Crescent Hotel apparation

When I wrote the book A Ghost In My Suitcase, my wife and I traveled around all over the country visiting haunted places. In the state of Arkansas, we visited The Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs. It has quite a few ghost stories, but the most famous is that of Michael, an Irish iron-worker who perished there during its construction. We stayed in the room that is located on the site of his death, and had some very strange things happen. That made the visit by the TV show "Ghost Hunters" all the more interesting to us - they caught an apparation on their thermal camera that you just have to see:

Click here: Ghost Hunters

Ghost photos, and how to fake them...

Ghost photos fascinate me - some because they are so unexplainable, and others because they are. I ran across a website the other day that has not only a collection of ghost photos, but also a collection of those that can be explained. Be sure and go through both lists; it will not only benefit you as a ghost hunter, but I think that you'll find the photos interesint, as well.

Here's the link to the page provided by the good folks over at GhostResearch.org:
Ghost Pics

A haunted old mill...

When I was writing the book "A Ghost In My Suitcase," I had a great time traveling around looking for haunted places. Once the book was finished, I found that I couldn't stop - it's a fascinating pasttime. Here's one that I ran across up in the town of Pawtucket, RI, you'll find the Slater Mill Historic Site - or as it's better known, the Old Slater Mill.

It was built in 1793, and was the first commercially viable cotton-spinning mill in the United States. The mill is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is also a National Historic Landmark. Along with all those accolades, it may also have a ghost or two. Click the link below to read about them:

Is the Old Slater Mill haunted?

A ghost train goes by

Stories of spectral trains chugging along have been reported since the days of the old west. There's a video making its way around the internet that is kind of interesting - it shows what is claimed to be a train coming by a perosn in the video. Is that what it really is? I don't know, you be the judge:

click here for the Ghost Train

Poll Results

Sorry to have been offline for a while, but we were weathering Hurricane Ike. Living in northeast Texas, we caught some of Ike's wrath, especially the winds. The worst part was a 28-hour period without electricity. Of course, there are folks down on the Texas coast that won't have it for weeks, so I certainly don't have the right to complain.

Meanwhile, it's time to examine the website's poll. The question posed this time was about James Van Praagh and his appearance on the TV show "The View". I was watching it to catch Loyd Auerbach, a fellow ghost-hunter that I know, when Van Praagh made a very interesting statement. He said, in an off-the-cuff manner, something like "Oh, Heath Ledger appeared to me after his death. I was shaving in the mirror and I looked up to see him standing behind me. He said, 'I f'ed up'."

It seemed so contrived that I had a problem believeing it, and therefore I posed the question on the poll. Here's the results:

20% - Yes, it really happened.

80% - No, it didn't happen.

I've got to say that, although I don't want to diss Van Praagh, it seemed like such a manufactured moment that I didn't believe it. I know that's a radical statement, so feel free to flame away...

A Ghost in the Car Impound Lot

A while back someone sent me an ABC news clip of a "ghost" that was caught on film by the night-time survelience cameras at a car impound lot. At the time I didn't know what to make of it - something just didn't seem quite right, though. At the time I decided to just sit back and wait to see what became of it, but nothing really did. I ran across that clip on YouTube today, and so I did a web search to look for comments about it. I couldn't find anything - not even on Snopes.com.

There are some interesting aspects to the film. Reportedly, it came from a security camera on the lot after hours. At that time, the lot was supposedly locked up so that no one could possibly be there. There were three cars that had just been involved in deadly accidents that were brought in that day. And finally, it was reported by ABC news, not the Weekly World News. I don't know... something just seems a little odd. Take a look at it for yourself:

ABC news ghost video

Scientists Explain Poltergeist Activity

I was wandering around the web last night, and came across a story that is interesting enough to share. You are no doubt familiar with the concept of a poltergeist - a spirit who manifests itself by moving objects, sometimes even hurling them around the room. Such hauntings are often associated with children, a fact which prompted two Italian scientists to theorize that the activity may not be supernatural in form, but may actually be a by-product of adolescence. I'm certainly not saying whether they're right or they're wrong, but if you have ever watched the movie "Down the Rabbit Hole" (an interesting look at quantum physics, BTW), it fits exactly into some of the theories about matter and how it can be controlled by the brain. Anyway, the article is at least worth a read. Here's the link:

'They're here': The mechanism of poltergeist activity

A Ghost in a Wedding Photograph

Over in the U.K., a young lad at a wedding was snapping a photo of a couple dancing. When he looked at the photo, it appeared that there was a woman's head and upper body hovering near the floor. Now, I try to be skeptical about photographs of "ghosts." One time a lady sent me a photo of a tree near a haunted location, and had drawn where a pattern in the leaves seemed to form a face. It was a lot like watching clouds, and trying to figure out what each one looks like... that one's a duck, that one's a puppy, etc, etc.

In this particular photo, I'd love to see another shot of the same area from a different angle to see what might be there. And of course, there's always the possibility of photo edits, so who knows. In any case, here's the link so that you can take a look for yourself - let me know what you think!

Click here for the story: Wedding Ghost

Poll Question Results

For the last poll, I asked the question: Do the spirits of animals exist?

There were four answers to choose from. Here they are, along with the percentages that people answered.
1. No - they don't have souls, and therefore no spirits on the other side. 11%
2. Yes - but different in form from that of humans. 23%
3. Yes - exactly like humans do. 45%
4. To be honest, I don't know. 21%

As you can see, almost half of the people who answered the poll believe that spirits of animals do exist - and since I've had experiences with a ghost of a dog myself, I'd be inclined to agree.

Thanks for taking the poll!

"Most Haunted" plans LIVE event in Gettysburg

I just heard that on Friday, October 10th at 8:00 PM EST, the Travel Channel's show "Most Haunted" will go live in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Host, and lead investigator, Yvette Fielding will be joined by her team and disperse across several historical and paranormal locations across Gettysburg. They will explore the area's rich history and paranormal activity with scientific tools and night-vision cameras.
"Most Haunted, Live" chose Gettysburg because of its important past and the numerous amounts of paranormal activity reported. Possible locations, explained throughout the show, include historical homes, taverns, and farms that have a unique connection to the Civil War, specifically the Battle of Gettysburg. During the broadcast, webcams and viewer input will make the 7 hour long show completely interactive. It should be interesting - put it on your calendar!

Ghost of a Child in School

Well, the folks over at realghostvideos.net posted one that has me scratching my head. If you buy the fact that it is a real news cast, and that all these people aren't actors, and that the video is genuine, then I don't have an explanation for it that doesn't involve the supernatural! In this world, though, who knows. Anyway, take a look for yourself:

High School Ghost