I love making zines, both digital and print. I have decided to share some of my creations on this site (see link on main menu). I have posted my first digital zine and plan on posting printable zines as well (zines you can print and fold at home).
👻 Enjoy!
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving is one of my favorite spooky stories. I grew up attending and still attend a Headless Horseman Festival in my hometown of Fishers, Indiana. My favorite part? A haunted hayride through the woods with a headless horseman chasing us along the way. It is so realistic and thrilling.
Headless Horsemen are not limited to Irving’s story, though. Today, I am going to share five more headless horsemen.
Hold on to your heads!
In German and Scandinavian folklore, both the phantom rider and horse are pitch black. They can gallop on the ground and in the air. Sometimes these headless horsemen are said to be outcasts from The Wild Hunt, which is a folklore motif concerning mythical or supernatural beings leading hunts across the sky, leaving disaster and death along the way.
The horsemen could also be great chiefs who lost their heads in battle or were beheaded.
Source: A Dictionary of Ghost Lore by Peter Haining (p. 87)
The Dullahan rides a black horse across the countryside, holding his head under one arm and a human spine as a whip in the other hand. The head’s flesh has the color and consistency of moldy cheese and the eyes constantly move.
The Dullahan sometimes drives a wagon (called a coach-a-bower, or death coach) pulled by six black horses. The wagon is made of human skin and adorned with skulls. The wheel spokes are made of thigh bones.
If you hear the horse’s hooves, don’t look out the window! You may have blood thrown in your face or you may become blind. When the Dullahan stops in front of your house…death is coming. The demonic fairy will call your name, pulling out your soul and watching as you drop dead immediately. Some say gold (even the smallest amount) will protect you from the Dullahan.
Source: Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland by Thomas Crofton Croker, Wikipedia, A Field Guide to Irish Fairies by Bob Curran
In the 1500s, Ewan of the Little Head from the Maclaines of Lochbuie branch of Clan Gillean, lost his head in battle. His army went head to head (pun intended) against his father’s army (Ian the Toothless of Lochbuie) and the other branch of Clan Gillean, Macleans of Duart. These two branches paused their rivalry to thwart Ewan’s attempt to dispose of his ill father.
Obviously, Ewan lost the battle and his head. He was decapitated when he charged into battle in a last ditch effort. Legend says that, even without his head, he kept fighting (or his body was just moving around a lot). He wounded some enemies before his horse took off. They called the battle off.
The horse and a headless Ewan returned home. His body sat upright in the horse and was still twitching. It must be the work of the devil! Thinking they found the source of evil, they decapitated the horse. Ewan was buried.
The ghost of Ewan and his horse, both headless, still ride around the Highlands. Some say if you see this headless horseman, you will soon die. When a member of Lochbuie Maclaine dies, the family can feel Ewan’s presence and hear the sound of ghostly hooves.
One version of the story I found online tells of Ewan coming across a Bean Nighe (banshee) before his battle. She was washing a bloody shirt in the water. Coming across the Bean Nighe is a very bad omen, but Ewan had a solution (kind of).
Ewan snuck up behind her, while she is sang a lament of soldiers who had fallen in battle. Ewan took her breast in his mouth and suckled it like a baby. He told her that he is her first born, so she granted him a wish (I am not sure where he got this idea). Ewan asked what the outcome of the battle would be. She replied: “If tomorrow morning you are given butter with your porridge without asking then you will be victorious.” Ewan was angry at this answer and cursed the washer woman. It is not a good idea to curse a washer woman. (ScotClans)
And, as you know, he died.
Source: Hunting the Headless Horseman by Mark Latham (p. 50) , Tales and Traditions of Scottish Castles by Nigel Trantner (p. 30), and Scotclans.com
In Philadelphia, witnesses have reported a headless horseman in Revolutionary War garb, riding along Allens Lane in Mount Airy with his head in his hands. Legend says he was a British solider who was decapitated at the Battle of Germantown. Sightings were reported as early as the Revolutionary War.
Source: Haunted Philadelphia: Famous Phantoms, Sinister Sites, and Lingering Legends by Darcy Oordt (p. 156)
I saw this story floating around on the internet and I just loved it. A man was traveling home (I have not been able to pinpoint dates) when he spotted a ghostly headless horseman. Well, this ghost followed him home. When his family woke up, they saw the headless horseman in the yard and all their windows and doors were open. Imagine that scene. Source: Courier Journal
Featured Image: John Quidor, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Nothing satisfies us on Christmas Eve but to hear each other tell authentic anecdotes about spectres. It is a genial, festive season, and we love to muse upon graves, and dead bodies, and murders, and blood. – Jerome K. Jerome, Told After Supper (1891)
Christmas is a time for ghost stories. It’s true! The tradition of telling ghost stories around Christmas time probably came before the holiday itself and definitely before the commercialized version of today. The origins, as Kat Eschner writes, are “about darker, older, more fundamental things: winter, death, rebirth, and the rapt connection between a teller and his or her audience. But they’re packaged in the cozy trappings of the holiday.” The tradition never really made it over to America (Puritans ruin the party again), but ghost stories around Christmas were especially popular in 19th Century British books, periodicals, homes, and theatres. In 2017, Ghostland author Colin Dickey made a call to resurrect the tradition of telling ghost stories on Christmas, so I’m challenging y’all to read 25 ghost (or just scary) stories this Christmas season (or 12). Maybe you’ll read them in your comfy chair with hot chocolate or wassail. Maybe you’ll read the stories aloud around the fire with family and friends. Whatever you need to do to bring this tradition back to life and hopefully start a new spooky tradition in your home. (To learn more, please check out the articles below that ground this tradition in interesting historical research.)
If you participated in #31SpookyStories, it is basically the same thing. You’ll read 25 spooky short stories each day this December until Christmas. Or, you can choose to read 12 spooky short stories (for the 12 Days of Christmas).
Below I have provided some books and FREE sites where you can find some spooky Christmas stories (I’ll continue to update this list throughout December). Feel free to read whatever spooky stories you want, Christmas-themed and otherwise.
Your reading style and availability may be different than mine, so I gave the challenge additional options:
The goal of this? To have fun, resurrect an old tradition, and to introduce yourself to new writers. Below are some progress sheets, social media information, some sources on the history on the tradition, and possible stories to read.
There are many ways to keep track of your stories, whether privately in a notebook or publicly on social media. This year spooky artist Sian Ellis was kind enough to create printable progress sheets for both challenges. I recommend printing the sheets!
And, what better way to save your page than with one of Sian’s bookmarks (though you’ll find yourself putting multiple items in your cart). Make sure to follow my cohost Sian on Instagram (@thisissianellis)!
Some challenge readers (me included) will be sharing our daily reads on social media. Follow me (@notebookofghosts) for fun Story templates, my daily reads, available anthologies from some of my favorite online sellers, and more!
We’ll be using the hashtag #25SpookyStories!
Below are links to some anthologies online. I haven’t read all of these, so I’m sorry for the lame ones! 🙂 Please note: Most of these links take you to Project Gutenberg, which gives you multiple formats to read it in. HTML is best for reading on your computer. You can also send it to your Kindle (I use this email method).
Happy Reading!
For the past few years many committed to reading 13 or 31 spooky short stories during the month of October. This challenge is not only doable, but it is accessible as I provide free resources. I find this tradition an excellent way to introduce yourself to new writers, folklore, genres, and more.
Artist Sian Ellis was kind enough to design spooky progress sheets. They are an easy and fun way to keep track of your stories, whether you are doing 13 or 31 stories this October.
There’s not wrong or right way to complete this challenge. When choosing the next story for this challenge, I usually grab one of my favorite short story anthologies and randomly pick a story. I usually read fiction pieces and I never go a challenge without reading M.R. James. Your reading style, interests, and availability may be different than mine, so I gave the challenge additional options:
Make this challenge your own. I look forward to seeing what you do with it and what stories you recommend! 👻
Some challenge readers (me included) will be sharing on social media. Follow me (@notebookofghosts) for reading templates, my daily reads, available anthologies from some of my favorite online sellers, and more!
We’ll be using the hashtag #31SpookyStories!
There are many ways to keep track of your stories, whether privately in a notebook or publicly on social media. Might I recommend these beautiful and spooky progress sheets by Sian Ellis? Print them out and fill them in! There are sheets for both 13 and 31 stories.
And, what better way to save your page than with one of Sian’s bookmarks (though you’ll find yourself putting multiple items in your cart). Make sure to follow my cohost Sian on Instagram (@thisissianellis)!
If you would like to share your reads on social media, here are some ways:
(That aren’t already in the Free Section)
Below are links to some anthologies online. I haven’t read all of these, so I’m sorry for the lame ones! Please note: Most of these links take you to Project Gutenberg, which gives you multiple formats to read it in. HTML is best for reading on your computer. You can also send it to your Kindle (I use this email method).
Commonplace books are an excellent tool for writing down your favorite quotes and excerpts! To learn more about commonplace books, read this post (and this post). To learn more about keeping a Halloween commonplace book, read this post.
I look forward to reading along with you. Feel free to ask any questions you may have in the comments below!
Happy Reading!
I am also lowering the bar in terms of scheduling. The reason is twofold: I want to enjoy what I am doing and I want to work on it until I am finished. With that said, I have a very loose goal of posting on this blog monthly. I will post on my other blog, It Was Not a Ghost, monthly as well.
I will (try to) post #humdayhaunts on my Instagram weekly.
Anyway. I am not going anywhere, just pivoting.
OK, this is not about ghosts, but it is about the Christmas Spirit in Indiana.
Santa Claus, Indiana is a town located in the southwestern part of Indiana. Around 2,500 people live in the town (not including the elves, I’m sure) and it hosts Christmas-related attractions throughout the year.
Starting as a modest farming settlement of German immigrants, the town was eventually established in 1854 with the (not so) original name of Sante Fe. A few years later, the town was large enough to warrant a post office and they submitted an application to the Post Office Department. They rejected it, because “Santa Fe” was already taken. In order to obtain a post office, the town held several meetings and settled on a new name: Santa Claus. The post office was established in 1856.
That, of course, is one version of the story. According to legend, townsfolk were gathered around a fire in a log church on Christmas Eve. While the children played, the adults discussed the issue of choosing a new town name. All of a sudden, the church doors flew up and the sound of distant sleigh bells were heard by all. The excited children ran to the door and shouted “Santa Claus! Santa Claus!” It was a sign and the new name was chosen (santaclausind.org).
The post office is by far the most popular location in town as it receives many letters for Santa Claus from children during Christmastime. About 200 volunteers answer about 20,000 letters a year (Indianapolis Star). This tradition began in 1914 when postmaster James Martin started responding to letters. In 1929, Robert Ripley of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! took notice and featured the town in a cartoon strip.
During my newspaper research, I found some discussion during January of 1930 regarding the post office. Due to an influx of letters to Santa Claus, Indiana, the Post Office Department thought it might be best to change the town name. I came across many articles and letters pleading for the name to stay the same. Luckily, Santa Claus, Indiana is still alive and well.
Source: The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Indiana, 23 Jan 1932, p. 8.
The attention from Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! brought many to the town, but they were disappointed to see only a post office. Postmaster James Martin teamed up with Vincennes attorney Milton Harris to develop the concept for a theme park named “Santa Claus Town.” The first attraction in this town was Santa’s Candy Castle, which was dedicated on December 22, 1935. The building was a red brick castle sponsored by the creator of Babe Ruth and Butterfinger, The Curtiss Candy Company. Santa’s Workshop and Toy Village were later added with major sponsorships included.
During World War II, the focus in manufacturing switched to the production of war goods. Santa Claus Town would lose sponsors and Harris died in 1950 before he was able to bring Santa Claus Town to its original jolly glory. Other owners attempted to bring back the Christmas spirit, but the park finally closed in the 1970s. Luckily, new owners purchased Santa’s Candy Castle and reopened it in 2006. It one again a successful venture and was even featured on the Travel Channel.
This history of Santa Claus Town was provided by the Santa’s Candy Castle website (which is cute by the way) and is very much true, but there is one other possible reason the park had issues.
Days after the dedication of Santa Claus Town, a 25-foot Saint Nick—purportedly made of granite—went up on an adjacent hill. Chicago businessman Carl Barrett had purchased land in the hopes of creating his own Santa Claus “Park”, and annulling Harris’ rights to the property he’d leased. A crack in the “granite” showed the statue to be concrete; and a struggle for market share in the town’s holiday business followed suit. (Indiana Public Media)
So Harris and Barrett entered a legal battle, which made its way to the Indiana Supreme Court. The headline “Too Many Santa Clauses” appeared in publications such as Business Week and Newsweek. As you can imagine, this cost both men money and time. Both Santa parks eventually fell into decline.
In 1946, a new park named Santa Claus Land opened and is still open today, but under the name Holiday World & Splashin Sarfari. The park was originally Christmas themed but added other sections over time devoted to the other holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July.
Hope you enjoyed this short break from my usual spooky content. Merry Christmas! 👻🧑🎄
“Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari.” Wikipedia.
“The History Of Santa’s Candy Castle.” Santa’s Candy Castle.
“The Story of Santa Claus, Indiana.” Santa Claus, Indiana website.
“Too Many Santas.” Moment of Indiana History from Indiana Public Media. “Santa Claus, Indiana.” Wikipedia.
Nothing satisfies us on Christmas Eve but to hear each other tell authentic anecdotes about spectres. It is a genial, festive season, and we love to muse upon graves, and dead bodies, and murders, and blood. – Jerome K. Jerome, Told After Supper (1891)
Christmas is a time for ghost stories. It’s true! The tradition of telling ghost stories around Christmas time probably came before the holiday itself and definitely before the commercialized version of today. The origins, as Kat Eschner writes, are “about darker, older, more fundamental things: winter, death, rebirth, and the rapt connection between a teller and his or her audience. But they’re packaged in the cozy trappings of the holiday.” The tradition never really made it over to America (Puritans ruin the party again), but ghost stories around Christmas were especially popular in 19th Century British books, periodicals, homes, and theatres. In 2017, Ghostland author Colin Dickey made a call to resurrect the tradition of telling ghost stories on Christmas, so I’m challenging y’all to read 25 ghost (or just scary) stories this Christmas season (or 12). Maybe you’ll read them in your comfy chair with hot chocolate or wassail. Maybe you’ll read the stories aloud around the fire with family and friends. Whatever you need to do to bring this tradition back to life and hopefully start a new spooky tradition in your home. (To learn more, please check out the articles below that ground this tradition in interesting historical research.)
If you participated in #31SpookyStories, it is basically the same thing. You’ll read 25 spooky short stories each day this December until Christmas. Or, you can choose to read 12 spooky short stories (for the 12 Days of Christmas).
Below I have provided some books and FREE sites where you can find some spooky Christmas stories (I’ll continue to update this list throughout December). Feel free to read whatever spooky stories you want, Christmas-themed and otherwise.
Your reading style and availability may be different than mine, so I gave the challenge additional options:
The goal of this? To have fun, resurrect an old tradition, and to introduce yourself to new writers. Below are some progress sheets, social media information, some sources on the history on the tradition, and possible stories to read.
There are many ways to keep track of your stories, whether privately in a notebook or publicly on social media. This year spooky artist Sian Ellis was kind enough to create printable progress sheets for both challenges. I recommend printing the sheets!
And, what better way to save your page than with one of Sian’s bookmarks (though you’ll find yourself putting multiple items in your cart). Make sure to follow my cohost Sian on Instagram (@thisissianellis)!
Some challenge readers (me included) will be sharing our daily reads on social media. Follow me (@notebookofghosts) for fun Story templates, my daily reads, available anthologies from some of my favorite online sellers, and more!
We’ll be using the hashtag #25SpookyStories!
Below are links to some anthologies online. I haven’t read all of these, so I’m sorry for the lame ones! 🙂 Please note: Most of these links take you to Project Gutenberg, which gives you multiple formats to read it in. HTML is best for reading on your computer. You can also send it to your Kindle (I use this email method).
Happy Reading!
For the past few years many committed to reading 13 or 31 spooky short stories during the month of October. This challenge is not only doable, but it is accessible as I provide free resources. I find this tradition an excellent way to introduce yourself to new writers, folklore, genres, and more.
What makes this year especially spooky is my new co-host: Sian Ellis! Sian was kind enough to design spooky progress sheets. They are an easy and fun way to keep track of your stories, whether you are doing 13 or 31 stories this October.
There’s not wrong or right way to complete this challenge. When choosing the next story for this challenge, I usually grab one of my favorite short story anthologies and randomly pick a story. I usually read nonfiction pieces and I never go a challenge without reading M.R. James. Your reading style, interests, and availability may be different than mine, so I gave the challenge additional options:
Make this challenge your own. I look forward to seeing what you do with it and what stories you recommend! 👻
Some challenge readers (me included) will be sharing on social media. Follow me (@notebookofghosts) for reading templates, my daily reads, available anthologies from some of my favorite online sellers, and more!
We’ll be using the hashtag #31SpookyStories!
There are many ways to keep track of your stories, whether privately in a notebook or publicly on social media. This year spooky artist Sian Ellis was kind enough to create printable progress sheets for both challenges.
And, what better way to save your page than with one of Sian’s bookmarks (though you’ll find yourself putting multiple items in your cart). Make sure to follow my cohost Sian on Instagram (@thisissianellis)!
If you would like to share your reads on social media, here are some ways:
(That aren’t already in the Free Section)
Below are links to some anthologies online. I haven’t read all of these, so I’m sorry for the lame ones! Please note: Most of these links take you to Project Gutenberg, which gives you multiple formats to read it in. HTML is best for reading on your computer. You can also send it to your Kindle (I use this email method).
Commonplace books are an excellent tool for writing down your favorite quotes and excerpts! To learn more about commonplace books, read this post (and this post). To learn more about keeping a Halloween commonplace book, read this post.
I look forward to reading along with you. Feel free to ask any questions you may have in the comments below!
Happy Reading!
According to folklore, people are advised to touch wood when threatened by evil. What should one do when the wood itself is the source of evil? Hopefully, we won’t have to find out (Knock on wood! Sorry.). For now, we can explore haunted trees from the safety of our own computers.
In this post, I explore haunted trees throughout the United States.
A lone oak tree in Somersot County, New Jersey is believed to be cursed and is linked to the KKK and/or a homicidal farmer.
Whatever the origin story, the tree should be avoided. If you speak ill of the tree, you may face dangerous consequences (such as car accident). If you get too close to the tree, you may be chased away by a black Ford pickup truck.
The tree is warm to touch even during the winter and the ground near it cannot hold snow.
The tree still stands with a chain fence wrapped around its trunk to protect it from ongoing vandalism. You have to be pretty bold to vandalize that tree.
According to internet lore, a strange supernatural phenomenon occurs at Campbell Cemetery in Bertram, Iowa. If you visit the cemetery at night and turn off your headlights, you might be able to witness what looks like a tree floating in the air without a trunk.
Source: HauntedPlaces.org
A giant oak tree provides shade for old stone ruins outside Beaumont, California, serving as a local hangout for teenagers. Rumors have circulated for many years that the place is haunted and was once home to a witch. People have allegedly heard voices and seen apparitions.
In July of 2011, the body of Christine Kunstmann (age 44) was found in a shallow grave under the tree. In 2015, the case was finally solved and three individuals were arrested for murder.
Sources: HauntedPlaces.org, LA Times, The Sun, CBS Los Angeles
In Ormond Beach, Florida’s Bulow Creek State Park sits a 400-year-old oak tree called The Fairchild Oak (of the botanist’s namesake). Two deaths are associated with the tree, allegedly. James Ormond II, who lived close by, was found dead under the tree (case of death unknown). The second death was the suicide of Norman Harwood over mounting debts. People have supposedly seen the apparition of man who causes onlookers to feel overwhelming sadness.
Sources: DaytonaBeach.com, Only In Your State
In 1893, newspapers reported the legend of “The Whispering Tree” in Pittsburgh, a maple tree which sat at the edge of a stream.
Murmuring would come from the tree at night, especially at midnight on Halloween. Local teenagers visited the tree for thrills, believing it was the site of a murder. A local attorney, J.H. Maxwell, was sick of all the tree gossip so he took matters into his own hands and chopped down the tree with an ax.
The fallen tree’s rings revealed it was over 150 years old. Upon further inspection, Maxwell also found 70 (yes 70) old-fashioned bullets at about the height of five feet.
He also found two hollowed streaks which served as a type of runway for stream water, which traveled up one streak and down the other. It was concluded that the water was making the whispering noises.
The cause of the bullets? We will never know.
Source: Chicago Tribune via The Clarke County Democrat, Grove Hill, Alabama, 02 Nov 1893 (pg. 2)
An elm tree in Prospect Park of Brooklyn is marked by a silver plaque reading “Nellie.” Nellie Howard died in the 1800s while on a European tour.
Her father was a member of the firm Howard, Sanger & Co., and she was a notable figure in social circles. As a child she enjoyed drives through the park and always admired the tall elm tree, constantly commenting on its beauty. During her illness, she reminisced about the elm tree and her last words were about spending time under its branches.
After her death, her mother was drawn to the elm tree and later became convinced her daughter’s spirit lived in the tree. It should be of note that the mother is “not a Pantheist, neither is she a follower of any of the ‘crank’ creeds which have of late set the social world a-wobbling […]” (haha).
Source: Lake Superior Citizen, Ironwood, Michigan, 21 Jul 1894, Sat (pg. 3)
Legend tells of a haunted apple tree in Douglass, Massachusetts. The story goes that a traveling salesman stopped to rest under a tree in an apple orchard. Someone, believed to be the property’s farmer, brutally murdered the salesman. He was found under the tree with a gash in his neck. The farmer later moved away because he was followed by the spirit of his victim.
Locals report seeing a man standing under the apple tree, one hand on his neck and the other hand reaching out for help. His cries can be heard a mile away. The apple tree he was killed under only produces apples with streaks of red, like blood.
Source: The Cheyenne Sunbeam, Cheyenne, Oklahoma, 05 Oct 1900 (pg. 2)
Featured Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
In this series, I will be “sharing my notes” on various paranormal research groups. Each post will usually include key facts, a brief introduction, notable cases, and an introduction to a notable member. Feel free to jot down notes in your commonplace book.
Founding Date: 1882
Location: London, England
Research Focus: all forms of paranormal cognition (examples: clairvoyance, telepathy); paranormal action (examples: poltergeist, teleportation); altered states of consciousness (examples: hypnotic trance, near-death experiences); physic sensitivity or mediumship; life after death
Research Methods and Tools: scientific research; randomized studies, psychology, empirical studies, conceptional studies, laboratory experiments
The Society for Psychical Research (SPR) was founded in 1882 for the “purpose of investigating mesmeric, psychical and ‘spiritualist’ phenomena in a purely scientific spirit” (SPR). This came at a time when science was challenging religious worldviews and the spiritualist movement opened many to paranormal possibilities. Think seances and ectoplasm!
Before the official SPR, there was the “Sidgwick group,” which was an informal group of upper class individuals interested in researching Spiritualism’s claims. The key figures in the beginning were all Fellows at Trinity College at Cambridge: Henry Sidgwick, Frederic W.H. Myers, and Edmund Gurney. Henry also married Eleanor Balfour of the Balfour family, a prominent Scottish family (fancy, fancy). Eventually this group merged with others pursuing similar work, including other scientific thinkers and spiritualists, to form the SPR.
With a group full of prominent and educated people, it is no surprise they attracted people like Arthur Conan Doyle, William James, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and more. By 1900, the group had published over 11,000 pages of research (Guiley) and, in 1885, they helped found the American Society for Psychical Research.
Ok, let’s get to the drama.
By 1887, many spiritualists had left the group. You see, when an organization’s research cannot prove life after death and is revealing many mediums are frauds, spiritualist members wonder what the heck they are doing there.
A very notorious exit was Arthur Conan Doyle. He wrote a letter of resignation after medium William Hope was called a fraud in the organization’s publication by member Theodore Besterman. While he thought Theodore Besterman was reaching, this published report was indicative of his larger issue with SPR research: ‘assertions of the opponents of Spiritualism are at once accepted on their face value without the slightest attempt at discriminate examination’ (Cambridge University Special Collections). Many members followed Doyle.
The organization, despite internal tension, still remains the leader of psychical research.
To read an in-depth history, I recommend visiting their About page.
With such a long and rich history, it is no surprise the SPR has quite the roster.
The following cases are notable cases involving hauntings and poltergeist phenomena. They have done some interesting experiments in other areas of inquiry. For time purposes, I will not cover them but recommend you investigate if interested.
Borley Rectory (1900s). This famous haunted house in England was first investigated by Harry Price (he lived there from 1937 to 1939). His findings were discredited by SPR members. From what I gathered, the SPR thought they should have investigated and not Harry Price (he was not a member). After Price’s death in 1948, three members of SPR investigated his findings: Eric Dingwall, Kathleen M. Goldney, and Trevor H. Hall. They accused Price of fraudulent activity in their book The Haunting of Borley Rectory. Some SPR members did not necessarily agree with the “Borley Report” as they called it, but it seems most of SPR supported it. Paul Tabori (psychical researcher) and Peter Underwood (parapsychologist) defended Price as well.
Enfield Poltergeist (1977-79).This famous poltergeist case inspired the film Conjuring 2. SPR investigators Maurice Grosse and Guy Lyon Playfair attributed the the activity to childhood pranks but asserted that some of the paranormal phenomena was genuine.
“Borley Rectory,” Wikipedia.
“Challenging Challenger: The Fallout between Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the Society for Psychical Research,” Cambridge University Library Special Collections.
“Enfield Poltergeist,” Wikipedia.
Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits. New York: Facts on File, 1992.
“Our History,” Society for Psychical Research Website.
“Society for Psychical Research,” Wikipedia.
Notebook of Ghosts 