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MJ

MJ


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Join date : 2009-01-27
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PostSubject: Franklin Castle   Franklin Castle Icon_minitimeThu Mar 26, 2009 3:38 pm

FRANKLIN CASTLE


Cleveland's Franklin Castle has the distinction of being known as Ohio's most Haunted House. The historic Franklin Castle located at 4308 Franklin Boulevard in Cleveland, Ohio.

FRANKLIN CASTLE

The Tiedemann Legends

The majority of the ghost stories and legends about the Castle stem from the tenancy of its builders. Whether it is a fair description or not, history has painted Hannes Tiedemann as overbearing and dominating, at best. At worst, as a cruel and temperamental monster of a man, capable of the worst crimes of passion. A number of murders have been attributed to him for generations, though as far as I can tell he was never formally accused during his lifetime, let alone tried or convicted. Nonetheless, it is considered to be a fact that he was responsible for the deaths of at least two women in his household: his daughter and a servant.

HANNES TIEDEMANN

The accounts of the murders vary, of course. According to some, the 15-year-old daughter, Emma, (whose official cause of death is allegedly diabetes) was found hanging in the rafters. Another story has the dead girl being Tiedemann's 13-year-old niece, who was killed for being either promiscuous or insane... which could be synonymous for a teenaged girl in the 1880s. Yet others make her Hannes' illegitimate daughter, Karen. Some say the girl (whichever girl she might be) had been caught in bed with his grandson... which makes an interesting tale, except that it is rather unlikely that he could have had a grandson old enough to be sleeping with anyone's daughter, illegitimate or not, in 1881, because Hannes was only 48.

The stories say that the murdered servant girl was either hacked to death with an axe in a front turret window on her wedding day in a fit of Tiedemann jealousy (with the neighbors hearing each whack of the axe from outside), or perhaps she was strangled in her bed when Hannes bound and gagged her upon learning of her engagement to another man and her intention to leave him. Another version has him tying her up and gagging her before shooting her to death. Some speculate that you can still hear choking sounds in the room where she was killed, but I haven't heard any other references to such sounds.

The stories also tell of the death of Tiedemann's mother, Weibeka, and of several other young children in the family of various childhood illnesses, though there is always an underlying doubt about natural causes. Some speculate that Tiedemann killed his wife, as well-- with poison-- though it sounds to me like Luise died of liver failure, probably drinking herself to death rather than live with the unpleasant Hannes.



The German Socialist Legends

Considering the Castle was used as a party house rather than a residence during the German Socialist years, it doesn't really surprise me that there aren't many stories from this time. One story I've heard repeatedly is the tale of twenty people being machine-gunned down in a hidden room. The strange thing is, in none of the stories have I heard conclusively who the Nazi spy was: the machine-gunner or one of his victims. It's also a little suspect that there are no newspaper articles (yet... admittedly, I haven't researched thoroughly) about this mass murder.

Some say the German Socialists were doing some sort of spying from the house during the war-- a German short-wave radio was found in the rafters of the fourth floor-- but I've yet to figure out if they were broadcasting or intercepting broadcasts, who they were spying on, and who exactly they were really spying for.



The Romano Legends

When the Romanos moved in, things apparently got weird right away. The stories say that on the first day the family moved in, several of their children (there were five total) went to play on the fourth floor. They returned a while later and told their mother of their new playmate, a little girl who dressed and talked strangely, and who refused to leave the upstairs. The continued to play with the girl for quite a while, but could never get her to come downstairs.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Romano was apparently developing quite a bond with Mrs. Tiedemann. Both women had five children, including twin boys. They slept in the same room of the house. And perhaps Luise chose Mrs. Romano to be the protector of the house. Mrs. Romano apparently often felt possessed in the house, felt that Luise was using her to keep the house's secrets. She said that the spirits were friendly, protective of her and the children, and that she had made a pact with them to protect the Castle.

A variety of investigators visited the house during the Romanos' stay. A team of researchers from the Northeast Ohio Psychical Research Society visited the house, and in the middle of the investigations one member of the team fled and vowed to never return. A writer saw a strange ectoplasm cloud and felt dizzy to the point of passing out when she approached it. A Catholic priest refused to perform an exorcism, telling the family that he sensed an evil presence, and that the spirits were not to be trusted-- that they were only being friendly to Mrs. Romano until they had her in their grasp-- and that they should move out immediately.

The family did move out after Mrs. Romano's ghostly friend warned her of an impending death in the family... but unfortunately, the move did not prevent it: it happened just as the spirits had warned.

These are the FACTS about the Franklin Castle and its first resident. Everything that you have read about Tiedemann ownership is correct to the best of my knowledge. I'm certain that many aspects of it may seem boring and only interesting to anyone who's really into genealogy and early Cleveland Ohio History, but it is all part of the haunted history, tragedy and life of a fascinating family who arrived in this country as immigrants only to leave an enduring American legacy to succeeding generations...

Franklin Castle Story and Photos By William Krejci

These are the FACTS about the Franklin Castle and its first resident. Everything that you have read about Tiedemann ownership is correct to the best of my knowledge. I'm certain that many aspects of it may seem boring and only interesting to anyone who's really into genealogy and early Cleveland Ohio History, but it is all part of the haunted history, tragedy and life of a fascinating family who arrived in this country as immigrants only to leave an enduring American legacy to succeeding generations... /www.hauntedamericatours.com/hauntedhouses/franklincastle



The Muscatello Legends

Sam Muscatello, the next owner after the Romanos, was very enthusiatic about owning a haunted house. He started selling guided tours of the Castle, inviting visitors to share their haunting experiences. He also invited local media into the house. One story from this time involves John Webster, who was doing an on-air radio special about the house, and had a tape recorder ripped from his shoulder and flung down the stairs. A television reporter at that time also reported seeing spinning chandeliers and feeling a general sense that the supernatural was at work.

It was Muscatello who discovered some of the secret rooms (like the hidden still from Prohibition) and the gruesome discovery of human bones in the walls. Of course, some speculate that he should not have been too upset about the bones... considering he placed them there, in a stunt to attract attention. Others think the bones were medical specimens. Some said they were all babies, butchered in recent times. Many believe they might have been more of Tiedemann's victims, or perhaps more Tiedemann children who had died in infancy. The Coroner allegedly determined that they were old bones, but offered no further solution to the riddle.



Architectural Legends

There are numerous stories of a mysterious trapdoor entrance to a tunnel which runs north from the back of the house. Some say it runs a great distance and then dead-ends abruptly. Some speculate that it ran all the way to Lake Erie (in the pre-Shoreway days when the land had not been filled out into the lake) for bootlegging or smuggling purposes. I even met a man who claimed to have worked in the Castle for haunted houses a decade or so ago and says that he went into this tunnel. Well, so far no tunnel for me. The floor in one back room does sound rather hollow, though, and there is a mysterious cemented-over area in the floor of the carriage house. I think I'll hold off on renting a jackhammer until I can do more research, though.

How many rooms are there? The count varies from 21 to30-something, depending on which story you read. It was listed with the realtor as having 25. I guess it depends on what you consider a separate room and how big a hidden space has to be to achieve Room status. I honestly don't know. I haven't counted. Besides, it's more fun to answer, "I'm not sure" when people ask.

There are also numerous reports of the house being riddled with secret passageways and hidden rooms. Some say Mrs. Tiedemann installed them to sneak past her husband and see her children secretly. Some say the German spies added them. All I'll say is this: they do exist. But if I told you anything about them, they wouldn't be secret anymore, now would they?


FRANKLIN CASTLE

Other Ghost Stories
Many people have reported seeing a woman in black in an upstairs turret room, just standing and staring out the window (if you saw a woman sometime in the summer of 1999 in the window and she was washing the window, that probably was not a ghost, but me or one of my friends. I've yet to hear any stories about the ghosts doing housework. I think I have inadvertently tormented quite a few pedestrians and people in cars stopped at the light by merely standing in a window)

Lights turn on and off, chandeliers spin, doors open and close, mirrors fog, doorbells ring. Mysterious sounds come from the walls-- everything from muttering voices to babies crying. Past visitors have reported feeling possessed or overtaken with another personality. There are cold spots, and times when whole rooms turn icy spontaneously. And there is one particular space where I always feel... something. Not necessarily something bad, just... something there. Many other people have felt similar strange feelings on that same spot.

MORE ON THE FRANKLIN CASTLE

Franklin Castle Story and Photos By William Krejci

These are the FACTS about the Franklin Castle and its first resident. Everything that you have read about Tiedemann ownership is correct to the best of my knowledge. I'm certain that many aspects of it may seem boring and only interesting to anyone who's really into genealogy and early Cleveland Ohio History, but it is all part of the haunted history, tragedy and life of a fascinating family who arrived in this country as immigrants only to leave an enduring American legacy to succeeding generations... /www.hauntedamericatours.com/hauntedhouses/franklincastle





http://www.franklincastle.com/

http://www.franklincastleclub.com/

http://www.forgottenoh.com/franklin.html

http://www.franklincastleclub.com/press_release.html

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Charles Milsaps
4308 Franklin Boulevard
Cleveland, OH 44113
216-631-CLUB
info@franklincastleclub.com


What ya guys think about this? not too far!
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kristin of nkyps

kristin of nkyps


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PostSubject: Re: Franklin Castle   Franklin Castle Icon_minitimeThu Mar 26, 2009 3:55 pm

are you writting a damn book? lol
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MJ

MJ


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PostSubject: Re: Franklin Castle   Franklin Castle Icon_minitimeThu Mar 26, 2009 4:00 pm

hahaha copy and paste Wink
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Christel of NKYPS
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Christel of NKYPS


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PostSubject: Re: Franklin Castle   Franklin Castle Icon_minitimeThu Mar 26, 2009 4:09 pm

Just emailed them couple wks ago =)
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MJ

MJ


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PostSubject: Re: Franklin Castle   Franklin Castle Icon_minitimeThu Mar 26, 2009 4:16 pm

sweet Razz
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matt of nkyps
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PostSubject: Re: Franklin Castle   Franklin Castle Icon_minitimeThu Mar 26, 2009 9:30 pm

Good find, even know Christel beat you too it..lol
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MJ

MJ


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PostSubject: Re: Franklin Castle   Franklin Castle Icon_minitimeThu Mar 26, 2009 10:12 pm

lol yeah good minds think alike
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