Haunted Turks & Caicos Islands

Haunted Turks & Caicos Islands
Paul Dale Roberts, HPI’s Esoteric Detective
Halo Paranormal Investigations
jazmaonline.boards.net/
Email: jazmaonline@gmail.com
Sacramento Paranormal Haunted Hotline: 916 203 7503

THE WAITING ROOM PODCAST:
www.youtube.com/@thewaitingroom-cl1uf

MY BOOKS:
www.lulu.com/spotlight/httpswwwlulucomspotlightjazmapika1

MY BIO:
jazmaonline.boards.net/thread/2495/paul-dale-roberts-biography-revised

MY MINI-BIO:
jazmaonline.boards.net/thread/3009/new-bio

PAUL’S EBOOKS:
jazmaonline.boards.net/thread/3222/pauls-books

Several locations in the Turks and Caicos Islands are rumored to be haunted, including the District Commissioner’s House on South Caicos, the historic Waterloo building in Grand Turk, and Bambarra on Middle Caicos. These legends are often associated with the islands’ colonial history and the experiences of enslaved people, with stories of full body apparitions and ghostly presences reported at these sites. My father Paul Marceau Roberts heard from the locals that the whole island is haunted. Locals and tourists have seen the spirits of slaves from long ago. Green Corn folk of all ages were asked by tourists what is haunted at North Caicos and they all said the entire island. From ghosts in the air at night, to them taking a leisurely stroll on the beach and seeing spirits walking along the beach. Let’s look at some of the places that have a reputation of being haunted.

The Cheshire Hall Medical Centre
Cheshire Hall (the plantation, not the area) is located a mere few minutes from the hospital. Ghostly slaves are seen in the fields by locals. Cheshire Hall is said to have been quite a large plantation and is teeming with ghostly activity. If you plan to do any ghost hunting at this location, you must be advised that only a percentage of it is accessible today. The accessible areas were primarily the living quarters and work areas of its residents.

Ianthe Pratt Primary School
Following this thought of areas where people were once buried being haunted, I have been told that IPPS has had its fair share of spooky happenings. There have been reports of missing items and doors opening unexpectedly. This information comes from past students. My step-mother when visiting the islands with my father was told about places being haunted by “Jumbees”. Jumbees is a term for spirits or mythical beings often found in Caribbean folklore. They are mentioned in association with the islands. A Jumbee is a mythological spirit, demon, or ghost from the folklore of Caribbean cultures, often depicted as a shadowy, malevolent entity but also referring to a variety of supernatural beings. While some Jumbees are believed to be the spirits of wicked individuals, others can be benevolent, such as the Moko Jumbee, a stilt-dancer representing a watchful, protective deity from West African traditions. The term is a catch-all for these spirits and is popular in stories told across the English-speaking Caribbean, with different islands having their own variations and names for these beings. Ianthe Pratt Primary School is haunted by benevolent Jumbees.

Salt Cay
Government House
Some locals believe that the Government House is haunted by malevolent Jumbees. Things get moved around, things wind up missing and then they reappear. Some locals have been scratched by unseen forces. Zola, a local had a malevolent entity whisper in her ear, telling her to drown in the ocean. Zola believes it was a bad Jumbee. Surprisingly, the malevolent Jumbee are the most common type, characterized by their dark, shadowy figures and association with evil deeds or wicked individuals. Perhaps the Jumbee(s) are feeding off the negative energy that radiates from the Government House. Perhaps there were some evil politicians that worked at the Government House?

The White House
This building has been around since the early 1800s. Three people have died there, and the place was erected prior to the Slave Emancipation Act, so who knows what heinous crimes were committed there. Tourists have heard muffled screaming coming out of this building. A hideous shadow being was seen hiding in the bushes.

Wades Green Plantation at Kew Settlement
According to the locals, this place is protected by the Plantation Watchers. On some parts of the plantation where there are no Watchers, the land is haunted by the Bacoo, a mischievous spirit resembling a leprechaun. Other hauntings on this land are the “Soucouyant”. The Soucouyant is a blood-sucking, shapeshifting female vampire from Caribbean folklore that transforms into a fireball at night to drain the blood of unsuspecting victims, leaving them weak or dead. By day, she appears as an ordinary woman, often an old recluse, and must hide her shed skin in a mortar before sunrise or risk it being burned by the sun. To defeat a Soucouyant, people would spread rice or salt at village crossroads, forcing her to stop and count grains, or sprinkle salt on her discarded skin to prevent her from returning to it.

Cheshire Hall Plantation at Providenciales
This plantation is haunted by the Lagahoo. The Lagahoo is a feared, mythical shapeshifting monster from Trinidadian folklore, also known as the Loup Garou (French for werewolf). By day, it appears as an old man, but at night it roams the shadows as a monstrous figure with no head or a large animal. It is said to drag heavy, rattling chains and carry a wooden coffin on its neck, which it uses to feed on blood and oil. To defeat a Lagahoo, one must beat it with a stick anointed in holy water or oil.

Middle Caicos
Bambarra
Bambarra is the one settlement in the TCI with an African name. The name was given by the slaves who were brought there. Bambarra is famous for its Bambarra Rum. It literally boasts of being “the spirit of the Turks and Caicos,” and what’s featured on the bottles? Jumbees. If there is an area to go to for haunted happenings in Middle Caicos, Bambarra is definitely the place to be. Shadow people have been reported at Bambarra.

Over Island
Over Island was once used as the location of the Ex-Servicemen Legion’s building, most people only visited Over Island on Armistice Day, when the Ex-Servicemen would lay a wreath to commemorate the end of World War I. Many bodies are buried at this island. There are many sightings of ghosts. There are sightings of ghosts with military uniforms on. Sightings of ghosts is to be expected.

East Tar Road, towards Public Cemetery
There is a story of a man driving down the road near the cemetery and he picked up a hitchhiker that was carrying a guitar. The hitchhiker said to the driver that he was playing his guitar at the crossroads. He then played a song, and the driver told the hitchhiker that the melody was beautiful. The hitchhiker laughed and said…”I could play even better when I was alive.” The driver was stunned at what he said and looked over and the hitchhiker had vanished. This story almost sounds like the legendary blues musician Robert Johnson story.

Waterloo
The official home of the Governor is haunted. The home is haunted by what locals call “creepy old ladies”. There are 3 old ladies in wrinkly old dresses that appear and disappear. They are known to move objects around. They have wrinkly faces and one of the creepy ladies has an unusual long nose. A caretaker was touched by one of the creepy old ladies and he said the touch was cold as ice.

District Commissioner’s House, South Caicos:
The site where a decaying body was discovered, gives the location an eerie reputation. Misick, a local saw a ghost that looked like a zombie walking around and then vanishing.

Cockburn Town and Providenciales
These locations are haunted by Benevolent Jumbees. One of the Jumbees is the Moko Jumbee, seen in the Moko Jumbee tradition, is a stilt-dancer that is considered a healer and protector, a positive example of a Jumbee figure. Aisha, a local was having a medical issue and did some praying near the Cockburn Town. Aisha was visited by a Moko Jumbee that touched her face and disappeared. The next day her medical issue was gone. Aisha believes she was healed by the Moko Jumbee.

Protecting yourself from Bad Jumbees:
Folklore provides several ways to protect oneself from Jumbees. These include:
Leaving a pile of salt or rice outside the house for them to count.
Walking backward into your home to prevent a Jumbee from following you inside.
Leaving shoes outside the door to distract them with the task of trying them on.
Crossing a river, as Jumbees are believed to be unable to cross water.