And developed into so much more.
In 2013, Barkeater Chocolates relocated into the building where we currently make and sell our chocolates treats. Purchased from a well known local family, our first few days in the very old house were a flurry of activity. Moving heavy chocolate equipment and complying with county regulations kept us hustling. But as we settled into a rhythm and established a routine, the former homestead began to tell us stories.
And so, we were compelled to listen.
The swinging doors, footsteps and persistent banging would eventually fade into the background of our daily schedule. Whoever still considered the house their home, would eventually find other ways to get our attention. Heat fluctuations, flickering lights, and muffled voices were not only experienced by team members, but visitors as well. Eventually, chocolate started flying off the shelves (both literally and figuratively).
A deep dive into our building’s 140 year history revealed natural and unnatural death. As well as business ventures, heartbreaks, scandal and a missing person’s case that would mystify residents for years. While many families who came here seemed to live a content, if not charmed life, one family in particular would reveal to us a complicated backstory that lurked just under their glossy surface. We highlight the most critical information during our Haunted Chocolate Making Sessions, and often gloss over some of the more insignificant findings in our research. That is, until two different paranormal research teams traveled here to perform their own investigations, one year apart.
Both teams experienced their own spiritual encounters using specialized equipment, but there was one name that came up both times. A name that we had previously discounted until the information swelled to help us fill a 2 year gap in history. While we thought we discovered the spiritual identities of our otherworldly guests, we now have to wonder if we were looking at the wrong family members.
Book your own private Haunted Chocolate Making Experience today, or join us for one of our Amateur Ghost Hunting Fireside Experiences in August. You might learn or hear a thing or two.