Editor’s note: This is the second in a series

As reported in the Halloween edition of The Sampson Independent, several North Carolina paranormal investigation teams were invited to explore the Dr. Allmand Holmes house, located at 311 W. Main St., Clinton. Those investigations produced documented evidence of paranormal activity. In addition, many personal incidents occurred that could not be documented, but there were too many incidents to be ignored.

A paranormal investigator himself, Steve Boyette previously resided in the Dr. Allmand Holmes house for nearly two years. Upon moving in, he soon documented evidence of unexplainable activity and invited other investigators to visit to corroborate his findings.

These various investigations resulted in the inescapable conclusion that spirits are present in the old mansion. It’s important to note that paranormal investigators are a trustworthy bunch, fully committed to the privacy of the property owner and maintaining their trust. For that reason, none of the investigations leaked out.

Some who are not paranormal investigators had their own experiences, despite knowing nothing of the ongoing formal investigations. In fact, years before the investigations began, one person experienced an apparition at an upstairs window staring down to the ground below.

Permission was obtained to share these accounts from these reliable individuals; all of whom are very credible.

Myra Smith Goodwin is an educator. Her grandson witnessed an apparition at the rear of the mansion and Myra shares this account:

“My mom passed away 5 years ago. At that time I was renting the brick house belonging to the Tarts, which was right behind the Dr. Holmes house,” she said. “A day or so after Mom died, my daughter , grandson and family were still visiting me. My 16-year-old grandson had been outside, (using) his phone.

“He came inside and asked who the lady was who was standing in upstairs window. At this time, there was no one in the house … no visitors at all! The house was locked up tightly. Eli, my grandson, matter-of-factly described her as looking down and toward the left of the brick house.

“Being a typical teen, he had been more interested in his game than the appearance of the woman in the window. He described her clothes as ‘different from what people wear now.’” I mentioned this to Jan Tart, and found that no one had been in the house. This was the time before Realtors were visiting the home. I have no doubt that Eli saw a lady standing at the window.”

A few arriving investigators also reported seeing the lady at the window.

Earl Butler is a retired educator. He’s also a well-respected local historian. He has become good friends with the new owner of the mansion. During one of Butler’s recent visits, he was sitting in the rear den with a clear view of the staircase and hallway, when he was surprised to see a lady in a dark colored long dress and wearing a bonnet descending the stairs. Butler was adamant, saying: “I know what I saw!”

Although a five-year time period. separated their sightings, it seems that Myra Smith Goodwin’s grandson and Earl Butler saw the same lady. Grandson Eli saw her staring out of an upstairs window, five years ago, while Earl Butler saw her descending the stairway a few months ago.

In response to Butler’s stairway sighting, Boyette stated, “I never told Earl Butler anything about the paranormal activity in the mansion. He was not influenced by any of our investigators — because we did not reveal anything. Nothing at all. He had this experience before any news was published.”

There was yet another (undocumented) encounter with the spirit lady who resides upstairs during an unplanned casual visit.

“Danny is the founder of Raleigh Para Seekers. I won’t use his last name to avoid potential issues with his employer. He and his fiance were heading to the beach when he detoured to show the mansion to her. They had been there 45-minutes when Danny noticed the chain on the front door was swinging. No one had gone near that door the entire time,” Boyette said.

He added: “There was no reason for that chain to be moving — and it had never done that before.”

They grabbed a K2 meter, audio recorder, and camera and approached the front door. The swinging chain was documented on video and the K2 meter illuminated several times when questions were asked.

After 3 minutes of interacting with the unseen entity, the batteries in all devices simultaneously went “dead” , and a female voice from upstairs loudly yelled at them. “Both Danny and I were stunned when this happened. We could not understand what the upstairs voice said; it sounded like she was in an echo chamber — and she was not happy with us! Neither of us had ever experienced anything like it before. Worst of all, the audio recorder batteries had been “zapped” so we failed to capture this on tape,” said Boyette.

Current homeowner Stephen Stewart is totally skeptical of spirits, but even he shared an experience a few months ago.

He said: “A relative was staying with me a few weeks ago and woke up to a Civil War soldier standing over them in the gentleman’s parlor (my bedroom currently) and smiling, then just walking off. They said he was very handsome, a beautiful smile, and clean-shaven.”

“We respect Stephen Stewart’s skepticism,” said Boyette, “but we believe his house guest was visited by Confederate officer Lt. William Walter Sillers (1838-1863) of the 30th North Carolina Infantry; the brother-in-law of Dr. Allmand Holmes. Prior to the Civil War, the (unmarried) Sillers lived in that house with his sister, Fannie Holmes; the wife of Dr. Allmand Holmes.”

Two final points for now:

1.) It’s a rare opportunity to share paranormal activity. Para-investigators never betray a client’s trust. They don’t reveal specifics or identities unless permission is granted. In this case, property owner Stephen Stewart gave permission to publish our experiences and findings; and we thank him. (A reminder that Stewart does not want to be contacted by any other paranormal teams — please respect his privacy.)

2.) In response to numerous questions, we never charge any fees. Our investigative services are provided at no cost.

There’s more information to follow in this series. Keep watching The Sampson Independent for future installments.

Myra Smith Goodwin
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/web1_Myra-Smith-Goodwin-profile-pic.jpgMyra Smith Goodwin Courtesy photo

Earl Butler
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/web1_Earl-Butler-profile-pic.jpgEarl Butler Courtesy photo

A swinging chain was documented on video and a K2 meter illuminated several times when questions were asked.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/web1_haunted.jpgA swinging chain was documented on video and a K2 meter illuminated several times when questions were asked. Courtesy photo

Rear of the Dr. Allmand Holmes mansion on West Main Street, Clinton. Several have seen a lady in a dress from a long ago era staring out of the circled window.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/web1_Mansion-Dr.-Holmes-house-rear-HPIM7896-Edited-2-.jpgRear of the Dr. Allmand Holmes mansion on West Main Street, Clinton. Several have seen a lady in a dress from a long ago era staring out of the circled window. Courtesy photo

Special to The Independent

Article courtesy of Steve Boyette.