Robert the Doll... (actual photo)
Robert the Doll is a famous antique doll, originally owned by a boy named Robert Eugene Otto in Key West, Florida, that is now housed at the Fort East Martello Museum. The doll is widely believed to be haunted and allegedly cursed, with stories claiming it moves on its own, changes expression, and causes misfortune to those who disrespect it or take its picture without permission. The doll is said to have inspired the Child's Play movie franchise, and a documentary about its history is available on HBO Max.
As the Story Goes...
Creation:
The one-of-a-kind doll was made at the turn of the 20th century by the Steiff Company in Germany.
Original owner:
It was given to Robert Eugene Otto when he was a child. He would often blame the doll for his mischief, and his parents claimed to hear the doll speak back to the boy.
Moving to the museum:
After Otto's death, the doll was donated to the Key West Art & Historical Society in 1994 and has been on display at the Fort East Martello Museum since.
Robert's Hauntings & The Curse
Supernatural claims:
Visitors and museum staff have reported a variety of strange occurrences, including hearing giggling and footsteps, seeing the doll's expression change, and finding it in different positions.
The curse:
The curse:
The most common belief is that the doll is cursed, and people who disrespect it or take its photo without asking permission may experience a range of misfortunes, from technical malfunctions to car accidents or job loss.
Apology letters:
Apology letters:
Due to the alleged curse, the museum has a display case for visitors who have experienced bad luck and want to write apology letters to Robert.
Anna Baker was the daughter of Elias Baker, a wealthy ironmaster in the 1800s. She grew up in the grand Baker Mansion, a symbol of the family's social standing. Anna fell in love with a working-class man, but her father strongly disapproved of the match due to the suitor’s lower status. As a result, Elias forbade the marriage, and Anna remained unmarried for the rest of her life, growing increasingly bitter and reclusive until her death in 1914.
The wedding dress that Anna had selected for her planned marriage was never worn for its intended purpose. After her engagement was broken, the dress remained in the Baker Mansion, passed down through the years. The dress became part of the museum collection when the mansion was turned into a historical site.
Over time, visitors and staff members began to report unusual occurrences linked to the dress. It is said to move on its own, especially at night, with some claiming to have seen it swaying as if an invisible figure were trying it on. These accounts have led to speculation that Anna's spirit remains attached to the gown, symbolizing her lost love and unfulfilled dreams.
The Hauntings
Movement:
The dress allegedly moves within its display case, shifting or swaying without any apparent cause.
The dress allegedly moves within its display case, shifting or swaying without any apparent cause.
Cold spots:
Some claim to feel an unexplained chill near the display, even in warm conditions.
Apparitions:
Shadows or ghostly figures have been reported near the dress, believed to be Anna’s lingering presence.
Unusual sounds:
Footsteps, whispers, and faint sobbing have been heard in the room where the dress is displayed.
The cursed mirror at Myrtles Plantation is a haunted object in the foyer said to trap the spirits of Sara Woodruff and her children, who died from yellow fever in the 19th century. The legend claims the mirror was missed when mirrors were covered after a death, trapping the family's souls, and visitors report seeing handprints, apparitions, and figures in the glass.
As the Story Goes...
The Legend:
The most popular version of the legend says that an enslaved girl named Khloe poisoned the Woodruff family. However, historical research shows the family actually died of yellow fever.
The Mirror:
It is believed that because mirrors were traditionally covered after a death, this specific mirror was overlooked. As a result, the spirits of Sara Woodruff and her children were supposedly trapped inside.
Hauntings:
Visitors have reported seeing handprints on the mirror's surface, which are claimed to be those of the spirits. Other reported sightings include apparitions of the family and figures in old-style clothing.
Historical Context:
While the ghost stories are popular, the historical details of the poisoning story have been challenged by researchers who found evidence the family died of yellow fever, not poison.
Location:
The mirror is located in the foyer of the Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana.
James Dean's Porsche... (actual photos)
The most popular version of the legend says that an enslaved girl named Khloe poisoned the Woodruff family. However, historical research shows the family actually died of yellow fever.
The Mirror:
It is believed that because mirrors were traditionally covered after a death, this specific mirror was overlooked. As a result, the spirits of Sara Woodruff and her children were supposedly trapped inside.
Hauntings:
Visitors have reported seeing handprints on the mirror's surface, which are claimed to be those of the spirits. Other reported sightings include apparitions of the family and figures in old-style clothing.
Historical Context:
While the ghost stories are popular, the historical details of the poisoning story have been challenged by researchers who found evidence the family died of yellow fever, not poison.
Location:
The mirror is located in the foyer of the Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana.
James Dean's Porsche 550 Spyder, nicknamed "Little Bastard," is considered haunted due to a series of misfortunes that occurred after he crashed and died in it. After the crash, its parts were sold to other racers, and the car itself was allegedly involved in several accidents, including injuring a child and causing a fatal collision. The car's wrecked chassis was also said to have disappeared in 1960 while being transported, adding to its mystique.
As the Story Goes...
The curse's origin:
Before the fatal crash, actor Alec Guinness warned Dean not to get into the car, saying he would be found dead in it by the following week. This morbidly accurate prediction is a key part of the car's legend.
Accidents involving the car:
After Dean's death, parts of the car were sold and reportedly caused more accidents. The car itself was later allegedly involved in a fire while in storage, and a driver transporting it supposedly died after it fell off a trailer.
The car's chassis disappeared in 1960 while being transported, and its whereabouts are still unknown. Some believe the story of it vanishing was an intentional fabrication to increase the car's notoriety.
The surviving parts:
The engine and pink slip were sold to a racer, and the engine was reportedly installed in a Lotus 9 race car, which later crashed. The transmission was sold and resurfaced decades later, eventually being purchased by Zak Bagans for his "Haunted Museum" in Las Vegas.
The "Curse of the Crying Boy" is an urban legend about a series of mass-produced paintings, originally by Italian artist Giovanni Bragolin, that were supposedly linked to house fires in 1980s Britain. According to the legend, these paintings were often found undamaged in the ruins of burned-down houses, leading to the belief that the painting itself was cursed. While the stories were popular in the tabloid media, fire officials often attributed the fires to carelessness rather than supernatural causes.
As the Story Goes...
Origin:
The myth began after a series of house fires in which the Crying Boy painting, made by Giovanni Bragolin, was the only item to survive.
How the Story Spread:
A 1985 article in The Sun newspaper, titled "Blazing Curse of the Crying Boy," fueled the hysteria and turned the legend into a national phenomenon.
The Media Frenzy:
The story led to a media frenzy, with newspaper reports detailing numerous fires and their connection to the painting. The Sun even organized mass bonfires for readers to destroy their copies of the painting.
Expert opinions:
While some believed the curse to be supernatural, firefighters noted that the fires were likely not a result of a curse but rather of carelessness, though they did report seeing the paintings survive many fires.
Mundane explanation:
Some suspect that the paintings were coated with a fire-retardant varnish, a common practice at the time, which would explain why they were often left undamaged by fire.
Lasting legend:
Despite the likely explanations, the legend persisted, with some claiming that getting rid of the painting only made their bad luck worse. The curse has since become a well-known example of a modern urban legend.
The myth began after a series of house fires in which the Crying Boy painting, made by Giovanni Bragolin, was the only item to survive.
How the Story Spread:
A 1985 article in The Sun newspaper, titled "Blazing Curse of the Crying Boy," fueled the hysteria and turned the legend into a national phenomenon.
The Media Frenzy:
The story led to a media frenzy, with newspaper reports detailing numerous fires and their connection to the painting. The Sun even organized mass bonfires for readers to destroy their copies of the painting.
Expert opinions:
While some believed the curse to be supernatural, firefighters noted that the fires were likely not a result of a curse but rather of carelessness, though they did report seeing the paintings survive many fires.
Mundane explanation:
Some suspect that the paintings were coated with a fire-retardant varnish, a common practice at the time, which would explain why they were often left undamaged by fire.
Lasting legend:
Despite the likely explanations, the legend persisted, with some claiming that getting rid of the painting only made their bad luck worse. The curse has since become a well-known example of a modern urban legend.
As the Story Goes...
Origin:
The curse is said to have originated in 1702 with Thomas Busby, a murderer from North Yorkshire, England. After his conviction, he cursed the chair he was sitting in at his favorite pub, stating that sudden death would come to anyone who dared to sit in it.
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| (actual chair) |
The Curse:
Over the centuries, numerous deaths were linked to the chair.
- Reports include airmen from a nearby base who died in crashes after sitting in the chair during World War II.
- A mason died after falling into a hole at a construction site shortly after sitting in it.
- A roofer died when a roof he was working on collapsed a year later.
- Even a pub cleaner who fell into the chair reportedly died shortly after from a brain tumor.
Museum Display:
The continuous stream of "victims" prompted the chair's owner to donate it to the Thirsk Museum in 1978. It is now hung from the ceiling to ensure no one can sit in it.
The name "Iceman" is most closely associated with the cursed mummy Ötzi the Iceman, whose discovery in 1991 was followed by a series of unusual deaths linked to his excavation and study. There is no famous "haunted object" named Iceman; the term refers to the mummy himself. He is the haunted object.
In the years following the discovery, rumors of a curse similar to that of King Tutankhamun began circulating in the media. A number of people connected to the mummy's excavation, research, and documentation died unexpectedly.
Notable deaths linked to the curse:
- Rainer Henn (1992): Head of the forensic team that examined the mummy, Henn was killed in a car crash on his way to give a lecture about his findings.
- Kurt Fritz (1993): The mountaineer who led Henn to the body, Fritz was the only member of his climbing party to be struck by an avalanche and killed.
- Rainer Hoelzl (1993): The journalist who filmed the mummy's removal died of a brain tumor at age 47, just months after releasing his documentary.
- Helmut Simon (2004): The tourist who initially discovered Ötzi fell to his death in a sudden blizzard. His body was found frozen in a stream, eerily mirroring the mummy's fate.
- Dieter Warnecke (2004): The head of the mountain rescue team sent to search for Simon, Warnecke died of a heart attack shortly after Simon's funeral.
- Konrad Spindler (2005): The archaeologist who led the study of Ötzi and scoffed at the idea of a curse died from complications of multiple sclerosis. He had famously joked, "The next thing you will be saying I will be next".
- Tom Loy (2013): The molecular archaeologist who made groundbreaking discoveries about Ötzi died from a rare hereditary blood condition. He also did not believe in the curse.
A Deep Dive into Ghosts of the South
