Eastern State Penitentiary with Darkness Radio and TAPS

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure again of speaking at the paranormal conference hosted by Darkness Radio and TAPS at Eastern State Penitentiary, and once again it was a great time.

Here I am with Jim and Kelly from Chattanooga as we await the bus to take us to prison for the night. We had some fascinating results with their K2 meter, getting direct responses to our questions. There were also a few pokes, some odd noises, and something moving in the shadows. All in all, an excellent night of ghost hunting. If you've never been to Eastern State, move it to the top of your "To Do" list.

One thing that surprised me was how "clean" the prison is now, compared to my first visit about seven years ago. (See Ghost Investigator Volume 2 for the story.) Back then, debris covered the floors and you needed sturdy hiking boots as you crunched over plaster, glass, and who knows what. For me, it did detract a bit from the spooky nature of the place, but as soon as activity picked I could have cared less how messy or clean things were. And as you can see, the cell blocks are still sufficiently spooky.

One last thing, you know you are in prison when you see a sign like this:

So if you've never been on one of these trips before, or listened to Darkness Radio (and shame on you if you haven't), check out their website: http://darknessradio.com/

Thanks again to Jim and Kelly, it was a lot of fun and best of luck with your future ghost hunting!

Just got back from the first "Phenomecon" in Columbus, Indiana, and I had a great time. A few hundred ghost hunters and paranormal enthusiasts gathered at the historic--and haunted--Crump Theater and Ben Teague of Eerie Radio did a tremendous job of organizing the event.

May this be the first of many Phenomecons to come!

The 7th annual
Pennsylvania Paranormal Conference
April 12, 2008 at the haunted Bube's Brewery- Mt. Joy, Pennsylvania

I recently had the pleasure of speaking at the 7th annual Pennsylvania Paranormal conference. Rick Fisher runs a great conference and if you've never attended one, make plans for next year. The setting is very cool--an old haunted brewery with underground caves that used to keep the beer cold and now make a truly unique setting for dinner. It reminded me of the dungeon at the Tower of London!

Interesting Articles

Journalist Al Sacco sent me links to two articles he wrote, which have some good information on equipment for ghost hunting. Check them out at:
http://www.cio.com/article/149054/ and http://www.cio.com/article/149051

Radio Show at Shanley Hotel

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wamc/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1175271

I recently accompanied Susan Barnett of WAMC Radio through the Shanley Hotel. You can listen to her broadcast by clicking on the link above.

Ghost Hunt at the Shanley Hotel December 8th
I've survived another hectic October! I met a lot of great people at my lectures and heard a lot of facsinating stories--looks like there will be plenty of cases to investigate for next year's book, which will be Volume 8 already! (Here I am at the Barnes & Noble in Kingston, NY. Thanks to Barbara B. for the photo.)
But before I look too far ahead, there are still several lectures in November if you would like to come hear some highlights from Ghost Investigator Volume 7. Also on December 8, I will personally be conducting a ghost hunt at the very haunted Shanley Hotel. Space is limited and you must pre-register at: http://www.shanleyhotel.com/Events.html

THE NEW BOOK IS HERE!


It's hard to believe that I'm already up to seven volumes of the Ghost Investigator series, but I guess time flies when you're hunting the dead.

Ghost Investigator Volume 7: Psychic Impressions has only been out a week, and already I'm getting some wonderful feedback, with readers saying that this is my best book yet. I credit that to the remarkable cases that have taken me deeper into the spiritual realm than ever before. Often it was frightening, sometimes heartbreaking, but always fascinating. I have tried to convey these personal experiences in a manner that lets you become part of the haunted experience.

To order an autographed copy hot off the presses, go to:
http://www.ghostinvestigator.com/Books/GhostBooks.htm

Ghost Investigator Volume 7: Psychic Impressions

The sixth sense plays an ever deeper role in the Ghost Investigator’s latest cases, which include three stories involving suicides (with two on the same street!), an old hotel where death came in many tragic forms, an abandoned asylum, a train station, a theater, a cemetery, and a restaurant where jealousy may have led to murder. There is also some amazing new information about a previous case where startling evidence was discovered in the attic.


Featured locations: The Shanley Hotel in Napanoch, NY, a former train station and the Shadowland Theater in Ellenville, NY, Letchworth Village in Rockland County, NY, and the Castle Tavern in Greenwood Lake, NY.

Locked In!

There's nothing like getting more than you bargained for on a ghost hunt, even if that comes at the price of being terrified. Last night, Mike and I investigated the Ellenville train station and other buildings on the property. Barbara Bleitzhofer of Shanley's Hotel had told us about the place, and we thought there may be the spirits of a few old railroad employees still lingering, and hoped to get some shreds of paranormal evidence. We did not expect one of the most amazing nights of ghost hunting we have ever experienced.

While the full story will appear in the new Ghost Investigator Voulume 7 this fall, I just have to share some highlights. The train station is now a jewelry factory, and part of the former waiting room is a showroom. When Mike and I first entered the room something immediately caught my eye--a heavy chain bracelet hanging on a display stand was swinging back and forth!

It was the only thing moving, and once it stopped we tried to recreate the motion by jumping up and down, blowing on it, etc., but the only thing that could reproduce the way it was swinging was to actually physically push it. A short time later this incerdible phenomenon was repeated when a single earring among hundreds started swinging forwards and back. Very cool stuff!

While the station had amazing things happening it was all fairly benign. Not so in another building. As soon as we stepped inside it felt awful, like something was out to get us. I hate to tease everyone, but I won't go into the full details here. Suffice to say a lot of scary things went on, and we finally had enough and were quite anxious to leave. However, when I went to open the door to the outside, I found it was locked!

I admit I was really getting freaked out when I couldn't turn the deadbolt, and then Mike with all his strentgh couldn't get the door open either. Whatever this evil entity was, it had somehow managed to lock us in with it! I started banging on the glass and Mike was flashing his maglite so we could get the owner's attention outside, and when she came up to the door, she was able to easily pull it open without using her key!

Fortunately, even in our near-panicked states, Mike had the presence of mind to say that we should take a picture of the door when we were trapped inside, and my photo clearly shows the deadbolt in a locked position.

Words cannot describe the pyschological impact of getting locked inside a haunted site! Clearly, this is one of the most remarkable things that has ever happened in ten years of investigating.