“Ghost Hunters” Episode Review: Crescent Hotel & Dr. Ellis
The Crescent Hotel was built in 1886 in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It is built over a natural cold spring. It’s rumored to have quite a lot of paranormal activity. Jack Moyer, General Manager of the Crescent Hotel, showed TAPS around the building.
Dr. Ellis, a well-respected physician in the 1880s, had an office in the hotel. He believed the water from the cold springs had healing powers. People have reported seen a man in Victorian clothing walking out of the closed door of what was Dr. Ellis’ office. On the 4th floor, in room 419, guests have claimed their clothes were placed against the back of the door to their room.
In the 1930s, the Crescent was purchased by a con artist who said he had a cure for cancer. Hundreds of people died and autopsies were performed on their bodies. The original autopsy table is still in the basement of the hotel. Next to to it is a small room where body parts were stored in large jars of formaldehyde.
He said a man named Jacob has been seen sitting at a table in the dining room. The story has it Jacob fell in love with a young woman and he is waiting for her there. He said this story has been around since Victorian times.
Jack told TAPS that the Crescent is reported to be America’s most haunted hotel (though the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, California is also said to hold this title). Jack said he and his staff have all had experiences in the building and it’s about time to find out what’s really going on.
Historian Ken Fugate tells TAPS they should also visit Dr. Ellis’ house while they’re in Eureka Springs. He says it’s claimed to be the most haunted house in town.
This episode was one that was filmed before Steve began going on the initial tours with Jason and Grant. They had a few technical issues, so Steve suggested he go on the tour with them to best determine where cameras need to be set up. This was agreed to by all.
Dustin went upstairs to Grant’s room (room 419) to get something but had trouble opening the door. He found that Grant’s laptop bag had been placed on the inside of the door. Grant said he’d propped the bag up against the TV stand. How it got to the door was a mystery. Was the spirit of room 419 showing its presence already? Grant laughed nervously and said, “I have to sleep in there!”
Steve and Tango headed to room 250. It is a room where ailing cancer patients were brought to die. EMF readings were 2.0 all over the room, then it began to rise. Steve discovered it was coming from a jacuzzi/hot tub in the room.
Dustin and Donna went into Grant’s room, room 419. They did some EVP work. The EMF was 1.4, went to 1.5 and then dissipated. They couldn’t find a reason for that.
Jason and Grant went into the basement morgue. “I hate morgues,” Jason shuddered. He said he had to do a Roto-Rooter job in a morgue once and it was super creepy. They went into the room where the body parts had been stored. Through the thermal camera they saw a human figure standing in the doorway right next to where they entered.
There is only one door leading into the room, and it was a small room, which meant the figure was standing just a few feet away from Grant. “A full-bodied apparition is the Holy Grail of paranormal investigators,” Grant said. It looked like a man was standing in the doorway wearing a Civil War uniform and hat.
A locker stood next to the door where the man was seen on thermal. It had a large, white number 2 painted on it. What’s weird is this could be seen through the arm of the man’s figure standing in the doorway. It was glowing bright white on the thermal, which means it was hot at the time.
Jason and Grant checked the locker and there wasn’t anyone inside it, nor could anyone have been inside since it was full of shelves. No one else was in the basement and no one was wearing a hat. The paint on the locker was not giving off any type of reflection. They showed the footage to Steve, Tango and Donna. They were quite impressed. “I haven’t seen anything like that before,” Steve said. “It’s potentially a full-bodied apparition but my natural instinct is to not trust what I see right off the bat.” Everyone went down to the room together, looking at the locker again, which did not have a reflective surface.
Jason and Grant tried to recreate the figure standing in the doorway. They weren’t able to. “People are going to pick this apart,” Steve said. The number 2 was showing hot on the thermal. Grant put his hand on the locker and it showed faintly on the thermal, but nothing like the way the number 2 was glowing white. There wasn’t any heat coming off the locker. They saw a mirror in the room but it didn’t give the same image as they had recorded. “We just don’t know,” Grant said.
At the reveal, Jack was curious to know what TAPS found. “We’ve had hundreds of reports; we want to know what you’ve got,” he said. Jason and Grant told him about Grant’s computer bag being placed behind the door. Since they didn’t catch it on video, they couldn’t say it was anything paranormal.
They showed Jack the footage of the figure in the morgue storage room. “It’s clearly a person,” Jason said. Jack remarked the figure might be wearing the hat of a stonemason. “We tried to recreate this twice,” Jason said. Grant said, “We are true to our evidence. We try to find real answers. If we lie to ourselves and everyone just to make ourselves feel like we caught something then there would be no progress.”
“There’s definitely some activity here,” Jason said to Jack. “What’s not visible to the human eye may show up on other equipment.” Then he added, “As far as I’m concerned, we caught an apparition.”
Jack was very pleased with the investigation and felt it solidified some of the claims of activity hotel staff and guests have reported.
The team went to Dr. Ellis’ house next. Carroll Heath is the 12th owner of the home. Carroll is a medium, or sensitive, and said he communicates with Dr. Ellis often. “Anything they can get on film would be wonderful,” Carroll said.
Carroll said sometimes when he plays the piano he can feel people crowding into the room to listen. He also hears footsteps. One of the home’s previous owners had an exorcism performed on the house, but apparently that didn’t do much. Carroll also reports that people have seen a woman in Victorian clothing sitting in the window reading in the master bedroom and that the grounds are haunted by strange creatures.
Having Steve on the initial tour made the tech setup go much smoother. Jason called out, “Hey, Dust” to Dustin. For some reason this cracked me up, him being called “Dust.” He sent Dustin and Tango out into the “haunted hollow” near the home to investigate claims of the hauntings there. “We want to correlate the EMF readings with Carroll’s feelings,” Jason said. “We respect Carroll’s psychic methods and he respects our scientific methods,” Grant said.
Right away Dustin and Tango heard something strange in the woods. The cameraman panned over and there was a pair of spooky, glowing eyes in the distance. When they got closer, they found it was just a deer.
Jason and Grant sat down in the living room with Carroll. Carroll said he’s had psychic abilities for many years. Jason asked Carroll if he’d give him a reading. “We believe that very few mediums are legit,” Jason said in a sidebar interview. Grant turned on the thermal camera while Carroll spoke to Jason.
Carroll told Jason he saw a farmhouse. Jason confirmed this was his uncle’s house. “Deceased family members come to you when you’re asleep,” Carroll told Jason. Jason nodded. “Your wife isn’t as interested in this as you are,” Carroll said. Jason laughed and said, “No, she’s not.” Carroll told Jason he had a life-changing experience as a child. Jason said he did, however, they didn’t say what it was.
Carroll also gave Grant a reading. “You had a visitation that sent you spinning,” Carroll told Grant. Grant said “Yes.” He also asked Grant if he’d had a near-death experience. Grant confirmed this. “I’m impressed with his accuracy,” Grant said. They heard a bang and went to investigate. It was just a camera that fell off its perch.
Back in the woods, Dustin and Tango were walking around and found a little bench made of wooden logs. Dustin was startled when he didn’t see the friendly cat that rubbed up against his leg. He shined his flashlight down and the cat was standing on the bench. I guess he must have thought Dustin was a nice guy. I told Dave I hoped they’d show Steve that clip, because like us he’s a cat lover.
Outside and away from Carroll, Grant told Jason, “I just saw something I’ve never seen before.” He showed Jason the footage from the thermal during Jason’s reading with Carroll. The thermal went into a crazy kaleidoscope of colors around Carroll’s head. Jason said he was actually trying to block Carroll’s thoughts at that time. Steve said he’s never seen the thermal do that either.
As they watched longer, the thermal showed energy building off of Jason’s head and appeared to be moving across the room to Carroll. All this time Grant was watching the thermal in silence. “We don’t pretend to have equipment that’s designed to pick up psychic energy,” he said. “Maybe Carroll is haunted, not his house.” Jason was surprised and confused by the footage but said he couldn’t draw any conclusions off of it. “The only time we got that weird footage was when Carroll was reading Jason,” Grant said.
Back in the house, Carroll told TAPS his “unseen friends” were interested in all the equipment in the house. Jason told Carroll he was trying to keep things from him during the reading. “My story is my story,” Jason said. Carroll understood. Maybe that’s why he didn’t say anything aloud about what he got from Jason’s reading.
When they showed the thermal footage to Carroll, Grant said, “We have an anomaly we can’t explain.” Carroll smiled and said, “Jason’s curiosity was creating energy.” He also explained that psychics have auras (fields of subtle, luminous radiation surrounding a person or object) and that energy can change their colors. Carroll speculated the anomaly could have been coming from him or Jason, or one of the spirits in his house, which he again called his “unseen friends.”
TAPS thanked Carroll for allowing them to investigate his home and for working with them. They all found it to be a learning experience and enjoyed working together.
You can read more about the Crescent Hotel’s ghosts here.
An old postcard featuring the Crescent Hotel. It doesn’t look much different today.
I found this image on Blue Banshee’s Picasa page. This young lady is standing next to the very locker Jason and Grant caught the image of the apparition near. It would have been standing right in front of that white number 2! As you can see there is no reflection on the surface of the locker; the paint has a dull finish.
This is a Civil War re-enactor in a Confederate uniform. This reminds me of what Grant and Jason caught in the thermal image in front of the locker.
A replica of a Confederate soldier’s hat. This looks a lot like what the figure was wearing.
“Ghost Hunters” Episode Review: Eastern State Pen, aka The “Dude, run!” Episode
From About.com’s crime writer Charles Montaldo:
Eastern State Pen was operated under the Pennsylvania System from 1829 to 1913. This system, used by the Quakers, was designed to force the incorrigibles sent there to look inside themselves and find God. In reality, the system which placed inmates in complete solitude, drove many a sane man to madness.
Prisoners had a toilet, table, bunk and Bible in their cells, in which they were locked all but one hour a day. When the prisoners did leave their cells, a black hood would be placed over their head so they could not see any other prisoners as they were guided through the halls of the prison. Interaction and any form of communication between inmates was forbidden.
Inmates lived a life in mundane solitude and would only get a glimpse of sunlight, known as “The Eye of God” which came through a slit in the prison ceiling. In desperate need of human interaction, prisoners would tap on pipes or whisper through vents to each other. If caught, the penalty was brutal.
It has been reported that the Quakers were not responsible for the punishments the inmates were forced to endure. The extreme penitence was something the hired staff in the prison designed and enforced.
Charles Dickens visited the prison in the 1840s and found the conditions appalling. He described the inmates at Eastern Pen as being “buried alive” and wrote about the psychological torture the inmates suffered at the hands of their captors
Prior to its reform in 1913, the prison, which was designed to house 250 inmates, had over 1,700 prisoners jammed into tiny makeshift cells where there was little light and even less ventilation. Finding the conditions of the prison unacceptable, the prison was taken over and reformed and the Pennsylvania System was abolished. Finally, in 1971, the sprawling monstrous prison was closed.
But it’s certainly not empty.
TAPS was very excited to be called in to investigate the old prison. “We’re the new frickin’ wardens, man!” Brian Harnois said to Steve. “It looks like a medieval castle,” Steve said when he saw the building.
Bob Olson, a tour guide, showed the guys around. The cell doors are terribly heavy. The cells are tiny with a small slit for a window. Bob said people have heard footsteps and have seen shadows. He took them to the center rotunda, where you can see to the end of each cell block.
Bob said in cell block 12 on the 2nd floor people have reported seeing a shadow come out of the last cell on the right and just stand there.
Outside, the prison’s walls are 30 feet high. Locksmith Gary Johnson said one day he felt someone behind him. When he turned around no one was there. Then he saw a shadow on the wall in the courtyard and it startled him.
“The prisoners on death row were so violent they had their own exercise yard,” Bob said. Apparitions have been reported cell blocks 4 and 12. Steve asked what kinds of hauntings they might be, and the answer was most likely both residual and intelligent.
Residual haunting - Like a movie playing over and over again, a residual haunting doesn’t know anyone can see or hear it. It simply repeats.
Intelligent haunting - A spirit/entity that tries to communicate with the living.
Grant said the building is spooky and it was hard to keep his mind from wandering. Brian said he wasn’t used to investigating prisons. “Don’t be influenced by the setting,” Grant said to Steve.
This was Sheri Toczko’s first investigation so Steve explained how EMF works and how they look for EMF spikes and why. They felt a cold area but found it was only a draft.
Demonologist Carl Johnson (twin brother of demonologist Keith Johnson, who’s also been on the show) worked with TAPS on this investigation. He placed a digital recorder in a cell on cell block 4. He did some EVP work, then left the recorder to run.
While investigating a cell block, suddenly both the crewman and Brian came running out, with one of them yelling, “Dude, run!” Out of breath, crewman Dave Hobbs said he shot a picture and right after the flash something flew past them and scared them. He grabbed Brian’s arm and they ran. Dave described it as a dark head and shoulders racing past them. This of course caused a considerable amount of comments from Jason and Grant.
“You ran like a sissy!” Jason told Brian. Grant pretended to be Brian and Dave, running like a little kid and making funny screaming noises. Brian got upset with Jason’s teasing and left the building. “I can’t understand why you ran,” Grant told him later. “What if we were in someone’s house? It’s very unprofessional.” Grant said TAPS rule is that you don’t run, you just walk out calmly. Grant told Brian he supports him, but it can blow their credibility when things like that happen.
Brian and Steve went to cell block 4 to do some EVP work. Brian thought he saw someone standing on the balcony above them. After he told Steve about it and the thing appeared to have gone, he said the atmosphere changed and he felt better.
During the analysis they found what looked like something moving around on the second floor. It appeared to be a humanlike figure crouching, then standing up and moving away from the camera. No one was on that floor at the time - they were all eating dinner together, including the Pen volunteers. Jason said it looked like someone wearing a black cape. It may have been what was seen by people in the Pen.
Working on a Roto-Rooter job, Jason and Grant discussed the footage of the strange figure. Jason said it looked like someone’s pant leg may have been in the lower left-hand corner. Maybe someone was up there, so they decided to go back and investigate again. In the meantime Jason asked Brian to send out the footage and have it digitally enhanced. He told Brian he’d done a good job of finding it.
Back at the Pen, Jason felt their reputation was on the line and they had to double check what happened on the footage. They set up the DVR just as they had it before. TAPS member Brian Bell was sent to watch the monitor and see if anything was going on.
Grant climbed up on a wall in the area where the camera was to see if anyone could have gotten up to the floor and walked toward the camera. If he could get up there “anyone can,” he said. Jason turned on the thermal camera and immediately got an image - of a cat walking through the prison. I’m sure they showed it to Steve; he loves cats.
Jason and Grant talked about wanting to know why spirits stay behind. “In ancient times people explained thunder as their gods being angry,” Grant said. “If something moves on its own, is it a ghost or something else?”
Brian Harnois, Steve and Sheri captured what they thought was an anomaly on the digital camera, but it turned out to be lens flare. They found an old door in cell block 10 with the number 666 on it and found that kind of creepy.
Grant was very upset that Brian Bell left his post at command central. He felt it was becoming difficult to trust Brian Bell during an investigation. The next morning Brian Bell was late to breakfast, saying he lost power in his hotel room and his alarm clock didn’t go off. Grant was still upset.
After breakfast they went back to analyzing their footage, when Brian Harnois ran in excitedly with the digitally enhanced recording of the mystery figure. It looked like it came toward the camera, then went back but without turning around like a person would. Frustrated, Grant said, “People knew we were there, they reported a shadow there, but was it real or paranormal?”
Brian Harnois put a black cloth over himself and tried to run back and forth to recreate the image on the recording. Even as fast as he went it wasn’t as fast as the figure on the recording. Plus he had to physically turn around to walk away from the camera. The figure they recorded looked like it moved back through itself on its way away from the camera.
Brian Bell left his post again, and Grant was upset but admitted to Jason he has trouble “dropping the hammer.” Jason said Brian Bell doesn’t answer his phone when he calls him, that instead of calling him back Brian Bell calls Grant instead. Jason said he would handle the situation differently that Grant would. I was surprised to see Grant as frustrated as he was. He and Jason handle member conflicts very differently.
On cell block 12, Jason and Grant both felt a heavy feeling; Grant described it like being underwater. Jason thought he saw a shadow moving. “There’s a heaviness, like I can’t lift my feet,” Grant said. Then he saw something move above them. “I never tell you I saw anything, but I saw something,” Jason said to Grant in a very serious voice. “I did too, and I’m not BS-ing you,” Grant said, also very serious. They honestly believed something was going on. Jason said he would rank Eastern State Pen tops amongst the most active places TAPS has visited. “It’s messing with us,” Grant said, shaking a fist at the air. “Grant, it might not even know we’re here,” Jason said.
Steve and Brian Harnois reviewed all the evidence. One time they went back and forth about some footage Brian asked Steve to look at. Each time Brian would point something out Steve would tell him it was just dust or a bug. Finally Brian got exasperated and rolled his eyes at the cameraman. It was funny.
They found a thermal disturbance on the thermal camera in cell block 12, but didn’t have a complete explanation for it.
They reviewed the footage of the apparition on cell block 12. “But what’s an apparition supposed to look like?” Jason questioned. “We can’t rest our laurels on any of that footage.” Grant added, “The believers will believe, the skeptics will tear it apart.” The group discussed how they could tell the Pen volunteers about their personal experiences but couldn’t say whether the footage was paranormal or not.
TAPS later went back to Eastern State Pen to do another investigation. You can read my blog about the return to Eastern State Pen here. I actually saw that episode before I saw this one. Things turned out quite differently than this time.
Images of Eastern State Penitentiary
“Ghost Hunters” Episode Review: Spirits on the Water
TAPS was in my neck of the woods recently - San Diego, California. I live near San Diego so this was really exciting. I wish I had known they were coming!
The team investigated two historic ships, the Star of India and the Berkeley in San Diego Bay. The ships are part of the San Diego Maritime Museum. The Museum consists of seven ships: Star of India, Berkeley, Californian, Medea, Pilot, a B-39 diesel-powered Soviet Navy submarine and HMS Surprise. The HMS Surprise is the ship used in the filming of the movie “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” with Russell Crowe.
TAPS met with Jim Davis, the Star’s General Manager. He gave TAPS information about the reports of paranormal activity on both ships, but since TAPS investigated the Berkeley first, I’ll tell you about that investigation first.
The Berkeley is an 1898 steam ferryboat that operated for 60 years on San Francisco Bay in San Francisco, California. Aboard the vessel are the Maritime Museum’s offices, a maritime research library, workshop, model shop, museum store, special events venue with room for 800 guests, and numerous dry storage and archive areas. During the 1906 San Francisco earthquake Berkeley carried thousands of survivors to safety.
In the old ship’s restaurant area, there was a bathroom (called a ‘head’ on ships). A man dropped some nitroglycerin on the floor of the head and it exploded - shredding the back of his body to pieces. Cold spots and unusual noises were reported in the area.
I found this information odd. I asked Dave about the nitroglycerin. He said miners used to use nitro in liquid form for blasting, so perhaps the man was a miner. He also said it doesn’t take much for nitro to explode. Since it didn’t destroy the ship I’m guessing the man only had a small amount and though it wasn’t mentioned, I’m sure the accident took his life.
On the upper deck a man wearing a fedora was seen leaning up against a wall. The middle door in the women’s head would lock on its own. Jim said sounds of conversations and parties can also be heard on the ship.
TAPS prepared to set up their equipment. Grant mentioned that there would be some challenges, including noises from the street nearby and the ships are not moored so there could be some movement issues.
Jason and Grant started out on the main deck. Almost as soon as they got there they heard footsteps. Grant was sitting down and with Jason and the cameraman standing still, there was no source for the sound. They thought perhaps sound was traveling from somewhere else. Jason walked toward the sound and it stopped. They waited a few minutes to see if it would start again but it didn’t.
Amy, Kris and Britt Griffith, a West Coast TAPS family member, did some EVP on the upper deck. Steve and Tango went to the area where the man dropped the nitroglycerin, which is now a storage area. Steve checked the EMF meter, which showed normal readings. Tango began to feel a bit motion-sick, so they wondered if perhaps that was the feeling other people were getting when in that area.
In the boiler room on the lowest deck, Jason and Grant discovered a huge fear cage. High EMF from pipes and conduits was causing the cage. As they’ve explained before, high EMF can cause feelings of nausea, paranoia and even cause skin irritations. Some people are more sensitive to EMF than others; sometimes the feeling of being watched when alone can be contributed to high EMF.
Heading down to the lower deck, Steve and Tango saw a bell. Steve rang the bell and said, “We’ll let them know we’re coming.” Tango said he loves the sound of bells and is a member of a hand bell choir in his church. If you’ve never seen or heard a hand bell choir, it’s quite amazing to see and hear.
Britt, Amy and Kris checked out the stall in the women’s head that supposedly locked by itself. Britt went into the stall and found he could climb over the wall into the next stall, so it’s entirely possible someone locked the door as a practical joke. That was considered debunked and not paranormal.
The team wrapped up for the night on the Berkeley. The next night they investigated the Star. Kris did some research on the ships and spoke to a Star of India historian, however, they didn’t talk much about her findings on the show, so here’s some history about her:
The Star of India is the world’s oldest active ship. Iron ships were experiments of sorts then, with most vessels still being built of wood. Within five months of laying her keel, the ship was launched. She bore the name Euterpe, after the Greek goddess of music.
Euterpe served a quarter century of hauling emigrants to New Zealand and was used by the Alaska Packers’ Association as a salmon hauler. Alaska Packers renamed her Star of India. When they no longer had use for her, she was brought to San Diego in 1927, where she sat for three decades, slowly wearing away.
In 1957, Captain Alan Villiers, a famous windjammer skipper and author, came to San Diego on a lecture tour. He took one look at the dilapidated Star and delivered a broadside to the local press, lambasting the citizenry for doing nothing to save this gallant ship. She was restored and finally, in 1976, the fully restored Star of India put to sea for the first time in 50 years, under the command of Captain Carl Bowman. She now sails at least once a year making her the oldest active ship of any kind in the world. She is sailed and maintained by a volunteer crew. Unlike many preserved or restored vessels, her hull, cabins and equipment are nearly 100% original.
Jim told TAPS the Star has been around the world 21 times in her 144 years. Incredible!
He also told the story of a young stowaway named John Campbell. John was 14 or 15 years old and enjoyed playing tag with the crew. He would draw an “S” on people’s backs when he played the game. John climbed up to the t’gallant yard, part of the ship’s mast system, and fell to the deck. It took him 3 days to die. Many people visiting the ship have reported feeling someone draw an “S” on their back but when they turn around no one is there.
The two people you see at the top of the photo are standing on the t’gallant yard of the tall ship USS Rose. Obviously the deck is far, far below…certainly a fatal fall.
John Merrill, the Chief Engineer, said one day he was sitting at the table in the salon, where the captain and first class passengers would dine, doing his homework. He saw a clearly formed dark figure walk down the hallway and into the first mate’s cabin. “It was darker than the darkness in the hallway,” he said.
On the ‘tween deck, conversations have been heard as well as footsteps. David Burgess, a maintenance worker, said he heard footsteps coming from the sail locker but no one was there.
In the hold area, a sailor was crushed to death by the anchor chain. Many people have reported feelings of dread and cold spots in the area, and others have said they know someone died there.
The Star is smaller than she looks, so they decided to let on only one team at a time so as to not contaminate any evidence.
Jason, Grant and Britt started out in the salon. They did some EVP work and encouraged any spirits to walk in front of the K2 meter. They heard the sound of someone talking above them. Grant went to investigate. There wasn’t anyone there, but he heard the sounds of walking. He could feel the vibrations of the deck in his feet. Britt put his hands on the ceiling below and also felt the vibrations. Grant said the footsteps stopped when they reached the helm (where the ship’s wheel is). He saw the keel move twice. I thought right away if the keel is still connected to the rudder, the moving water may have moved the rudder, which could cause the keel to look like it was turning. Jason said water is a conductor and may fuel paranormal energy.
Jason, Grant and Britt then moved to the ‘tween deck. They heard the sound of someone running above them. Grant went to investigate and again, no one was there. “I feel like we’re chasing something,” Jason said. They went to the lower deck. They smelled what Jason described as the smell of a campfire. They heard a sound and all ran to investigate, but no one else was on the ship, as confirmed by radioing the rest of the team, who were all on shore at command central. Jason said he saw what looked like a black figure that was crouching, appeared to get up and walk through a closed door. Jason doesn’t often get rattled, but he did this time and said he needed to go get some air. “That shook him up,” Grant said.
Steve and Tango went to the lower deck and did some EVP work. Tango got a little worried about a noise he heard outside and said he hoped it wasn’t a giant squid. I’m taking it he doesn’t like ships as he felt nauseous on the Berkeley and was concerned about sea monsters.
Amy and Kris went to the lower deck. Kris was talking to Amy and suddenly Amy stopped her, saying she just saw something pass by a hallway in front of her. They radioed Jason and Grant to see if someone had walked by, as there is an opening that could possibly cast a shadow from above. No one had been walking in the area. Jason and Grant tried to recreate what Amy saw, walking around where they thought it might cast a shadow. Kris and Amy could hear them walking but didn’t see any shadows. Amy seemed a little nervous about what happened. I’ve never seen her like that before.
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Analysis of the Berkeley yielded no video or audio. They did catch an EVP on the Star that sounded like a man saying, “Get off my ship.” The words “off my ship” were quite clear on the audio. They saw a strange image on the thermal camera but didn’t even know where it was at the time, so they didn’t really think a whole lot about it. It looked like legs moving.
At the reveal with Jim, they told him though they didn’t find any evidence on the Berkeley, they did find the fear cage on the lower deck and explained how it could cause people to have strange feelings. Jason said their not finding evidence “doesn’t disprove the claims of activity” on the ship. They also told Jim about hearing footsteps and their personal experiences.
Jason said they had experiences “from the get-go” on the Star. He told Jim about the shadow Amy saw and the black mass he saw walk into what is a locked room. They also talked about the footsteps they heard in the salon and how Grant felt the vibration under his feet. Grant described the walking as if the person had a limp. When he said the helm moved, Jim asked if perhaps the water caused the rudder to move it. This was my theory. Grant accepted it well.
They played the “Get off my ship” EVP. Jim seemed very surprised. No one heard it at the time, but it was captured on the digital recorder. They showed him the thermal clip of what looked like a person’s legs moving around, but stated they couldn’t determine what it was because they didn’t even know where the camera was at the time, so they couldn’t say it was paranormal.
Another video clip they showed Jim was of a gate moving on the ‘tween deck. The ship was listing (listing means leaning) away from the direction the gate moved and Jim said he had never seen the gate move in that direction. It only moved a little, so it could have been the ship listing. They didn’t make a big deal out of it.
In her research Kris found that many people died on the ship, including a young child that died of dehydration.
Jason told Jim “There is definitely a haunting going on here.” Jim said it confirms things people have been reporting for years. “We’ve vindicated years of stories,” Jim said. Jason and Grant were impressed by the activity. They thought Jim was shocked by the EVP, but all in all everyone was happy with the way things went.
The information about and photos of the ships comes from Wikipedia and the Maritime Museum’s web site.
A photo of the Berkeley.
The beautiful Star of India.
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Dave and I have visited both the Berkeley and Star. We are going to go to both ships on Sunday and I’m going to check out some of the areas TAPS visited. The hardest part will be trying not to think about what they found. I’ll try to “blank slate” it and see what I can gather. Dave is my resident skeptic; he’s never had an experience with the paranormal and we have healthy believer/skeptic balance and talk about our ideas a lot so he’ll be good to have along. I will blog about it of course!
Mike Rowe also visited the Star of India on an episode of “Dirty Jobs.” While scraping rust from a pipe, Jim told him about some of the ghost stories on the ship. Mike was a little freaked out, which is funny, since he will jump into a vat of poo with less hesitation than he showed at the prospect of being near a ghost. It was pretty funny. You can read my blog about Mike’s visit to the Star of India here.
If you live in or are planning to visit San Diego, the Maritime Museum is a wonderful afternoon of history and lore. One price allows you to visit all of these ships.
Another maritime museum here is San Diego’s Aircraft Carrier Museum. The USS Midway, commissioned in 1943 and decommissioned in 1992, this historic ship was transformed into a floating museum in 2004. The Midway offers a self-guided audio tour, flight simulators, gift shop, a sandwich shop and currently has 24 restored aircraft on board. Dave is a docent (tour guide) and I volunteered there as well. Many of the ship’s docents once served on board Midway and enjoy telling stories of their time in the Navy. Midway’s volunteers and staff are absolutely amazing. It’s a wonderful journey through time for young and old alike.
And yes - it’s got ghosts! I’ve had experiences with two that ‘ll blog about for you soon!
Please note admission to the Midway is separate from the Maritime Museum. They are within walking distance of one another so you can make a whole day of seeing these beautiful ships. Heck, let us know you’re coming and Dave and I will tour with you!
Hey TAPS: PLEASE come back to San Diego so I can take you to the USS Midway. I know first hand that there are several ghosts aboard who’d probably love to talk to you!
USS Midway at her 2006 holiday lighting.
Two words: Bruce Campbell
And three more words: I’m an idiot. I accidentally deleted my post about Bruce Campbell’s movie, “My Name is Bruce.”
I should’ve saved it as a text file but I didn’t…I learned my lesson, that’s for sure.
Anyway I am a major fan of Bruce Campbell. He’s a great actor, a very funny guy and willing to do just about anything for his fans. Please check out his movie if it’s in your area. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Some of Bruce’s other movies include:
- My favorite: 2002’s Bubba Ho-tep
- Evil Dead and its many sequels
- Darkman
- Waxwork II
- Escape from LA
Bruce was on the TV show “Xena: Warrior Princess” and “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys” as Autolycus and a show called “Jack of All Trades.” He was also on an episode of “Charmed” called “Witch Way Now?” He was most recently in the show “Burn Notice.” He’s also written a book called When Chins Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor. It’s hilarious!
Deer, desserts & dead in prime time 12/03/08
At 8 PM PST:
ABC has a new Pushing Daisies. I am so bummed the show has been canceled. *sigh*
CBS has Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. It’s the 1964 stop-animation version with the super cute little critters. I have never missed seeing this since I was a kid - love it!
At 9 PM PST:
Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters, followed by a new Estate of Panic. I’ve never seen it…may check it out.
Kristin Chenoweth as Olive Snook on “Pushing Daisies.” She’s only 4′ 11″ while Lee Pace (Ned the Pie Maker) is 6′ 3″.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Such a cutie!
You know what I’ll be watching tonight - Ghost Hunters! Left: TAPS founder Jason Hawes and a lovely friend. Left: TAPS Tech Manager Steve Gonsalves.
Estate of Panic challenges participants to overcome their fears, including spiders, snakes, drowning and claustrophobia in order to win cash prizes.
“Supernatural” fan art
Hey everyone, hope y’all had a nice Thanksgiving. Mine was quiet but sometimes that’s a good thing. I’ll be getting back to some regular blogging soon. I’ll have more “Ghost Hunters” episode reviews, some “Truth or Scare” mysteries and more.
In the meantime, here’s some “Supernatural” fan art I found online:
Alaska Cannoli’s “Supernatural” South Park characters.
Folsom Prison Winchesters (not sure who the artist is).
Kentawolf displayed this image of Sam and Dean on Photobucket.
Ryu-Gi displayed this portrait of Bobby Singer on ZeldaPower.com.
A funny cartoon from Sora_Ko.
“Supernatural” a la anime by Gye.
“I Lost My Shoe” by Xansiveria.
Yoru-Magi gives us the Winchesters with Jack Skellington, Zero the dog and Sally from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” found on DeviantArt.
Young Winchesters and dad John by Dustin Nguyen.
These images were found using Google. If you are the artist and are not properly credited or would like your artwork removed, please contact me at info@hauntedsandiego.com. Thank you!
“Supernatural’s” Jared Padalecki single again
I read on the web site Gilmore Girls News that Jared Padalecki (who played Dean Forester in “Gilmore Girls”) has broken off his engagement to fiancee Sandra McCoy (the female Crossroads Demon in “Supernatural”). The site says they are “amicably separated.” The end of a relationship is always difficult in some way. I wish both Jared and Sandra happiness in their lives.
Jessie almost had heart failure when I told her this. I just about lost my hearing when she squealed in my ear. I’m shocked she didn’t know about this before because she LOVES Jared.
My husband, on the other hand, calls them “Jared Polydactyly” and “Jensen Ankles.” Very funny. Not.
Sandra McCoy as the Crossroads Demon on “Supernatural,” photo from The CW.
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Jared these with his dogs, Harley and Sadie. Jessie: NO SCREAMING.
Sadie is a German Shepherd-pit bull-dingo mix.
This picture was used in a PETA ad reading, “If you wouldn’t wear your dog, please don’t wear any fur.” Look how cute and happy they all are together!
Jared on the Ellen DeGeneres show
Ellen: You’re from Texas.
Jared: I am from Texas.
Ellen: I’m from New Orleans but you don’t have an accent at all.
Jared: Right, I left it in the green room. I should’ve brought it out.
“Supernatural” Episode Review: Heaven and Hell
The show started out where it left off last week - Castiel and Uriel found the Winchesters, Ruby and Anna in an abandoned house. Castiel told them Anna must die. “Anna’s an innocent girl,” Sam says. “She’s far from innocent,” Castiel tells him.
Uriel goes after Ruby and puts her in a choke hold. Dean tries to help her but Uriel throws Ruby aside and grabs Dean instead. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this,” he growls at Dean, and punches him in the face.
With two bright flashes, Uriel and Castiel disappear one after the other. Sam, Dean and Ruby look at each other in shock. They run to check on Anna, who’s sitting in front of a mirror. She’s drawn a spell in blood on it. When they ask her what she did, Anna says she sent the angels far away. She doesn’t know how, she just did it.
The group travels to Bobby’s and puts Anna in the demon-proof room he created. Ruby can’t enter the room but she does throw Dean a couple of hex bags for additional protection for Anna. Anna asks Dean if they’re scared. He looks at Ruby, then in typical Dean style, shrugs and says, “Nah.”
Sam does some research on Anna and finds our her parents were a deacon and a housewife. At age 2 1/2 Anna became hysterical whenever her father came near her. She said he wasn’t her real father. After being in therapy Anna returned to normal. When she overhears Sam and Dean talking about her Anna gets upset. She tells them she doesn’t know why the angels said she’s guilty.
Thinking perhaps Pamela the psychic can help, they take her to Pamela’s house. Even having been blinded by summoning Castiel, she knows Ruby is a demon and who Anna is. They go back to Bobby’s, where Pamela puts Anna under hypnosis. She tries to get Anna back to her childhood, to find out why Anna was afraid of her father. She tells Pamela she doesn’t know how she cast the spell that sent the angels away or how she was able to hear them speaking. When Pamela tries to make her regress further, Anna begins screaming and crying. Pamela brings her back from the regression and wakes her up. “Thank you Pamela, that helped,” Anna says. “I remember…I am angel.”
Anna tells Sam, Dean and Ruby not to fear her like they do the other angels. She tells them she knows Uriel and Castiel because she used to be even more powerful than them and they reported to her. She tells them she disobeyed God and fell to earth to become a human. “I ripped out my grace,” she said, and explained the pain she felt from doing so. Sam finds out that 9 months before Anna was born, a meteor flew over Ohio. This could have been Anna’s fall from heaven, and a second meteor that landed in Kentucky may have been her grace as it fell separately from her body. Heaven wants Anna dead for her disobeying; Hell wants her to use as a connection to hear the angels and be one step ahead of Heaven.
Ruby is afraid of Alistair, the demon Dean knew in Hell. She tells them either Sam needs to shape up his powers, Anna needs to get her grace back or they’re all dead.
Dean asks Anna why he was saved from Hell. She says she doesn’t know. He also asks her why she fell. Anna began talking about all the things humans experience - loyalty, love, physical contact, even chocolate cake. She says even the bad emotions are why she fell and never wants to go back. “Angels are perfect, cold and obedient. Only four angels have ever seen God’s face, and I’m not one of them.” Anna goes on to tell Dean that for 2,000 years she was assigned to watch and wait, waiting for instructions from an unknowable father. Dean tells her he can relate, thinking of his own father’s instructions and absence.
A century-old live oak stands in Kentucky and is called a miracle by the locals because it’s the oldest tree in the area. They think it may be Anna’s grace, as she calls her grace “pure creation.” The group travels to Kentucky, Dean laughing at the fact they have an angel and a demon in the back seat of their car.
When they arrive at the tree, Anna thinks it’s the one. But when she touches its trunk she finds someone has stolen her grace. Suddenly she hears the angels again - saying that if Dean doesn’t hand her over to the angels at midnight he’ll go back to hell. Sam asks her if there is any weapon that can be used against an angel. Anna says nothing they could get to in time.
Anna thanks Dean for his and Sam’s trying to help her. She says she knows she disobeyed; that Lucifer also disobeyed. She also tells Dean the angels talked about what he did in Hell and that it “wasn’t his fault.” Dean doesn’t want to talk about it. She tells him when he does want to talk about it there are people that can help him. Anna kisses Dean. “What was that for?” he asks. “It may be our last night on Earth,” she says. They fog up the windows in the back of Dean’s car, and very Titanic-like someone’s hand slides down the condensation on the window.
Ruby burns a hex bag, summoning Alistair. He has her knife; she tells him to keep it. “I just want to talk,” she tells him. She says she’ll give him Anna if she, Dean and Sam can just walk away. But Alistair has other ideas. Two demons grab Ruby and take her off for Alistair to torture by cutting her with her own knife. He demands she tell him where Anna is. “If I tell you, you kill me. But I’ll show you,” Ruby tells him.
Uriel appears to Dean just before midnight. He tells him Castiel isn’t with him because he has a weakness - he likes Dean. Dean tells Uriel that Anna got her grace back and she’s an angel again. Uriel grins and shows Dean a glowing vial on a necklace he’s wearing. “That’s not possible, because I have her grace,” he says. Uriel tells Dean he has one last chance to give up Anna or he’ll send Dean back to Hell. “Go for it,” Dean says.
Uriel and Castiel show up where the group is hiding. Sam asks them how they found out where they were. Dean looks down, saddened. “Either they kill me or they kill you,” Anna says to Dean. She kisses him. “You did the best you could,” she says to him. “I forgive you.” Castiel looks at Anna. “I’m sorry,” he says. “No, you’re not,” Anna says with a brave face.
Suddenly Alistair shows up with Ruby and the two demons. He demands the angels to give Anna to him. Castiel tells Alistair to leave. This starts a fight - Uriel kills one of the demons. Alistair knocks Castiel to the ground. Anna grabs the vial from around Uriel’s neck and throws it to the ground. She screams at the others to close their eyes. Anna’s grace flows out of the vial and she inhales it into her body. Alistair rushes toward her and the light kills him instantly. In a huge blue-white flash, Anna is gone. “This isn’t over,” Uriel says. “Looks over to me,” Dean remarks. Uriel and Castiel disappear. It looked to me like Castiel may have been pleased with the series of events.
After it’s all over Sam says, “Anna’s a big time angel now. She must be happy wherever she is.” With a pained look on his face, Dean murmurs, “I doubt it.”
Sitting on the Metallicar having a beer, Dean tells Sam he knows Sam heard Alistair say they knew each other in Hell. Sam said he wouldn’t push Dean to talk about it. Suddenly Dean begins to open up.
Dean tells Sam while he seemed to be gone four months, to him in Hell it was 40 years. He was tied to a rack and tortured horribly every day. Every night Alistair would make him an offer: he would take him off the rack if he would put souls on. Dean told Alistair no every night for 30 years. Then he broke. With tears in his eyes, Dean tells Sam he started doing to other souls what had been done to him. He lost count of how many he tortured. He says the things he did to them were beyond belief.
Sam tells Dean he held on for 30 years, more than anyone else would have been able to last. This doesn’t comfort Dean; he says he wishes he couldn’t still feel it inside him.
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Next episode: January 15, 2009 - Sam and Dean will investigate the haunting of one of the schools they attended while they were teenagers. The investigation shows also what school mean to the Winchester brothers and why women are so into Dean.
The young versions of Sam and Dean reveal the past where the former used to dislike traveling and being on the road a lot while the latter took things easier and watched Sam’s back. Sam found it difficult to create new circle of friends every time they move in order to follow their demon-chasing father and thus was often being bullied. Meanwhile, Dean found time to socialize and pursue girls.
The episode is titled “After School Special.” Brock Kelly (”Days of Our Lives”) is young Dean while Colin Ford (who played a young Hellboy in “Hellboy 2: The Golden Army”) will reprise his role as young Sam.
Jensen Ackles (right) as Dean WInchester; Brock Kelly (left) as young Dean.
Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester (left) and as young Sam, Colin Ford (right).
Spooky music news!
Just saw this on my internet radio window:
Yahoo! Music News reports:
[Maroon 5] holed up in Harry Houdini’s mansion in Los Angeles to write the album, a residence that producer Eric Valentine swears was haunted after he mistook a ghost for his then-girlfriend one night.
“If there were spirits there, they were benevolent and we came out with some good songs, so they must have helped us out,” he reasons.
You can read more about Houdini’s mansion at Dateline: City of Angels or at Wikipedia.
Ruins of the Houdini Mansion in Laurel Canyon, near Los Angeles, California.
“Ghost Hunters” Episode Review: Fortuna and Topton
TAPS traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to investigate an apartment house and a restaurant/residence.
First, they went to Mike Fortuna’s apartment house. Located in an area where many college students lived, Mike said he had been having trouble renting out rooms on the fourth floor of the house because of reported paranormal activity.
Mike told Jason and Grant that two students were in a 4th floor room when they heard tapping on the window. When they looked they saw a woman in white at the window. “Help me,” she said.
Tony said he used to live in the room at the top of the stairs. One day he was looking for a pair of scissors. Frustrated, he said out loud to himself, “There’s no scissors in here.” A man’s voice behind him said, “No, there’s not.” Tony turned around and there was no one else in the room. Tony said his roommate was on the third floor listening to music when he heard a woman singing coming from the 4th floor. He went to investigate but there wasn’t anyone on the 4th floor.
The team began checking out the house. Investigator Andy Andrews found the roof of the house was flat, and he could easily stand and look into the 4th floor window. He and Grant climbed out the window and onto the roof, where they found several lawn chairs, lots of trash and beer bottles. The roof had easy access from Mike’s building and the neighboring building. Grant thought it looked like students hung out there a lot.
Grant and Andy interviewed one of Mike’s neighbors. He said one of the girls in the house next door goes onto the roof to smoke. He said she has short black hair. Andy said he would compare that description with what Mike’s tenants saw.
Andy talked about the importance of training investigators. He was working with investigator Sheri Toczko and explaining how household appliances such as TVs, DVD players, VCRs and microwaves can give off EMF. They found a fire box in the hallway that emitted very high EMF, so they wouldn’t be able to use their EMF meters without getting false readings. In the basement they found a wire that was conducting a considerable amount of EMF. Grant said ungrounded cables and electrical boxes can also emit high EMF.
On the roof, Grant made some noise to see if Andy could hear it. He even sang part of “Yankee Doodle,” which was funny. Andy said when Grant sang it sounded like it was coming from the floor below him instead of from above. The acoustics were misleading in the old building.
John Egbosimbah, a former resident, talked to Grant and Andy on the phone. He saw the woman tapping at the window. He said he and a friend were working on the 4th floor when they heard the tapping. He looked and saw the woman. He said she had blond hair and she said, “Help me.” This didn’t match the description of the neighbor with short black hair, but still didn’t answer the question of the woman’s identity. Catarina and Conrad, two of Mike’s other neighbors, said they have seen blond girls on the roof smoking. Catarina even said one of her friends was blond and she knew she went onto the roof, so the woman in the window was probably Catarina’s friend.
None of the TAPS team thought the building was haunted. It was obvious it was just odd noises from an old building and they were able to debunk pretty much everything they saw and heard.
While doing EVP work with Steve, Brian Harnois found a “pull my finger” pen and a lot of fun was had with its raspberry sounds.
Upon reviewing their footage, no video or audio evidence was found. After checking out the footage, the team stopped at the world-famous Geno’s for some cheesesteaks. Steve was hitting on some girls, which wasn’t a surprise. But he was a gentleman, so I have to give him credit for that.
At the reveal, Jason and Grant asked Tony to repeat his experience talking about looking for a pair of scissors. “That was a very ambiguous answer,” Grant said about Tony hearing “No there’s not.” The voice didn’t say, “There’s no scissors in here” or “No, there’s not, Tony” or something more inclined toward being a spirit. Someone could have heard him from another room or even the roof and just made a comment to his question. They did advise Mike and Tony the acoustics in the building are unusual.
Jason and Grant told them about women with blond hair going to the roof to smoke. Mike’s neighbors said someones people go on the roof and end up getting locked out of the building, which may indicate why the woman knocked on the window and asked for help - she was stuck on the roof and was a quite real person, not a ghost at all.
Mike and Tony seemed relieved their house wasn’t haunted. Perhaps after explaining the house’s odd acoustical quirks the students woudn’t be afraid to rent from him anymore.
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TAPS family member Rick Bugera joined the team at the Topton House, a restaurant/residence. Rick has investigated the Topton House before and recommended TAPS do an investigation as well.
Topton House owner Francine Gore welcomed the TAPS team and showed them around the restaurant area of the building. She said a small girl died in the dining room and she enjoys tripping people as they walk through. Francine also said a glass of soda was placed on one of the tables and it moved on its own.
Francine saw a woman wearing a bun in her hair in the bar area. When she turned to look at her the woman was gone. A week later Rick saw a woman wearing a blue dress with a bustle in the back walk through a doorway near the bar. The chef told Francine metal plates have flown off the shelves in the kitchen. Francine’s daughter Jennifer smelled the scent of roses in the cellar and heard murmuring there. Her daughter Andrea is sensitive to the spirits and feels them when she goes into the cellar. She cannot see them, but feels their presence.
Francine told TAPS she thinks the spirits are friendly and doesn’t want them to leave. A customer told Francine there were 12 spirits in the building! TAPS respected Francine’s wish to leave the spirits as they were, and told the team, “We’re just here to study.”
Brian Harnois got a bit concerned about Steve and Sheri’s close connection. He said it was obvious they liked one another but he didn’t want it to interrupt the investigation. He pulled Steve aside and told him not to let things get out of hand, as Jason wouldn’t stand for it. Steve said if he and Sheri pursued a relationship, Sheri would no longer be a member of TAPS.
In the cellar, Andy saw a hole in the ceiling. He could see out into the garden from it, which is how they guessed the smell of roses might be coming into the cellar. Grant used a bottle of cologne to try and debunk it. He sprayed it near the hole and within a few minutes they could smell it. Francine’s daughter, Jennifer Mikaliunas, didn’t smell the cologne at first. She said she didn’t go into the cellar by herself because she didn’t like it.
Brian put a glass of soda on a table in the dining room and put a still camera on it, to capture any movement the glass might make.
Andrea Mikaliunas, another of Francine’s daughters, went into the basement with Brian and investigator Amy Andrews. “I’m sure they know we’re down here,” Andrea said. She felt the spirits were hiding. In some areas of the cellar she felt a tingling in her fingers and a chill, saying it felt like someone was standing close to her. “When I come downstairs by myself I can feel them walking down the stairs behind me,” Andrea said. TAPS normally doesn’t allow anyone to investigate on their own, but they gave Andrea a digital recorder and let her go into the cellar alone to do some EVP work. When she came back up she said she didn’t feel the spirits were down there anymore. She asked Brian if they could have moved to another part of the building, and he said yes, if they didn’t want to be seen or heard they could have hidden somewhere else.
Francine asked Grant what percentage of the places they investigate are debunked. Grant told her about 80%. He also explained their reason for showing proof, not just personal experiences. “I could go into the cellar and a ghost could walk up and shake my hand,” Grant said. “But if I tell you about it with no proof to back it up I can’t expect you to believe me.”
A Reiki (healing energy) master, Amy worked with Andrea on the front porch of the Topton House. She wanted to see what type of energy Andrea might have had that would cause her to feel the spirits. After doing some Reiki work, Amy told Andrea she has “great energy.” Andrea said after the Reiki session she felt “lighter” and “calmer.”
After the investigation, Francine and her husband Gary thanked the team, who went home to look over the evidence.
They found nothing during the analysis. “It’s going to be tough to tell Francine; she’s very spiritual,” Jason said. “She’s had sensitives in there but has never questioned them,” he added. “We need to teach her to be more skeptical and not believe every story she hears.” He also mentioned the Topton House had a reputation for being haunted, which could contribute to the believability of people’s claims.
At the reveal, Jason and Grant met with Gary and Francine. They told them about using Grant’s cologne to recreate the rose scent in the cellar. Francine said she doesn’t have any rosebushes in the back garden where the hole in the cellar ceiling is. Grant talked about matrixing, which is when we think we smell something even if something relating to that object isn’t in the area. “Sometimes two scents mixing together can make us think we smell something completely different,” he said.
“We’re left with things we can’t disprove,” Jason said. “We had some experiences but have no proof.” Francine and Gary were pleased with the investigation, but Francine said she was “a little disappointed but understanding” of their not finding anything to prove it.
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Jason talked to Frank De Angelis, the sound engineer whose equipment flew up and smacked him in the chin during the New Bedford Armory investigation.
“What happened?” Jason asked Frank. While everyone was feeling cold spots at the time, Frank said he felt like something went through him. “I felt like I was being singled out,” he said. He had never seen the footage of the investigation. Jason played it for him and Frank said it made him feel “uncomfortable” and “uneasy.” But he did watch it and Jason told him he needs to try and understand what happened.
Frank wasn’t convinced something hit him until he saw the thermal footage of his face. There was an obvious hot spot on his chin, which was the inflammation of his skin after being hit by his equipment.
Frank said he did feel something (paranormal) happened to him. Jason did a thorough walkthrough of the area where they were when this happened and couldn’t find anything that would explain what happened to Frank. Jason reminded Frank TAPS is a family and they care about each other, which seemed to comfort Frank.
Unfortunately these are the only images of the Topton House I was able to find online:
But I found lots of pictures of the show’s sexy-voiced opening narrator, Mike Rowe. No, he’s not only the host of “Dirty Jobs,” he also narrates shows such as “Ghost Hunters,” “American Chopper” and “Deadliest Catch.”
“Tonight, on Ghost Hunters!” Show opening narrator Mike Rowe. Not sure what he’s got there, but let’s pretend it’s ectoplasm!