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Ghosts
nieghborhood
haunted
spirits

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TAMPA — Ray Reed claims to see dead people. And he does all he can to introduce them to the living.

Reed leads volunteers who have uncovered hundreds of grave markers at the Cemetery for All People, known in the early 1900s as the Poor Farm Cemetery. It's the place where people were buried when no one would pay for the work or claim the bodies.

Markers there bore numbers but no names and most markers eventually disappeared. Burial records have errors and omissions. So Reed tries to bring memories of the dead back to life, compiling biographies and leading work at the property on N 22nd Street north of Fun Lan Drive-In.

"Some lived to be 100 years old, some barely drew a breath," said Reed, 54, a retired county worker who lives in Old Seminole Heights — two miles from the cemetery. "They were loved by someone but treated like crap when they died. That's wrong."

Reed says their ghosts reached out to him and asked him to help restore their respectability.

He knows people mock his belief in the paranormal. But there's no arguing the tangible results of his work.

In 2017, the Hillsborough County Commission presented Reed with a commendation that reads, in part, "The work that Mr. Reed and his group have done in restoring the respect and dignity of the departed will long endure."

The deceased, Reed said, appreciate his work. As he does research at home, he said, things fall from shelves. He hears muffled voices.

"I see out of the corner of my eyes glimpses of figures. They are not evil. ... They want dignity."

The oldest person known to be buried at the cemetery was 104, the youngest 23 minutes old. The first burial was in 1906, the last in December 1966.

After that, except for mowing, the cemetery was ignored. Soil and grass crept over the stones and they sunk into the ground. Signs identifying the two-acre property disappeared.

Tucked among warehouses and homes, it looked like an empty field, said Reed's friend Susan Elbare. "Kids played football there. Few knew it was a cemetery."

The only reminders of the past were a county list of 839 burials and a pile of broken gravestones.

* * *

In 2009, University of South Florida student anthropologists visited the cemetery. Using ground penetrating radar, they found a few markers and a few news stories resulted. No one picked up the challenge to honor the dead, though, and grass again covered the gravestones.

Then, in 2015, while searching county property for a potential new park site, Reed found the cemetery.

He had recently retired on disability from the county after working with the Hillsborough Health Care Plan, for people who need help paying medical bills.

Reed was appalled to learn about the condition of the cemetery. He said he flooded the office of County Commissioner Sandy Murman with correspondence, asking for her help.

In large part because of Reed's efforts, the county changed the name to Cemetery for All People in October 2015 and it received local historic designation.

"We're recognizing the people's lives," Murman said during a rededication ceremony. "Everybody is worth something and has value."

As it turns out, though, Reed's work with the cemetery was just beginning. Later that day, he said, as he walked the property, the spirits first came to him.

"I had an incredible sense like bees buzzing. Something was telling me that something wasn't right."

He returned with Elbare the next day, and while strolling the back of the cemetery, she spotted an inch of concrete sticking out of the ground. They scraped away dirt and found a grave marker.

Reed, who uses a cane, fitted a sharp metal object to the tip and started poking the ground.

"Every so often I'd hit concrete and another marker. It was like a game of battleship."

He gathered friends. Scout troops pitched in. Working occasional weekends, they have uncovered 615 of the 839 markers from the county list — all in the back of the cemetery.

It's usually on cemetery work days that the dead follow Reed home, he said.

"Frankly I don't care if anyone thinks I am crazy."

They encourage him to reveal stories as well as stones.

* * *

Reed has scoured news archives, genealogy websites and county records seeking the names on the county list. He fills binders he will one day turn over to the county.

He's found misspellings.

"James Driver," at Marker 744, should be "James Dwyer," for example.

Then there is Marker 671. It appears twice on the county list — one time for Maymie Georgalas, who was white, and another for "Infant James," who was black.

But there is only one Marker 671 — on the side of the cemetery where black people were buried. That means "Infant James," not Georgalas, is likely buried there. Reed also noticed Marker 871 on the white side of the cemetery is not on the list. He thinks Georgalas is buried there.

On the day he made the connection, Reed said, a drinking glass exploded in the back of his cabinet. He attributes that to Georgalas. He has learned she spent six months in Tampa General Hospital before she died there on June 7, 1959.

"Her daughter Velma was in New York City to become an actress," he said.

All but a few of the names on the list were buried between October 1950 and December 1966. According to minutes from an October 1950 County Commission meeting, there was no "complete record" of burials prior to that month.

Reed estimates he has searched more than 200 microfilm rolls of death certificates and turned up hundreds of names of people who may be buried there.

Luther Tromater is one. His body lay unclaimed for 13 days in 1937 before he was buried in the "county cemetery," according to his death certificate.

"County cemetery means Poor Farm," Reed said.

At Reed's request, USF anthropology professor Thomas Pluckhahn brought in a second team of students a year ago.

Examining the front of the property, where no markers have been found, they discovered "anomalies consistent with graves," Pluckhahn said. "It would take excavation to confirm this."

Until then, Reed said, he will continue his work.

"I am not going to go to the other side and look at these people and say, 'Sucks to be you. I could have done something, and I didn't.'"
Contact Paul Guzzo at [email protected] Follow @PGuzzoTimes.

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He claims ghosts ask him to restore their dignity. So he digs into their stories.

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TAMPA - Ray Reed claims to see dead people. And he does all he can to introduce them to the living. Reed leads volunteers who have uncovered hundreds of grave markers at the Cemetery for All People, known in the early 1900s as the Poor Farm Cemetery.

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It is most likely that a Ghost will haunt a old building but a new building can be haunted to.

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It is most likely that a Ghost will haunt a old building but a new building can be haunted to.

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Not everyone believes in ghosts, spirits and the paranormal. But are there strange goings-on in your home that you sometimes can't explain? One possible conclusion could be that it's haunted...

Alison Wynne-Ryder, a psychic medium, believes there's a few easy ways to tell if your house is home to spirits. And before you think that it's only old buildings that can be haunted, think again.

We take a look at how you can tell if your home is haunted...who you gonna call?

What type of buildings can be haunted?

"Although most people you ask would say old properties - or buildings that house many people, such as prisons, hospitals and castles - the reality is that any property can be haunted, even a modern one," says Alison.

"However, the likelihood is that more old properties tend to have a 'haunted feeling' about them, as they have more history and habitation than newer buildings."

What feelings would I have in a 'haunted' property?

Feelings of being watched or spied on.

Feelings of someone standing close behind you.

Feelings of being touched by unseen hands.

Feelings of the hair on back of your neck standing up.

Feelings of cobwebs on your face or body.

Feeling a cold breeze as if someone has walked past you.

Dark depressing feeling, especially in one particular location.

What are the signs that a building is haunted?

Lights turning on and off, or up and down, on their own.

Light bulbs blowing frequently.

Sounds of items being dropped - but when you go to investigate, there is nothing there.

Seeing unexplained shadows from the corner of your eye.

Strange behaviour from pets in the property: e.g. dogs barking or growling at something you cannot see, cats staring in a particular area as if they can see someone.

Hearing voices of people, whispers, or someone calling your name.

Seeing twinkling lights, mists or unexplained moving shapes.

Sudden temperature drops, especially in one area of the property.

How do spirits enter a house?

"They can 'reside' anywhere, but there are some traditional beliefs that the spirit enters and leaves through the chimney," says Alison. "I know through experience that if they want to enter a house, they will enter wherever they wish to - and don't always exit the same way.

"They don't necessarily confine themselves to one area, although if they feel comfortable in a particular area, this will be where most of the activity is felt - such as extremely cold spots, feelings of being touched and so on.

"For example, there was a spirit boy in my own house a couple of years ago and the sounds he was making seemed to come from within the walls. However, the deep cold I felt was in the spare bedroom, where my grandchildren stayed when they visited. He was drawn to them, making their toys go off on their own, playing with them. During this time, he hid in the wardrobe until I drew him close, communicated with him, and with the help of my medium friend, sent him to the light."

What should I do if I think my home is haunted?

Alison suggests keeping a diary of events to see if there's a pattern occurring of unexplained activity.

She also advises to think about when the strange goings-on started, and if something had happened around that time that could be attributed to the activity.

"For example, did someone 'play' with a oujia board, did you stay in a haunted house or castle, or visit an old graveyard?"

"If your home is indeed haunted, this will not go away of its own accord - it will get worse," says Alison. She advises calling a reputable medium with 'spirit rescue experience' to see what they feel or sense, and give you advice.

"If there is a spirit stuck in the home, they will attend with another medium (or two, in case one of them is overshadowed by the spirit) and communicate with the spirit, hopefully sending it to the light."

Alison Wynne-Ryder is the author of The Quirky Medium

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Not everyone believes in ghosts, spirits and the paranormal. But are there strange goings-on in your home that you sometimes can't explain? One possible conclusion could be that it's haunted... Alison Wynne-Ryder , a psychic medium, believes there's a few easy ways to tell if your house is home to spirits.

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Laura Watson claims the ghostly child can been seen just behind her son's shoulder in the harrowing photograph.

Laura, from Newcastle, had been out with her family at Plessey Woods Park last weekend, when she decided to take some pictures on her phone of her daughter Charlotte Hill, 15, son Byrin Watson, nine and cousin Jack, 16.

She said: "It's very unusual and everyone is really freaked out.

"Me and my daughter couldn't even go to sleep last night because we were so scared."

I didn't believe in anything like that until I saw this for myself

Laura Watson

Laura, a medical receptionist, was left "terrified" when she later saw the pictures she had taken.

She claims the picture shows the face of another child had appeared behind Byrin, despite no one else being near them in the woods at the time.

"My husband is on night shifts and I was alone and I was like 'oh God'. I was terrified in case anything had followed us back," she said.

"I've had people on our Facebook saying they are going to send me prayers."

Laura was sceptical of anything to do with ghosts and the paranormal, but admits the photograph has change her mind.

"I didn't believe in anything like that until I saw this for myself," she said.

The family had been walking their dogs after enjoying a picnic in the park when the children came across a large tree and began climbing it.

Laura decided to take a picture of them using her phone, but it wouldn't be until later that day that she would discover the ghostly figure.

She said: "There was no one behind the tree, my daughter or my nephew would have seen them. There was nobody there."

After getting home and putting the picture on her computer it was only then she made the frightening discovery.

"No one was any the wiser that anything was actually there until I saw the picture," Laura said.

"When I got home I put the picture on the computer and when it zoomed in and I was able to see it closer, I thought what is that thing behind Byrin?

"When I zoomed in further I could see a face. But I was like 'but there was nobody there!

"It looks like a child to me, I don't know if it's a girl or a boy. But I can see this face and it looks like the hand is on my son's shoulder, which is very bizarre.

"Some people have said I must have Photoshopped it as they can't believe it. But I've explained that I wouldn't even have a clue how to do anything like that.

"It was literally taken on a phone. I'm rubbish with technology and I'm just not the kind of person to do that.

"There's no way that is anything but what it is - you can basically see a face.

"For someone to be that close to my son, if it was another child, he would have noticed them.

"I would have seen them and I wouldn't have taken a picture with another kid behind him."

Some have suggested the ghostly figure might be the spirit of a boy who drowned in the woods years ago.

Laura said: "I don't know much about the history of the woods but some people are saying that many moons ago a young boy drowned in the river. You don't know if it's just hearsay.

"A lot of people say it looks like a girl with pigtails but it doesn't to me, it looks like a boy. That's what it looks like to me.

"I would love to go back to the woods, it's not put me off at all. I think it's dead fascinating now.

"Obviously I just hoped it's not hanging around us as I don't want that feeling that something is with us."

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Terrified mother photographs 'ghost' lurking behind her son in shocking picture

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Laura Watson claims the ghostly child can been seen just behind her son's shoulder in the harrowing photograph. Laura, from Newcastle, had been out with her family at Plessey Woods Park last weekend, when she decided to take some pictures on her phone of her daughter Charlotte Hill, 15, son Byrin Watson, nine and cousin Jack, 16.

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You can connect and talk to ghosts with a ouija  board. the way you play is you put your fingers lightly on the triangle. then you ask if the Ghost is there then move this triangle to the yes spot. I would recomend doing this with a friend but take turns doing it with out you having the other person tucting the triangle so you know they aren't moving it.

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You can connect and talk to ghosts with a ouija  board. the way you play is you put your fingers lightly on the triangle. then you ask if the Ghost is there then move this triangle to the yes spot. I would recomend doing this with a friend but take turns doing it with out you having the other person tucting the triangle so you know they aren't moving it.

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Some Ghosts are fake and you can just be seeing some one photo shoped it. If you see a Ghost at you're house you're

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Some Ghosts are fake and you can just be seeing some one photo shoped it. If you see a Ghost at you're house you're

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eyes might be playing tricks on you. but some times it can be real.

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Ghosts have not been known for killing people. They are known for skraching hitting and freaking people out.

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Ghosts have not been known for killing people. They are known for skraching hitting and freaking people out.

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It's that time of year... Fact : Around half of the American population, in survey after survey, say they believe in ghosts and hauntings. There have been dozens of television shows, books, videos...

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Some Ghosts aren't even Ghosts they can be Demon spirits.
Dogs can see these spirits that roam you're house room and some Ghosts roam a whole neighbores

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Ghosts can be good and bad spirits. If they are related or if you know the person who died they mite haunt you