I lived at Fort Sill, Oklahoma (Home of the Field Artillery) for four years and was able to learn about many of the hauntings and ghosts of the historic base. In fact, the house I lived in was haunted. The first hint that we weren’t alone in the quarters actually came before we moved in. As quirky as things are, the family that lived in the apartment beneath us, were also from Montana. My husband had met them when he signed for the property and they were excited about living near someone from ‘home’. The lady of the house had been expecting us and kept an eye out for our cars, when out of the blue she heard things moving around upstairs (our apartment); she said it sounded like furniture being shoved around and boxes being dropped. She looked out front and out back to see where our cars were parked, intending to come out and help us move things in…except at this point we were in Garden City, Kansas and no one was in our apartment! Things were just starting…
Within a few weeks of moving in my husband and I felt a very definite male presence and the presence of a child, a little girl to be specific. My husband first met Abby when he was stacking toy bins in the attic and watched as the drawers of the bins were opened and shut right before his eyes. He tried to see if the bins were on a slope, or if there was a logical reason they were opening and shutting, he never could get them to do it again.
I met Abby in a more annoying fashion. The apartment was very long, with the living room on one end and the kid’s bedrooms on the other end. Just as I would get settled on the couch to watch some tv or read and knowing the kids were tucked in I would hear, “Mom!”. At which point I would bellow that it was time for everyone to go to bed, they were fine. The voice would persist until I finally would get up, frustrated and ready to yell at one of the kids…I would peek in the kid’s bedrooms and both were fast asleep…what would make me howl and feel like I had a third child was when from the living room I’d hear the lilting voice of the little girl say, “Mom!” and giggle. What a funny joker she was. I finally decided if she was going to hang out she would be treated like every other kid in the house and would be told to go to bed or else as well. 🙂 More coming…
Wild Hare 
It’s good to know someone else experiences these things. My ex brother in law is in my home? go figure. Also a young girl who is apparently a sister from another time. She has let the dog out on two occasions. My dog cannot open the door or she would be off exploring. She is a hound. Then there is a grandmother and a “spirit guide”. I don’t know if we are accurate on all of these but I felt my brother in law on Samhain and apparently he hung around. I heard the young girl crying one night when I was on the computer.
I love when the ghosts decide to make themselves at home. The above mentioned man that haunted our house in OK must have grown rather fond of my family. The base was having electrical work done on the houses on my street and when it came to our turn I warned them to be nice, we had ghosts. Well, one of the workers was putting in a new outlet and out of the corner of his eye saw a man in an old uniform watching him. He decided he would just work very fast and pretend he saw nothing…then the ghost knelt beside him and whispered in his ear, “Hurry up!”. Needless to say our place was the only one finished in less than a week! *l* I’m rather disappointed that my latest abode is spirit free, I’m not used to being in a house and when the kids are away, being utterly alone. I’ve almost always been in a ‘haunted’ house.
Geez, when I first started reading this entry I did not want to finish it cuz it totally freaked me out.
I am glad I returned to finish reading it… your approach on this showed me that one needs not be afraid.
The house I reside in at this time is one of the few places I’ve lived that isn’t haunted…so, ghosts usually don’t freak me out too much. On occassion they do, but thats for another posting. 🙂 I’ve also been lucky to live with only nice ghosts.
While you were living there, did you ever hear of any occurances in the jail cell building? I was young when I visited so I think this was part of the museum buildings, but I’m not sure…. There were exhibits anyway…
It happened to me. I was wandering around with my two older sisters in this building… I went down into the basement… There were a few people down there but they all left. Suddenly, it was like I was stuck in a time rift. I could hear hushed voices, and a baby crying; that horrible cry when they have been hungry for some time. There had been manakins inside the cells and I was young, but my imagination is not THAT good. I don’t know if any of the Native Americans from the group that came with Geronimo or any others were kept there. They were prisoners of war but many sites that I read said that they built their own homes elsewhere on the fort.
I am Native American myself, and I felt like something was reaching out to me…
I was overwhelmed by this sense of despair and desolation…. helplessness…
I could almost hear the sound of a low murmuring that sounded like a Native American prayer.
I looked for someone, anyone, who had been touring the building and there seemed to be no one. I heard heavy boots, the kind soldiers would wear, striding heavily and purposefully down the stairs.
I was struck with terror at the sound…
I ran up the stairs and outside, not seeing anyone on my way out.
Soon after, my sister came out and said they had been looking for me inside.
I didn’t tell anyone right away… or for a long time afterwards, even though my family is the type to believe in spirits.
The sounds I heard still haunt me…
What an amazing experience you had. While living there, I was lucky enough to attend the 1860’s Christmas Tour, a tour of the Old Quad and buildings lead by employees of the base in period costume. At the Old Jail I met a gentleman who has had some hair raising experiences; feelings of being watched, seeing a man in the basement area just leaning against the wall, seeing children playing (this was witnessed by others as well) that simply vanished after a few moments. I myself was never privy to any happenings at the Old Jail, but would have loved it. 🙂 Do you still reside near Fort Sill?
UPDATE to my comment…
I did some research and there were Native Americans kept in the guard house but not when Geronimo and those prisoners of war were taken there. This happened when they took Satanta prisoner. They also mentioned that they had taken women and children also. This was in the documentations of the book Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee. And once I knew what I was looking for I found these same facts in other references.
Very strange.
I also read the comment a man made about another of your blogs about him and his son encountering multiple entities in the basement of the guard house.
Strange and interesting.
Beginning to think there might be something to my experience…
I dare say there’s a lot to your experience. Trust what you felt. 🙂
I was chased by ghosts by the cemetery through the woods while stationed there…I heard “lets get ‘m’ and there was 5 men, it was dark cold night in February 1973 and I was making my way back to the barracks after drinking beer and shooting pool It was 11PM to 1AM, and when I heard that after walking past the old Calvary cemetery with the old headstones, I turned and there were these 5 dudes with a light fog and their feet did not touch the ground. But when I heard: “let’s get him” I did not hang around to find more I took off running.
I ran about a 100 yards, stopped and turned around, these guys maintained the same distance, and that is when I heard the laughing.
I took off running again and came out on a highway in the base with a street light and saw a billboard sign: “JESUS LOVES YOU”. and these guys did not come out of the woods after me.
In 1974 when James Brolin was on the Mike Douglas show for the release of the “Amityville Horror” movie the ghost researchers who took photographic equipment into the actual house showed pictures of the ghosts I was stunned, because that is what I saw.
I remember James Brolin saying if he saw those pictures first he would have played the part differently because he was pretty well shaken up looking at these ghostly images.
I never lived there. I was visiting with some family while we were down there for the Potawatomi Gathering.
I bet the gathering was amazing, lucky you. 🙂 Happy ghosts hunting wherever you may be and visit. *hugs*
I have worked at Ft Sill for 9 years in numerous buildings. Myself along with many co-workers have heard or have “seen” people in the buildings that are not there.
That is amazing. I’d love to hear details, please feel free to email at:
evanstar@aol.com or comment here at Wild Hare. Thanks for visiting.
I’ve been stationed here at Fort Sill. Getting to leave for Iraq next week. I like to ghost hunt so I did a EVP session in front of the Enlisted Barracks one night. To my surprise when I got back to my room and downloaded the file onto my laptop I heard a long 2 second exhale. It was diffidently not me and I never heard it at the time I was recording.
Good luck and safe journey to you. 🙂
Al right mates? 😉 How happy I am to have found this blog!
We moved to Fort Sill in mid-July 2009. Fresh off the stage, as it happens. Since then I have been exploring the military reservation and its history, as well as surrounding areas (e.g. Medicine Park, wildlife refuge, Eagle Park trading post in Cache – site of Quanah Parker’s house, &c.). I find this area to be so enormously rich in a history of people shaken to their very core. Every road I drive (paved or unpaved..) leads me to another, and then the thoughts race in my mind – “Who was here before me? What happened at this spot? Is this near an old home site or abandoned Army building?”
I suppose I could spend years here, still insatiably fascinated. I did not want to move here (long story)…not because of Fort Sill, or southwest Oklahoma (though a giant tumbleweed blew in front of my car as soon as I passed from Arkansas into Oklahoma and I’d read the fleeting sign “Welcome to Cherokee Nation”).
Nevertheless, I live to dash off to some landmark, may of which seem forgotten, unmarked, or in ruin. One of my favorite places to visit is Ambrosia Spring, named in memory of Ambrosia Elvira Taylor, whose husband built the spring house while he was post surgeon. She passed away during its building. There is a lovely marble etching on the right side of this old spring house, nearly covered over with trees…the ground littered with old passers by. The marble dedication plaque reads “Ambrosia Spring, commemorative of Ambrosia Elvira, wife of Major M.K. Taylor, Surgeon USA and Post Surgeon at Fort Sill, who died at this Post during the construction of this work, 1884. As these beneficial waters flow perennially from the deep bosom of the earth, so did the sympathies for the distressed over flow from her sensitive heart.” I feel an immense sense of peace there. It upsets me to visit such places that appear forgotten.
I have visited the Apache cemetery where Geronimo is buried (or is he?), and the north and south Apache cemeteries (the latter two quite solemn). As well, the Otipoby Comanche Cemetery – a beautiful location where sunset presents the most beautiful landscape of the mountains. At these cemeteries, as well as the post cemetery, I’ve found so many graves of infants and children so young. It truly breaks my heart to think of what may have happened – perhaps needing more advanced medical care, one can only wonder.
Before I went to the Lawton Health Food Store today, I stopped at the post cemetery and dithered round dodging today’s “landscaping services,” or sprinklers with the force of high-speed water jets.
I was wondering, in another post you mentioned a “Henry” – I could not find that grave. I would like to. I do believe in spirits, and have always been moderately clairvoyant in nature (“self-proclaimed…”). I enter situations with my own good spirit and meaning the utmost goodwill, and have encountered good spirits in kind…special, subtle presences here and there.
I think where you lived is along the White Wolf Manor area – Uptown Road? How did you like it there overall? There are lovely old homes along that street – a true dame in Shanklin Circle – marvy! We live in the “Epidemic Area,” as it was long ago called…I did some research, and found our house is built on the exact spot where the old post trader’s store (of Wm. Quinette) was located. The store was unfortunately razed for quarters built around 1934 (still here!). The rim of the store’s cistern was said to once be visible…I have uncovered it in my “landscaping efforts” – what a treasure to know it is still there.
As well, I’ve explored our house up and down – all nooks and crannies, the basement, odd little doors here and there, and encountered a sense of well wishes. I think of the countless families who lived here before us…most of the original hardware and fixtures are intact, as well as built-ins and icebox storage now used for the butler’s pantry. Incidentally, the floor plan describes what is now my “office” as the “servant’s quarters.” Brill! I treat this house as if it were my own, and I imagine the beautiful women and their little ones delighted to live here. It’s sort of a safety hazard, as I have two year old twins, and the entire home, save the staircase, is hardwood.
I do wish housing didn’t paint over so much paint! If one stripped all of this paint, what a marvel it would be to see the beautiful crown molding and architectural detail of these Spanish colonial revival homes.
Any road, enough rambling. I’m just happy to have found your blog, and others who have lived at Fort Sill. I was wondering if anyone ever visited the Girl Scout building, located behind Batson Avenue? It was originally called the Mac Summer Hut (building 578). I ask because it seems several years ago (perhaps longer), a meeting adjourned, and the doors were locked indefinitely and abruptly. Some of the windows are boarded up, yet lights are kept on by the back porch, and inside one can see the neatly made rooms and rows of desks and projects. I wish it could be opened back up. I think of all the girls who passed through there over the years. I was very upset one night while walking my dogs to discover an old box that had fallen off of a table on the outside porch, the contents strewn about on the ground and exposed to the elements. They were beautiful hinged boxes of various lengths and sizes. I looked at a few, and all appear empty. Perhaps they once contained medals, though I couldn’t know.
I do love exploring this area! I’ve always been the more adventurous type, fascinated by history and what came before me on this piece of earth I’m passing through. I just finished “Carbine & Lance: The Story of Old Fort Sill” (COL W.S. Nye). I have “Ghosts of Fort Sill” on reserve at the library once [if ever] it gets returned. Quite the popular book! It was due August 23rd and still hasn’t been returned. I can’t wait until they call me. There is a biography of Satanta (“Satanta: The Life and Death of a Warrior Chief” by Ch. Robinson), and a fascinating book by J. Donovan called “A Terrible Glory” (about Custer and the Little Bighorn…with a twist); last, The Colonel’s Lady” (Alice Grierson…a first rate book). Pardon, I read all the time (when my kids are sleeping and my “mom-preneur” duties are done…a girl can dream, eh?
“Quand j’arrive dans un lieu que je ne connais pas, j’adore partir en exploration.”
TTFN,
Virginia Dare
N.B. My email is provided to the author of this blog. Feel free to email me, one or all. I’d love to hear about your experiences here – perhaps pick up the trail. 😉
Ive been checking out the old sites just as you describe in your entry. Today I went down to Ambrosia Springs and seen that building. Ive looked EVERYWHERE for info on it and found your post, thats it. Im interested to hear about other places you may know about.
A great place to start for information is at Nye Library. They have an amazing collection of historical books and maps of the Fort Sill area. One fact I learned before moving was the housing on Upton Road (my family and I lived at 1320 UE Upton Road) was where Custer and his cavalry camped at one time. Also keep your eye out for historical tours of the Old Quad, the folks that do those tours are founts of information that seemingly never run dry! 🙂 I also loved visiting the old Laundress cabins set behind the original barracks. Good luck and have a wonderful time at Fort Sill, my family loved living there.
My family has lived on Ft. Sill twice, but most recently from 1994 to 1998 in Academic Heights. Our house backed up to the Equestrian Park and the Girl Scout Hut. I think I remember people at the Girl Scout Hut, but not totally sure. My mom is a tour guide at Ft. Sill (they retired in the area) and has told me of some of the stories. This last Saturday (Halloween) we drove back to Ambrosia Springs and she was telling me the story. Thanx for the translation of the plaque (we couldn’t read the bottom portion). LOVE Ft. Sill – and all the stories and the history there!
My family and I miss Fort Sill so much and even have talked of retiring there. The history seems to walk right beside you there, doesn’t it?
I was wondering if you or your mom knew why the Girl Scout Hut was shut down and boarded up? My cousin and I found it yesterday and got some heavy emotions from it and the surround areas. Thanks for any help you have in answer to my question.
I don’t know. Oddly enough it was boarded up and not in use until the last year we lived in Fort Sill, 2006. I knew the woman who was a Girl Scout leader and re-opened it, she and her family moved to New York City in 2007. When she got in there, she said it was like a time capsule. She spent a lot of time cleaning and fixing that place up for all the area Girl Scout Troops, so I can’t imagine why it would be boarded up again. You might ask the base engineers. There wer a huge help to me in regards to the the theater on Fort Sill Blvd.
i have lived on fort sill for 4 years now. I moved into a house built by the Buffalo Soldiers, it sits by itself on a hill. I was very lucky to get the house as it was beautiful and very old with lots of history i’m sure. I couldn’t find anything out about it until one of the on-post cab drivers filled me in on some of the facts. My wife, 2 small kids, and I have lived there for about a year. My wife has always been active in spiritual things. I have not..i do not have what you say, an open mind. One day I was in the living room watching tv while my wife was in bed. I heard her call my name out softly. Knowing that she knew I was watching tv, i asked her why she would call my name so softly for. She said she heard me walk by the door ro go to the bathroom. I proceeded to tell her that I’ve been in the living room the whole time and suggested she might have been hearing things. She reassured me she heard heavy footsteps walk by our bedroom. She was not freaked out because she claims this kind of thing has happened to her since she was a little girl. This gave me chills for days, and when I think about it now, i still get them. I didn’t want to believe her seeing as I don’t believe in ghosts. The doors int he house also open and shut on their own a lot, but I think its the wind. This is not the only occurace though. I was lying in bed next to my wife when I start to hear a woman’s voice coming from the corner of our room. I was very tired at the time and tried to dismiss it as my mind playing tricks on me. The voice slowly moved from the corner of the room to the center and the foot of our bed. The voice began changing into a man’s voice. I then saw a figure in our mirror, then on the glass of our tv that was shut off. I asked myself if i was imagining all of this and to my disturbance was answered by the voice, only inside my head, I then started to have a conversation with this voice inside my head questioning if this was real or not. The voice kept reassuring me this was real and i was not dreaming. I then sat up and pondered if I should wake my wife. I thought to myself that it would look pretty crazy if I had told her what happened, so I still dismissed it as my mind playing tricks on me. I then lay back down and try to sleep when the voice started again, only this time whatever it was got very upset and proceeded to tell me that it was the devil and the voice was very distorted and very loud. I was terrified and to my astonishment, I couldn’t move. I was paralyzed in my bed while the voice was screaming threats at me right over my head! As soon as it stopped, i sat up. thought to myself that i must have been dreaming. I must have! I get up to get a glass of water, then lay down and attempt sleep again, without waking my wife. I told myself I imagined or dreamt it all. I thought to myself, if I can just fall asleep for good, this will all be over. As soon as I closed my eyes, i felt a whiff of air in both of my ears simultaneously, like someone had blown in them. I instantly got up and turned the light on and woke my wife and explained everything to her. She was not surprised and told me it couldn’t hurt me. It hasn’t happened again since that moment. It’s been almost 4 months later, and I’m now in Iraq and my wife is still there. She told me the same exact thing happened to her not too long ago. I couldn’t believe it. This is the single most scariest thing that has ever happened to me, and the only thing that has ecer happened to me spiritually. I am astounded and terrified. I was glad to see this website so I could share my story with others who have experienced similiar events. If anyone has info on building 348 please let me know. My wife has since moved out a month ago and has had no further experiences.
Dear Russel,
I apologize for the lenghty amount of time since your comment and my reply; we were in the middle of a move and I’m finally settled in! I’m curious, is your house located near Ambrosia Springs? If so, I have an original copy of the “Ghosts of Fort Sill” and there is a lengthy write up about that area. I’d be happy to send you a copy.
Fort Sill is one of the most haunted place I’ve ever lived, infact I spent most of the 4 years were there investigating hauntings. If you’re intertested in learning a bit more about your haunting and would like to investigate yourself, let me know and I’d be happy to offer help and advice. Also, a fount of information can be found by asking the guides during the Christmas Stroll of the Old Quad about history and hauntings there. I met many people who had background information about the base, expeiences of their own, and info about other happenings.
Are any of the blogs readers still at ft. sill? we just bought a house in geronimo and crazy things have been happening …. does anyone have a history of this area?
Sara,
I’ve put out the call for help. 🙂 Although I’m no longer in the area and most of my friends have since left the area, there may be some still around. I spoke with someone this morning who was wondering what your address is. She’s located in Houston, but may know some folks in your area. If you’re comfortable with it, you can email me and try to get this situation taken care of. 🙂
evanstar@aol.com
I live in lawton and have finds and family on fort sill and in the surrounding areas what can we do to help?
Hi April- Do y’all know the history of the land in Geronimo?
My team & I done many Investigations on Ft.Sill housing. Most all of it seems to be in a certain housing area. I also have an Investigator that lives in that housing area and herself has experienced things in the home that could not be explained. I first knew of problems in the area when my cousin had moved into one of the units and after about 2 weeks started having issues. She called me knowing this is what I do.
History of Ft.SIll for a few of you who do not know, back quiet a few years ago when the new housing area was being built, what was believed to e a Indian burial grounds just to the north of Rogers Ln & West of 44. It was covered by the news & building of new housing was temporally blocked by the Local Tribes. We seem to be getting more calls then usual to the housing area these days, either because people are no longer scared to come forth knowing others are going through the same things or it’s becoming more actie since construction has been know to cause an increase in activity levels.
We are currently working on some cases in the housing area as of now and my historian other team members & I are digging even deeper into the history of FT.Sill in the early days.
Oh my goodness I wish I was still there to be a part of all the spooky fun!
Hi Staci! I currently live in the historical houses on Evans Rd Quannah Parker neighborhood. The house next door is empty, yet we have seen lights go on and off, shadows go by windows, screen doors open etc. thinking teenagers have broke in we call the MP’s no one is there in the house!
We will only be here a few more month but I would love to know more and see some things. I have gone to Geronimos grave and felt akward but thats about all Ive seen here. If you could please email me any info??
armyofwann@aol.com or dawn.wann@cameron.edu
Thanks,Dawnn
I lived and worked in Lawton Oklahoma from May of 2010 to April of 2011. We worked on Ft. Sill Army base for a mechanical contractor from San Diego. I spent my spare time traveling around taking pictures of everything in the area. On a trip back from Carnege Oklahoma I stopped and snapped some pictures of an old abandoned house about 15 miles north of Lawton. When I e-mailed the shots to my wife she asked me who was in the window. Noone was there. The window is boarded up, but, you can see a man and a little girl sitting in the window. I’ve posted the picture on my Facebook page. Take a look and see what you think.
I visited Fort Sill about 10 years ago, driving a scenic loop from central Arizona through northern New Mexico to eastern Kansas for a family wedding, then returning through Oklahoma so I could see the Spiro Mounds and Fort Sill. Visiting Fort Sill was part of my Apache bucket list, as I wanted to see where Geronimo, Apache Scouts, and many other great Indian leaders ended up.
I had an interesting experience in the guardhouse basement. When I asked Fort Sill Museum personnel where the Indian exhibits were, I was directed to the guardhouse. I remember seeing a photo of Quanah Parker posing with another person with an expression on his face that seemed to say, “I’m here, but am not happy about it.” There was a neat display of one of Geronimo’s feathered medicine caps and several weapons. It felt very special to me, but had an aura of sadness at the same time, a gloomy place where many former Plains warriors were detained. I felt like I was not alone, though there was no one else alive there at the time. What clinched it for me is the fact that my camera and flash wouldn’t work, tho I was able to take shots upstairs.
A man I work with told me later that Old Fort Sill is one of the most haunted places in the US.