Post by Graveyardbride on May 13, 2014 12:09:55 GMT -5
CUMMING, Ga. – Fear and thrills continue to provide goosebumps and haunt Forsyth County residents. Tragic deaths and disturbing occurrences in the county’s beloved Foster House Restaurant (above) add a touch of mystery to the eatery’s Southern charm. Known for its late-night thrills and childhood scares is the Legend of Booger Mountain and almost every longtime Forsyth resident has a tale to tell of cars being pushed “uphill” by “spirits.” Cemeteries are also on the long list of hauntings in Forsyth County. Both Concord Baptist and Cumming Historic cemeteries each have a little girl ghost and the latter has a second apparition. Another well-known local haunt is Coal Mount Elementary School, where hundreds of Forsyth County children spend their days.
The Foster House. The soft, content murmur of hungry customers at the Foster House Restaurant on Cumming Square add to the hospitable atmosphere. The sounds of cutlery brings life to the 125-year-old residence. But there is evidence unseen visitors may be milling about among the hungry guests. Patricia Hamby, one of the restaurant’s owners, says most paranormal incidents occur in the Gold Room, but there have been reports of mysteriously creaking floorboards and other ghostly activity in other parts of the building. Ms. Hamby has smelled pipe smoke in the non-smoking restaurant and so has her daughter and son-in-law Amanda and Jeff Davis, both of whom work in the restaurant.
Denise Roffe, a paranormal investigator from Atlanta, claims she saw a fork levitate over the edge of a table before falling to the floor and an empty chair skid across the floor one night. Jeff and Amanda Davis both saw a broom standing up on its own in a doorway of a room adjoining the kitchen. The two also heard what sounded like the tinkling melody of a music box, but it stopped suddenly when they attempted to investigate. Amanda also reports hearing what she describes as a “whooshing of wind” in the hallway and disembodied whispering in the empty kitchen. On one occasion, Martha McConnell says she had her husband Jimmy heard what sounded like a book slamming shut in the Gold Room, when no one was there. She also says people have told her they saw pictures on the wall being straightened by unseen hands.
But the folks at the Foster House aren’t complaining. “If the ghosts are here, and it sure seems they are at times,” says Amanda Davis, “then I believe they are happy with us being here in their house. We always try to respect the house and the memories of the past people who lived here. We want to keep the ghosts happy if they are here.”
Coal Mountain Elementary School. It is said that an old maid used to live in a house that was razed to construct the school and there have been numerous sightings of an elderly woman in a floor-length white lace dress in the school’s corridors. Additionally, both a milk deliveryman and a former principal reported experiencing unexplained feelings of unease in the building when no one else was around. There are also reports of tapping noises in the school and doors open and close by themselves.
Cumming Historic Cemetery. According to Denise Roffe, there are many tales of ghosts at this old cemetery. “The stories I’ve heard about the apparitions in the cemetery usually center around a man,” she says. People describe this apparition as a tall, white-bearded old man in a dark suit and hat, who carries a Bible. He is most often seen walking in the middle of the cemetery and while people watch, he simply fades away. At the middle of the cemetery, most of the graves are marked only with a cross because the remains were removed from other graveyards during the construction of Lake Lanier. There are also reports of the spirit of a little girl in a pink dress.
Booger Mountain. Two large oak trees mark the site on Bettis-Tribble Gap road were two slaves accused of murdering a little girl in the 1850s were allegedly hanged. Others claim there is an old slave burial ground in the area. Although there is little to back up the stories, Booger Mountain is a local legend that has struck fear in generations of local teenagers. Thrill-seekers are instructed to align the right tire of their vehicles with a telephone pole that forms a 90-degree angle with Tribble Gap Road, just past Dr. Dunn Road, and put the car in neutral. If it’s dark and no cars are approaching, the vehicle will proceed up the hill. It is also said if talcum powder is sprinkled on the car, hand prints will appear.
Concord Baptist Church Cemetery. One day, a woman saw a little girl playing amidst the remnants of eroded stone slabs in the oldest section of the cemetery. She started toward the child and as she approached, the girl turned, looked at her and simply disappeared.
Source: Caitlin Shelby, North Fulton News.
