Castle Warden, Ripley's Original Odditorium

*Originally published May 1, 2021 as a promotional piece. Some information may be missing

There are 33 Ripley's Believe It or Not! museums across North America, but did you know that none of them were opened during Robert Ripley's lifetime? Or that the original and first odditorium is located in St. Augustine, Florida? My first visit to a Ripley's Odditorium was during my most recent trip to the Oldest City, and it piqued my curiosity about the history of the building and of Ripley himself.

Castle Warden, shown above, was built in 1887 by William G. Warden of Philadelphia as a winter home. It's an imposing four stories of poured concrete Moorish revival architecture. Warden himself was partners with Henry Flagler and John D. Rockefeller in the Standard Oil Company, the president of the St. Augustine Gas & Electric Light Company, and the financial director of the St. Augustine Improvement Company. Because of Warden's wealth and influence, the castle home was a center of winter social events during his life and ownership.

The castle remained in the Warden family until 1941 until it was purchased by Norman Baskin and his wife Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, author of "The Yearling" and "Cross Creek." The couple lived on the top floor of the castle for a time, and renovated the lower floors into a posh hotel. It was during this time that Robert Ripley stayed at the hotel several times, repeatedly attempting to buy the hotel. He was unsuccessful in his endeavors before he died in 1949, but his estate was able to purchase Castle Warden in 1950, and on December 25, the first and original Ripley's Believe it or Not! Odditorium opened its doors.

Robert Ripley was born in Santa Rosa, California around 1890. He dropped out of school to support his family when his father died, and at age 16 he was drawing sports cartoons for San Francisco newspapers. In 1913, he moved to New York and continued his career as a sports cartoonist, and in 1918 he showcased some sports oddities in his first Believe It or Not! cartoon. 

His cartoons grew in popularity, and by 1923, his Believe It or Not! series moved to the New York Post. In 1929, his feature was picked up by King Features Syndicate, and Believe It or Not! began appearing in more than 300 newspapers across the United States.

Ripley claimed to have visited 198 countries in his lifetime. He showcased "true life" oddities from his travels around the world in his books of sketches, a series of Believe It or Not! short films, radio programs, and travelling carnival-type exhibits that he called "Odditoriums."

The Castle Warden Odditorium is a must-see, and I'm ashamed to say that I visited St. Augustine a number of times before making it a stop on our last trip. You won't be disappointed. Starting with the grounds outside the castle, there are a number of things to check out which don't require the price of admission, which include: Massacre Anchor, which was pulled from Matanzas Bay; a section of tree that when it was cut down, was carved into an apartment, where someone actually lived (you can walk inside); a giant bronco made out of car bumpers; and Michaelangelo's "David," one of the only two copies in the world carved to the exact specifications of the original.

The museum itself houses three stories of curious and unusual exhibits from around the world, including Robert Ripley's personal collection. You'll find unusual artwork crafted from unlikely materials, like jelly beans, toasted bread, and even beetles; fortune telling machines including Zoltar, like the one from "Big" with Tom Hanks; shrunken heads; two-headed animals; torture devices; P.T. Barnum's 1842 hoax, the Feejee Mermaid; and so much more than I could begin to mention here. On my last visit there was a very large, very real, very alive tarantula (in an enclosed container, of course) which I would be extremely happy never to see again, although my stepson seemed significantly less bothered by its presence.

As if all this weren't enough, Castle Warden also has its own ghost story, like so many other places in the Oldest City. On April 23, 1944, two women died in a fire on the the 3rd and 4th floors. As the story goes, the fire started on the 3rd floor due to a lit cigarette. The occupant in Room 17 called for a bellboy who emptied a fire extinguisher and went to find another. By the time he returned, the flames were coming from under the door and had spread to the hallway and up to the 4th floor. The women were both killed, but their bodies were untouched by the flames as a result of their using wet towels to protect themselves from the fumes. The woman in Room 17 was found in her bathtub, and the woman in the 4th floor penthouse was found on the floor of her bathroom. The women are said to haunt the castle.

In addition to regular museum tours, Ripley's also runs the Red Train Tour with stops all over St. Augustine, as well as a Haunted Castle Investigation experience. All of this information as well as booking options are available on their website.

Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium

19 San Marco Avenue

St. Augustine, FL 32084

904-824-1606

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The Old City Gate, a Reminder of St. Augustine's Violent Past

*Originally published May 5, 2021 as a promotional piece. Some information may be missing.

Located at the north end of St. George Street, the Old City Gate still stands, a remnant of the past, a reminder of the turbulence the city has faced in the past. At one time, the gate was the only entrance into the city.

In 1702, British Governor James Moore and his English forces attacked the city. The residents had advance notice and took refuge inside Castillo de San Marcos for safety. The British were unable to breach the walls of the fort, and both sides sent for reinforcements. The Spanish reinforcements from Havana arrived first, and Governor Moore was forced to retreat. However, before he left, he and his forces pillaged the city and burned it to the ground.

Though the residents had survived the siege in the fort, and the city had been attacked in the past, the residents of St. Augustine saw this attack as "the straw that broke the camel's back." In 1704 construction was begun on the Cubo Line, an earthen and wood wall that ran from the Castillo to the San Sebastian River and back to the city. 

An additional wall was erected on the west side of the city, the Rosario Line. The two walls enclosed the city, and it was never devastated by an attack again.

Because the wall was made primarily of earth, it deteriorated over time. The wall was regularly rebuilt and repaired over more than a century. At the time of the last reconstruction, in 1808, the city gate was built of coquina, and it remains today.

In addition to their historic value, there is, of course, a ghost story tied to the gate, as with many locations around the city. St. Augustine had its bouts with yellow fever, and although the gate and the walls could keep out trespassers and enemy forces, they couldn't repel disease. 

In the 1800s, if you or your family was believed to have yellow fever, your home and possessions were burned in an attempt to prevent the spread. "Little Elizabeth" died of yellow fever in 1821. Her body went unclaimed, possibly because her family feared losing their home and possessions, and she was found by officials just outside the city gate. She was one of hundreds of people who fell victim to the sickness who were buried in the Huguenot Cemetery across the street from the gate. People claim to have seen Little Elizabeth playing here outside the city gate in her lacy white dress.

Old City Gate

11 Orange Street

St. Augustine, FL  32084

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Castillo de San Marcos, Defender of St. Augustine

*Originally published June 22, 2021 as a promotional piece. Some information may be missing.

The Castillo de San Marcos was built by the Spanish to defend St. Augustine, Florida, and the Atlantic trade route. As with many things in the oldest continuously occupied city in the United States, it is the oldest masonry fortress in the continental US and preserves more than 450 years of cultural intersections.

Located on the western shore of the Matanzas Bay, its construction was ordered by Governor Francisco de la Guerra y de la Vega after a 1668 raid of St. Augustine by English privateer Robert Searles that destroyed much of the city and damaged the existing wooden fort. It was designed by Spanish engineer Ignacio Daza, with construction beginning in 1672.

Construction of the core of the fortress was finished in 1695, although the fort would undergo many changes, additions, and renovations over the centuries.

The fort was a continuously occupied military installation for 251 years, though it changed hands between the Spanish, the British several times, and finally the United States in 1821. During those changes in occupation, the name of the fort was changed several times as well, becoming US Army Base Fort Marion in 1821, named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion.

The fort was declared a National Monument in 1924, and after 251 years of continuous military occupation, it was deactivated in 1933. The site was then turned over to the National Park Service for care and conservation, with its original name Castillo de San Marcos being restored by an act of Congress in 1942.

Castillo de San Marcos was attacked several times and besieged twice: first, by English Colonial forces led by Carolina Colony Governor James Moore in 1702, and a second time by English Georgia Colony Governor James Oglethorpe in 1740. It was never taken by force.

The fort has changed hands six times, all peaceful, among four different governments: the Spanish, the English, the United States, and the Confederacy during the Civil War.

The Castillo was used as a prison by the English during the Revolutionary War, and at one time it held three signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Under US control, the fort was used as a military prison to incarcerate members of Native American tribes - among them were Osceola, the famous war chief, during the Second Seminole War, and Geronimo's band of Chiricahua Apache.

The Castillo is constructed of coquina, a locally sourced stone-type compound made of seashell and limestone. Its walls are 11-19 feet thick at the base and taper to 9 feet at the top. The use of coquina as the building material for both the Castillo de San Marcos and the nearby Fort Matanzas created fortresses that were nearly indestructible.

Unlike other types of stone, coquina has a compressible nature, absorbing the blasts of projectile cannons rather than deflecting. As a result, ammunition would get stuck in the fort walls rather than exploding the wall into pieces.

The fort's other rather significant feature is its star-shaped design; it was modeled after a 15th century Italian design known as the "bastion system," which eliminated blind spots and allowed multiple cannons to be fired at the same target.

A moat surrounds the structure, although the moat has been empty for many years.

The entrance is on the south side of the fort and is protected by a barbacan, or arrow shaped outwork. A stationary bridge leads partway across the moat, and the path continues into the fort by drawbridge.

All of the areas and rooms are off of the main courtyard in the center of the fortress, which unfortunately I have not had the opportunity to see myself. During our last few trips to St. Augustine, the daily tours inside the Castillo were not being run due to Covid.

The cannons shown here are examples of what would have been mounted on the upper gun deck walls of the huge structure, and you can walk along the bay side of the Castillo to check them out.

Castillo de San Marcos is one of the main attractions that St. Augustine visitors come to see - not just for the daily tours of the fort itself, and the history, but for the ghost stories and hauntings associated with it. My own experiences touring the fort, other than our own wanderings around without a tour guide, have been with the ghost tours around the city at night.

The biggest ghost story of the Castillo involves death, adultery, and rage. in July 1784 Colonel Garcia Marti arrived at the Castillo with his very pretty, much younger wife Dolores. While she was young and outgoing, and made many friends in St. Augustine, her husband Colonel Marti was dour and humorless.

She met his young and handsome assistant, Captain Abela, and before long the two fell in love and began an affair. As with all stories of this type, Colonel Marti discovered the affair, and one night Dolores and the Captain disappeared.

When their absence was noted, the Colonel told everyone that Captain Abela had left on a special mission to Cuba and Dolores had taken ill, going to live with her aunt in Mexico with plans to return to Spain from there. Although questions abounded, his story was never directly challenged.

It was in 1833 when Lieutenant Tuttle, an American officer, found a hidden room behind a brick wall in the dungeon area, with the skeletal remains of two prisoners chained inside, inadvertently discovering the truth. It is believed that Colonel Marti entombed the pair there to end their lives.

The views from the Castillo are spectacular. We watched the sun set over the city during our last visit and finalized our decision as to when we would be moving to Florida permanently. If you're in St. Augustine, this is one of the places you should definitely visit, even if you just walk around on your own without taking one of the tours.

Castillo de San Marcos

1 S. Castillo Drive

St. Augustine, FL 32084

904-825-6506

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Tolomato Cemetery: One Acre With Centuries of History

*Originally published June 22, 2021 as a promotional piece. Some information may be missing.

Tolomato was in use as a cemetery from the 18th century until 1884, when all of the old cemeteries in St. Augustine were closed and new cemeteries were established. It is the final resting place of approximately 1,000 St. Augustine residents, including many people important to the history of Florida and the United States.

The cemetery is located on the site of what was once an early 18th century Franciscan  Indian Mission, Our Lady of Guadalupe of Tolomato. The Indian group was made up of Guale Indians from Georgia. Tolomato was the name of a place, potentially a river, where they lived before they came to St. Augustine during the 16th century after attacks from hostile tribes. They moved to the current site during attacks by British forces from South Carolina and Georgia that destroyed the Florida Missions in the 1700s.

When the Minorcans arrived in 1777 after their rebellion in New Smyrna, they brought their priest, Fr. Camps with them. Patrick Tonyn, the British governor of St. Augustine at the time, granted Fr. Camps permission to bury the deceased members of his parish in the "old Catholic cemetery" of Tolomato. This was the beginning of the use of the grounds solely as a cemetery.

The Minorcans buried in Tolomato are the ancestors of many St. Augustine residents, and there are large numbers of documented burials from the 18th and 18th centuries. All burials in the cemetery ceased in 1884, when all cemeteries within the city limits were closed, one of the reasons being the fear that they assisted in the spread of Yellow Fever.

Of course cemeteries had little to do with the spreading epidemic, but no one knew that until 1905 when Dr. Walter Reed identified the mosquito as the source.

The cemetery is the resting place of people from all the diverse groups that created St. Augustine, including Spanish, Minorcan, Irish, African, Greek, Italian, and 19th century Southern and Eastern Americans.

For over 100 years, Tolomato Cemetery was the parish cemetery for what is now known as the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine, located about a half mile away on the plaza.

Although there are over 1,000 known burials in the cemetery, there are little over 100 markers. Our present day knowledge of the burials comes from the parish death records, most of which are held in the Diocesan Archives on Aviles Street.

The cemetery is still owned by the Cathedral Parish and the Diocese of St. Augustine, and they have maintained and protected it over the years. 

There are a number of historically important burials on the grounds, including the graves of the Sisters of St. Joseph, veterans from both sides of the Civil War, and Freedmen who fought with the Union.

It is also the burial site of important religious and political leaders; including the Second Spanish Period Governor, Enrique White; General Georges Biassou of Haiti; the first Bishop of St. Augustine, Bishop Agustin Verot; and Father Felix Varela of Cuba, whose canonization process is underway.

The small white chapel, the distinctive feature of Tolomato, was built to hold his remains by some Cubans who had been students of Father Varela in the seminary in Havana along with some of his friends in New York City.

Tolomato also holds the oldest extant marked burial in the state of Florida, the above ground vault of 16 year old Elizabeth Forrester, who died and was buried in 1798.

Over the centuries, the inscriptions and features on many of the stones have worn away, but those that can be read have been preserved. The cemetery owns historical photos of markers that have been gone since before the memories of anyone currently associated with the cemetery.

Although the cemetery officially closed to burials in 1884, the last actual burial on the grounds took place in 1892. Two such unauthorized burials, one in 1886 and the second in 1892, caused the families of the deceased to incur fines of $25 each for violating the law.

The cemetery opens to the public for tours on the third Saturday of each month, and private tours can be arranged with two weeks prior notice with donations requested for private tours.

Tolomato is one of the regular stops on the St. Augustine ghost tours, of course. My favorite ghost story about the cemetery is the story of Little James, who enjoyed climbing the ancient live oak just inside the cemetery gates. In November 1877, just ten days after his 5th birthday, he slipped and fell while climbing the old tree, snapping his neck and dying instantly. 

James is buried in Tolomato under the oak he loved, and although his family owned additional plots for themselves, they were so devastated by his loss that they moved away from St. Augustine and never returned. 

The spirit of Little James himself is believed to remain within the cemetery, having been spotted by children and adults alike playing within the cemetery grounds as well as perched high in the branches of his favorite old live oak.

There are other stories about hauntings at the Tolomato Cemetery, but I'll leave them out of my story here in the hopes that you'll choose to participate in one of the many fun and educational tours available in St. Augustine that includes a stop outside the Tolomato Gates.

Tolomato Cemetery

14 Cordova Street

St. Augustine, FL  32084

904-257-3273

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Stetson House

 Built in 1810, the second oldest house in Waynesville, Ohio was originally a wagon maker's house.  By the 1860s, the house was owned by Louisa Stetson Larrick, older sister to John Stetson, creator of the famed Stetson Hat.

The Stetson House
Photo Credit: Trendy Bindi's Boutique

John came to stay with his sister Louisa in the 1860s. He had been cut off from the family hat-making business and was in poor health, suffering from tuberculosis and asthma. Louisa cared for him while his health recovered, and he developed a new style of hat made from the animal hides he'd accumulated traveling out west - the first American Cowboy Hat. Louisa loaned him the money to get his new company off the ground when he left.

When John recovered, he moved on to Philadelphia, started his Stetson Hat company, and was hugely successful. What did Louisa get for her trouble? He paid her back the exact amount of her original investment (not even any interest payment, dude, really??) and left her with tuberculosis.  Louisa passed away in 1879.

Louisa's ghost is said to linger in the house, although there are claims that the spirit could also be that of a schoolteacher who lived in the house in the early 1900s. 

The spirit is said to be full body apparition of a small, dark-haired woman, wearing an old-fashioned high-collared dress and gloves. She has been spotted in the doorway of the home and trying to enter the neighboring shops.

Visitors have reported seeing the apparition, as well as felt her presence. One visitor reported being touched by fingers on the back of her neck. A visitor caught a snapshot that appears to show the manifestation, you can check out his story and photos here. It's also said that mirrors in the house refused to stay hung and would crash to the ground.

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Angel of the Garden Tea Room

 In case I haven't mentioned it before, Waynesville, Ohio has often been called "the most haunted village in Ohio." Growing up south of Waynesville in Cincinnati, I got to enjoy lots of the haunted events there every fall. 

Angel of the Garden Tea Room, located on Main Street, has been the source of reports of a male spirit looking out of the upstairs window. Human bones were discovered in the upstairs of the property in the 1950s, and it's believed that the bones are those of the spirit who haunts the property.

Unfortunately, I can't really find much information about this location, nor can I find any photos, so I can't say how reliable the sources are regarding this particular manifestation. If you have some more information or some pictures you'd like to share, send them my way! And I'll include them here.

Do you have any information or personal experiences to share about this entry? Let us know in the comments, and your contribution could be included in a future update to this entry!

The Loveland Castle (Chateau Laroche)

Built by and reputed to be haunted by Harry Delos Andrews, Chateau Laroche, or as it's better known to locals, the Loveland Castle, is modeled after a 16th century castle, with updates to include what were considered "modern" conveniences for the time it was built.

Chateau Laroche
Photo Credit: Rich Gabe

Harry Delos Andrews was born in New York in 1890. He developed an obsession over the course of his life with medieval history and knighthood. He joined the WWI efforts as a medic, as he was a conscientious objector. Most stories about him make the point that his objection specifically was to modern methods of warfare, so I found it important to mention that here as well.

At one of his duty stations he contracted meningitis, as did a large number of the others stationed there. He didn't fare well, was presumed dead, and sent to the morgue. A doctor in the morgue injected him with an experimental drug - adrenaline - and he woke. That doctor saved his life.

However, as a result of that situation, he had been declared dead. Six months later he had to be declared alive once again, but by then his fiance had married someone else. Andrews ended up a lifelong bachelor with no children.

Harry Andrews and Chateau Laroche
Photo Credit: The Loveland Castle

After he recovered and was found to be very much alive, Andrews was sent to Chateau de la Roche in France as a hospital administrator. It was there that he began his plan to build a castle when he returned to America.

When he left the army in the 1920s, Andrews moved to Ohio. Active in his church and the community, he organized a group for boys called the Knights of the Golden Trail. Similar to the boy scouts and an outgrowth of the Sunday School group he taught, they pledged to follow the Ten Commandments, and Andrews provided lots of solid advice about clean outdoor living - and camping trips.

At the time, the Cincinnati Business Courier, a local paper, was offering parcels of land in Loveland along the Little Miami River as a  gift to accompany a 6 month subscription. Several parents of the Knights had taken advantage of this offer, and they donated this land to the use of the Knights for their many camping trips. 

Over time, Andrews found that he and the Knights were camping enough that gear was being left behind in the woods, and he built two stone structures for them to use which would end up being the beginning of his castle.

Arial View, Loveland Castle
Photo Credit: WKRC Television

Construction began on the castle itself in 1929, when Andrews bought the land from the parents. He used rocks from the nearby Little Miami riverbed, bricks he formed himself using concrete he poured into milk cartons, and stones that were given to him as gifts by friends and visitors.

Andrews devoted his life to building the castle, carrying buckets of stones from the river to the construction site himself. He worked every weekend until he retired in 1955 and began working on the castle full time. 

As it was his home, he lived there as he built the castle, and until his death in 1981, when he was severely burned in a trash fire on the grounds and passed on as a result of his extensive injuries. When he died, he willed the castle to the Knights of the Golden Trail, who continue to maintain it. The Knights have extensively renovated and upgraded since Andrews' death.

Loveland Castle Arches
Photo Credit: r/OhioTraveler

MANIFESTATIONS

Obviously the majority of the incidents reported are attributed to the ghost of Harry Andrews himself. Objects go missing or get moved. A voice may be heard, or a figure seen wandering the garden or looking out from the battlements.

A female entity has been reported as walking across the river and sitting in the seats above the garage. She is believed to be the ghost of a moonshiner's wife who died nearby on the river when an explosion of their still caused a whiskey barrel to slam into her.

A Viking entity is also believed to haunt the castle, potentially attached to one of the swords on display. This entity has been seen by the north round part of the castle wearing a long dark cloak, a spiked helmet, and carrying a short, wide sword across his chest. He is thought to be the entity who rings the doorbell and knocks on the door.

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Types of Manifestations

Apparition
Photo Credit: Sinister Coffee & Creamery Site

FULL BODY MANIFESTATION OR APPARITION

A full bodied manifestation, or apparition, is rare. These are images where the human or animal subject is recognizable and appears to the living. It could be full or partially formed (missing the lower portion of the body or legs, for example), and usually has some degree of transparency.

These kinds of manifestations include cases where an apparition is clear enough to be easily identified as a deceased friend or family member. 

When caught on film, full body manifestations are a valuable piece of evidence. They can appear in person, on film, both, or just one or the other. You may see the manifestation on video playback, and saw nothing at the time when you were there.

Full body manifestations can also look as real as any person - they can appear solid rather than transparent. There are reports of the manifestations interacting and holding conversations, then disappearing. Unusual odors and/or temperature changes are frequently present before, during, and after the sighting of an apparition.

Apparitions aren't limited to humans, either - apparitions of animals, cars, ships, trains, carriages, and more - have been reported. In essence, an apparition is something we see, that could be transparent, that appears and may suddenly disappear in front of us, and may walk through solid objects like doors or walls.

Ghostly Mist
Photo Credit: Flickr

ECTOPLASM, VAPOR, GHOSTLY MIST

A cloudy, vaporous mist or fog will usually display a swirl effect. It will appear several feet off the ground, and can linger, or travel quickly at will. It will be unaffected by any wind around it.

Ectoplasm has been caught on video and all types of cameras.

Ghostly mists are thought to be the souls or spirits of those who have passed from this life. It's also been speculated that the spirit becomes a ghostly mist before appearing as a full body apparition.

It's important to remember that there are also other potential explanations for this occurrence: exhaling too close to the camera lens in cold weather will show a mist on camera where there was none, for example.

Orb at St. Augustine Cemetery
Photo Credit: Kratzbear

ORBS, SPHERES, BALLS OF LIGHT

Orbs are the single most photographed anomalies caught on film as evidence of the paranormal by investigators.

However, some digital cameras can produce false orbs. Orbs are most impressive when captured on video with a trail, or the direction/flight pattern is varied or changes.

Some experts claim that up to 85% of orbs are created unintentionally by the circumstances, the weather, and other external factors at the time of the flash. As a result, many now discount orb evidence altogether. 

The only agreed-upon point about orbs: a true orb is a condensed ball of energy. It may be paranormal, or it may have an unexplainable origin, but it hasn't been proven to be a ghost or spirit.

It's important to note that catching orbs on camera has increased tenfold since digital photography gained popularity. Many are simply camera error, user error, or improper camera settings for conditions.