The Ghost of the Presbyterian Manse
The Presbyterian manse was the residence for the clergymen of Stratford, Connecticut. The minister who was living there at the time in 1850 was Dr. Phelps, and like many others of that time period, he got involved with the learning and experimenting of spiritualism. This led Dr. Phelps so far as to even hosting a seance. At first, it seemed as if he failed in contacting anyone, but little did he and everyone else know what was about to happen. One week after the seance, after coming back from church, the family found everything in shambles. Tables and chairs were overturned and books were tossed from its shelves. The most horrific part of it all was when they found clothing put together in the form of eleven humans. At dinner, spoons and forks flew into the air all-at-once and bent without contact.
This ghost is a typical poltergeist. One man visiting claims to have seen one of the spoons picked up and placed back across the room by an unknown presence. One of the girls who lived there also said that one night the ghost tried to smother her with her own pillow. Years later, the house was turned into a nursing home where sounds were heard in empty halls. One day, the home set on fire, and since then it has not been occupied.
(Source: Cohen, Daniel. Hauntings and Horrors. 2002)
