Whenever this has happened, it has always been turned with the top of the painting facing right. The painting itself is heavy, so it would take a strong energy to actually lift it up and turn it like this. There is also never anyone else in the home on the nights that it has turned, so any practical jokes can be ruled out.

Over the past few weeks, the painting has been just as active as it always has been. So much so, that I am thinking of putting it in storage until I move into my new place and have more time to work with and investigate it. I am in the process of moving, and have so many things going on right now that having such an extremely active item around is very unsettling. I am finding that it is so active that I don't have time to observe it as much as I would like to. I will still try to post updates here at least once a week until I decide whether or not to put it in storage.

There has been so much activity with this painting, that if I were to chronicle everything that went on this week, I would have to be at the computer for hours on end. I hope to catch up and post some updates over the weekend. In the meantime, please enjoy this video and feel free to forward it to any people you know who have an interest in the paranormal.

The above description does not exactly match the inscription on the back of the painting, which states that the last name is SEXTON not SEXON. The painting also states that the house began being constructed in 1798 and was completed in 1837. The online reference says is was built in 1862.

The other website sites a completion date of 1837, which matches the back of the painting and reads:

3-story, but from the front it is only 2 stories. The walls are built of bricks and concrete and covered with stucco. The wide projecting cornice is supported at each angle by a large bracket.

This is the only information on this octagon house that I could find. I wonder if the house itself is haunted?

I am still trying to get an idea of exactly how old this painting is as well. I am unable to make out the name of the artist, because it is tiny and very rubbed out. It looks to be Marilyn Roach, but that's only my best guess and I could find no artist by this name. The painting itself is in pristine condition, though judging from the canvas board and the frame it is clearly antique. The frame is also antique, but in pristine condition, and I am unable to date it based on the frame style. I am hoping perhaps a visitor to this blog might be able to estimate an age of the frame at least. My best guess would be 1940s?

I am still not clear if this painting is positive or negative in nature, but it is still incredibly active. It seems to act almost as a portal to another dimension. It really is so unbelievable, that I am sure some readers might think I am off my rocker, though I assure you I am not! :) This is one amazing paranormal object.

I caught several ectoplasm type figures moving in the grassy area of the painting the other day. I was so excited to finally catch some of these moving shapes on film.

I've been shooting hundreds of digital photos hoping to get orbs around it, but came up empty until today, when I caught a large gold orb near the side door of the house. This is the first time in a long time that I have captured a gold orb. I don't know much about what the specific colors represent, but I recall reading that gold orbs represent positive or higher entities. The orb showed in only these two out of the approximately 100 photos that I took. It looks like it is actually headed through the door, since it drops its height as it nears the door.

The other thing I have been trying to photograph is the activity in the windows of the house. As I've mentioned before, various figures dart in between the windows from time to time, especially in the evening hours. It's difficult to photograph these, as they are slightly transparent and move very quickly. Below is a photo that somewhat shows a face looking out the window, but it not nearly as clear as what I hope to capture. I will continue taking photos to see if more of the phenomenon surrounding this painting can be caught on film.

In other news, the painting seems to be affecting the electronics that are in its proximity. The television turns itself on and off at least once a night. That is, it turns itself completely off and then on again. There is no technical or rational reason for this, as it is a relatively new set that never had any problems until the painting moved into the room. The digital clock in the living room also has lost power three times since the painting has come into my home, and it is hooked up to a completely different outlet than the television.

Last night, I had the good fortune of partially photographing the shadow that I mentioned in previous posts. This shadow passes very quickly over the painting, always running from the right side of the painting to the left, and completely envelopes the painting in a matter of seconds before disappearing. This photographed one makes for the third time this shadow has passed over the painting. I had hoped to take successive pictures very quickly in order to capture it in action, but by the time my camera had "processed" the first photo, the shadow had passed through already. The photo was taken in very dim light, so I had to use the "enhance" feature to make the photo brighter. This accounts for the slight blue hue, but otherwise the photo is unaltered. The shadow that you see in the lower right eventually grew darker, blacking out the entire painting for approximately 3 seconds.

Movement continues to be seen in the windows of the house, as if figures are darting in and out of the windows very quickly. During one especially active display of the window figures, my cats began to actually paw at the windows, clearly sensing the movement. I was thankful for this, because this painting is so incredibly active that I sometimes pause to consider my sanity.

As mentioned in previous posts, I have had many friends and other paranormally inclined people look at photos of this painting via e-mail and many of them displayed uncomfortable reactions to it. I am not sure if the painting is entirely malevolent or dark, but I suppose time will tell. Right now, all I can say for sure is that it is one of the most actively haunted antique objects I have had in quite some time.

As always, I feel the need to issue a small warning before displaying a photo of the painting. If you are very sensitive, please be in a calm state of mind before viewing this image. The image itself seems to provoke people in different ways, some more than others. One woman who I sent this image to complained of being unable to rid her mind of the image for several days to the point where she felt it was consuming all of her thoughts.

As I was propping up the painting on the chair, I noticed that it had an unusual smell to it. It is almost a fruity smell like strawberries. I was surprised when I turned around the painting and saw, handwritten in pencil, a reference to the history of the house in the painting.

It says: Octagon House. East Hampton, Connecticut. Begin in 1798 by Jeremiah Sexton and completed in 1837 by his son Walter Sexton.

I briefly did some Googling on the house, and found only one entry online confirming basically nothing other than it exists. I could not find any reference to the Sextons or any other information on the home. In my searching however, I did find many references to other Octagon houses throughout the United States, many which have reports of hauntings. I am aware that the octagon is also steeped in occult symbolism, but I am not sure of the particulars of what it represents. I cannot speak for the house itself, but this painting is certainly harboring powerful energies.

The painting has a certain "alive" quality, making it very uncomfortable to look at for any length of time. Twice this week when the lights were dim in the living room, I have seen a large cloud-like black shadow pass across the painting and completely envelope it for a second before disappearing. It blacks out the entire painting for a moment and then disappears. I have also seen, from the corner of my eye, figures moving back and forth in the windows. I am now keeping my camera next to the sofa, because in the event that this visual phenomenon occurs again, I want to try to capture it on film.

I keep the painting propped up on a chair facing in the correct direction. On the third night, when I woke up and walked into the living room, the painting was on it's side facing vertically. There is no rational explanation as to how this could have happened. Someone would have had to come in the house, pick the painting up, turn it on it's side and then place it back in the chair.

The trail passes Columbia University Nevis research center. One of the buildings was built by the son of Alexander Hamilton. Another impressive sight on the walk is the Octagon House. This was built in the 1860s and currently is being restored by its owner. We were told about both these things by Ellen, a Friend of the Old Croton Aqueduct, who happened by.