Happy Halloween! Here is a quick video I took just before the Halloween Lantern Tour at the Depreciation Lands Museum! This year I was a storyteller, telling a ghost tale from days of old...
I also added creepy music for extra atmostphere. :)
Welcome to the first episode of The Parting of Veils TV!
What better way to open up a new series that emphasizes on historical mysteries, urban legends, the paranormal, and the more gothic side of entertainment than with a reading of the works of one of the godfathers of the Gothic Horror genre, the late great Edgar Allan Poe?
Enjoy this reading of The Raven and To One in Paradise.
There will be a new episode every Friday.
Episode number 2 will be clips from a Medieval Twelfth Night that I had the pleasure of participating in.
Tiffany Apan is a critically acclaimed independent recording artist, a stage/film actress, author, and award-winning producer/writer. You can find more about her at her Official Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, and her production company website. She can also be found on IMDb and her music releases on CDBaby along with iTunes, Amazon, and other digital retailers. She also does freelance writing, and editing. Her own stories are available at Smashwords, Barnesand Noble NOOK, Amazon, and other retailers. Her novel series, The Birthrite Series, is also available in both ebook and paperback form. In addition, she is a contributor to Ravenous Monster Webzine.
Sometimes it's the smaller towns that have the richest history. Including
haunted history.
One such town is one hidden among the steel city of Pittsburgh, PA, just
among the Monongahela River. That town is Monongahela.
Now those of you that read my main blog and view my website, you likely know
that I am a re-enactor of history at the Depreciation Lands Museum in AllisonPark. This passed summer, I also posted an article on this webzine about The
Deacon, the museum's benevolent resident ghost.
Now every Halloween, the museum puts on their Lantern Tours each year with
an ever changing theme. This year's theme is a dramatized reenacting of the
witchcraft trial of real life 17th century accused 'witch', Mary Bliss Parsons
in Colonial America.
And as a side note, what has two thumbs and is playing Mary Bliss Parsons in
this event?
That's right.
Me.
:D
Now as I was reading over the script for the Mary Parsons witchcraft trial
tour and doing research, I came across another interesting figure (also being
portrayed in the lantern tours event). And that is Mary or "Moll"
Derry, who was also known as the Fortune Teller of the Revolution and/or The
Witch of Monongahela.
According to a brief description in a sample from Thomas White's book, Witches
of Pennsylvania: Occult History and Lore (a book that is definitely on my
'to read' list), Derry was born in Germany during the year 1760. During the
Revolutionary War, she moved to America with her husband, who was a Hessian
soldier.
After the war ended, they moved to Fayette County in the 1790s. It is said
that Derry lived in Georges Township until her death from old age in 1843
(which would have made her 83 at the time of her death).
Throughout her lifetime, Derry was said to have told fortunes, removed
hexes, and cured ailments. There is even a story of how she tried to help a
young woman by warning that young woman of what seemed to be an abusive fiance.
Unfortunately, the young woman did not listen and she was later found dead. Derry
was also said to have a vengeful side to her, and pity the fools that dared
cross her. There are many stories of curses and affliction place upon those
that angered Derry, from farmers having their livestock mysteriously perish to
men that tormented her having their lives cut short by hanging.
Either way, her reputation as "the most well-known witch of the western
side of the [Pennsylvania] state" made her a legend long before her
earthly life ended.
What is even more curious is that in a time that is known to severely frown
upon practices of any type of magic, Derry (and probably even others) managed
to somehow slip beneath the radar of the witchhunts and trials. It is suggested
that perhaps people feared crossing her just that much. It definitely makes you
wonder. Then again, history really is a giant, mysterious labyrinth with many
different and unexpected twists and turns.
And speaking of twists and turns, who doesn't love a haunted house?
Especially one said to have a haunted tale behind it?
Well, Demon House - also know as Emerald Mansion - has a rather interesting
story behind it.
Now bear in mind that I am not entirely sure of whether this is the real
history behind it or if this is a fabrication that is simply part of the haunt.
But either way it's a cool story, and one to maul over as you await your turn
to enter into the old McCormick Mansion. I did go to Demon House during the
Halloween season a couple years ago, and I will say that it does deliver. Here
is a video of the experience:
And as for the story told behind it, the story goes a little something like
this:
The mansion has over 138 years of haunted history and the land on which it
sits was once used as a burial ground (possibly Native American but also
possibly used by the Spanish to bury their torture victims). There is also a
story about a mysterious woman named Carla who owned a title on the land in the
mid-late 1800s. Supposedly, she was not bothered by the lands history as being
burial grounds and even asked to keep some of the bones of the exhumed bodies.
She was said to be a healer and a witch by some (there seems to be a lot of
that going around in this particular area), though many sought out her cures
for ailments. Then in 1894, she mysteriously vanished (as had some of her patients).
When the sheriff and his deputies decided to conduct a search of the house,
four members of the search party entered the mansion, never to be seen again.
thus the house remained empty until 2004, when it was purchase by the owners
and operators of the haunted attraction, Demon House.
Now, the current owners of Demon House have stated in a couple interviews
that there definitely is an energy about the area. So perhaps one of these days
it would be interesting to sit down with them and see just how much of the
story stems from truth.
Either way, the moral of the story is...always keep your eyes open, for
sometimes the smallest towns have the most interesting history and legends.
Tiffany Apan is a
critically acclaimed independent recording artist, a stage/film actress,
author, and award-winning producer/writer. You can find more about her at her Official
Website, Blog, Twitter,
Facebook,
and her production company website. She can
also be found on IMDb and her music releases on CDBaby
along with iTunes, Amazon, and other digital retailers. She also does
freelance writing, and editing. Her own stories are available at Smashwords, Barnesand Noble NOOK, Amazon,
and other retailers. Her novel series, The Birthrite Series, is also available
in both ebook and paperback form. In addition, she is a contributor to Ravenous
Monster Webzine.
Those of you that are keeping up withmy official blogand newsletter have likely read of my working for the Depreciation Lands Museum this coming summer and autumn. I am excited of this endeavor for many reasons. Of course, I love history and learning of how those of the past lived. Oftentimes, we can take away great lessons and values from those who came before us. And oftentimes, what we may uncover can be quite surprising and even might oppose what we are typically told.
In addition to discovering new and exciting tidbits about the history of the Allison Park, PA area (and just of history in general), I also hope that this will had more depths to my fictional, non-fiction, and songwriting. But it also allows me more opportunity of exploration for this online magazine. You see, along with being a haven for folks wishing to delve deep into the past and walk into a world not their own, that of the 18th century, it is also home to a spectre known to everyone as The Deacon.
The story of The Deacon dates back to 1973 when the old, deserted church was being fixed up after Hampton Township had bought the property. Workers claimed to see sightings of a tall old man dressed in a long black coat and dark trousers appear briefly before vanishing. The man appeared as someone from another era; very much 18th century. He appeared so often that workers decided to officially name him. Thus, he was christened The Deacon.
Now those who might be having second thoughts of visiting the Depreciation Lands Museum due to risks of encountering a malevolent spirit, never fear. Those claim to have encountered The Deacon speak of him being rather helpful, even seeming to be glad to have the church fixed up, even if it is merely for show. While he has never spoken to those he appears to, his actions seem to confirm that he harbors no ill will toward any of the living.
His first known time helping someone working on the church was the time a woman was trying to replace one of the windows. She was struggling with squaring up the frames for a snug fit. A couple times, she saw The Deacon watching her out of the corner of her eye, and whenever she turned to face him, he vanished. Exasperated and frustrated over her disappearing spectator, she stated, "Don't just stand there. The least you can do is help me out!"
Right after that, her knife was able to cut into the wood perfectly, allowing the window to slide right into place.
Other incidents involve a young man standing on a ladder painting the frame around the stairwell. Eyewitnesses say that his ladder slipped about halfway off the wall, only to pop back up and save him from what might other wise have been a fatal fall. Those present believe that The Deacon was the one responsible for saving the young worker.
Despite his helpfulness though, he can be on the gruff side. There is also a report of how an electrician stormed out frustrated when the light switch he turned on kept getting turned off. And yes, no other live human was in the room with him. But overall, The Deacon seems to be an overall friendly spectator willing to step in and help out those working to preserve his building.
The Depreciation Lands Museum is open to the public on Sundays, May 4- October 25. A couple weekends out of each month, I will be among the costumed interpreters working to bring the 18th century alive. During the fall/Halloween season, we also host evening lantern tours, which yours truly will be involved with. Of course, the tours involve the age old tradition of storytelling as retellings of The Deacon are included.
For more information on The Depreciation Lands Museum, what they are and what we are about, check out the official website:
Tiffany Apan is a
critically acclaimed independent recording artist, a stage/film actress,
author, and award-winning producer/writer. You can find more about her at her Official
Website, Blog, Twitter,
Facebook,
and her production company website. She can
also be found on IMDb and her music releases on CDBaby
along with iTunes, Amazon, and other digital retailers. She also does
freelance writing, and editing. Her own stories are available at Smashwords, Barnesand Noble NOOK, Amazon,
and other retailers. Her novel series, The Birthrite Series, is also available
in both ebook and paperback form. In addition, she is a contributor to Ravenous
Monster Webzine.
