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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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!

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.