Haunted Hay House? Photographer wonders if he caught ghost on camera

Jimmy Cannon knows he should have left the top hat alone. But when photographing a wedding at the Hay House last week, he couldn’t resist putting it atop the groom’s head for a photograph posed in a mirror in the upstairs master bedroom.

Cannon wasn’t prepared for what he saw in the picture.

He reviewed the image, as is standard practice when he’s working. To make sure all the groomsmen were in focus, he zoomed in on the background.

“It caught my eye then,” said Cannon, 34, of Macon. “I thought, ‘What the heck is that?’ ”

Not able to fully examine the picture on the small screen of his camera, he didn’t think much of it until he started downloading the images to his computer.

“Honestly, it’s so far back it looks like it could be a dude in a top hat,” Cannon said. “It could be the (previous) owner of the house.”

Not really sure of what he had, Cannon did what any 21st century man might do. He posted the picture on Facebook.

Most of his friends think it’s creepy.

The posting claims “NO TAMPERING” in capital letters.

“There was nothing behind that door, I swear it,” Cannon posted. “Y’all probably think I’m an idiot for posting it, but I had to see what you guys think about it.”

Cannon admits the timing of him taking the photograph is spooky — just eight days before Halloween.

“I myself wouldn’t believe it if someone else did it this close to Halloween,” Cannon said.

Hay House director Katey Brown adamantly denies there are ghosts in the house and forbids paranormal research.

“The Georgia Trust of Historic Preservation is committed to preserving the history, preserving the architecture and the family history,” Brown said.

The hat, which she said should never have been touched, belonged to Parks Lee Hay Sr. His family donated the 18,000-square-foot house to the trust.

Cannon, who was making his first visit to the famed mansion build in the 1850s, supposes the apparition materialized because he disturbed the hat.

The pale figure looks more like the cartoon figure “Casper.” It lacks any real definition of facial features.

Cannon said that if he did alter the photo, he would have made it a scarier image.

“I’m not even saying it’s a ghost. I’m saying it looks like a ghost,” Cannon said.

To contact writer Liz Fabian, call 744-4303.

This story was originally published October 31, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Haunted Hay House? Photographer wonders if he caught ghost on camera."