Thursday, May 6, 2010

A Ghostly Return to the Belair Mansion!

(PHOTO: Belair Mansion Credit: City of Bowie)
On May 5, 2010, I returned to the Belair mansion in Bowie, Md. with my mother who was visiting from out of state.
The Belair Mansion (circa 1745) is the beautiful five-part Georgian plantation house of Samuel Ogle, former Provincial Governor of Maryland. Enlarged in 1914 by the New York architectural firm of Delano and Aldrich, the Mansion was also the home of William Woodward, famous horseman in the first half of the 20th century. Restored to reflect is 250-year old legacy, the Mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Several years ago I had taken a candlelight Christmas tour through the mansion and sensed the ghost of a little girl in the nursery. I later confirmed who the ghost was from the house historian and learned that little Anna Marie Ogle died at the age of two in the mansion.
This time, my mom and entered the mansion from the basement door which is now the public entrance. We were met by a docent named Catherine who welcomed us. I immediately developed a headache in the back of my head, the tell-tale sign a ghost or spirit was present. The docent then showed us a 12 minute videotape about the history of the Belair Mansion and its many former owners. Some of which include the breeders of two triple crown horse race winners.
(PHOTO: Anna Marie Ogle's nursery and bedroom where her ghost still runs around and plays)
After that, we took a self-guided tour through the two upstairs levels of the house. On the first level after passing through the dining room and moving toward the west wing (which was added in 1910) I felt Anna's ghost tugging on the right side of my shirt. I suddenly felt a cold spot on my lower right side as if a child's hand was placed above my waist and I heard her ask me to "come upstairs and play with her toys."
We went upstairs and looked through all the rooms and came to the nursery where she passed. Anna kept giving me the feeling of a dry throat and a lot of swallowing. Then, a sudden onset of feeling my body heat up and perspire came over me, as if sweating from a high fever. Anna was sharing with me how she had passed. She's still at the mansion now, enjoying running through the house and trying to get people to play with her, still unaware that she needs to cross over.
We exited the mansion and walked through the small garden far into the backyard, where we saw the small fenced family cemetery. In the cemetery sits a tombstone with a crucifix on it, labeled "Anna Marie Ogle, 1849-1851." (PHOTO: Plaque on the cemetery fence that notes of Anna Marie's short lifetime).

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Who I am

I'm a simple guy who enjoys the simple things in life, especially our dogs. I volunteer for dog rescues, enjoy exercising, blogging, politics, helping friends and neighbors, participating in ghost investigations, coffee, weather, superheroes, comic books, mystery novels, traveling, 70s and 80s music, classic country music,writing books on ghosts and spirits, cooking simply and keeping in shape. You'll find tidbits of all of these things on this blog and more. EMAIL me at Rgutro@gmail.com - Rob

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