Defending the Innocent: A Family's Struggle Against Criticism

On the afternoon of February 9, 1958, a complaint was called into Long Island’s seventh police precinct regarding a series of “strange occurrences” taking place in the caller’s home. According to the caller, Lucille Herrmann, for nearly a week the caps and lids of bottles in the basement had been popping off inexplicably, while other bottles and containers were tipping over and spilling their contents for no obvious reason. Elsewhere in the house, items were flying off shelves without the aid of human hands, and toys were breaking without explanation. Not only were the disturbances destructive to the Herrmann’s home and property, but they were also psychologically upsetting, since they seemed to be happening on their own.

Lucille Herrmann’s call to the Seaford Police Department kicked off a two-month-long fascination with what many came to believe was genuine poltergeist activity in the Herrmann’s Long Island, NY home. What began as a simple call to the police for assistance quickly escalated into near daily media coverage and interest from a variety of paranormal investigators and skeptics, all determined to identify and explain the cause of the ostensibly supernatural occurrences in what became known as “the house of flying objects.”

The Herrmann’s case of poltergeist activity is considered by many to be the first modern investigation into poltergeist disturbances and would serve as the inspiration for Stephen Spielberg’s 1982 horror film, Poltergeist. Despite the considerable attention, however, the case remains unexplained to this day.

Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!

References

Allen, Tom. 1958. "A haunted house is not a home." Daily News (New York, NY), March 9: 30.

Aronson, Harvey. 1958. "Expert sees no hoax in bottle-popping." Newsday, March 7: 3.

Associated Press. 1958. "Bottles--all kind--flip their tops." Democrat and Chronicle , February 11: 1.

—. 1958. "Bottle tops rout pop." Elmira Star-Gazette, February 23: 1.

—. 1958. "Bottles pop, Davy falls for angel." Press and Sun-Bulletin, February 17: 11.

Dorman, Michael. 1987. "Ghost stories." Newsday, October 25: 9.

Elmira Advertiser. 1958. "Herrmanns' house quiet." Elmira Advertiser, March 27: 4.

Kahn, Dave. 1958. "Bottle-popping force shakes our reporter." Newsday, February 24: 3.

—. 1958. "Bottle-popping report points to Jimmy." Newsday, May 15: 5.

—. 1958. "Experts are working, bottle-pop force isn't." Newsday, February 27: 4.

—. 1958. "Flying figurines drive family out of Seaford home." Newsday, February 22: 5.

—. 1958. "Has the LI bottle-popping force popped its last." Newsday, March 17: 7.

—. 1958. "Jimmy a bottle-popper? No, sasy father." Newsday, February 28: 5.

—. 1958. "Our bottle-proper's decision: he's baffled." Newsday, February 25: 5.

—. 1958. "'Spirit' gets rough, starts hurling things." Newsday, February 21: 5.

—. 1958. "Two more bottles blow tops at LI house." Newsday, February 12: 4.

Newsday. 1958. "All's quiet on the bottle front." Newsday, March 3: 5.

—. 1958. "Clues remnmain cold in bottle mystery, but bottles get hot." Newsday, February 17: 5.

—. 1958. "Expert ponders bottle popping." Newsday, February 15: 10.

—. 1958. "Look out! Things are popping again." Newsday, March 4: 5.

Nickell, Joe. 2012. The Science of Ghosts: Searching for Spirits of the Dead. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books.

Roll, William G. 1976. The Poltergeist. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.

United Press. 1958. "Boy likely was spook, says expert." Press and Sun-Bulletin (Binghamton, NY), May 15: 25.

Ziaman, Ronald. 1958. "Teen interviews." Brooklyn Daily, June 26: 14.

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