Tuesday, March 20, 2012

The Haunting of Davis Elementary School

Yesterday I posted about our 100-year old school, Davis Elementary, which is in irreversible structural distress.    Because my husband will occasionally have stories of some new problem with the school, I have thought about the need for a new school off and on for a long time.  It was only after writing that post, however, that this thought occurred to me -- 100 year old building could equal 100 year old HAUNTED building!   How could I not have thought of that before??  Some of you know about my interest in the paranormal.  It's fascinating to me.   If I had a bucket list (which I don't), a ghost hunt would be at the top of that list, with big giant stars next to it. 

And now that the thought is lodged firmly in my brain, it seemed only natural to do some googling:  my fingers pecked out "haunted elementary schools", of course.  My search didn't show much activity during school hours (maybe because if I were a spirit I would be very afraid of 400 elementary school-aged children!).   But, there was a plethora (Mark) of elementary school activity AFTER school hours.  Among my findings were these - -


Jefferson Elementary in Middletown is said to have been built atop a burial ground of some sort, and as a consequence has numerous ghosts. Employees sometimes hear the sounds of phantom children playing in the gymnasium, or see a ghostly little girl roaming the halls.

According to local legend, Washington Elementary School is haunted by the ghost of a thirteen year old boy who died while the school was being renovated. He strayed into an off-limits area, fell through a hole in the floor, and wasn't discovered until much later. Students and teachers report strong feelings of dread in the area where the boy died. Scratching, knocking, and bangs can be heard in the same hallway. Mysterious shadows flit through corridors, particularly at twilight.

David E. Smith Elementary School has numerous reports of ghostly occurrences in the girls' bathroom. Girls who stay at the school for after-school activities have told of feeling a sudden chill in the air when they step into the restroom. Others claim to have heard screaming, seen writing on the walls, and even felt themselves being touched and warned to leave because the bathroom was too dangerous. Some have even reported seeing blood dripping on the floor.

It is reported that two kids were playing tetherball after school around 7p.m one of the kids hit the ball and the chains wraped around one of the kids throat. The other one didn`t know what to do while his/her friend was choking. So the kid ran home.They said the kid choked on the chains. Late nights residents say you could here a chain hitting the pole on the court and a sound of someone choking.

I was fifth grade tetherball champion (complete with cool certificate, thank you very much), so that one kind of creeped me out.

So, my conclusion is this - I don't have to travel to Pennsylvania - - yet - - to go ghost hunting!   I can start right here in my own backyard.  I've not heard of any ghostly reports from our own school,  but you'd think that with a hundred years of history, something is hanging around, right?  I don't really want to see blood dripping on the floor, and I don't want to be touched.  Not for my first time.  But maybe I could handle scratching or knocking or hearing someone scream. This could be a trial run for my REAL ghost hunt!   Of course, I don't have any equipment, except for the EMF detector app on my iPhone.   That will have to do . . . that and my keen mind.

I will let my daughter know that we have a ghost hunting date when she gets home from college in a few weeks.  She'll be thrilled (I say sarcastically) as I'm sure the school board will be as well (again, sarcastically).    

12 comments:

  1. Creepy! I'm really hoping you uncover something on your hunt of Davis; there MUST be a ghost after all these years!

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  2. It does seem Davis would be ripe for some activity. Maybe if it was scary enough, it could help get a bond approved for a new building on the basis of protecting the children from the "trauma" of the paranormal. ;)

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  3. You could write a story you know... based on your research. Set it in the Davis school.

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  4. We have an old middle school that looks like Hogwarts. I bet there's stuff going on there.

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  5. Start taking pics and see what you get. :) I live in a haunted house and have spirits attached to a piece of old furniture that has traveled north, south, east and west with me. For the most part they're harmless but my boys have come downstairs with scratches.. The spirits on the main floor are fine but those spirits upstairs are not nice at all...

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    1. And you want to move????!!!! Have you ever caught anything on camera??

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  6. Hey. I've got a little award for you over at my blog. :-)

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  7. Yikes! My kids would love this, but me, not so much. Good luck hunting!

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  8. I won't buy the lottery ticket either but I know if I won that much money I would start some kind of a foundation designed to meet the needs of children - educational, social, emotional, physical - anything that would make their start in life more positive. The range of projects would be wide. I would likely confine my efforts to one geographic area - likely my own county - in order to stay focused. I would also buy myself the new new Beetle :).

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    1. I'm with you about confining my benevolence to my own geographic area. Gotta start at home :) And I love those new Beetles! If that mega rich old guy leaves me all his money, I'll buy you one!

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  9. I actually went to Davis from kindergarten to 8th grade and yesss it is haunted in here bathroom down stairs by the lunch room my friends claimed they said they saw a man standing in bathroom with them they came out screaming that was 4th grade 7th grade I actually experience something very creepy it was a group of me and my friends who went into the bath room when we were all done we would always wait for each other we were chatting and what not waiting one one of us to come out the stall when we realized that all of us were finished we knocked on the stall no one said anything one of my friends whom I'm still friends with peeked thru the little crack and her faced looked confused she said its an old lady we laughed Cuz we thought it was finny she just peeked thru whole while old lady was in it then while we were living the toilet flushed we were all kinda curious because we hadn't seen anyone come in with us expecually a visitor which we never had any any who we all waited anxiously and then a creepy old lady came out and jus stoop there watching all 5 of us I was usually the bravest I was the class clo n and defended anyone who was being bullied talked back to teachers I even experienced stuff like this at my old home on 38th holmen but to see this with group of friends in daylight scared fuck out me we all took off running but i decided to stay outside bathroom till teacher came when our teacher came running back to bathroom to see for her self we all stayed outside to afraid to go in with her when she came back out she said there was nothing there we all ran back in checked every stall she was right we were all like wtf later when it was lunch time we had went in the bathroom the same bathroom from downstairs that we heard stories about when we were entering the same creepy lady was standing there again in a whole different bathroom that was one the most crazy thing I experiened there was also another time when I was in 5th grade there was a time when we were playing dare we had dared Jessica to go in the closet it was stupid but in are closet kids always claimed to see or be touched when she went in nothing happened then we all went in there and said out loud if there something here show us nothing happen we said it again this time not laughing nothing but when we went back to our desk we were all chatting when out of no where she said who pulled her hair stop playing none other of us did we looked at her confused then out of no were the side her hair was blew like some one flicked she started crying and had to an early dismissal because she was to scared there's more stories but to much to write of anyone has experienced haunting like this in Nathan Davis elementary or in home of 3346 w38 st please email me neneboo6811@gmail.com

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