The Bryan House EVPs Tell the Story of One of the Most Compelling, Intimidating Photos I’ve Ever Taken
People that have read my first book and/or have taken the Williamsburg West Tour have described the photo of the two ghosts at the Bryan House as one of the most frightening photos they have ever seen, and the man standing behind the woman (with his hand over her mouth) as one of the most intimidating, ominous faces–not to mention the red eyes. Yet in Colonial Williamsburg’s historical records nothing is said about any homicidal attack that happened at the back corner of the house, where the photograph was taken. So for several years, I knew that something bad happened here, but I had no idea what. Of course I (and anyone else for that matter) could imagine what took place just from the photo’s contents, but imagining is not as satisfying as knowing, particularly in a case like this where you know something dreadful has happened. Perhaps it wasn’t documented because the two in the photograph were slaves at the time. I also wondered if this is a residual haunting, where savage, murderous violence is carried out over and over again in the spirit world as if reliving the violence will somehow change it. For whatever reason, I was able to capture just a glimpse of what happened in the past as this broken video plays over and over again, and although I have returned to the Bryan House many times, I have never been able to recapture this couple as they relive a violent episode in their lives that may have ended one of them. After several years I resolved that I would probably never know what really happened, and just leave it at that. That is until several days ago . . .
My ascent into the paranormal paradigm has been a purely visual one; most of the paranormal television shows are sorely lacking in any visual evidence, and I wanted to see it. (Whenever I watch these shows, and someone exclaims “I just saw something!” or “Did you see that?”, I expect that with all of the cameras and gadgets pointing everywhere that I would get to see it too, but that rarely, if ever happens.) So I have struck out on my own searching for visual evidence of the paranormal, and have not attempted to use audio recorders to try to communicate with dead. (Not to mention I have been told that opening the lines of communication can get you an unwanted attachment.) But about a week ago I met someone who does communicate with the other side, and from what little I’ve heard, has been successful at it.
U.S. Army specialist Mike Graham has been experimenting off and on with EVPs (electronic voice phenomena) for about three years, and when he came to Fort Eustis for training he picked up a copy of my book. After reading it he came to Colonial Williamsburg to many of the places I photographed, including the Bryan House, and began asking questions pertaining directly to the photos in my book. When he asked about the photo below at the back corner of the Bryan House, two female names came up. I have never told anyone else before, but I captured two different female phantoms that night, but one was very clear, and the other was not–so I left it out. I have since been able to clear up the face and included it in this blog; curiously, there is something around her neck. The two names that came up were Angelina and Addison. Both photos had the threatening male figure behind them. The next question Mike asked was about the threatening man behind the woman holding his hand over her mouth. The first response from the other side was cousin, but the second was a little more chilling: bad man. When he asked what happened to the woman in the photo, the responses were even more horrifying, and in this order:
Rope / Tied / Addison’s neck / Drug off
Possibly meaning that: The bad man tied a rope to Addison’s neck and then drug her off. Although I was saddened by what transpired in the past, I was elated that I had a partial story to go with my photograph, giving a simple explanation for what happened. I can only wonder how much more information can be gleaned from this site, or will the ghosts remain silent about any further details just like just like they have refused to show up on subsequent photo shoots. I will say this: whenever I set up my camera in the exact same spot that I captured this photo, an unseen force will release one of the latches on my tripod to knock it over–so far this has happened three times. The first time I was caught completely off guard and the camera fell over and nearly ruined a very expensive lens. The second and third time that it happened I was ready and caught the camera as it fell. Every time I go to the Bryan House, I think of a title from writer Ray Bradbury, Something wicked this way comes. It comes every time I return, and it doesn’t want me there. Want to go?
Here is the Bryan House:
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Here are the 2 ghosts that appeared at the left rear corner of the Bryan House:
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The second woman that appeared at the same corner (I cropped this photo because the male face that appeared behind her was very distorted; notice there is something around her neck–is it a rope?
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A close-up of the male face that appeared behind the first woman:
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Check out other ghost photo blogs include the following: the ghosts in the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond, VA; the ghosts in Julep’s Restaurant in Richmond, Va; ghosts in a Las Vegas casino; dark hooded apparitions in Colonial Williamsburg, the ghosts of Merchant Square, Williamsburg, the ghosts of Jerome, AZ (2 parts), the ghosts of Relics Restaurant, Sedona, AZ, the ghosts of the Red Garter, Williams, AZ, ghosts in the Barnes & Noble Bookstore that featured my book, Williamsburg’s most haunted: the Peyton Randolph House, the ghosts of Antelope Canyon in Page, AZ, one of America’s most haunted roads: Crawford Road, near Yorktown, VA, Civil War ghosts in my house, and photographic proof that ghosts are attracted to children, and other paranormal posts.
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After 2 years of research, a lot of experimentation, and over 10,000 photographs, check out the world’s first groundbreaking photographic study of ghosts: Haunted, Historic Colonial Williamsburg Virginia with Breakthrough Ghost Photography (Part 1) available at both Schiffer Publishing and at Amazon, nominated for consideration in the nonfiction category for the 19th annual Library of Virginia Literary Awards:
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Amazon: http://amzn.com/0764350609
Part 2 of this book features the largest number of ghosts ever captured in a single camera shot, as well as several photos of apparitions that look alien to our world. Here is the link:
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Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/0764355724
Tim Scullion is a published author, photographer, and musician. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary, with both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree Cum Laude. In addition to the book mentioned above, Tim has written a novel, a series of instruction books on the guitar, a children’s book (all available on Amazon) and has a photo-essay published by the University of Virginia in the book Troubled Times Companion, Vol. III.
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