Frequently, brave skeptics venture into haunted locations to attempt to debunk stories they believe to be untrue. In the summer of 1884, one such man took up residence in a home previously fled by several other families over the course of a short period of time. Believing the frightened tenants were influenced by their imaginations, the man struck a deal with the landlord who had been having trouble finding anyone who would stay for more than one night. After settling in, the new resident found his preconceived ideas to be biased. The skeptic had never encountered a ghost. The quaint cottage on Dodge Street in Omaha, Nebraska would turn him into a believer.
Over the course of a few months, four different families moved into a small cottage on Dodge Street in Omaha only to flee after spending one night in the home. Each family described similar experiences related to a ghost who haunted the home. After retiring for the night, the residents would be awakened by strange noises. Although the doors to the home were locked, they would fly open and a cold breeze would flow into the house. From the bedroom doorway, footsteps approached the victim. Upon reaching the bedside, a cold, clammy hand would be laid upon the face of the person and then mysteriously disappear.
All four families, after only staying one night, fled the home.
The house stood empty for quite some time until a brave skeptic struck a deal with the landlord who had been troubled by the difficulty of renting the cottage. Believing the previous tenants to be weak-minded and overwhelmed by their imaginations, the man settled in to live in the rent-reduced home.
Throughout the first day, he found no indication of a haunting. No odd sounds echoed through doorways or cold gusts of wind chilled the home. As a precaution against pranksters, the man installed bolts on the doors and nailed the windows shut. Before retiring for the night, the man dressed in his nightclothes turned down the lamp and settled into bed. He lay awake for quite some time, listening for the sounds reported by the previous tenants. He heard nothing more than the usual sounds of a house. Congratulating his braveness, he said out loud, “I told you so.” However, as he spoke those words, a strange noise was heard. The doors swung open and cold air rushed through the house. The man’s heartbeat rapidly increased as sweat formed on his forehead. Attempting to suffocate the fear rising within, the man sat up, and through the dimly lit room, he strained his eyes toward the open doorway. Footsteps approached. At first, he saw nothing, but as his eyes adjusted, he plainly saw the form of a man. Although frightened, the man was curious to know the name of the intruder. Summoning as much courage as possible, the man called out, “Who is there?” The form in the doorway groaned in response. The man called out the same question and received the same answer. With his eyes still fixed upon the form, it began to walk toward him. The ghostly form stopped next to the man who was hunkered down in his bed and rested its cold, clammy fingers upon the man’s head. The frightened tenant reached out to grab the arm of the form only to grasp air as the ghost disappeared.
Like the other four families before him, the man retreated from the home only to return the following morning to gather his belongings. He never stepped foot in the house again.
A group of young men decided to stay overnight in the home to “unravel the mystery.” They intended to conduct their investigation the Saturday after the last tenant fled. The outcome, or if they ever followed through with their plans, remains unknown.
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The author:
Tayden Bundy
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