Bringing Back Sligo

Breathing new life into an Italianate home in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Bringing Back Sligo
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  • Category: Haunted

    • Sleeping

      Posted at 7:47 am by Lauren Tepaske, on August 9, 2018

      Marcus travels a lot.  It’s become only slightly easier to deal with as the years go by but, with that being said, every new house we move into brings with it a period of time in which I have to readjust.  Mostly the readjustment period is me dealing with irrational fears of being home alone with the kids and something scary happening like an intruder or a fire but it has definitely resulted in a few sleepless nights.

      I may or may not have mentioned the fact that I’m a worrier.  Someone needs to be in this family.  For example, I am the type of person that takes the tornado warnings seriously, gathering the children and pets and huddling in the bathroom.  Marcus is the type of person who sees the warning and rolls back over to sleep.  So, I don’t know if that’s a worrier problem or just a protective mother problem but either way I suppose it’s a problem when it affects my sleep (’cause Lord knows I love my sleep).

      So, now I find myself having sleepless nights worrying about how I’m going to fall asleep the first night that Marcus is gone and I find myself alone in the new house.  For one, the house has been vacant, and the whole area knows it, and I’m worried someone is going to try and get in.  Secondly, I’m worried that the house is so old the wiring will set it on fire.

      I’m also worried that the ghosts are going to get me or are going to mess with my girls Scratch that, I’m more worried about them messing with me…the girls can fend for themselves in this case.  If something sits on my bed in the middle of the night, I’m out (and there’s a very real chance of this happening because we have a cat and I’m more of a react now ask questions later type of person).  It’s every man for himself in the night if ghosts are involved.

      There you have it.  I can’t sleep for fear of not being able to sleep.  That could be the very definition of crazy.

      Posted in Haunted, Life, Main House | 3 Comments
    • The Basement

      Posted at 8:11 am by Lauren Tepaske, on August 3, 2018

      Of all the places in the house, the basement is by far the spookiest mostly due to the fact that there is an absolute lack of light.  There are windows but those are boarded up and, even if there were working lights, I have a fear of turning on a light and a spark flaring up and a line of fire trailing up a wall, burning down the house (seriously, watch The Money Pit if you haven’t already).

      On a recent trip to the house I was able to ascertain that there are not any human remains in the very large trunks that have been left behind so that was a relief (and if you think that thought didn’t really cross my mind you would be wrong).  The entire basement would be fantastic for a Halloween party or a seance or even a virgin sacrifice if that’s what you’re into.

      chair in basement

      Why?

      In the end what I really want from the basement is a full apartment that can be rented on Airbnb or a space for guests to stay in (I won’t charge family and friends the full Airbnb price but you’ll still need to bring your own linens).  Renovating the basement comes with it’s own set of challenges, a lack of light being only one of those.  From the outside entrance to the basement is an old coal pit and where the boiler is currently located.  Saving this would not only preserve the history of the house but also add a uniqueness to the space as the current plan for it is to be a kitchen.  From the old coal pit would be a bathroom, a living space, and a bedroom.  Both the living space and bedroom have exposed brick walls and beams and I wonder what their use was 100 years ago.  If anyone out there is an old home expert I would love your opinion!

      coal pit

      The coal pit, where a future kitchen will be.

      1st room from the basement stairs.

      The future bedroom.

      2nd room from the basement stairs.

      The future living space.

      Posted in Haunted, Main House | 6 Comments
    • The House Wants Blood

      Posted at 8:00 am by Lauren Tepaske, on July 27, 2018

      I have jokingly stated that this house is haunted but, in all seriousness, this house is haunted.  At the very least there is a petrified British soldier lurking around, thinking he’s still alive, fighting a war.  This doesn’t even take into account the people who most certainly passed away peacefully in their beds and whose souls wander the halls of the home they once inhabited.  While the current house did not witness the horrors of war who’s to say what negative energy may be within the structure and land.

      The day we closed on Sligo Marcus took his brother, Jonas, to see the house.  It’s probably worth mentioning at this point that the house has been vacant for 10 years and, as such, has suffered it’s fair share of vandalism (which is only one of the myriad of reasons I was hesitant to buy this house).  So, when Marcus and Jonas arrived at the house they noticed a window had been newly broken.  I don’t know why Marcus felt compelled to fix the window (the house did it) because half of the windows are broken anyway and going to be replaced so what’s one more?  But, attempt to fix it he did and, in doing so, accidentally hit his right pointer finger on the broken glass which promptly “gushed blood” (his words, not mine and Lord Almighty am I glad I wasn’t there).

      You can then imagine my surprise when a few hours later I called to ask how the closing went and discovered Marcus and Jonas were at the hospital because Marcus needed stitches.  Imagine my even further surprise when I called hours after that and discovered they were still at the hospital because, as it turns out, Marcus had not only cut his finger he had severed the tendon by 50%.

      There are a few of you reading today that know my husband, Marcus, on a personal level and there are a few of you who do not.  For those of you who do not know Marcus very well, know this:  Through the years he has been known to break bones, need stitches, collapse lungs (twice), electrocute himself (resulting in hospitalization), and, in general seriously injure himself frequently.  In 2010 he fractured his skull and six weeks later fractured his collar bone.  Since then it’s mostly been black eyes and maybe some stitches here and there but this is all to say that Marcus was long overdue for another serious injury.

      Marcus’s injury has since resulted in a surgery which has left his right hand incapacitated at the moment.  The timing couldn’t be worse as we gear-up to move and still have many, many projects to finish at the current house (remember that fixer upper before this fixer upper).  Will the house be happy and leave us alone after this?  Or is this just the beginning?

      finger laceration

      Thank you, Marcus and Jonas, for sharing this extremely close-up picture of a gaping wound.

      splint

      Marcus’s current situation.  I can’t lie, I laughed a little when I saw this picture of Marcus’s hand after the surgery.

      Posted in Haunted, Injuries, Main House | 1 Comment
    Newer posts →
    • Recent Posts

      • Preoccupied December 20, 2021
      • The “Haunting” of Sligo August 4, 2021
      • Rehabilitation Tax Credits April 27, 2021
      • Put Me in Blogger Jail April 6, 2021
      • Virginia Historic Registry and the National Landmark Registry August 6, 2020
      • My Good Boy, Axel July 14, 2020
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