Sunday, August 9, 2009

Local Hauntings

Let me preface this story by saying this all got started when we went over to our good friends, Ken and Melinda to celebrate Ken's Birthday. You may know Melinda from her blog Country Dreaming. After a wonder meal, and everyone had settled down, story telling occurred, as it usually does when we get together. Dan-the-Man and Ken have known each other since grade school, so as you can imagine, there is never a lack of material to draw from. Ken was recounting when he was in High School, finding out about a Haunted House that was referred to as Igor's Castle....and the Urban Legend that the owner's wife and hung herself and their son tragically drowned in a fountain on the property.

Ken went on to say there was groundskeeper that had two ferocious German Shepperds that lived in a shack on the property, patrolling the property to keep vandals out.


After an evening of much laughter to the point of tears, we said our good nights and left to go home for the evening. While driving home, mind you this is about 11:oo pm, Dan-the-Man gets the notion we should drive by the castle and check it out. We wind around this hill, through thick forested trees, searching and straining our eyes in the dark for the home. We see and old stone house, with a wrought iron fence....false alarm. We keep winding around and up and down streets, when we head around a bend, and both say almost at the same time "THAT'S IT!!" OMG...It's enormous, and it's dark and it looks like a haunted castle!!!! There are two lions guarding the entrance. We stared in the silence, both of our imaginations running wild, half expecting to see a ghost walking on the widows peak.


I couldn't make out 100% if this was an old doll house, built in the likeness of the castle or a dog house for one of those ferocious German Shepperds Ken was talking about. Dan and I came home and immediately had to get on the computer to see what we could find out about the history of the house. We found a site
www.Ghost-Investigators.com-Stories-SauerCastle

It was 1:00am by the time we got to bed, and I was walking to over to the hallway and went to turn on the upstairs light, when poof, it flashed a creepy blue and blew out scaring me.....timing was everything and I didn't walk upstairs until Dan-the-Man went with me.

This history of the home is pretty incredible, although the stories Ken heard were not 100% accurate. There have been four deaths at the home, two from health issues, one suicide, and a child who did drown in the fountain (which wasn't visible anywhere).

We went back the next day around dusk and I took these pictures. The architecture is amazing, and I could only imagine what the house looked like in it's glory. I could see there were at least 3 fireplaces and it sits on 25 acres. The person who owns it now lives in New York and has aspirations to restore it some day. It has now been listed on the Historical Registry and I can only hope I can go inside it someday.

14 comments:

My Farmhouse Kitchen said...

When I saw "Haunted House" I stopped dead in my tracks... I LOVE and ADORE anything that has to do with haunted houses/halloween. I thought to myself..are we headed into Halloween territory too....

My husband John and I live in San Luis Obispo, CA..about an hour north of Santa Barbara.

There is a college here ..Cal Poly..we both graduated from there...long ago :-)

We live in the old downtown and we walk by a big old fraternity..every year the kids turn it into a haunted house..all the neighborhood kids love it....so do we.....

They are fixing it up this summer..it got pretty worn down. I'll take some pictures of it and post it on my blog....

I enjoyed your story..Oh, and one more thing. John and I just moved back to SLO from Cambria..lived there for 30 years.If you are from California have you heard of it?
Lived in a cottage called' Squirrel Cottage" and I adore anything ...acorn

more later,
Kary

Melinda said...

Hello Nan---
One just never knows what they might find on another person's blog. :) Neat pics. Ken and I
haven't been over THERE for awhile.Leave it up to you and Dan to go check sonething out like this at 11:00 pm! You two are nuts but we love you anyway!
Melinda

My Farmhouse Kitchen said...

Nancy.."small world" to be sure....Morro Bay !
Good to hear from you.

I'll be in touch and check back.

Kary

Elizabeth said...

It certainly does have an spooking feeling, just looking at the photos.

Melinda said...

Nan--
Just wanted to let you know I have "tagged you on my blog...please come by and pick it up.
Melinda

Unknown said...

It is quite amazing all of the stories about that place. Leave it up to a bunch of teeanagers that we were to expand upon something we did not even know if it was true in the first place. Still looks pretty haunted to me though - bet you would not go up in the middle of the night and knock on the door??? You may get attacked by a three legged dog.

One thing that I did see with my own eyes though was at the scientific lab that is located close by the castle. After seeing an 8 foot tall cow, any story about the castle would seem pretty real - or possible.

Carol J. said...

Hi Nancy. I just found Melinda's blog earlier this week...so cool! I almost feel like I live close by you gals now!

I also looove haunted stuff (our house has other 'people' living here besides us), but I would never ever have the nerve to go into one that I wasn't familiar with...I'd be scared and probably run out like a little girl!

I read countless real-life ghost stories, too, and never miss an episode of Ghosthunters...such fun (from a safe distance anyway!)

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

WOW!! Sending shivers up this Ozarks farm chicks back. LOL. Charming blog, I thoroughly enjoyed your stories and your pictures. Have a wonderfully blessed day.

Elizabeth and Gary said...

Hi Nancy,
What a great story and what a great evening you had. The old house is lovely and the brick is amazing, I love old brick. I told Gary one day I would love a brick home, but I don't think it will happen since there aren't to many where I live.
Take care and enjoy your day,
Elizabeth

Martha said...

Nancy, I got English Home for very little money delivered -- way less than what I'd pay on the newstand. I think it camein the mail. If you can get an issue, perhaps the good deal is in it.

Did you know that Mary Carol has a new decorating book to come out next week?

Domestic Designer said...

What a beautiful home. I can't imagine how it will look once it is restored. I actually live in a home that some people say has a ghost...I am not completely convinced although there have been some strange incidents. I guess as long as he is a friendly ghost then I have nothing to worry about! LOL Have a great day!

this little light said...

I'm so scared of stuff like this (even though it interests me). I wouldn't sleep for days!

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

I probably would not believe in such things if I were not living in a haunted house at this moment. It has been going on for months...and my blog reflects when it began. I am now more accepting of it...and it has lessened to where little is happening. Thank heavens, because we cannot move. The home is paid for and where would we go at our ages.
I take it one day at a time. My husbands wife died in our guest room...but it didn't really bother me and I lived here nearly a year before things went crazy.
Long story...and enough said...but believe me, I believe!
Great post. I enjoyed it very much! :)
I think it is like anything in life...you bear what it is you must bear and go on with life.
I am no longer terrified as I was in the beginning. I don't write about it on my blog...as I think it would disturb many people.
I would be the same perhaps...

Tracie~MyPetiteMaison said...

Nice story, I think I see one of the beautiful German Shepards in the old little house there. What a wonderful thing to restore such a place, I really hope the owner's able to make that dream come true. Found you from Cathy's blog. Happy day!

Springtime!

Spring has sprung and I am enjoying every little blossom and bird that comes my way! Have a beautiful day my friends!