Local family experiences paranormal activity

Editor’s note: The names in this story have been changed and the actual location of the house was not revealed to protect the owner and former renters of the residence.

Halloween is a time for trick-or-treating, costume parties, visiting ‘haunted’ houses and telling ghost stories. Most ghost stories seem quite fictional, like something one would see in a cheesy horror flick. But for one Orange County family, their story is much more than fiction.

This story begins in June 2007 when a young family rented a home off of Hwy 62 in Orange.

The home itself was built in 1940, and added onto in the 1970s. However, the land that the home sits on has been in the same family since Texas belonged to Mexico. That is until it was sold as an investment property and rented to the Moore family. The Moore family was looking for a home in the BCISD with plenty of room for they’re nine year old daughter to run and play with her pets. This location seemed ideal. That is until the renovations began.

The home sits on four acres which needed to be cleared. On part of this property behind the home was an old shed that had seen its better days. A team was hired to come in and clear the land and tear down the old shed. The job went smooth and the crew left.

Once the family arrived home and began looking around they noticed something strange: broken pieces of stone, some with writing. Upon looking further they found an intact grave stone located behind a handmade fence. Alarmed, Mr. and Mrs. Moore went to work on how to right what they believe was an unintentional wrong.

“I have always felt that a gravesite is an extremely sacred place and to have someone come in and disrupt that was just terrible,” Mrs. Moore said. “ I looked online, talked to several property owners in the area and was able to locate a family name but was never able to find any record of a family cemetery or even anything close to it on the property.”

As time went on the Moores decided to fence off the area and keep it free of debris hoping that would be enough.

“The idea of our home being haunted never crossed our mind in the beginning we just wanted to show respect,” said Mr. Moore.

His perception of the property would soon change. The Moores soon began noticing subtle changes in both they’re daughter and the family pet, a lab.

“We noticed our daughter would not sleep in her room and our dog would not leave her side,” Mrs. Moore said. “I asked her why and she simply responded that there were too many people talking at night and she could not sleep. She also informed us that nine people lived in our home and wore big coats and long dresses.”

Ms. Moore simply brushed it off as an overactive nine year old imagination and let it go thinking that it would pass and for awhile it did. That is until Aubrey went to spend a couple of nights with her grandmother.

“We were in the house about a month when Aubrey asked if she could go up to my mothers for a weekend,” Mrs. Moore said. “My husband and i were alone with the dog in the house and it was about 1:30 a.m. when we heard five distinct knocks, these weren’t little knocks , we actually thought someone was at our door. My husband went to answer the door and no one was there. We both looked at each other and as we were standing there it happened again, louder this time, really really loud. The strange thing is that the knocks sounded like they were coming from the inner wall. That really scared me.”

Still they’re first thought was not something paranormal but someone outside the home trying to get in.

“I went outside and looked everywhere but found nothing,” Mr. Moore said. “It had been raining that night so I would have seen footprints if someone was on the property but there was none.” I just cant explain it.”

The next morning the Moores were still shaken from they’re experience but decided to go down to a friends home for coffee who lived down the road. While talking with their friend about the previous nights events the man divulged that his family are relatives to the old owners. Mr. and Mrs. Moore asked him if anything strange ever happened to him and he very curtly replied,”Lets just see what happens before I tell you anything.” This was a red flag for the family but still they loved the home and decided to put it behind them.

Aubrey arrived home and life was busy as usual, little things continued to happen but nothing that you couldn’t just brush off as coincidence. “ The more I thought about it all, the more the pieces began to fall into place.” The desecrated gravestones, the dog acting funny at night and not going into certain rooms, the knocks and bumps and of course the pictures.” “Anytime I would try to take a photo in or around the house it was either blurry. or had bright balls of light in them.” “ I love photography so this was really frustrating.” Mrs. Moore said.

“Against my husbands judgement I decided to call a paranormal group just to gather info on this whole phenomenon.” “ I first contacted them on my cell phone and was put on a three way call with two investigators.”

“I introduced myself, told them a little about me and made small talk. The reception was perfect. But when I began to tell them what was going on we all three heard a gruff male voice cough or grunt and then the word No was heard. This conversation was recorded and we replayed it time and time again and there is no denying it.”

After that phone call took place Mrs. Moore states that while she was quite shaken she had an overwhelming feeling that to bring in a paranormal group would be disrespectful and decided against it.

“I cant tell you why, but I just did not feel right with it,” she said. “We just continued to live with whatever is there and took it in stride. Things still happened but the fear was gone.”

After that phone call things settled down but activity was still there.

“My daughter was playing with a plastic Easter basket in the floor one day and as kids do she decided to stand on it, this of course flattened the basket to the floor,” she said. “Funny thing is that when I went to pick up that evening, I leaned down to pick it up and it rolled three full rolls away from me!! We have carpet and this was a stepped on flattened basket! Please tell me how physics allows that?!”

The Moores stayed in that home until 2011 when their lives led them in a different direction and they moved to Bridge City. The house is never far from thought and each time they pass they cant help but wonder if the family living there now has had any bumps in the night.