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Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Audio of Wren’s Nest “Ghosts”

Posted by: lain // Category: Ghosts!, Hunting! // 7:47 am

Occasionally we’re contacted by ghost hunters who want to snoop around the Wren’s Nest.

I’m not really “into” ghosts; however, the girl who initially approached me to ask about ghost hunts was pretty cute so I said, “Oh… alright.”

Listen, I never claimed to be a professional.

Since then, from time to time we’ve let ghost hunters check out the house, and the latest team just returned with their findings–mostly audio taken with very sensitive devices.

They seemed pretty pleased, and below I’ve included what I think are the two clearest and creepiest recordings they captured.

1. “Child up here”

This audio was taken from our attic when, apparently, nobody was upstairs. The more muffled voices are from real people downstairs, but you can hear a much more distinct voice about :07 in.

2. “Come here”

In this clip, two of the hunters are chatting with a dog barking in the background. Near the end you can hear a whisper that is much more clear than the rest of the audio. It sounds like it’s closer to the mic, but you might have to turn up the volume to hear it.

Previously–Liveblogging Ghost Hunts

…and nope! We’re not allowing any more ghost hunters in here for a while yet. Sorry!

Comments: 7
 
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Ghost of Joel Chandler Harris?

Posted by: lain // Category: Stuff I Find In the Attic, Ghosts! // 5:04 pm

In keeping with the questionable reporting practices the Wren’s Nest blog has exhibited lately, here’s an excerpt of a letter I received today:

“I noticed the “orb” on your great-great-great grandfather’s picture on the way home and thought it strange since it wasn’t something that was there when I took the picture.

The Ghost of Joel Chandler Harris, Or maybe just some dust

Then while I was looking over my vacation pictures and trying to blow up the one of the Wren’s Nest, I guess I saw what looks to be a grayish figure in the upper left window? I thought it a bit odd since the window is the only one that is not reflecting and looks flat.”

Ghost in the window of the Wren's Nest

Perhaps this is why Amelia is afraid to be in the Wren’s Nest by herself.

Anyway, I can’t really see the figure in the window. Can you?

While we have had several ghost hunts from some very well-respected and televised professionals, I’ve yet to see anything definitive that there are ghosts in this place.

If I knew how to put audio on this blog, I’d let you listen to the mysterious (and flat!) whistling of “Baby Bumble Bee” that some of the ghost hunters caught on tape. Now that’s a little eerie.

Email me (lain@wrensnestonline.com) if you want a listen.

EDIT, 1/29/08, 1:13 pm–

So, I finally got around to installing the audio software. Assuming it works, here’s the ghost whistling:

You might have to turn up your speakers, but listen for the whistling in the second half. If the audio isn’t working, I’m currently trying to fix it.

Thanks, Rusty!

Comments: 3
 
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Ghost Hunt 2007, part 5

Posted by: Amelia // Category: JCH, Ghosts!, Hunting!, Mystery and Suspense // 12:02 am

Full disclosure: I’m afraid to come into the Wren’s Nest alone at 10:00am on a sunny day.

That, friends, is because I am the weenie to end all weenies. I am the weeniest weenie that ever weenied. Thus the fact that I am at the Wren’s Nest at 11:36pm on a ghost hunt is not only a testament to my commitment to this house, but also my own stupidity. I shall not sleep for days.

GHOST

Luckily, I am not alone in my stupidity. Other than Lain, who is pretty okay, this ghost hunt - oh wait, have I not mentioned we’re conducting a Friday the 13th ghost hunt? - also involves other friends of the Wren’s Nest, who stand at varying levels of bravery/stupidity.

At the moment, the good folks of Ghost Hounds are going from room to room with a psychic (I think?) who is telling us things about the rooms that we already know, but that she doesn’t. Gack!

11:48pm: oh god oh god. The doorbell just rang. Who the deuce was that?!

11:49pm: Ghost hounds say it was someone living. I have no proof. In the meantime, they’re asking if anyone is pregnant. Lain, do you have something to share with us?

11:52pm: I’m not sure how I feel about this ghost business. But I do know how I feel about this frightened business.

By the way, there is a live webcast and you, dear reader, can find it here:

Live Webcast

[EDIT: The webcast has been archived here. Just scroll down a little.

It’s long and sometimes static-y, but why wouldn’t you want to see Lain discussing ghosts with a psychic and Patrick Burns, star of the television show Haunting Evidence?

Patrick Burns

(Patrick Burns — big time ghost huntin’ celebrity)

Also present is Reese Christian, currently writing a book about ghosts in Georgia.]

11:59: The conversation here is filled with statements like “that was the chair!” and “oh no, that was a person!” I mean, really. How often do you need to clarify that.

12:45: The web chatters are not only asking questions, but making claims about happenings in the house. I’m going to need a briefer about paranormal perception. It works across the sea? Christine from Australia says so.

We’ve now gone into the attic (bad web reception), the hall, and the front parlor. In the hallway, a spirit was, ah, detected? like, 3 feet to my left. Was I brave? Heavens no.

1:06am: The great thing is, the Ghost Hounds are cracking jokes, making fun of each other, having a grand old time. Someone has made the comment “Fear the living, not the dead”. I’m not sure where that puts me, confidence-wise.

1:11: The ghost hunt is over? I have survived? The Ghost Hounds are now discussing ghost hunting celebrities? It’s all true.

Looks like Friday the 13th served us well, and Saturday the 14th had little to offer. Apparently, over 100 folks were tuned into the webcast, all jazzed and brave. Maybe that’s because they weren’t here. Though with that many fans, perhaps the Wren’s Nest will become the new hot spot for ghost -excuse me, spirit - enthusiasts from all over. We’re certainly not complaining.

Comments: 7
 
Friday, July 13, 2007
A Day at the Wren’s Nest

Posted by: lain // Category: Ghosts!, Shirking Responsibility, Burritos and Other Fine Foods, Decatur Book Festival // 2:16 pm

Many of you have asked what it is we do here, and I usually have a hard time responding concisely. Welp, here’s one day’s worth–

8:16 am - Wake up.

8:21 am - Wake up for real this time.

9:02 am - Head to Wordsmiths Books to investigate the “Editor’s Picks” section that will become “The Wren’s Nest” section for the month of August. We are replacing the estimable Baby Got Books team, so we’ve got some chock-filled quality to live up to.

9:18 am - Deliver new brochures to Decatur City Hall.

9:29 am - Stop at Chick-Fil-A for Customer Appreciation Week and a free chicken biscuit.

9:40 am - Pick up contributions sent to my parent’s house instead of the Wren’s Nest. Steal coffee.

10:15 am - Arrive at the Wren’s Nest.

10:17 am - Bookkeeping.

11:18 am - Head to lunch meeting at No Mas! Cantina with folks from the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. I neglected to write down the time for the meeting, so we’re heading out early and bringing books.

12:59 pm - Return to the Wren’s Nest.

1:00 pm - Sift through the mail.

1:12 pm - Start writing a lot of overdue thank you notes. …or get distracted and write a blog post.

2:12 pm* - Lead (haha) the Wren’s Nest Publishing Company. Today’s topics–fonts, author biographies, what does soy nut butter really taste like?

4:15 pm - Play with dogs at the house I’m housesitting.

7:00 pm - White Lawn Party. You know, just like P Diddy does, but this time with swim team parents / hot shot lawyers.

7:30 pm - My sister’s graduation party.

10:00 pm - Ghost Hunt complete with live webcast and maybe even a ghost or two. I’m hoping my all-white outfit will help us out in this regard, as well as my inevitable inebriation at the start.

Sunrise, Saturday- Head home!

*All times past this point are estimations, thankyouverymuch.

**At some point I might add pictures to this post, but you may notice that I’m already a few minutes behind schedule!

Comments: 3
 
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Ghost Hunt 2007, v4.0: Ladies Night

Posted by: lain // Category: Uncategorized, Ghosts!, Hunting!, Ladies Night // 9:55 pm

You heard right. It’s ladies night at the Wren’s Nest.

Ladies Night

(That’s me on the hood)

And these aren’t just any ladies–they’re ghost huntin’ ladies!

All nine of them just waltzed in, and it’s about time, too! I get nervous here by myself after dark. Nothin’ like a pack of ghost hunting babes to keep me warm.

Stay tuned for live updates.

10:08 PM: Feeling good, settling in. Just a few hours ago I was judging our youth poetry slam here at the Wren’s Nest, and now I’m ghost hunting on ladies night. Does it get any weirder? (Read on …)

Comments: 4
 
Friday, May 18, 2007
Ghost Hunt 2007, Chapter III

Posted by: lain // Category: Ghosts!, Hunting! // 8:44 pm

It’s not quite dark yet, so I’m not quite terrified yet, but let me tell you what–Carson is hiding under her desk, rocking back and forth, and trembling a little.

Scooby Gang

(Carson is the one in the glasses)

Luckily for you, she’s got her laptop under there and is prepared to post live updates on Wren’s Nest Ghost Hunt 2007, Chapter III: This Time, It’s For Real.

Keep it locked, and we’ll keep you posted throughout the evening on the Wren’s Nest ghosts, the Ghost Hounds, and everything bizarre that happens along the way.

[For those of you following on facebook, this post will probably stop here. More awaits you at wrensnestonline.com/blog]

9:38 pm, Lain - Okay, so maybe Carson wasn’t as scared as I’d thought. She made her way not only out from under the desk, but out of the room, too…about forty minutes ago.

And she hasn’t come back.

Gulp.

Actually, she has. But only to tell me that (Read on …)

Comments: 4
 
Friday, April 13, 2007
FREAKY FRIDAY

Posted by: carson // Category: Ghosts! // 4:24 pm

Today, my own Wikepedia meanderings taught me this word: paraskavedekatriaphobia, which means “fear of Friday the 13th.” Do we have any readers out there who suffer from this curious affliction?

I didn’t, until 2:13 pm today, when after the conclusion of an unexpectedly intense meeting here in the office, a clock spontaneously detached itself from the wall and rolled under my chair. I doubt I would classify myself among the estimated 17 million Americans who refuse to work, fly or buy houses on this day, but it did give me a brief episode of the creeps.

Generally speaking, I enjoy Friday the 13th, and not only because the Olsen twins claim it as their birthday. I like it because it’s an opportunity to confront the unknown, and an excuse to feel vulnerable as a result. Don’t we all enjoy being a little bit afraid?

Think roller coasters, scary movies, and… ghosts.

The Wren’s Nest offers plentiful opportunities to be spooked, if one should choose to indulge them. First of all, it’s 137 years old. Generations have been raised here; naturally, a few people (including Mr. Harris) have died here. Though many details of the house and its inhabitants have been recorded and passed from person to person, there’s a lot we don’t know about the place. The upstairs storage room and basement are filled to the brim with mysterious artifacts, which the spook-lover in me can’t wait to get her hands on.

Lain gave me a tour of the basement on my first day here, explaining that some ghost hunters had recently taken an interest in it after a bunch of ceiling lights blew out in succession. Perhaps the unanswered questions it raised prepared me to be paticularlly moved by the following: as I leaned in to marvel at an old lithograph collecting dust near the entrance, the dial on the front spun completely around on its axis.

If there’s such thing as a ‘good day’ to be spooked at the Wren’s Nest, I suppose today’s one of them (I’m leaving the ghost hunters out of this for now), which is why I’ll be going home and leaving Lain here to lock the place up.

Good luck, buddy.

friday

Comments: 2
 
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Ghost Hunt 2007, Part II

Posted by: lain // Category: Historic Preservation, JCH, Brer Rabbit, Ghosts! // 1:43 am

That’s right folks. It’s Saturday night at the Nest. Ready the coffee and the girl scout cookies. It’s time to hunt up some ghosts.

For the uninitiated, we’ve done this twice before in the past couple of months. It’s terrifying. Read about our November and January hunts.
15157592_6c21a1810f_m.jpg

Tonight’s guests are the good people from Ghost Hounds. Stay tuned for live updates / me-shaking-in-my-boots throughout the evening.

8:40 pm - The Hounds are here, and we’ve all been introduced. I do not remember anyone’s name, unfortunately. It’s like my brain goes ———— right after someone says, “And our next Ghost Hound’s name is.”

Every time this gets me. Every time!

Our nameless warriors are taking some preliminary photos with the lights on before things get serious.

Current status–not too skeered yet, but expecting the worst.

9:14 pm - The Ghost Hounds are under my feet. (Read on …)

Comments: 1
 
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Ghost Hunt 2007

Posted by: lain // Category: Historic Preservation, JCH, Ghosts! // 9:11 pm

During every ghost hunt ever performed in the history of the Wren’s Nest, I have blogged live updates.

Tonight, friends, is no exception.

Scooby
(That’s me in the glasses)

8:04 pm - The Gulf States Paranormal Society is here and they appear to be ready. These guys have some serious equipment too. There are cameras in every room hooked up to a computer in the kitchen. Man, I hope the ghosts don’t hack the firewall, bypass the mainframe, and–enough.

It feels a little like we’re in a heist movie and we’re the bad guys and we’re kicking some serious intelligence. It’s like Ronin meets Resident Evil meets Joel Chandler Harris meets me meets the Gulf States Paranormal Society.

Actually, it’s more like (Read on …)

Comments: 8
 
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Ghost Hunt 2006

Posted by: lain // Category: Historic Preservation, JCH, Ghosts! // 5:44 pm

Well, the time of reckoning is upon us. Yes, the Georgia Ghost Society has begun to trickle in, and the hunt officially starts at 5 pm. Stay tuned right here for live updates on the search for the Ghost of Christmas Pa…Joel Chandler Harris. Or someone. I don’t know. Whatever happens, it’ll be scary I just know it.

5:19 pm - In addition to all the fancy cameras and detectors, we have a psychic / medium here who has traveled all the way from sunny California to investigate some murders as well as ghosts at the Wren’s Nest. All in a day’s work, I suppose. One of my main concerns going into this thing was that we wouldn’t have a psychic present, but now I can rest easy. This is going to be awesome.

5:47 pm - It is dark, and I am terrified. We are waiting on one last investigator before we get started. In the mean time, everyone is telling their stories of how they became involved in ghost hunting, and what made them believe in ghosts. They are not helping me feel any better.

6:01 pm - Who knew that ghost hunters were so good looking? Seriously, if you tell me that you hunt ghosts and you look like just some shmuck, well of course you’re crazy. But if you hunt ghosts and you happen to be a babe, I’ll hear you out, sure. Anyway, we’ve started talking to the ghosts in the house just to let them know we’re cool and not here to harm anything. Okay.

6:41 pm - Cigarette break for the ghost gang. Our resident psychic Dawn was just picking my past apart and telling me about all the women in my life which was the creepiest. thing. ever. She’s good though, I’ll tell you what. Some people pay her $3.99 a minute for that kind of treatment. Some people who are executive directors of allegedly haunted house museums get it for free. Boo(ya)!

7:46 pm - Captured orbs on film. Sensed spirits moving. More later.

10:30 pm - Unfortunately our psychics / conduits / mediums had to leave. Fortunately, I have never been so scared. The only light on in this house is coming from my computer monitor.

We’ve been performing EVPs, which are Q and A sessions with spirits recorded by a highly sensitive device. We’ve been asking questions in various rooms, but in the foyer when someone asked, “Do you have a message to tell?” suddenly a LOUD noise came from the front door. It wasn’t the doorbell and it wasn’t the wind, but almost in between, like the wind sounded electronic, or the electronics sounded windy. All my time in this house, I’ve never heard anything like it. I started crying right there. Almost, anyway.

It totally could be blamed on the wind, since it is indeed a dark and stormy night, but! when we replayed the tape and a question was asked, “Can you give us a sign?” the same noise happened again! And again, as if in response to the question. The noise happened a final time, again while the tape was playing.

12:36 am - The scary noise happened two more times. The first time it
happened randomly, unlike before; however, when fearless ghost
hunt leader Drew yelled “STOP, SPIRIT!” it stopped like that on a dime. The final time was once again in response to the question, “Will you show me a sign?”

I swear I’m not making this up.

Before the night was through, ghost hunter babe-in-residence Julie had played hide and go seek and received a hug from a spirit, or so we believe. Leanne passed by the room she thought we were in and saw a person moving. She was shocked when we approached from the other end of the hall. Of course, nothing is confirmed or denied until the photos are viewed and the tapes are cleaned up.

But I’m just sayin’.

Do I believe in ghosts now? Well, I’m not sure. But if you never hear from me again, I’ll bet good money that a ghost has eaten me in my sleep.

Thank you, Georgia Ghost Society, for your work. You guys were awesome and professional and I shan’t forget it any time soon.

P.S. I’m never going back to the Wren’s Nest again. I’m just sayin’.

Comments: 10
 
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