Field Reports from Merrehope - Meridian, Mississippi

Written by: Rick Garner
Case Filed: 11/17/00 - Meridian, Mississippi
Executive Producer: Rick Garner

Darren Dedo, Rob Ruffin and I arrive at Merrehope on Thursday, November 9. The mansion is located just outside of downtown Meridian in a small neighborhood. Its pearl white exterior is a tremendous contrast to the simple homes surrounding Merrehope.

3:30 p.m. - Arrival, setup and tour of home. The air is heavy; breathing is difficult - like if you did a quick sprint down the hall. Tingly sensations are abundant and cool spots seem to be very lightly scattered across the house.

We learn that the frequently-seen Eugenia Gary, a young woman with dark hair and a green flowing hoop dress, haunts the home. She has been seen staring out windows both downstairs and upstairs. She seems to be contained to the front portion of the house and often appears when people have been ill or when social functions are occurring in the mansion. Eugenia died young but not at Merrehope. Her family moved there after her death in Alabama. Eventually, a portrait of her was brought to the home, and it is the portrait that is claimed to be why she's in the home. Eugenia has produced comfortable feelings for those who have experienced her.

Marcus haunts the rear of the home. A local teacher, he committed suicide in the 1930's by shooting himself in the head while in his bedroom. He is rumored to be noisy by slamming doors and walking heavy, but has never been thought to be dangerous. His bedroom has a definite cold spot where he shot himself and the feeling of the room is uncomfortable.

We setup a mini-cassette recorder in Eugenia's room, as I'll refer to it due to her portrait being there.

6:30 p.m. - Depart for supper

8:30 p.m. - Darren, Rob and I use a small strobe light outdoors in an effort to attract orbs, but none of my digital photographs show any of the strange forms of energy - the first time that has occurred. Two other outdoor attempts fail and we conclude that the energy may not be outdoors, but only inside the home.

9 p.m. - We all check the recording and it yields a distinct blowing into the microphone - something we have experienced at all of our investigations. Robert, Sylvia and Shellie Hubbard join us at the home. Sylvia is the author of "Ghosts! Personal Accounts of Modern Mississippi Hauntings." The Hubbards experience all of the same sensations we felt while touring the home.

9:25 p.m. - Sylvia, Shellie and I detect a strange draft of air that chills my chest, Sylvia's left leg and back and Shellie's right arm. This is notable due to our positions standing on the beautiful staircase. The draft doesn't seem to be coming from an outside source and felt more consistent with something trailing either up or down the staircase - also, odd due to there only being warm air downstairs...and no circulation system upstairs. All members of the investigation experience shortness of breath and near dizziness around the staircase - not related to heights.

A few moments later, in Eugenia's parent's room - also known as the Bride's Suite - the odor of fresh roses can be inhaled at the fireplace mantel...there is nothing to substantiate an aroma that strong.

10:35 p.m. - Rob and I investigate an older section of the home with a motion-detector/flashlight. Upon examining a small closet with the flashlight setting of the unit activated, the motion-detecting alarm goes off and Rob and I run like little school girls from the area. Needless to say, we were laughing quite hard at how we reacted!

11:45 p.m. - The Hubbards depart

3:45 a.m. - We leave the home to get sodas. Surveillance cameras are left rolling and the mini-cassette recorder is left in Marcus' room.

4:10 a.m. - Upon returning, we review the cassette to clearly hear the sounds of us leaving, our news truck starting, doors closing and two extra bangs within the home - one while we're pulling away and one clearly after we've left.

4:30 a.m. - We're dozing and being awoken by sounds that could either be the house settling or something unknown. All of us hear more than once what sounds like someone light in weight walking above us (Eugenia's room). The sound is steady, gentle, and resembles footsteps.

5 a.m. - We are weary and decide our investigation is complete. Darren and I go upstairs with one of our television cameras. Darren is about to be taped in Eugenia's room, when we hear what sounds like footsteps on the roof. I continue to roll tape and record both Darren and the strange sounds. We proceed onto the balcony where we cannot hear the sounds. Once inside, we see Rob and confirm that he was downstairs and knew nothing about what we were hearing.

Rob was taping some extra upstairs footage of the rooms when Darren heard the noise on the roof, again. We rush downstairs to get a better view of the rooftop, but cannot hear or see anything. Rob confirmed with both Darren and I that the noise sounded like light footsteps and that he heard voices.

Conclusions: Energy was definitely present at Merrehope. The recordings and what we heard live were enough to confirm activity in the home.

Merrehope | 905 Martin Luther King Jr. | Meridian, MS | 601.483.8439

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