Macopin Road homeowner gladly shares her house with a friendly spirit, By Ginny Raue West Milford When Linda Bayer purchased her Macopin Road home in 1985 she was well aware of its rich history. She had visited and admired the West Milford house since she was a child and hoped one day to own it. When that day came, her sense and love of history led her to restore the home using only vintage woods and materials. Four original fireplaces, though closed up, still exist. The 184-year old wide plank flooring is in place. Oh yes, and a 125-year old ghost is still in residence. Some history first Built in 1824 by C.W. Vreeland, the house served as a family homestead, a country inn and an antique shop before Bayer and her family took up residence. Fred Vreeland, the last in the line of Vreelands to own the property, remembered that Bayer was fascinated by the old house and offered her the chance to buy it. The historic home stands on a portion of the original parcel of land that at one time encompassed all of the current Highview Estates development. Once those rolling tracts of land were Vreeland cow pastures. Several historic exterior artifacts remain on the property. The original outhouse stands tall and proud, and in working order. There is an 1800s tombstone in the yard belonging to the Struble family. When Bayer first took ownership of the home one of the first things she did was to install closets, as there were none in the entire house. Two hooks on the backs of doors served as clothing storage - one hook for work clothes, one hook for Sunday clothes. Friendly spirit in the guest room Bayer can’t nail down with certainty the history of the spirit who occupies her home but over the years she’s heard tales of a suicide taking place in the guest bedroom, sometime in the late 1800s. That bedroom seems to remain the room of choice for this particular spirit. When asked if the room, now used as storage, has any cold spots, Bayer replied that the house is old and the whole building is cold. So much for that ghostly manifestation. Bayer has never seen or heard the specter but has sensed the benevolent spirit for years. “I always feel there is a friendly presence, it’s a comforting feeling,” she said. Over the years her pets may not have agreed with her assessment of the ghost’s friendly nature. Not once did any of her animals enter the guest bedroom and, as a matter of fact, they would come to a screeching halt in the doorway. Not one furry paw ever stepped over the door sill. Visitors to the house have commented on the sense of another being in attendance. On occasion Bayer has had psychics at her home to do readings for herself and friends and they have always concurred that there is, indeed, a friendly spirit in the old house. According to Robert Vecchio, a witch and High Priest of Practical Magick II in Pompton Lakes, “A true psychic can sense’ the presence of an entity. When there is a resident spirit’ in a home, they are usually there for a reason and very rarely is the reason to do harm. Most of the time they are waiting for someone or something,” he said. It’s okay if you are skeptical Did it bother Bayer when the psychics also felt the presence? “No, because it’s never been menacing, it’s always friendly. I always felt there was something there, even when I was a child visiting the house,” she said. “Children can sense and even see spirits more easily than an adult. Children’s minds are innocent and have not been contaminated with evil prejudices,” Vecchio explained. Bayer believes in spirits and in the possibility that we are sometimes surrounded by the guiding hands of lost loved ones. She often feels the loving presence of her father, a connection to the man she cared for until he died. “I believe that when you die your spirit is out there, like my father is always out there. You don’t go into the ground and disappear, your spirit is always there,” she said. She realizes that others may raise a skeptical eyebrow at her beliefs, but that’s okay with her. She knows herself and values her openness and sensitivity to other realms. Bayer loves her historic homestead and gladly shares the beautiful old house with her friendly ghost. There’s always room in life for a comforting friend, visible or not.
I always feel there is a friendly presence, it’s a comforting feeling.” Linda Bayer, homeowner with a guest