Welcome back to weird Wednesday where we like to scour the internet for the scary and the strange, the mysterious and the macabre, today our search takes us the Traveling Museum of the Paranormal and Occult, owned and curated by Dana and Greg Newkirk.
Today’s object is known as The Dark Mirror, originally obtained from a Columbus based psychic fair, it was purchased by a woman hoping to begin the practice of scrying, where the practitioner sits gazing into a mirror or a crystal ball to gain insight into future or past events through visions being reflected. While a crystal ball is more traditional, mirrors have been used for centuries as well as other reflective surfaces, including clear pools of water in a dark-colored basin.
The woman purchased a simple black mirror in a gold frame and eagerly took it home with her, but within weeks, her daughter claimed that her mother became withdrawn, despondent, and obsessed with the mirror. Soon after this behavior manifested, the daughter went to visit her mother, who told her that she thought the mirror was evil. The daughter removed it from the home, kept it covered in a box and later donated it to the Newkirk’s Museum.
It took several weeks for the mirror to be displayed as part of the museum and once it had been, the negative reactions to the mirror were almost immediate. One woman claimed she saw her decomposing corpse looking at her. Another woman pressed her palm to the glass, only to spend the next two hours polishing it and wiping it, trying to remove her imprint. It only vanished when she threatened to break the mirror.
At another event, held at the Pennhurst Asylum, a woman gazed into the mirror and claimed that her reflection spoke to her even though her mouth had not moved at all, as vouched for by the Newkirk’s and other bystanders. Another man tried the mirror and slammed it down in horror when he saw a reflection of himself peer around from behind him, then walk away.
There are dozens more of these reports, including visions and physical ailments like headaches, bad taste in their mouth, and even feeling like they had been shocked. You can read more about the mirror at the link below, although I would suggest not seeking this one out. Some things are just not meant to be seen. However, if you insist, check the museum's website for future events and as always, remember the rules. Respect the Owners. Respect the Property. And Respect whatever resides within the dark mirror.
Happy Haunting!
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*Originally posted on The House of Stitched Blog, fall 2022.
research/writing assistance credit to Dark Rose.
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