My parents built a new house when I was eleven on land they’d owned since the 1950s. This house was a flat-topped, one level, rectangular brick house of a modified ranch style. This is a rough diagram of the floor plan.
I will explain the red X and the blue arrow in a bit.
Locate the upside down L-shaped hallway that runs in front of the bedrooms and in front of the bathroom. The red X is at the 90 degree junction of the L.
My dad did not believe in the supernatural, and especially not ghosts. Hold this thought.
My bedroom was the one at the bottom of the diagram where the room juts out from the rectangle. I was 12-ish the first time I encountered a Native American man dressed in ceremonial buckskins and beads and full headdress standing at the red X. He was always in this spot, and I only saw him when I was leaving my room, never when I was just walking around the house. He exuded dignity, pride, and a lot of sadness. I was never afraid.
We would make eye contact for what seemed like minutes, but was probably just a few seconds. When he was ready, he would turn to his right – the direction of the blue arrow on the diagram – and walk away. He always left in that direction. I never attempted to speak to him, but after I’d seen him a couple of times and wasn’t so surprised anymore, I’d race down the hallway after him, but when I turned the corner, he was never there.
This is me in 1967. For your reference, I’m standing where the red X is on the diagram.
Knowing my dad didn’t believe in such paranormal nonsense, I didn’t say anything about seeing this spirit. Many, many years later (maybe 30,) my dad and I were talking about ‘the old days”. Out of the blue, he told me he used to see a Native American man wearing buckskins, beads, and ceremonial headdress when we lived in the brick house. He’d never said anything, because he didn’t want anyone to think he was crazy.
Wowzers!
Now that we’d confessed our shared paranormal experience, we were curious about the history of the location where the house was built. Although we didn’t live around there anymore, a few phone calls to the historian at the local library eventually revealed the house was possibly built on or near a seasonal Native American camping ground (likely Cheyenne). There was a good water source (creek with ponds not far away) and grazing in the acres around the house.
The historian did a little more research by visiting the location for a first-hand look. She was convinced she’d found remnants of a teepee ring down the slope from the west side of the house and close to the creek.
I don’t know who has lived in the house over the years since I’ve been away and after my parents sold it, but it I do wonder if anyone else has encountered this man’s wandering spirit.
This image of a Native American man is similarly dressed apparition frequented the house I grew up in. The image is in the public domain | Creative Commons. License citing below.
Day 7 – Spooky Blogging – This house isn’t in Kansas anymore.
Until next time,
Kaye Spencer
Image attribution: Richard Throssel artist QS:P170,Q7329479, Untitled (Standing Native American), marked as public domain, more details on Wikimedia Commons
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