The Lapham-Patterson House
Cheryl Walters was not scared of ghosts . She genuinely wanted to see one . She kept an open mind and waited patiently .
Walters was in the perfect location to encounter a ghost . For 21 years , she was curator at the Lapham-Patterson House in Thomasville , a house said to be rife with ghostly figures .
“ There are many , many , many ghosts , according to visitors and people who have had spectral experiences ,” Walters said .
Some people have visited the 626 N . Dawson St . house to experience the rumored aura . A woman walked through the house with her arms outstretched , in hopes that ectoplasm — a physical manifestation of the energy and essence of a ghost — would come through her fingertips . The ghost woman is reaching for Charles Lapham . Lapham , a Chicago show manufacturer , built the Queen Anne-style house in 1885 . A victim of the 1871 Great Chicago Fire , Lapham said he came to Thomasville for his health and to recover from smoke inhalation from the fire . He allowed his likeness to be used in advertisements promoting Thomasville as a health resort .
Lapham , who was deep into spiritualism , posed for a spirit picture in 1917 .
October 2024 | Valdosta Scene 19