The Bizarre, The Unusual, The Unexplained Blog

 Many years ago, when I moved back to Vermont I began  working for WNCS, a radio station located in Montpelier. I was a part time DJ and part time reporter. One of my assignments was to cover the weekly Barre City Council meetings for the station. I soon realized, the town had a large Italian population, which seemed strange.

I mean all four of my grandparents had come off the boat from Italy and settled in Providence, Rhode Island, an Industrial city. Why were all these Italians in Barre, Vermont?

I soon discovered that the Italians had been lured to Barre to work in the towns largest industry, the granite industry. These immigrants had been master stone cutters working with marble in their native Italy.

One of my girl friends, at the time, introduced me to Hope Cemetery. She took me there one day because she thought I might be interested in something strange. She was absolutely right.

As we drove into the cemetery, I was in awe. I was not expecting the sight I was to behold. Certainly not in Barre, Vermont.

Now there were some traditional headstones at Hope, which made it look like an ordinary cemetery. Upon closer inspection, I noticed a large number of the most incredible headstones, I have ever seen.

 There was a race car carved out of granite, there was a sculpture of two people in bed, there was a giant cube, placed in end. There were pictures embedded in the rock. Unusual and incredible headstones, carved completely out of granite. There were many, many other bizarre headstones. Each original, each bizarre and masterfully created. All of these were headstones, created by the stone cutters as a perpetual monument to a loved one.

 I had come upon the Louvre, of Cemetaries.  The Smithsonian of graveyards. This cemetery should be declared a national historic monument. I  encourage you to visit, Hope Cemetery in Barre, Vermont. You will not be disappointed. For some pictures of Hope, go to:

I recommend you claim Weird New England, right now!
You can’t go wrong with this Weirdness!

Albert Grande
Bimwah-in-Training

http://bimwah.net
http://pizzatherapy.com
http://grandepublishing.com
http://pastatherapy.com

http://hawaiisecret.com

The Unusual, The Unexplained…

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One of the best resources for anyone interested in strange occurrences is the Weird Series of books. Originally, limited to the bizarre in New Jersey happenings, there are a number books expanded to cover the entire United States.
This is a great series for anyone interested in weird stuff. Authors Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman, take us down the path of the true unusual happenings in the U.S.

They have a very extensive website which shares many different and unusual fantastic Weird stories. Read some of the tales right here.

You can find unusual stories by clicking on a map. Click on Hawaii and discover the truth behind the legendary menehune. Folklore in Hawaii abound with tales of a mythical race of little people who predated the Hawaiians. These amazing people would act as tricksters as well as helping accomplish great tasks. The twist is that there is some truth to the legends. Discover the menehune here.

Another book in the series that I particularly like is Weird New England. The cover shot shows one of the most unusual things I have ever seen. Originally placed off the Highway in Randolph, Vermont, the tails have been moved to outside, South Burlington, Vermont.
These Whales look like they are diving right into the earth.

You can see a small picture of the Vermont Whale’s tales on the cover:

For a really interesting and fun journey, I recommend you claim these Weird Books right now! You can’t go wrong with this Weirdness!

Albert Grande
Bimwah-in-Training

http://bimwah.net
http://pizzatherapy.com
http://grandepublishing.com
http://pastatherapy.com

http://hawaiisecret.com

The Unusual, The Unexplained…

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 One of the absolute strangest places I have ever visited, is the Winchester Mystery House located in San Jose, California.  The house is built in the Victorian style and is comprised of over 160 rooms. It has 67 fireplaces, a sewer system and rambling roofs. Some of the finish work is exquisite with inlaid parquet floors. The house also has a number of Tiffany windows as well as gold and silver chandeliers.

But that’s not what makes this house strange…

The house was built by Sarah Winchester, heir to the Winchester Rifle fortune. Mrs. Winchester had the belief that as long as construction was continuing on in the house she would be safe. She had a lot of building to do. Construction started in 1884 and continued for 38 years until her death.

She employed an army of construction workers, to complete the house. With an extreme attention to detail the house is beautiful and awe inspiring. You can observe the effort  required to complete each room. I was amazed at the fine craftsmanship. However, that was not all that caught my attention.

As you tour the house, you get a sense of the bizarre nature of the place. There are stairs that go no-where. There is even a switchback staircase. There is a chimney that goes up four stories but does not go through the roof. There are over 10,000 windows. Most of them are completely inside the house. There are rooms that are inaccessible. There is even a tiny balcony that is not accessible.

The house seems to have no logic or reason. The plan for house seems to be made up as it went along. According to some documents, Mrs. Winchester made numerous changes as the house was being contructed.

Here is a birds eye view:

Photo courtesy Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, CA.

The house was started in 1884 and was under continuous construction for 38 years, until September, 1922. It originally had 7 stories, but due to the earthquake of 1904 it now has only 4. There are 40 bedrooms and 40 staircases. It also has 52 skylights. It is estimated that it would take 20,000 gallons of paint to re-paint the home.

Reportedly, Sarah Winchester, slept in a different bedroom every night. During the 1904 earthquake, she became trapped in one of the bedrooms. It took over an hour for her servants to locate her.

 Sarah Winchester had a very tragic life. She grew up in New Haven Connecticut and married William Winchester who developed the Winchester rifle. She lost her only daughter and husband at a young age.  She inherited the princely sum of over 20 million dollars. She consulted with psychics who encouraged her to move out west.

You can read her incredible story at this link: The Winchester House.

The Winchester Mystery House is reportedly the site of numerous psychic activity. I must admit to feeling rather strange in various parts of the house. At the time I attributed this to the strangeness of the house, however, there have been some extensive studies done of this phenomenon. You can discover this for yourself at this website:
Ghost in My Suitcase. Note the photographs of the mystery orbs, which seem to defy logical explanation.

Here is the offical website: The Winchester Mystery House.

If you are ever anywhere near, San Jose California, I highly recommend you visit The Winchester Mystery House. Make sure you keep a look out for the mystery orbs. You will experience first hand, the unusual, the unexplained.

Thanks to Obiwan’s Paranormal Page for the following: 

Address:
The Winchester Mystery House
525 South Winchester Blvd
San Jose, CA 95128-2588

Phone Numbers:
Group Sales & Business Offices: 1-408-247-2000
Current Tour Information: 1-408-247-2101
Upcoming Special Events Info: 1-408-247-1313

Special Events:
Friday the 13th Flashlight Tours — every Friday the 13th
Halloween Flashlight Tours and Trick or Treating — every Halloween night

Albert Grande
Bimwah-in-Training

http://bimwah.net
http://pizzatherapy.com
http://grandepublishing.com
http://pastatherapy.com

http://hawaiisecret.com

The Unusual, The Unexplained…