REAL Ghosts...or Urban Legends? You Decide...

They are the tales of bumps in the night, mysterious beings, tragic deaths and chilling sounds in the thick night air. The truth behind the myths, no one knows for certain. One fact is undisputable, they are stories told in the dark that send shivers down the spine, prod goose bumps to creep up from the skin and leave one constantly looking over one's shoulder. Urban legends have been told in every city, in every state for years. Their origins are hard to trace but in taking a closer look the heart of the stories may be found.

Gilcrease House
DESCRIPTION/HISTORY:
The original, square-shaped, sandstone mansion was built in 1913, by Flower Nelson, a Tulsa lawyer, who had originally bought the 80 acres of land parcel from the Mackeys, in 1909. The original structure had 9 first floor rooms, and a Veranda. The large master bedroom was on the first floor. The property also had a barn and a garage.

Today, one can visit the Kitchen & Breakfast Room, Butler Pantry, Dining Room, Piano Room, Hallway/ Entry, Living Room, Den area, Bathroom in Den area, and a South Bedroom.

In the 1943, the house became a home for orphan Indian children from nearby reservations, until Thomas Gilcrease moved back into the home in 1949. A second floor was added in 1943 with 4 bedrooms was built to accommodate the Indian girls and another building was built for the boys.

Today, the staircase from the first floor leads to the North Hobby Room, the North Bedroom, 3 South Bedrooms, 1 being the main one, which has a bathroom.

When Thomas Gilcrease moved his entire art collection which was quite large at this time, back to Tulsa, he eventually built a museum to house it all on his property, near the mansion, opening it up for the people of Tulsa.

Over the years, Mr. Gilcrease created 23 acres of gardens, which are examples of the types of gardens seen during various times of the American West. The lovely, large gardens were a favorite place for Mr. Gilcrease, who was an avid bird lover.

Thomas Gilcrease, who was born in 1890 and raised a member of the Creek Nation, was allotted 160 acres of Indian land around 1900, which was destined to become part of Oklahoma's major oil fields. Thomas Gilcrease was a gifted businessman, and at the age of 32, Thomas established the Gilcrease Oil Company, which was the start of his fortune, which he made in the oil business.

Thomas Gilcrease fell in love with this sandstone mansion, and offered the Nelsons a good deal for the house and the 80 acres of land on which it sat. So, the Gilcrease family to move back to the Creek nation homeland. This mansion became The Gilcrease House, where Thomas and his first wife, Belle Harlow, (Osage Tribe member) raised their 2 boys, Thomas Jr. & Barton, and was owned by Gilcrease family from 1914-1962. Except for a few years in the 1920s' and 1940s', the family lived in this home.

Though Thomas Gilcrease was a great businessman, and an honest & generous person, he was unlucky at love. He and his first wife divorced in 1926. He married again in 1928 to Norma Smallwood and they had a daughter, Des Cygne. This marriage ended as well in 1933.

Thomas Gilcrease had a passion for art and history of the American West, and started collecting in 1922, and over the years he added to his collection via seeking out single works and purchasing large amounts from dealers and other collectors. Thomas Gilcrease found himself traveling a lot around Europe in the 1920s' and 1930s' which inspired him to start his own art museum. He opened his growing collection to the public in San Antonio in 1943, but he moved it all back to Tulsa in 1949 when he decided to go back to his favorite stone mansion, the Gilcrease family home.

In the 1950s', oil prices took a dive. Thomas Gilcrease found it more and more difficult to maintain his collection and was experiencing a building debt. Finally, he thought about selling his entire collection as one unit, in order to keep it together. Well, the people of Tulsa got together and voted 3 to 1 for a bond which paid Gilcrease's debts.

A very thankful Thomas Gilcrease then deeded his collection to the city of Tulsa, and committed oil revenue money to assist Tulsa in the running and maintenance of the museum, until the bond was paid off. In 1958, the Gilcrease Foundation gave the museum buildings and the grounds to Tulsa as well. When Thomas Gilcrease died in 1962, he bequeathed the final group of art work he had collected in his last years to the museum, and the house and his gardens became part of the museum and grounds.

MANIFESTATIONS:

1) The apparition of Thomas Gilcrease likes to visit his art in the museum buildings, which is why there was a high turnover of security guards, until some people with a tolerance to nighttime visits by an entity who loved his art collection, were found.

2) Thomas Gilcrease also likes to putter around his house, both floors. His presence has been felt, heard and seen by the living, as he enjoys his eternal retirement in his favorite stone home.

* He has appeared as a solid apparition usually only once in front of the employees and curators who manage the house and museum over the years, as if to say hello.

* Employees have heard footsteps all around the house, have observed doors open and close by themselves and occasionally hear a big bang coming from one of the upstairs rooms.

3) Thomas Gilcrease has been felt, heard and seen in his extensive gardens as well.

4) The entities of about 7 Indian children, who once lived here / visited here / lived nearby also call this mansion home. Perhaps they died due to the disease epidemics which periodically swept Tulsa over the years before the life-saving vaccines were a reality.

5) The Indian children also love to play in the vast garden area as well.

6) Another unknown male entity keeps Mr. Gilgrease and the children company in the mansion.



The Brady Theater
The Brady Theater is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma and is named after "Tate Brady" who at the time was the affluent oil baron. Even though it is named after "Tate Brady" the real owner is Mr. Peter Mayo. Mayo renamed the theater to reflect the district which was also named after "Tate Brady." The Brady Theater was the largest theater west of the Mississippi River. It hosted some of the most famous actors of its time including the one that is said to haunt it til this day, the famous Italian tenor, Enrico Caruso.

According to the legend, Enrico Caruso went to see an oil well in Sapulpa accompanied by two other cars. The day had been wet and rainy and all three cars ended up breaking down. Caruso had to walk 1/2 mile to the Brady Theater for his sold-out concert. Enrico Caruso died about 9 months later from abscesses on his lungs do to pleurisy in 1921. It is said that Caruso haunts the Brady in retribution of his illness from walking in the wet Tulsa weather. His manager also blamed the weather for Caruso's demise.

The Brady Theater also played an important part in the Tulsa Race Riots of 1921. The area of the town called the "Black Wall" was known for its affluent black people and its poor white people which is said to be what caused the riots in the first place. The Brady was said to be a safe haven for blacks from the wrath of the riots but instead, it was the place where many black people were tortured and killed. Black people claimed that men were tortured, burned and buried alive in the basement of the Brady and of course, the white men denied everything. Later, pictures surfaced of black people being forced into the theater by gun point with their arms raised high into the air. During the riots, much of downtown Tulsa was burned to the ground. Only The Brady Theater and the Cain's Ballroom were spared, supposedly because they were owned by white men.


Bartlesville Haunts
Bartlesville has accumulated a plethora of spooky fireside stories over the years. The Cat Man, the Labadie Mansion, Gravity Hill (Gap Road) and many more. These tales have entertained generations of teenagers looking for something to do on a dull Friday night or All Hallows Eve. They are the perfect hang outs for those who consider themselves thrill seekers, myth busters or maybe even ghost busters.

The Cat Man
Sometime in the 1950's a story developed of a legendary Cat Man. Frank Phillips had begun construction on a research center in the heart of downtown Bartlesville and curiosity as well as paranoia swept the minds of the teens and their parents. The research that took place in that building seemed to be a mystery to them and rumors spread quickly in the small town.

Once the construction was completed and the center began its mysterious work it was said that a pregnant woman had become one of the first to test a new product from the research.

In the 1960's and 70's students would return to school on Monday mornings with scratch marks on their arms and cars. They would tell exhilarating stories of a Cat Man who attacked them or their vehicle.

"Sounds like some teenager made it up as an excuse for crashing the car or getting into a fight," freshman Amber Leland said.

Gravity Hill (Gap Road)
This particular story has many versions and interpretations, making it difficult to decide just what to believe. The first and most common is this:

One day as a school bus dropped kids off it broke down while driving across the railroad tracks. The bus' passengers were young children, maybe first and second graders. Rather than going for help the bus driver asked the children to get out and push the bus to the other side of the tracks and out of dangers way. As the children pushed, a train traveled down those same railroad tracks and struck the bus killing all of its passengers. It is said that when a car is put in neutral at the base of the hill the children will push the car up and over the tracks. If the car makes it across the track then all the passengers in the car will live, but if not, then the passengers will die in seven days time.

The tiny handprints of the children can even be seen on the back bumper if flour is spread across it before going up the hill.

The second story takes place during the Tulsa Race Riots. Gravity Hill was supposedly the location where African Americans were hung and some say it is the force from those tragic victims that pushes the car up the hill.

Labadie House
Much tragedy tended to surround the Labadie family in the early 1900's. Accidental deaths were common leaving room for exaggeration as the years passed.

The Labadie's were a ranching family who owned a farm somewhere along the Caney River. Frank and Samantha Labadie had three sons, George, John and Paul. Their daughter, Mrs. Lola Thurman, died in 1933 just two years before her elderly parents died.

The entrance to the family's ranch proudly displays the name "Labadie." (OKWUeagle.com/Jon Clayborn) A story entitled "The April Fools Ghost," was submitted to Green Country Living in 1980. It told a fictional tale of three teenage boys who went searching for the old Labadie House. They had heard that the house was the site of a tragic murder. In the story they believed that Mr. Labadie had gone insane on April Fools Day and thrown his family out the third story attic window before committing suicide himself.

The story stirred up mixed emotions among family members still living in the Bartlesville area. Frank's nieces, Blanche Labadie Mounts and Winifred V. Labadie, decided to write a letter to the editor to set the record straight.

On April 1, 1935, Mr. and Mrs. Labadie were found dead in their home. They had been asphyxiated by carbon-monoxide fumes from a gas burning stove with poor ventilation. The couple had just recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with all their friends and family. Frank was 75 years of age and his wife was 68 when they died. The so called haunted house from the GCL article was actually owned by their son George which Frank and Samantha never lived in.

"We are sorry to disappoint the thrill seeking public but there were no murders, no suicide, just a case of accidental deaths," the women said in closing.

While the GCL and the Labadie nieces hoped to "lay to rest" all the myths and legends, the tale continues to be told, changing a little with every repetition. Thrill seekers continue to make the long dark trek to the top of a hill where the remains of a stone home stand. After two fires the stone fireplace is the only thing still standing among the debris of the dilapidated home. The sight is met only by malfunctioning flashlights, strange invisible people shouting the names of all those present, odd smells and strange animals rushing through the darkness and vegetation just out of sight and reach. Though the most terrifying of all is when the fireplace sudden begins to blaze at the top of the hill bidding farewell to the frightened guests.

One teen stated, "This is our entertainment, and I will attest that it is much more fun than going to the mall or movies."

Whether these myths and others like them are the concoctions of teenage imaginations, mere optical illusions or truth is still to be discovered. But beware to those thrill seekers brave enough to find the truth for the twist at the end of the road may be more than bargained for and the truth may find peace at last for those families still affected by the mysterious legends.


Check out these links for MORE Green Country haunts!

www.hauntedhouses.com/states/ok

http://theshadowlands.net

www.prairieghosts.com

www.pittok.com - great Cain's Ballroom story