THE MAN IN BLACK
Hello,

I just found your website.  I was very surprised to find a website about ghosts in NWI, since I was born and raised in Hammond,  and had many experiences in the home I grew up in and also in my high shcool, Hammond High School.

The house I grew up in in Hammond was built in 1938.  Only one other family owned it before my grandparents bought the house in 1963.  My parents bought the house from them in 1984.  While my mother her sister, and two brothers lived there nothing strange occured.  But after we moved in things changed.  The room I shared with my sister was very strange.  At night while we were alseep we would always see the figure of a man in black whatching us sleep.  This would happen every night, and you can never see his face or even what he's wearing.  But the feeling you get from him is that he means you no harm.  So we were never affraid of him.  My sister still sleeps in this room and is now 19 years old and still every night she see's the man.   My mother has felt somone touching her while she has been in the bath tub and in the shower.  She had an unseen hand grab the soap out of her hand while she was in the bath tub.  We all have heard footsteps.  My bedroom was in the basement in what used to be a studio apartment until my grandfather remodeled it for my uncles to use as a bedroom.  I never have felt comfortable in that room.  There is an uncanny feeling of someone or something whatching you.  I have had the feeling of someone standing over my bed while I'm asleep and opened my eyes to see no one there.  I have also been psyichally thrown from my bed by a man in black.  I woke up one night and he was standing over me  I dont think he is that man from the bedroom upstairs because the feeling from him is hatred and fear.  He threw me into my dresser and it woke my parents up.  As soon as I hit the dresser the man disapeard.  But my mom and dad could still feel a presence after he had gone.  Thankfully I wasn't hurt, but I had alot of bruises.  Another night a few years later, a week before I left for college, I w! oke up one night to see a beautiful litle girl completly bathed in white light.  There was such peace eminating from this presence that I just went back to sleep.  A few hours later I woke up to find the man in black only now his face was like an animals only much more grotesque and he had claws.  He chased me from my bedroom and pushed me into the stairs.  My parents were awakened by my screams and went into my room.  The hair on my mothers arms stood up and it was cold.  Besides that other things have happend to me in that room.  My best friend and I have seen a white figure (dont know if it's male or female) walk through my bed into the wall.   Also I have been looking in the mirror and seen my face change before my eyes.  Like getting older and older and older.  This has happened to my best friend and also to my sister.  And only in that room.  Also my sister and I have had weird dreams about that room alwa! ys about a boy who is about 19 or 20 named Matthew Jones and he is always dressed in 1940's clothing and he is always in my room talking to me and I cant hear him.  My sister has the same dream about not being able to hear what he's saying only in her dream there are alot of other people around and they are all crying only she cant see their faces.  The weird thing is that the people who owned the house before my grandparents bought it were the Jones family.

My parents still live in the house and things haven't happend in awhile.  But it seems like the pressence is stronger durring the summer time.  Especially August.  To our knowledge no one has ever died in the house.  But the strange thing is that after I moved out I've never had the dream again! I have also had experiences in my high school.  There is a presence of a boy in what is now the music, choir, and band rooms.  The area used to be the schools pool.  And a boy drowned to death in the pool.  After the fire in 1968 that destroyed the inside of the school they moved the pool to the other side of the school.  A few of the students and teachers  have seen the boy always wet and wearing swiming trunks.  I never saw anything, but I never felt comfortable in the rooms alone.  A couple of years after I graduated I worked for the school city of Hammond as a substitute teacher and I had to sub for the music teacher.  I had to leave the room when there were no classes because I could feel someone whatching me. Also there is a presence in the auditorium.  I was involved in Drama club.  And one night durring a performance I was the only one behind the curtain.  I felt someone brush up against me and it was cold and no one was there.  There are alot of students who refuse to be alone in the auditorium.  Also other strange things like I've been alone in the building before and I've had classroom doors slam shut on me when no one else could have done it. Just wanted to share some of my experiences.  If you have any questions about the stories you can e-mail me.

Rebecca Quigley