November 27, 2010 in Offline Interviews

"Homeland Farm" Part 1

 

Homeland Farm – Part 1

Homeland Farm has been in the family for 5 generations. How many families can make a claim like that?  Possibly, an even more interesting fact about the farm is that it’s been passed down from mother to daughter since it was established in the early 1900’s.  Carmen, the farm’s current owner, is well-aware that a significant number of her family were born, raised, and have passed on this farm, and many are inclined to return for a visit every now and again.  That’s quite all right because, as Carmen may tell you, “they know that we’re welcoming”.

 

MGH Media Team Interviewer: Tony, Kat
Interviewees: Carmen, Cliff, Cameron

 

 

MGH-Tony -  Start off by telling us a little bit about the history of the house, and your history of the house.

Carmen -  This house has been in our family for 5 generations, with my children [being] the 5th generation. We’ve had a lot of relatives that were born here, a lot of relatives lived their whole lives here, and some relatives also died here.  And growing up, my whole life, I always felt like certain things would happen.  We had a lot of different little things that were paranormal.  And we would always play with the Ouija board, and we would try to, y’know, [we’d ask questions like] “if there’s a spirit here make the candle rise”, or y’know, doing a little playing around like that.

We’ve had many things happen with smells. We’ve smelled chocolate. After my grandmother passed away we’d smell chocolate. Right at the bottom of these stairs over here, one night, my daughter and I were going through the living room and my uncle had recently passed away, and he’s a big [guy], the only person in our family that wore Brute cologne.  He’d always get plenty of Brute cologne at Christmas.  And we actually walked around there, and we both stopped right up around the corner at the bottom of the stairs, and [I said] “you smell that?”  And [my daughter responded] “Yah”, she says, “it smells like Billy”, and it was just a real strong smell of his Brute cologne at the bottom of the stairs.  And that’s pretty intense when you come across something like that.

 

MGH-Tony – Now that’s kind of a common thing in this house, where you smell fragrances from your past relatives whether it’s Billy or…

Carmen -  …the chocolate, my grandmother, yah.  My mother smelled crayons, too, because my grandmother loved a fresh box of crayons.  She loved the smell of that.  We actually put crayons in her casket when she was buried.  So that’s not surprising when we smell that.

We’ve had, Cameron actually, my son, has actually had things happen in this room.  We had a wake in here, [in the living room] for my aunt Esther.  We had a wake here and both Cameron and Cliff, [at separate times, have] seen [figures of people in the living room.  Cliff described the figure he saw to be] like a big clump almost, or a cloud, float this way down through the living room and around the corner, like, to go upstairs.  He said [what he saw] was just so clear, he said it wasn’t just, y’know, haze or it wasn’t like he was asleep, or anything like that, he said it was actually purposefully moving across the living room and around the corner to the bottom of the stairs.  And I think that could have been my uncle as well because Cameron, who could tell you more, was laying on the couch here, asleep, and he felt a presence and woke up and saw a male figure standing at the end of the couch.  And he thought that was my grandfather, or perhaps my uncle, as well.

So, the other night when we heard the banging in the upstairs bedroom, we heard several thumps that woke all of us up actually, and we determined that maybe that was my uncle as well because he slept in that room when he was here as a young adult.

 

“So it’s quite interesting, you just never know what’s going to happen.”

- Carmen

 

 

MGH-Tony – When you remodeled this half of the house did you notice an increase in activity at all?

Carmen – Cliff, actually, was awaken one night.  He woke up and was tossing and turning, couldn’t get comfortable, couldn’t get back to sleep.  And he heard what sounded like to him like tinkling of like, glass, or just a real high tinkle.  And he heard it over this way, so he turned over to look towards the bathroom and he saw, just as clear as day, he said, a young girl come out of the bathroom area, which is now a hallway closet, come right around the edge of our bed, over the edge of our bed, and disappear towards the front wall, out this way [towards the living room].  And he said it was just so clear, it wasn’t like a blob like this living room mass was.   A little girl with long hair wearing a long dress or a long gown, or a night dress or something, bare feet.  He said he could see her bare feet underneath it, and he said she was just purposefully going, just right towards the wall and she just disappeared.  And that’s also where my grandmother and great aunt were quarantined, as children, with Scarlet Fever.  So we wondered if perhaps it was them, coming back as a child, in that room where they were kept locked up for a while ‘til they were healthy.  So that was kind of interesting.  He woke up, I had woken up shortly after he saw this [and he said] “you won’t believe what I just saw”, he was anxious to tell me about it.  So, it was very interesting.

One of the most interesting things that happened recently, I think, too, was [after] I did the radio show with you guys.  And I was in the kitchen, and David asked me, “the kitchen is the heart of the home, have you had anything exciting happen in the kitchen?”  And I said, “well, y’know, I couldn’t really think of anything”.  We had the orb face in the dining room doorway. But the kitchen itself, I really couldn’t think of anything, except we were sitting there when the fan moved, but you know, other than that I really couldn’t think of anything.  Well two mornings later, Cliff gets up first.  He goes out to make coffee, [and] he comes right back in and he says “did you get up during the night?” and I said “no, I didn’t get up during the night.  Why?” He says, “Well, go out in the kitchen and look”.  So I walked out in the kitchen and all the cupboard doors were wide open.  Y’know, just like, pulled open, every one of them.  It’s not just one was left ajar, I mean, they were open.  It was amazing.  Kind of strange, so that was really interesting because I had just got done saying “nah, nothing ever happens in the kitchen”.  Well, they fixed my wagon, I think, or something so, that was kind of neat.

 

 

MGH-Tony – With the incidents and the different activity that occurs in the house, anything ever make you feel uneasy or uncomfortable?

Carmen – I’ve only had one time where I was uneasy, or apprehensive, or scared, even.  I don’t know what I was doing but I just decided to lay down to have a little snooze during the day.  And I was laying on my side facing the road, and I was, y’know, dozing off.  And all of a sudden I felt, like a pinch, on my side.  And it was enough to wake me up.  And I had to close the door because I have too many cats and dogs that are always in there harassing me so I closed it.  And so I felt this pinch, and I woke up and was like “oh, what is that”.  It wasn’t like a cramp, it actually just felt like a pinch.  And I rolled over, and as I was rolling over I felt, it was like something was on the bed and then let go, like a “sproing”.  Like someone was leaning on the bed, pinched me, and then as I started to turn over, [whoever it was] got up off the bed but there was no one there with me.  I was spooked by that.

 

 

MGH-Kat -  How long ago was that?

Carmen – That was probably 3 months ago.  It wasn’t that long ago.  It was after that whole California thing, and everything.  But y’know I thought, it’s like, well, I’ve never had anything, touch me and I’ve never had anything kind of scary like that.  And the only thing I was thinking is if I continued to sleep maybe something bad would have happened.  Maybe something would’ve, y’know, something in the kitchen would have caught fire.  Or maybe something would have fallen down and the horses [would have gotten loose and run] into the road.  So the only thing I can think of, because our spirits are friendly, was that something bad would have happened if I had not woken up.  And then nothing did happen, y’know, but that’s the only thing I can think of.

 

MGH-Kat – When things happen, you get a sense when they happen, right?  Like if you see the fog, or you hear something, and you get a sense “Oh, I think I know who that is”.  You just get that warm feeling.  When you got pinched did you have a feeling?

Carmen -  I was scared.  No, I was nervous, at that point.  And it was, because it was painful.  I mean, It wasn’t like it was a little touch, or somebody laid their hand on me.  It was an actual pinch.  And like I say, I’ve never been touched like that. That was just, and it was real, I wasn’t dreaming it.  It was like someone took my skin and just pinched it.  And that made me nervous because I thought “well, why are they doing that, they’re friendly folks here, aren’t they?”  But like I say, all I can think of is that, something bad might have been ready to happen if I had not woken up, so.   And nothing like that has happened since. I haven’t felt scared or nervous since then.

 

MGH-Kat -  Did you ever determine or come upon something and were like “oh, that’s why”.

Carmen – Nope, after I got up, after I felt that pressure release, just right where my side was, where I was being pinched.  I got up and [thought] “well, there must be a cat in here and it just jumped off the bed when I started to move.”  So I looked all around and there was nothing.  Y’know, if a cat had curled up beside me, it’s like they suddenly jumped off the bed, or something like that?   But there was nothing there.  That was just, and it was such a feeling of a release of pressure, that it was like “spring”, and the pinching had stopped.

 

 

So I walked out in the kitchen and all the cupboard doors were wide open.  Y’know, just like, pulled open, every one of them.

- Carmen

 

 

MGH-Tony – When you hear people use the word paranormal, or ghost, or spirit, that can conjure up different memories or different thoughts for various people, what does that make you think of?

Carmen – My house.  (laughing) Yah, it does.  So many people are afraid.  And I think that’s kind of unfortunate because it’s actually kind of fascinating I think, and I wish there would be more of it.  Like, the other day I went upstairs to clean and [said out loud] “alright, I’m wide open, I’m receptive here, let’s see something” or whatever, y’know, I was encouraging it.  Of course, nothing ever happens when you’re sitting there planning on it.  Although, the night before, I was getting ready for bed and I thought to myself “y’know, it’s been really quiet around here, nothing’s happened lately” and [Cameron had posted a status message] on Facebook and he said, “boy, the spirits were really active last night at Homeland Farm.  I could hear all kinds of walking up and down the upstairs hallway”, which is something he hears quite often, and thumping and banging.  We’ve had a little bit in here [living room], like I said, the kitchen doors opening, the girl in the bedroom, the pinching in the bedroom.  It’s kind of everywhere, I guess, but Cameron hears a lot upstairs.  But he’s up into the night.  Cameron’s a night owl.  So he stays [late] pretty regular.

 

MGH-Tony -  Now, what would you say of all the activity that does occur here, what would you say is a little more frequent activity?  Is it the noises, or the smells, or the voices?

Carmen -  I don’t [usually] hear any voices.  I have heard something a couple times, recently, actually.  And, y’know, when you hear something like that you’re thinking “is it my subconscious?” and then you start to pay attention and then you don’t hear it.  But it’s like you’re not actually thinking about it and you kind of hear something [and think] “Well, is there a radio on?” [It’s the]first thing you think.  So I came into this end of the house, and there’s no radios on, no one was here, no TV, y’know, but I had heard somebody talking.  So, I couldn’t tell you what they said but I could hear something to make me think “is there a TV on or a radio?” And that’s happened two different times, but I couldn’t hear what anybody said.  For the most part it’s noises and stuff.

 

MGH-Tony – Could you tell if it was a male or a female voice?

Carmen -  I think it was more of a man’s voice, actually.    Nothing tearful, or sad, or it was just, like, conversational which makes me think of a radio. For the most part I think primarily it’s just the banging, and the doors opening, and things like that.

 

 

“You won’t believe what I just saw”, he was anxious to tell me about it.”

- Carmen

 

 

MGH-Tony – Thinking back to when the activity happens, are there any triggers that you can think of?  Special dates, or holidays, or occurrences?

Carmen – Well, oddly enough it seems to be when I think about it, or say something, or we talk about it. I’ve had a couple times, where like I said, I’ve thought it’s been kind of quiet and [then] that night it’s been noisy or when I made the comment about there not being anything happening in the kitchen.  Well, two days later, y’know.  After a while you think, “did I do that? Was I going nuts and went out there in the night and open up all those cupboard doors, y’know?”

 

 

MGH-Tony – Well, it should be a really interesting weekend after we leave.

Carmen – Well, it might be.  Maybe, y’never know.  It’s like I think they sometimes like encouragement, y’know?  And they know that we’re welcoming.  So I know that they think we aren’t afraid.  And I really feel that they’re my relatives.  And, y’know, they lived here.  They loved living here.  My grandmother loved this house.  And she always, even when she moved next door she called [Homeland Farm] “down home”.  And like I said, a lot of relatives lived here, died here, some of them.  And a lot of them are buried here.  It’s been in our family for a long time and I think they still kind of enjoy popping in, and visiting.  And we welcome that, and encourage it and aren’t afraid of it, so I think they don’t mind doing that.  So, it’s kind of interesting. Y’never know what’s going to happen. And like I say, it should be interesting the next few nights just to see what happens.

 

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