The Peyton Colony is a 350-acre historic site outside of Austin, Tx. It’s also known as the “Boardhouse”. The location was settled by freed slaves after the Civil War and is named for its founder Peyton Roberts.
The land had been in the Coffee family for many years. There are several buildings on the site, including an old church and schoolhouse. Lawrence and Ellen Coffee live in a house built about 50 years ago by Lawrence’s aunt. Four different apparitions have been seen by multiple witnesses and poltergeist phenomena has also been reported. The poltergeist effects include weird electrical problems, faucets turning on and off by themselves and objects disappearing then turning up in unexpected locations.
Unexplainable voices and the sounds of drums beating have also been reported. In an effort to document the activity, Ellen Coffee started taking photographs and recording strange noises and disembodied voices. The photographs show apparitions, balls of light, and streaks of energy, and both men’s, women’s, and children’s voices have been recorded.
In June, a group of investigators took dozens of photographs and made computerized recordings of anomalous sounds at the site. Investigators present included Lisa Farwell, psychic Jill Pendleton, and computer expert Todd Brower. Ellen Coffee’s computer was used to record the electronic voice phenomena (EVP). During one six-hour investigation on June 27, spectacular anomalies were captured with a digital camera, a Canon 35mm with 800-speed film, and a point-and-shoot Olympus 35mm. Most of the photos capture light phenomena (orbs, mists, and streaks) that take place too quick for the naked eye to see.
Here’s a promo video on a documentary on the Colony.
More pictures and information on the colony here.
Dallas native J. Rene Guerrero published his debut novel, White Rock in 2017. It is the first in the Thin Veil Series.