Digressions: My Life in 500 Words or Less

The best gifts you give are as much a joy to you as they are to the recipients.

I am often reminded of this fact.

Case in point: a recent gift in celebration of Rebecca’s birthday. As one of her gifts, Rebecca requested a day trip to tour special locations of paranormal interest.

After choosing Octagon Hall Museum — well-known in paranormal circles and a location we have never visited — as the main destination, Rebecca left me in charge of creating the rest of the itinerary over the next couple of weeks. She wanted the rest of the trip to be a surprise.

So our first stop was Octagon Hall Museum. For a suggested donation of $5 per person, we wandered the historic home built in 1859 that once sheltered both Confederate and Union soldiers and contained hiding spaces and tunnels. Two children of the man who built the home died there, and they are thought to be among the ghosts who haunt the location.

Throughout Octagon Hall Museum, photos depicting presumed paranormal anomalies hang in doorways and on walls. Rooms are filled with period furnishings, historic items and recreations of significant scenes from bygone eras. We spent nearly two hours in the hall and on the grounds that included a summer kitchen house and family and slave cemeteries.

Our next stop was lunch at Mickey’s on Main, sister restaurant to 440 Main, both of which are located in downtown Bowling Green in a building built in 1871 and reputedly haunted by a ghost named Mary. Supposedly Mary mainly haunted the second floor where she would become active is someone moved books located on shelves in an apartment closet there. We enjoyed our meal and asked our server about the location’s reputation for being haunted. She told us she had never experienced anything but another server claimed she had.

The final stop was Old Richardsville Road Bridge, a reputedly haunted site on the outskirts of Bowling Green. The bridge was constructed in 1889. The story was that a girl had killed herself by throwing herself off the bridge after discovering she was pregnant.

Supposedly, if you drive your vehicle onto the bridge at night, turn off the ignition and left it in park, the vehicle would be pushed to the other side of the bridge by the ghost who is trying to save you from her fate.

As we made our way down the road that led to the bridge we were greeted with barriers announcing road access to the bridge was closed. Undaunted, Rebecca suggested we walk from that point. About 100 yards later we were standing on the bridge.

The view to the river below was magnificent. In fact, the entire day was thoroughly enjoyable, especially seeing Rebecca so happy.

Though we didn’t experience anything paranormal, the joy of seeing my sweetie have such a good day gave me great joy in return. And there’s nothing spooky about that.