geegeefox
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ghost cats
Grimalkin? Lighthouse has spirited ghost tale Mummified cat attraction
Is this lighthouse in Fairport Harbor haunted by the spirit of a cat?
For years, volunteers who worked evenings in the lighthouse museum in
Fairport Harbor spoke of an eerie presence in the darkened tower.
Curator Pamela Brent swears that on several occasions she saw the
wispy gray spirit of a cat.
Skeptics dismissed the ghost story as ridiculous - until this winter.
Workers installing air conditioning vents discovered the mummified remains
of a gray cat in a crawl space.
Brent said historians learned that the wife of one lighthouse tender
kept several cats in the quarters. They believe the cat unearthed during
the winter renovations was trapped for years in the crawl space, somehow
preserved in the cold, dank basement floor.
"It would skitter across the floor near the kitchen, like it was playing,"
said Brent, who lived on the upper floor for four years. "I would catch
glimpses of it from time to time."
"Then one evening I felt its presence when it jumped on the bed. I felt
its weight pressing on me. At first it kind of freaked me out. But ghosts
don't bother me. They are part of the world."
"That was a little freakish when they found the cat," said Brent, museum
curator. Valerie Laczko, president of the Fairport Harbor Historical Society,
which operates the museum, said workers were startled when they discovered
the cat's remains. Laczko doesn't necessarily believe in the ghost,
but admits to being spooked at times."It is spooky here when you are by yourself. It is very still," she said.
Brent said historians learned that the wife of one lighthouse tender
kept several cats in the quarters. They believe the cat unearthed during
the winter renovations was trapped for years in the crawl space, somehow preserved in the
cold, dank basement floor. Laczko said.Brent said
it is not the only lighthouse that provides a haven for spirits.
"A lot of people don't believe in ghosts," Brent said. "But I do. Lighthouses
are magnets for ghosts. They are an area for safety for spirits."
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Oct/21/2007, 5:04 pm
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geegeefox
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Re: ghost cats
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The Legend of the Wampus Cat
Cats have always been associated with evil. Tales of witches almost always include a black cat, and if a black cat crosses your path, it is considered bad luck. If you ever meet up with a Wampus Cat, I'd say it's almost certainly bad luck.
The Wampus Cat has been a part of East Tennessee, as well as Kentucky, Virginia, and much of the Appalachians, for a very long time. In fact, longer than white settlers have been in the area. It was known as Ewah to the Cherokee, and was known for it's ability to drive people crazy. The legend is that the Wampus cat was actually a Cherokee woman who did not trust her husband. One night, when her husband was out with a group hunting, she put on a mountain lion fur coat, and went to spy on him. When she was found out, she was punished by being forced to wear the coat forever, and now her spirit still wanders the area.
Another version of the tale goes like this: The Wampus Cat had been terrorizing the Cherokee for quite some time. One day, a young brave decided to put an end to it once and for all. He went on a quest to destroy the beast. Unfortunately, when he saw the beast, he was driven insane. His wife decided that she would take care of the problem herself. She put on a mask and went searching for the beast. She was able to sneak up behind it. She screamed, and when the beast saw her mask, it was so terrified, it ran away and was never seen again. The spirit of the young woman still wanders the forest wearing her mask.
The Wampus Cat is not limited to Cherokee lore. Indeed, many white settlers claimed to have seen it, and many current residents of Knoxville and many other towns have claimed to have seen it. They all claim it is a catlike beast which walks on it's hind legs, and has glowing, hypnotic eyes. One of the early settler's explanation went like this: The was a woman who lived alone who was known to be a witch. At night, she was turn herself into a cat, and steal animals from farms in the area. One day, someone caught her midway through her change from a woman to a cat. As a result, she was forced to stay a half woman, half cat forever.
The sightings continue, from such unlikely places as the University of Tennessee campus. Some say the "cat" actually lives in caves under the city of Knoxville, others say in the mountain wilderness, and of course some say it doesn't exist at all.
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Oct/21/2007, 5:14 pm
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