Part 3: A Unique Pet Cemetery: Mystery Cat from a Razed Washington DC Hotel

  In May, I was the subject of a short local film about Pets and the Afterlife and how they communicate from the other side, based on my 3 Amazon best-selling books of the same name (Pets and the Afterlife). We filmed at Pet Cemetery in Elkridge, Maryland that was filled with interesting markers and tributes. This is part three about a special cat from an old Washington, DC Hotel that I didn't know existed, so I did some digging. In today's blog, you'll learn a bit about Mose, and what happened to that mystery hotel! 

"OUR SWEETHEART MOSE" THE CAT- I came across one memorial that obviously has a story behind it. This plaque had the engraved face of a cat who lived from 1936 to 1948 at the Dodge Hotel in Washington, D.C. I was intrigued to find out where Mose lived his life, and uncovered information about a Washington, DC hotel I never knew existed. 

WHERE WAS THE DODGE HOTEL?  The hotel doesn't exist by that name anymore in 2021. According to GG Washington.org, "A site at North Capitol and E Streets, NW was chosen, and under the leadership of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., the new chair of the YWCA Board, the hotel was constructed."  

"The end of the road came for the Dodge Hotel in 1972, when new owners decided to raze it to make room for a more profitable office building. In addition to $1,000 chandeliers, the going-out-of-business sale for the hotel featured a set of hand-carved doors said to have been installed by Robert F. Kennedy when a Kennedy-For-President office was located at the Dodge.

The large 400 North Capitol Plaza office complex, still standing today, was subsequently constructed on the sites of the Dodge Hotel and the Hotel Continental, which had occupied the adjacent lot on North Capitol Street and was also torn down in 1972."

(Image: Old post card, pre-1972, of the Dodge Hotel. Cr: E.L. Crandall)

WHO FOUNDED THE GRACE DODGE HOTEL? GG Washington reported Grace Hoadley Dodge (1856-1914) was born into a wealthy and venerable New York family. She was the granddaughter of William Earle Dodge (1805-1883), co-founder of the Phelps Dodge Mining Corporation, noted advocate for Native American rights, and one of the early supporters of the Young Men’s Christian Association in the US. In 1906 she became the first president of the National Board of Young Women’s Christian Associations, whose budget deficits she would regularly make up with her personal funds. At her death in 1914, she left $500,000 to the board.

WHO APPROVED THE HOTEL? The YWCA had joined with 6 other charitable organizations to form the War Work Council to provide assistance to workers, including housing. Among other projects, the council provided funds to the YWCA for construction of a hotel for women in Washington.  The 8-story, 376-room hotel was completed and opened in October 1921.

ENTER MOSE - Since Mose's memorial says he was born in 1936, he would've made his entrance to the hotel 15 years after it opened.  The only article I could find noted that Mary Lindlsey was the manager until 1936. So, after she left, Mose the cat made his entrance. 

WHO DESIGNED IT?  New York architect Duncan Candler (1873-1949), designed the Grace Dodge hotel and it was stately and elegant but restrained in décor. It was finished in tan brick with limestone trim and featured an enormous three-story tall entrance-way with a neoclassical pediment broken by third-story windows.

Part 2: A Unique Pet Cemetery: Washington Bullets Mascots, a D-Day Dog, Parakeet Wordmaster, Monkey, Rabbit, Lizard and heroic pets

  In May, I was the subject of a short local film about Pets and the Afterlife and how they communicate from the other side, based on my 3 Amazon best-selling books of the same name (Pets and the Afterlife). We filmed at Rosa Bonheur Memorial Park (Pet/person) Cemetery in Elkridge, Maryland that was filled with interesting markers and tributes. This is part two. In today's blog you'll read about Washington Bullets Mascots, a D-Day Dog, Parakeet Wordmaster, Monkey, Rabbit, Lizard and heroic pets and more! 

PHOTOS OF MARKERS - This blog also contains photos I took of different grave markers that I thought were really nice. Some of them had profiles of their dogs or cats, others had actual photographs in lockets on the plaque that you could open to see their pet.  

Washington Bullets mascots. Several mascots for the Washington Bullets basketball team are buried at the cemetery: "Tiny BB" (1966–1987), Alex "The Bullet" (1957–1975), and "Buckshot" (1964–1967). 

(Photos: Ticky and Tiny. Credit: R.Gutro)

Little Van Atta (D-Day Dog) (1947–1955), an underground courier dog born in France, who is said to have brought the news of D-Day to her native city with a message hidden in her collar. 

(Photo right: Film crew deciding on the location for my filming. Credit: R.Gutro

Pretty Boy Boyer (1954–1956), a parakeet with a vocabulary of 1000 words. His headstone is inscribed "Bye, Bye, Mommy, see you later", which is what he always said when his owner left the room.

Carlo (1939–1966), a dog. At age 27, he was, according to his burial marker, "one of the oldest authenticated dogs in the country". 

Gretchen (1939–1950), a boxer who saved the lives of her owner and the owner's father by waking them up during the night when a fire broke out in their home. 

Juan Carlos, a dog with personality

Misty, a German Shepherd seeing-eye dog to a veteran blinded at the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. 

Moses Gigrandy (1929–1942), a monkey. 

Sylvester, a rabbit who slept on his young polio-stricken master's bed for three years and was trained to play certain games. Shortly after the boy died, Sylvester passed on and was buried at Bonheur. 

Wiggles, a 29-year-old champion horse. 

Lizzy, a monitor lizard born in Africa. 

Amanda, a guinea pig. 

Buster Ward (1967–1979), a pigeon that flew into a moving mail truck. 

Bently the Pig (2012–2014), a micro-mini pig named for the child from MTV's teen mom, that traveled from Florida to Maryland on a plane. He caused a fire in the garage. 

Also reported to be buried at Bonheur: a lion, squirrels, and white mice.

(Photo: Rob at the Rosa Bonheur Memorial Park during the video production). . 

 

NEXT: A Special Cat from an Old Washington, DC Hotel 

Part 1 A Unique Pet Cemetery: A WW1 Horse, 1st Baltimore Elephant, a WWII Corporal Canine

 In May, I was the subject of a short local film about Pets and the Afterlife and how they communicate from the other side, based on my 3 Amazon best-selling books of the same name (Pets and the Afterlife). We filmed at Pet Cemetery in Elkridge, Maryland that was filled with interesting markers and tributes. This is part one where you'll learn about a WW1 era Horse, 1st Baltimore Elephant,  and a WWII Corporal Canine!  

ABOUT THE ROSA BONHEUR MEMORIAL PARK  -The  Rosa Bonheur Memorial Park is a pet cemetery located in Elkridge, Maryland, USA. The cemetery was established in 1935, and was actively operated until 2002. Approximately 8,000 animals and humans are buried in the cemetery's ​11 ¹⁄₂ acres, which is large enough to accommodate about 24,000 pets.

WHO IS IT NAMED FOR? The cemetery is named for Rosa Bonheur (1822–1899), a French painter and sculptor noted for her paintings of animals.

FIRST U.S. CEMETERY TO BURY PEOPLE WITH PETS - The Rosa Bonheur Memorial Park made national headlines in 1979 when it became the first pet cemetery in the world to allow humans to be buried alongside their pets. There are at least 28 humans, and perhaps as many as 100, buried at the cemetery. A tomb of unknown pets was established in 1991.

 (Photo: The horse called Gypsy Queen's marker. Credit: R.Gutro) 

 SOME NOTABLE ANIMALS INTERRED HERE - 

1) Gypsy Queen. In 1925, World War I veteran Frank Heath and his horse Gypsy Queen began a journey across the United States, with the goal of visiting all 48 states. They completed the trip more than two years later, returning to their starting point in Washington, D.C. in 1927. In all, the pair covered 11,356 miles, making it the longest trail ever covered by one horse under saddle. Gypsy Queen died in 1936, and a bronze tablet was erected in her honor at the Rosa Bonheur Memorial Park in 1938. Gypsy Queen also has a burial plot at the cemetery

(Photo right: Maryann's marker with a flag)

2)  Mary Ann. Mary Ann was the first Elephant at the Baltimore Zoo. She was brought to Baltimore from India in 1922, and was especially popular with children. Mary Ann died in 1942 after falling over in her sleep and injuring her spine. She was buried at the cemetery after her death. 

WHO WAS MARY ANN? Mary Ann was the first elephant exhibited at the Baltimore Zoo. She

was purchased for the zoo with pennies contributed by children. Her arrival also revived zoo attendance, which greatly increased revenues and made it possible to fund new exhibits.

 MARY ANN'S MARKER - is a white pillar with a flag pole waving an American flag.

(Photo: Baltimore newspaper clipping of Mary Ann's passing)

3) Corporal Rex Ahlbin. Rex Ahlbin was a combat dog who served with the US Marine Corps during World War II. Rex served with the US 3rd Marine Division during the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay at Bougainville Island in 1943. Rex, a two-year-old Doberman, warned of the presence of Japanese soldiers near a Marine position, enabling Marines to fend off a later attack. Rex also served with the Marine Corps during the Guadalcanal campaign and at the Battle of Tinian. For his service, Rex was promoted to the rank of corporal by the Marine Corps in 1944. Rex is buried near the center of the cemetery, with a marker noting his service to his country.

(Photo: Rob walking through the cemetery before the filming).

PART 2: More Noted Animals at the Cemetery

London's Number 7 Ghost Bus: Part 2: Victim Reports

This is Part 2 of 2 about a mysterious ghostly bus in West London.  It's unusual to see ghostly images of non-living things, but in West London, United Kingdom, many people has witnessed a haunted bus. It's become known as the Phantom Bus. I've found that living things tend to be ghosts (or spirits who cross over), so I believe this "ghost bus" is residual energy. It would make sense to me that living people who were aboard the bus before it crashed created a "residual haunting" through their emotional energy of fear (before the crash). Now, every time a living person approaches the area of the crash, their emotional energy is drained to enable the creation of the residual haunt to reappear. 

Victim Of The Ghostly London Bus

 A phantom bus was once the cause of many freak accidents on a road in West London. 

 BY ARTUR NOVIKOV, HOTCARS.COM, MAY 12, 2021

One of the victims was lucky enough to survive. Later he was taken to the police station. He said, "I turned around the corner, and saw the bus moving! The headlights were shining, both floors were lit, and there was no one inside, neither the driver nor the passengers! I, of course, turned the steering wheel, drove out onto the sidewalk, and slightly hooked on the fence. And the bus immediately disappeared."

The driver who made such a statement to the local authorities of North Kensington in London, of course, could have been drunk, or hallucinated, or fell asleep at the wheel, and later tried to shift his blame onto the English ghost bus. But can this be said about the hundreds of drivers who experienced the same mysterious red double-decker bus rushing towards them?

The ghost was suddenly appearing in the same place all the time. This intersection where the sightings occurred was already known to be dangerous, and with the advent of the high-speed ghost bus, it became even more terrifying. The testimonies of all the witnesses continued to be the same: the driver and passengers were absent, and the brand and color of the bus were the same. Also, the time of appearance of this ghost always coincided. This phantom bus usually appeared at 1:15 AM and would always disappear without a trace. The only evidence that suggested the driverless bus made an appearance were the accidents that continued to occur.

Since then, residents have nicknamed the ghost bus the 'night knight'. The residents of the area began to claim that the ghost chose its victim deliberately. Also, London authorities were never able to gather any hard evidence of the mysterious bus that was causing panic among drivers. For this reason, they decided to improve the visibility of the intersection between St. Mark's Road and Cambridge Garden by widening the road a few meters. In addition, it was decided to repair the road in this mystical place. Soon after that, the bus stopped appearing, and the number of deaths decreased. But still, to this day, many drivers try to avoid this haunted road.

 

For human ghost experiences in London and through the United Kingdom, read Rob Gutro's book "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation." Available on Amazon.com 

London's Number 7 Ghost Bus: Part 1

It's unusual to see ghostly images of non-living things, but in West London, United Kingdom, many people has witnessed a haunted bus. It's become known as the Phantom Bus. I've found that living things tend to be ghosts (or spirits who cross over), so I believe this "ghost bus" is residual energy. It would make sense to me that living people who were aboard the bus before it crashed created a "residual haunting" through their emotional energy of fear (before the crash). Now, every time a living person approaches the area of the crash, their emotional energy is drained to enable the creation of the residual haunt to reappear. Here's part 1 of the 2 part story: 

Haunted Roads: The Story Of London's Number 7 Phantom Bus 

A phantom bus was once the cause of many freak accidents on a road in West London. 

 BY ARTUR NOVIKOV, HOTCARS.COM, MAY 12, 2021

Many mysterious phenomena have been recorded in England. For this reason, this country is considered the most mystical. After all, it was here that many residents encountered a large number of different kinds of ghosts.

And these phantoms are not always the ghosts of people. In Cambridge Gardens (Ladbroke Grove), eyewitnesses appeared who began to notice the ghost of a red double-decker bus. This phantom was mainly encountered by drivers and frightened them very much. They began to compose stories and legends about this ghost. Commuters within the area began to fear that if they ever encountered the ghost bus, they might meet a terrible fate.

The very first witness claimed to have seen a car driving along an empty road when suddenly, a strange bus appeared. The driver of the car got scared, abruptly swerved his vehicle, and hit a pillar. He was killed on impact. After the incident, the bus immediately disappeared. This happened in 1934.

Then, the phantom bus started appearing more frequently. Many witnesses were claiming that the bus was driving without a driver. As recent events show, a vehicle with no driver leads to disasters. And it was always moving in the oncoming lane at a very high speed. The result was always the same. Any unfortunate driver who encountered the oncoming speeding phantom bus would try and steer clear of it and end up crashing into something. In most cases, people were dying on the spot. 

NEXT: An Eyewitness Account of the Ghost Bus

For human ghost experiences in London and through the United Kingdom, read Rob Gutro's book "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation." Available on Amazon.com 

Paranormal Q&A ; Do Spirits Have a Concept of Time? Ghosts?

Earlier this week I received a great question from Chris about spirits experiencing time. Here is his question and my experience:

Q: Since spirts appear to experience time in a linear manner like humans, have you ever asked Ed (the subject of your Kindred Spirits book)  how he spends his time?   I seem to remember in the movie Beetlejuice the time in the afterlife was something like the DMV waiting area. I would like to think it’s got to be better than that. If trying to reach a higher plane of existence I can see there might be a holding area or once someone has reached the higher plane, they would have time free I guess.  Has this topic ever come up when talking with other mediums?

A: I haven't asked Ed what it's like on the other side, because there is no concept of time for those in spirit... They do watch us age and move on and wait for us to join them, so looking outside their realm to Earth they see time pass. From where they are, there isn't any concept of time.   

    That said, It seems as if spirits (those who crossed) are freely moving about the universe and are drawn back here to us on special dates and times - based on how they read OUR energy.   So, I don't see a "holding area," - I see it more as a "free space" where they get to associate with everyone in spirit .

     Meanwhile, earth-bound ghosts don't seem to understand how time has progressed, and keep doing things as they did when they were alive. Take walking through a former doorway, now walled up. They can't get past the things of their time.  

Haunted hotels in Hampshire, United Kingdom' The Bear Hotel

 In my book "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation" I stayed in a bed and breakfast in a former Tudor Era castle, that turned out to be haunted,  In fact, there was a ghost named Rupert in my room and I wound up figuring out exactly who he was and learned why he was there. You can read about him in my book. In today's blog, Thanks to an article in the UK Hampshire Chronicle, you'll read about the Haunted Bear Hotel>>.

The Bear Hotel, Havant

Google Street View

This hotel dates back to 1795 and is a former coaching inn.

It is said to be haunted by the ghost of the housekeeper who died in room 22.

Residents claim she is often seen sitting up by the edge of the bed or heard walking down the corridor she is among three ghosts that have reportedly been sighted at the hotel.

Ghosts of England: On a Medium's Vacation

What happens when a medium goes on vacation? Can a medium simply switch off their ability at will? Well…not exactly. Rob Gutro is a medium/author/paranormal investigator and a scientist who has written 4 books about his encounters with human and animal ghosts and spirits. In this book, you will read about his experiences on two separate trips to the United Kingdom. England’s rich history and many epic battles have caused an over-abundance of residual emotional energy. Everywhere he traveled, he had a paranormal experience. He explored royal palaces and spent the night in haunted castles. He encountered the ghosts of historical figures including a queen, a prince, and a nobleman; and several ghosts even shared their pain of death experience with him. 

TO PURCHASE ON AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-England-Vacation-Rob-Gutro/dp/1985276577/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=rob+gutro&qid=1591021774&sr=8-8

Celebrate Pride Month - Read "Kindred Spirits" by Medium Rob Gutro

June is National Pride month, and we celebrate the diversity of the LGBT community. One of my books, "Kindred Spirits," is about how the spirit of a gay man has come through to me for the last 14 years and I've actually befriended him. The book examines the amazing signs he's given to prove he's around, sent a look-alike to save us from being lost in England, and helped solve the mystery around his own death... plus more!

ON AMAZON:  CLICK HERE to buy on Amazon

  (Just $6.99 paperback and $3.49 ebook) 

   ABOUT THE BOOK:  It's uncommon for a medium really get know a spirit so well that the living person considers the spirit a best friend. But that's exactly what happened to medium and paranormal investigator Rob Gutro. When Rob met his partner Tom in 2005, Ed's spirit came along for the ride. Rob never knew Ed in life, but Tom did. Now, Ed often communicates to Rob and has revealed his sense of humor, his heart, and helped solved the mystery of his passing. Ed's "Spirit Treasure Hunt" showed his family he's with them, too. Ed even sent a look-alike to rescue Rob during a vacation in England. As you read about this special spirit named Ed and his sometimes funny communications, you'll learn signs your loved ones send. This book will teach you how to be more aware of messages from your loved ones in spirit. "Being a friend with Ed in spirit is like having a friend who lives in another state" - Author Rob Gutro describing his relationship with Ed's spirit.

5 Min. Video: A Few Odd Minutes In Howard County -Capt. Shipley's Ghost in the Wine Bin!

 Over the last couple of years, I've been fortunate to work with Tony Hoos, Television producer at Howard County Community College, who produces historic and sometimes haunted short video specials about the county here in Maryland. There are several of my video interviews on their website that feature the Ghost cat in the Envy Salon, Pets and the Afterlife, and the haunting of the Patapsco Female Institute.  In this 5 minute  video, Tony and his amazing crew take you to explore Capt. Shipley's Ghost in the Wine Bin! 

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/soDSg9u-B3k

Haunted New England places - Gay City, Hebron, Connecticut

Here's the first of several blogs about Haunted New England places. It is one in a series
from the Quincy Mass. Patriot Ledger newspaper.This one is  Gay City, Hebron, Connecticut

Gay City, Hebron, Connecticut

Unlike many of the ghost towns around New England, Gay City is fully accessible within Gay City State Park in Hebron and there are even a few ruins you can explore — if rumors of ghosts, supernatural occurrences and water running uphill don’t bother you, that is.

Founded in the late 1700s by a group of Methodists, this rather isolated group of congregationalists were known for pairing their religion with a generous amount of alcohol, apparently in the belief that drinking heavily would bring them closer to God. Predictably, the town became known as a spot for alcoholic revelers. Several grisly, unsolved murders, along with a large fire at the textile mill, which served as the largest employer, led to Gay City’s gradual abandonment. Today, the site sits on a 1,500-acre park, where paranormal believers claim to have seen spirits wandering the woods and have heard disembodied voices.
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Here are more details from the Website DamnedCT.com

The Damned Story: Near the center of Connecticut in the unassuming town of Hebron sits Gay City State Park, offering streams, a scenic pond and over 1,500 acres of  woodland teeming with hiking trails, recreational opportunities and . . . ghosts, according to some.

Gay City was a once-thriving 18th-century village that was primarily inhabited by the Gay family; the park is particularly named after John Gay, one of the settlement's founding fathers. Remnants from the former town, including the remains of abandoned mills, stone foundations and other structures, can still be found here. It's these ruins that have helped to foster the creepy vibe that some people attribute to the park.

The town was originally settled in 1796, when Elijah Andrus led a group of persecuted Methodists out of Hartford to a quieter space along the Blackledge River where they hoped they would be left alone by the regional Congregationalists to live and worship as they pleased. Under the guidance of Rev. Henry Sumner, the faithful—including many members of the Gay family—attended services twice a week, which included imbibing generous amounts of "spirits" in the hope of finding higher spirits. Apparently, such dedicated alcohol consumption caused a host of social issues, but the settlement continued to thrive.

In 1811, a textile mill was built, and soon other mills, shops, homes and even a distillery followed. The town was soon known as Factory Hollow, and had its ups and downs over the next few decades—the main mill burned down twice, the second time in 1885, and the town never really recovered.

According to one story from the Bolton Historical Society, it was claimed that the water in the settlement "ran uphill" from the pond to the mill, which spooked a few residents.

Factory Hollow also suffered other problems, including two alleged murders, both of which pre-date the Civil War. According to David Philips' Legendary Connecticut, the first one involved a jewelry peddler, who may have been robbed and murdered by the village charcoal-burner, although the actual perpetrator was never brought to justice; the unfortunate merchant's skeleton was discovered in a charcoal pit near the edge of town, damning evidence for some. The second untimely death involved a blacksmith's apprentice—the story goes that the young lad showed up late to ye olde shoppe one day and ye olde blacksmithee took extreme exception, stabbing the tardy assistant to death, and then beheading him. (What would've happened if the apprentice had played sick for an entire day?!) As with the other murder, no records exist of the crime, no was anyone apparently ever arrested for it.

Grisly stories aside, like what happens to many towns when the main employer burns to the ground and is no longer viable, the residents of Factory Hollow started leaving. By the end of the 19th century, the town was essentially abandoned, and then was slowly swallowed up by the surrounding countryside. Finally, the land was sold by Emma Foster (one of the last descendants of those who lived there) to the state in 1943, with the stipulation that the area be renamed Gay City. A year later, Gay City officially became a state park.

Despite the decades of neglect, a few of the original structures still stand and can be explored, including house foundations, stone cellars and the walls of an old paper mill. Gay City is now more like Ghost City, which is just fine for those who love to explore such locations.

For years, visitors supposedly saw the spirits of the murdered victims wandering around the forests that have now grown up through the village. Up until recently, the story was also told that someone long ago had drowned in the pond at the park, although there hadn't been any documentation of the event. Tragically, in May 2010, a New Britain teenage did drown in the pond while swimming, so that event can now be considered true.
Source; https://www.damnedct.com/gay-city-hebron