Is there such a thing as a “bad house”? In the same way that there are bad and evil people, are there houses that hang on to bad memories, negative emotions, and evil intentions? Is this what can sometimes give rise to haunting and poltergeist activity?
Steven L. got the distinct feeling that this ancient house didn’t want him there. For whatever reason, it gave off a strong feeling of negative energy and produced phenomena seemingly designed to scare inhabitants away. This is Steven’s story….
My experience in a haunted house ended only when I moved away in June, 2013. I live in Frederick, Maryland, and for the past five years had lived on a farm property whose gray limestone houses date to the 1750s. I originally moved into the small, charming stone house, which, among other things, had been used back then as a lodge for passing travelers and later as a camp for Hessian troupes during the American Revolution.
That house might have had a ghost or two in it, but it was very pleasant. The first day I moved in, I walked around, letting anybody there know that I was peaceful, and came in peace. There were creepy, “being watched” feelings from time to time, but nothing crazy.
SUFFOCATING FEELING, BEING WATCHED
That all changed when in October of 2012 I moved next door into the “big house,” an otherwise gorgeous, sprawling wooden house built around the original limestone summer house. The very first day, as I was moving in, the master bedroom was hot and heavy, almost suffocating, as if on a very humid day, although all the windows were open.
I kept getting the feeling “you shouldn’t be here” in my head when I was in that room. I knew that the house was haunted, too (how could it not be, being that old?), and normally I’ve always talked to the ghosts.
Not this time. I immediately felt that it was not wise to even acknowledge what was there. It wasn’t just a “being watched” feeling, it felt very oppressive and upset and mean. For the first three nights, I wouldn’t sleep in that bedroom, and for weeks I felt as though I had made a terrible, terrible mistake moving there.
November came and we had a large Thanksgiving and housewarming party. While giving a tour of the house, my friend looked in the stone room and remarked that this exact room had been in a nightmare of hers in which an evil demon was living in a loft above it.
And yes… then I told her that indeed there was a loft above the room. That old room was the prettiest to look at, but the bad, heavy air never dissipated from it, and I rarely ever even walked in it.
CRASHES AND BANGS
Time went by, and the creepy feelings dissipated bit by bit. Life went on, but there was still strange activity. We’d hear music in other parts of the house, the dog would bark at times, the lights above the garage came on at night by themselves… and we dealt with it all by ignoring it.
Strangely enough, my partner and I had an unspoken rule to not discuss the events while we were actually in the house… as if talking about it would make the ghost stronger or something.
In February, 2013 I went away for the weekend. I came back and my partner said that during both nights of my absence he had to get up multiple times during the night because of the crashes and bangs that were happening in the far part of the house.
And that the dog would not stop barking, nor leave that part of the house where the noises were materializing. He said it sounded as if, at times, an actual person was banging closet doors shut and banging on walls.
Things really got spooky at the end of May, when the property was sold and we were given 30 days notice to vacate. A stressful time indeed, and the bad “Get the hell out right now” feeling came back. No matter how many lights I turned on, the house was dark.
SEVEN KNOCKS
I woke up one morning and, like clockwork, as my partner got to the bottom of the steps to make coffee, seven soft knocks came from within the wall of the dormer closet.
Not outside, not in the bedroom, but from within that tiny closet, right next to my bed! There were no pipes in that wall, no tree branches, I was thinking… and while trying to figure out what had made that sound, seven progressively stronger knocks came from the same place. Terrible way to start the day.
I tried my best to shrug it all off, and continue packing, but for the next month, no matter where I sat throughout the house, those seven evenly regulated knocks would come from within the wall closest to my head. It terrified me to no end, so I did my best to stare at the TV and ignore it.
There was something in that house that was not just a ghost or psychic replay of a stressful time from long ago… there was something very bad and evil there that did not want me or anyone else to be there. I constantly felt as though I was not welcome in my own home and that I needed to get out, that something wanted all of us out.
That last month, all these feelings day by day grew worse and worse. I met the new owners at that time, and she mentioned that a friend of hers who had recently been there said that before any of them could move onto the property, a shaman would have to come and cleanse it all. I didn’t say a word, but all I could think was, You’re damn right about that, honey, and not a minute too soon. Good luck with this hateful mess!
Ever since leaving that house, and that property, my life is different. It’s strange the amount of light in my new home, strange not having that “being watched” feeling as a part of my everyday life, and even stranger that my mood and energy are dramatically better.
I hope this might let someone else going through something similar to perhaps not feel as though they are singularly experiencing a bad house.
Steven L.
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