Throwback Thursday: Ghost Tapes
Haunting Cassette Tapes from Yellow Spring’s Past
On the Eve of Halloween, this week’s Throwback Thursday showcases some ghostly-themed cassette tapes from the Moore Archive’s collection.
Local legend has long deemed Yellow Springs haunted. With over 4,000 years of habitation and more than 300 years of recorded history, along with generations upon generations of inhabitants living and dying on the land, it’s hard to believe this place wouldn’t be haunted, if one believes in spirits.
However, our archives contain very few references to ghosts or hauntings.
While many stories of this nature are purely folkloric, understanding the legends of an area helps researchers and historians gain insight into how the residents view themselves and their surroundings.
With that in mind, our cassette collection, which we are currently digitizing, features two particularly spooky entries that we want to highlight during this eerie time of year.
Cassette Tape No. One: The Ghost of Yellow Springs
This cassette tape captures a performance by the Yellow Springs Association (a precursor to Historic Yellow Springs) during the 10th anniversary celebration in November, 1975.
In the audio, an unknown voice actress brings to life the “Ghost of Yellow Springs,” embodying the spirit of the springs, and sharing the area’s history (as understood in the 1970s).
Accompanied by eerie ambient music, the performance engages attendees in learning about Yellow Springs’ history.
The voice actress offers a sufficiently spooky overview of the site- especially since the anniversary celebration in question occurred in November, right after Halloween.
According to what we know about the legends of ghosts in this area, the “Ghost of Yellow Springs” seems to have been invented by the Yellow Springs Association and this actress.
There is no specific ghost tied to the springs themselves that we were able to identify- though this may just be because we haven’t found those records yet.
Cassette Tape No. Two: Ghosts of Yellow Springs with Medium Muriel Ulmer
This recording appears to capture a ghost hunt that took place between 1986 and 2000.
Based on the locations mentioned in the audio, we believe this investigation was focused on the Washington Building.
Muriel Ulmer, a medium, is one of the voices featured in the recording. The identity of the other person accompanying her is not revealed.
Throughout the recording, it seems that Mrs. Ulmer is hearing voices from spirits and relaying this information to her companion.
It is unclear whether she is speaking directly or if this is a recording from a spirit box session, or if she is using a different method of supernatural communication.
During several moments in the recording, particularly at the beginning, Mrs. Ulmer seems to channel the voices of the spirits associated with the Washington.
One spirit, in particular, appears to be quite dissatisfied with the management of the tavern and inn, referring to the tavern owner as a “swine.”
Mrs. Ulmer also seemingly makes contact with another spirit, who seems to be trapped in one of the rooms of the Washington and is unable to move to another room.
Due to some deterioration in the audio, certain parts are difficult to understand, so what is truly being said is up to interpretation.
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Taken in their entirety, both of these recordings serve as a spooky piece of our history (even though their historical accuracy is undoubtedly questionable).
Like true ghosts in folklore, these remind us to keep our eyes (and ears) open to the voices of the past- so we don’t miss the reminders of those who came before us, no matter how otherworldly they might be.
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Learn more about the history of Yellow Springs
You can read the more in-depth version of this post here
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