LITTLETON, NC – Welcome to Museum of Cryptozoology and the Paranormal in Littleton, North Carolina.
“When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. It gives you a haunted house, you start ghost tours,” owner Stephen Barcelo said.
Barcelo’s house dates from the 1850s. He says he has a life of his own.
“Anyone who’s lived in a haunted house will probably tell you the same thing – it’s just something you get used to. It’s like living next to an airport,” Barcelo said.
The New Yorker doesn’t shy away from any supernatural activity – he welcomes more.
“All in [the museum] was given to us or we were called to withdraw from other places, ”he said.
Some objects are so frightening that they are kept out of the reach of the public. For example, a clown that a man had when he was very young.
“It gave him nightmares and night terrors,” Barcelo said.
And if you look closely at the reflection of this clown, Barcelo says that the eyes will turn and look at you.
“Sometimes he will smile at us,” he said.
From possessed dolls to macabre, Barcelo may be a believer, but he’s an investigator at heart.
“Obviously I don’t think people are going to believe unless there is something flesh and blood in front of them,” he said.
The former reporter spends thousands of dollars on equipment for ghost hunting and Bigfoot investigations.
But is it enough to convince the public?
Margaret Wilkosz, from Pittsburgh, says anything is possible.
“We are created from energy, and where does all this energy go? Wilkosz said.
Another guest, Sephanie Rogers, is a little more skeptical.
“I’m a bit of a horror fan. So it’s not as scary as I think a lot of people might find the play,” Rogers said.
She prefers to experience something firsthand.
“I wouldn’t say no. As long as it wasn’t dangerous,” she said.
Most visitors hope that the memories they bring home only evoke memories.
“It’s largely kind of an escape. Especially in these post-COVID times, it’s even more true,” Barcelo said.
The Barcelo Museum is a sort of refuge for all the unexplained things and the people who experience them.
“I had people who came here – it’s a common thing – [and say] I will tell you a story. I’ve been married for 28 years and never even told my wife about it, ”he said.
As for what’s real, Barcelo isn’t here to convince you.
“This is not the Big Foot Church. We are here to show people and tell them stories,” Barcelo said.
