Abandoned GA: Atlanta Prison Farm

04 Tuesday Mar 2014

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Famous Locations, Farms, Ghost Hunting, Orbs, Prisons

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Atlanta Prison Farm Graffiti

Abandoned Atlanta: Old Atlanta Prison Farm

In the Metro-Atlanta area sits approximately 400 acres of abandoned land. The Old Atlanta Prison Farm (APF) operated as a correctional facility from 1945-1995. The APF was a 700+-bed detention facility housing minor criminals with the potential for vocational training. The area included a large main building with a smaller administration building. The land was used for agricultural purposes. At its peak, the APF housed 1,000 inmates. The working farm ran a dairy, raised livestock, and canned vegetables. There was also a commissary and barber shop on the grounds.

In 1940, a bumper crop of 7,000 bushels of corn was harvested. Further, Superintendent H.H. Gibson is pictured calling the hogs and stating: “…this year 12,954 pounds of fresh pork have been consumed and 44,609 pounds have been sold to packing houses, while 240 pigs are being fattened on kitchen waste and corn.” Every able-bodied incarcerated person was required to work on the terraced farm and pasture land. Operations ceased in 1995.

Atlanta Prison Farm Crop

Superintendent H.H. Gibson

Today the predicament is that the land is owned by the City of Atlanta (Fulton County); however, the acreage is situated in DeKalb County. Apparently, neither governmental entity wants to take ownership. When a fire broke out in 2009, it was reported that the DeKalb Fire Department refused to respond and let the fire rage until it burnt itself out.

With any abandoned property, the rumors and half-truths run rampant. According to an Atlanta Journal Constitution article an elephant named Maud and Willie B., an early gorilla, both from the Atlanta Zoo are buried on the property. There is an unsubstantiated claim that an unnamed giraffe is also buried on the property.

Plans for a possible green space have stalled. And that’s unfortunate. If realized, the green space total more than Piedmont Park (189 acres), Grant Park (131 acres), and Centennial Olympic Park (21 acres) combined!

Investigation: The weather was extremely cooperative the day I visited. There were other people walking through the buildings as well. It seems to be a popular place for photo shoots. Limiting our time to the two main buildings, we were able to capture some orbs down in the back hallway where individual cells are. My Ghost Radar was extremely active in the main entrance and stairwell. I collected 25 words. And the radar detected over 240 signals!

The best part of the investigation had nothing to do with the paranormal. Some of the graffiti is stunning. Some humorous. Most juvenile. Delve deep to find the true gems—and maybe the homeless man sleeping on one of the metal bunks.

Visits: The Old Atlanta Prison Farm is located on Key Road SE. Depending on your point of entry, two large spooky trees sit by a dirt road. This is the road that leads to the main buildings. I recommend going during the daytime since there is a great deal of debris on the ground.

Atlanta Prison Farm Orb

Train Rules and Darwin

15 Saturday Feb 2014

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Camp Creek, Disasters, Equipment, Orbs, Paranormal, Train Wreck, Train Wrecks

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camp creek, orbs, ovilus III, train wreck

Orbs at Camp Creek Train Wreck

Train Rules and Darwin

Trains run around the clock. On weekends. At night. And trains come from both directions. Conductors only blow train horns at crossings. In Georgia, horns do not sound at Quiet Zones, locations were silent crossings have been established. These are hard learned lessons to learn on an investigation. Darwinism may get the best of you. That is, if you aren’t paying attention.

Recently, API conducted a follow-up investigation at the Camp Creek train wreck site in McDonough, Georgia. In 1900, torrential rain storms caused a train truss bridge to fail and the Southern No. 7 plunged into the creek. At least 36 people died (See previous blog). Reported hauntings abound in this area. At API that translates into follow-up investigations.

The sky was clear and the temperatures hovered in the mid-forties. All in all it was a beautiful evening for an outdoor investigation. Upon arrival we observed the predictable animal bone. Found some last time, too. After setting up our equipment we waited for the first train to pass. I captured lots of orbs. Further, I was able to distinguish between condensation images and anomalies. Some of the pictures are fabulous.

My father was fascinated with trains. He built model trains. He traveled by rail back in the day when it truly was an adventure. He even founded a train hobby club. I know trains. I also know to respect them. Alternatively, Jenn has not lived near train tracks. If she had, she would know that 1) trains run at night; 2) trains run on weekends; and 3) trains come from both directions. However, Jenn was eager to test out the hiking shoes and use the climbing rope. There was no stopping her. Well, there was, but it came later. Jenn marched across the tracks toward the bridge. She situated herself and began an EVP session. She even considered (albeit briefly) scaling the ravine. Thankfully logic caught the better of her. When she saw the train light she was able to collect her equipment and to shout out a warning to me. And then she ran. (It’s actually quite comical when you listen to the tape)

I was farther down and still on solid footing. I turned and hustled toward safer ground. When I saw the light, I scurried down an embankment and starting taking pictures. My Ovilus III was running. It produced the following words: saw, paranormal, although, water, down, main, and foliage. This seemed clear to me. There was water down the embankment that was heavily lined with foliage. And I was too close!

After the train passed, I saw a light hovering along the tracks. It wasn’t coming from the brush and it wasn’t from a car. I captured a few pictures of it. The anomalies are dense and some show movement. The night produced a lot of laughter, a few prayers of thanks, and at least one life insurance policy subscription. Hopefully Jenn remembers the train rules since I’m sure we will be going back for more evidence.

Orb after Train

Diving In: Welcome, 2014!

03 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by The Haunted Librarian in Orbs, Pets

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Ghost Hunting, orbs, pets

Orbs are circled in red.

Diving in: Welcome 2014

The New Year is upon us and Archer Paranormal Investigations (API) is busy. We are booked through January. We ended 2013 with some very compelling evidence from private homes in and an apartment in Rome. We are heading back to Rome to debunk the orbs, EVPs, and anomalies we captured. So, I thought I opine on some of the evidence and paranormal theories.

What are Orbs?

Orbs are globular forms of light that sometimes appear in flash photography. Orbs can also be captured on video or digital cameras without a flash. Paranormal investigators believe that orbs represent spirits trying to manifest. Skeptics believe orbs are created by dust particles, condensation in the air, or by insects. Always note the atmospheric conditions when taking pictures so that you can discount these presumptions.

The divide is wide on where people stand on orbs. Basically, you’re on one side or the other. Please don’t comment if you are a skeptic. I get it. You don’t believe. However, the majority of you do believe. Below are pictures that API (http://archer-pi.com) has captured of orbs. Upon review, API always tries to debunk the orb as dust, water, etc. If we cannot ascertain the origins, then we try to link the orb appearance to our investigation. At times, the orbs appear when we are attempting to communicate with the spirits. Often, we are merely observing the location and the orbs just appear.

I’m most fascinated with pets that seem to see the orbs. I’m also interested when the orbs take on a globular form, as opposed to a circle, and look like they are interacting with the environment. In the end, I don’t know if we will ever have a definitive answer on what orbs are; however, I prefer to believe.