Previous ghost hunts or investigations at this location: Six investigations have been performed at Buie Park. The first was in 1998, with follow-up investigations in 2000 and 2001.
History
Stamford is on U.S. Highway 277, State Highway 6, Farm roads 1420 and 2834, and the Burlington Northern Railroad in northern Jones County. Part of Stamford is in Haskell County. H. McHarg, president of the Texas Central Railroad, named the site in 1900 for his hometown in Connecticut. The Texas Central and the Swenson brothers, local ranchers who owned the town site and the surrounding area, cooperated to market lots and develop businesses. The first post office opened in December 1899 in a railroad boxcar. A flour mill was a leading industry from 1906 until its destruction by fire in 1946. A cottonseed oil plant, an iron foundry, gins, brick manufacturers, and a railroad roundhouse were other significant employers. Stamford College, initially called Stamford Collegiate Institution, was opened by the Methodists in 1907. 5 By 1909, a faculty of sixteen taught 346 students. The drought of 1910, World War I, and a fire in 1918 affected enrollments and finances, and in 1920 the college closed, as the Methodists established McMurry College in Abilene. Buie Park was opened around 1910 and was named after Bernard Buie. He owned a real estate company in Stamford, Texas, that specialized in farm and ranch properties. The park closed sometime in the late 1960s.
During the first investigation in 2000, an abnormality was witnessed by two investigators. Just before they reached the rear section, they noticed a bright 7 light off to their left. It was a glowing ball that moved through the trees, cutting directly in front of them. The glowing ball was approximately 4 inches in diameter and slowly crossed the road directly in front of them. Once it reached the other side, it hovered for a moment before it shot off through the woods. The ball was wave-like in its motions and made a slight humming sound. It was pretty bright and also seemed to flicker slightly. There was also a hum associated with it, but it was not the kind that could be heard but felt. The sighting lasted approximately 10 seconds.
Historical Research
Public records were searched to see if we could find any references to any deaths occurring in the park (murders or accidental). We could not locate anything except for a fatal car crash about 2 miles away. History does not support the basis of the myths.
Conclusions, Confounding Variables
During our six investigations of this area, we could not find any direct witnesses. All the information about the phenomena occurring at the park is second or third-hand. The glowing ball of light is obviously the most exciting phenomenon we witnessed at the site. We strongly suspect that this phenomenon is ball lightning. The object had many values associated with that phenomenon. BL is thought to be made up of Plasma – the state of matter beyond Gas. (Stars are made up of Plasma). The process by which it can be produced terrestrially is open to some speculation as, according to “orthodox” science, it is tough – if not impossible – to reproduce in a laboratory. However, if one accepts its existence, it seems clear that it is strongly associated with electrical storms – common in many reports. Some think its appearance may also be associated with high voltage power lines. Or even high-power tv transmitters. It is often seen in 8 clouds or dropping down from them. It seems it is commonly spherical in shape but can be discoid or ellipsoid. It can penetrate solid walls, and if it is made up of gas plasma, it will be electrically charged. It will therefore be influenced by magnetic fields and possibly metal objects. Ball lightning usually occurs during or after a thunderstorm, although it has been created without any detected electrical storm. After the first sighting, we returned several times, explicitly looking for this phenomenon. All searches were uneventful, and it is still a mystery.