|
Location:
The Brigham Young Farm House is at the Old Desert Village.
Old Desert is a village of old, historic
Mormon homes that can be found in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the Pioneer
State Trail Park, on 2601 Sunnyside Avenue, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108. This historical
display is open to the public from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Like Williamsburg, Virginia, Old Desert
Village is like a living historical museum, where park employees dress
up in the style of the age, demonstrate the way the people lived, and
give tours of the old homes. All the homes are the original structures,
except two, which are replicas of the original homes.
Many park guides have reported numerous
para-psychological phenomena throughout Old Desert, which clearly indicates
that unseen entities still are hanging around there, on friendly terms
with the living, with the exception of one.
HISTORY OF MANIFESTATIONS:
Built in the mid 1800s, it is described
as the central house of Brigham Young's experimental farm colony. He built
a wooden, gabled structure with 2 floors, that sports a front porch that
wraps all the way around the house. On the first floor, it has 2 living
rooms, as well as the normal living areas found in a house built at that
time period. The stairs to the second floor start in one of the living
rooms. On the second floor, there is a ballroom, a sitting room, and various
bedrooms.
This farm house has been the favorite
house to haunt, it seems, for many years. Before
the house was given to the state, and moved a few miles away from its
original place to be in the park project in the '70s, it was bought by
antique dealers, gifted psychic Gwen Wilcox and her husband, completely
unaware that they had unseen co-owners. The police have often used Gwen
Wilcox's psychic abilities to help them in their investigations, and readily
gave her credit as being authentic, and talented. Six
weeks after moving in, she began to meet the spirits who were then active
in the house.
Reported Incidences Before the
Move to the State Park:
A) ENTITY: Brigham Young
1) She first saw an apparition, of
a 75 year old man, sitting in the front room, with his foot on a stool,
and a cane in his hand. He was a strong, visible, friendly presence in
this house, and kept the Wilcox family company. He willingly communicated
with Gwen Wilcox, by psychic impressions, giving her information that
she and her husband used to restore the old house.
B) OTHER ENTITIES
1) Other Spirits that appeared to
Gwen Wilcox and talked to her through psychic impressions were Ann Eliza,
Sara Decker; (his second wife), his favorite son, John A. Young, and a
scary, upset apparition of a man who had murdered someone during a robbery
near the house, around the year 1900.
C) FRIENDLY PARTY GUEST SPIRIT - John
Young?
1) After living there for 15 years,
and restoring the old house completely, the Wilcox family gave the house
to the Mormon Church, and had a reception there in celebration. During
this farewell party, a young, handsome man, dressed in 1880 dress attire,
came up and pleasantly talked to Mr. & Mrs. Wilcox about the house
in great detail. They thought he was a live person, until the picture
taken of the three of them came back, showing only the Wilcox couple;
there was only a big space where this young man had been standing. Perhaps
this was the realistic apparition of young John Young.
Reported Incidences After the Move
To The State Park -
After the move to the state park,
other entities became dominant in this house. {Perhaps, Brigham Young
found peace, and went to the other side, perhaps taking Sara and John
with him. Not only was his house completely restored the way he wanted
it, but it was given to his beloved Mormon Church!}
Thankfully, the scary, unhappy apparition
hasn't made an appearance in the new location, and no one feels his unsettling
presence.
D) GHOST: of Ann Eliza Webb
The entity of Ann Eliza Webb however
has become a strong, friendly, helpful presence now in the house. She
was Brigham Young's 19th wife, who was a real peppercorn when she was
living. She was a strong-minded woman, who found out she hated polygamy
by living it. When she was "rotated" to this house, she despised
it so. Especially annoying were the stairs that started in the living
room. Brigham then built her a townhouse, but purposely put the stairs
again in the living room, which was the last straw. She divorced Brigham,
wrote a book, entitled, "Wife #19, The The story of a Life in Bondage,"
and toured the country, denouncing Brigham Young and the Mormon Church.
{The Mormon Church banned polygamy in 1890.}
1) As A GHOSTLY PARTY GUEST: Ann Eliza
Webb - While two other guides were giving Clara, a tour guide, a birthday
party in the house's kitchen, two of the three people present looked up
and saw a small female apparition dressed in black, with her hair on top
of her head, looking out the living room window. Though they couldn't
see her face, she fit Ann's description perfectly. The third person had
her back to the living room. Perhaps Ann came physically to this birthday
gathering, because all three women admired her so, and she was, after
all, one of the original hostesses in this house, which she considers
hers now, which she gladly shares with the living.
{Why is she still there? Perhaps she
is looking for the peace she didn't have while alive. She may have never
forgiven herself for marrying Brigham in the first place. Perhaps she
likes the house, now that it is in such a nice park, with such nice people,
who can benefit from her help.}
2) As a HELPFUL ENTITY - Ann Eliza
Webb?
During a guided tour, a guide was
pointing out a human hair wreath that was hanging in the parlor, saying
that it was a common art project for the women of this era. As she was
pointing it out, it gently lifted off the nail it was hanging on against
the wall, and floated out about 4 inches, and floated back into place
when the guide was done speaking about it. Was Ann Eliza kindly trying
to assist the guide during the tour, being her more cordial and helpful
self? It appears so, as her presence is the
one most strongly felt and seen.
{Or, there is a small chance that
it was the second wife, Sara Decker, or it could be one of the children,
that are heard playing throughout the house.}
E) KID NOISES - Ballroom and Inside
Rooms
Ballroom: {The ballroom was built
to have the kids' parties. Apparently, they are still there reliving their
fun experiences, ever since the pictures of Brigham's many kids were brought
into the farm house after a flood destroyed the original pictures that
were on display there}
1) Kids in the Ballroom: One morning, when the park was closed during
the month of March, a retired gentleman, who was a guide there, was on
the first floor, going about his business, totally alone. He suddenly
heard kids playing, singing, dancing, and running around in the second
floor ballroom. After inspecting both floors of the house, and the area
around outside, he was definitely alone. He came back inside to a then
quiet house, but the kid - caused commotion started up yet again.
Inside Rooms:
2) Another guide heard children playing
in the parlor, and upstairs as well, when she was totally alone in the
house.
F) STRONG AROMAS: Coming From Kitchen
Various people and guides on occasion
have smelled chicken soup cooking or potatoes frying. The wonderful aroma
had drifted in from the kitchen, which had no working stove, prompting
one workman on the first floor to ask the guides if they were cooking
lunch. Ann and /or perhaps Sara are going about their business, cooking
in their kitchen.
IS THE BRIGHAM YOUNG FARM HOUSE STILL HAUNTED?
According to the volunteer guides, yes it is.
|
