I’m participating in ParaYourNormal’s Hoodoo Halloween Blog Party, and Halloween for me includes ghosts. So I thought it would be fun to do an interview with my mom, who–besides telling us lots of creepy stories growing up that we learned later were actually true–has managed to capture a ghost on camera.

So, before we get into the how and where and what-the-hell, here’s the picture in question:

Just another tour picture, right? Now here’s a close-up of that mirror in the upper left corner:                                     

Do you see him now? It doesn’t take much imagination to see the upper torso of a man in a white silk shirt, long brown hair… the eyes obscured by the default in the mirror. When we blow this image up more, we even see a red ring on the hand that he’s got raised in front of his torso.

Now let’s get the scoop from Carol:

Me: Where was this photo taken?

Nemacolin Castle. Photo by Acroterion, Creative Commons

Carol: The photo was taken at the Nemacolin Castle in Brownsville, Pa. while on a tour, but this was not a ghost hunting tour. I love antiques and wanted to learn about the history of the castle. The important thing to remember about that day is they only let eight people go through at a time and didn’t start another tour until the last was gone. So there was no other group around us. But, we did notice a paranormal group in the last room as we were leaving.

Me: What was your reaction when you saw the image of the man in the mirror?

Carol: I didn’t believe what I was seeing. I called my sister immediately and our family got together to go through all the photos of the people in our group. No one even remotely resembled or was dressed like the man in the photo. So I then called the castle and asked if they had a mannequin in a period costume in that room. When they said they didn’t, a chill ran down my spine. We were all excited at this point. They asked me to bring my camera in to see the photo for themselves. They also arranged for me to meet with the paranormal group.

Me: I can imagine how excited a paranormal team must have been to see this photo. What was their reaction?

Carol: They were very excited. After viewing all the photos, they did a recreation and had me stand in the spot I was when I took that particular photo. I was standing in the doorway of the room at that time. The funniest part was the team tried to take photos from that point and their batteries drained twice before they could get a photo. Finally, they were able to take several photos with people of different heights to determine how tall he was. Their conclusion was, by the angle and reflection of the  man, he had to have been standing in the doorway next to me. And looking right at me.

Me: Sounds like you had a secret admirer! Did you have any other odd experiences during your tour?

Carol: Yes, when they looked at my photos they showed me several orbs I had captured. One was on the steps where a little girl is often seen. I suddenly remembered a man with the paranormal team telling me a little girl was following me as we were leaving. I laughed it off at the time. Little did I know what I’d find on my camera.

Thanks, Mom! Well guys and gals, what do you think? Do you believe in spirits, ghosts and things that go bump in the night? Do you have any questions for Carol?