THE PARANORMAL WORLD DATABASE       ARKANSAS   1905 BASIN PARK HOTEL (EUREKA SPRINGS) BACKGROUND: The choice location for the Basin Park Hotel was on the north side of Basin Circle Park, on Spring Street, in the downtown building district. It was built on the site of the Perry House, a four story hotel built in 1881, by William M. Duncan and associates who owned The Syndicate Company that in turn owned and operated many businesses in town. The Grand Opening was held on July 1, 1905. PHENOMENA: Duncan, in his typical brown suit and derby, is believed to still roam the property. Another frequent sighting is that of a translucent young woman with “cotton candy blonde hair and steel blue eyes” dressed in early 1900s clothing seen floating on the third floor. There is also a little girl of 3 or 4 in a yellow dress with long, brown pigtails seen skipping through the lobby and the coffeehouse. A robust lady with curly, red hair who “drinks milk and eats cookies” also makes her presence known in the coffeehouse. A tall, thin man with a beard wearing a tan suit and hat has been reported in both the Grand Ballroom and room 519. Other claims come from staff working late in the seventh floor ballroom who report cold ‘passings’ as they clean up after functions. Several times in the Rooftop Billiards Room, the pool ball rack has flown off the wall and landed between two tables with no one standing anywhere near it. THE ALLEN HOUSE (MONTICELLO) BACKGROUND: Constructed in 1906 by renowned architect Sylvester Hotchkiss and builder Josiah Barkley White for for Joe Allen and his family. Joe Allen was a very successful businessman and an upstanding citizen of Monticello. He died of a heart attack duringa demonstration of a motor vehicle for sale. He was survived by his wife Caddye and his three daughters: Lewie Manker, Lonnie Lee, and Ladell. They also had a son named Walter Edwin who sadly died during infancy. One of Joe Allen’s daughters (LaDell) committed suicide in the house by drinking cyanide and not long after her death, Joe decided to move the family to a different location. PHENOMENA: In its time as an apartment complex, tenants began to see the ghost of LaDell Allen. A doctor who lived there was a non- believer, but when pictures he took of the building were developed, he saw LaDell in a mirror in one of them. Another couple who lived there claimed to have seen LaDell’s ghost inside a closet and when they tried to close the door, they heard her giggling. The first floor contained a retail shop at one point and every morning when the shopkeeper opened up, he would find things missing. Others who lived in there have heard footsteps on the upstairs floors and crying from empty rooms. On occasion, police have been called to the house as some of the strange occurrences were thought to be real intruders but when they checked the house nothing was out of place and there was no one to be found. Carol Wilson, an author who lived in the Allen House for quite some time has written a novel describing her experiences in the house. ARGENTA HISTORIC DISTRICT (LITTLE ROCK) BACKGROUND:  The area that is now central North Little Rock was known as Argenta when it was first settled, and remained unincorporated until it was annexed to Little Rock in 1890. William Faucette, a leading Argenta politician and businessman, orchestrated the incorporation of North Little Rock just beyond the annexed area in 1901, and then made a successful petition to separate Argenta from Little Rock into the new municipality in 1903. PHENOMENA: The Argenta Race Riot of 1906 resulted in the execution of innocent restaurant owner Homer Blackman at the Argenta City Hall and fire station. Today, the building is home to the North Little Rock History Commission and visitors and staff have reported strange occurrences in the building – including unexplainable noises, footsteps, and the eerie sound of a man rasping and choking. In the same area, at 415 Main Street, many report sighting a phantom couple walking arm-in-arm. ARKANSAS HIGHWAY 365 (LITTLE ROCK) BACKGROUND:  Highway 365 is known as Dollarway Road in this part of Pine Bluff as it follows the original routing of the Dollarway Road, a 1913 paving project that gave Jefferson County the longest continuous concrete road in the nation at the time. PHENOMENA: Urban legend alert >> Some years past, a man driving down 365 south of Little Rock saw a young girl on the side of the road. Offering to give her a ride, he draped his coat over her shoulders as she was cold and soaked from the rain. She gave him directions to her house and when they arrived, the man got out of the car and walked around to open the door for her. To his horror, there was no one there. The man then walked up to the house and knocked on the door. When he explained what happened to the woman who answered she said, "That young girl is my daughter, who was killed years ago. She hitchhikes back home once a year." The curious young man then drove to the cemetery to see the young girl's grave where he found his coat draped over her tombstone. ARKANSAS METHODIST MEDICAL CENTER (PARAGOULD) BACKGROUND: The building dates back to the old Dickson Memorial Hospital that opened its doors in 1907. That facility served well for many years, but as the area prospered and the population grew it became apparent that a larger hospital was needed. In 1941, the non-profit Community Hospital Corporation was formed and construction of a new hospital was begun. However, World War II intervened and the hospital was not completed until 1949. In July of 1981, the name was officially changed from Community Methodist Hospital to Arkansas Methodist Hospital. PHENOMENA: There is a frequent sighting of a blond haired boy around 5-6 years old dressed in pajamas on the 4th floor who has been seen playing or some claim, looking for a kitten. There are also other children seen in the 4th floor garden or in one of the stairwells. Another sighting took place in room 321 when a patient who was reading looked up to see the room bathed in red and the apparition of a man in a Confederate uniform. When he finally called the nurse’s station, everything he was seeing vanished and went back to normal. On the 5th floor, the ghost of an elderly woman has been spotted and in the ICU, objects will inexplicably move by themselves. ARKANSAS STATE CAPITOL (LITTLE ROCK) BACKGROUND: Construction took 16 years, from 1899 to 1915. The Capitol was built on the site of the state penitentiary and prisoners helped construct the building. They lived in a dormitory that was left on the Capitol grounds while construction was taking place. PHENOMENA: While excavating the foundation, workmen unearthed some old wood coffins that contained the remains of criminals who died while in incarceration. In the basement, disembodied voices are heard and an elevator that caused the death of Representative Ira Gurley displays very peculiar behavior. Visitors and state employees have reported seeing a woman dressed in period clothing floating down the marble staircases. ARKANSAS TECH UNIVERSITY (EUREKA SPRINGS) BACKGROUND:  It was decided on February 10, 1910, to found the school in Russellville. On October 26, 1910, the first classes were held in Russellville. The original purpose of the school was to offer classes leading to a high school degree. Later on, the school took on the first two years of college instruction, and the school's name was changed to Arkansas Polytechnic College by the General Assembly in 1925 to reflect this change in purpose. The school took on its current name of Arkansas Tech University on July 9, 1976. PHENOMENA: A distraught female student named Gracie is said to have committed suicide by hanging herself in Caraway Hall. Today, students and faculty report seeing an apparition there believed to be her ghost. The school once boasted a talented basketball player named James Paul Lovelady in the 1950s. Unfortunately, he was injured in a car crash and subsequently died of a blood clot. Not long ago, a basketball coach was inside Tucker Coliseum late one night, when he heard the sound of a basketball being dribbled on the court. The coach checked the building but did not find anyone there beside himself. Coaches also reported a trophy being moved inside a locked trophy case. Arkansas Tech once employed a band director named James Witherspoon who passed away in 1979. Today, the school keeps his name alive in the form of Witherspoon Hall and people in close proximity to the building report hearing pianos playing by themselves. ARLINGTON RESORT HOTEL (HOT SPRINGS) BACKGROUND: Samuel W. Fordyce and two other entrepreneurs financed the construction of the first luxury hotel in the area, the first Arlington Hotel, which opened in 1875. After almost 20 years of use, it was razed to build a new hotel. When it was rebuilt in 1892-93, the hotel was known as the New Arlington. PHENOMENA: While staff is reluctant to speak of paranormal activity there, guests have no such problem Wine bottle have been known to fly off shelves when nobody is near them and there have been consistent reports of apparitions seen about the hotel, particularly those dressed in period clothing who vanish into thin air. There is a woman in a wedding dress who stares out of the window into the street and the ghost of a man in a black suit is reported walking into the hotel laundry and wavwes at those that make eye contact. The ghost of a former bellhop wanders the fourth floor as does a little girl in a pink dress in the lobby. Guests report lights flickering, faucets turning on and off by themselves, disembodied laughter and the feeling that someone has brushed against them when there is nobody around. Room number 824 seems to be a particular hot spot with people claiming there is an evil presence there. TRIVIA: In the 1930s, the Arlington Hotel was a favorite vacation spot for Al Capone at room 443. The whole floor was even rented out for his staff and bodyguards. Many famous people including the U.S. Presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, George H.W. Bush, native son Bill Clinton, baseball legend Babe Ruth and Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand and Yoko Ono have all luxuriated at the hotel. The Lobby Bar of the Arlington is on Esquire Magazine's list of the best bars in America. CLAYTON HOUSE (FORT SMITH) BACKGROUND: The house was built in 1874 for W. H. H. Clayton, who served as a local prosecutor and was member of family prominent in state politics, and is one of the few high-quality houses of the period to survive. Clayton and his wife, Florence, had 6 daughters and one son. PHENOMENA: One bedroom on the 2nd floor is particularly active and unsettling as visitors hear doors slam, the stomping of boots and music playing in otherwise empty rooms. A former director claims to have seen the apparition of a woman wearing a linen shirt and brown skirt in the former study on one occasion. A carpenter took pictures in 2007 and 2008 that showed a ghostly woman standing in at least one of them. A visitor claimed to have her hair pulled on and a gentleman reported seeing the face of a woman in the same room as those in which the photos were taken. A man screaming obscenities and someone calling the name “Anna” have been heard which is interesting as the Claytons had a daughter named Ann. CONWAY CEMETERY (BRADLEY) BACKGROUND: The cemetery is located in a park of the same name in the town of Bradley with the earliest burial listed as 1845. It was named after James S. Conway, Arkansas’ first elected governor and is the final resting place for several families who dominated early Arkansas politics. PHENOMENA: Shadowy figures, disembodied voices, a baby’s cries and the feeling of an unwelcoming presence when exploring after dark are common claims here. Near a tree that was once used for hanging the sounds of phantom moaning, whispers and the apparition of a man hanging from a rope on a full moon have been reported. CRESCENT HOTEL (EUREKA SPRINGS) BACKGROUND: The Crescent Hotel was built in 1886 as a resort for the rich and famous, but quickly became unmanageable and fell into disrepair. In 1908, it was reopened as the Crescent College and Conservatory for Young Women. This institution closed down in 1924, and then opened again in 1930 as a junior college. After the college closed in 1934, the Crescent was leased as a summer hotel. In 1937, it got a new owner, Norman G. Baker, who turned the place into a hospital and health resort. Baker, a millionaire inventor and radio personality, styled himself as a doctor, despite having had no medical training. He claimed to have discovered a number of "cures" for various ailments, including cancer, and launched frequent attacks on organized medicine, which he accused of being corrupt and profit-driven. Having been run out of Iowa for practicing medicine without a license, Baker moved his cancer patients to Arkansas and advertised his new health resort at the Crescent. His "cure" consisted primarily of drinking the area's natural spring water. In 1940, federal charges were filed against Baker for mail fraud and he spent four years in prison. In 1997, Marty and Elise Roenigk purchased the Crescent Hotel for $1.3 million. They oversaw a six-year restoration and renovation of the hotel rooms. Marty died in a car crash in 2009; Elise Roenigk remains the hotel's current owner. PHENOMENA: Cold spots are often felt in the dining room no matter what the season. A playful ghost named “Michael” said to be either an Irish stonemason or Swedish carpenter who fell to his death during construction is a blond-haired, bearded, muscular man who toys with lights and televisions and pounds on the inside of the stone walls. He’s also said to be responsible for odd noises and the feelings of a presence watching guests. A grouchy man in Victorian clothing sporting a mustache has been seen near the lobby staircase before simply vanishing and in room 218 where a former owner named Fagins saw him at the foot of his bed with a glowing presence and grim countenance. He was also spotted by an accountant near the staircase and did not respond to the accountant’s greeting. Another accountant came along and got the same result when trying to speak with him. They assumed he might be drunk, but when they glanced back, the man was gone. The door of room 218 has slammed shut after it was opened up and one night a salesman staying there was shaken awake by a presence trying to push him out of bed. On the 3rd floor, guests have spotted a ghostly nurse, dressed in white, pushing a gurney down the hall before vanishing from sight. In room 424, a male spirit drove a couple out of the room when he walked right through the outside door and into the bathroom. The ghost of Norman Baker has been seen near the basement rec room and the foot of the steps leading to the first floor. While the switchboard was functional, desk clerks received phone calls from the locked rec room. After one such call, a clerk went to check out the basement and found that the phone in the room was on the hook and encountered a presence in the room with him forcing him to hurriedly lock up the room and leave. Five minutes later, another call came in from this same basement room, but he chose not to investigate again. TRIVIA: In 2007, the hotel was featured on the television show Ghost Hunters where the cast claimed to see a full-body apparition on their thermal imaging camera. The hotel was featured on television show Paranormal Witness in 2016. CROOKED CREEK (HARRISON) BACKGROUND: The stream starts at Sulphur Spring on the north flank of Sulphur Mountain south of Harrison and east of Marble Falls. The stream flows north passing under Arkansas Highway 206 just west of Elmwood. It continues north parallel to Arkansas Route 7 passing through the southeast part of Harrison and under U. S. Route 65. It is a tributary of the White River. PHENOMENA: It was on November 21, 1912 that Ella Barham was out horseback riding, but her mount returned without her. That night, hunters spotted suspicious looking objects under a pile of rocks near an abandoned mine shaft which turned out to be the body of Ella, who had been dismembered with a saw. Rumor began that she had rebuked a young man named Odus Davidson who, knowing he was a suspect, fled into the woods with a posse in pursuit. He had poured pepper into his socks to keep the bloodhounds from finding him, but was eventually apprehended. He claimed he was cutting wood near the place Ella was last seen and that earlier she had walked through his yard. Because of these admissions, he was found guilty and hanged just prior to the Arkansas death penalty method being changed to electrocution making him the last man legally hanged in Arkansas. Urban legend alert >> Although the body of Ella had been cut up horribly, the full-bodied ghost of a young woman dressed in white wandering near the mine shaft is often reported. CURRAN HALL (LITTLE ROCK) BACKGROUND: It was built in 1842 for Colonel Ebenezer Walters for his young bride Mary who sadly never got to see the finished home as she died in childbirth. The house is significant as one of the few remaining Antebellum era landmarks in Little Rock and was later the home of pre-Civil war Arkansas Supreme Court Justice George Watkins. Jacob Frolich purchased the home after the war and would become a post- reconstruction Arkansas Secretary of State. Before that, however, Frolich, an opponent of the reconstruction Arkansas government and fearful of reprisals, fortified Curran Hall with trap doors and placed his livestock inside the house at night. Frolich was indicted for the murder of a reputed informant for the reconstruction government and fled to Canada, but later returned and was acquitted of the charge. PHENOMENA: Several owners claim to have witnessed the ghost of Mary Walters, including the Visitor’s Center staff who have experienced a picture flying off a wall and a coffee machine brewing and producing coffee with no grounds or water inside. FORT CHAFFEE (FORT CHAFFEE) BACKGROUND: Established as Camp Chaffee in 1941 and renamed Fort Chaffee in 1956, it has served as a United States Army base, training camp, prisoner-of-war camp, and refugee camp. The base was closed following the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission round. Since that time, the Arkansas National Guard has been using 66,000 acres as a training facility. Fort Chaffee served as a primary center for housing refugees three times; from 1975 to 1976 it was a processing center for refugees from Southeast Asia and held Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees after the Vietnam and Cambodia wars. PHENOMENA: Two areas of the fort are considered to be rife with paranormal activity. One was the old medical complex which contained 128 interconnected buildings and included a bowling alley, theater and ppost office. Female voices have been heard in the old OB/GYN clinic, shadow people have been reported in the high security section of the mental health ward, odd cold spots are felt throughout the very hot compound and the bizarre apparition of an arm has been witnessed. TRIVIA: Fort Chaffee has been used as a set for various movies, including A Soldier's Story in 1984, Biloxi Blues in 1988, The Tuskegee Airmen in 1995 and it was featured in episode 11 of the 4th season of Ghost Adventures in 2010. Among notable children of refugees born at Fort Chaffee was Dat Nguyen, who would later become an All-American linebacker at Texas A&M University and play professionally for the Dallas Cowboys. GHOST MOUNTAIN (FAYETTEVILLE) PHENOMENA: Urban legend alert >> A tragic story surrounds a mountain southeast of Drake Field airport in Fayetteville. In the 1930s, a man came home to his wife and child after a night of drinking. His wife had been up all night caring for the sick child, whose incessant crying had made the inebriated father furious. In his anger, he grabbed the baby, stumbled outside and threw the child down their well. His wife grabbed the well’s rope and lowered herself in to attempt to save the baby, but the father cut the rope, leaving the wife and child in the well. The father left town, never to be seen again, but reports have been made that a woman’s screams and a baby’s crying can still be heard in this location. GURDON LIGHT (GURDON) BACKGROUND: The Gurdon Light is a mystery light located near railroad tracks in a wooded area of Gurdon, Arkansas.  The location is still in use by the railroad and is one of the most popular Halloween attractions in the area. The light has been ascribed various colors, ranging from blue, green or white, to orange, and has been described as bobbing around. Its exact location is said to vary and witnesses have described it appearing at various times of day or night. The Gurdon Light was first reported in the 1930s and the sightings and “explanations” haven’t stopped since. The light appears along a stretch of railroad tracks outside of the town so some people believe the light originates from the reflection of headlights of cars off of Interstate 30. However, the site is more than two miles from the highway, and people began seeing the light several decades before Interstate 30 was built in the 1970s. Others believe that swamp gas creates the light, though the light appears in all kinds of weather. Some skeptics also believe that pressure on the quartz crystals underneath Gurdon causes them to give off an electrical charge to produce the light. PHENOMENA:  A popular legend concerns a railroad worker who was working outside of town one night when he accidentally fell into the path of the train and was killed. His head was severed from his body, so locals say the light is the lantern his ghost uses to search for his head. Others trace the legend to a murder that took place near the railroad tracks in December of 1931 when William McClain, a foreman with the Missouri-Pacific railroad, was involved in an argument with one of his employees, Louis McBride, regarding how many days McBride was being allowed to work. McBride became very angry, hit McClain on the head with a shovel, then beat him to death with a railroad spike maul or a spike hammer. The Gurdon Light was first sighted shortly after this murder, and many have come to believe that the light is actually McClain’s ghostly lantern glowing. HARDING COLLEGE (SEARCY) BACKGROUND:  Founded in Morrilton in 1924 after the merging of two separate Christian colleges: Arkansas Christian College of Morrilton and Harper College of Harper. It was named after James A. Harding, a minister and Christian educator associated with Churches of Christ. Harding College moved to the campus of the defunct Galloway Female College in Searcy, Arkansas, ten years later. PHENOMENA:  “The Galloway Ghost.” refers to a student named Gertrude (Gertie) who fell down an elevator shaft in Godden Hall while investigating a strange sound she heard on her way back to her dorm. At one point, a group of male students spent the night in the building in order to prove Gertie did not exist. They were shocked to hear a piano playing and called security to get them out. Jim Johnson, then director of student support services, said while working in the Lee Building, he heard piano music and a woman’s voice singing. ”All I thought was, ‘Man, that is so pretty,’ but then I remembered that there were no pianos in the building, and I was alone,” It should be noted that the bricks from Godden Hall were used to build the Lee Building. HENDERSON STATE UNIVERSITY (ARKADELPHIA) BACKGROUND: Henderson State University, was founded on March 23, 1890 as Arkadelphia Methodist College by Rev. John McLaughlin. John McLaughlin was a veteran of the Confederate States Army. After the Civil War, Rev. McLaughlin and his family settled in Arkadelphia and founded the Arkadelphia Methodist College in 1890. The university was renamed for Charles Christopher Henderson, a Trustee and prominent Arkadelphia businessman. PHENOMENA: “The Battle of the Ravine” is a rivalry game between Henderson State University and Ouachita Baptist University that is currently the oldest rivalry of any NCAA Division II institutions. Henderson was located right across the street from the Baptist school. The Legend of the “Lady in Black” began in 1912 and a student named Nell Page is the subject of the story as, after her untimely death, it was said her ghost walks the halls. A long time ago, a young male student at Ouachita fell in love with Nell. They found themselves spending a great deal of time together, ignoring the disapproval of their friends. At some point, the young man gave in to the pressure of a school rivalry and religious differences and broke off the relationship. Not long after,, he began dating a girl at his own school and when Nell found out she became despondent and took her own life. Urban legend alert >> Now, the Lady in Black roams the halls in the girls’ dorm on homecoming predicting who will win the “Battle of the Ravine”. If she wears black, it signifies a victory for the Reddies; if clothed in white, a victory for Ouachita is all but guaranteed. HORNIBROOK HOUSE (LITTLE ROCK) BACKGROUND: Originally built in 1888 by wealthy saloonkeeper James H. Hornibrook and once considered the most extravagant home in the state PHENOMENA: Multiple paranormal incidents have been witnessed by b&b owner Robert H. Blair, his staff and guests. On one occasion, he saw a period- dressed gentleman wearing a top hat float down the stairs. While restoring a secret poker room in the attic, a local painter discovered he was locked out though no handle or lock was installed on the door yet. When he returned with a screwdriver to let himself back in, he saw that the door was now open and observed the same image of the man that Blair previously reported seeing. IZARD COUNTY BACKGROUND: Izard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,696. The county seat is Melbourne. Izard County is Arkansas's thirteenth county, formed on October 27, 1825, and named for War of 1812 General and Arkansas Territorial Governor George Izard. PHENOMENA: There are long standing claims of a Native American riding on a ghostly horse and those who witness this also hear the sound and vibrations of the horse’s hoofs which is tied to the location’s reputation as a sacred burial ground. Another story revolves around the former home of physician “Doc” Fleming that goes by the name “Bleeding Horse”. The first floor was used as an infirmary where locals were treated. In 1934, Fleming was found dead on nearby train tracks and his alleged addiction to opium may have been the main contributing factor. Urban legend alert >> It’s been said that a red mold has grown on the home and his former bedroom also bore this color after his death despite attempts to remove it. There is a legend about a little girl who fell ill and passed away while her family was headed west in the mid-1800s. She was buried in the graveyard at a nearby church with stone markers pointed in the direction they were headed in order to provide a guide for her to follow them. It’s said she remains at the cemetery gazing toward the west and crying for her family. There is also a weird tale related to the county called “The Shaver Mystery.” Sometime in the 1940s, after claiming he received telepathic messages, Richard Sharpe Shaver submitted a letter to a pulp magazine called Amazing Stories that detailed an underground ancient race he had discovered. Most disregarded it as a farce, but subsequent stories convinced many that such a place existed. One entrance to the location was said to be the Blowing Cave at Cushman where legend says a exploration party found a race of blue-skinned humanoids KELLER’S CHAPEL & CEMETERY (JONESBORO) BACKGROUND: Many pioneer settlers are interred there. There are veterans from the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World Wars I & II, Korean Conflict, Vietnam War and possibly others. Prominent names such as Keller, Wimpy, Findley, Wood and Covington have a large number of family members there. According to data found on stones, the earliest burial was around 1859 when J.W. Keller was buried. The oldest person buried there was William Murphy Loudermilk, who was the last living veteran of the CSA. He served in the Arkansas Confederacy as a private in the North Carolina Cavalry, and passed from this life at 105 years of Age. His wife died at the age of 99 years in 1964. The youngest persons buried there include a number of infants who died at birth. PHENOMENA: Visitors claim children can be heard crying, loud disturbing sounds coming from the chapel and the grotesque sight of slaughtered animals placed on wooden crosses at every part of the grounds. A preternatural red light has been reported hovering amongst the trees and legend has it if you drive to the front gate and turn your engine off a mysterious force will prevent it from starting, leaving you stranded there for hours. KING OPERA HOUSE (VAN BUREN) BACKGROUND: First opened its doors in the late 19th century and has since undergone extensive restoration prior to reopening for use in 1979. PHENOMENA: A young actor working with a theater troupe performing at the King Opera House, fell in love with the daughter of the town doctor, but their relationship did not meet his approval. The decided to run away together and when the doctor learned of this he rode his horse to the train depot where he beat the young actor to death. Former directors of the facility say the ghost of the young man still remains in the theater where several employees claim to feel his presence in the rooms with them. A former director with the Young Actors Guild turned off the lights one night only to find them all on the following morning. Some say they have seen the ghost of the young actor dressed in a top hat and 1800s era coat and cape. LIBERTY BAPTIST CHURCH (BATESVILLE) BACKGROUND: The land for Liberty Cemetery was donated by Jordan Haddock. It was named for a church, Liberty Baptist, located at the site. PHENOMENA: In the summer the ghost of an elderly woman can be seen through a window sitting in a rocking chair. The road leading to the church is said to be haunted by a woman who was killed in the early 1900s. Lights in the church turn on and off on their own but that could be a symptom of electrical problems. Strange lights that are seen at night in the cemetery which are thought to be related to reports of a little boy who roams there. There are claims he has appeared in photographs taken there. MARK’S MILLS (WARREN) BACKGROUND: In April,1864, two Civil War skirmishes occurred here where over one thousand soldiers in total lost their lives. The first battle started with a Union ambush of a train loaded with Confederate gold. A confederate soldier blinded by an artillery shell managed to set fire to the wagon carrying the gold rather than it fall into Union hands. He died later in a hospital, not knowing whether the treasure was safe from the Yankees. PHENOMENA: It is said the soldier’s ghost still roams the area searching for the gold and reacts with hostility to anyone he feels is competing with him over it. After one engagement close by, Union soldiers threw the bodies of their fallen comrades down a well at Mark's Mill. Sometimes, the moaning of the soldier’s spirits can be heard, pleading for a proper burial. MCCOLLOUM - CHIDESTER HOUSE (CAMDEN) BACKGROUND: The 1-1/2 story wood frame house was built in 1847 by Peter McCollum and sold ten years later to Colonel John T. Chidester.  Chidester was a prominent businessman who controversially sought to do business with Union interests during the Civil War. He was accused of spying for the Confederacy while Union General Fredrick Steele had commandeered the house for five days during the battle at Poison Spring. Bullet holes can still be seen in a wall upstairs where Union soldiers fired at random, hoping to kill Chidester. After the war he established a mail company that operated so-called "Star Routes" as far west as the Arizona Territory. He was not implicated in bribery scandals that attended this operation. PHENOMENA: A photo of a mirror has revealed a man in a three-piece suit standing behind the photographer, even though no one but the photographer was present. MONROE COUNTY COURTHOUSE (CLARENDON) BACKGROUND: In 1893, an actor named John Orr and his wife Mabel settled in Clarendon where they lived in a house that had a number of black caretakers living on the property. Orr was was an abusive husband, so four caretakers conspired with Mabel Orr to kill her husband, first by “hoodoo”, and if those rituals proved ineffective, then by shooting him. Orr did indeed die of a gunshot wound and Mabel and the four caretakers were arrested. The four were lynched in the courthouse yard, but the Sheriff allowed Mabel to take a fatal dose of morphine to avoid public humiliation. PHENOMENA: People claim to hear Mabel crying in the basement and strange lights are often seen leading to the levee where the four bodies were carried on the way to the river to be buried on the other side. MOUNT HOLLY CEMETERY (LITTLE ROCK) BACKGROUND: Mount Holly Cemetery is the final resting place for many notable Arkansans including, ten former Governors of Arkansas, six United States Senators, 14 Arkansas Supreme Court Justices, 21 Little Rock Mayors, numerous Arkansas literary figures, Confederate Generals, and other worthies. There are also several slaves who are buried there, marked by modest gravestones. PHENOMENA: Ghostly forms have appeared in several photographs taken in the cemetery, including people dressed in period clothing, bright lights and mists. Visitors have reported statues have been relocated to the lawns of nearby houses and the sounds of a flute have been heard. Items placed on graves seem to disappear and reappear or be rearranged. NATURAL STEPS (ROLAND) BACKGROUND: The small town was named after "two perfectly parallel vertical walls of sandstone, twenty feet apart, that jut out from the disintegrated soft slates, prominent conformity, descending step like, fifty-one feet from the top of the bank, where they first show themselves, to the edge of the lowest water-mark of the Arkansas River and can be seen running their course beneath the stream. These form a conspicuous landmark to boatman and travelers on the Arkansas River, and are known under the name of the "Natural Steps". Beginning in 1822, the local "Natural Steps" provided a convenient stop for Little Rock visitors to disembark for their hike to the mountain." PHENOMENA: On the darkest of nights in late October, a woman in white can be seen walking in the Natural Steps Cemetery. She is first seen in the northeast section of the cemetery where the old Natural Steps Baptist Church sat before it burned. From there, she is seen heading north into the woods towards the natural steps. Once she arrives there, she follows the rock steps down into the Arkansas River and vanishes. The legend is that the woman in white is Martha Sanders who lost her husband, Gustavus, days after their wedding. He died in October 1880 from an unknown disease that took many lives in the small community. Before his death, Gustavus and Martha decided to wed at their favorite meeting spot at the top of the natural steps overlooking the Arkansas River. Unfortunately, the honeymoon was short-lived for the young couple because just days later he was dead and was laid to rest behind the old wooden church. The grief was too great for Martha and after his funeral she just disappeared, never seen again by family or friends. It is believed that she took her life by jumping into the Arkansas River from the Natural Steps. During the Civil War, Confederate forces are believed to have sunk their own gunboat containing vast sums of gold, in order to keep Union troops at bay. Three Confederate soldiers died during the explosion, and their graves can be found in the town’s cemetery. Legend has it on moonlit nights, the ghosts of the three soldiers march in a single-file line to the Arkansas River to uncover their hidden treasure. PEA RIDGE NATIONAL MILITARY PARK (GARFIELD) BACKGROUND: The park protects the site of the Battle of Pea Ridge, fought March 7 and 8, 1862. Over 3,000 casualties were reported. The battle was a victory for the Union, and helped it gain control of the crucial border state of Missouri. Many Union and Confederate veterans attended several reunions at the Pea Ridge battlefield long before it was a park. The first of these reunions was held in 1887, twenty-five years after the battle. PHENOMENA: Visitors report seeing apparitions of soldiers and hearing the sound of musket and cannon fire in the dead of night. There are also claims of the sound of Confederate and Union soldiers speaking or yelling and military-style drumming. In some cases, disoriented visitors claim they have been given directions by men in Civil War garb only to look back and see they have disappeared into thin air. PEEL MANSION MUSEUM (BENTONVILLE) BACKGROUND: The house was built in 1875 by Samuel W. Peel, a prominent local politician and businessman for his wife, Mary Emaline Berry Peel. The couple would eventually raise nine children there before Peel’s death in December of 1924 at the age of 93. After serving in the Confederate Army in the American Civil War, Peel studied law and practiced for many years in Bentonville. He served several terms in the United States Congress, and helped establish the First National Bank of Bentonville. PHENOMENA: It’s thought the Peel family loved the house so much they didn’t want to leave. The ghosts of Col. Peel and his daughter, Minnie Belle haunt the house with the staff reporting the sounds of a piano playing softly in the parlor even though there’s no one in the room, glimpses of a ghostly woman in white, an upstairs bedroom where a girl can sometimes be faintly heard crying and visitors being pinched by unseen fingers while touring the second floor. ST. FRANCIS COUNTY MUSEUM (FORREST CITY) BACKGROUND: The St. Francis County Museum bought the Rush-Gates Home and celebrated the grand opening in August 1997 after some renovations. The Rush-Gates Home was built in 1906 by J. O. Rush, a doctor, local historian, and prominent member of the Forrest City community. The building was used as his residence and housed his medical practice until his death. Rush started collecting Native American and prehistoric artifacts in 1912 when he helped a patient on the outskirts of St. Francis County who was unable to pay him for his time. As he was leaving, he noticed some pottery in the patient’s yard and accepted it as payment. Over his lifetime, he collected and cataloged more than 3,700 pieces. Much of his personal collection was donated to the museum by his descendants. PHENOMENA: People have claimed seeing strange movement through its windows that many attribute to those who were brought to Dr. Rush’s office for medical attention. After his death in 1961, the house remained in the family until 1995 and through the years, stories of weird phenomena has continued. Almost every staff member at the current museum has encountered unexplainable occurrences. SHADY GROVE CEMETERY (BALD KNOB) PHENOMENA: Urban legend alert >> It’s claimed grasshoppers and crickets are absent within the boundaries of the graveyard and a local legend states that if you pull up in your car and flash your headlights three times, ghost children will put their tiny little hand prints on your vehicle. There are reports of disembodied voices, especially on Halloween. A young man tells a story of going to Shady Grove Cemetery late at night with some friends. They started walking and the further into the graveyard they got, the colder the air became. He heard a little girl’s voice say, “You need to get out before he knows you’re here.” The terrified boys raced back in their truck, but it wouldn’t start. The windows started fogging up and then they saw writing in the condensation that read “Please get out”. He tried to start the truck again but it wouldn’t turn over. His friend got out and looked under the hood and saw the battery cables were now disconnected. He hooked them back up, the truck started and as they backed out of the driveway they saw a little girl standing in the middle of the road. She was there for a moment and then disappeared. THE OLD ARSENAL (LITTLE ROCK) BACKGROUND: Built between 1840 and 1841, it was part of Little Rock's first U.S. military installation. In the year that Arkansas became a state, 1836, it became necessary to build a military installation on this 36 acre lot to guard the populace from potential Indian attacks. Since decommissioning, the building has housed two local museums. It was home to the Arkansas Museum of Natural History and Antiquities from 1942 to 1997 and the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History since 2001. It has also housed the Little Rock Æsthetic Club since 1894. The building receives its name from its distinct octagonal tower. PHENOMENA: Disembodied voices, talking and music have been heard by staff and visitors. In 1996, an employee was sitting in her office in the basement when she heard the sounds of music, laughter and talking coming from the room above her. She went up to investigate, but saw and heard nothing. Upon returning to her office, the sounds commenced again. The second floor of the tower was converted into a theater and one night while closing an employee saw the solid figure of a man dressed in a dark uniform lying across the chairs. She ran down to get another person to help her evict what she thought was a transient out of the building, but when the second person tried to touch the individual, it vanished into thin air. On some occasions, transparent figures have been observed walking down the staircase to the ground floor as if simply going about their business. A playful entity, named “David”, enjoys throwing things at people, often barely missing them, during late afternoon or stormy winter days. The unsuspecting person will walk down the right hand staircase from the third floor to the second and if they stop or glance over a shoulder they will see a shadow of an object fly by, as if an unseen presence at the top of the stairs is throwing it. Shadow people or unexplained shadows on the wall have been noted by many as well as two shadow figures who have been seen in the area under the grand staircase in the basement, still reliving some sort of duel. TOLTEC MOUNDS (SCOTT) BACKGROUND:  It was occupied by its original inhabitants from 600 to 1050 CE and the identification of the site with the Toltec of Mexico was a 19th-century mistake. Mrs. Gilbert Knapp, owner of the land from 1857 to 1900, thought the Toltecs had built the mounds. Known to some as the “Stonehenge of Arkansas,” the mounds and earthen embankments present at Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park are actually  remnants of the Plum Bayou culture. The Plum Bayou people built 18 mounds to serve as a ceremonial, religious, governmental and social complex with at least one serving as a burial mound. PHENOMENA: Visitors to the park have report strange lights, orbs, and ghostly apparitions of ancient people. At night, footsteps have been heard around the existing mound site. BACK TO PARANORMAL WORLD DATABASE
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