Since it is October & 2020 sucks.
I will try to provide #Roc based #GhostStories to entertain y’all.
In #BrightonNY on Friday September 21, 1951 a terrible tragedy struck two of our most beautiful neighborhoods, which resulted in the current ghost story I will tell.
Buckle up.
I will try to provide #Roc based #GhostStories to entertain y’all.
In #BrightonNY on Friday September 21, 1951 a terrible tragedy struck two of our most beautiful neighborhoods, which resulted in the current ghost story I will tell.
Buckle up.
Friday September 21, 1951 was a beautiful warm day.
As such - many people were outside.
Mowing lawns.
Tending to gardens.
Housewives decided to get their shopping done.
Most children were in school.
As such - many people were outside.
Mowing lawns.
Tending to gardens.
Housewives decided to get their shopping done.
Most children were in school.
A crew was working to repair a sidewalk near 12 corners (a crossroads of three streets - Elmwood, Winton & Monroe Avenues).
There was an undetected gas leak there - and the flares of the work crew accidentally lit the leak on fire and caused a tragic chain reaction.
There was an undetected gas leak there - and the flares of the work crew accidentally lit the leak on fire and caused a tragic chain reaction.
The gas ignited & caused a manhole to explode into the air. It came down and severed the gas regulator to two neighborhoods in Brighton, NY. Meadowbrook and Bel Air.
Without the regulator in place, the gas to people’s homes poured in unfettered.
Without the regulator in place, the gas to people’s homes poured in unfettered.
Gas poured out of stoves & furnaces filling houses with natural gas.
The pilot lights on gas stoves shot up 4 inches from the tops of stove burners.
No one knew what was happening.
That is - until the houses started to explode.
The pilot lights on gas stoves shot up 4 inches from the tops of stove burners.
No one knew what was happening.
That is - until the houses started to explode.
A little girl.
Only 8 years old.
Mary Anne Maas bravely called her father at work to tell him the gas was on and she couldn’t turn it off.
She was home from school because the nuns at Our Lady of Lourdes Church school (coincidentally - my parish!) were at a training session.
Only 8 years old.
Mary Anne Maas bravely called her father at work to tell him the gas was on and she couldn’t turn it off.
She was home from school because the nuns at Our Lady of Lourdes Church school (coincidentally - my parish!) were at a training session.
Her little brother William (only 4 years old) and the housekeeper were there with her. The housekeeper was upstairs & presumably unaware of the lethal gas filling the house.
The Maas house was the first to explode.
The blast sent the housekeeper through the 2nd story window.
The Maas house was the first to explode.
The blast sent the housekeeper through the 2nd story window.
It killed little Mary Anne and her brother William.
The housekeeper survived & so did the young man mowing the Maas’s lawn - although he suffered 3rd degree burns to his upper body.
The skin on his arm hung like curtain fringe - as he ran into the street.
The housekeeper survived & so did the young man mowing the Maas’s lawn - although he suffered 3rd degree burns to his upper body.
The skin on his arm hung like curtain fringe - as he ran into the street.
In all - 15 homes exploded and countless homes were damaged. 
Residents abandoned their homes as houses exploded.
Brave men and women ran into homes to shut off gas lines with wrenches and alert families to get out.
Brave men and women ran into homes to shut off gas lines with wrenches and alert families to get out.
A daughter tried to get her 77 year old mother to safety - only to have her die of a heart attack when they reached the 12 corners business district.
Which brings me to today.
It is said. On Halloween night.
A little girl
And her little brother
With a woman who is old enough to be their grandmother,
Come out on Halloween to walk amongst the tricker treaters in the Meadowbrook and Bel Air neighborhoods.
It is said. On Halloween night.
A little girl
And her little brother
With a woman who is old enough to be their grandmother,
Come out on Halloween to walk amongst the tricker treaters in the Meadowbrook and Bel Air neighborhoods.
They don’t collect candy.
They don’t wear costumes.
But they walk from house to house.
And admire the homes that were rebuilt.
They smile at the children.
The smile at the moms and dads.
And hope to remind them - that sometimes the unimaginable can happen in a second.
They don’t wear costumes.
But they walk from house to house.
And admire the homes that were rebuilt.
They smile at the children.
The smile at the moms and dads.
And hope to remind them - that sometimes the unimaginable can happen in a second.
That we should hug our loved ones.
And tell them we love them - every single day.
Because we don’t know if something awful and unexpected will happen.
And tell them we love them - every single day.
Because we don’t know if something awful and unexpected will happen.
And that is the story of what was known as “Black Friday” in the Town of Brighton, New York.
Three deaths are bad.
But it could have been worse
The good weather kept people outside.
Houses exploded when most children were at school.
The three people who died will always be missed
Three deaths are bad.
But it could have been worse
The good weather kept people outside.
Houses exploded when most children were at school.
The three people who died will always be missed
So if you see 2 children & their “Grandma” on Halloween night - who are wearing 1950’s style clothing. Know that they are truly ghosts. Coming forth for one night to remind us to love each other - and be kind. Give them a wave. Let them know they are appreciated.
I will write another #Roc ghost story tomorrow.
I hope you enjoyed this one.
I hope you enjoyed this one.
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