FORT SILL, Okla. -- Traditions run deep at the Fires Center of Excellence. From military balls to change of command ceremonies with fanfare attached to each event. But there is one tradition that is often spoken of in small groups without pomp and circumstance-the tradition of ghosts haunting Fort Sill.
As Kate Davis explained, shortly after her family moved onto the Old Post Quadrangle they were welcomed with the question, "Have you seen any ghosts yet'"
There have been numerous unexplained events in the Davis home, from the sound of footsteps treading where no known person was nearby to create them, to music that sounds like it's from generations past playing softly and coming from nowhere. There's also been a wandering light Davis, her husband, Lt. Col. Jon Davis, and a former tenant have all seen floating through the house at night.
Then there are the apparent apparitions.
Only a few weeks after moving in, Davis had her first run in.
"I was standing at the foot of the stairs and I looked up and there was a gentleman walking down the stairs in what looked like a cavalry uniform. He had riding boots on and a blue uniform. He had longer hair than the guys would have now and a mustache. He was just walking down the stairs like, 'I'm just going back to work,'" said Davis.
She said the apparition didn't seem to notice her and was just going about his business. When she looked up once again he was gone.
"You would have thought that's crazy,' but it didn't feel that way. It just felt normal. It just goes with the house, I guess."
Other ghosts have shown themselves to the Davis family including another gentleman who was seen by her oldest son, Charlie. He described the man as having gray hair and wearing a sash of ammunition across his chest.
The spirit that every member of the Davis family says they've seen belongs to that of a little girl.
"We had friends staying over and their daughter was in the pantry and she asked, 'Who's the other girl in the pantry'' I didn't want to freak her out, so I told her she must have seen her reflection. At that point we had been here about three or four months. After that, we started seeing her more often."
Davis said the girl wears a dress and has long curly hair and looks about 4 or 5 years-old.
"Sometimes I get the feeling that she's kind of popping up to say hello. You know how little kids will do; I get that feeling with her. It's all very benign."
Davis said the little girl has been seen all over the house, including outside on the porch but she's noticed most often upstairs where her sons' toys are.
"It's not so much that we're seeing her but you get a sense of activity and you catch almost like little flashes out of the corner of your eye. I think she just enjoys the tons of toys and things up there. It never feels weird it's just that she's around," said Davis.
Davis said she and her sons went away a couple of times this past summer leaving her husband home. He told her after a while there was a feeling of agitation like the girl was wondering where the kids were or she just didn't know what was going on.
"It's almost like she's a part of the family. I know it sounds so strange."
The Davis family and the apparitions cohabit in a very polite setting. Even Charlie was kind enough to leave his light on one night for them.
"I asked, why he left his light on, and he said, 'the ghosts were playing cards.' It could have been because where he is in the back that was like a maid's quarters. So it could have been that people were playing cards and he was getting a flash. I think he just thinks it's perfectly normal," said Davis.
"There's just so much history in here I don't feel like we can escape it."
Outside of the house her youngest son, Nicholas, will see Soldiers on the field in the middle of the OPQ where no visible Soldiers stand. Davis said another little girl about his age also reported the Soldiers as if it were a perfectly normal occurrence to both of them.
"One evening we were walking by the Sherman House, and he said I want to go say 'hi' to the Soldiers."
Davis said he started conversing with someone by the cannons, although there was nobody there.
"Of course, you think these things really don't happen, this is ridiculous, but once you live here it all feels so normal that you really don't think anything of it."
Davis said the experiences only make living on the Old Post Quadrangle more enjoyable.
"I really think it's fun, because I don't think everyone has the opportunity to have this kind of experience. So it's kind of exciting."
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