WOODSTOCK, Ga. — For $295, a vintage piece of furniture – and possibly the spirit of its former owner – can be yours.
Trevor and Natasha Beemon buy old pieces and restore them for sale in their booth at The Woodstock Market. After their last restoration job was complete, Natasha was taking some photos to post to announce the sale. There was nobody standing next to Natasha, but look at the image her cell phone camera captured:
Trevor and Natasha bought the piece – a secretary with desk and bookcase segments – which dates from the 1940s or 50s, from an estate. The woman in the photo had passed away about 20 years ago, they were told.
"We buy and resell furniture all the time," Trevor said. "I've heard stories about spirits and ghosts being attached to objects, but since we collect antiques, I try not to think about that! Anyway, I refinished this piece. It's a neat piece with hidden compartments. We brought it to the booth on Saturday. We always take photos of items in the booth for our Facebook and Instagram pages. When we went to post this picture, I noticed my wife in the reflection. I zoomed in and saw a woman standing next to her with her head on her shoulder."
"I freaked out because nobody was there with us when we were taking pictures," Trevor added.
Trevor is executive director at Cobb Landmarks and Historical Society who’s also worked at the Atlanta History Center and Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History. He studied American history at Kennesaw State University.
A couple of things we should note: Trevor didn’t approach the AJC with this ghost tale. I asked for permission to share the photo he posted on Facebook. I’ve known Trevor since he was a teenaged volunteer docent at the Root House – the historic building in Marietta operated by Cobb Landmarks – back in the day. Although I know him personally and sought out this story rather than the other away around, I did ask if this was a latter-day April Fools’ joke. Answer: No.
Next question: Will the spirit captured in this image follow the piece home with its new owners?
"We'll see if she follows the piece when it's purchased," Trevor said. "I do feel OK about it because the woman appears to approve. I mean, she looks like she is looking at the piece with pride and happiness."
Cox Media Group