You know, it's funny, hearing about various "poltergeists", odd occurrences, and such around Seattle. I could relay some crazy events about the YMCA in Seattle's University District. But first this one about my church.
I don't believe in poltergeists or "ghosts". We (the living) cannot communicate with, or see the deceased, nor can the deceased see or communicate with the living.
However, I am an observant Protestant, and I do believe that Satan does exist (called "Lucifer" in the Hebrew Bible...he was the fallen angel of light). I don't know what others believe or practice, but I stay away from Satan. Although most of what you read about in books or see in movies regarding Satan are strictly Hollywood, he does exist.
Although I haven't been to services in four years, I am still a member of Seattle First Baptist Church.
The SFBC sanctuary is over 100 years old, and there are various entrances and exits, some of which I didn't know about until I had been there a number of years. And also various apartments, including one for a live-in sexton. The entire facility houses not just a sanctuary, but also offices, a full-size gymnasium, a bowling alley (really!), four kitchens, a daycare, a baptismal, and innumerable restrooms. There is even a former minister buried in a wall (I kid you not!).
The lower level of the sanctuary has the fellowship hall and a chapel.
And if you go into the hallway behind the fellowship hall (where the chairs and tables are stored), there is a hidden door with hand-painted woodgrain so that it matches the surrounding wall. There is no doorknob, but it can be opened with an Allen wrench. It is supposed to open to a different staircase (no, not the one to the sexton's apartment).
This staircase is rickety but straight and crudely fit into the stairwell.
At the top is an unknown round tower, which allegedly was an early cistern, although why a cistern was built to catch rainwater in Seattle is beyond me.
The following is from an old police report.
In 1937, A 16-year-old Lincoln High School sophomore was instantly killed and her 17-year-old male companion, a junior at the school, seriously burned, apparently victims of a bolt of lightning during a severe electrical storm that night.
Police identified the dead girl as Peggy Ann Le Mat, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Le Mat of Wallingford. The injured boy is Ronald Auberge, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Auberge, also of Wallingford.
Ronald Auberge was listed in fair condition this morning at Sisters of Providence Hospital where he is receiving treatment for burns.
Police found the Auberge boy lying at the foot of the stairs. He had been burned on his chest and face. The Le Mat girl was found nine steps up the tower dead. She had been burned extensively on the face and chest area, police said.
"The best we can tell is sometime around 7:30 there was a bad lightning storm here and apparently a bolt of lightning hit the tower. A ball of fire may have hit at the door and rolled up the stairs. They were no doubt on their way down and she was in front and got the full force," police said. Police said the tower is made of stone. There is a metal gate on the front. Apparently the couple was out driving, decided to visit the observation tower and were caught in the storm. Police said they were not sure of all the details because the boy had not been able to remember exactly what happened.
"The boy was pretty incoherent. He didn't know anything. He thought he had gone home," police said.
The County coroner's office said this morning that it had not yet ruled on the cause of death. However, Police said it no doubt would be ruled accidental death by lightning.
The door to the tower was hidden shortly after, and no one has been up there since because the outline of Peggy and Ronald were etched into the tower's brick by the lightning. read more