The Masonic Boys Home

The Masonic Children's home was built in 1923 and occupied until 1978.  It was closed due to changes in the Oklahoma foster care law.  From 1978 to 2000 it was a prime location for people wanting a scary adventure.  People that visited this place when it was abandoned say that it is filled with negative energy.  Perhaps it is from the traumatic experiences the children had from being taken away from family or perhaps it is from the ghastly tales of things that might have happened.

It is said that there was a nurse there that had anger issues and who's sanity was more than a little questionable.  One night she went over the edge and hung herself in the bell tower.  It is said that you can see a dark figure of her haunting the bell tower to this day.

Another unstable individual was said to have been a cruel headmistress who had a habit of beating the boys beyond any acceptable range of discipline and locking them in the basement. There are stories told of a 6 year old boy that she had punished who mysteriously disappeared from the grounds.  She stated that he had run away, but the fear was that he had been murdered. Months went by with out incident and then within 3 years, 4 more young boys went missing. It is said that the 5 boys that found death by her hand were buried in the basement of one of the buildings.  The headmistress is said to have guarded the basement anytime maintenance was done on the home and when a leak required service in the basement, she was said to have been found digging them back up. She was caught in the act and committed suicide before the sheriff arrived.  People have reported hearing the cries of the young boys still, even though there is no one there.

There were also graves in the backyard, but being such a large establishment, it is probable that some of the children died from natural causes or accidents.

Some of the apparitions people have reported seeing are a little girl asking for help, a woman walking the main hallways and unexplained footsteps following you even though no one is behind you.

In 2000 the Masonic Boys Home was purchased and is now known as the Dominion House.  It is a private residence and a Wedding Chapel and Reception Hall.  With it's beautiful landscaping and wonderfully restored interior, it is a stunning place to visit if you have the chance to attend an event there.  One can hope that all the great memories being made there can somehow help balance the negative energy people have felt there in the past.

For a glimpse of the interior and a video tour visit here.

Visit the website for Dominion House for more information about events and more images.

Scary Carey

In the Gatewood Historic District off of NW 23rd in Oklahoma City lies an unusual stretch of road known as Carey's Place.  The most unique homes in Oklahoma City were built here between 1931 and 1938 when the plans for a trolley car route from NW 23rd to NW 16th were scrapped.

In the early 1990's a lovely little tale was told of a young girl that attend the school the next street over.  Legend has it that a janitor from Gatewood Elementary murdered her, took her back to Carey's place and the various traits of the houses of Carey's place fueled the rumors.  Stories say the porches were painted red to cover the blood stains, the Hatchett House might have been where he left her body, but was it on one of the driveways?  Then, there are the stories about groaning playground swings that moved by themselves in the moonlight, children laughing in the darkness and cars acting a bit odd and sputtering their way over the street.  

My favorite house in this little neighborhood is actually the Hatchett House with its interesting green shutters with hatchet cutouts.  If you have a chance, drive through this short stretch of road and see how different it is from the rest of the neighborhoods in Oklahoma.  The architecture alone is worth the trip.

As for the young girl that was murdered, no evidence of any such crime has been found on record.  Since the neighborhood has only been around since the 1920's it would be easy to trace had it actually happened.  But, the thrill of taking someone new down the rickety little street with its unique homes while recounting the tale of Scary Carey is still amusing.  

Local Ghost Gets Worldwide Notice

She's been called Pucketts Ghost, The Salvage Yard Ghost and The Impound Ghost but her real name is Tracie Martin and people around the world have been drawn to her story and the video images of her searching Pucketts Salvage Yard.  Her story and images have popped up all over the internet and she has been the subject of numerous television shows regarding the paranormal.  The story even made its way to Japan.  Numerous paranormal groups, not just our local GHOULI's, have researched the video, the site and spoken to family members.

Tracie Martin was in a horrible car accident at 1:03 am in June 2002.  After a month of life support, she passed away.  On July 18th at 1:03 am her image was seen on 1 of the 4 security cameras set up at the salvage yard in the place where her vehicle had originally been.  The ghostly image was wearing clothing identical to that of the night of the accident and a policeman that had been on the scene of the accident identified it as Tracie Martin.  One paranormal investigator stated that she thought Tracie was searching for a photo that was precious to her.  It has been stated that Tracie's husband has shown the video the twins she left behind to give them comfort that she is okay.

For more on GHOULI's visit

www.ghouli.org

The music on the video is a little loud but this is the same footage shown on the news casts.