My Spirited House Guest

Short Story By: JAMIE PEARCE
Special to Historic City News

In 2009 I moved back to Florida and moved into an apartment building in St. Augustine.

It was originally built in the 1940s as a barracks for the Naval Academy. The building is located just a couple of blocks from two historic sites, behind the old jail and next to the Fountain of Youth.

When I first moved in, the place felt a little unusual to me. It was much small and different than anything I’d ever lived in, but I decided I’d do my best to make it a comfy home. However, it wasn’t long after I moved in that strange things started to happen.

The corridor I lived on was on the 2nd floor and there was only my apartment and one other across from me. At the time I first moved in this other apartment was empty. So I thought it was very peculiar that I would hear footsteps walk down the hall and stop and open the door.

The first time this happened, I thought maybe someone had moved in while I was at work or that the apartment’s management were checking in or showing the place, none of these it turns out, was the case. Still I clearly heard the footsteps and the door open repeatedly on several different occasions. Each time I looked through the peep hole in the door to see who could be next door I saw nothing!

This phenomenon and the sounds of other disembodied noises began to occur. On one occasion I saw the misty figure of a very tall man (at least 6 feet 4). Other unusual activity began to occur.

I often saw shadows in the courtyard out of my back window during a time of night when there was normally no one “living” present to create the shadows. I even went outside to explore and see if someone was there or whether something else could be creating the shadow.

The investigator in me was eager to debunk this unusual occurrence. I ruled out every obvious explanation I could, but sometimes with no help from moonlight or other shadow-casting light source I would still see the shadow even with nothing there to have cast it.

On another occasion, I had just gotten home from work and a terrible storm was about to blow through. As was usually my habit I locked the door as I came in and turned on the lights while going into my bedroom to change clothes. Soon the rain, lightning and thunder began, It was so loud the entire building shook, then the downpour started.

During an intense part of the storm I turned around facing the hall. There was an almost palpable change to the air in the room, and I saw what appeared to be Native American. He startled me since I knew I was alone in the place and the storm made the sudden surprise even more unsettling. Being able to gaze right through my new translucent “house guest” made me realize I was dealing with an apparition and not a real life threatening intruder. I told the spirit to get out of my apartment and he vanished immediately!

After this incident I was determined to discover the origin or possible connections to my ghostly visitor. I went to the historic library and realized at one point Indian remains had been found on the property many decades ago. I also learned that Indians were believed to have lived nearby (next door in fact).

I continued living in that apartment, but that stormy night was the only time I was slightly spooked while living there. The paranormal activity did continue to occur, just not to the extant it was that night. I saw Indian apparitions again and other manifestations in general on the grounds of the apartment building. After questioning my fellow apartment dwellers I learned I was not the only one who had experienced paranormal activity.

I believe there are many different spirits at this location connected to the building’s past. St. Augustine and many of her historic attractions including the Fountain of Youth are thought to be haunted. I’m sure I’m not the first one who can begin a ghostly tale of the area with “It was a dark and stormy night”.

Pearce is an author & paranormal investigator who has published five books in the Historic Haunts series. She is also the founder of Historic Haunts Investigations.