Text by Kitchie Ohh, Copyright 2023
.
Haunted
.
We’re officially into autumn; my favorite season. I, like others, love this time of year for many reasons – the cool temperatures, warm colors, crispy leaves, and all the flavors. Pumpkin spice, anyone? Let’s not forget the gloom and the mood that lend themselves so well to all things spooky. All of October, not just Halloween, is perfect for tales of monsters and mayhem, the macabre and the chilling supernatural, unexplainable things that prevail whether you believe them or not. Give me a grey day, a spot to curl up with a cozy blanket, warm beverage and a spine-chilling tale and I’m a happy gal. But, I like my hauntings with a side of history.
I do not exaggerate when I tell you that as soon as September hits, I started feeling “fall.” The seasonal crafting and baking began this year while listening to some great podcasts dealing with the true, and the rumored to be true, ghost stories from around the country. It’s always interesting to hear different takes on the tales you think you know, like that of Lizzie Borden or the countless versions of the “woman in white” that seem to be in every allegedly haunted location despite such a presence being completely illogical. Even cooler is hearing someone else exploring the sites and the histories of places you live near or have a connection to; like Eastern State Penitentiary for me, which is a story later. Give the podcasts “Lore,” “Unobscured,” and “Haunted Road” a listen if you’ve got a little time. The whole catalog of podcasts from Grim and Mild Productions is pretty great if you’ve got a lot of time.
In my quest to be simultaneously informed and creeped out, I found myself agreeing with the views of one particular investigator/podcast host. She doesn’t barge into a site demanding whatever or whoever inhabits the place, unseen, prove itself. She respects the place and the lives of all those who have been there and passed through, and on. Her investigations begin with researching the history of the location, the people and notable activity over the years, not just the creepy things that happened. The focus isn’t on the terrible, but the whole person, the whole picture. This is how I view, well, everything! People can be awful, places may have housed them doing unspeakable acts to others, but that’s only one side of the story. No one should be defined by their circumstances – just one part of their existence- no matter how entertaining and scary a story those details may make. This belief is likely why I’ve never felt comfortable going to any historic site’s very staged, over-the-top haunted attraction during spooky season. It just seems disrespectful. The professional fundraiser in me really struggles with it, knowing just how much essential revenue for the site is raised through these activities. And as much as I find cemeteries beautiful, I won’t ever be posing on someone’s headstone for a modeling gig. The spooky struggle is real.
Listen to any good (or not so good) ghost hunter out there and you’ll hear them refer often to energy, spirit energy, or similar terms. They even use electrical devices in their investigations to detect and interact with it, as it’s supposedly measurable like electricity. It’s not lost on me that what they’re searching to find and prove of the dead is something we search to find while living. The energy, the vibe, of a person or a situation is why we like, dislike, are drawn in or completely repelled. The way someone or something makes you feel tends to stick with you, energize or drain you, well beyond the actual time spent. When you’re physically removed you’re still feeling it, at least temporarily. It makes sense that something like that would persist even after death. At least, that’s how I see it, though I’m not sure it’s actually measurable with any device on earth.
Even though this time of year is all about it, it’s not just scary, bad energy in supposedly haunted places. I firmly believe that the good energy, the joy, laughter and love people emit leave just as strong, if not stronger, an impression to be felt while they are present and long after they are gone. That’s not to say I disregard the ‘nope’ energy I might feel from anyone, living or dead; I just do my best to lean into the good for my own sake. For example, and I share this fully aware that it may make me sound less than sane, my house has good energy, it’s the reason I chose it. Nearly a decade ago now, I was looking to make the leap from renting or living with family to being a homeowner. I scrolled and searched and visited so many places that were lovely, they just didn’t feel right. After finding a new listing in my price and geographic search range, I arranged a visit. I knew I was walking into my home, except it wasn’t…yet. I came back three times just to be sure. Something about it just said home, and continues to do so. There was a young family here just before me, all still living, breathing and thriving. But there were families here well before all of us. At nearly 200 years old, this place has history. I felt the weight -not in a negative, heavy way- of all the life and experiences of everyone that called this structure home every time I walk in. Are any of them still here? I don’t know but the vibe feels good. Just in case I’m not alone, the day I officially signed the mortgage paperwork and got the keys to MY home, I sat in the middle of the empty living room and spoke out loud. “I’m not leaving and you don’t have to either. But please, don’t scare me, I don’t want to see you.” I haven’t seen or heard a thing, whether that’s because I am alone here or because whoever else is here has accepted my bargain, frankly, I don’t want to know. I hope for the latter.
Still with me? Great! Back to the spooky stuff. As I cozily listened to hours of podcasts, something I had never thought of popped up: maybe we create the “ghosts” that haunt some places. Humans have an incredible knack for filling in the blanks of our understanding. We need to make things make sense. We’re never really prepared to lose someone, so we hold on tight and insist they’re somehow still present in mundane everyday occurrences. We can’t prove it but it makes us feel better to think there’s something after life; something that allows communication with and connection to someone who isn’t there anymore. Sometimes, we simply can’t explain what’s happening so we make it up, and it sticks. See above reference to the multitude of “woman in white” ghost stories. It may not be remotely true, but giving it substance, a story, a name, makes us more comfortable than not knowing.
That last point gave me serious pause. No, really, an actual pause of the podcast. I think we’re all familiar now with the concept of being “ghosted,” whether in a dating situation or some other type of relationship. Someone just stops coming around, stops reaching out. They’re just gone, but still technically present. Why did they go? Did something happen? Did you do something? Or was it something you didn’t do? Unanswered questions won’t let them leave your head; or in the common phrase of the paranormal world – left you with unfinished business. Their energy left an impression. You still feel it, maybe you miss it; miss them. You don’t know what happened, so you fill in the blanks with all the possibilities that prompted their exit from your world. It’s a living, breathing, ghost story of your own creation, which is kind of worse, I think. You’re stuck, and they move on. Sure, the thought of them isn’t a constant presence, but on occasion they show up, powerfully, only to fade away again.
Quite a few people came to mind during that pause, all of them still living. Or, at least, I think they are; with one or two I can’t be certain. I took a deep breath and did my best impression of a paranormal investigator channeling and calling to all those energies. Nothing happened, not that I expected anything. I laughed and continued my binge; happy to dive back into the more historical ghosts of the long-since-dead and let my living ones come back to haunt me another day.
Let me know if you have any spooky listening suggestions or what you think of the ones I’ve shared. Happy – and! – Spooky Hauntings.
P.S. If you made it this far and were wondering about the Eastern State Penitentiary reference, I got you. My grandfather, dad’s dad, was a prison guard who spent some years working there before it closed and became a historic site in “suspended decay.” I never talked to him about it, granted I didn’t talk to him about a lot of things and I regret that now that he’s gone. But, through my dad and my relatives, I’ve heard about it, and gained insight into how Poppy felt about his role and responsibility as a guard. Honestly, it’s a stark contrast to the depiction of crazy inmates and abusive guards; the blood, guts and evil of the annually staged haunted attraction, which is why I feel the way I do about attending – or not, in this case. As I said before, I’ll take my haunting with a big side of history and truth. You can keep the rest.
.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kitchie Ohh is a full-time professional fundraiser who has worked with a number of health and human services nonprofits in the Philadelphia area over the last 20 years. She found her passion for modeling after a pinup-style photoshoot in 2013. Since then, she has worked with many talented photographers, stylists, hair and makeup artists in a variety of styles. She has been featured in- and on the covers of – multiple print and digital publications. Over the years, she has branched out from pinup studio modeling to serve as a figure model for live sketching, walked a runway, and was part of two campaigns for Philadelphia designer K. Vaughn.
In addition to her philanthropy-focused career, she has volunteered with art, historical, and community organizations, and even the events team of a local brewery for a while, pre-pandemic.
You’re just as likely to find her whipping up something deliciously plant-based in her kitchen or knitting a sweater as you are to find her on a photography set. Her motto is “be both.” The model and the homemaker, sultry and sweet, serious and silly. All the things, all at once. To access additional articles by Kitchie Ohh, link here: https://tonyward.com/kitchie-ohh-this-time-last-year/