Gate House

References

Ancestry.com

Early Methuen Histories (was at http://methuen.essexcountyma.net/Early_Methuen_Histories.html )

A Handbook of New England, by Porter Sargent

Historic Sites 225 Broadway – Brown

History of Lowell, by Charles Cowley (2nd revised edition, 1868)

Methuen 2007 Town Report

Methuen History Historical Photos (images not working)

Naming of Methuen (was at http://methuen.essexcountyma.net/Naming_of_Methuen.html )

Tenney Family Association

Treasure of Tenney’s Grey Court Castle

Wikipedia: Paul Methuen, 1st Baron Methuen

*A second Meeting House Hill can cause confusion. It was located on Forest Street and had some similar buildings to the main Meeting House Hill. Most notably, the Forest Street site had a cemetery that was vandalized and has since vanished.

Portsmouth, NH – Real ghosts, private home – pt 2

[Part two of a true story that began at Portsmouth, NH – real ghosts, private home]

After this, I kept hearing louder footsteps on the stairs to the second floor and upstairs, usually at dusk and for about thirty seconds at a time. I ignored them. Old houses make funny noises, I reminded myself.

It’s important to understand that I really wanted my own house after several years in rentals. This house seemed such a great opportunity to buy a house at well below market value, I wanted it to work out.

Besides, I’d lived in a very haunted house in Northern California (which was later the subject of a Fate magazine article). I figured that it was highly unlikely that I’d ever live in a second haunted house.

When I couldn’t explain an odd event in the Portsmouth house, I ignored it.

But small incidents kept occurring.

FILE BOXES REARRANGED THEMSELVES OVERNIGHT

I kept heavy file boxes of papers and reference books near my work area in the dining room, and some mornings I’d find them rearranged.

I asked my family if anyone had been searching for something in my boxes, and they all said no. I wanted to believe them, but I also wanted the simple explanation that someone had been looking for something, and just didn’t want to admit it.

One morning, I found the white ceramic hippo that I kept on the center of the dining table, in one of my file boxes at the bottom of a stack. Annoyed, I brought him out of the box and replaced him on the table.

That did not happen again.

The heavy, paper-filled boxes continued to rearrange themselves overnight, about once every ten days. I never heard this happening, though my bedroom was immediately above the area where the boxes were stored, and without carpeting, sounds traveled easily throughout the house.

A WARNING – THE SMELL OF SMOKE

A few weeks after the hippo incident, in the late afternoon, I started smelling smoke in the dining room, at the corner above the basement electrical box. I rushed to the basement, but the odor was not there. I went outside to see if a neighbor was burning leaves, or if a nearby chimney could account for the odor. The air was crisp and fresh outside.

In a panic, I had my husband check the box and our wiring as soon as he came home from work. He said some of it was old, but nothing looked particularly dangerous or in need of immediate replacement. Nevertheless, he did a little work on the wiring to the dining room, to put my mind at rest.

Soon after this, I paid to have an energy audit of our house, to lower our utility bills. The representative of the power company checked the wiring and said it was fine. He used a couple of devices to check for drafts in the dining room, and found that the area was tight so I probably was not smelling smoke from outside.

I was baffled, and these “little things” were starting to snowball. There were no single, frightening events at this point, but I began to have doubts about remaining in that house with my family. Something seemed not right, though I couldn’t say that a flying spatula, creaking floorboards, or shifting boxes were particularly frightening.

ANOTHER WARNING – DREAMS ABOUT A FIRE

Then I started dreaming about a fire. In my dream, could see the flames reflected in the rear window of the dining room. Sometimes I saw flames in the corner of the room. Generally, it was just heavy smoke and the reflected flames in the window. I don’t usually smell things in my dreams, but this was such a vivid nightmare, the acrid odor remained in my nose even after I woke up.

I mentioned this to my husband, who’s lived with me long enough to know that many of my dreams are prophetic. He looked anxious, but reminded me that there was no logical reason for a fire, and nothing we could do. We had a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, and he re-checked the electrical box and wiring, just in case.

The dreams persisted, as did the daytime smell of smoke from time to time. I started moving our belongings into a storage facility on the other side of town. This seemed silly since our huge attic was less than one-third full, and we also had a basement suitable for storage.

GHOSTS IN THE KITCHEN

I had located my writing area in the far corner of the dining room, where I could look out the window into our backyard, and also see the kitchen over my shoulder.

One early evening as I sat working, I saw something white pass through the kitchen. I looked straight at it, just in time to see (what I thought was) the back of a white shirt go past the doorway.

I thought it was my older daughter, and shouted to ask her if she had a new tee-shirt.

There was no answer. Then I noticed that she hadn’t turned the light on in the kitchen, and the afternoon light was fading fast. If she was cutting carrot sticks or another snack, I was ready to lecture her on safety.

I stood up to see what she was doing in the kitchen, but no one was there.

What had I seen that looked like someone in white, moving quickly past the doorway? I checked for a reflection from the yard next door, but the blinds at that side of the kitchen were closed. The window to the back was covered by a nice large ficus tree on the lower half. Light streamed in the top of the window, but only a foil balloon could reach high enough to reflect that kind of light,there. I returned to my desk, baffled.

Deciding that I’d been working too long and my eyes were tired, I left my desk and went out to the kitchen to start dinner. Everything seemed normal for the rest of the day.

However, over the next several months, I saw the “woman in white” more often. Many times, I was looking straight at her, and saw the filmy white shape of a woman in a long gown, float peacefully past through the kitchen. She was always going from the front hall towards the back door.

Less often I saw a man, mostly in brown clothing but still translucent as the woman was. He was sometimes on the stairs to the second floor, but usually followed the same path as the woman: From the front hall, through the kitchen, and vanishing towards the back door. Once, I thought I saw him at the window of the attic, but that may have been an odd reflection.

I still told no one about what I was seeing. I didn’t want to scare my children, and my husband was probably more afraid of ghosts than they might be.

THE GHOSTS APPEAR TO OTHERS

Finally, my older daughter announced firmly, “Mom, I saw a ghost in the kitchen.”

We exchanged stories and she had seen the same woman as I had: A filmy white shape in the kitchen, usually floating through the room.

I was relieved that someone else had seen her. But I was also concerned that my children were being affected by the energy–and perhaps spirits–in the house.

Next, more dramatic events lead to a decision.

ghosts

Author: Fiona Broome