Ghost Hunts USA Shutters
25 Tuesday Apr 2023
Posted Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunting, Ghost Tours
in≈ Comments Off on Ghost Hunts USA Shutters
25 Tuesday Apr 2023
Posted Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunting, Ghost Tours
in≈ Comments Off on Ghost Hunts USA Shutters
24 Tuesday Jan 2023
Posted Ghost Hunting, Ghost Stories, Ghost Tours
in≈ Comments Off on Amateur Exorcist Hickman Whittington’s Short Work
In 1938, 68-year-old Hickman Whittington placed an advertisement offering free, expenses billed, exorcisms. Over the Christmas holiday of 1937, Hickman had a divine revelation while re-reading the Bible. A man who hadn’t stepped inside a church in over 20 years, Hickman (“Hick” to his friends) professed to have found the exact passage that would exorcize dwellings from ghosts. His ad sought clients to test his theory. Over 300 people responded to the ad; however, he never actually performed the ritual. He was all talk with no action.
Hickman’s life was tragic. The 5th grade educated coal miner married Charity O. “Bedia” Bryant in 1898. He was 28 years-old; Bedia 16. They were divorced in May of 1929. On June 3, Hickman lay in wait for this ex-wife to saunter past. She was walking home with their children Wanda, 12, and Dave Edwards, 5, and George Curry, who was boarding with them and her new-found beau. Hickman jumped out and began shooting his pistol. Bedia ran. She was shot in her abdomen and shoulder. She continued to run.
Hickman cornered her and slashed her throat with a hawk-bill pruning knife. Young Wanda pleaded for her father to stop. George ran to the neighbors to telephone the police. He did not, however, seek to rescue Bedia. Within days, Hickman was charged with attempted murder.
Fast forward eleven years. No one knows the inspiration behind the ad. However, it was picked up and re-printed in several newspapers. Initially, Hickman claimed that he his ritual consisted of his reciting the Bible verse. That was it. Criticisms soon followed, and Hickman clarified saying he used the verse to engage the spirit to appear, then he would sit and talk with it. He never disclosed the Bible verse. He never really tested his theory, either.
On February 7, 1938, an article has Hickman changing his mind and wanting to try out the de-haunting ghost removal system at Crenshaw House, also known as the Old Slave House. He was out of his league with this location.
The Crenshaw House (Equality, Illinois) has a long, sinister history. Built by John Hart Crenshaw in 1738, the third-floor attic was used to illegally incarcerate freed African American slaves who were kidnapped and resold as slaves. John Crenshaw was an evil man. According to people, those evil deeds manifested into hauntings at the house.
The home became a tourist attraction in 1913 as a “thrilling experience.” (Is attraction even the appropriate word?) For some reason, Hickman became aware of the home and the supposed hauntings. He wanted to perform a whip cracking in addition to his ritual. Newspaper articles did not report whether or not Hickman was able to complete his ritual. It is fairly evident Hickman never investigated any other location.
By 1940, Hickman was an inmate at Anna State Hospital. He died on May 14, 1949.
Bedia’s fate wasn’t much better. There aren’t any public records that she married George Curry. She died shortly before Hickman on March 1, 1949.
Crenshaw House fared better. The State of Illinois purchased the home and 10 acres for $500,000 in December of 2000. On February 27, 2003, the state purchased the antiques from the estate, salvaging them from storage. Today, the homestead is part of the Reverse Underground Railroad. It is a “station.” The home requires extensive remodeling; it currently closed.
Hickman Whittington was a lone amateur. He was not affiliated with any organization. He was inexperienced. Hopefully, he never attempted this theory. It may have been early signs to his mental decline. His is a cautionary tale not to fabricate a ghost removal process. Leave it in the hands of those trained and skilled.
05 Thursday Jan 2023
Posted Ghost Hunting, Ghost Tours, Haunted England
in≈ Comments Off on Haunted Purdy’s Pet Shop
Logging onto my Twitter, @HauntedLib, I saw a story from February 2022 about a haunted pet shop in Coventry, England. The story includes 2 video clips of items falling from shelves and one clip about a battery-operated vacuum that wouldn’t turn off. The clips were too good not to comment on.
Purdy’s Pet Shop opened in January 2020. The shop is adorable. They “believe in a world where every pet, or garden animals should get the best that their owners can give them.” Staff reported strange events beginning two months later. Customers mentioned tugs on clothing, pets appeared apprehensive in the store. The store mascot, Purdy the Border Terrier, sits and stares at empty space.
Owner Rebecca Harrington called in Hideous History Walking Tours, which held a séance to ascertain who or what was haunting the establishment. (The séance was for charity.) The group claims it is a male entity, former tenant in the building, who is upset that there are people in his space.
Hideous History is Coventry’s oldest paranormal guided tours. They offer 6 public guided tours and private tours. Their website, https://hideoushistory.co.uk/, has links to several stories of tours with video evidence.
The two clips of items falling from shelves do not appear to be staged. In one clip, Harrington is assisting a customer when a bag of treats falls from a shelf behind her. It does not appear that the bag was teetering on the shelf.
In the second clip, a toy falls from atop a shelf that looks to be overly stuffed. This may have been caused by having too many items packed together. Further, the shop is on a busy street. Vibrations from trucks may have caused the items to shift. Again, this does not appear to be staged.
The vacuum, or hoover as the British call them, may be easier to explain. Batteries are temperamental. Sometimes battery-activated devices start on their own. I’ve been this in investigations. What would be more convincing would have been if the batteries were removed and the vacuum turned on.
The videos are compelling to conduct further research. Anecdotal evidence should be logged, as well. Additional investigations would help legitimize the haunting. I hope they press on.
View the video clips here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub3wHFY2ePE.
12 Saturday Sep 2020
Posted Gadgets, Ghost Education 101, Ghost Hunting, Paranormal Education
in≈ Comments Off on Household Gadgets for Paranormal Investigating: Electroscope
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You don’t need to purchase expensive gadgets to investigate. There are plenty of household items at your disposal that may generate better results. I learned of a few watching the Facebook Live Ghost Education 101 session with Philip Wyatt, as host, and Heather Leigh Landon, who presented “Non-Technical Paranormal Investigation Tools” last Tuesday. Here is a link to the presentation: https://www.facebook.com/101483755012255/videos/974627249720267. All of the panels are archived and accessible online. While I own quite a bit of the items mentioned, I did not own an electroscope; therefore, I made one!
From the YouTube creators Science Buddies, https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=wso0FqcnG7g&fbclid=IwAR3gm8kgYKUA0L3jsN4rGCE_TZXsgs5TLqtJIMGvgY3WU10bzoDc8oBqoRU&app=desktop, I learned how to create an electroscope from items I already owned. It was rather easy to make and more fun to experiment with.
The electroscope works on the static electricity theory whereby everyone produces static electricity. Although there is much discussion on whether a person who dies maintains her energy, the concept presumes that a ghost has energy and gives off that energy that can be measured with different paranormal tools. The electroscope measures these electrically charged ions that are not visible to the naked eye. The electroscope that I made measures the static electricity when the teardrop-shaped aluminum foil resist and pull apart.
Make your own with the following items:
Watch the short video from the link and create your own electroscope.
In order to test the theory, you will need a piece of Styrofoam and piece of wool. You will also need the remaining hanger from above. Rub the Styrofoam over the wool to create static electricity. Then bring the Styrofoam close to the curved metal without touching it. Notice how the aluminum foil pulls apart. It will be slight. Next, rub the Styrofoam over the piece of wool. Again, bring the Styrofoam close to the curved metal. The aluminum foil teardrops will close back together. Finally, rub the Styrofoam over the wool. This time touch the Styrofoam to the curved metal. The aluminum foil will noticeably pull apart. This is how static electricity works.
Of course, my homemade electroscope decided to work differently. The foil might be too thin. The teardrops move together. I had to take them out and flatten them more in order for them to hang together touching. Once I did that, bingo—it started to work! The flaps separate quickly. I didn’t even need the wool (I reside in Atlanta and don’t own any wool clothing). All I did was rub the Styrofoam on my cotton shorts.
In ghost hunting, the electroscope measures when a ghost passes by as the aluminum foil will separate and pull apart, showing that static electricity is near or touching the curved metal. The key is for no one to be walking or resting near the electroscope. This invalidates the experiment.
Once I begin investigating again, I will bring my homemade electroscope along to test out. I will keep you posted on any developments!
17 Tuesday Mar 2020
Posted Abandoned America, Ghost Hunting, Hospitals, Real Estate
in≈ Comments Off on Abandoned Hayswood Hospital Escapes Demolition (Maybe?)
Tags
Abandoned in Kentucky, Hayswood Female Seminary, May V. Peale Wilson, Maysville, Rev. John S. Hays
The flimsy “Dogman” attack at the abandoned Hayswood Hospital is making the Internet rounds. Skip the story. Instead, read about how a widow generously purchased and gifted the small town a hospital. The hospital’s history is more exciting.
With a population under 9,000 residents, Maysville is an example of quintessential small-town Americana. Maysville, Kentucky sits on the southern side of the Ohio River. The median income is $29,274 with a 22% poverty rate. On 4th Street overlooking the downtown, sits the abandoned Hayswood Hospital.
The main wooden building was built around 1842 by Dr. Joseph Taylor. By 1886, newspaper articles began soliciting female students for the private Hayswood Female Seminary, founded by Rev. John S. Hays, D.D. The school offered education in the arts, as well as, traditional subjects. Rev. Hays died in 1899 at the age of 67. However, the school continued in operation until 1907.
On August 8, 1907, “Hayswood” as it was informally known was auctioned for $6,200 and sold to widow Mrs. May V. Peale Wilson, who promptly deeded the property to a trust in order to open a town hospital. On December 2, 1907, the Hayswood Hospital informally opened. It was dubbed the “palace on the hill.”
By 1907, May Wilson was a widow who had the means to purchase property. Wilson did reside at the hospital. She advertised for a “white woman” to serve as a companion and cook. The “May Wilson” Hospital League was a women’s volunteer group. Mrs. Wilson died in 1909. She did not have any surviving children and bequeathed her fortune to various individuals and organizations. The hospital received an annual payment from the trust. In 1909, the hospital was re-dedicated as the Wilson Hospital. An oil painting was commissioned to hang within the hospital.
The trust ran the hospital from 1907-1915. The city took control of the hospital and saw it through an extensive renovation in 1925. Samuel Hannaford designed a brick building and added a 4th story due to anticipated volume. In 1981, the hospital was sold to the Nashville company Hospital Corporation of America, which ran it as the Maysville Hospital until February 9, 1983.
The hospital, abandoned and decaying, changed hands several times. First in 1994 for $42,000 to Ester Johnson of Classic Properties. Ms. Johnson sought to renovate the building and turn it into high-end apartments. The development never took off. Johnson lost the property to unpaid taxes in a tax sale.
Tax Ease Lien Servicing paid roughly $6,000 for the property in 2013. Still, the hospital sat abandoned but became a regular location for thrill seekers and paranormal enthusiasts. And, yes, all of them were trespassing with lots of them receiving citations.
Hope gripped the town in 2018 when Stitch Up Properties, LLC snatched the property for $50,000. However, it may be dashed as the local newspaper has not been able to contact anyone at the company to enquire about prospective development.
In the end, most people want to know if the hospital is haunted. It’s unstable and dangerous to explore. In addition to the falling debris, the hospital has a lot of asbestos, which hindered earlier developments since the cost to remove ran about $2 million dollars.
I’ve seen several blogs discussing these supposed haunting. However, they fall flat and lose credibility because the writers have their facts wrong. If someone can’t even research the location, then how can we believe he researched any hauntings?
03 Tuesday Mar 2020
Posted Debunking the Debunked, Ghost Hunting, Hauntings, Paranormal, Videos
in≈ Comments Off on Valdosta (GA) Ring Camera Footage Captures a Reflection–Not a Partial Manifestation
On February 20, 2020, a supposed Reddit user uploaded a video he claimed to be of his Valdosta, Georgia home’s Ring security camera, hanging in his carport, capturing a ghost manifesting in his driveway. The are several large holes in his assessment.
The video clip, with extensive editing to zoom in on the light source, was posted on YouTube and, expectedly, went viral. The video has received over 18,000 views. The online account, The Hidden Underbelly 2.0, boldly states that this is a “partial manifestation.” Case closed. However, it’s not a manifestation.
Debate continues on what was captured on the footage. The security camera is set up at the back of the carport, an open garage with side walls but not a closing garage door. Parked outside the carport are two vehicles: a truck and a car. A light source shifts from the truck, on the left, to the car, on the right. Some speculate that the “ghost” is jumping from truck to car. I did not see that. I saw a light source moving from the back of the truck across to the front of the car.
In the paranormal field, a manifestation is when an image is clearly discernable. A full body apparition’s manifestation would be where witnesses can clearly make out the figure. A partial manifestation is when parts of the body are clearly visible. These are sometimes called “semi-formed ghost.” The video does not show a partial manifestation of a ghost.
The “story” told by the Reddit user is that he was notified that the security camera was tripped. He reviewed the video and found the “image.” Generally, when a security camera is tripped, lights go on. Here, the lights were already on.
The camera’s placement is also problematic. The camera is affixed to the back wall of the carport. Carports are 20-21 feet deep. (The purpose is to house cars.) The camera displays out from the back wall and shows the side door to the house on the right. It also shows the two vehicles parked in front. They appear to be roughly 10 feet past the carport. According to Ring, the security camera’s motion detection zone is a range of 270 degrees side-to-side and 30 feet forward. The image is passed the front of the cars; therefore, out of range for the motion detector to go off.
When the motion sensor goes off, Ring may push a notification to the owner. Instead of walking to the door and looking outside, the owner loaded the video. This seems odd. It is easier to look out the window or open the door to see the culprit rather than watch the video. However, the owner may not be home. Then one would question why the lights are on.
We may never know what the homeowner was thinking. I cannot locate the supposed Reddit posting. None of the articles actually link to that initial post. Instead, everything is linked to the YouTube account, whose identity is unknown; however, he does answer questions as if he was the owner.
The carport was well lit. The cars reflected community lights. This is probably a case where the camera captured a car passing, someone walking his dog, or a cat heading home. (Personally, I think it’s a deer.) It should not be hailed as the definitive evidence of a “partial manifestation.” Because…It’s not.
06 Tuesday Mar 2018
Posted Extraterrestrial Life, Famous People, Ghost Hunting, Horror Movies, In the News, ParaNews, R.I.P., UFOs, Uncategorized
in≈ Comments Off on Paranormal News for the Week of March 5th, 2018
Tags
esp--explorers of spirit phenomena, get out, jordan peele, michio kaku, squirrels in the forest = run
Paranormal News for the Week of March 5th, 2018
ParaNews:
Longer article is forthcoming.
23 Friday Feb 2018
Posted Famous Locations, Ghost Hunting, Haunted Houses, Hauntings, Historic Places, Hospitals, Uncategorized
in≈ Comments Off on Old South Pittsburg Hospital Offering Daytime Ghost Hunts
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Old South Pittsburg Hospital Offering Daytime Ghost Hunts
Beginning on February 12, 2018, the people who run Old South Pittsburg Hospital (OSPH) will begin holding daytime ghost hunts. The price is $25 per person. Contact Stacey at 423.362.0089 to book your tickets.
The Old South Pittsburg Hospital opened in 1959. The 107-bed hospital is comprised of 68,000 square feet. The facility closed in 1980. Paranormal investigation teams are welcomed at the abandoned hospital. Archer Paranormal Investigations participated in a weekend hunt a few years ago. We captured great evidence from the Chapel and the third floor.
The hospital in a short drive from Chattanooga. Check out their website for additional information: http://osphghosthunts.com/.
09 Monday Oct 2017
Posted Famous Locations, Ghost Hunting, Uncategorized, Vandalism
in≈ Comments Off on Stop Trashing the Woods!
Stop Trashing the Woods!
Legitimate ghost hunters respect property. They leave the location cleaner than when they arrived. Unfortunately, amateur hunters aren’t as courteous. In 2013, the historic LeBeau Plantation in Old Arabi, Louisiana burned down when stoned adventurers trespassed onto the property. Since 2012, the Woodland Trust for Dering Wood in Smarden, Kent has spent nearly £50,000 in security and trash collection. Ghost hunters are ruining the semi-natural park.
Woods are popular locations for ghost hunting, and Dering Wood is one of the most famous in England. Dering Wood is also known as the “Screaming Woods.” Investigators claim to hear piercing screams day and night. It’s also a favorite for paranormal television shows. People like camping out in the forest; however, they are making a mess.
One way to ruin a paranormal location is by vandalizing it. The trust spends a lot of money on something they shouldn’t have to. Instead, they could re-invest the money into the property that was saved from development. The damage has been deemed “unsustainable.” If that truly is the case, then park management may take drastic measures to keep everyone out. That would ruin the woods for all.
04 Friday Aug 2017
Posted dragon, Dragon Con, Ghost Hunting, In the News, Investigations, Paranormal, Research, Uncategorized
in≈ Comments Off on Importance of Research
Tags
Dragon Con, heather dobson, jordan t duncan, larry flaxman, paranormal georgia investigations, research
Importance of Research
The Haunted Librarian joins Heather Dobson and Jordan T. Duncan of Paranormal Georgia Investigations (https://paranormalgeorgia.com/) and author Larry Flaxman (http://larryflaxman.com/) at Dragon Con 2017 as they discuss the importance of conducting research before, during, and after a paranormal investigation.
Tentatively scheduled for Sunday, September 3rd at 4 PM. Purchase tickets online at http://www.dragoncon.org/.
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