Dianna Avena - Roswell: History, Haunts and Legends

Published by Haunted America

A Division of The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2007 by Dianna Avena

All rights reserved

Cover design by Marshall Hudson.

All photos courtesy of the author unless otherwise stated.

First published 2007

Second printing 2008

Third printing 2011

Fourth printing 2011

Fifth printing 2013

e-book edition 2013

Manufactured in the United States

ISBN 978.1.62584.415.6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Avena, Dianna.

Roswell : history, haunts and legends / Dianna Avena.

p. cm.

print edition ISBN 978-1-59629-308-3 (alk. paper)

1. Ghosts--Georgia--Roswell. 2. Haunted places--Georgia--Roswell. I. Title.

BF1472.U6A98 2007

133.10975823--dc22

2007025488

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

To my husband, Joseph J. Avena, who continues to help show me that I can do all that I fear I cannot.

Contents

Foreword

Roswell, Georgia, is one of hundreds of small, quaint towns that dot the landscape of the South. Located just a short distance north of the city of Atlanta, it is a place that is rife with beauty, history and hauntings!

It is quite evident that Dianna Avena loves Roswell. She makes her home there with her family and she operates the Roswell Ghost Tour, a labor of love that acquaints visitors not only with the towns rich history, but also with its reportedly haunted reputation.

I first took the Roswell Ghost Tour during the fall of 2006. The autumn night was damp, chilly and overcast. A brisk wind sang through giant oak trees and autumn leaves danced and rustled all around. What a perfect evening to hear about spirits and visit haunted places!

Dianna led our group, numbering about twenty to twenty-five, on a mile-long journey through Roswell. Not only is she a breathtakingly beautiful lady, she is eloquent as well, and her passion for Roswells history and its ghosts is instantly apparent.

The visit to Founders Cemetery is especially spooky, and ending the tour at The Creepy House left me feeling like I had certainly met some of the specters that haunt Roswell.

As a psychic, medium and paranormal investigator, I always hope to have my own personal experiences when I hunt for ghosts. And I had several during the Roswell Ghost Tour. Someoneor somethingnudged my leg outside one of the buildings, moments before Dianna told us that, on earlier tours, a little girl who haunts the building often grabs the legs of those taking the tour. Later, as we were walking to another location, an unseen hand tugged at the back of my shirt! Perhaps it was just my imagination, but I could have sworn that, several times, I saw faces of Roswells long-dead residents gazing out at me from many of the darkened windows of houses and other buildings.

It came as no surprise to me when I heard that Dianna was writing a book about Roswell. Who better to tell its stories and add her own unique blend of sitting around the campfire spookiness to the tales?

No visit to the Atlanta area is complete without planning an evening to enjoy the Roswell Ghost Tour. Keep in mind that even our ghosts and goblins here in the South will welcome you with their own sixth sense of Southern hospitality!

Until your travel plans call for a visit to Georgia, sit back and enjoy a virtual tour of Roswell as you read Roswell: History, Haunts and Legends.

Chip Coffey

Psychic, Medium and Paranormal Investigator

www.chipcoffey.com

Acknowledgements

My sincere appreciation goes to the following: Joe Avena; Jim, Trevor and Joey; Ryan Ponyboy Eldridge and Tim Senay; Roswell Historical Society; Historic Roswell Convention and Visitors Bureau; Bulloch Hall; Barrington Hall; Chip Coffey; Historic Ghost Watch and Investigation; Georgia Ghost Society; Jack Richards; John Zaffis; Darkness on the Edge of Town Radio Show; J. Christophers restaurant, which currently occupies the old Public House restaurant; Flame Tree Glass; Michael Hitt; Voila Salon; Thomas Tolbert; Tyra and Steve Vasche; and a particular thanks to Denise Eichhorn and Kristina Palson.

Additionally, I would like to thank the tour attendees and fellow paranormal investigators who supplied their firsthand accounts for this book, residents of Historic Roswell and last, but certainly not least, the nonliving residents of Historic Roswell who continue to welcome us and show us their presence.

Introduction

I have been a resident of Roswell, Georgia, since 1989. I grew up as an air force brat, which meant I moved around quite often, never staying in a particular location for longer than three years. I often meet other military brats who say they thought their experiences of moving around a lot were great fun. When I look back, I can appreciate the various places I lived, yet throughout my childhood I yearned to be one of those kids who was still friends with someone she went to preschool with. I vowed to myself that when I grew up and had a say in things, I would pick a great city to live in, where I would be happy to plant roots and stay. I wanted my kids to have a different experienceto love their hometown as much as I would love this chosen cityand I wanted them to attend high school with many friends that theyd known since preschool.

Well, I have accomplished that. I found the dream city when I became a young adult and had a say in where I called home. Roswell is twenty miles north of downtown Atlanta and it is currently the sixth largest city in Georgia, having a population at the time of this publication of around ninety-four thousand. The Roswell Historic District offers 640 acres of vintage homes, historic sites, museums, monuments, churches and cemeteries, with 122 acres listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Roswell is the home of many corporations headquarters and booming high-tech and industry businesses, yet it manages to keep a small-town feel with a great sense of community and Southern hospitality. Roswell boasts a nationally recognized and award-winning Parks and Recreation Department including eighteen parks with 800 acres of active and passive park land and facilities. Roswell ranked third in the new book Best Places to Raise Your Family: The Top 100 Affordable Communities in the U.S. Our city received a mention on ABCs Oprah Winfrey Show as one of the best small towns in America. Roswell has also been ranked one of the safest cities to live in the United States according to city crime rankings.

If I want the big city life, I dont have far to go to downtown Atlanta. I can find culture, great shopping and restaurants all within a short drive, although we also have plenty of it here in our own backyard. Our town square is routinely the host of various festivals for the arts, music, food, storytelling, crafts, entertainment and health fairs. If I feel like hiking, camping or fishing, a short drive will have me in the thick of nature in no time. I also need to have my beach time on occasion, and again, not far away. I can hit Georgias coast in four hours. The public school system cant be beat here and beautiful public parks abound. Roswells charm and interesting history continually draw me in. Greek Revival architecture combined with a lot of New England influences make this city very unique.