House of the heartbeat

[Aeryn K Angel]

The summer I turned 12 years old, my Dad lost his job due to the manufacturing plant closing, and we had to relocate from the mountain city of Asheville, NC to the smaller flatland town of Mooresville, NC (north of Charlotte). My Dad had bought an old 2-story house that was built in the 1870s. It was a very well built, nice looking house with a porch that wrapped around 3 sides of the house, and sat on over 2 acres of land in the middle of town. The upstairs had 4 bedrooms... 2 on each side of the hallway. The 2 on the same side were connected by a small walk-through area which was more like a "secret passageway". My bedroom was on the front right side of the house; my parents had the connectiing room behind mine. My brother had the front left room... and the one behind his room was used as a storage room. Anytime I went in that room, I felt a heaviness as if the room were closing in on me, and always sensed that I was being watched. Even in my bedroom, I had the feeling of not being alone many times, though nothing ever really scared me in my bedroom. Downstairs, the house was divided into two separate living areas. The right side of the house contained the dining room in front, and a large kitchen in the back. The front room in the left side was the living room. Behind the living room was an "apartment" of sorts that was once used as living quarters for the housekeepers/servants. There was a bedroom in front (right behind the main living room), and behind it was a small sitting room, a bathroom and a kitchen, which opened onto a private porch. The one room in that house that I dreaded going into was the bedroom in that "apartment". When we had out of town guests, my parents let them sleep in MY bedroom, and I had to sleep in the smaller downstairs bedroom (thank the gods I only had to do so 3 or 4 times). Anytime I was in that room, I felt a very strong presence... and it didn't feel "good". After I was in bed, and the rest of the house retired for the night, I would pull the covers over my head and try to fall asleep. But, before I could, I would hear the beating of a heart... and it most certainly wasn't mine. I would lower the blanket below my eyes and try to see what it was. I never could tell where it was coming from... it almost seemed to be all around me. Just a steady "lub-dub... lub-dub" beating of a disembodied heart. I would always turn a lamp on before going to bed, but when I lowered the blanket below my eyes, I noticed that the light was off. Nobody believed me when I told them... until my great-grandmother came to stay with us. Since she couldn't walk up the stairs, she had the honor of staying in that room. She told my Dad that the room was haunted, but he just laughed at her... and told her it was her imagination over reacting from the "stories" I had told about that room.
We only lived in that house for a little less than a year before my Dad got another job in the mountains and we moved back. I was so glad to be out of there.... if only I had realized I'd grow up to be fascinated with such happenings. For years afterwards, anytime I heard a heartbeat on television, or anywhere, I got terribly frightened. In science class, I even refused to listen to my own heartbeat with a stethoscope. In fact, even though I was a huge Edgar Allan Poe fan, I couldn't bear to read The Tell Tale Heart for years afterwards.
When I thought of this earlier this evening, I tried to find an old photo of the house, but I realized I never took a pic of the house (I didn't have a camera at the age of 12). I did a search on google maps and zoomed in to the street view... and was utterly shocked at what I saw. The house has been doomed to a sad state of disrepair. I know my Dad sold it to an elderly man... and from the looks of it, nobody has lived in it since. Even though it had its scary moments, I truly loved that old house.

[Ghostly Decibels]

Oh my.. just looking at it causes a pressure in my skull and in my third eye region... I can't look at it for long cus I don't want to pick anything up.

[Alycat79]

OMG!

Not only do you live near a place I would completely give my kidney to be able to move to (I love the crystal shops up there, and bought a gorgeous raven painting from a local artist at the Woolworth) but I'm originally from Mooresville, NC and the house that you're talking about looks extremely familiar. I'm almost 100% positive that I've driven past it, though I'm not exactly sure when that was.

Talk about a small world, almost no one knows where Mooresville is, so when I see it mentioned my eyes zero in on it. :lol:

What an experience, though! Reminds me of when we moved into our house that had a basement, whenever I went into the basement I'd swear up and down that I heard a voice yelling at me to "get out" and I'd go BOLTING up the stairs. I hated it when Mom would ask me to cut off the lights before bed. :lol:

Always nice to have verification, even if your dad did try to brush it off.

[Noctua]

That image is intense... getting the same skull pressure Terror mentioned, and my eyes began to water.

Thanks for sharing this story, it was truly interesting to read and that is certainly intriguing paranormal phenomena.
The house as you describe it sounds lovely, I can just picture it at it's best.

Every house i've lived in has been haunted to some noticeable capacity. I know to an extent it has been the spirits attached to my family/relatives who have passed, but with a couple in particular there was so much history to the land and house itself. I should detail about this sometime.
With the home I reside in currently, all I know thus far is a man committed suicide just outside - in an area which was once used as a parking garage.

[Aeryn K Angel]

It's weird.... once I found that photo online tonight, I keep going back and staring at it... (until the head starts hurting too much). Something seems to draw me to it still. **cue Twilight Zone music**

[Noctua]

Had to edit to add my thoughts!

I do enjoy reading of hauntings, especially when they manifest so uniquely..in that unforgettable kind of way that will surely leave a mark on your life.

[Aeryn K Angel]

OMG! I'm originally from Mooresville, NC and the house that you're talking about looks extremely familiar. I'm almost 100% positive that I've driven past it, though I'm not exactly sure when that was.

The house is at 464 Oak Street.

[Aeryn K Angel]

I do enjoy reading of hauntings, especially when they manifest so uniquely..in that unforgettable kind of way that will surely leave a mark on your life.

It did leave a mark. I had wanted to go to medical school, but my fear of heartbeats at the time threw a big ole wrench in that plan.

[Alycat79]

OMG! I'm originally from Mooresville, NC and the house that you're talking about looks extremely familiar. I'm almost 100% positive that I've driven past it, though I'm not exactly sure when that was.

The house is at 464 Oak Street.

Looking at the map now, and yes, I've passed it. I used to work for the library and drove around that area a lot. Next time I'm home visiting my parents, I believe a small field trip for myself is in order.

[Aeryn K Angel]

Last night, I had a dream that I kept walking past the house... but refused to venture inside. It was obviously empty of human habitation, but I saw an old man looking out the attic window (which makes me think now... I don't believe I ever went into the attic. I'm trying to remember where the access was. I think it was either a panel in the upstairs hallway ceiling or in that rear left bedroom that always made me feel queasy inside). Hmmm... I'm wanting to go back to that house now. It's almost as if it is calling me.
I now wonder what became of the old man that bought the house from my Dad. Did he die in the house? Is he still there... adding to the haunting?

Aly... if you take a little trip to see the house next time you are in Mooresville, let me know what feelings you get from it. I almost sense that there is more there now than when we lived in the house.