Things that go Bump In the Night???

[Deep C]

Last night in my sleep I was awakened by a fairly loud "Crack!". With the weather I figured a branch had fallen and hit the house...
Went to the boat to check on her but when I got home I had some things that made me go hmmmm? This is an older house built in the fifties and she creaks and groans with the others of her genere... Center house is a "L" shaped wall that has served as a center for family and racing photos for decades. I saw one of the larger photos on the ground. "Ok Deep, theres your noise from last night..." Figured a nail or hook let go...
Went to pick it up and noticed that all the photos wer off center. Not leaning one way or another but all different directions? I'm talking a hard enough shaking to have the cardboard backs in the frames slidin out on some of them.
Continued inspecting and same story on the other sides of that same wall??? She is load bearing to a degree so I inspected further. No damage above or below. No chipped paint no busted beam or supports. Cauling at base board undisturbed?
What could cause something like that? She's done "settling after near sixty years. I'm at a loss for ideas... Earthquake? Ghosts? Any ideas? Maybe you've experienced similar? I'd really like to know. Don't want a section of my house collapsing...

[luv2fish67]

May have been a small earthquake. We get them here on the west coast from time to time, but they are usually so slight that most people don't even feel it. The wind is just screaming here today. I'm just waiting to hear one of my neighbours trees go "POW"

[Deep C]

Once in a blue moon they get some seismic activity up here in the north east. Usually stuff that you cant feel. I have some big plate glass sliding doors that lead into a green house we have built in. On occasion you'll hear them jiggle. Nomally though if anything gets felt in the way of the ground moving here it makes the news quick...
Looking at the pictures they must have taken a fairly hard shake. I have a furnace directly below that section and a a/c handler above. Furnace seems to be operating correctly just hoping like hell that the air gas mix didn't go a bit explosive on a start up...
Still if that happened you would think that there would be chipped paint or something around the top or bottom...

[nautiduck]

I wouldnt rule out settling. You could have had a joist let go, or a support post under the house shifted. Has it been particularly wet as in a lot of rain where your at? Very possible a short sharp movement could cause it.

[Deep C]

Were slab/ crawlspace under wood frame... No cracks in the wood anyplace under or over the area,or in the cement under. We still get a settling wiggle now and then but that usually shows itself in a split in the paint...
We removed a tree this summer that was undermining the driveway a bit with its roots but thats a fair distance away from where this was...
A possible is that its been cold and I finally turned the heat on. Could be some expansion or contaction stuff... Short of busting a hole in the wall I can't see in side to see if perhaps something gave way after being compressed for so long... If it did though you would think something would be visible along the seams...

[Robja]

Whitey's ghost has come to haunt your house.

[JimmyC]

Sounds like expansion/contraction to me. I live in a house built in 1919 and my house does the same thing every season change.

[Deep C]

Whitey's ghost has come to haunt your house.

Oh hell he's no issue... After all I'm his idol...
Don't know any dead people who would want to come back just to bug me...

If its expansion or settling I have no worries... I do get bugged though at outside chance that gas air mix in furnace went bang... Those pics shifted a bunch...

[canyongear]

Did you fart?

[Deep C]

No I didn't fart... I keep them canned up til saturday nights in the bathtub... I let er rip and instant Deep Cheap Jacuzzi!