House with a History

My sister and her family live in Ohio in a rambling 4 story house which was built in the later 1800's. It has served as a physician's office, mortuary, funeral parlor, and then a residence for the past 30 years. She grew up there for the most part. It is a monstrosity of a structure, with rooms off of every which way and three stairwells. She has always felt "presences" in the home, some comforting and some not so comforting. The home has also been the site of a neighbor's murder in the 1970's and a suicide of a family member in the late 1980's. I have stayed there many times, sleeping in several different bedrooms and also the attic area. I have not been able to sleep through a night without going to the first floor living room couch. This is the only room I am relatively comfortable in. Odd considering that this room was the "Showing Room" when it was a funeral parlor. The attic area absolutely terrifies me, there is such an oppressive feeling about it. My sister has told me that some of the older girls (step-sisters to her, nothing to me as we were both adopted) were assaulted by a family member on many occasions, always while they were in their bedrooms, which is the attic area. That person is now deceased, they are the one who committed suicide on the property. My sister had witnessed the murder of the neighbor in their side yard.

One many occasions, items have come up missing only to be found much later in the oddest of places, movements have been seen ever so briefly when no one else was around. At times, she and her husband have both heard their name or "Hon" called out and upon responding found that the other had never called upon them. My brother in Law has been awoken 2-3 times by an older woman in a blue nightdress, who seems to want him to follow her. She disappears by the time she reaches the doorway. There is no one over the age of 35 living in the home.

My own witnessing eyes were with them on a night where we had gone to dinner, and when we pulled up in the driveway, "someone" was standing at the bay window, watching us get out of the car. All of the doors to the house were secure and no one was in the house, we searched the entire thing as we had all seen the figure at the window. The dog sometimes will sit and gaze intently at a corner or wall where, to our eyes, there is nothing.

I have no doubt that my sister's home is inhabited by perhaps many different presences. My hope is that someday they will be able to move on and let them live in their home in peace as right now, it can be a rather frightening place to be.