HAUNTED LAWRENCE

When most people think of a haunted house, they probably imagine a
derelict mansion—the inside of which is covered in cobwebs and a thick
layer of dust—inhabited by the restless and unhappy specter of a suicide
or murder victim. But there is no rule saying that a ghost cannot be
kind and inhabit a well-cared-for house. Indeed, the case of the Vaughn
House, located in the middle of Baldwin City, seems to suggest that this
is a definite possibility.
The haunted happenings in the structure began in the early 1990s,
when homeowner Star Novak-Broyles and her husband were remodeling.
Because they were sheetrocking the living room, Novak-Broyles’s husband
had placed their television on a wheeled cart so that it could be moved with
ease. After unplugging and moving it, he noticed that not only was it still
on, it was also cycling through channels. As can be imagined, this unnerved
him a great deal, but he decided not to tell his wife.
But the weirdness did not stop there.
One night, while Novak-Broyles was sleeping in her bed, she was awakened
by a sudden flash. When she opened her eyes, she saw a mass of light moving
across the room toward her head. This ball of energy dissipated with an
audible pop just before it hit her face. Confused, Novak-Broyles reasoned
that she must have been having a waking dream.
But it was not a dream, and the next evening, the light returned. However,
this time it was witnessed not by Novak-Broyles, but rather by her husband.
They were sleeping when Novak-Broyles’s husband awoke at 2:00 a.m. for
no apparent reason. As he glanced around the room, he saw a mass of light
dart once again toward Novak-Broyles’s face. Like the previous night, it
vanished with another pop just before impact. This sound awoke Novak-
Broyles, who inquired as to whether a lightbulb had burst. Her husband,
however, explained to her what had happened; he also took this opportunity
to inform his wife about the mysterious television incident that had occurred
a few days earlier.
Soon thereafter, Novak-Broyles began discussing the situation with
friends. They suggested that her house might be haunted and that the
spooky channel surfing and the late-night lights might be the spirit’s way of
communicating. With this idea in mind, Novak-Broyles began to research
the history of the house in the hopes that this might explain some of the
mysterious happenings. After perusing through newspaper clippings and
talking to several older members of the community, she learned that in the
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1940s, the occupant of the structure, a fifty-year-old woman named Mrs.
Vaughn, had died in the living room after suffering a heart attack. This
revelation eventually led Novak-Broyles to believe that Mrs. Vaughn might
be the spirit that still inhabited the house.
Other strange occurrences were to follow. Soon, Novak-Broyles began
smelling apple pie, as well as a delightful perfume. These scents had no
apparent source and would follow her wherever she went in the house. Other
times, if she were sitting in the bedroom and feeling stressed or despondent,
Novak-Broyles would sense something warm and comforting embracing her.
This spectral hug—which she likened to “a blanket [being] placed around
[her] shoulders”—would always cause her worries to disappear. And unlike
many other people who have interacted with ghosts, Novak-Broyles never
felt scared or worried. In fact, she always felt that the presence was kind and
loving, and she even began to view the spirit as some sort of “unseen friend.”
Eventually, the presence stopped manifesting itself: the delightful smells
disappeared, the masses of light were no longer spotted and the ghostly
embraces stopped. Novak-Broyles was somewhat sad, realizing that her
ghostly friend was gone, but she was also happy that the spirit of Mrs.
Vaughn had presumably moved on.
After consulting a psychic, Novak-Broyles learned that her house was still
home to two other spirits, but they relegated themselves to the upstairs and
were mostly quiet. Nevertheless, in 1992, Novak-Broyles told the Baldwin
Ledge that she does not go upstairs after dark so as not to “tempt fate.”