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Hidden Secrets

Written by: Jeff Rent
Case Filed: 5/16/03 - Edwards, Mississippi
Executive Producer: Rick Garner



Tucked behind 200-year-old magnolia trees lies the Yeiser House. Built in 1832, it's a house full of history going back to the Civil War. The story and events at this house actually started several hundred yards down the road on May 16, 1863, during the Battle for Champion's Hill and a little known Brigadier General Lloyd Tilghman who was shot.

Historian DeAnna Thompson-Blailock says, "If it was a sniper, (he was wounded) in the throat. And due to the blood pattern where he bled to death in the Yeiser house, it would seem like a sniper shot because of the blood pattern on the floor."

After being shot, General Tilghman was taken to the Yeiser, which was being used as a field hospital. There, in one corner of a front bedroom, Tilghman bled to death.


Some accounts say past residents even tried to paint over the bloodstain, but it kept reappearing. Blood from one of the Civil War's most violent battles. Many historians consider the Battle of Champion's Hill to be not only the decisive engagement of the Vicksburg Campaign but one of the most important battles in the Civil War.

We wanted to know more about this old plantation, so we enlisted the help of two different psychics and asked them to give us their impressions of the Yeiser house. Neither psychic was told anything about the location or its history which occurred there.

Our first psychic is Tina Michelle from West Virginia. She notices something outside the room where the general died. She describes an older man that had been dishonored and will not leave the outside of the house., near a window.

Inside the impressions are stronger. Tina is told by a voice that we cannot hear to, "Get out of my house."



Tina Michelle Investigation

Our next psychic is Lysa Mateu from California. Mateu determines that the home has many secrets, that things are not as old as they seem, and people are missing. She sees in her mind bones, not grisly, however. This would make sense as the Yeiser's property would likely have a limb pit, where limbs removed from surgery would have been buried.


Lysa Mateu's Investigation

Our psychics concluded this wasn't what they would call a traditional haunting, but the impressions they got would certainly allow us to file the Yeiser house under the unexplained.

Although accounts differ, some historians believe that General Grant following his victory at Champion's Hill spent the night in the room where Brigadier General Tilghman died.

Historical Facts on Yeiser (Hiawatha Plantation)
thanks to Rebecca Drake

Hiawatha is now owned by Mr. and Mrs. C.C. Floyd of Edwards and has been placed on the National Register for Historic Places. The house was once a part of a large plantation originally bought by Isham Palmer in 1827. The land was in his possession for twenty years, so it is presumed that Hiawatha was built at some point during that time. During the War Between the States, Mr. Charles Allen, who maintained possession until 1869, owned the plantation. After the Battle of Champion Hill, the homes served as a hospital for wounded Confederate soldiers.

A letter, written by Elizabeth (Bettye) Gervin Ray, whose family once occupied the neighboring Coker House briefly mentions Hiawatha: "Someone wrote a piece for the Campe Chase Gazette claiming the Coker House is the only existing Civil War structure in the area. No way! The Floyd's plantation - Hiawatha - is far older than and was already an established plantation when Mr. Coker built 'Greenwood' for his wife. The front bedroom in Hiawatha - the one to the left as you go in - is probably the one Grant slept in after the battle, as it was always the fancy room of the 'great room'. My mama was petrified of that room and would never enter it after dark! She was scared of the bloodstains on the floor."

In 1869, four years after the war, the property was sold to Mr. Smith and Mr. Yeiser. Some people in Edwards still refer to the home as "The Yeiser House," because it was in their possession for twenty-one years. Mr. A.J. Lewis, a citizen of Edwards and the first millionaire of Hinds County, purchased the plantation in 1890.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Tina Michelle's Official Site

Tina Michelle's Field Reports of Yeiser House

Lysa Mateu's Official Site




Tina Michelle Interview



Lysa Mateu Interview



Ghost on Tape?

Comments

  1. Check out these additional pics: http://www.civilwaralbum.com/vicksburg/ch_retreat3a.htm

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  2. This is very cool and interesting! And thank you Rick, for sharing that link! :)

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  3. Joy, thanks for dropping by! Glad you enjoyed this interesting investigation.

    ReplyDelete
  4. You're welcome. :) My friend DeAnna (who's in the video) posted a link to it on Facebook. I enjoy watching stuff like this.

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  5. Come to think of it, I've got a cousin who's really into paranormal stuff, too. He actually had a paranormal business for a little while. I'll send him a link to your site. I know he'll enjoy it as much as I did. :)

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  6. Awesome! Yes, De helped make the piece happen! Working with her is how we became friends and now stay in touch via Facebook.

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  7. Grayson Lee Adams IVApril 16, 2010 at 6:56 PM

    dee needs to be voted ruler of champions hill.but i am a cousin and besty so i a partial to her.rick,dee says you owe her years worth of sushi,dont let her have sake!i wish we had the footage she told me you shot at the real and now gone coker house i cant believe theres a replica.she took me in there on more than one occasion when it was in ruins and we even camped there once.joy,that t-shirt design is banging.

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  8. Indeed, she has mentioned that often. I don't think one could eat that much sushi. :) Yes, I have the footage from that day in storage and hope to transfer it soon for others to enjoy. Sad that another slice of history is lost.

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  9. Rick I would love to ghost hunt with you and your group again.

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  10. Hey, Tina! Hard to believe it's been over 7 years since we produced that! Sadly, Unexplained only exists with this blog at present. Hope to upgrade it with better video one day. Long-term, be great to get the team back together.

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  11. This is a great blog! Is there anyone still with this? I would like to get into contact with someone about bringing this blog back to life and getting some new thing added and brought up to date on what is going on in the world now! I'll try to find a contact so if anyone sees this answer if you can.


    Thanks
    Rock

    ReplyDelete
  12. Rock, thanks for your kind words. I created this blog to feature our case files online that otherwise would be filed away for no one to see. Unfortunately, I don't have access to the resources I once did to post higher-quality video (these files were the encodes in early-2000) and to continue investigations with these cases. Plus, I'm no longer in the South for easier access.

    If you have any questions, please either post here or email me at unexplainedfiles@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Rick are you still in contact with this Blog ?
    I am Rock , and also Daedalus . do not know how or why I did that lol . But if you are still in contact with this Blog I would like to get into contact with you if it is possible .
    We are an Army family and move around a lot , and in the moves I lost the link to your site.

    I found it by luck this morning and decided to write to see if I could get into contact .

    I will check back later and or every now and then to see if you got this text . And if you have a link were I can contact you by email or what ever means you need .
    It is hard to believe that it is 2011 already and it has been this many years !
    I would like to speak to you about your videos that you have stored ! And a few other things .
    Thanks and I hope to talk to you later when you have time.

    Rock

    ReplyDelete
  14. Rock, I am indeed still around. Did you ever send me a note to unexplainedfiles@gmail.com ? Don't recall seeing one but feel free to reach me that way.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Rick, do you still monitor this site? I currently own this house and would love to chat with you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indeed! It's great to know the house still stands and would be interesting to do a followup story on it! You can reach me at rick@unexplainedcases.com

      Delete

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