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| Lisa, back in the day. |
My upcoming novel Chapel Street was inspired by my experiences growing up in a "haunted" house at 21 St. Helens Avenue* in the Northeast Baltimore neighborhood of Lauraville. This series of blogs provides an oral history of the actual haunting that inspired the book.
This entry is the first of its kind in this series. So far, all of the people I have interviewed were members of my family. That is not the case with Lisa Haynos. She is not a member of the Murphy family, and she never lived at 21 St. Helens Avenue. However, she is a close friend of my youngest brother John and she spent enough time at the house to catch a glimpse of the entity itself, if only through the reflection on a television. This is her story.
Here's a clip from the interview:
The interview was conducted on Skype.** My niece Emily kindly transcribed it. It has been edited for clarity.
SEAN: Could you give us your name and how you became associated with the Murphy family?
LISA: Well, my name's Lisa Haynos, and I met John, the youngest Murphy, I want to say it was maybe 1992 or 1993. And I know it was around Easter. I do remember that. And for years I spent many days there, so... You know, I got to know the whole family pretty well.
SEAN: Where did you meet John?
LISA: John went to City***, and quite a few friends of mine -- it was like mutual friends. And then I realized, you know, he lived a few streets away from me. I grew up not too far.
SEAN: Okay. So you would say you spent a lot of time at the house on 21 Saint Helens Avenue
LISA: Yes. Yes, I did.
SEAN: Okay. And did you ever have any experiences there that could be viewed as paranormal
LISA: Well, I -- the one that always sticks out is any time -- and I am almost certain that this was prior to my knowledge of it. Any time I would use the bathroom, I guess the second floor -- unless you count the basement, then the third floor. When I would go in -- I didn't usually like to go in there, and being a girl and a teenager, you know, sometimes I'd have a girlfriend go in with me. But all the times that I went in there by myself, I would either say the Our Father or the Hail Marry. And I would ask -- I know this sounds silly, but my guardian angels to shed their light on me. And of course years later I talked to John, and I can't remember the story now, but I know -- well, of course it was remodeled, the bathroom.
SEAN: Yes.
LISA: It just wasn't a good feeling. I get like these feelings. I know that's -- my mother gets them, too. And unfortunately a lot of the times, they're bad feelings, and she'll say to me, Lisa, I'm getting one of my feelings. And I have that too. And so I, I was obviously a lot younger then, but I think that I even had it back then. I just had a bad feeling. I mean, I don't know why else -- I mean, nothing ever happened to me in the bathroom. So that was one of my first experiences.
I remember another time in your mom's bedroom, you know the one right across from the bathroom.
SEAN: Yes. We're calling it the master bedroom.
LISA: The master bedroom, okay. There -- she had birds, and I remember it was -- I don't think it was hanging on the wall. It could have been, but what I remember, it had like a spring to connect the cage to, you know, the hook or whatever it was on. And they were tiny, tiny birds. I don't remember what type of birds, but I just know they were very small. And that's probably -- but that thing violently shook. Like somebody had -- I mean, it was going up and down, the whole cage, and swinging. There were no windows open. I mean, there was no other explanation for it. And don't even ask me why I was in there by myself. Maybe somebody asked me to get something. I don't even know, I don't even remember that far, but I remember that, with the bird cage.
There were other times in John's room, and we spent a lot of time, just us. And I remember being in his room, I don't know, he would go to get a drink or go to the bathroom or whatever, and I can remember the TV -- because we usually would listen to music, but I remember seeing things pass behind me in the chair. Like --
SEAN: You'd be in the chair and in the reflection of the TV you saw something?
LISA: I was in the chair, the television wasn't on, and I could see something move back and forth behind me.
SEAN: Now, where would this be in position -- because you know, for -- you know, the furnishings of the room and how things were changed oftentimes, what was behind you? Was it the wall with the door?
LISA: No, it was the wall --
SEAN: To my mother's bedroom?
LISA: Facing the side of the house. Like, my back was to the side of the house, that side window that was in that bedroom. You had one in the front and then that one on the side of his bed.
SEAN: You were facing the door?
LISA: Yes. Yes, I was. And I think -- I want to say that the television was to the right of the door.
SEAN: Okay. So in other words, you would be -- and there was no room behind you for anything to pass either?
LISA: No, no. I mean, it would clearly -- it was almost like walking. You know what I mean? And sometimes it would happen quicker than others, sometimes it was like out of the corner of my eye. And then I guess as I would be more aware of it, I would see, you know -- and I can't even -- like, it was just something dark. Tall, dark, shaped somewhat I guess like a person, but not -- I mean, I can't say that for sure.
SEAN: Did it give any impression of gender, male or female?
LISA: You know, I want to say male. I don't even know why I want to say that. But yeah, I don't even know why I want to say that. That's strange. You know, I'd never thought about that till just now, but male just popped up. I don't know.
SEAN: That's generally the impression people have been having of it, is that they don't think it has a gender, but if it had a gender, it was male.
LISA: Right.
SEAN: Some people say because of its size.
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| John and some friends at the Polyester Party. |
SEAN: Yeah, I had a similar relationship with it after a while. Initially it was messing with me, but after a great deal of prayer, it would no longer have the capability to mess with me particularly dramatically.
LISA: Maybe it was that I could know it was there, do you know what I mean? Like, I am here. Maybe that's -- I don't know.
SEAN: Yeah. So did you mention these incidents to John?
LISA: You know what, it's really funny, I don't think I ever did. There was another incident one time where I was downstairs in the dining room, and the ceiling fan -- and I was actually with our friend Naomi. And the ceiling fan wasn't on, the windows were closed, and you know like the chains, they started swinging back and forth, back and forth. And I remember we both looked at each other like, you know. Anyway. So that was another thing.
SEAN: So it was just two, perhaps, down there?
LISA: What was that?
SEAN: Did most of these things that happened to you happen to you while you were alone at the house?
LISA: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, like when John had left the room or when I was in that bathroom.
SEAN: Did you see any cats in the house?
LISA: I don't think so. I don't think so.
SEAN: Did you listen to John's interview?
LISA: No, I haven't yet.
SEAN: Because he said he had some female guests who went down to the first floor to get something to drink and when they came back, they said they saw a cat on the first floor.
LISA: Oh, wow.
SEAN: They were in the dining room and the cat was I believe in the -- you know, the organ room.
LISA: Right, right.
SEAN: But that wasn't you or you have no memory of that?
LISA: No, no.
SEAN: Okay. That was a kind of a telling thing. Because other people have seen cats at the house.
LISA: Absolutely, yeah. You know, it's funny, I don't know why I just thought about this. John one time, he may have mentioned this, or probably not, but one time he said -- I don't know if he said he was dreaming and that he physically woke up, but he looked out the window on the side of that house, the side of the house where -- because his bed was kind of up against that corner. And he said that I was out there floating. I was wearing all white and I don't know what -- I don't know if I said anything. And then he said he went to the front window to look out, you know, mutual friends of ours were out there just hanging out, doing their thing. It was just kind of weird. I remember him telling me that.
SEAN: That's an interesting story. I don't know what could have inspired it. That is interesting, I'm going to ask John if he has any memory of that before I put your thing through there.
LISA: Right.
SEAN: So were there any other incidents you can recall?
LISA: No. Just -- like I said, the worst feeling was in that bathroom. I don't know what it was. And for some reason, since you asked male or female, and again, this is me, I had never really thought about it. For some reason in that bathroom, I'd feel more female, if that makes any kind of sense at all.
SEAN: Well, it's good to know what you're feeling. And do you feel that -- I mean, obviously you saw some sort of shadow-ish person.
LISA: Right.
SEAN: Or reflection of one moving behind you.
LISA: Right.
SEAN: And you feel you have some sort of psychic ability or psychic discernment?
LISA: Something. I have something. I mean, I even get -- now, my mother, she's really good. Like the phone could ring and my mother -- you know, she could say, oh, such and such has passed away or something happened. You know what I mean? And she's right. So I have not been like that good, but pretty close. Yeah, I would say that I had -- it's just an intuition. Maybe I need to learn how to get more in tune with it. I don't know. Again, some people may --
SEAN: Or maybe not.
LISA: Right, or maybe not. But I don't really think -- I don't often -- maybe because I -- I don't know.
SEAN: So the question is, do you feel that whatever you experienced in John's room was different than what -- I mean, do you think it's possibly two different things? One thing that was in John's room and the other thing that gave you the feeling in the bathroom? Or do you think it's possibly the same thing?
LISA: You know what, that's a good question, and I've never thought of that either. I mean, I tend to think more of the same, but I don't know.
SEAN: So you feel that it was trying -- you know, kind of to make its presence know?
LISA: Yeah, that's the only thing I can think of, because I do know a lot of John's stories because we talked about it years ago.
SEAN: While he was still in the house or afterwards?
LISA: Oh, yeah, he was still living there, and I know it wasn't something that he shared with just anybody. I know that Joe and Jeff knew quite a bit because of their own experiences. But yeah, I talked to him a lot about it. He told a lot of stories.
SEAN: Now, when you were -- did you ever go over when he was in the basement?
LISA: Yep, I did.
SEAN: Did you ever have any feelings or impressions while you were in the basement?
LISA: I didn't like that bedroom. I don't know why. I know that it wasn't always -- do you know what I mean?
SEAN: Yeah.
LISA: I didn't like the bedroom. I don't know why. And there's no particular reason why, but I don't know.
SEAN: I think everyone kind of felt that bedroom was creepy, but I don't know whether it's simply because it only had that one high window so it was like --
LISA: Yeah. I mean, I lived in an apartment. Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I didn't really -- we never spent -- we were always in the living room when I was there.
SEAN: John told me he essentially slept in the living room, he didn't -- rarely used the bedroom.
LISA: Yeah, right. I don't ever remember him even going in there to, like, get anything. Do you know what I mean? I mean, I would even sleep over there quite a bit. I would sleep on one sofa, he was on the other one. I don't ever remember him really going in there, like I said, to get anything.
SEAN: Okay. Any final words?
LISA: I can't wait to hear what everybody else has to say. Especially your mom. I mean, John had told me about your mom.
SEAN: So you are the first of the others**** that I have interviewed, and I want to thank you for your time.
LISA: I hope it was helpful in some way.
SEAN: No, it definitely was helpful. Because right now, people reading the blog, you will be the first one nonfamily member to say that they experienced things at the house.
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| Lisa, today |
*21 St. Helens Avenue was the original address of the house when it was built. The street name and number changed over time, but I use the original address to protect the privacy of the current owners.
**The coronavirus pandemic has thrown my interview schedule into disorder. I had hoped to do some longer interviews in person, but I have had to delay them.
***The Baltimore City College. It's actually a high school!
****Lisa was the first, but hopefully not the last, of non-family members I will be interviewing for this series of blogs.
Additional blogs about the haunting:
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 1, An Introduction
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 2, The House
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 3, This Is Us
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 4, Arrival
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 5, Methodology
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 6, Clara's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 7, Clara's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 8, My Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 9, My Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 10, My Tale, Pt. 3
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 11, Natalia's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 12, Natalia's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 13, John's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 14, John's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 15, Come Inside!
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 16, Marion's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 17, Marion's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 18, Jeanne's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 19, Jeanne's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 20, Lisa's Tale
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 21, Recap, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 22, Recap, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 23, Recap, Pt. 3
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 2, The House
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 3, This Is Us
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 4, Arrival
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 5, Methodology
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 6, Clara's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 7, Clara's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 8, My Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 9, My Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 10, My Tale, Pt. 3
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 11, Natalia's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 12, Natalia's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 13, John's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 14, John's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 15, Come Inside!
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 16, Marion's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 17, Marion's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 18, Jeanne's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 19, Jeanne's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 20, Lisa's Tale
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 21, Recap, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 22, Recap, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 23, Recap, Pt. 3
My novel Chapel Street was inspired by the haunting. You can currently buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble.
Listen to me read some chapters here:
Chapel Street - Prologue - My Mother
Chapel Street - Chapter 1 - RestingPlace.com
Chapel Street - Chapter 2 - Elisabetta
Chapel Street - Chapter 3 - The Upload
Chapel Street - Chapter 4 - The Kobayashi Maru
Let's stay in touch:
Chapel Street - Prologue - My Mother
Chapel Street - Chapter 1 - RestingPlace.com
Chapel Street - Chapter 2 - Elisabetta
Chapel Street - Chapter 3 - The Upload
Chapel Street - Chapter 4 - The Kobayashi Maru
Let's stay in touch:
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