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Texas | Ghosts

THE HOUSE
ON OMAR STREET
NEAR HOUSTON HEIGHTS

by Ken Rudine
Ken Rudine
Sam's passionate claims virtually leaped off the page of his email.

Sam wrote,"I can't really explain a lot of the feelings we had living there - but one thing was for sure - it didn't matter if you were alone or with 15 witnesses . . . she always managed to take you by surprise or during your most innocent moment. There were times when you felt safe and every thing was going great (I recall running up the stairs to retrieve cigars for my dad) and all of a sudden - you put on your brakes. Too often I have had that feeling that something is not right and I am not alone!"

Sam continued, "A month ago I was talking to my brother David about the ghost. I had always thought that when she appeared to him that he had "that feeling." David said - NO-there she was with a jilted look starring at him. He had been laying on his stomach, trying to tune a good signal on his radio and some thing grabbed his ankles and pulled. He jumped out of bed, saw her green face - and ran right through her apparition."

Sam described, "I was afraid to be there when the "feeling" came on...all of the years growing up and then being an adult--it still bothers me. I know I'll never forget her face---that long dark hair...fancy lace gown (maybe a wedding dress?) She knew what she was doing! I saw her come out of my mom's room as solid as can be (but with sheerness in her dress")--moving slowly, looking at me and grinning. I'm telling you - this is not my rerun of a horror movie . . . she is inter-acting and loving it."

I have reported on a number of supernatural events and that must be part of the reason I received this email from Sam. Sam's email also mentioned the location of his house was near Mrs. Hurley's of fried pie fame. He also claimed Mr. Shipley of Shipley Donut's beginning had worked with his uncle at a bakery on Navigation Street. These personal connections to my past stories help me to be inclined to believe Sam's claims about my old neighborhood.
The House on Omar Street
The House on Omar Street
Sam's house is in Houston's Woodland Heights, built as state of the art in the middle 1920's. Designed with a traditional Texas front porch these houses were built of all wood. They are on wood beams resting on brick piers with roofs of cedar shingles. Even today residents still use these porches in the cool of the evening. Most of these houses were built single story. However Sam's house was a two-story dwelling near Travis Elementary School.

In 1954 the upstairs was brought to life again when Sam's parents along with his three older brothers and sister bought the house. In the beginning the family paid little attention to strange events. But as the years accumulated unexplained noises and events caused concern.
Sam Denny's Parents in 1965
Sam furnished an interesting picture of Sam's parents made outside the house front during those times. Enlargement shows what appears to be a sinister face inside the glass beside the front door.

As was the custom in those years, children were allowed to roam the nearby neighborhood without worry. They were simply required to be at home at dusk for supper. Gradually the children noticed when you left the window open in your room - and came back - you may find it shut. These windows are counter balanced by concealed iron weights connected by cotton rope and pulleys to assist lifting, partially open and closed. This makes the windows repositioning spooky. If the house were empty, because of a fear of the unknown, the children would wait outside to enter till the parents returned.

"David and I were waiting outside, across the street - because we saw some one in the window looking out - then disappears. A search of the house by our parents found nobody." Sam said.

By 1970 Sam, now 16 returned home about 11:30PM from a night of bowling with friends. He tried to let his parent's know he was home but their door was locked as usual when they had retired.

In his room Sam turned on a B&W TV, which furnished his only light. Still in his clothes he laid on top his bedding with hands under his head to view the TV. In the hall he saw an image wearing a long white "lace-like" gown. Was this his mother coming out of her room he wondered? Assuming the figure was his mom, he spoke and it appeared to grin. But still confused he watched as this mysterious image turned toward the laundry room door where it paused then entered.

Sam rushed to help because he knew of hazards in that room. He found no one, not even an apparition. The hair stood up on the back of his neck. Quickly he checked his parent's room again and found the door still locked. He knew he needed to hide under (what he called his) magical bed covers. With considerable restlessness Sam eventually drifted off to sleep.

For Sam's family this apparition was not a singular event. Over the years following, all observed other similar events in this house. The interior walls are made of wood covered with wallpaper. All doors are hinged unless it is a "pocket door" which slides like Sam's dining room. The pocket doors could slowly open or close by ghostly means.

Other times sounds came from upstairs like someone with "combat boots" on would walk around upstairs or the pocket doors would slowly open or close by unknown means.

Sam's Brother David, a Marine would be awakened by unexplained shaking of his bed, a hard shaking like "Get up - Get up".

Sam's mother happened to see the apparition watching her husband nap. Just reacting in an authoritative voice caused the apparition to evaporate when she called the entity a HUSSY. After which HUSSY became this ghost's comical name.

By about 1978 after Sam had matured and left home, his parents sold the house. In 1994 Sam drove to his old house to show his children where he grew up. The residing homeowner became curious why Sam and his family were parked out front of his house. Hearing Sam's explanation the owner invited them inside. During the visit Sam asked if they had any unusual happening there? The lady said - - you mean the ghost? Yes - she said we've seen her. Sam said my mom named her a HUSSY. The current owners said, "Well that HUSSY is still active."

Finally Sam said,"This is a true story of the visitor--except I almost feel that WE were the visitors. We always called her either the woman in white lace or The Ghost of Omar. I wish I could add more but I have told you all that I recall. It seemed something was happening all the time. If it were practical for you to speak with my brother David, he would confirm all these ghostly happenings." ----

My experiences with the supernatural help me to willingly accept Sam's events as facts. Facts are what support legends. Therefore, it is my belief that until these claims are disproved, I will print the LEGEND.


October 1, 2014
© Ken & Yvonne Rudine


Forum
Subject: Sam's house on Omar St.

First I'd like to tell you that I was about 7 years old when I lived on Omar St. And I also attended Travis elementary school. I will give you a little background about my family to help you understand. Mid 1970s my mother father myself and my younger brother moved into the house on Omar Street, my father was physically abusive to my mother and she was in the hospital recovering from broken ribs when we moved in to the home. We only rented the upstairs portion of the home. It was a 1 bed 1 bath apartment. I remember being home sitting in front of the TV on the floor playing with the doll and my father was sitting on the couch watching television and my younger brother was asleep on the couch and he had a very high fever. My brother started pointing up in the air and saying "Carol get down from there dad's going to spank you!" I looked at my father with confusion, I didn't understand why my brother was talking to the ceiling. My father asked him who he was talking to and he told my father that I was floating up at the ceiling and making fun of him. My father asked my younger brother what he was talking about because I was sitting on the floor in front of the TV. My brother told him that I had two bumps on my four head like horns, a human hand and an animal hand with a human leg and an animal leg with a hoof on my foot. My father assume that my brother was delirious with fever and was just seeing things. Suddenly there was a knock at the door! I jumped up and said "I'll get it!" As I ran over to the stairway leading to the front door down the stairs. I heard my father's yell out to me, "No! It's the goddamn devil!" I stood at the top of the stairway and suddenly my father was standing next to me holding my hand but I only had a peripheral view of him. I was frozen. I couldn't move I couldn't speak but somehow I wasn't afraid. I saw a figure in a black cloak and hood with no face coming up the stairs as if they were floating. All I could hear was what sounded like the sound of an ocean when you hold a seashell to your ear. And then I heard this creature speak in such an ugly harsh voice and he said over and over "Sell your soul to me!" My father started cursing at this creature telling it to "get the hell out of my house! Leave you son of a bitch!" The creature and they call it a creature because it did not seem human. In his ugly harsh voice said "don't curse me!" Then I heard my father starting to pray the Lord's Prayer. "In Jesus name leave this house you're not welcome here!" Slowly this creature started to fade like smoke into the walls. Finally I was broken from my paralyzed state and began crying uncontrollably. I was terrified! We grabbed all week and caring and left the house that night.

Two years later my grandmother moved into that house with my 14-year-old aunt and my older brother who was 11 years old. It was Fourth of July weekend late 1970s and we went over to visit the family. While everyone was outside popping fireworks in the street my aunt, her best friend, my brother and myself were upstairs in the living room playing with the deck of cards. I began to tell him the story of what I remember happening to me when I lived in that house. As I got deeper into the story of what I saw and what I heard, The four of us saw a man dressed in a white dress shirt khaki pants black shoes blond hair and a distorted green angry face, pacing back-and-forth just outside the windows of the living room which was on the second floor of this home in the rear of the house. There was no ledge on the rear of the home to be able to walk on. It was obvious that he was very angry at me as if he were angry that I was telling the story about what I saw in this house. We all jumped up and flew down the stairs and out the door!

I remember it as if it was yesterday I'll never forget when I saw and what I heard but the part that bothered me the most was over 20 years later when I was in my early 30s I asked my father if he remembered what happened in that house. He said yes he would never forget what happened that night. I told him that the only reason that I was not afraid of that creature was because he (my father) was standing there next to me holding my hand. My father said to me in a very shaken voice "baby, that wasn't me holding your hand. I was in the other room while that creature was standing in front of me holding me down on the couch!" I returned to that house many years later just to drive by and see if it was still there hoping that someone had torn it down by now. Reading your story about the house on Omar Street made me feel like I wasn't really crazy and I didn't just imagining someone else experienced something terrifying in that house.

Sincerely, Carol Nies, San Antonio, Texas, Oct 30, 2015


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