Dan Schneider from Ohio Gothic Paranormal spoke to the REAL OWNER of Black Moon Manor on Thursday – Walter Eastes. Here is a copy of the email he wrote Mr.Eastes and what Mr. Eastes had to say by phone. (reprinted with permission).
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This is what I sent Mr. Estes Thursday: Dear Mr. Eastes,
Hello, I had recently visited what I found out later to be your property in Hancock County, Indiana. The one Matt Speck calls Black Moon Manor when he rents it out for paranormal investigation. I know you are a man of science, and probably dismiss all the paranormal hoopla surrounding your family property, but I was there last Saturday as part of a paranormal investigation and many questions have arisen about your family history, and the misinformation spread by the “owner” of the property. That is one of the 1st pieces of misinformation spread on his website. Matt Speck says he obtained the property because the last of the family bloodline died in the house in the blizzard of 1978 (A). A simple search Hancock County property records lead me to learning that you actually own the property….the family bloodline obviously did not die out in 1978. I’m also pretty sure the name Black Moon Manor is also more fiction.
There are some other things I hope you may able to clear up.
There are multiple dates of construction. 1859(A), 1895 (B), a group that conducts tours (but refuse to return there) was told 1862 (C), I confirmed with them that the info supplied to them for their webpage was false and they will never offer a tour to the property again.
It was supposed to be built by John C Eastes. I’m thinking this may be John Christopher Columbus Eastes b.1844 -d.1930
Another story he is spreading is that of a Rachel (sp) Eastes a 5 year old girl that died in the house. The only Rachael I’ve seen in your family tree was your great-great-great grandmother who had no born or death dates, but was married and had 2 children, so I doubt she died at 5 years old.
There is also rumor of the house being a small pox hospital with 200 deaths (some caused by a Dr. James or a Dr. Hervey…possibly misspelling of Harvey, an Eastes relation), and a cemetery out back where the victims of the epidemic were buried. The county office has no records of a small pox cemetery behind the house from the 1890’s. I know the Ghost Adventures show is airing their episode this week and I had contacted their head researcher who told me he can’t talk about things until the show airs, but things I mentioned will be addressed. They have aired promo clips for the show and 2 of them actually show them talking to county historians who say this information is false. (D)
There was also a “legend” of a female falling down the well. This info was provided to American Hauntings, and as mentioned before, they found the info provided to them for their website to be false.
Personal beliefs in the paranormal aside, since someone is spreading fraudulent information about your family, I hope you can clear some of this up. I feel he is trying to make a buck by making up stories about your family. I have not even mentioned how he is managing the property. I’d gladly share the email I sent to him Monday and his reply today.
Also of note, coincidentally I work across the street from you, if you live at the same address as listed on the Hancock County site. I work at xxxxxxxxx
I would really like your input as far as the history of the property and your family history.
Thank you very much,
Daniel D. Schneider
If you’d prefer to call me, instead of emailing me back my phone number is xxxxxx
(A) http://blackmoonmanor.net/category/history-of-black-moon-manor/
(B) http://blackmoonmanor.net/
(C) http://www.bumpinthenight.net/blackmoon.html
(D) http://www.travelchannel.com/tv-shows/ghost-adventures/episodes/black-moon-manor
History Of Black Moon Manor –
blackmoonmanor.net
15 hours ago · Edited · Like
Dan Schneider I just got off the phone with Mr. Eastes. First thing he said was all the stuff on the websites was total non-sense.
a few years ago he wasn’t sure what to do with the property, there were break ins, people dumping trash on the site. and Matt asked him if he could lease to have a haunted house. He leased it to him for $100 a month for a year, the second year, there were some zoning issues or something and he didn’t do the haunted house. He asked if he could still lease the property for storage and maintain it, and he’d keep it from going into a worse state of repair, and mow the grass and hopefully discourage break-ins and things, etc.
Earlier this year he asked Mr. Estes if he could do paranormal investigations.(I know Haunted American tours offered a tour in 2011. So I believe he was doing it with out permission).
Nothing was true on the websites. Mr. Eastes said he has no sentimental value with the house, (built in 1900 or 1901, by the way. That has been answered finally) He has an attachment to the land, because it’s been in the family for 200 years. The house is in bad shape, it would cost too much to renovate, it had 2 shoddy additions added 20-30 years later. Now there is all this nonsense being spread and it’s getting out of hand. He wants to just demolish it. Matt asked if he could relocate the original house. He doesn’t think that he will be able to make that happen. I hate to see old buildings demolished, but I understand his situation. He was very thankful for contacting him.
15 hours ago · Unlike · 1
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Now that Mr. Eastes knows how Matt Speck is defrauding people, I think Black Moon Manor may have scammed its last money….
ParanormGal
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