
Castle Manor residents tell ghost stories
“I was a total non-believer until I moved into this house,” said Terry Beville, owner of Castle Manor. He meant he didn’t believe in ghosts. He does now. In fact, ghosts, plural, since he believes he shares his home with a man, woman, and child. All departed from this life. He claims there is a ghost dog residing there also.
Beville and his wife, Donna, purchased the home eight years ago. “At one time the house and land were owned by President James K. Polk. It burned and was rebuilt around 1880,” said Beville. The ghosts residing there are not the late president and his family but are believed to be later residents whose young daughter was accidentally killed on the property.
When asked if he has had any experiences with the apparitions, Beville replied, ”Oh yes! Up close and personal.” He related instances where he has seen dark shadows or white clouds moving around inside the house. The canopy above his bed has been pulled back. “They pulled the bed covers off of me. I was awake at the time,” he said.
Are the spirits friendly? "They seem to be peaceful enough but I had the bathroom remodeled and after the job was completed, they broke a couple of glasses,” Beville said. As he relates some stories about his housemates, it seems they really cared a great deal for his wife.
“Donna has now passed away. When we moved in she had terminal lung cancer. A little later my daughter got married, Donna borrowed a pair of really expensive earrings to wear to the wedding. The kind of earrings you know for sure you will return to their owner promptly. The morning after the wedding, we couldn’t find them. We searched but no luck. After about two weeks, we had to do something about returning them. Donna became terribly distraught. I told her to not worry we would carefully search every inch of the house. As I pushed her around in her wheelchair, she told me to stop. She had heard a clinking sound across the room. I walked over to a table near the window and there those earrings were. Out of curiosity I picked them up and dropped them. Then I asked Donna if that was the sound she heard. She said it sure was. I became a believer.”
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