Flower Bluff Manor

2/22/2020

3/07/2020

General Information

Investigators: Christy, Becky, Curtis, and Kathy

Equipment used: DVR, 6 IR video cameras, 1 full spectrum video camera, personal audio recorders, digital camera, geophone, Mel Meter, surface temperature thermometer and 2 KII EMF meters, Rem Pod and other person emf and recording equipment.

Cam 1 – Entrance Dining Room

Cam 2 – Back Dining Room

Cam 3 – Back kitchen

Cam 4 – Fireplace Room Upstairs

Cam 5 - Room 2 Upstairs

Cam 6 - Stairwell

Client Claims:

This location is currently a business. It is only occupied during business operational times by the owner, and staff.

A lady in a blue dress was seen by the sous chef (Amber) and previous guests and residents. She is reported to be wearing a period style blue dress with a hat and caring a parasol. An artist that lived on the property in the past drew the lady in blue on the closet door in the back dining room. Team members could see the outline of the head, face, dress and arms even though the artwork had been painted over. The lady in blue is said to like the upstairs fireplace room. She also likes to look at herself in the mirrors.
A little boy was seen by Amber upstairs. There are toys in the blue room upstairs that are said to make sounds and move. The staff says that the little boy likes to tug clothing and pull hair. The client and two staff members report that the side of one leg will feel cold as if the boy is standing next to them. The little boy is said to like women. The boy has been seen peeking around the corner in the kitchen.
In the upstairs rooms at the end of the hallway the staff reports seeing a small creature with horns resembling the Tasmanian devil. The back rooms make the staff feel scared and uncomfortable.
Shiny objects will often be missing throughout the mansion. Not all missing items have been found. The found items will be in a completely different section of the house in a strange place.
The rug on the kitchen floor slid across the room and was witnessed by a member of staff.
When the current owner was preparing the mansion for opening the steakhouse, October 2019, a pentagram, red candles, broken glass and what looked like blood smeared on the wall was found in the basement.
The Client and staff believe that there is the spirit of an old man with glowing eyes in the mansion. The first owner saw the man. If you talk about the old man in the back dining room the lights flicker.
A cold breeze can be felt whooshing by in the upstairs hallway. The breeze is strong enough to feel your hair move.
A lady named Viola was ran over a killed outside the mansion. The client and staff feel that she is still in the mansion.
A guest and his grandson visited the mansion. The grandson fell down the stairs and was adamant that he was pushed down the stairs.
Upstairs in large bathroom, the ceiling always leaks but there are no pipes or roof leaks.
A collection of cherubs was found on the east side of the mansion so the client placed them around the trees. The client thinks they may have been left for a lost loved one.
In the white rook at the top of the stairs, a pregnant visitor said that she started feeling sick and had back pain all of a sudden.
A closet door directly in front of the top of the stairs opens and closes on its own.
A shadow can be seen passing from the first floor main dining room into the tea room. The shadow is said to walk back and forth.
The client’s husband was standing near a table in the first floor back dining room dafter closing. He was leaning on the table with his hand and a chair that was stacked on the table moved and bumped his hand.
A guest was startled when she saw someone standing next to her. When she looked no one was there.
A garage apartment sits directly behind the mansion. Claims are a creeping feeling and lights will turn off and on.
There are claims of a tunnel that runs from the property to a business across the street.
Other claims include hearing footsteps, voices, whispers, seeing shadows move, doors slamming and lights turn on and off upstairs.

There has been no documented deaths on the property.

Historical/Factual/Relevant Info:

The Flower Bluff Manor is a 4,728 square foot 2-story mansion built in 1924 by Jesse Denton (J.D.) Ramsey, former Sulphur mayor, sheriff and entrepreneur. J.D. moved to Sulphur after building hotels and other businesses in Lawton. He sought to build on the attractive springs of the town and bring entertainment to Sulphur residents by building two theaters in town over the years of his residency.

J.D. Ramsey was born in Tennessee on March 5, 1861. He became a laborer on his parents’ farm in Newport, TN, at an early age. He moved to Indiana in 1880 or 1881 where he met and married his first wife, Pauline

Seaton, on September 24, 1881. They had four children together. A daughter, Jessie “Maud”, was born September 23, 1882 in Nebraska; a son, Oscar, was born in August of 1884 in Kentucky; a son, Arlie L., was born September 14, 1886, in Nebraska; and a daughter, Mae, was born in December of 1888 in Arkansas. The Oklahoma Territorial Census of 1890 lists the family as living in Stillwater, OK. Pauline died in 1892; however, records indicate she passed away in Arkansas. This left J. D. widowed with their four children.

J. D. married Ora Elvyra Perry on January 31, 1893. It was common for widowed men to seek a new wife soon after the passing of a previous wife, especially when children were involved. Ora was 19 years old when they married. Their first child together, Fred D., was born October 23, 1893, almost exactly nine months since their marriage. Sadly, this child only survived to be eight-months old when he passed away on July 18, 1894. He was buried in Ingalls Cemetery in Payne County Oklahoma.

Head stone for Fred D. Ramsey, “son of J. D. & Ora Ramsey born Oct 23, 1893, died July 28, 1894.” – Ingalls Cemetery Payne County Oklahoma – photo by sandie.busby, www.findagrave.com

The federal census in 1900 indicates J. D. and Ora as living on F Street in Pawnee County, OK. J. D. was listed as a hardware merchant at that time. His children from his first marriage were still living with them. J. D. ran for city council the same year and became the mayor of Pawnee in October. He served as mayor until about 1902 when a newspaper article in the Kingfisher Times mentions an accusation in district court against J. D. and three other city council members along with the county attorney and county assessor for alleged maladministration in office. No article about the court outcome has been discovered at this time. The next newspaper article mentions J. D. and his wife sold their land in Pawnee in August of 1902 and moved to Lawton where he went into the real estate business.

An article in the Lawton Daily News Republican newspaper mentions J. D., his wife, Ora, and daughter, Maud, spent two months in Sulphur in the summer of 1907. It mentions J. D. Ramsey purchased 70 acres of land adjoining Sulphur on the north side and planned to add a lake with a park addition to his new property. He had already been building in Lawton, including a $9,000 opera house, by 1905 and was now expanding endeavors for touring and entertainment in Sulphur. His plans were to make this property attractive to visitors for recreation. He resigned as a park board member for the city of Lawton to take on this endeavor.

Daily News-Republican, Lawton, OK, 30 July 1907

According to the federal census of 1910, J. D. and Ora had an infant daughter. J. D. was 48 years old and Ora was 36 years old at this time and they had been married for 18 years. This census lists them as living in Leeper, OK, which correlates with the newspaper descriptions of his property north of Sulphur. The lake was eventually built due to a mention in the newspaper in June of 1913 of visitors to the Ramsey house on the lake. There was even an announcement for a band playing at a picnic on the lake in July of 1914.

By 1915, J. D. had his own theater on 2nd street in Sulphur and announced that a remodel of the “Ramsey Theater” to build a new opera house began in August of 1915. The theater was enlarged twice its size to 50 x 85 feet and a seating capacity of about 800 people. The opening night of newly named, “Wigwam Theater” was on October 7, 1915, with a vaudeville show called “The Georgia Strollers.” J. D. Ramsey was also involved in the local politics and held town meetings at his theater in the years that followed.

In January, 1917, a newspaper announcement mentions the Ramsey’s left on a vacation to Corpus Christi for his “wife’s health.” This was the last article found mentioning J. D. and his second wife. The next month, a newspaper article with his name was an ad for a housekeeper, specifically mentioning a “young woman.”

In April 1918, it was announced that J. D. was planning to build a new modern 2-story theater with a balcony.

By January of 1919, he was a retired businessman and candidate for mayor of Sulphur. He was elected in March and took office on May 5, 1919. The 1920 federal census listed J. D. Ramsey as mayor, divorced, living on the Leeper property with his widowed sister-in-law, Elmira Puckett, and his 9-year old nephew, Paul L. Puckett. He placed the farm up for sale by the end of the year.

A newspaper article published in April of that year mentions J. D.’s son, Arlie, had traveled to Sulphur from Lawton to “get even with a railroad conductor, second-hand man, newspaper editor, JP, city attorney and several others who gave publicity to his being in jail in Lawton.” In other words, to get back at those who published his private letter. No other news reports were published about this issue.

The previous legal trouble seems to have been resolved to some extent since it was announced in late April of 1922 that a contract was signed to begin construction on a new modern opera house on Muskogee Ave. Also on the same page in the newspaper is an announcement for his run for State Treasurer. Both articles speak highly of his character and importance to the town of Sulphur.

The Sulphur Times-Democrat 27 Apr 1922 The Sulphur Times-Democrat 27 Apr 1922

Opening night for the opera house was on September 1, 1922 and it was called the “Log Cabin Theater.” The drama between J. D. Ramsey and Major Nations continued into the fall of 1922 when a lawsuit was filed over an unpaid I.O.U. to a third party. The article indicates the amount owed was small but Mr. Nations paid Cunningham for the I.O.U. to apparently have reason to seek retribution from J. D. at a higher value. There seems to also be a case against J. D. from his cousin, Jim Ramsey, for payment for his stay when he was released from jail. J. D. claims his work around the house was payment enough and claimed the statute of limitations on the case had ran out.

The Sulphur Times, 28 Sep 1922 The Sulphur Times, 12 Oct 1922

Ramsey went after Nations in late October 1922 with a lawsuit of his own. The drama that continues between these two is clear in the following article published in The Sulphur Times on 26 Oct 1922:

The legal trouble seems to have resolved or simply became old news and no further reports were published. During all of this, J. D. still found the time to meet and then marry his third wife, Sophia Corley Ramsey, on January 4, 1923. She had moved to Stillwater from Texas two years prior to their marriage and was popular in local social circles. A newspaper article mentions his return after an extended honeymoon in Texas in March of 1923; however Sophia remained in Texas to continue her visit. It can be assumed that this is when J. D. began building the home on 329 W. Muskogee Street in downtown Sulphur for his new wife.

By the 1930 census, J. D.’s sister-in-law, Elmira, was renting the Leeper farm (a dairy farm) from J. D. with her son while J. D. was living with Sophia on Muskogee Avenue in what is now known as the Flower Bluff Manor. They had a servant, named Vinie Storey, and seven boarders in the home. Most were school teachers, two were unemployed and one was a drug store clerk.

J. D. Ramsey died on October 1, 1937, at the age of 76. It is not known at this time how he died or if he died in his home. An obituary has also not been located. It is not clear if one had been published, however mention of a visit to J. D.’s funeral from friends was published in the Glencoe, Oklahoma, newspaper on October 15, 1937.

Left: Article in The Glencoe Mirror, Glencoe, OK, 15 Oct 1937. Middle and Right: Grave of J. D. Ramsey Oaklawn Cemetery, Sulphur, OK

It is also unclear if Sophia remained in their home at 329 W. Muskogee Ave. after J. D.’s death. She did return to Texas at some point thereafter and died in Texas in October of 1975.

Photo of property from National Register of Historic Places: http://nr2_shpo.okstate.edu/pdfs/1000662.pdf

Investigation Report

NOTE: This investigation report will feature 2 different investigations done at this location. Headings that have a 1 in them will represent our initial investigation there. Headings that have a 2 in them will represent our 2nd investigation of the location.

Client Interview 1

The team was getting a tour of the activity in the prep area of the kitchen when an EVP was caught on audio from more than one audio recorder and while Kathy was taking video of the client talking about her experiences. It seems the voice heard was a female saying, “How terrible.” The team has determined this voice does not sound like any other team members, client family or staff members that were there at the time of the recording. This was also captured on video.

Before set-up, Becky was standing on the West side of the house at the end of the sidewalk between the back kitchen and the tree. She heard a loud whisper in a woman’s voice. The whisper was long with several words, but she could not make out what was said. As Becky walked toward the porch, she heard the whisper again, and it was about three words. She could not make out what was said. Becky looked around the area and was the only person outside. We were taking some video of where Becky heard the voice, and we were interviewing Becky about her experience when Kathy’s audio recorder picked up a “voice by the tree.”

Around 9:40 p.m., Becky was in the front dining room talking with the female cook, and a whisper can be heard mixed with the conversation, getting stronger at the end. We did not include this recorded audio, however, because it was hard to hear.

Our team decided to conduct interviews with two male employees in the red dining room downstairs. We recorded these interviews.

Our team was with the client, who was showing us the old drawing on one of the inside doors of the closet in the downstairs dining area. Apparently, the person who had owned the manor before had seen a woman in period clothing with the blue dress, and they drew her image on the closet door. The door has since been painted over, but the image of the woman can still faintly be seen on the door through the paint. During this time, Christy’s audio recorder also picked up an EVP of a woman’s voice saying, “That one.” There were no other EVPs recorded during this time.

Drawing on inner closet door of the "Lady in Blue" seen by former owner. Photo on left is close up of the face and photo on the right is picture of face and torso. Door was painted over at some point after the images were drawn.

Setup 1

The setup started a few minutes after 9:30 p.m. We decided to set up our base operation upstairs in a room that is connected to a room with a fireplace. After a few minutes of investigating, Becky audibly heard a male’s voice saying, “Hey.” This was not captured on any of our audio recorders. About 30 minutes after that, our team began setting up cameras and positioning them. Christy’s audio recorder picked up a male’s voice saying, “Quit it.” His voice was captured again at the base, saying, “You’re not supposed to erase that.” About 2 minutes after this EVP was recorded, the male’s voice came in again and said, “No.” Capturing his voice so many times during our initial setup would make sense, as we later learned that the male spirit present

there did not like investigators intruding on his space. Later, during a sit-down, we would learn that this man thought what we were doing was nonsense.

At approximately 10:25 p.m., Becky was standing in the fireplace room and heard a raspy whisper that said “hey” behind and to the right of her right ear. This EVP was too faint to be picked up on our audio recorders. Around 1:00 a.m., Christy, Curtis, Kathy, and Becky were in the front dining room, sitting at a table, and Christy audibly heard a male whisper, but it wasn’t loud enough for our recorders to clearly pick up. When we reviewed the audio, it sounded more like a breathy male sound, but not clear enough to be heard as an audible EVP.

Walkthrough/Sweeps 1

Our group began our investigation of the location, starting with the upstairs area. We conducted sweeps of each area of the location. 12:32 a.m. We were in the downstairs red dining room, having a small sit-down after our sweeps had been conducted. We heard a couple of pops, followed by a strange vocal sound. We attempted to find the source of the sound but were unable to locate it, and our audio recorders were not in the area to capture this audible incident.

1:11 a.m. Our team thought we might have captured a light anomaly on our video cameras, so we were in the base room upstairs reviewing some video footage when we heard what sounded like a door being closed hard. Christy and Becky went to check it out to see if any of the doors had been closed, but all of the doors were still open.

1:45 a.m. As our team was conducting sweeps in the downstairs back kitchen area, Christy saw a shadow that she assumed at first was Curtis coming around the corner of the pantry door entrance. Curtis, however, was still in the hallway area, and when Christy saw him enter the back kitchen area, she was surprised because she had assumed he had already come into the room. The shadow observed was approximately 6 feet in height and had a masculine appearance.

Recreations of this shadow were made, but they didn’t match the shadow that Christy had seen. Nothing else paranormal in nature occurred during our sweeps.

Recreations of this shadow were made, but it didn’t match the shadow that Christy had seen. Nothing else paranormal in nature occurred during our sweeps.

Walkthrough/Sweeps 2

The group began the sweeps and investigation at around 9 pm.

11:53 a.m. Christy and Becky began taking equipment down the hallway to the back part of the upper floor to use for their sweeps. At approximately 11:53 p.m., both Christy and Becky heard a male’s voice but couldn’t make out what

was being said. Even though both investigators had their audio recorders on, this voice was not picked up clearly on their audio due to the squeaking wooden floors.

12:01 a.m. After conducting a sweep of this back room area, Christy and Becky decided to do a sit-down to monitor for activity in the room. While asking for any spirits present to light up the EMF meter if they could, Christy and Becky both heard footsteps off in the corner of the room, back behind them. This happened at approximately 12:01 a.m.

12:45 a.m. Our team moved to another room on

the upper floor of the manor. It was a room we nicknamed “The Poker Room” because a poker table was located in it. Although nothing was captured on video or audio, at approximately 12:45 a.m., Christy saw a weird-shaped black shadow over Kathy’s right shoulder. Shortly after that, Christy and Becky heard a female voice in the hallway right outside of the poker room. It sounded like 3-4 words, but was muffled and could not be made out. This voice was not captured on audio.

12:56 a.m. Our team then moved outside to the 2nd-floor balcony. Sweeps were conducted on the balcony along with photographic and video sweeps. At approximately 12:56 a.m., Becky, who was following Christy, had her own unique experience when she heard what she thought sounded like footsteps, followed by an immediate sense of a spirit presence, as if someone had come up behind her. Right after Becky had her experience, Kathy’s audio recorder picked up a female whisper saying what sounds like, “It’s so bright.” This is interesting because it was right before Christy turned on a bright light for filming an interview of Becky’s experience.

Our team then proceeded downstairs to conduct our sweeps of the lower floor, and then we decided to do a sit-down in the main dining room area.

Sit-Down 1

Our team decided to do a sit-down in the downstairs red dining room. During this time, our team experienced no paranormal activity and recorded nothing on our equipment. On our second visit, we conducted a sit-down in the larger dining room. In this room, Christy started talking to the female spirit, Adeline, who was there. Adeline told Christy that she enjoyed helping out around the manor. Our group recorded two other EVPs during our investigation at the Flower Bluff. Both are male voices, one saying, “wash,” and the other saying, “busy all.”

Getting Ready for Bed - Investigation 1

We finished eating and decided to go to bed. With our stationary cameras still running throughout the building, we also left our audio recorders in various areas of the building. Christy left her audio recorder in the base room set up. This room was next door to the room we chose to sleep in.

Christy and Becky were already in bed. Kathy was in the bathroom, and Curtis was standing up next to the light, waiting for Kathy to come back into the room. While we were sleeping, Christy’s

audio recorder captured a female voice saying, “bitch.”

Exhausted, we decided to settle in for the night and get some sleep. Upon review of our cameras, nothing anomalous was captured on video. The following things were recorded on audio while we were asleep.

· Thud and loud pops

· Loud, weird sound and male whisper

· “Voice heard in distance” and 2 loud pounding sounds.

Wrap up 2

The second investigation, our group began to wrap up around 2:30 a.m. since we decided to drive back home rather than stay overnight. During this wrap-up period, no evidence was recorded.

Overnight while we were sleeping

Our group was very tired so we decided to settle down for the night and go to sleep. Upon review of our cameras, nothing anomalous was captured on video. The following things were recorded on audio while we were asleep.

Thud and loud pops

Loud weird sound and male whisper

“Voice heard in distance” and 2 loud pounding sounds.

Wrap up 2

The night was getting pretty late since it was already 2:30 a.m. and we still had a long drive back, so our team decided to pack up our equipment and head home. During our wrap up there was no recorded evidence.

Conclusion:

Our team believes that this location is haunted by two main spirits: a female named Adeline and a male named James. Both are earthbound spirits who have chosen to remain in the current location. We do not feel like they are harmful to the owner, staff, or guests at the location. Both spirits were given a chance to cross over while we were there.

There may be other spirits that drop in and visit for short periods of time. Partly due to the building, but also because of the people who occupy it during business hours.

Psychic Investigator’s Comments

The Lady Who Was Ran Over By The Horse and Buggy

When we first turned down the street in front of this place, I got the image of a woman in the street and then a horse and buggy hitting her. I also got an image of a man who had served as a law enforcement officer, and he was trying to keep bootleggers from using the underground tunnels in the town to smuggle liquor.

The Little Boy

When I walked around the property, I saw a little boy running around the yard. He was probably between 4 and 6 years old.

Older Lady in Blue Dress – Adeline

Inside the house, the client treated us to a nice dinner. As we sat there waiting for our food, an older woman in a blue dress approached our table, and I heard her say, “Is everything alright?” I smiled and nodded my head and told her, “Yes, thank you.” It was as if she felt she was working there in the manor, helping out.

Later, when we did our sit-down in the larger dining room with the piano, the woman came up to me and started talking. She told me her actual name was Adeline, but she preferred to be called “Lady of the House” for this place where she was staying. She admitted to liking the manor and Linda, and she enjoyed helping out there. She loved to cook and said she was a pretty good cook when she was alive. She admitted that she is the one that many have seen in the blue dress, but that she doesn’t always wear blue. She said that she had died from heart failure, and from what I could tell, she looked to be in her late 60s, early 70s. She shared her story with me, and I relayed it to the group as the following:

Ms. Adeline was originally from Georgia. She grew up on a plantation back in the mid-1800s. Her parents owned a few slaves, and while she didn’t agree with this or everything that took place on the plantation, she did have a good childhood. She was very fond of the pink roses that her mother grew in front of their plantation home. She eventually grew up, got married, and had children of her own. She did lose one child. It died very young. This really depressed her, and she had never really gotten over losing it. She said her remaining children had grown up and moved away. She and her husband were both getting up in years when her husband died of heart failure. His death left her feeling very lonely. Eventually, she passed away from heart failure herself, and she decided to try to find other family members. She set out on a journey and eventually found someone she knew a few states away, who happened to be a boarder at the Flower Bluff Manor. She really became fond of the place, and even when all the boarders left, she still decided to stay. The manor reminded her a little bit of her plantation home back in Georgia.

I had asked Ms. Adeline why she hadn’t chosen to cross over, and she told me that she was a little afraid to cross. She said she believes in Heaven and was raised to believe in God, but she is afraid that if she goes to the other side, then there will be no more of her. She stated that she had seen others cross over, but then she never sees them again, and that bothers her. She needs a guarantee that she will still exist on the other side if she chooses to cross over. I took the time to speak with Ms. Adeline and let her know that it was okay to cross over and that others would be there to greet her. I also assured her that she could come back and visit us on this side from time to time. She told me that she would think about that.

Ms. Adeline was also very helpful with identifying the male who existed in the manor. At one point, she, a man, and a young child had been there in the manor. Ms. Adeline told me that someone (another spirit) had come for the young boy and had crossed him over, and she hadn’t seen him since. Only she and the man whom she called “James” were in the manor now.

Male Spirit - James

She said James was a bit of a cranky man who liked to keep to himself. She told me that he did try to scare people when they came upstairs, only because he didn’t want them in his territory. I personally got a quick glimpse of James, and I saw him as an adult from around the year 1916. He was a thin man with a mustache and had brownish colored hair. He was wearing a tan safari-type shirt and a pair of long, knee-length shorts. He had a square hat with a dip in the middle. He honestly reminded me of the guide in the movie “Jumanji.” He appeared to be around the age of his late 40s to early 50s. I did learn that he traveled a lot for work and was somewhat of a journalist. He enjoyed staying up-to-date with current events. I saw another quick glimpse of him holding/reading a newspaper. The owner, Linda, offered to bring him up a newspaper each day, and he really liked that idea. James did think that what we were doing as paranormal investigators was sheer nonsense, and he wanted no part of it. He then told me that we had done enough prying and that he just wanted to be left alone. We then granted him his wish.

Conclusion

All spirits that reside here at this manor seem harmless; they are simply living out their spiritual lives there while appearing to enjoy it.