Ghost Story Texas

East Texas paranormal group to dig up Howard-Dickinson House's secrets

A Longview paranormal group will descend upon the Howard-Dickinson House in Henderson this weekend in hopes of finding ghosts.

The group, Unknown Paranormal Group, has found evidence of ghosts in about nine locations since it was established nearly a year ago, founder Kevin Weddle said. He noted, though, that not every place it investigates turns out to be haunted.

Its six-hour investigation at the Howard-Dickinson House, which will involve 11 members, is set to begin at 7 p.m. Saturday.

During the investigation, members will carry handheld video cameras as well as other equipment, such as devices to measure electromagnetic fields. Members also have electric voice phenomenon recorders, which they say can pick up the frequency that spirits speak in.

Weddle said the group tries to document things with its equipment, but he said there also are several in the group with psychic medium abilities.

Once the investigation is complete, the goal is to be able to disprove or back up the ghost stories with documentation, whether that's video or audio.

"We're trying to find more local places that either have a lot of paranormal activity or people talk about it or people don't know if it's haunted," Weddle said. "We chose this one because it's local and has stories. We're going to go in there and give them some answers."

Among those stories is the tale of Maida Jaggers, a big name in local preservation efforts who helped save the Howard-Dickinson House. Ms. Jaggers recalled being in the house and seeing a ghostly woman dressed in white go up the stairs.

The house also has been used for many receptions and parties over the years, and legend has it that if someone carries a plate from the dining room to the library and a fork is resting on the plate, the fork will fly off on its own volition, said Cyndi Walker, Main Street coordinator for Henderson.

Ms. Walker has her own story about the house. She was in the parlor giving a tour when a young girl expressed interest in paranormal activity. Shortly thereafter, a picture fell over on the floor.

"It was one of those that had been laying up against the wall," Ms. Walker said. "It was crazy that it chose that moment to fall. I think when you get in there, you're just kind of looking for things.

Black Fingernailed Reviews: Review-Through Her Eyes

The last place Tansy Piper wants to be is stuck in Cedar Canyon, Texas, in the middle of nowhere, with a bunch of small-town kids. But when her mother decides to move to the desolate West Texas town, Tansy has no choice but to go along. Once there, Tansy is immediately drawn to the turret of their rickety old house, a place she soon learns has a disturbing history. But it's the strange artifacts she finds in the cellar—a pocket watch, a journal of poetry, and a tiny crystal—that have the most chilling impact on her. Tansy soon finds that through the lens of her camera, she can become part of a surreal black-and-white world where her life is intertwined with that of mysterious, troubled Henry, who lived in the same house and died decades earlier. It seems their lives are linked by fate and the artifacts she found, but as Tansy begins spending more and more time in the past, her present world starts to fade away. Tansy must untangle herself from Henry's dangerous reality—before she loses touch with her own life forever. Tansy Piper is a girl whose life consists of constantly moving from place to place. Every time her mother starts writing a new book they move to a new city or a new town. I think we all get how much that would suck. You'd eventually stop trying to make friends because you know you'll just be moving on again sometime soon. It's hard to plant roots and get attached to a place. So when Tansy's mother decides to make a move out West to a small Texas town Tansy is less than exited. The house is old and creaky and some people are convinced it's haunted. For Tansy's mom it's great inspiration for her new horror novel but for Papa Dan it's bringing up all kinds of memories that seem to have him spooked. I loved the characters in this book and the relationships. Bethyl Ann was my comic relief throughout the whole story and I really fell in love with her character. 'Stinky' was just so geeky and fun to read about. Tate is kind of a stereotype but it was played down to make him seem real. His father pushes him at football and at life when all Tate really wants to do is write poetry.