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If a traveler wishes to spend the night in a beautiful, haunted, historical home, the splendid house built by the earlier owner of Cloverfield Plantation is a great place to do so. The original Spanish colonial style structure is homestead of one of the oldest tobacco plantations east of the Kentucky River. The twelve room ground level houses as well as the surrounding grounds, retain all the qualities of the most photographic southern country ideal.
To reach the old plantation, one must make a sharp turn off south KY 89 right onto a hidden entrance.
The first impression a traveler will receive when driving toward the house through the one mile uphill passageway of massive, aged moss-draped oak and poplar trees is one of isolated grandeur.
Emerging from the yawning green light, into the sunbathed warmth of cloverfield’s Lilly bush and creek rock lined driveway and wide front lawn; one will find that the road divides to form a circular drive that leads to the back side of the “L” shaped house, ending in front of the small courtyard.
Long windows flanked by black wooden shutters, grace the rustic stucco frontage.
As a guest, you will experience all the added warmth of true southern hospitality and comfort; you may decide even to spend the night with us, the Stevens family. Remember however, weather you choose to stay in the blue room, or the Victorian style living room, or any bedroom for that matter, you may find that others are “spending the night” as well. “Others” that have been lodging at cloverfield long before we arrived!
There is no document existing that mentions the actual house dating before 1924, however records of the property including the plantation, date back to 1891 when original owner Katharine Stevens ran the 26 acre plantation.
After her death, the executers of her will divided the property into smaller parcels. The largest being the southern tract including the original house and retaining on record the name “cloverfield”
Over the years, the house had changed many owners as well as minor upgrades and transformations; nonetheless by 2002, it lay abandon and in disrepair. Windows were busted and doors hung open inviting animals and weather to turn the once lively home into a virtual shell.
In April of 2005, my wife Alana and I purchased the house seeing it as an ideal setting for our 2 year-old daughter Montana; we saw in that house some great structural potential and with some hard work, we could make a go of the place again despite the rumors that it was haunted. From the day we moved in, we were aware of the fact that strange things were reportedly happening there. It had been vacant for some time and homes in that state are usually the target of “ghost spotters” and wild tales! So we thought of making the best of the hefty old stucco and mortar house. Life indeed can really cheat one with shadows some times, soon enough we would be adding our own twist to a long told tale!
As periodic renovations were conducted in various rooms, the family began to report unclear shapes and shadow like forms wavering in the hallway. Battery operated toys were reported on some occasions to ‘go off” while the room was empty. The first alarming claim came by a family member who was visiting at the time to help with the renovations; “I was in the kitchen getting something to drink” says David ‘When I heard the French doors leading off the dining room pop open gently followed by a strong perfume, I looked up and saw an older woman standing by the table, her arms on her hips and eyes fixed strictly on me. The woman’s dress was made like the ones you see in 1800’s pictures, and the top of her head was covered with a kerchief type cover similar to a nun.’’ Despite the clarity of the woman, you could tell she was not a living person!” David continues to say: “the whole thing lasted maybe 5-6 seconds before she vanished, but let me tell you, as soon as it was over, I ran out like hell! There was no one home at the time so I just called Nick later that evening and told him about it. It took me 2 years to go back there!”
This was the only time the ghostly woman appeared in form, many visitors however have claimed to have smelled a strong old-lady like perfume in the dining room. (A photo resembling the face of an older woman with a veil over her head was taken in 2008 peering through the said French doors).
David’s experience was not something my wife and I disregarded; it now seemed clear that maybe Montana’s “imaginary” friend “granny Rose, was not so imaginary after all. The three year old girl always talked about how she and granny would walk in the sprawling back yard talking about the flowers and how much granny loved purple ones. Montana had asked her to come play in her room, but supposedly granny refused saying that the mean man in there won’t let me inside!
Research of older deeds and county records; found that the property was indeed owned by “Roses” from 1972 until the early 2000’s! The talk about Granny Rose, as well as Montana’s persistence in going outside to play with her rain or shine, weakened by age four, as so did most anomalous incidents in the house.
Part 2 Poltergeist Activity
In September of 2008, we happily welcomed our new addition to the family, a 9, 5 lb. baby boy named Tristan. Life seemed to follow its peaceful natural course and memories of the haunt were just plain memories. It had been over a year since any activity had taken place. Regrettably, the family’s sky began to darken, when in mid-2009 Tristan fell extremely ill and the near one-year old's future was uncertain at the time. They converted one of the rooms in the home to a chaplet during little Tristan’s ordeal; it seemed an oddly comforting thing to do according to my own belief. As the boy thankfully made a full recovery, our family decided to keep the chaplet in place.
Thereafter, the wickedest form of uncanny events took place nearly forcing us to abandon cloverfield for good.
The new upsurge of events so to speak, came in the form of an EVP. Tristan was about one and a half years old, me and him were in the living room playing, Alana and Montana were in one of the nearby bedrooms coloring as I recall; we bought the baby a toy bear with a recorder inside him, you pressed the paw, said something and the toy repeated what you just said. I held the toy up pressed its paw and said “Tristan, I love you” when I directed the bear toward the baby and pressed, what I recorded came out, followed however by an isolated yet vivacious shriek for help! In all my years I never heard a more anguished cry from anyone or anything. The man sounded as if he frantically tried to soar from the depths of hell! No male other than me and Tristan were present at the time, nor did that voice resemble anyone I knew. (The toy was analyzed by a sound effect specialist, who was unable to give an explanation.)
The experience seemed to have an “opposite” effect upon me, placing me more in a state of denial so to speak, rather than fear; as my mind repetitively tried to bring rationality into what to all others that heard the recording for the weeks to follow, seemed paranormal! So mystified was I at the time, that I paid no attention to the numerous signs of a situation that soon would culminate into a life-scoring paranormal encounter!
Signs such as loud, determent footsteps, heavily stomping across the kitchen and down the hall nightly; the unnerving, queasy feel you get while walking alone down some dark, misty alley around midnight, was a feeling many complained about as they passed through the chapel room after hours. Much activity was reported in the chaplet where the EVP of an angry man saying “GETOUT” was captured on my own cell phone; how that came about was I remember being the only one awake one night, I was in the master bedroom not far from the chapel, when I heard a glass break; I immediately thought it maybe an intruder so I rushed to the room armed with my cell (to call 911 in needed) and a Maglite! I noticed the old church organ was on but no sign of an intruder; I shone the light around the room, and discovered that a glass candleholder that sat on the organ had fallen onto the floor. Several religious items were removed from walls and broken. (The apparition of a man was caught on film next to the organ in late 2009) I don’t know why, but I hit record on my phone, and asked a question. I heard no reply until I replayed the recording. At that moment, you really feel torn inside; should I wake the wife, grab the kids and get the hell out never look back? Or should I go back to bed, stay on guard and pray for daybreak? I chose option two for the time being.
About a month after the male ghost appeared, it became its most vicious, as it threw a set of kitchen knives toward Alana by way of entering the kitchen. The same shadowy apparition made its presence known to a relative couple spending the night when the bed covers were drawn violently off the bed. No animals would enter the chaplet around that period, and the few remaining visitors the family had, felt great discomfort and would not stay after dark. Of course we had the dare-devil younger nephews and friends that had heard of the EVP and wanted to capture one on their own devices; an uncanny trophy I suppose! Nothing was ever captured there, or anywhere else in the house to date. This new turn of happenings was nothing like the subtle presence of a spirit, we could live with the occasional orb in a picture, or the scent of perfume, and even the mild whispers were tolerable. But not this!
I decided despite my wife’s objections, to take action and called a psychic for advice. (Alana had declined the offer by a well-known TV show to feature the house; (she believed the attention may not only turn our home into a freak-show, but make things worse as well!) The psychic recommended a detailed investigation, which is what took place in 2010 while only I was home. I questioned my own sanity many times for participating in such a thing, especially beyond my wife’s consent; for the last 10 years of our marriage, we acted together as a couple for any house/children related decisions. So yes I could say, a hint of guilt accompanied my by now, diverse emotions as I watched the older lady move slowly from room to room absorbing every sound, every scent in the dwelling. She touched the 14 inch thick grout wall that connects the chapel with the store room that is also the entry to the cellar and began to sweat, to become quite flush; her breathing became rapid as if she were in a trance “it’s here!” she exclaimed and fell to her knees on the cold ceramic floor. I helped her to a chair and offered a drink; she invited me to sit close to her and began to explain her findings. According to her, there was the spirit of a very angry man, an older woman, and a young girl around the age of eight. She also believed that the house may be conceivably a vortex, or a connecter between the physical and spiritual world; as she could feel great energy flowing from the chapel. Which is what would explain the various spikes in the haunting’s pattern. “Different spirits, most pass through, most are harmless; and then there are some whom cannot pass through and so they stay” The fact that there is a Native American burial mount adjoining the property could also be a contributing factor. She added: you must take action now; the man means to harm your household! She strongly advised that “the house be cleansed!” I arranged a house blessing by a local minister shortly after her visit. The months following the blessing, have shown a change in form of activity. The hostile virile poltergeist seemed to be gone for the time being.
Not all activity has been detained, it occurs periodically rather than frequently and extreme. We still inhabit the house, and have learned to co-exist with our long residing guests.
What initially set the haunting at cloverfield plantation in motion? Could some tragic event have taken place in the main homestead? Rumors by locals, talk of a man hanging himself in the room that is now the chapel. I am convinced that the century old plantation grounds have a painful story to tell. Could the rumor that a young girl drowned to her death in the pond once located (now filled in) behind the lengthy house factual?
Could it be her who has been seen running through the house wearing a long white Sunday dress tightly grasping a bible smiling as her long deep red hair pour down her narrow shoulders? So many unanswered questions; so many reasons to believe that the clash between substance and the spiritual realm is as actual as the clash between life and death.
And I, once a man who always believed half of what I seen and nothing of what I heard. I who mocked and taunted the possibility of “ghosts” came to realize after this ordeal struck me and the ones I hold dearest, that there is indeed wisdom in the quote “there is more than meets the eye” it is not a stigma to have experienced some brush of fate with the paranormal, not every one that has had an encounter with the unexplained can be crazy! There is a reason for every wheel that turns this old world of ours, a purpose if you will.
Perhaps we were not meant to know and see everything.
As I finish this chapter of a story true to me as well as to those whose lives were touched by it; I thank you for sharing with me this part of my life this evening, I hope our story has touched you in a positive way.
Life is good! As I rise from my corner desk, I grab my empty coffee mug and pull open the curtains. The sun is now reaping its fatigued rays, slowly but unwavering. Parting this part of the friendly countryside with a gleaming promise of another un-seasonably warm day over cloverfield plantation to follow.
Nick Stevens
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