A haunting in Hudson Brothers

A haunting in Hudson Brothers
April 5, 2011
by Philip D. Brown
Richmond County Daily Journal

Over its more than two decades as a bar, Hudson Brothers Deli in Rockingham has become a regular haunt for many of the county’s more gregarious and thirsty, but have some decided to take up permanent residence at the local watering hole?

That’s the question the Sandhills Paranormal Research Society set out to answer Saturday night, armed with sophisticated video and audio recording equipment and open minds.

The possible presence of the spirits of those departed is no cause for concern, according to those who have studied the subject.

The jury is still out on whether some of the bar’s patrons still visit from the great beyond after Saturday night’s paranormal checkup, but the founder of the group said Monday visual and audio evidence collected during it are indications there are spirits who roam the premises.

“I definitely think it’s haunted,” SPRS Founder Barbara Barringer commented Monday after reviewing some of the data collected Saturday night, as well as discussing the investigation with all members of her group. “… I don’t think there’s anything harmful there, but there are definitely spirits - more than one.”

To collect data, the group used thousands of dollars of technologically advanced video and audio recording equipment, and while all the evidence is yet to be reviewed, Barringer said there was already evidence of orbs, or floating balls of energy, in video footage and photography, as well as evidence of voice phenomena picked up on audio recorders.

Building history

Hudson Brothers Owner Rex Hudson explained last week that though the deli and bar has become a familiar fixture in downtown Rockingham over the past couple of decades, it wasn’t always a place of merriment.

“Originally, this building was the old Watson Funeral Home,” he explained Friday. “They used to have the crematoriums down in the basement, and when I bought the building I filled them in with sand so that it wouldn’t be quite as strange for the people who worked here.”

Over the years, Hudson said he hasn’t had any paranormal experiences at the bar, but has heard many stories from customers and employees.

Throughout Saturday night, evidence of paranormal activity was apparent in the basement, but Barringer said the night’s final session, at around 3 a.m., was the most promising.

“There were several spirits talking, and there was the strong smell of flowers,” she recalled. “Everyone smelled a very strong smell of flowers, like you just walked into a funeral home or a florist.”

The Girl Upstairs

Last Friday morning, Hudson Brothers Bartender Sarah McDuffie explained every morning when she comes in, she looks upstairs to see if the little girl that stands by the rail is there. This was a shock to at least one co-worker, who wasn’t aware of McDuffie’s vision.

“I slapped her on the arm and said ‘What?’” Manager Diane Masterson said. “I always see her, too, but I always see her when I’m walking towards the upstairs men’s bathroom and the door’s to my left. She’ll be standing there by the rail, but I didn’t really know it was a she. I just saw a person.”

During the investigation Saturday night, a man’s voice told the group that the girl’s name is ‘Cassie’ over a radio dial that scans frequencies.

Among other things, the voice mentioned names such as ‘Edward,’ ‘Nelson’ and ‘Bishop.’ ‘Steven’ was a common name repeated in the basement.

SRPS Investigator Lisa Davis explained there are spirits at many locations, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be where the person died or is buried. She said some spirits still think they live in the world of the living.

“Ghosts aren’t people, they’re people’s energy,” Davis said Saturday night. “When the body dies, the energy doesn’t, and sometimes it just kind of floats here on earth … People tend not to believe in ghosts because society doesn’t believe in ghosts, but many people who have had experiences with them recognize they are real.”

Skeptics and believers

Hudson Brothers Bartender Scott Singletary said he doesn’t believe in ghosts, despite the spooky experiences his co-workers and bar patrons have shared.

“I just don’t believe in that stuff - period,” he said Friday afternoon, before the investigation. “I’ve heard a lot of the stories people tell and all, but I don’t think it’s real.”

That being said, Singletary acknowledged his son doesn’t like to be in the building without him.

“Who knows? There are some things you just can’t explain,” he admitted.

Bar patron Martin Sessoms didn’t need any investigation to convince him. He said he’s seen an apparition of a man in a business suit who asks him to, ‘Wait right there,’ upstairs.

“There’s definitely something going on here that you can’t just explain away,” Sessoms said. “I don’t think it wants to hurt anybody, though.”

Hudson said there have always been stories of spooky happenings in the building, which has so much history. He recalled a story a previous owner told about having an employee who ran screaming from the basement and never even came back to pick up his paycheck.

“If something wanted to make its way back through to this side, I guess that building would be a good place to do it because of all the different things that have happened here over the years,” he said.

Anyone who has a suspects area of paranormal activity, or would like to learn more about investigating them, may visit the Sandhills Paranormal Research Society Web site at http://sprs2010.ning.com/.

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