THE SPECTRE OF THE KRAMER HOUSE MYSTIFIES

From “Uneasy Spirits” by Rick Crawford.

The beautiful, large mansion doesn’t appear as if it could be housing a spectre which has been witnessed walking through fences or walls. But the Kramer House has been the site of many strange occurrences.

Howard and Billie Kramer live in the house at 5996 Goshen Road., Belfast. The Kramers have lived here for 35 years. They purchased the house from the Sutton family who had lived here since they built the house in 1829. Originally the farm included 880 acres and now comprised a still sizeable 75 acres.

Surprisingly, Lida Beth Sutton, who lived in the house for many years, never said anything to the Kramers about any mysterious happenings on the property. She moved to the house next door on the south side and lived there until she died in the winter of 1997, less than one year from her 100th birthday.

“The day after we moved in, the doors would open with no one in the rooms,” said Mrs. Kramer. “At times, we have seen a man in the house and he just disappears. He’s always dressed Victorian style.”

“One day I was standing outside the side of the house here with three of my friends, talking,” said Mr. Kramer. “We all noticed the man out in the field walking along the fence line and approaching the house. As he kept walking toward the fenced gate in our direction we expected him to stop. None of us recognized him so we just naturally expected him to stop and identify himself. All four of us saw him just walk right through the fence like it wasn’t there. The four of us just looked at each other and asked the others if we had all seen the same thing. We had.”

Mrs. Kramer remembers this incident very well. “My husband came into the house where the men’s wives and myself were. He asked where the man was who had walked through the fence and into the house. We all answered that none of us had seen any man come into the house.”…

Mrs. Kramer recalls when a neighbor, who had a high opinion of himself, visited one morning. “We were in the kitchen talking when he asked me who the man was in the house. I told him we were alone. He insisted there was a man in the house in the doorway of the living room which was behind me. I turned quickly, we went into the room and no one was there. This particular neighbor never returned.

“We’d hear sound of people walking around upstairs when we knew no one was up there and we’d tell guests it was the sound of the house still settling,” she laughed. “My son saw a man walking slow in the field, and followed him a long while on his horse. All we saw were the horse’s prints… We’ve had visitors describe the man as wearing dark pants and a white shirt with large sleeves and he had pork chop sideburns and a medium length hair cut… We’ve had psychics visit and they all felt the presence was in the room we used for a nursery on the second floor (now being used as a walk-in closet, across the hall from the master bedroom). The room would be ice cold, but the babies would still be warm.

The Kramers do not know who this man is who can literally walk throughout the house like a mist. But they don’t mind him. They actually seem amused by this spectre which they say is not the least bit threatening.

An uninvited visitor; welcome, but nevertheless uninvited.