A Night In The Haunted History Museum

We went to the Marietta Museum of History last night to hear Ron Ransom speak. He is known as a wood carver and writer of instructing books on carving. He was also known at one time as the artist who put out a newspaper comic strip of thumb prints. His thumb prints had little tails which made them look like mice, and balloons coming from them like Mickey Mouse, but Ron’s were more profound and thought provocative.

Ron Ransom gave a very good lecture or talk and he illustrated his talk with invisible slides that he clicked a remote from an invisible slide projector, which brought down the house in laughter. They way he delivered his wit reminded me a lot of George Gobel.

I did not video him giving his lecture because I am a “Monkey see, monkey do” kind of guy and I was the only monkey in the room.


Of course we were early; this time an hour and a half early. The museum was closed but was told we could walk around and look at things which we did. They have a huge doll collection and also a huge gun collection from all the wars. They have a lot of other stuff too.

On the video the pictures of pictures were mostly taken in the lecture room before anyone came. Most are portraits of the Marietta’s first elite and city father’s. The first two pictures are of Marietta’s own Alice Birney, founder of the PTA. Also of course when you think of Marietta’s city’s fathers you think of the Glover and Clay families. They are there too.

I think the painting of the Civil War Battle is depicting the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, which is a big part of the town’s history because Kennesaw Mountain is only about a mile north of town. But the mountain is not a twin peak mountain

The Marietta Museum of History is in the Kennesaw House. If you believe in ghosts then you will probably believe that when a group came with some kind of electronic instruments that detected spirits they counted over 2000 ghosts in the building. The building was a hotel during the Civil War. It overlooks the railroad tracks.

Which reminds me, before the lecture, a train came through and all things loose in the room we were in shook and rattled. After thinking about it, that has been going on for at least 150 years. It seems that some of the nuts and bolts would have shaken themselves free by now. Watch out! The building is bound to collapse any minute now!

During the Civil War, April 1862, James Andrews and his Andrews Raiders came to Marietta and stayed overnight in the Kennesaw House. According to Walt Disney’s GREAT LOCOMOTIVE CHASE the Andrews group pretended they were strangers to one another. They stayed a night and then in the morning all loaded onto the train pulled by The GENERAL and went to the next stop in Big Shanty (Kennesaw). At the stop in Big Shanty crew and travelers got off and went into the Lacy Hotel for breakfast. Then Andrews Raiders stole the General, thus inspired several future movies.

Back at the Kennesaw House in the Marietta History Museum, the same room James Andrews, stayed in, the room has been duplicated with a mannequin of James Anderws looking out the window onto the depot area. The rascal!

See the next to the last scene of the video for that moment in history frozen.

And the last scene is in the men’s restroom. Study it, and it speaks for itself.




Here is a Ron Ransom original carving we purchased several years ago. It is a Christmas ordainment. Santa is holding Marietta’s famous BIG CHICKEN.