Strange Spirit Paranormal

11/16/2025

We had our yearly visit to the beautiful May Stringer House last night. Hernando Historical Museum keeps improving the property and it looks the best I've ever seen it.

We had a quiet night. But that doesn't mean I didn't get any evidence. They like to talk at this home in my experience.

We shall see upon review.

11/09/2025

Name that haunt.

11/08/2025

Johnny Clem, the “Drummer Boy of Chickamauga” who shot and killed a Confederate officer and rose through the ranks to Major General at the time of his retirement in 1916.

This photograph shows one of the most unlikely soldiers of the American Civil War. Johnny Clem was a child from Ohio. He was so young that regular units would not take him at first. He followed the Union Army anyway and eventually became a drummer boy attached to the Twenty Second Michigan Infantry. He was nine years old when the war began by his own later claim.

At the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863 Clem became a national story. In later retellings he was separated from his unit during the chaos and a Confederate officer called for him to surrender. Instead the boy lifted a musket cut down to fit his size and fired. The officer fell and the story raced across Northern newspapers. People called him the drummer boy of Chickamauga and he became a living symbol of child patriotism and battlefield grit.

Clem stayed in the Army after the war and rose through the ranks not as a mascot but as a career officer. He retired in 1916 as a Major General. He had become one of the last direct human links to the Civil War era. This tiny figure in uniform grew into a lifetime of service that stretched from musket smoke to the threshold of the modern world.

Added fact: Clem was the last Civil War soldier still on active duty when he retired in 1916 which made his career span more than half a century of American military evolution.

11/08/2025

Let's do another round of Name That Haunt.

If anyone out there reads photos, let me know what you get.

11/02/2025

I've decided to share some of the tidbits I found while researching different venues. Eventually, I will have longer videos posted on a YT channel. I'm returning to the May Stringer House this month and thought I might start there.

SETTING THE SCENE - Hernando County was on the edge of the "plantation zone" in Central Florida. During the Reconstruction Period, after the Civil War, prominent Democrats were fiercely trying to wrest political control from the Republican administration. Change was happening regardless, and black citizens were beginning to have a political voice.

Local courts had yet to be organized in the area. This left a vacuum of angry and disillusioned men to govern themselves. Vigilante justice became the governing authority in Brooksville. What resulted was a period of lawlessness and violence. The Wild West had nothing on Hernando County.

What follows is gunfights, assassinations, arson and so much more.

Want to hear more? If so, like and comment. I'll share a great story all backed up by research.

09/04/2025

I'm doing a little research on the previous owners of Historic Rainworth Lodge in Gettysburg, PA. It was reportedly where Gen. Rodes staged prior to the battle and a field hospital.

There were other interesting characters associated with the site such as Oscar Shaw (1887-1967), a star of stage, radio and film.
In 1913, Shaw toured Europe with a Vaudeville act for a year. After he returned to The States, he starred in several productions at the Princess Theatre before moving into film. In 1929, he starred in the Marx Brothers film, Cocoanuts.

I even found a site where you can listen to songs he had recorded. I will put the link in the comments. It could always be used by future investigators to stimulate activity. He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in town. Perhaps, when I go back, I will play the recordings at his gravesite.

I was told that Shaw installed the first inground pool in Pennsylvania and threw parties at the site. I sure hope I get to hear from him in review!

08/26/2025

Ha! I do that as a living person passing by the Ghost Tours here in Salem! You would not believe some of the crazy made up stories I hear every night!

08/26/2025

I have recently become aware that I neglected to post photographs taken at Rainworth Lodge in Gettysburg, PA. This location served as a staging ground for Confederate Gen. Rodes and was purportedly utilized as a field hospital. Subsequently, it was acquired by the family of a prominent English naturist and later inhabited by a renowned actor. I know I'm going to enjoy this research!

08/17/2025

The team is already gearing up for next year! We've just confirmed The Savannah Theatre. There's so much history in this area. I can't wait to return!

Learn more about the oldest continually-operating theater in the United States.

08/08/2025

Last night was a great investigation at Ohio State Reformatory with Strange Spirit Paranormal! Cannot wait to go back already!

08/06/2025

Pennhurst pics before we set up. Jackie was our tour guide and she was wonderful.

08/06/2025

Arrived at the 1888 schoolhouse in Bellville, OH before our investigation. Looking forward to a chill night around the fire before investigating OSR tomorrow. Bonus! They have Highland Cows and we can get pics with them ❤️❤️❤️

Only over 20 mins from OSR, I recommend it if you're planning a visit.