We recently received a picture from the folks who run the ghost tours at the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, AR. Apparently a guest sent in this picture, which they took with their phone while on a ghost tour with my family back in December of 2010. The picture was taken in Theodora's room, which my Aunt Tina and her family were staying in that night (find the original story of that night here), and it features my mom standing next to the tour guide (seen below in the red vest), with another hotel guest and a rather mysterious, semi-transparent figure standing behind them.
(Photo received from Crescent Hotel Staff. Original credit unknown.)
While the photo quality certainly isn't the greatest, we all know from memory and other photos taken that night that the wispy figure standing between my mom and the tour guide was not visibly present in Theodora's room that night. Perhaps Dr. Baker came down his secret stairway in the wall (located behind the tour guide) to hear the stories being told about him that night.
In other news, SPI will be traveling to Louisiana this summer to visit Oak Alley Plantation, located along the Mississippi River in Vacherie, and the very popular (and supposedly very haunted) Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans. We'l keep you posted on what we find at both of these beautiful, historic locations when we visit in June.
Rumors of
hauntings at the Old Alton Bridge in Denton, TX abound. Built in 1884, the
bridge was used to connect Lewisville to Alton. According to local legend, just
after the turn of the century an African American goat farmer, Oscar Washburn,
and his family moved to the north side of the bridge, and Oscar began regularly
herding his goats over the bridge, earning the nickname “the Goat Man.” While
Oscar was an honest, dependable farmer, local Klansmen were not fond of him,
leading to his lynching on the bridge in August of 1938. Legend says that when
the Klansman looked over the bridge, Oscar’s body was no longer hanging from
their rope. In anger and panic, they went to Oscar’s house and murdered his
entire family. To this day many claim that if you cross the bridge in total
darkness, the Goat Man will be waiting for you on the other side. Along with
the legendary Goat Man haunting, there have also been reports of a female ghost
around the Old Alton Bridge who is looking for her lost child.
On a chilly
night soon after Halloween while my parents were visiting from Arkansas, we
decided to check out this legendary bridge for ourselves. Despite there being a
very large gathering of local paranormal investigators as well as local kids at
the bridge, we were able to find some peace and quiet in the surrounding woods
to do some EVP work. Unfortunately, the Goat Man decided not to reveal himself
to us through audio evidence, but we did end up with some rather intriguing
photographs from the woods, a few orbs around the bridge, and some video
evidence to support my mom’s personal experience of the light on her video
camera going turning off and on at random.
Two orbs occur in this photo, a moving white one on the right and a small red one on the left.
This video
evidence (featured below) was captured towards the end of the night. My dad,
John, and I had all walked down to the west end of the bridge without any
equipment on in an attempt to recreate the legendary sightings of the Goat Man
that occur when you cross the bridge in total darkness. While this effort
didn’t reveal the Goat Man to us, just before we returned to where my mom was
standing at the east end of the bridge, the light on her video camera began to
flash off and
Photo of my mom (Beverly) taken while the camera light was flashing.
on unexplainably. She had been using the camera to film the KII
meter while she asked questions about whose spirit was present at the bridge.
The KII and her audio recorder yielded no results, but the flashing of the
camera light was quite intriguing since my mom was very unfamiliar with how to
work the camera and the three of us witnessed the light flashing several times
after we returned. The light stopped flashing as soon as she aimed the camera
away from the KII meter. This experience fit rather well with reports we had
heard earlier in the night from another group of investigators who claimed that
all of the electronic devices had been drained while they were on the bridge.
The red streak of energy on the bridge.
Our only other
evidence from the night came from photos. In several photos I captured orbs
around the bridge and in the woods. While most of these were typical
white/translucent orbs, in a couple of photos the orbs appeared reddish-orange.
On the bridge, one picture even showed a bright red streak moving across the
bridge. The streak of energy seems to be moving over the middle of the bridge
because several bridge beams can be seen beyond the light, and despite my best
efforts I could not replicate the photo when cars passed by. These red/orange orbs
are in line with many reports of a flying orange light being spotted in the
area.
More interesting, though, were two of the pictures I took in the woods on
the east side of the bridge that featured several white streaks of light or
energy seeming to move through the air above John. The two photos were taken
only seconds apart and seem to show the light/energy moving across the path. In
the second photo, some have seen a face forming in the upper blob of energy.
Two photos showing the mysterious energy moving through the woods.
Zoomed in view of the upper energy blob from the second photo. A face seems to be forming in the misty lower part of the blob.
So while we
got no EVPs to help us determine if the Goat Man or the wandering lady do
linger around the Old Alton Bridge, we did find evidence of some sort of
paranormal energy in the area. We strongly believe the bridge is worth a return
visit, just maybe not so soon after Halloween next time.
Location:
The Old Iris Theater (Books and Crannies); Terrell, Texas
Date:
August 10, 2013
The Old Iris Theater in downtown Terrell, TX
After celebrating John’s graduation from the
University of North Texas on Friday, we packed up and headed to the small town
of Terrell, TX on Saturday night for an investigation. Our destination was the Old
Iris Theater, which was built in 1925 and operated in downtown Terrell until
2001. After some renovation, our gracious host Gayle Harris, now operates the
theater as a new and used book store, Books and Crannies, as well as a small
ladies’ clothing boutique, and a 34-seat theater (in what was once the space
behind the original movie screen), which shows classic movies twice a month. We
were welcomed not only by Gayle, but also her colleagues Sean Damson and
Cozette Moore and the adorable resident cat, Maddie.
We knew this had to be a short investigation due
to other travel plans, so we went right to work setting up our equipment and
had everything ready to go by 8:30. While setting up the infrared cameras, John
noticed that the back corner of the store by the emergency exit had a very
oppressive feeling. Out of curiosity I took our rarely-used dowsing rods to the
back corner to see if anything would happen. Let’s just say I was not
disappointed. As soon as I stood still in the back aisle, the rods felt like
someone was trying to pull them from my hands. This continued for over a
minute, with the rods swinging quickly from side to side and being tugged upon.
When my dad joined me at the back, the rods gave the same performance in his
hands.
Don using dowsing rods in the reading area.
After a few minutes of using the dowsing rods to
check out the back aisle, we split up when my dad went to investigate the
theater, and my mom and I tried some different equipment in the back corner.
While we got no EVPs from this session, we do strongly believe we were
communicating with a young boy using our K-II meter. To help solidify what the
dowsing rods seemed to detect, I swept the entire back corner with the K-II.
The light indicators never left the lowest level, green, unless they were near
the dowsing rods my mom held, which were still swinging and crossing as we
asked questions and tried to stir up some other activity from someone.
Satisfied that there wasn’t an electrical cause for the rods crossing and the
K-II showing occasional spikes near them, I set the K-II down on a book shelf
so we could try to use it to communicate. Almost instantly after we put the
dowsing rods away, the K-II started flashing erratically. When it would stop
for a second, I would ask a question. After several tries, we finally got
pretty prompt responses to “Are you male?” and “Are you a young boy?” It was
hard to tell what were responses given the erratic flashing, though, so my mom
decided to try talking to the “young boy” like he was one of her junior high
students. In her stern teacher voice she told the spirit to leave the meter alone,
leaving only the green light on until we asked a question, and then light it up
to indicate “yes.” After that he responded very plainly by lighting it up to a
short series of questions such as “are you less than 10 years old,” “are there
other spirits here with you,” “are they adults,” and “do you like to knock
books off the shelves?”
Note that the lights on the K-II meter are brightly lit.
While we talked to the young boy, my dad also
found some activity in the theater. Random noises seemed common in there, but one
particularly loud metal clang got his attention and also coincided with a book
being thrown from a shelf in the store, which I will discuss shortly. While he sat in the theater, he got a small
amount of activity with something turning his flashlight off and on (shown in
the video below), and he also got two EVPs. The first was a male saying
“possible” in a very croaky, mechanical voice when Don says, “I sure hope
someone’s talking to me.” The other occured after Don says “Oh I’m sorry, is
there someone here?” when he heard a noise. At least 2 voices (one male and one
female) respond “Not that I know.” The voices were so low and muffled by the
voice recorder’s background noise that I amplified their responses in the audio clip below.
While activity in the back corner began to subside
and my dad still sat in the theater, John sat watching the infrared camera
stream on our monitor. Shortly before my dad heard the loud clanging sound
behind him in the theater, John, my mom, and I all heard a distinct “thump” in
the bookstore and knew a book had fallen from the shelves. Sure enough, in the
romance aisle we found a Madeline Baker paperback (part of the Reckless series, I believe) leaned
against the shelf opposite of its original location. Upon rewinding the video
footage, we saw the book didn’t just fall— it was shoved from the top shelf
with quite a bit of force, which actually made it bounce before landing. When
the video is slowed down, you can briefly see a blurred mass moving behind the
book as it flies from the top shelf. This video is featured below along with footage of the flashlight activity. Another book, a Harlan
Coben hardback, was also tossed from its shelf later in the night, but this
occurred much further back in the store just out of our camera’s line of sight.
Orb moving by book shelf.
After the first book incident, my mom and I moved
to the reading area in the front of the store. I continued to get strange
activity with the dowsing rods, but up here instead of the K-II meter going
off, something decided to play with a flashlight we left on the floor of a
nearby aisle. This went on for several minutes, and a brief video clip of it is featured below. It is
interesting to note that the only two photos I took that featured orbs where
caught during this session when Beverly was setting down and picking up the
flashlight.
Orb hovering over Beverly.
The next evidence we got came from the back of the
store when my mom wandered to the kids section in hopes of talking to the young
boy again. While they are very short, we did get two EVPs from this session.
The first was after I sneezed at the front of the store and she asked if he had
heard that, to which he either whispered “yeah” or said “uh.” Shortly after
that she asked if he had a favorite spot in the store and he said “uh huh.” Both of these can be heard in the audio segment below.
After about three hours of investigating, Gayle,
Sean, and Cozette returned to see how things were going. At this point, they
informed us that there was also a small basement we might want to check out.
Part of the theater’s little known past was that a previous owner fell down the basement staircase, receiving a fatal head injury. He died later at a local head hospital. My dad went down there alone to see if he
could talk to anyone. At the beginning of his EVP session, while he is standing
alone in the basement asking questions, the audio recorder picked up a very
heavy, labored breathing sound. More interestingly, though, was what it picked
up as he was climbing the stairs on his way out of the basement. My dad ducked
to avoid hitting his head on what looked like a showerhead sticking out of the
wall, and after he commented on the pipe’s presence, a gravelly male voice can
be heard saying, “I never drank.” Our impression is that the spirit of the previous
owner still lingers in the basement and was trying to clear up some unpleasant
rumors as to why he fell down the stairs. This can be heard along with the other EVPs in the file below.
Although this was a short investigation, it turned
out to be one of the most rewarding in terms of evidence and personal
experiences. The Old Iris Theater is certainly worth return trip in the future.
Flashlights were a major theme during our return visit to
Rohs Opera House.
The night began with two impressive flashlight displays. After setting up the infrared cameras and
DVR, I had sought out a quiet location in the front row of the auditorium. I’d been sitting in the dark for only a
couple of minutes when my mom came down to bring me a voice recorder. She sat down in the same row, and we
began to talk to what we believe is the most prevalent presence in the room—the
spirit of a little girl. We’d set
a flashlight up on stage, positioned so that any minor twist or spark of energy
could turn it on.
She didn’t show any interest in this flashlight. But she was apparently interested in the flashlight I was holding. Without any effort on my part, my
flashlight began to glow. I placed
it on stage in front of the camera, stepped away from it, and the phenomenon
continued. The presence
effectively communicated with us by turning the light on and off in response to
questions (during this question-answer session, she confirmed that she was a
little girl). The video footage of this can be seen below.
She also responded
vocally. When my dad asked her to
please speak to them, telling her that she could be heard
on a recorder even if they couldn’t hear her at that moment, she said very
quietly, “Okay.” This EVP can be heard below.
Soon after this episode, my dad and I went up to the
balcony. We set a flashlight on
the ledge in front of one of an infrared camera, sat down not far away from it,
and began to talk. A few minutes
later, the flashlight came to life and began to flicker. This continued for several
minutes. Along with the flashlight incident on the balcony, we also caught video of a rather intriguing orb. Both this and the flashlight footage from the balcony can be watched at the bottom of the page.
These were the two most significant events that the opera
house provided, but they weren’t our only encounters with the inexplicable. Hayley and Mom experienced a cold
sensation while watching the monitor in the front hallway. According to the digital thermometer,
the temperature in the area dropped inexplicably from 75 degrees to 69
degrees. In this same location,
Hayley also saw what appeared to be two wispy blue “legs” walking down the
aisle in the auditorium to her left.
And late in the night, shortly before we began to pack up our equipment,
I was sitting in the stairwell that leads up to the balcony. Mom and Hayley were sitting higher up
in the stairwell; my dad was downstairs at the monitor. Hayley snapped a picture at some point
that appears to capture a red-tinted, oddly-shaped orb sitting on one of my
legs. And it was about this time
that we heard a very loud banging noise coming from somewhere upstairs. We have no theories about the source of
this noise at all, but it certainly wasn’t caused by the mouse that our
infrared caught on the balcony ledge. (Our furry little friend is also featured in a video below).
Red orb on Mitch's leg.
The flashlight experiences we gathered on this night are
among the best we’ve ever had, and the EVP of the little girl in the auditorium
is particularly noteworthy. Rohs
proved to be a worthy place for our return visit.
Our prior trip to Octagon Hall yielded one of the best
phenomena we’ve ever captured: the floating pillar of light in the winter
kitchen. Despite its inhuman
appearance, this specter is arguably the closest we’ve come to capturing a
full-body apparition; it certainly behaved in a human-like manner. And it was because of our prior success
that we decided to return as a group to the Octagon.
The night began with a trek down to the cemetery to set up a
flashlight and video camera. While
in the cemetery, I snapped a few pictures and captured in one what seems to be
a moving orb, a small horizontal smudge of light.
"Moving orb" observed in the cemetery.
Shortly after this event, Don went upstairs with a voice
recorder and tried to find a silent location. This proved to be difficult, and when he casually expressed
his frustrations by saying “They sure are noisy, aren’t they?”, his voice
recorder picked up on a very casual response that he didn’t hear at the time:
“Yes.” This EVP can be heard below.
The only other notable event of the night occurred when
Hayley and Beverly went down to the winter kitchen. Like before, we had set up an infrared camera that was aimed
towards the room’s fireplace.
Between the camera and the fireplace was a table, and on this table was
a flashlight, placed there so that any possible presence in the room could turn
it on and off in front of the camera.
Shortly after Hayley and Beverly entered the room, the flashlight began
to roll across the table. There
are, of course, a number of perfectly normal explanations for this, and Hayley
was unfortunately blocking the camera’s view of the event.
Image showing the original location the flashlight left in the winter kitchen.
Image showing the location of the flashlight after it rolled across the table while Beverly and Hayley observed.
The Octagon did not provide us the excellent results that it
did the first time, but capturing something truly remarkable on every visit to
any place, no matter how haunted it is, is not a realistic expectation to
have. We’ve enjoyed every visit to
the Octagon, and it has provided us hours and hours of quality investigation. For obvious reasons, we maintain that
Octagon Hall is extremely haunted.
Last week we returned to Octagon Hall and Rohs Opera House, and, although we are still working through the audio and video footage, we should have some interesting results to report soon. We also have another investigation planned for later this month in Terrell, TX at the Old Iris Theater. Please check back often for new information!
The Sebourn Paranormal Investigations team has some exciting new hunts coming up next month. At the end of May we will be returning to Kentucky for follow-up investigations at Octagon Hall in Franklin and then at the Rohs Opera House in Cynthiana. We are also hoping to add on a third new investigation site while we are in the very haunted and charming town of Cynthiana. We look forward to returning to these locations given our interesting past experiences at each. Thanks for visiting our site, and we will keep you all updated on what we find next month!
