Farmhouse Phantoms by Christin Snyder

In a small rural setting, about 45 minutes Northeast of St. Louis,
MO, lies a century old farmhouse and several acres of property rich
with history, and according to several locals, spirits as well. At
one time, this sleepy little setting was a stopping point for
passengers aboard the Nickel Plate Railroad. A general store, small
tavern, and granary dotted the landscape, and throughout the years,
this quaint little farmhouse has been home to a few area families.

Although the granary, station, and tavern along with the railroad
tracks are long gone, it seems the trains and the occasional
wandering spirit still pass through. The farmhouse itself has
undergone many facelifts throughout the years, but despite the change
in outward appearance, old familiar faces seem to keep turning up.

All who have lived in this home or visited it have interesting tales
to tell, and a few who have resided there in life on this physical
plane have made their way back to inspect the renovations made by the
current property owners. Many haunting tales abound, and even tried
and true skeptics have become believers here.

This home however, differs in the tales it offers, as it seems in
this house, it is a spirit of love and family protection that has
come to reside here. The spirits here have definitely made their
presence known in dramatic ways, however their goal seems to be not
to frighten, but to protect the current occupants of the house.

Maddy, one of the house owners, recalls a story:

"I remember one night back in April 1996, shortly after we had moved
here, there was a particularly strong electrical storm that passed
through one evening. We were in the house, and all the lights went
out briefly, as happens in storms of this nature. A few moments
later, when the lights came back on, we noticed that the TV's and
the appliances weren't working. For awhile, we couldn't figure out
why we couldn't get anything else to work, then when we looked a
little closer, we discovered that everything had been unplugged.

Not long after this, I was discussing the event with a co-worker. It
so happened that her husband had been friends with the Bradley family
who lived here prior to us. He boarded there himself for a short
while, and had recounted that during this time Mr. Bradley, the house
owner, had a habit of always unplugging everything when storms came
through.

Howard Bradley & his family lived here prior to us. He loved this
place, and raised his children here. Many of the additions to the
property were built by him. He died of a heart attack one day, and
was found in one of the pastures near the house.

It seems Mr. Bradley also had a natural fondness for children as
recounted by Beth the teenage daughter now living in the home.

"When we first moved here I was about 11 years old. One day mom and
I were in the bathroom that we were remodeling upstairs having a look
around. Nothing was hanging on the walls yet because the drywall had
just been put up. I remember we were looking at the far wall and
talking about how we might decorate it. We started working on other
things and a few minutes later when we turned around we noticed a
cardboard picture of "Goofy" the dog hanging on the wall. It was
kind of startling at first, but then I relaxed and just said "Thanks
Howard". Now that I think about it, I think it was really neat that
he did things like this. It felt like he was welcoming us to our new
home."

Apparently this wasn't the only present left by Mr. Bradley for the
current occupants as Beth also recalls at one point finding a
monogrammed handkerchief in the dryer with the laundry. It was
unlike anything the current family owned, and as they looked they
noticed the initials "HB" on the corner.

Although always benevolent, it seems Mr. Bradley was making it known
that this house and property was his love and his home as well,
particularly the workshop attached to the garage. Ron, the current
owner recalls feeling cool breezes with no known source that would
permeate the air while he was in there. Also, things would seem to
move themselves around, and sometimes right before the homeowners
eyes. Ron's wife Maddy recalls an incident where the two had been
talking in the shop. Her somewhat skeptical husband told her that he
believed Howard was still hanging around the shop, and asked that he
leave.

Maddy recalls with a chuckle, "I remember telling him, 'Oh Howard, we
know you love this place too, and you're welcome to drop by from time
to time.' Just before this, I had taken one of Ron's screwdrivers
and placed it down into the pegboard hanging on the wall. I knew I
stuck it down deep in there, as Ron had told me Howard had pushed it
out just moments earlier. Being still somewhat skeptical at that
point, I decided to test this for myself. No sooner than I had
uttered those words, that screwdriver came out of the pegboard and
flew several feet and landed on the floor with a loud thud, right in
front of my feet! I don't know if Howard was peeved that we
requested he leave, or happy that I told him he could visit when he
liked, but he definitely let us know that day beyond the shadow of a
doubt that this is his home too, and he was staying for as long as he
liked. That day I became a believer"

Several months passed, renovations continued, and Howard's visits
were seemingly commonplace. The family was used to their regular
companion, and actually felt safe and comfortable in his presence.
Then one day out of the blue, a young lady knocked on the door. She
explained that she grew up in the home, and that her parents were the
Bradleys. She had heard in town that the new owners were really
fixing up the old place and was wondering if she could have a look.

Maddy recounts the experience. "We were surprised by this sudden
knock on the door, but happy to welcome Sarah in and show her
around. She was very impressed by the new look of the place and
complimented us for all that we had done. I remeber she stood in the
kitchen and began to tell us stories of her time growing up in the
house and the fond memories of her father. As she spoke of his love
for the place and how he had died there she began to cry, and we
listened to her continue to recall thehistory of the property. At
that moment there was a drop in the energy of the place, and it seems
that perhaps Howard had heard his daughter. Immediately after
that, the activity in the house slowed down dramatically, and within
a few days Howard had moved on completely and we haven't heard from
him much since. My guess is seeing his daughter helped him to
realize it was time to move forward".

Now, several years later, it appears that Howard has moved on for
good, however the Spencer family still finds itself being visited.
Maddy notes that on warm days when the windows are open and those
gentle spring breezes glide through the home; the occasional train
whistle accompanied by the sounds of passengers of a bygone era
milling about can still be heard. Many passengers made brief passes
through this place on their way into St. Louis, and perhaps they
still do today.


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Christin Snyder is an author and psychic who teaches others to
develop their psychic potential in her free e-Book "Psychic Skills
Exploration & Development". Pick up your copy today at
http://www.spiritualguidancetarot.com