There’s an old fort sitting on the
Kansas-Missouri border that witnessed the brutal skirmishes between pro and anti-slavery forces both before and during the Civil War. Established in 1842, christened Fort Scott, it was sold at public auction in 1855. Weirdly, slavers purchased the buildings on one side of the parade ground while abolitionists occupied the buildings opposite.
I’m not 100% sure what transpired during those years, but I do know that when my sister and I stopped to see the place, she could go into one of the old buildings and I couldn’t. I tried to get my feet to cross the doorway and on up the inner staircase, but the energy was so heavy and hostile, I opted to wait at the front door.
I’ve felt this same energy in other places; the one I remember the most was another former military post that once housed an ‘Indian school’. Neither Vicki nor I could stand going into the buildings. I can’t say there were ghostly beings at either place; only that the energy was oppressive. Did it feel evil? For me, yes.
Which brings me to
my question: Does the negative energy of a place still hold the negative energy of the events that transpired there? And I’m asking this seriously - please take a moment and leave a comment with your thoughts - ‘cause I don’t really know the answer.
I do know that Joshua Chamberlain, the ‘hero of Gettysburg’, visited the battlefield many times after the Civil War and he said that where great events took place, great spirits still occupy. He was probably right, but I’m not talking about spirits, or am I?
Are the spirits of those who died in those cross-parade ground skirmishes still in the buildings in which they once lived? Do the horrors inflicted on the indigenous children remain there as a dark and shadowy energy?
A fascinating article in Popular Mechanics (of all things), said “Visitors to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland report feelings of tightness in their chests, nervousness in their hands, and feelings of depression…” The article went on to cite three specific sources for the ‘heebie-jeebies’:
1. Emotional residue from past emotions
2. Geopathic stress coming from Earth itself
3. The power of our mind
I’m far from being any kind of expert, but I do know that Earth has its own energies. However, I’m certain it didn’t cause my discomfort. Still considering the other two.
Which then brings me
back to my question. Is the creepy feeling we have in certain places due to ghosts, past activity, or the strong emotions of those who once lived there? Or all three?
Seriously, what do you think?
Nancy
Photo of school courtesy State Historical Society of North Dakota
Thank you to everyone for your comments. I absolutely understand about the energy of place from experience, but I was really curious about the energy caused by negative (or horrible) events. Everyone's comments were so insightful - can't tell you how much I appreciate them. Nancy
You better believe this experience is real! Not only can energy attach itself to places, and spirits linger in echoes, but I also believe both can resonate from people and things. Remember the book and movie called "Fried Green Tomatoes?" It's set at The Whistle Stop Café in Juliette, Georgia. Well, the town and the café are real, and my best friend and I had lunch there one day a couple years back. Across the street is an antique shop, and after lunch we moseyed over there to take a look. Not ten feet inside the store, my heart lurched and my skin became clammy. I felt nauseated and the "fight or flight" response initiated. I high-tailed it out of there! Something dark had attached itself to an item or the place. I don't know but I do know I'm not going back!