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Poltergeists

What Makes a "Poltergeist" From Tomorrow, Vol. 8, No. 2, Spring 1960 On the following pages, the readers of Tomorrow will find a variety of articles dealing with cases of so-called "poltergeist" activity. These narratives are presented with one aim in mind: to advance the knowledge of the human personality, as it manifests itself through such phenomena as odd noises, mysterious movements of household goods and furniture, inexplicable explosions, and similar happenings. In the majority of cases offered in this issue, the suggestion is strong that they are without paranormal cause; that neither a discarnate spirit, nor an unknown psychophysical force is involved. The conclusion that perhaps most 'poltergeist' phenomena are somehow man-made, does not, however, solve the riddle of their existence. Even if it is true that someone in Baltimore or Iowa decided to play spook during the past few months, this does not answer the questions put in "The Case of the Noisy Intruder" by Edmond P. Gibson or in the historical material on "The Violent Ghosts of Amherst" by Susy Smith. Man-made spookery leaves us with these questions still unanswered: Why this particular type of phenomena? Why not something quite different, in this day of electronics and super-sonics? Why ghosts, and bumps, and fear? Parapsychology, or psychical research, makes it its business to explore frontiers of human knowledge that are neglected by other areas of science.

Stories about poltergeists saw an increase in media attention around the 1950s. The term “poltergeist” originates from German, meaning “noisy ghost.” Distinct from the typical ghost or spirit, according to some definitions, poltergeists generally presented themselves with unexplainable sounds and activities rather than visible appearances. Examples of poltergeist activity include moving objects and furniture, strange noises, and, more destructively, explosions.

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The Eileen J. Garrett Parapsychology Foundation Collection features several items revolving around poltergeists. Materials include photographs, newspaper clippings, personal communications, and more.

For information on a few of these cases, please click on the icons below

  • Thumbnail for the post titled: Seaford Poltergeist

    Seaford Poltergeist

    Among the most famous poltergeist stories is the Seaford Poltergeist, the inspiration for the 1982 film, Poltergeist. From February 3 to March 10, 1958, the Hermann family of Seaford, NY, […]

  • Typewritten manuscript, page 1, "The House of Knocks and Bumps" by Daniel Lehmann The text, which has faded, contains handwritten edits The text reads: Near the end of July, 1959, in a house on a poultry farm not far from New York City, a series of mysterious knocks and scratching noises began to annoy the residents. The family of four consisted of the father, mother, and two daughters, age 17 and 11. Although these are not their names, let us identify them as Mr. and Mrs. Marx and their daughters, Julia and Alice. The strange phenomena came to the attention of psychical researchers and the general public on August 28 and the first days of September, when Mrs. Marx called the local newspapers to ask for help in solving the problem. Up to that time, for six weeks, the mysterious knocks were heard in the upstairs and downstairs walls of the house at various times of the day and night. The most remarkable manifestations were those knocks that were heard "like clockwork," to use Mrs. Marx's phrase, every night at 9:30. On September 3, this reporter and Dr. Karlis Osis, Research Director of the Parapsychology Foundation, New York, received permission to go there and visit the house. We arrived about the middle of the afternoon and stayed until after 10 P.M. We heard nothing unusual. This action was true to form, as reported in other cases of this type - more often than not, the disturbances do not take place when under close observation. However, ten minutes after we left, it was reported later, the knocks were heard again, starting in the bedroom and continuing for about twenty minutes. This action, also, was true to the usual behavior of "poltergeist" infestations - for such events usually begin again "as soon as your back is turned"! Dr. Osis and I had a certain frame of reference with which to judge the case. Dr. Osis, of course, is a trained parapsychologist, and we had both visited the "house of flying objects"

    Poultry Farm Poltergeist

    Details from the Seaford Poltergeist case became a point of comparison for other poltergeist cases. In the manuscript, “The House of Knocks and Bumps,” Daniel Lehmann describes a case that […]

  • "The Baltimore Poltergeist" by Michael Naver and Travis Kidd, From Tomorrow, Vol. 8, No. 2, Spring 1960 The chandelier swung violently, pitchers and bottles crashed, a sugar bowl leaped, and an incense burner flew off the shelf. To any outside observer, the Edgar G. Jones family would appear as a model of a closely-knit, happy household. Lodged in a pleasant six-room brick house in a quiet residential section of Baltimore, the Joneses are three generations of a family - to all appearances, a harmonious, self-sufficient family. Yet the observer need only have entered the house between January 14 and February 8, 1960, to discover how far from the case this was. A succession of breaking, cracking, flying and exploding objects had left the house a shambles and tightened the family's nerves to the breaking point. More eerie yet, the events had fallen generally into the classic pattern of the poltergeist, or so-called "noisy ghost" phenomena. Edgar G. Jones, the homeowner, is a retired fireman, home for good after thirty-seven years of service in the Baltimore Fire Department. He is taciturn, almost phlegmatic, but he has fond [text continues on next page]

    Baltimore Poltergeist

    The Baltimore Poltergeist haunted the Jones family in Baltimore, Maryland from January 14 to February 8, 1960. Edgar G. Jones and his wife lived with their daughter and son-in law, […]

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Please note that the items in this collection may contain imagery, language, and ideas that are offensive, derogatory, and/or harmful. The items were scanned directly from the original materials and some contain imagery and language that is euphemistic, racist, homophobic, sexist, ableist or that otherwise demeans the humanity of people.