October Headlines: Pub’s Specter Stolen

By Joy Neighbors

Welcome to the annual Joy’s Joy of Wine spooktauclar series of October-themed blog posts. This is the time of year for tales of hauntings and things that go bump (or burp, as the case may be,) in the night.

Bolton, England

Some people brag about having a ghost, others don’t want to discuss the subject, and then there are those who relish the thought of a haunting. The folks in Bolton, England take their ghosts seriously. So seriously that when one went missing, they demanded he be returned!

Ye Olde Man and Sythe Pub

Last year a Chinese student contacted Ye Olde Man & Sythe Pub claiming that he had stolen their ghost. The specter is said to be that of James Stanley, the Seventh Earl of Derby who has haunted Bolten’s oldest pub for centuries. According to the student (who possibly had a dram too many), the Earl agreed to go with him and willing went into a metal canister so that he could be “exhibited” at the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art in Manchester.

Richard Greenwood

Richard Greenwood, the pub’s owner wrote a letter to the student saying, “I feel very strongly that James Stanley’s ghost should remain in Bolton and at Ye Olde Man and Scythe to preserve the natural order of things.”

Greenwood continued, “That said I do believe that your exhibition should travel and be seen by many people around the world and I would like to contribute to this as long as at the end of your exhibition it returns home.”

Apparently, Greenwood didn't mind being accommodating but he’s not willing to “give up the ghost.”

James Stanley

According to lore, Stanley spent his last few hours in the pub before being beheaded outside the building for his part in the 1644 Bolton massacre. Why is the Earl attracted to the pub? His family owned it at the time of his death. The chair he sat in to eat his last meal is still there. And Greenwood, (very generously, I think) volunteered to allow the chair to accompany the traveling art exhibit.

No word if his offer was ever accepted or if the Earl has been returned, but here’s a  short video clip from the pub’s interior camera with what the staff believe is their ghost dropping in for a visit.

Pour a glass of wine, or something stronger because there's more to come next week - Enjoy the season!

Haunted Wineries of the Northwestern U.S.

It’s Halloween – the perfect time to explore a haunted winery or two.  This is our last look at haunted U.S. wineries, so pour a glass of something dark and brooding as we explore some ‘spirited’ wineries, and those who make them so…

Chateau Ste Michelle is the oldest winery in Washington State and one of the most acclaimed.  Located near Woodinville on 105 wooded acres, Chateau Ste Michelle is also said to be haunted. 

The Manor House was built in 1912 by Seattle lumber baron Frederick Stimson.  The winery actually began in 1934 with the formation of the Pommerelle Wine Company, which made fruit wines, and the National Wine Company.  In 1954, the two companies merged to form American Wine Growers.  Ste Michelle began in 1967 as a new line of wines for the AWG Company.

Nine years later, in 1976, a French style Chateau was built in Woodinville and the name was changed to Chateau Ste Michelle.  In 1984, the winery helped obtain federal BATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco) recognition of the Columbia Valley as an AVA (American Viticulture Area.)

The original Manor House is the location of most spirited reports.  It is used for meetings and special dinners held in connection to the winery. 





According to staff, a female ghost haunts the back servants stairs of the house, which connects to the kitchen and second floor. Windows on the upper level open on their own, lights go on and off, and doors open and close, seemingly at will.  Cold spots, shadows and footsteps also seem to move from the stairs to the second floor rooms.

Chateau Ste Michelle is open during the winter from 10 A.M. to 5P.M.  For more information, visit http://www.ste-michelle.com

~

Another spirited female keeps employees on their toes at Argyle Winery in Dundee, Oregon.  Located in the Willamette Valley, Argyle Winery was founded in 1987.  Argyle is celebrating its 25^th year in business this year, but its ghost has been around for over a century.

The female spirit that haunts the winery is believed to be that of Lena Elsie Imus.  Lena lived in the house that is now the winery and committed suicide there in 1908 by swallowing carbolic acid. She was 25 years old. According to news reports she was unconscious for ten hours after ingesting the acid.  She was then awake for 24 hours before she died.  During that time she said she had become depressed and thought she had nothing to live for.

But apparently Lena wasn’t ready to move on.  Employees report smelling flowery perfume in the house, laughter comes from empty rooms, lights turn on and off, footsteps can be heard upstairs when no one is there, and gusts of air blow through the house when it is still outside.  Staff also reports that glasses have been heard breaking and shattering in other 
rooms, but when investigated no glass can be found.

Argyle Winery is known for its Pinot Noir wines and they have named one in honor of Lena.  SpiritHouse Pinot Noir is a tribute to Argyle’s resident ghost.

Lena Imus is buried in the Pioneer Cemetery at Dundee, along side her father and two brothers.  On her tombstone are inscribed the words, “Not Dead, But Gone Before”……

Argyle Winery is open daily from 11 A.M. to 5 P.M.  If you stop in, be sure to try the SpiritHouse wine and raise a glass in honor of Lena.  For more information, visit http://argylewinery.com.

If you have enjoyed this series on haunted wineries, check out A Grave Interest @ http://agraveinterest.blogspot.com

for a look at haunted cemeteries.

Happy Halloween!!

~ Joy

Haunted Wineries of the Midwest

It’s October, when thoughts turn to harvest, Halloween, and hauntings – the perfect time to explore a haunted winery or two.  This month, Joy’s JOY of Wine will take a look at haunted wineries across the U.S. and the world. So pour a glass of something dark and brooding as we explore some ‘spirited’ wineries, and those who make them so…

Dozier Vineyard and Winery began when a hobby went awry.  Bruce and Nina Dozier purchased 48 acres of ground in Ellinwood, Kansas in 1998 to start a vineyard and winery on.

The Dozier’s decided that the abandoned Santa Fe railroad depot structure, located on the property, would be the perfect place for their main winery building.  Renovations began, and the spirits were moved.  

Locals claim that they have seen the ghost of a young woman dressed in a white wedding dress waiting outside the depot (now the winery,) with a minister.  Others claim that she paces the dirt road in front of the winery.

Legend has it that the young bride-to-be was waiting for her fiancee so they could be married before he went to war.  But the train did not stop that day and her intended was taken off to battle where he was killed.

Unfortunately, Dozier Vineyard and Winery is now closed. But that means little to the bride-to-be who still waits for her love to disembark at the lonely train depot....

~

The most well known haunted winery in the Midwest is located in the “Show Me” state.  And, it appears that they have a lot of spirits to show….

Belvoir Winery, in Liberty, Missouri, is located on the grounds of the former I.O.O.F. – Independent Order of Odd Fellows District Home.  Belvoir is French for “beautiful view,” and that’s what the owners, Dr John and Marsha Bean, thought when they saw the I.O.O.F. property in the 1990’s.  They knew this was the place for their winery and vineyard.  But once they began work on the buildings, they realized they had more than rooms with a view…

The I.O.O.F. is one of the largest fraternal and benevolent organizations in the U.S.  The Missouri Odd Fellows built the complex around 1900 as a place to care for the elderly, indigent and orphaned.  The buildings were constructed in the Jacobethan Revival style. 

Today, only three of the original buildings remain, the Administration building, the Old Folks building, (nursing home,) and the Old Hospital.  The winery occupies the Odd Fellows Administration Building, the oldest structure on the property.  The basement was renovated to be used as the wine cellar and processing area.  The first floor holds the winery, ice cream shop, and event rooms.

Several paranormal investigative groups have been to Belvoir Winery.  All have reported some type of activity.  Reports range from footsteps, screams, and unidentified laughter, to male spirits, shadows that move on their own, and clothing being tugged on.  Much of the activity is reported to be in the cellar area of the winery.

There has been enough activity on the grounds and in the buildings that Belvoir Winery offers public and private paranormal investigations of the facilities. Paranormal Research Investigators heads up the monthly public sessions.  According to PRI members, Belvoir is one of the most haunted locations they have investigated.

There is also an I.O.O.F. cemetery on the property.  A plot, headstone and funeral were available to all Odd Fellow members when the district home was in operation.  Over 600 members are interred here.

While home to numerous ghosts, Belvoir Winery is also home to six wines.  The winery is open seven days a week and free tastings are available.  To learn more, or schedule a ghostly tour, visit http://www.belvoirwinery.com/

Next week, we follow the spirits westward…..

~ Joy

Haunted Wineries of the North and South

It’s October, when thoughts turn to harvest, Halloween, and hauntings – the perfect time to explore a haunted winery or two.  This month, Joy’s JOY of Wine will take a look at haunted wineries across the U.S. and the world. So pour a glass of something dark and brooding as we explore some ‘spirited’ wineries, and those who make them so…

Howell’s Main Street Winery is a boutique winery located in historic downtown Howell, Michigan.  With wooden floors and creaking stairs, it also boasts of a ghost or two.

Owners John and Sandy Vyletel report that objects move of their own accord, noises emit from empty rooms, and lights go on and off.

The Southern Michigan Paranormals group has investigated Howells’ on several occasions and picked up paranormal activity. The group reports several spirits residing here. The ghost of a small boy has been sighted in the winery.  Apparently his parents owned the building in the 1800’s and he decided to stay.

Howell’s Main Street Winery is getting into the spirit of things this season with psychic and intuitive readings scheduled for the last weekend of October.  Be sure to check out their VuDu wine.

Howell’s offers over 30 wines to choose from including grape, fruit and dessert, along with seasonal wines. If you’ve always wanted to make your own, Howell’s holds sessions where you can select the wine you wish to make and take it from crafting, to bottling, corking and labeling with their guidance.  Learn more at http://www.howellsmainstreetwinery.com/

~

Old North State Winery & Brewery in Mt Airy, North Carolina opened in a building that has had its share of odd events.

The structure was built in 1885 and operated as a general store.  In 1926, a rival storeowner set off dynamite in front of the store and destroyed it.  Years later, during the building’s reconstruction, an arm bone was discovered.  No one knows to whom it belonged.

The winery began as a cooperative in 2002. Employees have reported that doors close on their own, footsteps are heard shuffling through the cellar, and shadows appear to have a life of their own.  It’s been rumored that a suicide occurred on the second floor, but most of the activity happens in the wine cellar.  The cellar staff named one of the wines, “Restless Soul,” after the paranormal occurrences.  

Old North State Winery and Brewery has over 20 wines available.  For more information, visit http://www.oldnorthstatewinery.com

Know of a haunted winery?  Let me know where the wine spirits imbibe….  Next week, haunted wineries of the Midwest.

~ Joy