lasted until dawn, after which she immediately packed up and fled! Another spooky house that Tamara loves is 18 West La Rua Street, whose cheerful yellow facade belies a sometimes-tumultuous interior. Replaying like an old movie, a dozen or so British soldiers suit up and rush through the main part of the house as if they have been called to arms. The longtime homeowners, who ironically are British expats, speculate that at one time a wall from the nearby ruins of Ft. George extended up to their property, providing a plausible explanation as to why their gossamer soldiers are visible only from the knees up. The British may be forever coming, but it’s the officer who thinks he rules this La Rua Street roost. The homeowners fittingly call this apparition “the Officer” because he appears dressed in a riding cape and hat and has facial hair indicative of a soldier of rank from the Civil War era. “The Officer” also exerts serious attitude, often stomping through the house and glaring defiantly. One day, the neighbor’s gardener was planting flowers and had
an eerie feeling that he was being watched. When he looked over at his neighbor’s house, he saw “the Officer” peering from a window, intently scrutinizing his work. If you’re thinking Tamara’s tales sound far-fetched, think again. Unbeknownst to Tamara at the time, the homeowners of both these houses took her tour. They didn’t reveal their identities until after she had finished talking. In both instances, her surprise guests validated her stories as absolutely true. In fact, when the tram stopped in front of their house, the couple from La Rua Street added that they saw “the Officer’s” shadow in one of the windows. Pensacola’s haunting extends well beyond its downtown limits. Apparitions have long been sighted at Ft. Pickens on Pensacola Beach, where, throughout the Civil War, Union soldiers remained to fend off Confederate attacks. The lighthouse at Pensacola’s Naval Air Station is reputed to be one of America’s most haunted, according to the Travel Channel and Syfy’s Ghost Hunters (the Atlantic Paranormal Society). Up to eight spirits roam its creepy 1869
Keeper’s Quarters. The base courthouse was the officers’ club in 1924, and the rattling of poker chips is often heard at night; that pales, however, next to the yelling, door slamming, and terrorizing that occur in Quarters A, whose poltergeist remains furious that he has died of yellow fever. As we approach the season of ghosts and goose bumps, keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Whether in historic Pensacola or in your own backyard, you never know when or where you, too, may experience something frighteningly freaky that boggles your mind. If you already have, please share your story with me at kim@travelplanners.net.