The video still below of a ‘ghostly maid’ wandering North Carolina’s Tryon Palace is generating a lot of press in English tabloids. But does it actually show a ghost?
The claim
“The footage shows the ‘ghostly figure’ of what appears to be a woman in period dress walk past the doorway,” The Sun reports.
“The pair [who took the photo] believe the lady could be the spirit of a servant who perished in a blaze at the palace in 1798, which began in the cellar and engulfed much of the building.”
Similar ghostly reports appear in the U.K.’s Daily Mail, Metro.Co.UK, and the Mirror.
The reality
Located in New Bern, North Carolina, Tyron Palace is a replica of a mansion built in the late 1760s. And like anything old (or made to look old), the palace has a reputation for being haunted. However, there’s a far more logical explanation for the figure in the photo than ghost. Try an employee dressed in period clothing.
“Historic buildings and period gardens provide the setting for living history programs featuring historic characters, and crafts, as well as domestic skill demonstrations.” reads a description on the Tyron Palace website. The site also shows several photos of actors in period clothing.
While the girl walking past the doorway could be a ghost, it seems far more likely she’s a live person in historic clothing. What do you believe?
Have you caught a ghost on camera? Send your photos to ghostsghoul@gmail.com!
I was just there a couple months ago. Everyone who works in the house is in period attire right down to the fabrics. The photographer was being lead on a tour by a guide wearing period clothes (because you can’t wander around the house without being on a guided tour), so they weren’t unaware of this fact. And, employees move around the house quite a bit, even with tours in progress. Parts of the house are fairly dark, which would lead to a slow shutter speed (especially on a cell phone camera), which explains the motion blur. If the photographer actually believes this is a ghost in spite of the evidence in front of them, they’re self-delusional.