Momma (from Selma Mansion)

Momma was a donation by Dee Kirkpatrick from Selma Mansion. In Selma, there is an attic room with a reputation of child ghosts. Many visitors have brought various toys, but this doll (and the little ones) is one of the original placed within the room. It has been in Dee's family for a LONG time and has resided in Selma for several years now. According to Jim Huston, the doll's head has been witnessed turning from side to side on its own. Other witnesses claim they have received EVPs (ghostly voices) from this doll, though Kenny has yet to hear any of them. The doll was donated to the museum in 2021 by Dee, due to the overflow of toys being left at Selma. Dee has entrusted the doll to Kenny (safe-keeping), who is patiently waiting for it to move around.

The Walking Clown

According to Jerry, this clown has a habit of walking around by itself. After inheriting it from his mother, he would occasionally hear a sound like two glass bottles tapping each other. At first, he had no idea what was causing this sound. It would happen only after he went to bed, & could be heard several times, pause, then be heard several times more. The pattern would repeat throughout the night. After searching the apartment (each time), he finally noticed the clown was in a different spot than where he had placed it. Curious, he picked up the clown and inspected it. It wasn't until he put it back down (onto the hard-wood floor), that he heard the familiar 'glass bottle' sound as the clown's shoes contacted the floor. Following this revelation, he paid closer attention whenever hearing the sounds. Although he never witnessed the clown walking, he continued to hear the late-night walking. It freaked him out, but not enough to cause him to get rid of the clown. It wasn't until his girlfriend heard the footsteps that she refused to come back until it was gone.

Black Eye Child

According to the previous owner, this doll originally had glass eyes when it was received as an anniversary gift from a distant cousin. At some time not long after, the eyes disappeared - mysteriously. Lara decided to keep the doll anyway, but soon regretted that decision. She began to feel a growing sense of unease, what she described as "a growing fear that felt like an ice-cold hand trying to slowly pull my heart from my chest". Lara tried to ignore it, but the experience grew worse until she couldn't even go into the room with the doll. Her husband finally had enough - he packed up the doll & sent it to a friend. That friend then sent it to Kenny (donated 2021). 

So far, Kenny has not felt anything odd from the doll. He's even gone as far as to sit and stare into its eye sockets. There is nothing to report. 

Agatha the Witch

This piece was acquired in Cape May, NJ from an old antique shop. A sweet elderly woman working at the shop asked if she could help me find something. When I replied, "Got any haunted items?" Without skipping a beat, she smirked and said, "Why yes, right over here". She lead me to the back of the shop to where this dool was set on a top shelf (with no price tag). "This little lady likes to be left alone. Any time we put her on display with other items, everything is pushed off and found on the floor by the time we open the next morning. She's a feisty one, I tell ya. I think she got a spirit attached to her...one that doesn't like to be crowded. So, I keep her back here. We had a young lady purchase her a few months ago, but brought her back about a week later. Yes, she complained it was 'possessed' because it cleared off her shelf. Said it broke quite a few things. If you want it, you can have it for a dollar." Kenny paid the dollar and took it home. 

The name Agatha was given to it by Kenny - due to the purple color and having recently watched "Wanda-Vision". The doll has been set next to several other items in the Museum since May of 2021, but has not caused any disturbances.  

Cursed Doll of Misery

This item was given to me by a man named Jimmy, who contacted me via TikTok. After some conversation, he agreed to meet me at the ParaUnity Expo 2021. Jimmy claims this item is cursed and is the cause of hardships over the last three years - that's when his fiancé left him. Jimmy states they were engaged for two months when he caught her cheating on him with his best man. Jimmy immediately broke off the engagement, which he says caused his now ex-fiancé to go into a rage - cursing him and screaming that "she would see to it my life will be nothing but suffering until he dies". The following weekend, she moved out of their house, leaving with what he described as a "sinister smile". Since then, Jimmy was laid off, both his parents passed away, he was in two car accidents, and more (he did not want to share). When he was forced to sell his house, he found this is the attic - over his bedroom. He had never seen it before, but his ex-fiancé instantly came to mind. He knew she dabbled in "weird shit" and was a "spiteful bitch". He has donated this item to the Mystery Museum.

So far, Kenny has not experienced any noticeable bad luck. 

Headless Henry

This guy was donated by a one of Kenny's flea market contacts, who acquired it from an estate sale he had recently cleared out. He said the (now deceased) previous owner had a large collection "strange shit" - meaning various oddities. The daughter of the previous owner said it was the "most haunted thing in my dad's collection of weird shit". The story goes that this doll belonged to a child who lived at the Odd Fellows Orphanage that operated in Sunbury, Pa from 1897 to 1970. The child lived at the orphanage in the 1940s, but due to extreme behavioral problems, was transferred to an asylum*. The child apparently took out her anger on the doll on multiple occasions, but refused to surrender it even after the head was removed. The girl was said to carry the head & body around, warning other children that she would do the same to them. Eventually, staff removed the doll from her before sending her off. She allegedly committed suicide a week later. Since then, the vintage doll had a reputation of inciting anger and rage in anyone that owned it. How it ended up in the possession of the now-deceased owner is a mystery he never disclosed. But he believed the disturbed spirit of the little girl was attached to it, and was responsible for the activity. 

The item has been in the museum since September 2021, but has not demonstrated any ability to incite anger or rage in anyone. 

*There is no documentation to support the child's existence or the events of the story. 

Crying Bride

This doll has one of the more tragic backstories. According to Rebecca (who donated the doll) - her daughter was set to marry her high school sweetheart in 1991. This doll was a gift from mother to daughter. On the way to the church, the groom was involved in a fatal car accident. Rebecca's daughter struggled for several weeks with the loss, but was overcome with depression. Less than a year later, the daughter took her own life. Rebecca claimed that on several occasions, while sitting in her daughter's now-vacant bedroom, she heard the sound of someone crying. When she searched for the source, she concluded the weeping came from this doll. Rebecca experienced this three times before contacting me and asking if I would take it. Although it made her feel terribly uneasy, she did not have the heart to throw it away. 

I have had the doll since 2020, and have not heard it cry.

If you're struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. The service is available 24/7 - Please make the call. 

Fairy of Destruction

The Previous owner stated that after she brought this home from an estate sale, she would find various items around her home destroyed when she came home from work. The items ranged from decorations to appliances. A "psychic" friend paid a visit, after the owner confided in her what was going on. The psychic was drawn to this figurine and claimed there was a mischievous negative spirit hiding within it. The psychic advised her friend to get rid of it as soon as possible. Eventually, I met her husband at an antique fair not long after. He was a vendor and I mentioned being interested in haunted items. The husband related the story and then asked if I would take the fairy for $1. I paid the asking price and brought the fairy back to the museum. 

The fairy has been in my possession since 2020 and placed among dozens of other (breakable) items. To this date, I have no found any unexpectedly destroyed items in my house. 

The Succubus Doll

Previous owner claims the doll contains a "Succubus" - a female demon that appears in dreams to seduce men, usually through sexual activity. She claims her husband described a red-haired woman appearing in his dreams. The husband swore this woman was trying to seduce him, then would attempt to feed on his soul. Her husband's health began to decline rapidly, so his wife called a psychic friend who came to the house. The psychic claims the doll was the vessel for the demonic entity and it was hiding there. The psychic advised her friend to immedeately get rid of the doll. It was put out the following week at a community yard sale. Kenny attended this event, and after some conversation...the owner related the story to Kenny, who then offered to purchase it. The owner said she loved Kenny's enthusiasm, so she insisted Kenny just take it with him. 

Kenny has had the doll since May of 2020. For several weeks, the doll was placed over his bed on a shelf. So far, he has not experienced any nightmares or spiritual seductions. 

Cracked Head Injury

This doll was acquired at a yard sale in Philadelphia from a man who had purchased it from an antique store. The previous owner claims that after bringing the doll home and placing it in a display case, he and his wife would occasionally experience sudden and intense headaches. After a few times, they realized this only happened when they were in the same room as the doll (basement family room). They are both huge horror movie fans, so naturally...they blamed the doll. It was immediately relocated to the guest bedroom. However, they continued to experience headaches while in the family room. She would then notice the doll was sitting on its display case. Both husband and wife denied moving the doll. The topic quickly became a heated argument, each blaming the other for playing mean tricks to scare the other. They eventually decided the doll had to go. When they scheduled the yard sale, it was placed on the table and priced to sell quickly. They initially were not going to mention the story to me, but since I was wearing my "Token Skeptic" shirt, they thought it would interest me (and I would buy it). I was, and I did. 

The doll has been in my collection since 2019. For three months, the doll was sitting on my desk. I have not had any headaches or other health issues during the time it was there. I contacted the couple at the conclusion of the three-month trial, to inquire whether they had any further experiences. They were still getting headaches while entering the room, and I suggested they install a Carbon Monoxide detector in the room. They called me a week later saying the alarm had sounded, and an HVAC guy found a leak in their gas line running to their water heater. They also admitted, quite embarrassingly, that they're daughter was responsible for putting the doll back in the family room. She liked it better there.