Bringing Back Sligo

Category: Life

• It Was an Interesting Night…Part III

  Posted at 7:19 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on August 1, 2019

  So, hearing a male voice when there wasn’t a male was…interesting.  As we all walked up the stairs from the basement I felt like a child again, not wanting to be the last one up and my back feeling so exposed to whatever might be down there.  Because of the male voice on the recording the paranormal team determined that perhaps the energies were more interested in communicating via EVP so we did a few more sessions in the same room of the basement.

  Carl, the only man on the team and who according to him the spirits care less to communicate with, decided to give it a try.  So Carl, my mom, and I went down to the basement.  Carl had barely started the EVP session when we heard Paris call from upstairs that the monitor had gone completely blank.  Everything else was running but the monitor had simply turned off.  Jokingly (though I took him very seriously), Carl said that whatever was in the basement wasn’t interested in talking to him.

  There were experiences that others had making it difficult for me to write about them because it wasn’t my own person having the experience.  Two people saw a shadow in the basement and asked for it to leave as it was not healthy to still be there.  Another person saw a full bodied figure walk near the Cottage.  While I did not see the shadow with my own two eyes I saw the reaction of the person who did and not even Meryl Streep could fake that.

  By 2:00 in the morning we were all wiped out.  We decided to break everything down and call it a night.  I don’t know if the paranormal team were disappointed in the lack of evidence or if this was a typical investigation for them.  Perhaps, when they get back home and review all of the video footage and EVP sessions something else will pop-up that nobody caught in the moment.

  Before the team left they assured me that whatever was in the house meant no harm.  As I looked at them wide-eyed, just a little panicked, Paula told me that when a spirit makes itself known it’s almost as if seeing a mouse; it’s totally unexpected and you may startle but then you calm down (although if I do see a mouse I know two household pets who have failed miserably at their job).  I’ll have to get back to you on exactly how I react to that first time seeing a spirit but I have a feeling it won’t be pretty.  I can say that while the events of the night weren’t so terrifying I still did not leave with a sense of belonging in the house.  Marcus travels so much and I just know the first night he is gone I’ll be calling my ride or die biatch to stay with me (because I’m fairly certain mom is out after this night).

  In the end there was just enough evidence and just enough inexplicable occurrences that there is no way to deny the existence of something in the house.  Sligo’s land is ancient, it’s foundation is nearly 260 years old, the house itself is 130 years old.  Imagine what has come and gone on that land from ancient peoples, to wars, to births and deaths.

  For a slightly more cheery end to this story both of my girls came running into my room the morning after and asked, as if it were Christmas, “Did you see a ghost?!”  When I told them I had not they left, thoroughly disappointed.  I don’t know what Marcus was so worried about.  They clearly think Casper the Ghost is there.

   

  Posted in Haunted, Life, Main House | 1 Comment

• It Was an Interesting Night…Part II

  Posted at 7:48 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on July 31, 2019

  Man, the more I think about it the more this may be a three parter…

  So, where were we?  Marcus and I were invited to be a part of the paranormal investigation at Sligo.  It was a no-brainer for me and I immediately said “yes.”  Marcus wasn’t as into the whole thing and opted out.  Damn that logical, engineer brain of his.  We did have one mutual concern though and that was we didn’t want our house to be known as “haunted” and people find out and try to get into into it.  Once we talked it over with the paranormal team we all agreed to do this with complete secrecy.  And now I’m writing about it so, secret’s out.

  Alright, so the day of the investigation the team arrives around 6:00 in the evening and start walking through the house.  On the paranormal team were Carl, Paula, and Paris.  On my “team” were my mom (hi mom!) and my ride or die biatch, Lori.  The two women from the paranormal team were particularly sensitive and I noticed a few times there were some areas of the house that appeared to affect them as they whispered back and forth.  Meanwhile, as we all walked through the house, questions were asked about its history and eyebrows were raised as I gave information such as its use as a small pox hospital.

  Once our tour of the main house was over we stood outside and chatted a bit about what Paula and Paris had felt or seen.  It was hard for them to articulate but it coincided with what I had been told by a previous resident of the house.  To touch on that a little, I haven’t written about what the previous resident told me because it isn’t my story to tell.  With that being said, I was excited for the night’s adventure to find out if I could validate their story.

  Almost immediately at least one experience of the previous resident was validated.  The two women had seen two “elemental energies” peaking out from the attic.  From my very rudimentary knowledge of the paranormal, “elemental energy” is less the energy of a person who passed and more of a natural energy of the surroundings.  It is known to be very impish or childlike in nature.  The very presence of these energies and the room in which they were seen lined up exactly with the previous resident’s story.

  Up to this point, everything was being discussed in front of our girls who listened, eyes wide.  I thought it was a very natural conversation to be having but Marcus was less than thrilled.  I have to admit, our youngest can be difficult challenging impossible and it was right to be concerned how she would eventually react to all of this knowledge.  He and the girls left after that with the youngest believing our conversation was about another person’s house.  Crisis averted.  (Funny side story:  That day I asked the girls what they thought a person should wear to a ghost hunt.  The oldest, and more pragmatic of the two, suggested all black.  The youngest suggested I wear a sheet with eyes and a mouth cut out so I would fit in better.  She then wanted me to be sure to take a picture with the ghost.  So, quite honestly, I don’t know if she was as affected by all of the ghost talk or not.)

  Anyway, after a break for dinner we all regrouped and the task of setting-up for the investigation began.  I never asked if what the paranormal team use for their investigations is proprietary or not so I will assume that it was and leave out detailed information.  Since I used to be an avid “Ghost Hunters” watcher I was feeling pretty confident in my skills and knowledge.  That’s pretty much where it ended though because the second we stepped into Sligo all confidence was lost.

  The first area of the house we wanted to investigate was in the aforementioned second floor room where Paula and Paris had seen the elemental energies.  My heart was pounding, my hands were sweaty (also because it was no less than one million degrees upstairs), and I really wanted to look up towards the attic but was too chicken shit to do so.  Paula and Paris both took turns trying to get the spirits to communicate with various methods but with very little success.  After some time, we went back downstairs.

  Once downstairs Carl told us we had a lot of orb activity that he could see on the monitor he was watching plus he was hearing footsteps from the porch through the foyer.  The next room we chose to look in was on the first floor and judging by the monitor, heavy with orb activity.  I was using a device to detect cold spots and at one point Paris asked me to hold still.  Paris, Lori, and I were all very intently looking at it when I had the distinct feeling that someone was almost cheek to cheek with me as if part of the group, viewing the screen.  I turned my head expecting to see Lori but she was a at least one foot away.  That was my first personal and inexplicable experience of the night.

  From the first floor we made our way to the basement into one room in particular that had seriously affected Paula and Paris when first touring the house.  We conducted an electronic voice phenomenon (EVP) session which consisted of Paula, Paris, my mom, and myself standing in complete silence as someone asks questions.  After about a minute of asking questions, the session ended and we played back the recording to listen for any abnormal noises.  About 10 seconds into the recording a very distinct, male voice can be heard saying “Here we go.”  There were not any men in the basement at that time.

  Posted in Haunted, Life, Main House | 2 Comments

• It Was an Interesting Night…Part I

  Posted at 10:07 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on July 30, 2019

  You’re going to have to excuse me and whatever I write because I didn’t get home until 3:00 in the morning and didn’t fall asleep until almost 4.  I was feeling a little wired and anxious over the night’s events and needed about an hour to crawl into bed and decompress which is why it took an hour to fall asleep.  Then, the kids, having a wanton disregard for my comfort, were awake and running into my room around 7 excited to see if I had survived the night.

  I had survived the night though I felt totally hungover.  I think it was a combination of a lack of sleep, dehydration, and (dare I say?) getting older.  I texted my girlfriend who was with me last night, “Is this a sign of aging? *crying emoji crying emoji crying emoji*” and she said it was because she’s usually the voice of reason.  Then we reminisced about how when we were in our 20s we could drink out butts off, go to bed well after 3:00 in the morning, and wake up feeling less crappy.  I don’t necessarily miss those days but I do miss having a little more resiliency.

  By this point, two whole paragraphs in, you’re probably wondering what the heck am I talking about?  So, I shall tell you.  A few months ago I posted on Facebook that every now and then a picture I thought I took at Sligo would not be in the gallery on my phone.  It was a semi-sarcastic/semi-serious post because it is true.  The few times a pictures has gone missing it has always only been pictures I have taken at the house.

  Anyway, the next morning I woke-up to a message from the head of a paranormal investigation team who asked for me to call him.  I did and we talked and I told him the few things I knew about the house and alluded to some experiences I knew others had.  Eventually, and over the course of a month or so, we set-up a time for he and his team to come out and investigate Sligo.  And, the best part out of all of that?  Marcus and I were invited to tag along…

  To be continued…(and yes, I have a very devilish grin right now because I just know there are are a few of you who are probably freaking out reading this).

  Posted in Haunted, Life, Main House | 2 Comments

• One Year Anniversary

  Posted at 7:32 am by Lauren Tepaske, on July 27, 2019

  Can you believe it?  Our one year anniversary from when I started writing this blog has come and gone and I did nothing to recognize it!  One year ago we were still getting numbers from contractors on exactly how much it would cost to restore the place.  The numbers came in a little (who am I kidding?) a lot higher than we expected and it resulted in us refinancing almost one year later and depleting my retirement account along with what little we had saved up in the girls savings account (we owe them) but we’re making it work.  Somehow.

  Despite the stress that is finances we’re still alive and surprisingly still married.  Equally surprising is the fact that we still have two children because it’s summer and I’m barely hanging on by a thread.  As far as I can tell we also still have the love and support of our family and friends who I think understand that our lives have been consumed by all things Sligo, and children, and activities, and sometimes sleeping (just to start it all over again the next day).

  While I have grow accustomed to the current state of Sligo I forget exactly what it looked like one year ago.  How Marcus ever saw this literal “diamond in the rough” I’ll never know.  I remember my jaw dropping when I first stepped foot inside the house.  It was, and still is, so overwhelming and I just did not understand why he thought the house was so amazing.  I suppose it’s a lucky thing he did (though more for you than for me, I think).

  I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read what I write and I especially appreciate the words of encouragement and praise.  I realize that, with my writing, you can never be too sure what you’re going to get.  Sometimes it might be silly or sarcastic or sad or simply statistical (alliteration, what?!).  No matter which “me” you get I hope you continue on our journey with us.

   

  Posted in Life | 0 Comments

• How’s the Cottage Coming Along?

  Posted at 2:21 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on July 20, 2019

  The other night I had a dream in which both my sister-in-law and I shaved our heads bald.  I texted her and told her about it and gave my own, uneducated psychological diagnosis for the dream which was “we’re losing our shit.”  The funny thing was, even though she had shaved her head she still looked gorgeous with long, flowing locks.  I, on the other hand, looked like Gollum.  I’m not trying to make this into a pissing match but, I think it means I’m legit going crazy.

  So, to catch you all up:  We moved-in with my mom last August (hi, mom!).  We decided the best course of action would be to renovate the Cottage and move-in while the Main House was being renovated.  I think the logic there was the Cottage is significantly smaller and therefore should take less time to fix-up.  So, our first, self-imposed deadline to be moved into the Cottage was before Christmas.  Then it was after Christmas.  Then, I think it was Easter.  Then it was the end of July…

  

  Me, whenever someone asks how the renovations are going and when we’re moving into the Cottage.

  In retrospect, when we purchased the property, the Cottage was in a worse state than that of the Main House.  A portion of the roof was gone and the house had been open to the elements for years.  Obviously, the entire roof needed to be replaced plus we had to replace an entire wall and flooring on both the first and second floors.  Animals had made a home in it and it had signs of people staying in it as well.  In other words, it was in really bad shape and while we Marcus has certainly come a long way in the repairs it still remains uninhabitable.

  Anyway, as time has gone on and the renovations of both the Cottage and the Main House have begun to pace each other, it occurred to me that we might as well wait and simply move into the Main House when it is ready.  The conversation was had about a month or so ago when I mentioned that it might be better for the family if we didn’t have to move, what would essentially be, three times in one year.  Yesterday, after working in the ungodly heat which I suppose is what brought about the following epiphany, Marcus  mentioned he thought it might be better for the family if we didn’t have to move, what would essentially be, three times in one year.  Huh.  That sounded familiar.

  I have yet to really finesse the fine art of letting the man think he makes all of the wonderful decisions in the family so instead of saying “That’s a great idea!” I said something more like “Oh, funny, because I said the same exact thing not that long ago” followed by an accusatory eyebrow raise (my humility is a work in progress).  Despite it totally being my idea to begin with but Marcus getting the credit for it (dang it, there I go again) we are now on the same page and will be staying with my mom until the Main House is completed.

  When asked if she would be alright with us continuing to live with her all my mom had to say was she was definitely going to be buying her rather skittish dog a set of noise canceling headphones.

  Posted in Cottage, Life, Main House | 0 Comments

• Clearing Up Some Dates

  Posted at 8:18 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on July 17, 2019

  I had an interesting online encounter the other day when I corrected a gentleman about the history of Sligo. What made it interesting is that he was refuting what I was saying by quoting my own, incorrect, material which he had retrieved online from the Department of Historic Resources (DHR). It was the very first form I had filled out in order to start the nomination process for getting Sligo on the National Historic Registry and unfortunately, it was a little less than accurate.

  In the end, I was irritated because it was my fault the incorrect information was out there (though for a brief second I was irritated because I felt like I was being mansplained by having a complete stranger tell me about my house). While I still have yet to fully embrace the idea of living in the house I have come to feel a bit protective of Sligo, it’s people, and the history. What is most important to me, though, is getting the history right which has proven to be a lofty goal.

  In the beginning all of the information I had of the house came from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) of Virginia Historical Inventory. In a nutshell, the WPA was a program meant to employ men and women until the economy recovered from the Great Depression. One of the smallest branches of the WPA was the Historical Records Survey whose official mission statement was the “discovery, preservation, and listing of basic materials for research in the history of the United States” (taken from Wikipedia and if my college professors knew I used it as a source they would die).

  Sligo’s WPA report was written by Nettie Moore Deaderick in 1937 and her bibliography lists various persons of Fredericksburg and Deed Books. So, while the information Deaderick retrieved from the Deed Books are certainly valid, I have to take with a grain of salt what statements were given by folks who had simply lived in the area for a long time. It’s through the WPA that I was given misinformation such as the house burning down in 1863 and, who can forget, the infamous skeleton in a cage. In my haste and excitement to get the nomination started I didn’t take the time to fully appreciate what the WPA reports were and how accurate, or inaccurate, they might be.

  So, to clear just a few things up: The house burnt down in 1888 and was promptly rebuilt, with construction likely ending in 1889. This was confirmed by the discovery of a newspaper article as well as the inscription carved into the brick of the foundation and an interior brick of the basement. There have only been two dwelling homes on the site, the first one built circa 1760 (this is according to the City of Fredericksburg’s records and I have yet to verify it though Mutual Assurance Society maps of the early 1800s show a single-story structure in the same shape as the current house) and the second house was built in 1889 (as previously stated so remember that date because there may be a pop quiz later).

  While I have much more to write in order to clear-up a few of the details of the house I will leave it at this for now. Supposedly, blog posts should never reach more than 600 words and I am rapidly approaching that number. I tend to give more information than necessary like when someone asks for directions and I give them more landmarks than actual directions because I’m trying to be helpful but in reality I’m just making the situation more confusing for the driver of the car, crap I’m over 600 words.

  Posted in History, Life | 1 Comment

• First World Problems

  Posted at 1:19 am by Lauren Tepaske, on June 8, 2019

  As I drove to Wal-mart at 10:00 this evening to purchase lice treatment I thought about all of the ways my life is feeling just a little unsettled.  I also thought about all of the other things I would rather be doing besides going to Wal-mart which included, but was not limited to:  Removing my fingernails one by one, stabbing my eyes with needles, and/or walking through fire.  You may think I’m being dramatic but I would do just about anything to avoid Wal-mart and especially Wal-mart late on a Friday night.

  Anyway, you all aren’t here to listen to me tell you about how Wal-mart is the worst and you’re probably not here to listen to my gripes but, too bad.  Marcus is gone again, this time to London and Germany.  He left just as the Cottage was starting to resemble an inhabitable space.  After eight days on travel he will return again only to leave for another four days for Navy Reserves training.  For the first time I kind of wish I had the skills Marcus has so that I could keep working on the Cottage but my skill set leaves me sitting here, late at night after a lice killing party, to write about how I don’t know anything about restoring houses.  I know so little about restoring homes that I managed to stab my hand with the vinyl flooring we’re installing and thus came an end to my short-lived career as a flooring installer.

  Meanwhile, as we have worked on the Cottage for the past few weeks months almost one year, we have also had to reassess our finances, deplete my retirement account (officially saying goodbye to Lauren Rojek), sell a house, consider selling one of the children, and sign our souls over to the devil.  Believe me, I have enough self-awareness to recognize that many of our problems are “first world” but they’re problems nonetheless.

  I also have enough self-awareness to know that things could always be worse.  I mean, at this very moment I have a really stinky dog lying next to me passing gas as if his life depended on it but I could be dead and not a smell a thing at all.  So, there’s that.

   

  Posted in Cottage, Life | 2 Comments

• The Fence

  Posted at 7:12 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on May 22, 2019

  There have been a few things going on behind-the-scenes (if you will) that I haven’t talked about for fear I would jeopardize their outcome.  One of those was a request to erect a six foot tall fence around the property.  We had to gain special permission from the Zoning Board in order to have such a tall fence at the front of the property.

  A few months ago (that’s how long this process has taken), we were all ready to give the go-ahead to the fence contractor when Marcus decided to peruse the city’s requirements.  Thank goodness he did because we would have been in for a rude awakening when it turns out the maximum height for a fence at the front of a property is four feet.  We immediately put a hold on scheduling for the fence and went to work gathering the requirements for the Zoning Board (one of those things was a survey of the property which I had suggested we get months ago but never did…its uncanny how right I am all of the time).

  I was really worried about putting such a short fence on the property for one big reason and he has four legs and his name sounds a lot like “Asshole.”  I love my furry guy but he’s a doofus and all I could think about was him chasing a bird shadow out into the four lanes of Dixon Road.  Of course protecting my children is high priority as well but they’re less likely to chase birds or shadows out into traffic.

  We also felt a tall fence was necessary to protect the property from any future vandalism.  Before, when the house was already in rough shape, it was hurtful when another window was broken or a fire extinguisher sprayed throughout the house (that happened) but if it were to happen now things could get ugly.  Luckily, we haven’t had any problems since work began but it would still be nice to have the added security of a  fence.

  Anyway, this is all to say that this past Monday we sat in front of the Zoning Board Commission and were unanimously approved for our six foot tall fence.  It was clear to everyone that our situation is unique within the city as we sit on nearly 1.5 acres of land and are surrounded by the park and a four lane road.  I appreciate the work that the Zoning Department did for us presenting our case to the Commission.  Plus, we were able to take both of the children and they got a tiny little lesson in how the government works so, parenting win for us!  The girls would probably argue that it was not a win but they’re young and immature and have no right to an opinion (because that’s how my government works in this house).

  Now we just need to file for the permit and work can begin so we can start to really enjoy our little bit of land.  I know ol’ Asshole is going to love it.

  Posted in Contractors, Grounds, Life | 0 Comments

• Connections

  Posted at 8:48 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on May 15, 2019

  Of all the things I expected when we purchased Sligo and by starting this blog the last thing on my mind was making connections with strangers.  I knew family and friends would want to know what was going on, curious to watch our slow descent into insanity and, of course, the progress of the house but I didn’t expect to hear from people with real connections to the property.

  Over the last few months I have heard from and met(!) descendants of the family who built the house.  I have talked genealogy and researched extensively said family that they kind of feel like my own at this point.  I have met, by total chance, a possible descendant of Dr. Mortimer, one of the first men to own the property.  I have talked with folks who either lived at the property or who knew someone who lived at the property and remember visiting.

  I never expected my life to be so enriched by this project but here I am, with my “two sizes too small” heart slowly growing.

  Posted in Life | 0 Comments

• The ICEE Machine Acquisition Story

  Posted at 11:12 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on March 8, 2019

  Since work is progressing on the house but nothing really exciting is going on I thought I would write about the ICEE Machine acquisition of 2017 as alluded to in my last post.  I’ve known Marcus for 13 years and sometimes when I write about him I forget that many people haven’t known him as long and haven’t been privy to his shenanigans.  So, to sum up Marcus:  If it’s free, not matter what “it” is, Marcus is going to take it.  Anything more than free and you (as in I) will hear some grief.

  So, on to the ICEE Machine.  In Williamsburg there was a convenience store at the front of the neighborhood which went by the name of “Kwik Out.”  There were many times we would ride bikes up to the store and the girls would go in with their little wallets and then walk out with a lollipop that the man gave them for free I think mostly to keep the line moving because they weren’t very good at counting out their money and also because they’re cute, little blondies.  I would usually go back in to make sure it was OK that they had a free lollipop and something wasn’t lost in translation between two little girls who barely knew their left from their right and an elderly, Middle Eastern man.

  Anyway, this all to say that at some point Marcus struck up a rapport with the Kwik Out guys and one day he noticed an ICEE Machine sitting outside of the store, near the dumpster.  For a week it sat out there and, I swear to God, I didn’t even have to be in the car to know Marcus was eye balling it every time he came in and out of the neighborhood.  Finally, one day, he said “I wonder what they’re planning on doing with that ICEE Machine?”  “It doesn’t really matter, does it,” I replied, “because no matter what it’s their problem.”  He feigned indignation as if he was not the one who had already brought home a broken arcade game, numerous TVs, and a couple of jet skis.  (In fairness, I should add that many of the broken things he has brought home have been fixed but at that particular time in our lives we were still in the process of renovating our Williamsburg home which left very little time for tinkering)

  After what I believed to be a hard”no” (although I’m now realizing my “hard no” needs a little more work because we now own a 130 year old home) I thought the subject had been dropped.  So, about a week goes by and I’ve been out of the house for an hour when I get a text message from Marcus.  I look down and I see a picture of an ICEE Machine sitting in our driveway with the words “How much do you love me” and an obnoxious amount of smiley emojis.  “What. The. Fuck?” I say.  I text it, too, and not the cute “WTF?”  It was the full text.

  Needless to say, I was not amused.  Granted, he was able to haggle a half-broken ICEE Machine for free but what in the actual hell were we going to do with it?!  Obviously, and I say this as I roll my eyes, most everyone else thought it was great which kind of fits the theme for just about everything Marcus does but which brings me great consternation.  “Oh, you got a broken ICEE Machine?!  It’s gonna be great!”  “You found a broken, old-school, Ivan Stewart Off Road arcade game?!  It’s gonna be great!”  “You bought a 130 year old, derelict home?!  It’s gonna be great!”

  So, super long story short, for nearly one year, the ICEE Machine sat in the garage, moving from one corner to the other, still partially filled with ICEE liquid and smelling of a Kwik Out (which one might be wondering how the smell of grease can permeate metal and I’m here to tell you it can).  Finally, as it became clear that we were moving and the ICEE Machine could not move with us, Marcus put it on Craigslist and someone, probably some other husband with an equally weary wife, picked it up and is hopefully making better use of it than we ever did.

  

  ICEE Machine in our driveway.

   

   

   

  Posted in Life | 2 Comments

• Recent Posts

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