Grace Notes 1 Oct. 2006 GRACE N TES Vol. 22, No. 10 Oct. 2006 The Monthly Newsletter of the Memphis Scottish Society, Inc. The Ghosts of Mary King’s Close The dark, claustrophobic streets ated to debating paranormal phenom- ous inhabitants. running off the Royal Mile lead away ena than Mary King’s Close, The celebrity of the close’s su- from the light and downhill into the Edinburgh’s notoriously haunted spot pernatural resident is Annie, a shadows. These half-forgotten re- below the City Chambers. The close ghostly pre-teen who (so the story minders of Edinburgh’s unsanitary was inhabited during the 16th and 17th goes) scared the daylights out of a past provide a perfect setting for a centuries before the plague ravaged Japanese psychic in 1992. This lady suitably spooky atmosphere. Largely families living in the tightly packed had been unimpressed by the tour built upon the ruins of centuries gone tenement buildings. A century after until she arrived at one of the many by, it is not just those of a sensitive the illness broke out, the city partly small rooms. There she was sud- nature who feel a certain frisson sealed the abandoned homes and al- denly struck by an overwhelming when they walk past. Admitting to a leyways, prompting chilling stories (cont. on page 2) spine-chilling creepiness is one thing, about paranormal sightings of previ- but deciding that you believe in ghosts is quite another. Hold on to your hats! There are few places better situ- …or hoods…or skulls! It’s time for the Halloween party! And, boy, do we know how to do Samhain right! On Saturday, October 28th at 7:00pm we’ll gather in St.Columba’s Gates Pavilion for the usual hijinx and a few surprises. MSSI will provide hot dogs, drinks, and table ware; gatherers will pot-luck all the other stuff. Use this as a guide, by initial letter of your last name: A YOUR MSSI BOARD thru G – chips, dips, appetizers; H thru L – side dishes, slaw, salad; M – non- President hot-dog entrees; N thru R – buns; S thru Z – desserts, fruits, nuts. Of course, Ben Kemker............. 386-9909 if you want to bring something additional, feel welcome to do so! [email protected] There will be prizes for best costume, and there will be games, music, and Vice President dancing! So, ask your best ghoul-friend for a date on 10/28. Be there or be Mary Ann Lucas.......725-1879 scared! (Or maybe both!) [email protected] Treasurer John Simmons...........272-9240 [email protected] Secretary Dena Warth..............837-1413 [email protected] Members at Large Emily Smith..............683-6416 [email protected] Bill Halliday..............682-8297 [email protected] John Schultz ............754-2419 [email protected] www.memphisscots.com Grace Notes 2 Oct. 2006 (cont. from pg. 1) anything odd. However, they don’t doesn’t have to rely on the public to feeling of sickness, hunger and cold confine themselves to hard science describe what they saw, as she had and, when she tried to leave, felt the when investigating the phenomena, her own experience of ghosts in Mary ghastly tug of a ghostly hand on her but also use psychics and mediums to King’s Close during a previous ex- leg. see whether their experiences tally periment. “I was in a part of the close Poor Annie’s spectral life has with the scientific findings. They are where no one else was supposed to now been fleshed out, and it is be- also keen to involve members of the be,” she says. “I heard footsteps and lieved that she had been left to die by public in their investigations. “I want the sound of rustling clothing. From a her family. Since then, people from to get their feelings and sensations,” professional point of view, I was round the world have come to says O’Neill. “I want them to see annoyed because I thought it was “Annie’s room”. Many have told what it is we do and to see there is a someone intruding on our experi- tour guides of seeing impressions of scientific side to our work.” ment, but when I asked the tour the spirit in the room; some visitors, The close is not short of scientists guides, I found out there was no one treating the room as a shrine, have looking into paranormal activity. In there.” left gifts for the little girl out of April 2001, Dr. Richard Wiseman of Which does rather beg the ques- affection. Hertfordshire University invited the tion, just who was intruding on whom Sceptic, believer, or something public to join him for a series of in the darkness of Mary King’s Close? in-between, the tour itself is a won- experiments. Wiseman is returning, — Brendan O’Brien - Scotsman.com derful experience and well orches- this time with scientists in tow, to May 5, 2005 - Thanks to Dan Irvin trated by the operators, Continuum. conduct another set of tests. He is for this contribution. Authentically dressed guides lead seeking the help of more than 200 visitors out of the sunshine down- members of the public to participate Scottish Humour stairs into the murky past through in his experiments and the results will vaults and alleyways that form the be compared with his 2001 findings. The undertaker sent a telegram to remnants of 17th-century Edinburgh. Assisting him will be Dr. Caroline the bereaved man, telling him his They punctuate the gloom with eye- Watt of Edinburgh University’s mother-in-law had died and asking opening and historical information, Koestler Unit. She says that 40 per whether he wanted her embalmed, practised banter and the occasional cent or more of people participating cremated or buried. Back came the heart-thumping shock. The unchar- in the previous experiment reported reply: “All three - tak’ nae chances.” acteristic drop in temperature in having experiences. Luckily, Watt - L Cheryl Noland Annie’s room is disconcerting. A growing list of people who believe they’ve seen spirits here has GRACE NOTES led to a number of experiments be- Grace Notes is the official publication of the Memphis Scottish Society, Inc. It is published monthly. Like the Society itself, the credo of Grace Notes is “to foster education and promote understanding of ing conducted in the close. Ryan things Scottish.” O’Neill from Scottish Paranormal, a If you have something of interest to readers of this newsletter, please submit a typewritten manuscript group of amateur enthusiasts of the to the editorial staff. If the article or notice is very brief (30 words or fewer), just use the telephone. Grace Notes will accept and publish good quality photographs (preferably black and white; no Polaroids, please). supernatural, captured “very faint The deadline for all submissions is the second week of each month preceding the month of publication. white or transparent spheres” when Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope with each submission, if you want the material returned. photographing the recreated work- Editorial Staff Mary Ann Lucas - [email protected] ................................. Editor, (901-725-1879) shop. His group hopes to find these Sammy Rich - [email protected] ...................................... Publisher, (901-272-7159) “spiritual orbs” again when they Gavin Anderson - [email protected] Editor, (901-682-5485) conduct experiments during the Melissa Gibson - [email protected] .......................... Line Editor, (901 299-3170) Edinburgh Ghost festival in May. Please address all correspondence to: The team use scientific equipment Grace Notes to foster education and promote to measure electromagnetic fluc- The Memphis Scottish Society, Inc. [email protected] understanding of things Scottish tuations of temperatures and record P. O. Box 241934 Memphis, TN 38124-1934 www.memphisscots.com Grace Notes 3 Oct. 2006 SCOTTISH C ONNECTION Scottish Connection prevalent dirt or gravel roads. Such his old & new countries (& Queen Everyone loves a bargain, so roads came to be know as “macadams” Victoria) in many distinguished ways, here’s a 2-in-1 Scottish Connec- (pronounced “mack-AD-ums”) and are including umpiring the 1st Australian tion: John M(a)cAdam. That may still the predominate paving method rules (read that, “rough and tumble”) seem like only one, but read far- used throughout the world. It was and football games. Dr. MacAdam is best ther. is touted as the greatest innovation in remembered today as the namesake John Loudon McAdam, born in road-building since Roman times. Ad- of the macadamia nut. Since it is pro- Ayr in 1756, immigrated to America ditionally, McAdam also developed a nounced “mack-uh-DAME-i-uh” in- in 1770, just in time to serve as a prize second paving substance now used stead of “mack-Ad-um-i-uh”, you agent in the Revolution. He returned extensively in paving airport runways: can certainly be forgiven for not know- to Scotland in 1783. There he pur- tarmac, literally the “tar of McAdam”. ing that. chased an estate and was immedi- OK, where’s the 2-in-1, you may So, next time you’re traveling ately and literally immersed in miles of ask? Well, it’s in John MacAdam, that on a macadam road or standing on bad road. Being an engineer, he de- is, the OTHER John MacAdam. This the airport tarmac or eating mac- veloped a process for making smooth one was born near Glasgow in 1837 adamia nuts, remember their Scot- hard road surfaces that were more and became a physician. He immi- tish Connection. passable and durable than the then- grated to Australia in 1855 and served Picnic Recap Chance to serve Well, it didn’t happen in June or Here’s an opportunity to serve the community and have some fun at the July or even in August, but it was same time.