-















__________ 

   

2007 ARCHIVE

In recent weeks it has come to my attention that certain parties are using my ghost stories and those of my contributors as references for their own commercial enterprises.  If you or someone you know is writing a book on ghosts in the Pacific Northwest, PLEASE DO NOT!!! copy or use the following stories or any other materials within this website as references.  

Jefferson Davis (25 April 2003)

 

  

Here are some buttons which will take you to an archive copy of the last years of the "What's New" section I began in 2001.

 

 

I am writing Weird Washington and I need help: Posted 13 April 2007.

My online store is up, sort of...

Firewalking for my work

Ghosts at Washington's Crossroads

Portland Ghost Walk

A House by the Railroad Tracks

Weird Washington Video ShortPosted 26 August 2007

Can you help with Weird OregonPosted 26 August 2007

Weird Washington is at the publishers:  Posted 28 September 2007

Revisiting the Grant House:  Posted 28 September 2007

Ghosts and Critters wins an award: Posted 28 September 2007

The First Halloween Appearance of the SeasonPosted 28 September 2007

Everything Unusual off the Air? Posted 11 November 2007

The Old Red House in Gill Massachusetts Posted 12 November 2007

The Halloween Season ends, or does it? Posted 12 November 2007

White Eagle Night Coming Soon  Posted 14 December 2007

 

I am writing Weird Washington and I need your help

Last year, I signed a contract with  Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman, publishers of Weird New Jersey.   That book turned into a second book of stories, and now they have over 20 books in their catalog.  

I contributed three stories to their latest book, Weird US presents Weird Hauntings.  I did several book books signings in the Pacific Northwest, later on in the fall.  I also sell copies of the book from this website.  See the Book Orders section of this website.  If the link is not up in my store, I will email you with the information.

I guess they liked my writing, or they were just desperate to find an author in the Pacific Northwest to write one of their future books, Weird Washington.  Either way, I was lucky enough to get the job.  For those readers who have never seen any of the Weird Series, they are not just about ghosts.  The Weird Books include sections on roadside attractions, The biggest, the oddest, the oldest, graveyards, abandoned relics, and many other fascinating human and natural features that make each state in the Union so interesting.  To do the best job possible on this book, I need help from readers and their friends.  

To really capture the entire flavor of Washington State, my co-author Al and I  hope to have you readers suggest locations that figure prominently in local legends of the weird and strange.  Know of any cemeteries with unique or weird tombstones?  How about curses or interesting dedications?  Are their ghost towns, lost mines, abandoned shipyards or factories with strange and macabre tales?  Is there a haunted house that everyone seems to know about? Do you have first hand experiences at any of these places?  Please let us know and we will be in touch.  I cannot promise to include all places you might suggest, but I appreciate any proposals.  I will include a separate page listing places we want to highlight as the book progresses.

 

 

My online store is up... Sort of... 

It has taken a while, and it is not finished yet, but my online store is up and running.  You can now order books and DVDs from me online using either credit card or Paypal.  Please visit the bookstore at:

 

Firewalking for my work

My upcoming book, Weird Washington will be my longest work yet.  Even with my co-author Al taking on four chapters, my contributions will be be over 80,000 words.  One of the chapters is on Unexplained Phenomena, which include firewalking.  The world's hottest firewalk took place in Washington State several years ago.  It was about 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, almost hot enough to melt copper.  

It has always intrigued me, along with other people.  I was supposed to go on a firewalk in the past, but missed it.  My wife went instead.  Weird Washington has a lot of pictures in it, and I needed some of a firewalk.  There are several companies in the northwest that will put on firewalks for various groups.  I tried contacting some of them, to see if I could attend ant take some pictures.  It was no good, either they were out of business, or they were not holding a walk when I needed the pictures.  My wife tells me occasionally that I am not all that bright and I did not want to disappoint my publisher.  So I held my own.

 

I started with a few pieces of kindling and some cardboard

 

It did not take long for the fire to start

 

It took a lot more wood and several hours to die down

 

Raking the fire was hot work, and it singed the hair on my arms

 

I had to spread the coals out, and they cooled a bit

 

But not that  much

 

Do you blame me for hesitating?

 

For a few minutes

 

 

The first step was alright

 

On the second step

 

My foot sunk in to the ankle

Yes, it was hot!

 

But I made it out

 

With only one hot spot on my right foot.

Ghosts at Washington's Crossroads

Historically, and I suppose geographically Ellensburg is the crossroads of Washington State.  The old trails met in the green valley where Ellensburg started out as the "Robber's Roost," and the city almost became Washington's Capitol.  Today though, with the way roads, highways, and railroads have been laid out, I would say that little Ritzville is the crossroads of Washington.  Anyone traveling from the Seattle or Tri-Cities to Spokane has to pass through Ritzville.  This includes people making their way from other places in western Washington passing through Seattle or Tri-Cities.  Anyone heading from Spokane westward, or southwest probably passes through Ritzville, as do the major rail routes.

I have made quite a few trips through Ritzville in the past, but never stopped there, despite it being a crossroads.  Most of the people who used to stop there were usually truckers, or people involved in long distance travel.  Recently a crop of new motels and restaurants have been built in the newer town exit.  Instead of staying there, I drove through Ritzville, and stopped in the older part of town.  I decided to stay at the  Colwell Motor Inn.  

I liked the look of the Colwell, it was older,  however I like older places because they have character, and are sometimes haunted.  The price was very reasonable, my room, Number 4 was comfortable, and the staff were very friendly.  Despite the snow in the shaded corners, they had a barbeque, and invited me to stick around for a beer and hamburger.  

While we were eating and huddling around the fire, I asked about any possible hauntings at the Colwell.  Not surprising, they said yes, and the manager traced it back to a recent, horrific tragedy.  A few year earlier, one of the managers was depressed, and decided to commit suicide.  She went into the maintenance room, which was Number 3, and drank a bottle of muriatic acid. 

She did not want anyone to find her until she was dead, so she climbed up into the attic, through the opening in Room 3.  She went to the far end of the complex, and waited to die.  She had a change of heart, and wanted to get help.  She crawled the length of the attic, to the trapdoor, and made her way back to the ground floor.  Someone heard her, and got help, but it was too late.  I spoke with one of the first responders, who did not know about my ghost writing.  He added other details of this tragedy, from his own point of view.   She died shortly after he arrived.  When someone drinks acid there is usually very little anyone can do.

Since then, her presence seems to haunt both rooms 3 and 4.  In Room 3, the manager and other staff felt a sad presence.  In Room 4, for some reason the television turns on and off at odd times.   I may be mistaken, but I think they mentioned guests reporting the sound of bumping and thumping on the ceiling above, as if someone was walking or crawling around in the attic, even when it was empty. 

 

Portland's New Ghost Walk

The cat is finally out of the bag.  For the last month or so my clairvoyant friend Karan and I have been working with the folks at Portland Walking Tours to create a ghost walk in downtown Portland, called:  Beyond Bizarre.  This is not a new concept.  Portland has its famous Shanghai tours, where they talk about some ghost stories, as well as the seamier side of Portland.  There is another company doing a ghost ride in and around Portland, but it is different if you walk around, as opposed to riding in a vehicle, regardless of how comfortable.  

In addition to gathering a haunted history of Portland, I conducted classes (and will continue) for Portland Walking Tours guides.  The guides will know about ghost hunting techniques and history, and may even be able to show their tours a thing or two about the paranormal.  With all of this research, finding new places, and re-visiting some old haunts, look forward to Haunted Portland by the end of the year.  

Below is the initial press release, to register for a ghost walk in the coming weeks, follow this link:  Beyond Bizarre or call (503) 774-4522.

 

Beyond Bizarre

Portland’s spooky, weird and wacky past awaits you - Daily

If you want bone-chilling good time, then you've come to the right place! Unexplained mysteries, ghostly adventures and spooky stories fill our “Beyond Bizarre” evening tour 7 nights a week. The tour begins July 1 and offers both family-friendly and over-21 versions. If you like the paranormal, weird, or wacky, let us guide you until your blood runs cold.

Armed with real ghost hunting equipment, we'll venture down shadowy streets to reveal Portland’s paranormal, catch glimpses of ghosts, expose psychic hoaxes and duck through haunted passageways. The spine-tingling Beyond Bizarre tour invites you to:

  • Wield a working electromagnetic frequency meter to search for supernatural activity at the entrance to the legendary underground Shanghai Tunnels, one of “America’s top ten most haunted places” according to the Travel Channel;

  • Visit the site of Portland’s deadly cholera outbreak while trying not to disturb the sleeping spirits lurking in the nearby burial grounds;

  • Tiptoe through the top floor of Portland’s most haunted hotel to catch a glimpse of skin-crawling sights; and

  • Hear tales of dark secrets, strange rituals and things that go bump in the night.

All of our other tours have no myths, rumors, legends or ghost stories, but in the winter of 2006-2007, we hired two consultants - a leading expert on the paranormal and a proven clairvoyant - to help us bring this amazing event to you. Now, all of us are certified members of the International Ghost Hunters Society and participants in the local Ghostlusters Paranormal Society. Additionally, our internal requirement to lead the 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday "night crawling" tour is to pass some testing showing one or more "sensitive" psychic abilities. We'll be sure to demonstrate it for you at some point.

There are 7 books about the paranormal in the Pacific Northwest. Our consultant wrote 6 of them. Jefferson Davis, author of A Haunted Tour Guide to the Pacific Northwest and Ghosts, Strange Critters and Sacred Places of Washington and Oregon (and 4 other books) said “In all my years of researching the paranormal in the Pacific Northwest, I’ve never seen an urban area with a higher concentration of supernatural activity than here in Portland. This tour visits the top three haunted places in the city and gives walkers the unmatched opportunity to witness other-worldly things most never experience.”

Join our family-friendly tour at 7 p.m. daily. Or, if you dare, buy tickets now for our exclusive 10 p.m. over-21 event on Fridays and Saturdays. No matter which one you join, you'll have a exciting and entertaining time on our eerie crawl through the creepiest parts of Portland!

Advance ticket purchases are required to reserve ghost hunting equipment. This tour regularly sells out (almost always on weekends), so buy your tickets now.

 

Days & Times:
Daily at 7 p.m. (family-friendly)
Fri. and Sat. at 10 p.m. (over-21 only)
(or when your private group wants)

Tour duration:
2 hours for 7 p.m. tour
2 ½ hours for Fri/Sat 10 p.m. tour
1 ½ miles

å Departs from:
Old Town Pizza at 226 NW Davis (between NW 2nd and 3rd Avenues)

PRICE - Daily 7 p.m. Tour:
Advance ticket purchase required to reserve ghost hunting equipment.
$19 Adults (Web price $17)
$15 Senior (65 & up) & Youth (11-17)
$5 Child (5-10)
$0 Tots

PRICE - Fri/Sat 10 p.m. Tour:
$29 - Over 21 only - photo ID required.
Includes longer tour, non-family-friendly material (just plain screwed up stuff) and a pre-tour drink. The well drink/beer/wine voucher is only available and emailed to you when purchased online. Advance ticket purchase required to reserve ghost hunting equipment.

 

A House by the Railroad Tracks

Sometimes I receive emails that may sound silly, or boring, but when I visit, the results can be very interesting. This was especially true in the case of this house located near Vancouver's railroad depot.  In mid June, I received the following email:

 I live in Vancouver and my mother has been having problems with , what I would ignorantly call a ghost. Her home is downtown and over 100 years old and over the last year she has had problems with someone waking her up with horrific dreams and noises etc. Can you tell me if you might know someone in the area that investigates these types of things?
Richard G.

I replied:  I do make house calls in the Vancouver area, and I have a clairvoyant friend, who is pretty reliable in sensing things most other people cannot.  Would you be interested in having us out toward the end of next week?

It took a little while, but Karan and I finally made it to Richard's mother's home, where although she was not there, Richard was.  It was an interesting visit.  The house was not too far from where I grew up as a child, near Vancouver's old industrial district.  Some people may be familiar with the old houses along Kaufman and Markle Avenues.  Most were built for railroad workers.  Although many of the houses are in good repair, and others are being upgraded, it was, and is still one of Vancouver's poorest neighborhoods.   

Some of the houses were built as boarding houses, or as very modest homes for men with families.  Karan and I have visited a few of these homes, which witnessed many tragedies, such as poor children dying of illnesses like the flu, because their parents could not afford medicine.  Then there were the many men who were seriously injured working on the freight trains, leaving their families destitute.

While we visited, Karan detected the presence of many past tragedies, which left remnants, or psychic layers on the house.  There was no intelligence left behind by most of these events, at least on the ground floor.  It was upstairs that Karan felt something, with intelligence.  Two things, actually.

Richard could not tell why his mother was upset in the house, at first.  He took the back bedroom, and found it to be quite restful.  Karan detected the presence of a jolly Irishman there.  She felt that he had been injured in a railroad accident, and spent his last days in his room, probably drinking whiskey, while he waited to recover.  Unfortunately, the man died, but still watched over the train tracks from the bedroom window.  Richard himself sometimes felt a warm presence in the room, like a friend was watching over him.  That was why he did not understand why his mother was upset.  That is until Richard slept in the front bedroom his mother normally used.

After wandering around the house, Karan asked Richard if the house had ever been left vacant; in the recent past.  He had been the third owner of the house, the previous owner had lived there for decades before selling to him.  Richard was surprised, I think.  He told Karan that he had left Vancouver on business a few years after buying it, and the place was vacant for some time before his mother moved in.  Karan nodded and told Richard that during those months, some kind of sexual predator had secretly moved into the house, and camped out in the front room, where he could spy on the women walking along the street outside.  He had left something behind when he was either killed, or been badly beaten.

Although Richard had not told Karan anything about his mother's complaint, he had told me while she wandered around the house.  Richard said that his mother frequently woke up in the middle of the night, feeling a malevolent presence around her, and as she lived there, the presence got stronger, and it actually touched her.  She also had many sexually violent dreams.  When he slept there, Richard too would wake up, feeling some kind of unfriendly, potentially violent entity.  

Karan told Richard that he needed to break up a pattern that allowed the spirit to enter the bedroom to make this spirit go away.  And that the Irishman in the backroom would appreciate a bottle of whiskey.  She talked to Richard about methods of cleansing houses, and keeping unfriendly spirits at bay.  This usually works, but not in this case.  Sometimes the presence of a clairvoyant can actually increase the activity of a haunting.

1 July email from Richard:
 Jeff thanks for coming this week. I do notice that now the noise in the house is now getting louder and louder. Any suggestions?

 

Weird Washington Video Short

Although Weird Washington is all but finished, it will be a few months before it reaches the Barnes and Nobles across America.  Until then, my co-author Al and I will try to post some excerpts or stories involved with writing the book, as well as some videos.  The first video has been released, in conjunction with a certain rental car company:  The Old Curiosity Shop.

 

I need help with Weird Oregon

Last year I took on the job of co-authoring Weird Washington with my friend Al, for the folks at Sterling Publishing and WeridUS.com  Well Weird Washington is on it's way to the printers, and we're already working on ideas for Weird Oregon, and need more locations.

Each book has a dozen chapters, including: 

Ghosts and Haunted Places
Abandoned Places
Ancient Mysteries
Unexplained Phenomena
Bizarre Beasts
Fabled People and Places
Roads Less Traveled
Local Legends
Local Heroes and Villains
Cemetery Safari
Personalized Properties
Roadside Oddities

So, if you think you know of any places or people that are odd, unique, or just plain weird in Oregon, please write to me:

jddavis@rocketmail.com

 

Weird Washington is at the publishers:

Well, I have good news and I have some bad news.  My co-author Al and I turned in the final chapters of Weird Washington to Mark Moran, of the WeridUS.com  series.  The editing staff there have already formatted half of the chapters, and sent them back for review.  The bad part is, Mark and the other authors have been very busy this year, and are working on a few other book projects.  This means that Weird Washington will not be out in time for Christmas.  It will probably be released in the spring of 2008.  

In the meantime, please check back with this website for updates and perhaps more videos from Weird Washington.  We will also have a separate Weird Washington website up and running sometime after Halloween.  Thanks to everyone who contributed stories to Weird Washington, as well as Weird Oregon, which we will hopefully start work on soon..

Jeff Davis

Revisiting the Grant House, at the Vancouver Barracks

The Vancouver Barracks

The Vancouver Barracks were founded in 1849 adjacent to the Hudson's Bay Company's regional headquarters of Fort Vancouver.  Over the years there have been many changes in the size of the US Army post.  Some of the original buildings have been destroyed and others have been reconstructed on their old sites.  Major periods of construction date from the original construction of the early 1850s, then the  1880s, World War I and World War II and finally the mid-1970s.  The last decade has seen the destruction or removal of several buildings.

In addition to these changes, the US Army presence has shrunk.  Officer's Row, a series of residences built as housing for married officers and enlisted soldiers are no longer owned by the Army.  The buildings are maintained as close to their original construction as possible and rented out as townhouses and small business offices.  The Howard House, which was the old commander's residence, portions of the old parade ground, and the site of the Hudson's Bay Company National Monument are under the management of the National Park's Service.  Even so, some Army Reserve units drill at the Barracks.  As long as they are there, the Vancouver Barracks is the second oldest Army post on the West Coast of the United States.

The Grant house was constructed in 1849; it is the oldest building on Officer’s Row.  Although it is called the Grant House; Ulysses S. Grant lived in the Quartermaster’s Ranch (now gone), near the present Ft Vancouver National Historic Site.  It was a combination of headquarters building, officer’s club, and residence for the first commander.  Over the decades the original log structure was enlarged but remained the official residence of the post commander for many years.  Since then, the building has served as a residence, offices, a museum, and more recently it has been turned into a combination restaurant and private club.  Naming it the Grant House is a mistake, since Ulysses S. Grant did not live there, and was never happy visiting there.

Grant was a Lieutenant (and later Captain,) when he served as a quartermaster officer at the Vancouver Barracks in 1852.  The post commander was Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Bonneville, who commanded Grant during the Mexican American War.  Bonneville had not been pleased with Grant’s performance there, or at the Barracks.  Grant only visited the house that now bears his name for reprimands.  They should have named the building after Alfred Sully, since he may remain to haunt his former residence.

Alfred Sully was born in 1821, the son of the famous painter, Thomas Sully.  The elder Sully did not think his son had a great gift for art, and although Alfred Sully continued painting his entire life, his father’s criticism always followed him.  Alfred Sully went to WestPoint, graduating in 1841.  The days at West Point while advancing a career in the military would have scarcely been warm and inspiring to a young artist.  He fought in the Seminole War, and over the next decades, Sully was involved campaigns against various Native American tribes. 

In 1850, Sully married Manuela Jimeno, a member of an aristocratic Mexican family, in California.  They had a son in 1851; however, Sully’s happiness did not last.  Shortly after the birth of their son, someone sent them a gift basket of fruit.  His wife ate a piece and died.  The official cause of her death was cholera, however some people believe that a jealous lover had poisoned the fruit.  Despite this he tried to carry on, but his son died shortly after that.  Again, it may have been cholera, however according to some, his mother-in-law took care of the motherless baby.  The grandmother took the baby to sleep with her and accidentally smothered it.

During the Civil War, Sully became the commander of the 1st Minnesota Volunteers, and later held the rank of Brigadier General.  Like many soldiers of his day, Sully was accused of harsh treatment of captured Native Americans.  However, there is evidence of other treatment.  Early in the war, he married, or had a long liaison with the daughter of Yankton-Sioux Medicine man, and the two of them had a daughter, named Mary.  In 1866, after the war, Sully was reduced in rank to Lieutenant Colonel, but stayed in the Army, and served in many locations.  That same year, Sully married Sophia H. Webster.  Like many Civil War veterans, Sully hoped that he could have a new chance at happiness after the war, but his joy was brief.  Sully spent many years of his marriage separated from his second wife and their son. 

Alfred Sully became the post commander at the Vancouver Barracks in 1874, and remained there until he died in 1879.  When he was in residence at the Vancouver Barracks, Sully lived at the Grant house.  According to some, Sully had developed rheumatism, which caused muscle stiffness, and severe stomach cramps.  In constant pain, he developed a reputation for being short tempered.  Sully’s health failed during the Nez Perce War, and he could not ride a horse.  Instead, Sully joined the pursuit of Chief Joseph, riding in an ambulance.  This was hardly a convenience.  The ambulance would have been towed across terrain without roads and lots of jostling.  This made him even more cantankerous than usual.  Based on descriptions of his illness, it seems more likely that Sully suffered a long and painful death from stomach cancer.  Sully finally succumbed to his chronic illness and died on 27 April 1879, on the eve of a visit by his friend, Ulysses S. Grant.  It would be understandable if Sully's spirit still walks the hallways of the Grant House.

In 1997, I spoke with a past restaurant manager, who told me about working late on many evenings.  At times, various employees talked about something odd about the second floor of the Grant House.  Some people who were on the first floor mentioned hearing someone pacing up and down the second floor hallway.  When they investigated, there was no one there.  There may have even been a cold spot in the second floor landing.  Alfred Sully’s private quarters were on the eastern end of the second floor of the building, but he seldom slept the entire night through.  Because of the pain, he spent hours pacing the floor, rather than lying in bed.  The manager was skeptical about the thought of ghosts.  Like most people, she was skeptical until it happened to her.

She often worked late at night, and tried to ignore odd sounds.  She was familiar with the sounds of the creaking of old beams and the hum and whir of the automatic ice machine.  After a while, she began to hear the sound of footsteps outside of her office door. They would head down the second story hallway, and down the stairs.  Several times she quietly left her office to try and find an intruder.  She never saw anyone.  Not even when the footsteps crossed right in front of where she was standing.

Today, the Grant House is owned by the City of Vancouver, who leased the building to private parties, which operate it as the Restaurant at the Historic Reserves.  The current owners report many strange events at the Grant House.  In 2007, I spoke with Amanda Walker, who told of the many strange things she and others have experienced, and the soldierly shade at the Grant House; who they simply call Sully.

Some years ago, the restaurant owner needed to have a new phone system installed.  The technician was let in by a tall man with a beard, wearing a long, old-fashioned coat.  The owner arrived later, and was surprised to find the technician, because he was the only one with the building keys.  

In the summer of 2006, the restaurant’s executive chef invited his family to the restaurant for a private dinner on the veranda.  His sister went inside, and saw a tall, bearded man wearing a long coat, staring out the window.  She thought it was odd, but went to use the restroom.  When she came back the man was still standing at the window.  “Is there anything I can do to help you,” she asked the man.

He replied, “no, I lived here before, and I am just looking around.” 

She said to herself, “alright… ” and went back outside, and told everyone about the odd exchange.  The building was supposed to be empty, so the chef and the rest of the family went inside to look for the tall man.  As in the earlier sighting, they found the place empty.

Other Ghosts at the Grant House

 A few people have walked by in the evenings, and claimed they saw a cocktail party going on, even when one was not scheduled.  Some of these ghostly parties coincided with what the staff found the next morning; crumpled napkins and place settings mixed up, as well as all of the flowers taken from the vases.

People have heard the clicking sound of a medium sized dog's nails in the central hallway on the first floor, even when there were no dogs in the building.  In the kitchen, on two occasions, a package of English Muffins flew across the hallway, in front of three witnesses.  Even though the muffins were put back, the fell off the shelf several times.  After that, they put the muffins on a self on the other side of the room. 

On September 16th, I visited the Grant House for a short paranormal vigil, and was assisted by Amanda Walker, my prior interviewee about odd events there.  I brought a series of log forms to aid in keeping records of all photographs, audio and video recordings, temperature changes, and electromagnetic radiations readings

My equipment included a Tri-Field ® meter, capable of measuring Electromagnetic Radiation (EMRP) from 0-3, or 1 – 100 milligauss.  The Tri-Field ® meter was used to detect subtle electromagnetic energy, and measure any anomalous changes to the environment, while performing experiments.  I also used a Pentax 1stD digital camera, which was set with a sensitivity rating of 3200 iso film.  I did not use a flash with this camera.  I had a Sony IC digital audio recorder, a Pure Digital ® digital video recorder, and a simple iodine (analog) indoor thermometer. 

My experiments included taking pictures and video footage, in the hopes of detecting paranormal or anomalous incidents using cameras.  The digital audio recorder was used in another series of experiments, in the hopes of obtaining Electronic Voice Phenomena, or EVP.   I also brought a small quantity of Scrabble tiles.  At the beginning of the vigil, I spread the tiles, on a table and took a picture.  At the end of the vigil, I took another picture of the tiles, and compared the two, in the hopes of detecting any changes to their arrangements, not made by human hands.

I arrived at 9am on the 16th, which was Sunday morning.  I was greeted by Amanda, and a few other staff members.  The restaurant did not open until 10am, so I had at least an hour to perform experiments with minimal interruption.  I went to the 2nd floor, and began setting up in the two east facing rooms, where were rumored to have been Alfred Sully’s rooms.  On a prior visit, my clairvoyant friend, Karan felt and saw men in uniform bending over maps, and conversing with each other many times.  I set up the Tri-Field meter and began putting out the tiles.  I was just finishing, when Amanda came upstairs, bringing a cup of coffee.  I had set up the tiles on top of a glass topped, metal coffee table.  I noted that as I set up the tiles, that the meter spiked at around 1.5 milligauss when placed near the tiles. 

When I moved it away, the meter went down to near zero.  This could have been the result of a magnetic field around the metal table base, or something else. We joked that it might have been Alfred Sully. As we did this, I noted that the needle on the radiation detector started spiking and falling.  She left for a few minutes, and I sealed off the hallway door to the southeast room, and walked through a connecting door, into the northeast room.

Amanda joined me there a few minutes later, and told me that she was talking the kitchen staff about what I was doing, and some of the strange happenings at the Grant House.  As she spoke, there was a crash several feet away from where they were standing.  Something heavy had fallen into the sink.  When they went to the sink, they found that in addition to the crash, the hot water tap had turned on.  They could not explain either the sound, or the tap turning on without anyone nearby. 

When Amanda returned to the second floor, I explained what we were going to do.  I made an audio recording of what we were going to do.  We tried two times to get some kind of EVP on the digital audio recorder.  I also tried video taping part of the first attempt.  When I turned on my video recorder, the battery warning light came on.  Oddly enough, I had put in freshly charged batteries the day before.  I changed batteries, and recorded the attempt on video and audio footage.  Unfortunately we did not get any anomalous audio recordings in the second attempt.  While we were trying though, we both heard several bumps and thumps in the second floor hallway.  While I moved the equipment to the southeast room (Sully’s Room,) Amanda checked with the hostess on the ground floor, and asked if anyone had come in the restaurant, or onto the second floor.  The hostess replied, “no,” no one had come onto the second floor.”

While I waited for Amanda, I took pictures of both the southeast and northeast rooms.  On reviewing the pictures, I did not see anything anomalous on the pictures.  While we were in the southeast room, we tried getting EVPs three more times, making a total of five attempts.  While we were asking questions of any entities, we noticed that the EMR meter had a tendency to fluctuate, spiking high, and then dropping down below the normal base line radiation; while we asked questions. 

On EVP attempt number 4, Amanda ask a question, “are you bored?”  Of course we did not hear any response at the time.  When we listened to the recording both of us heard an anomalous sound.  We both listened to the recording again with headphones on, and wrote down what we thought we heard.  Amanda wrote down that she heard a faint voice saying, “yes.” 

When I listened to the recording, I thought that I heard a screeching noise that sounded like someone dragging across violin strings, and then a voice, faintly saying, “yes.”  Other people have listened to the same recording and reported similar interpretation. On our fifth attempt, there was an anomaly.  Natalie asked, “do you want us to leave you alone?”  There may have been another response of “yes.”  However, I was busy writing down notes, which are clearly heard on the recording.  

EVP attempt number 5

It is possible that the faint “yes” could have been related to the entirely normal sound of my hand and pencil moving across the paper.  At that time, around 10:30am, customers began arriving at the Grant House, and Natalie had to go downstairs to serve them.  I quickly broke down the experiments, took one last picture of the Scrabble tiles, and ended my vigil.

Some readers may note some similar experiences we had, with the experiences of other people in the Grant House?  So, did we contact the spirit of Alfred Sully?  Or were we just overexcited at the thought of talking with the dead?  Only time will tell.  I plan on visiting the Grant House again, seeking more proof.

 

You can visit the Grant House online or in person to see Sully.  www.restauranthr.com

 

Ghosts and Critters wins an Award

 

I usually do not post any awards on my website, however the folks at the Fraser Valley Paranormal Society were so nice, and I like their website.  So there.

 

Seattle Museum of Mysteries Talk

 On the 13th of October I will be at the Seattle Museum of Mysteries  Philip and Charlette asked me to do a presentation on hauntings in the NW focusing on The Seattle are on Sat October 13th at 7:00 PM. 

 For more information visit their website or contact Philip and Charlette:

Seattle Museum of The Mysteries
623 Broadway E
Seattle,WA 98102
206-328-6499

 

Everything Unusual off the Air?

Over the last few years I have been a guest on Laura Nybeck's OPB show, Everything Unusual.  Her show was unusual in that it was not just about ghosts, and scary stories, she asked serious questions about various and varied philosophies.  It was great to talk about the 5th century aesthetic movement in North Africa.  Unfortunately, I received word from her that her show has been cancelled.  I hope to have permission to host some of the back broadcasts on this site very soon.

 

The Old Red House in Gill Massachusetts

 

Being billed as a paranormalist or ghost hunter can be a very bad or very good thing.  The bad things can range from people claiming you are secretly working for Satan; because there are no such things as ghosts, just demons; to the disdain from a skeptic.  The very good things can include being part of a universal fellowship wherever you go, since over 50% of Americans believe in ghosts, to being invited to stay in haunted houses, and that is what this story is all about.  A few days before I started my Halloween 2007 tour, I received an email, and I have included some excerpts below:

 

Dear Mr. Davis,
I am writing to you from Gill Mass., just down the road from Greenfield where you will be speaking on 10-29-07.  I am Rev. Dr. Kimberly Moreno the head of Point of Light Ministries and the owner of The Old Red Carriage House Baby & Doll Buggy Museum located in Gill.  I purchased the property for our museum in 2005, it is called The Old Red House in Gill circa 1736… I purchased The Old Red House to open it as a living colonial museum in conjunction with our baby carriage museum.  Greenfield was at one time, the largest producer of baby carriages in the United States until 1936. 

The reason I am writing to you is because The Old Red House is haunted from top to bottom and may be the perfect source of information for your writings and teachings... The property will be open to the public as a colonial museum in the spring 2008 and we will also conduct paranormal tours.

The house was built by John Howland, a cabin boy on the Mayflower and is therefore a documented, historic home, listed in several books… There are legends of a young boy being murdered on the property when he was nine.  His weeping mother still haunts the home.  There was also a Minister killed in the home and buried in the basement.  There were also revolutionary soldiers hidden at one time in the basement.  One of the rooms was the town hospital where babies were born and people died… We also have a 1700's rope bed from a ship; it is very haunted by an old man and his cat. The Spirits in the home are very picky as to who they allow to stay there, which makes renting impossible or long term guests…  We also have photos taken for a slide show that have captured the Spirit orbs and glowing balls of light.

So I told the Spirits and Ghosts in the house about you.  They have asked you to come and visit them.  Therefore, we would like to invite you to Gill Mass. during your Greenfield visit, to come and see us all at The Old Red House and to also visit our museum.
Rev. Dr. Kimberly Moreno

www.pointoflight.org

www.theoldredcarriagehouse.com

Because I usually do not get such unexpected, generous offers, I hesitated a little bit before contacting Dr. Reverend Moreno.  However, she and the spirits were very determined to have me visit.  She called my agent.  Normally he does not pass on these kinds of messages, but she was so charming, that she convinced him to call me, and reinforce her invitation.  And I am glad that I did.

The Old Red House is the oldest home in Gill, Massachusetts.  It was built by either George Howland, or his family in the 1700’s.  No one knows for sure, but two dates stick out, 1736, and 1750.  It was a true Cape-Style house, which meant that the center of the house was a massive chimney, with several rooms built around it.  Each room had either a fireplace or oven, depending on whether they were kitchen, or living rooms.  After it was built, it became known as the Howland Tavern, because the family opened up part of the building as a “Public House.” 

At that time, there was a lot of commercial traffic down the nearby Connecticut River, and the house was near the docks.  When the Howlands found out that barges or flatboats had docked overnight, they lit a fire in the common room, and served drinks and food to the hungry and tired boatmen.  The attic space was one large, unfinished room, and the Howlands lined up beds around the large central chimney for them to sleep.

The Howland’s sold the home to the Barton family in 1826, and they owned it until the 1970s.  At first they also operated it as a tavern, as well as residence, and main building for their extensive agricultural interests, which included growing mulberry bushes for the local silk industry.  Over time, the need for a tavern grew less, as railroads and wagons moved most of the commerce.  For many years a number of people lived in the Old Red House as a rental home, and over time, several additions were made, and a building built in 1807, as a schoolhouse was tacked on.  In the 1930s, the Bartons opened up part of the building as an antique store and tea room.  Despite these changes, the Old Red House remained remarkably intact under the wallpaper and the boards which blocked up the fireplaces. 

Between the 1970s and 1980s, a series of owners purchased the property, with its additions, and tried to restore it to its former glory.  In 1983, Terry Sicard and Buddy Howe bought the place, and removed several layers of wallpaper, a dropped ceiling, and unblocked some of the fireplaces.  They did their best to retain and reopen other features, like the birthing small room, and an H-hinged corner cabinet.  They or other owners also found some odd things, like what may be human bones, and a wooden branch, and leather strap.  These may have been involved in the creation of at least one ghost in the old house.

According to local legend, one of the Howland or Barton family members, a half-grown boy was found hung in an apple tree in the family orchard.  No one knew whether it was a suicide, or murder, and it broke his mother’s heart.  Many people have either seen her shade walking around house, dressed in black, or heard her walking up the stairs.  Many more people believe that the presence they feel in the old family dining room is hers. 

The local tavern was a place of community, and saw birth, life, and death.  Sensitive people might hear the sound the remnants of past experience in the old common room, both good and bad.  This includes the sound of old boatmen raising their voices in drinking songs, or the quiet sobbing families holding vigils around the bodies of their dead family members.  The attic has been divided into several rooms, and has its own spirit.  There is an old rope-bed, called that because instead of springs or slats to hold the mattress, the builder wove a net out of ropes to help the owners “sleep tight…” and not let the bedbugs bite.  Well, the bedbugs might not bite, nor does the spirit of an old man, but his ghostly cat might.

Reverend, or “Rev” Kimberly Moreno purchased the property a few years ago, through a long series of events that might have been coincidence, or some kind of supernatural event.  She believes the latter, since she felt the spirits of the house telling her to buy it and restore it.  She opened the Old Red Carriage House Baby & Doll Buggy Museum in one of the older, side buildings.  I arrived in Gill on the afternoon of 28 October and we met at her museum.  It is has displays of both historic dolls and baby carriages.  But since I think that many 19th century dolls are too realistic, some of it was pretty creepy.  But that’s just me.  

Next she showed me the back annex attached to the main house; she plans on reopening as the tea room, as well as a candy shop.  We also toured the house, where among other things she showed me the kitchen with its beehive oven, which now contains (human?) bones, stick and leather strap, which were hidden under part of the floor, and discovered during earlier renovations. 

She also showed me the old dining or sitting room, which would be my bedroom for the night.  That was the room where the widow in black was supposed to mourn her dead son.  She had tried renting the place several times over the last few years, only to have the tenants move out after a short time.  If I recall correctly, some of them were even family members, which is one way to get rid of your relatives.  After dinner I settled in for the night.

I set out several scrabble tiles on a table, arranged in a random pattern.  I asked any spirits in the house to move the tiles in any way, to spell out any message if they could.  I also tried made several recordings, hoping to get any EVPs.  Unfortunately, it was a quiet night.  The next morning, the tiles were exactly as I arranged them.  The only sounds on the recording were my voice.  There were no creaks or groans in the night, and if any apparitions walked by me, I slept right through their passage.  When I spoke with Rev Kim the next afternoon, she told me that she had originally thought that the spirits would have made themselves known to me, but when she went into the house, they told her that they felt sorry for me because I was tired, and let me sleep through the night unmolested.

I would like to go back, time and money permitting, and I will.  She told me that among her plans for a tea room, and candy shop, that she might open it up for ghost hunter events.  It’s better to have a building used, rather than standing empty.  And the ghosts might enjoy some company.

 

An additional note from Reverend Kim:

 

I also wanted to tell you about a shrine located here in Turners Falls.  It is a painting of Magdalena & Sarah, the Bride of Christ and his daughter.  It was hidden in a church here long ago by Polish Monks.  It was given to the Monks for safe-keeping after the demise of The Knights of The Templar.  Only those true seekers of The Holy Grail, really know about this painting and the location.  If you have studied The Grail and The Knights Templar, then you may already know of this shrine.  It is the reason God sent me to this tiny little town.  This painting is mentioned in The Da Vinci Code as well as several other publications about The Grail and Knights Templar......maybe you have heard of this too?
Blessings & Light,
Rev. Dr. Kimberly Moreno

 

The Halloween Season ends, or does it?

On 23 October 2007, Framingham State College in Framingham, MA
On 24 October 2007, Hudson County Community College, in Jersey City, NJ

On 25 October 2007, I had no engagement 
On 26 October 2007, Binghamton University, in Binghamton, NY
On 27 October 2007,  Suny Potsdam, in Potsdam, NY
On 28 October 2007, I had no engagement
On 29 October 2007, Greenfield Community College, in Greenfield, MA
On 30 October 2007,  the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, in River Falls, WI
On 31 October 2007, I will be at Simpson College, in Indianola, IA

Well, it's been a little over a week since I got home, and it's time to update everyone concerned about my cross country tour.  It was GREAT, and more than a bit TIRING.  I visited seven colleges over a nine day period.  I drove to some of my stops, and had the thrill of driving through the Adirondack State Park in New York State in time to see the trees going golden, red and brown.   I have done this for three years, and although I had a great time in the previous two years, I think that this year was my best ever.  Everyone I worked and spoke with were friendly, interested and helpful, which made it the great time it was.  I do hope that I have a chance to come back and finish some investigations at a few of these places.  

I arrived a day early to be fresh for my first stop, and the events coordinator made sure I had a ride, and motel to stay at.  Here were my stops:

On 23 October 2007, Framingham State College in Framingham, MA

Framingham College is located just outside of Boston, and they were my first stop.  It was unusually warm for a late October.  It was nearly 80 degrees when I arrived, dressed in sweater and fleece lined jacket.  Since I arrived a day early I had a chance to relax, and change clothes for my events.  I then gathered a crew of hearty volunteers.

Before we started our ghost hunt, we did some tests to see if anyone was the least bit psychic.

We went through a couple of rooms, looking for anything anomalous, like cold spots, energy, or EVPs.  In the laundry room, which dated to the 1940s, at least we had some Electromagnetic energy spikes, and a definite cold.  The bad thing though, was that we attempted EVPs, and did not get anything.  So we moved on.

 

We went into one of the residence halls, which had an annex that had a reputation for being haunted.  I can't tell you which.  According to one of the students, a female living there in the past (no date) had been attacked in her room.  Over the last two or three years, female students in this room had awakened at the sound of a woman screaming, and a few woke up with handprints on their legs or other parts of their bodies.  I wish I had a picture of the hallway to show you, but strangely enough, I snapped this picture as we walked up the stairs.  While we were upstairs I snapped two others, however, when it came time to download the pictures from my (expensive) digital camera, they did not exist.  I have heard of film cameras where the negatives had blurred, or were over or under exposed, but not this before with a digital.  We did not know this at the time, an continued, trying to get EVPs.  There was some background noise, like the sound of a train and whistle sounding outside.  If you listen carefully to the long recording, you might hear something that one person described as a screaming sound, accompanying the train whistle.  What do you think?

24 October 2007, Hudson County Community College, in Jersey City, NJ

Hudson Community College is located in downtown Jersey City.  I arrived at the Newark Itl Airport and got a rental car, preparing to drive there.  I called the coordinator at the college to let her know I was starting out.  I had two hours to spare, and it was only about 20 miles as the crow flies.  She offered to have someone come out to bring me in.  I was confident that my GPS unit would be all I needed.  If I were psychic, I would have known what a pipe dream that was.  Being from the woodlands of Washington State, I did not reckon just how much concrete that mankind could lay down on one area.  About an hour and a half later, I was in Jersey City, within 2 blocks of the college Student. Union.  Even so, there was a lot of "Urban Renewal" going on, and fortunately they were able to guide me in.  Bless you Claire and friends!!!  

The campus is growing, but being inside a city, it is scattered among at least a half dozen buildings.  I gave my presentation in the Student Union, and afterward settled down to about an hour and a half of Ghosthunting 101 with a large group of students.  

On 25 October 2007, I had no engagement 

In spite of not having any college talks, I did have an interesting day.  It took a while, but I found the office of Weird NJ, my other boss, Mark Moran.  My co-author Al and I had worked for him on Weird Washington for nearly a year, and though Al knew him, I had not met him except for the televisions show.  I confess that his office is better hidden than my hippy shack in the Cascade Mountains.  Even with directions and my GPS unit, it took a while to find them.  Even though the visit was short, it was good to meet him and the rest of the staff face to face, shake a few hands and continue to the next stop.

 

 

On 26 October 2007, Binghamton University, in Binghamton, NY

 

The city of Binghamton itself is very hold, dating to the late 1700s.  It has certain claims to fame in that it was the childhood home of Rod Serling.

 

To any fans of the Twilight Zone, a visit to Binghamton will explain a lot.  After visiting there, I believe that in many of the Twilight Zone episodes that are set in Small Town America, he used Binghamton as a model.  The episode Walking Distance was certainly based on it.  Following that, other television shows and movies mention Binghamton.

There is a plaque on a gazebo in the city park dedicated to Rod Serling. 

 In addition to Rod Serling, the city is famous for the four carousels in town, and there is a haunted sanitarium, which may become part of the university in the near future. We did try very hard to find any ghosts.  This included going down into the basement of one of the buildings, taking EMR readings and attempting EVPs.  One of the things I found was that if you want to learn about odd goings-on at a college, hospital, or office building, ask the cleaning and maintenance staff.  They aren't afraid of being fired, and generally like the break in the monotony.  In the first attempt to talk to a janitor, we were sneered at and told to go away. The second janitor told us that one of the staff had died in or near an elevator.  We tried to contact them several times to no effect.  To find the other possibilities in Binghamton go to:

 http://nysasylum.com/biahist6.htm  http://www.paranormalghostsociety.org/Binghamton%20Asylum.htm 


On 27 October 2007,  SUNY Potsdam, in Potsdam, NY

I gathered another troop of brave and serious ghost hunters, and we embarked on another look round the campus, trying to find some ghosts.

According to at least one campus legend, at least one person committed suicide by leaping off the clock tower on one main building.  This may not have been one of the students, but an employee, or university administrators.  One of my guides told me that he had investigated before I arrived, and made his way to the top of the clock tower.  We had permission to investigate, within limits, and found our way partly to the top of the tower before we were told that the permission did not extend quite that far.  Even so, we had time to try to get a few EVPs.  We may have some luck in our first attempt.  

It was pretty windy, but was there someone breathing into the microphone, rather than just the wind?  Was there an answer to my question about suicide?

 

 

 

 

 

On 28 October 2007, I had no engagement, but stayed at the Old Red House

On 29 October 2007, Greenfield Community College, in Greenfield, MA

The college had a beautiful campus, but the were in the midst of a complete renovation and building project.  I did not have time to conduct any type of ghost hunt with the students, though I tried answering questions and giving a mini-ghost hunting class.  When this was done, I had just enough time to drive from Greenfield back to Newark, New Jersey and get a decent nights sleep, in preparation for my next engagement.

On 30 October 2007,  the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, in River Falls, WI

 

 

 

It was another pretty campus, and I was able to gather some ghost hunting help from the staff, though I don't think they knew what they were getting in for.  This picture for one.  Sorry gal's but you both look so cute in this pic.

 There were many rumors on campus of yet more suicides or accidental deaths.  We managed to find our way into one of the campus buildings which had a reputation for an apparition of a man or woman who had died there.  There was a bit of a problem, because there were classes going on.  As a matter of fact as an experiment:

 

We made a recording in one of the allegedly haunted classrooms on a third floor building.  One of the ghost hunters asked if the ghost was a male, and a voice in the background said, "yup."  I asked the students during my presentation if they heard that answer.  Curiously, only a few raised their hands, and then I told that that it was a real sound, because a man outside the room walked by the window at that precise second, speaking on a cel phone.   In that same time, he answered the person at the other end of the phone with a "yup."  It is interesting what some people will not, rather than cannot hear.  But we continued with our checks, and made another EVP attempt.  In this attempt we tried asking deliberately mean questions, to try and anger any spirit, to get a more vigorous response.  Sometimes this can backfire on you, and you get not only voices, but physical effects like things moving, doors opening or closing, etc.  However we got what might have been an answer to a question about suicide being selfish.  Do you hear a defiant voice answer, "yes, I am?"  Or was it just us?

 

Following my presentation, I gathered about 70 students who were interested in learning something more about ghost hunting.  We went to Dunn Theater, and started by practicing psychic tests, and started trying EVPs.  We later wandered through several buildings on campus, searching for more spirits.  We finally ended at one of the third floor ladies bathrooms, which seemed to be haunted by the spirits of several children.  I may be mistaken, but I think someone told me that some of the bricks used to make that building came from an old elementary school, which seemed to make sense.  We got a few possible responses, but I will save them for later.

I met a few folks in River Falls, Wisconsin, and they do interesting things... After Dark.

On 31 October 2007, I went to Simpson College, in Indianola, IA

Simpson College was another great place.  Everyone was so enthusiastic and interested in the supernatural.  I was not the first person do investigations there, because there was a longstanding tradition of more than one of their buildings being haunted as a result of a horrible tragedy.  Of course, most of the time these stories are usually nothing more than stories, but at Simpson, there was at least one tragic death, that of a young woman named Mildred.

According to Emili Johnson, staff writer for the Simpsonian, In 1935 Mildred Hedges was 22 years old, and a student at Simpson College.  At that time, the College Hall building was known as the Old Chapel Building.  It was named that for good reason, because it has a high bell and clock tower.  There is an open square shaped stairway which leads to the top of the tall tower.  Unfortunately for Mildred, the railing around the stairs was not high enough.  

No one knows whether she was in a hurry going from one class to another, or if she committed suicide, but Mildred plunged over the banister from the third floor landing.  She is supposed to have hit the railing at least once on the way down, before landing on the ground floor, after falling over 40 feet.  They rushed her to the local hospital where she was pronounced dead.  According to campus tradition there is a red blood spot on the railing where Mildred hit her head.   

Since then people have reported seeing her on the third floor landing, as well as one of converted classrooms, which has been converted into a historic display, with beds, dresses, and other clothing items.  But more of that later.

I know I will get some details wrong, but I spoke with one of the ladies in the admissions offices, and she told me of her experiences.  One morning she came into work, finding only one other employee, and a student intern in the building.  It turned out that the rest of the staff were away from campus on a retreat.  

She was allowed to have a radio playing in  her office.  She turned it on with the volume low.  A few minutes later, the volume on the radio turned up to its highest setting.  This was impossible, since there was no one around.  She got up, and turned the volume down again.  

They had a few visitors come in, and she, the other employee, and the intern all took care of the visitors.  She stepped away from her office for a few minutes, and when she returned, the radio volume was on high again.  She turned it down again, and waited for the other employees to finish with their guests before asking who turned up her radio.  Before she could ask them, one of the employees spoke first, "Did you see the older gentleman I was with?  That was Mildred's brother!  He wanted to see the place where she died."

Of course my informant listened to the rest of this news before asking if anyone had been playing a trick on her.  They denied touching the radio volume.  So did Mildred know her brother was coming, and wanted to leave him some kind of message?

 

This is the portion of the third floor set up as a historic room/display.  You cannot see it from this picture, but there is a dress on a hangar to the right of the bed.  According to one student, the staff used to pull pranks to keep the Mildred legend active. 

 Every year they used to have a female student go up to the this room in the late evening.  She would hide there for an hour or two, to make sure that everyone supposed that the building was empty.  Then, around midnight, the girl would stand silhouetted against the window when students were walking by.  I believe it was two years ago when they tried it last.  That time, the girl went up to the room as usual.  She came down less than an hour later, saying that she could not stay up there another minute.  Apparently the old dress, still on its hangar flew off the rack, and moved toward her.  There was another occasion when someone saw a woman walking into this room, open a door, walk through, and close the door behind them.  When the person investigated, they found the door opened a closet, and empty closet.  We tried some EVPs, and at least one of the students seemed to get a response  When one of the students asked if Mildred was a stupid name, did she giggle a bit, or was there an answer.  And was Midred a klutz, yes or no?

 

Next we went out onto the third floor landing, where we tried contacting Mildred herself.  We looked close at the banister on the way up, and I am not so sure that the supposed blood stain is not furniture polish.  But I will leave that to the chemistry department out find out.  We may have gotten a response.

Do you hear anyone hear an answering knock when I asked Mildred to recreate any sounds of her fall?  I admit that it is a small sound, and there were several people there, but we were all pretty sure that we were quiet throughout the entire recording process.  You will have to judge.

In addition to these odd happenings, I and others witnessed another odd set of occurrences.  One of my friendly native guides worked for campus security.  There were stories every now and then among the officers that they had heard ghostly meetings going on in  some of the College Hall conference rooms.  When they investigated the voices, they found rooms empty.  There were also stories of apparitions, and other things...  My guide experienced this first hand, so it is not a repeated urban legend.  Earlier this year he was walking by College Hall, and the clock chimed.  He reported it to his supervisor, because the bells had been disconnected years earlier.  Sure enough, they looked at the mechanism, and the bells were still disconnected.  

I did not know this during part of my investigation.  I remember distinctly leaving the building with my student ghost hunters.  As we walked away from College Hall, we all heard the bells chime.  They paused, and I did too.  They commented on the sounds.  I looked at my watch, and noted that it was 45 minutes past the hour.  I said something about many clocks chimed every 15 minutes, so it sounded alright to me.  That's when they told me the bells were disconnected.  A few minutes later we walked back into College Hall, and the bells chimed again.  This time, it was not on the quarter hour, or the top of the hour.  It was about six minutes till midnight.  So what was it?

 

On 1 November I flew home, but not before one final stop.   After my presentation, and during the ghost hunt on Halloween night, I was approached by members of one of Simpson Colleges Sororities.  I will not say which, and I can tell you that they live differently than I was led to expect.  For instance, I saw one of them eat a Twinkie, and another shared her deep fried chicken tenders with me!!!  A couple of them even dressed in casual clothes!!!  OK, all joking aside, this particular sorority had suffered from some odd happening such as, more than one of them had felt a strange presence outside the house, in the open space in their backyard.  One believed that an entity had followed her into the house from there.  

We went outside, and I took some readings for electromagnetic energy, and in an area with no overhead power lines, or (hopefully) buried power lines, I did get a few spikes on my meter.  We sat down and tried to get any EVPs in the area.  Unfortunately, there was a lot of outside sound, children, traffic, wind, etc.  While there were a few oddities, I am not going to post them here.  Next we went into the house, and several of us sat on the floor of one of the haunted dorm rooms.  

It was interesting to watch the male friends who attended. He spent several minutes standing over us, arms crossed over his chest, watching us.  That is until we got what might have been a rapping response to one question.  At that point, I think he became curious and joined the group.  Again, the EMR meter spiked a few times, and gradually rose up in background energy as we conducted our experiments, but nothing spectacular happened.  I downloaded copies of the audio files to the gals, and I hope they get back to me with more experiments.

And that's how I spent my Halloween Vacation.  A lot more happened in this trip than I could write here.  There were a few times when we were all spooked by noises that turned out to be people or plumbing or pipes, and was all shared a lot of laughs.  Every year I have found these trips have been more and more enjoyable, and I look forward to next year.

 

White Eagle Night Coming Soon Posted 14 December 2007

During Halloween season, I had several people asking me why I was not doing any events in the Portland/Vancouver area.  It has taken some planning, however I will be staying overnight at the White Eagle Saloon, in Portland on the night of 16 February 2008.   I booked my room (haunted #2) on 14 December, and there were only 9 rooms left, so you will have to book soon.  You can book online, or by calling the Kennedy School at:  888 249-3983.  This is not an official  McMenamins event, so there are no special rates or package deals, and the rooms are open to first come, first serve.  

I will have more details later, and I hope those people who are staying that night will contact me, and I can send out emails directly to them.  At this point, what I hope to happen is a simple get together of people who are interested in ghosts and ghost hunting.  When we did this before, we booked our rooms as early as the White Eagle would let us.  I gave every participant one of my books, and we watched some videos on ghosts in the northwest, and had a general discussion of what has happened to us in the past.  Throughout the night, many people performed experiments in their rooms, and generally had a good time.  

The White Eagle does not normally provide a breakfast.  I will see if we can persuade them to set up some kind of continental breakfast, but if so, there will be a fee involved.  If we cannot do this, I will try to find a place for us to have breakfast Sunday, to compare notes and share stories.  I am open to any ideas people might have, and will have more details later.

Jeff

 

 

 

 

  email Jeff 

 

 


Copyright © 1996-2002 by Jeff Davis | Maintained by J. Davis