GHOST HUNTERS

This famously haunted prison's cornerstone was laid in 1886. The doors were closed on this prison in 1990. It houses the world's largest free-standing steel cell block. This site scores this: 1. Older than 50 years. 2. Land is limestone/shale. 3. Lots of death/trauma. 4. Near a railroad track. 5. Constructed of stone. Are you noticing a lot of high scores so far? There is a disproportionate amount of them scoring 5 and 6. So, where there's smoke, perhaps there is fire. People seem to know haunted places when they encounter them. There's a big divide between that and places like the Hollywood Sign and Chateau Marmont Hotel where one would romantically impart spirits when conditions actually weren't right for them to occur. Keep following and we might find some more surprises in the last of my list of 50 places. Once I'm done showing you the results of the first sweep of research, we can do a little scale showing the percentage that had certain features. From...

Have you ever wandered a beach, stood on the edge of the Grand Canyon, or sat on a rock ledge overlooking a stream and felt a strange sense of bliss, a primeval sensation of “coming home?” You were, in fact, tapping into Earth's energies and a universal knowledge that gives you perspective of the bigger picture. If you perform regular meditation, this probably isn’t hard for you to do, even when you’re in a stressful work office. The key to being able to realign with being human and jumping onto the psychic highway to gather knowledge, is pretty straightforward. Here’s how I do it: Stop all internal dialogue. You want to hear no “spoken inside the head” words. You know what I’m talking about, that constant narrator. With no spoken words in your mind, look around the room at objects, but do so without attaching importance to them, no words, no meaning, no images of where you bought them or what you need to do tomorrow. Simply look at them through your “human animal” eyes ( my own t...

I have to admit, I've never heard about any good "hard" proof of haunting at the Winchester House. It's one of those places that's so zany, you have to wonder if the simple bad Feng Shui of all the dead end rooms on this mansion causes the extremely uncomfortable feelings people get inside of it. Here's how this "famous" haunted place scores: 1. Older than 50 years. 2. Sarah Winchester died in her sleep there. 3. The ground is sedimentary. The fact is, the house is frame construction (incompatible with haunting), there are no waterways or railroad tracks nearby. It will be interesting to use this one in my research to compare the score 3/6 ( on the weak side of 3 ) with the actual "hard" proof of haunting that anyone's accrued. As it stands, with this borderline 2/3 score, I'd put it at "it's not ever going to be haunted, or it would take extraordinary events and time to make it haunted." I don't hold out hope i...

Although it’s still early in the research to draw real correlations yet, I keep running into themes that run strongly. Here’s something I’ve noticed so far from my research into my “Haunted Formula.” I pulled out a log I've kept of ghost hunting jaunts and which ones provided great activity. They always correlated to a night of geomagnetic activity. Could this be a contributory factor with the geology to create an ideal "action" night? Geology is important. Fault lines are important. Construction of the building is important. Running water seems to be important. Train tracks seem to occur incidentally, haven’t necessarily made the connection yet. And, of course, having a history of trauma and death is vitally important to a haunting, but perhaps not necessary. It seems like the more I investigate this, the more I come across things serendipitously. I was watching a program about Crop Circles, something I’ve not given a lot of thought to, but a man who wrote a book about ...

I'm excited to cover this one for two reasons. One reason is that I've always thought of this building as way too commercialized and trampled upon by visitors and tons of ghost tours and Halloween events. Because of the massive attention to it, I always assumed it was somehow making up for an absence of events. The second reason is that I've been sitting on the findings of this one and can't wait to share them. It's pegged the needle all the way! Followers of "Ghost Hunters" have no doubt seen the episodes at Eastern Penn. The first time, they were able to capture what appeared to be a figure trying to form on a catwalk, coming towards the camera and then just vanishing away in a split second. That's what made them want to go back. They had many personal experiences, but that one baffled them. Having a bias in the first place about the prison because of its publicity, I interpreted that figure as a guy in jeans with a cape playing a trick on them. Of c...

Compare the two places above—which seems more likely to be haunted? Whether one believes in the efficacy of Feng Shui or not, the guidelines of this Asian practice do help to create a living space that lifts the mood and seems to chase away bad thoughts. If you ever wonder why closets, basements, and attics are more haunted than other parts of the house, this could be based on the yin (dark/female) and yan (light/male) rules. Why else do you suppose ghost hunting takes place in the nighttime more often than not? Whether we realize it or not, the darkness is an ideal cloak for secrecy and hiding. Bringing things “out into the light” makes them impossible to avoid, both figuratively and literally ( good lesson in life ). What can you do to make your home have more yan and less yin? Very simple. Add light. Open blinds and windows, use warm colors indoors and outdoors for decorating, and try not to leave any corners dark or cluttered. If you’ve ever been to a house with tons of chatzki’s,...

Hey, I couldn't possibly be reporting about haunted sites around the country without hitting this popular one in my own state. The Copper Queen Hotel was opened in 1902. To build it, they had to blast out part of the mountain ( good sign for haunting possibilities ). If you watch "Ghost Hunters" you might have seen the episode when they stayed at the Copper Queen. There were some anomalous findings, but the really exciting part was when Grant's room camera captured a much talked about phenomenon. In the Julia Lowell Room, reportedly a beautiful woman who killed herself is known to bother the male occupants, whisper in their ear, mess with their feet. Well, the film captured Grant's legs spread as he was sleeping on his back when the comforter and sheet were pushed upward, exposing his feet. This was a movement that was beyond explanation and very thrilling to see. I have stayed at the Copper Queen and admit that I woke up many times during the night to the sound o...

I had a fun time trying to find western haunted sites in the upper middle west like Idaho, Wyoming, North and South Dakota. The land is more often than not reported as haunted and not the buildings. I did come across this one that caught my eye. The Bullock Hotel in Deadwood South Dakota was the creation of the sheriff Bullock in the 1870s. It is reportedly haunted by his ghost ( however, he did not die there ). Here's how this one stacks up point-wise: 1. Made of sandstone blocks from local quarry (strong) 2. Land is sandstone, limestone, shale. 3. Older than 50 years. 4. Near a stream. 5. Near a train track. The only thing missing is death/trauma. This is important because as I learn more and continue to research, I'll be able to determine just how important that feature is to the haunting or whether a ghost can haunt that didn't die there. That's a huge question in the industry and I'd like to finally clarify that. Locations such as this one help my research...

So, if you've watched "Ghost Hunters" you saw a pretty good episode where the team went to this location. They were able to get the sound of booted footsteps (identical to what I heard my entire childhood) and captured a picture frame on a dresser moving--very exciting! The Cashtown Inn in Cashtown, PA was originally a stagecoach stop. Later, during the Civil War, it was used as a Confederate headquarters and supposedly a field hospital. I relate to the feel of their place, as I grew up in a Civil War field hospital used by both the North and South. The sound of the footsteps really got the hair raising on my neck during that episode. There are reasons to think this place really is genuinely haunted. I hope to collect the "hard" evidence of haunting found by other teams, but for now I'll settle for the physicality which is promising. Here's how it scores: 1. Brick construction. 2. Over 50 years old. 3. Death/trauma associated. 4. Stream nearby. 5. G...

Note: Sedona requires parking passes nowadays. It’s not like the good old days when you could just stop alongside the road and photograph the monolithic rock structures. You can acquire them at the visitor’s center in uptown Sedona (where all the main shops are on 89A). They go for $5 for one day or $15 for 7 days, and $20 for a year. Three-hundred-and-twenty-million years ago, Sedona was underwater. The first layer of Sedona’s rock was formed by seashells and sea creatures. Later, rivers left red sediment from sandstone. The sandstone contained iron which when mixed with water causes the beautiful “rust stains” associated with the rock of Sedona. The beautiful features we have come to know as “Coffee Pot Rock” and “Bell Rock” and others are capped with erosion-resistant limestone. The fissures and creeks were created during the forming of the Grand Canyon. It was as if there was a symphony in tectonics to create this beautiful paradise that Arizonans are very proud to possess. It’s im...

Since I still have about 20 places to post, I'll try if I can to put two a day on here. You might have heard of this one referred to as the "Villisca Ax Murder House." In 1912, a mother, father, and six children ( some were visiting friends, some were their children ), were axed to death inside this house. The murders remain unsolved. I've heard a lot of publicity on it in recent years, which tells me the owners are trying to make some $ or get some attention ( red flags for my skepticism ). I was excited to learn more about its history and location, as perhaps I was missing something in the content of its physicality, but it does appear to be rather weak. The main reason is the construction of the home itself which is frame, lack of waterways, and poor geology. Here's how it scores: 1. Older than 50 years. 2. Site of death and trauma. 3. The ground is a mix of sediment/volcanic--not super strong--give it a half point. 4. It's perhaps a half mile from a t...

It was not perhaps one of the most memorable episodes of "Ghost Hunters" but I might strike your memory if I remind you that the men used their Roto-Rooter device to check out an underground railroad tunnel and Brian found a bloody children's gown in the attic. They weren't able to call it haunted from their few hours spent there, but they did get an interesting shadow figure and a voice on EVP, as well as a significant temperature drop. This site is ideal for a haunting by the formula: 1. Built in 1832. 2. Deaths associated with it including a child. Underground railroad. 3. Stone foundation. 4. Land is slate/sandstone/quartzite. 5. Near a train track. 6. Near a waterway. This is another ideal location and the more I find places noted for hauntings, the more I find the really notable ones have all these features. I still need to finish a few more sites and then I can go on to study how much proof of haunting they have to decide if they're weak haunters with...

I figured on my list of 50 places I'm researching, I should probably do the Myrtles soon because on Friday night, Zak "Baggypants" and his bro's ( or is that dude's? They use both words so often ...) from "Ghost Adventures" will be locked down in the Myrtles Plantation for a night of girlie screaming and taunting invisible entities. I've heard a great deal about the Myrtles being one of the top 10 most haunted sites in America and I was always was a bit hesitant to believe it. The Deep South loves its haunts and stories, but upon researching it, there's actually some great reasons for it to be haunted. 1. The land is sedimentary rock. 2. The house is older than 50 years (1794). 3. Lots of death--a slave woman cooked oleander into a cake and the wife and two children of her master passed on. A man was shot on the porch and died there. Countless numbers died of typhoid and other diseases through the generations. 4. It's near a train track. ...

On my list of 50 places to give haunted formula scores to, I came across Bachelor's Grove Cemetery. It's one of those sites you often hear people rattle off when describing haunted cemeteries around the US. Admittedly, I have an enormous amount of exposure to cemeteries and to visiting them after dark. I have always remained highly skeptical about hauntings in such places, but as land can be equally as haunted as buildings, I try to put aside the mind-logistics involved in whether folks haunt their bodies and try to focus on what I've found. There are some cemeteries that most definitely have activity that is highly unusual, very characteristic of full-body apparitions, shadowpeople, and EVPs. Yes, cemeteries can be haunted. Just which ones are? I'll admit, I haven't found much activity at older ones, but more at newer ones that are often visited. The assumption on my part has always been that grieving visitors call forth energy. Bachelor's Grove has a few thing...

I would like to thank Gummerfan and Naveed for pointing out the Skinwalker Ranch in Utah and the fascination book “Hunt for the Skywalker,” by Colm A. Kelleher, PhD and George Knapp. Sometimes, I swear my search for answers takes me on crazy serendipitous paths. When I want to know information, it comes to me in strange ways and I find correlations that send me off in different tangents. Have you ever gone online to Google a subject and then that has a link that makes you look into something else, and before you know it you started out searching for popular fishing spots in the Great Lakes and ended up researching how to make butterscotch pudding? That’s my life pretty much every day… This book was mentioned by Naveed and I was curious, I admit. Now that I’ve been researching places with phenomenon and finding strange correlations like the kind of geology and the 33rd parallel latitude, well, the book seemed like a perfectly timely read. And it was! I was admittedly put off that George...

If you're not already a fan of "Ghost Hunters," you might have heard about The Stanley Hotel in Colorado, as it was the hotel that apparently inspired Stephen King's novel "The Shining." TAPS made it popular by having some very successful hunts there and an all-night live Halloween episode. What impressed me the most about it was the sounds of voices in the basement and the glass breaking and closet door opening and rattling in the room that Jason stayed in. That was probably one of the most impressive episodes ever. This grand hotel, built by the man of famous "Stanley Steamer" fame, is on a fantastic piece of land--lots of granite! Here's how this one broke down. Although it got a 4/6, when I finish my research, I might need to adjust this for certain conditions that make it more like a 5/6. This case might be on that proves that you don't necessarily need death on a site for a haunting, but could use the right conditions to make it a rec...

During my studies, I had to look into some towns on the map. My eyes widened while ( fate?) I was simultaneously watching a program that discussed Phoenix Lights and Roswell being the two most important UFO sightings ever and the map in front of me showed them strangely at the same latitude. I looked it up and Roswell and Phoenix are both on the 33rd parallel. The 33rd parallel has been associated with Freemasonry as a symbolic latitude. Although there is a great deal of secrecy about its importance, it’s been often associated with places of great conflict and death, such as the death row at Florence Prison and other sites along the 33rd parallel such as numerous other US death rows, and countries like Lebanon, Pakistan, and Iraq. I’ve never put any weight in the 33rd parallel in particular, but now I think I’d like to know more. If you're feeling ambitious and curious, these cities in the US also are at the 33rd parallel. You might want to see if they have any unusual amounts of U...

Wow, I can't tell you how hard it is to find haunted spots in the volcanic west. There's certain states like Idaho and the area around it that just simply has almost no hauntings and when they do have them, 80% of the time they're haunted canyons, mountains, streams, cemeteries, and other outdoor features, almost never buildings. This is intriguing to me. I'm finding volcanic areas to be rather incompatible with haunted buildings but more compatible with strange outdoor phenomenon like lights. I finally found one place that had reports of hauntings in Utah and that sounded promising, the Ogden Union Station. When researching it, though, here's its scoring: 1. It's older than 50 years. 2. It's right on tons of train tracks. 3. It's made of stone. It's missing these features; waterways, death, and good land. Potentially, it might be a future haunting places, but what I'm seeing so far, the land is just not good for it. I think having volcanic la...

(Notice the red dots on the top map that show the places I'm researching) Here’s an overview of geololgy from Wikipedia: “Three rock types; igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. Igneous is formed by lava. Ninety-five percent of the earth’s crust, but in most places is covered over by metamorphic and sedimentary rock. Metamorphic rock is gneiss, slate, marble, schist, and quartzite, created under high temperatures and pressure and make up a large part of the earth’s crust. These are made up of preexisting rocks that transform under extreme pressure and heat. Sedimentary rock is formed by deposition and consolidation of mineral and organic material and from precipitation of minerals from solution. The processes that form sedimentary rock occur at the surface of the Earth and within bodies of water. They contain fossils. Rock formed from sediments covers 75-80% of the Earth's land area, and includes common types such as limestone, chalk, dolostone, sandstone, clay, conglomerate, ...

Chateau Marmont, as pointed out to me by Devin, was the site of John Belushi's death. Built in 1927, this huge hillside resort has little bungalows ( one of which John met his untimely drug overdose death ). It also saw the death of a famous fashion photographer in 2004 when Helmut Newton crashed his car in the driveway. Lots of countless stars have gone to find solace in this tucked away place following divorces, separations, and bombed movies. It seems as if it should have a fantastic set of circumstances for a haunting. I admit that when it comes to Hollywood hauntings, in general, I'm a little suspicious. None of us like to see our stars die, so often times we keep them alive this way. I seriously doubt John would want to haunt the hotel, more than likely it'd be the set for Saturday Night Live in New York. This site has a few things going for it and here's how it's broken down in score: 1. Older than 50 years. 2. Death associated with it. 3. Land is sediment...

During my studies for the haunted formula, I’ve come across a funny question, but I had to take it quite seriously because part of its answer helps me define my own haunted formula: If I renovate my kitchen and use granite, can I expect the kitchen to be haunted? So far in my studies, which are probably 1/3 of the way done, I’ve come to a few conclusions about geology and its effects on hauntings. Most of the more traditional hauntings seem to be linked to limestone and shale ( the super-haunted ) and sandstone, schist, and other sedimentary rock for others. Most of the poltergeist-like activity is associated with granite and quartz. Lastly, volcanic rock seems to such young rock that it’s not associated with much in the way of hauntings, but it’s debatable about it having a tie-in with strange physical phenomenon in the land such as Marfa Lights and Skinwalker Ranch. How do I answer the question of the kitchen? A few ways: I am a big proponent of feng shui principles, so I say the us...

This "hospital for the insane" built in 1827 is a perfect site for a haunting. Many patients died while there. Even though many buildings were razed and rebuilt, the main pathology building became Indiana's Medical Museum and the power house also remains. This site scores a 6/6 and here's how it breaks down: 1. Not far from railroad track. 2. Not far from a stream. 3. Stone construction. 4. Older than 50 years. 5. History of mental anguish/trauma/death. 6. Land is limestone, dolomite, and shale.

Thanks Devin for this post's topic. Many of you have probably already heard of the Marfa Lights. I’m guessing this because you’re reading a blog about ghost hunting theories and so you’re probably a lot like me and enjoy programs about phenomenon. Near the town of Marfa, Texas there’s a phenomenon that was first officially reported in the 1950s, but were seen long before then. That being said, if those accounts are accurate, it wasn’t car headlights, and it must be some kind of natural phenomenon. What’s reported is 1-10 foot diameter lights that are reddish orange in color. They vary in size and can go up to high speeds. Their luminosity apparently changes, as well. Also associated is often times a high pitched tuning fork sound. It’s regularly witnessed by thousands of people and scientists have even researched it and had theories but none have stuck. I punched in some of my haunted formula, out of curiosity. Since this reminds me of the Devil’s Promenade and Skinwalker Ranch iss...

Quite by accident I was researching one of the 50 locations and came across a place called “Devil’s Promenade” and as I just wrote a post about “Skinwalker Ranch,” this really caught my eye with some very strange similarities: In Northeast Oklahoma, there’s a dirt road. For over a century people have reported seeing an orange orb traveling a roadway called by locals “Devil’s Promenade.” This light was apparently first seen by Native Americans ( much like phenomenon found at Skinwalker Ranch ). This light is anywhere from the size of a baseball to a basketball. It hovers and speeds along and skims the trees or stays just above the roadway. Even the Army Corp of Engineers has studied this phenomenon, as well as countless others. There have been the usual talked about culprits like swamp gas and natural gas escaping, but no one has come up with an actual explanation. As it is also atop a fault line, some folks have come to the conclusion that it might be rocks rubbing against each other ...

Wow! It's serendipitious. I was looking for a new place to put on the list of 50 I'm researching because one site didn't have a building on it. So, I opened up a blog update for Zak Bagans on my MySpace and voila! "Ghost Adventures" is going to Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, WV for a 7-hour Halloween special on October 30th. It made me recall the place, as we drove past it a few times when I was a kid and I remember getting a bit hysterical when I saw it as if I recognized it somehow and what it was used for. It's been in the back of my mind for a long time and seeing that name again made me go--hey! Use it on the list! I just remember getting a sense from it that it was like a super battery for the paranormal. After objectively grading it, I realize it is! The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was built in the mid 1800s. The Civil War interrupted the process, but later they finished it and opened it for mentally ill patients. Conditions over time beca...

Hope you don’t mind, but I’ll try to put 2 places on each day so I can get through these 50 study areas more quickly. If you don’t already know the little childhood ditty “ Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother 40 whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father 41 ,” you can guess where this study place is going. The Borden family was a well-to-do family in the 1890s when daughter Lizzie was arrested for the axe murders of her step-mother and her father in their home. She got off for the murder ( no CSI back then !) and lived a comfortable quiet life with her father’s wealth. It sounds like an ideal setting for a haunting, but the waters get murky, just like they do in the Amityville House. The question is, how much is genuine and how much is simply scared away by the foot traffic and tours? I’ll find out more about the actual proof of haunting later, but I know enough about this case to know I haven’t seen anyone with anything really compelling on a general sweep....

When I did a random pick of 50 haunted places for my study, I did pick up this site and was going to throw it back into the bin of names, until I thought about it. A lot of romantic stories of hauntings at the sign have been reported, so I figured I really should check into it--maybe the conditions are good? Nope, not really. With a score of 3 of 6, this rates in the 3-4 range which means that it could potentially become haunted in the future with enough traumatic history involved, but right now it doesn't have enough "oomph." This sign in the Hollywood Hills portion of Mt. Lee was built in 1923. It's now under security scrutiny because it's a favorite place for pranks and vandalism. In 1933, a woman jumped to her death from the letter "H." Many report seeing a woman in 1930s clothing near the sign and the scent of her perfume. There's a sharp distinction between romantic tales such as Hollywood hauntings and more genuinely disturbing tales like you ...

I’d like to thank Gummerfan for mentioning this spot as a potential site to study for my 50 places. I have to admit that upon cursory research, I can’t find much about the house’s construction and as the land is more haunted than the home, it would seem, it’s not an ideal location for the 50-place study, but I’m thrilled to learn more about this interesting site. I first saw it on one of those conjecture documentaries. A family living in a beautiful cabin in NE Utah were being plagued by all manner of weird occurrences since they move there in the mid 90s. The reported occurrences ran the gamut and they had security cameras that even picked up much of the light phenomenon in the woods surrounding their place. This land on the Uinta Basin area of Utah has an interesting geology. It’s made of non-marine sediment which is basically a lot of dried up “evaporate” minerals from arid lakes. The land is very rich with minerals and found to be an excellent place to mine them. Much of it is Nat...

You know I'll have to do the most haunted cities when I'm done with my research and Savannah will be one of the toppers. Conditions at the Sorrel-Weed House are ideal for a haunting. It was built in the late 1830s and saw host to many get togethers with famous politicians and military leaders. There was even a suicide in the house. Those who love "Ghost Hunters" might vaguely remember the 2005 Halloween special (can't find that on DVD--darnit!) They captured a woman screaming and pleading for help, believed to be the ghost of a slave woman. Here's how it breaks down: 1. Land is sandstone/limestone/sediment. 2. Block construction. 3. Death. 4. Older than 50 years. 5. Near train tracks. 6. Near river. I can't wait to add up the hard evidence for haunting compared to its score, but I suspect it's probably going to hold strong.

I thought I'd share some art I got that's in my office so while I'm working I can gaze at it and sigh. I really like these two artists. One does drawings, the other does photography with some effects. The Green Man is done by a fantastically creative guy I found selling his art at the outdoor giant market on the weekend in Portland, Oregon. His name is Theo Ellsworth I love this stuff--it's a lot of Celtic/Pagan looking images. The other one, the photographer, is John Akhtar . He's a hard guy to find online, so the link is for an article about him. I love to find struggling artists and folks who do things a bit like how I look at the world. The mistied looks of the crypty with the black cat reminds me of twilight jaunts to graveyards and the Green Man with its colors and contrasts just gets me all ready to work in the garden.

Just to get away from the research for a few moments, I thought I'd share some pictures from things I have around my house. I have what I like to call a very orderly organized Virgo home where I personally (not the other house's occupants) like to keep things very simple, very organized, and own nothing I don't use or enjoy gazing upon. Well, the overall look I'm trying to achieve (after a decade of medieval castle look) is a kind of zen-like, contemporary, Ikea meets contemporary botanical garden look (I just made that up, don't call me a designer by any stretch of the imagination). But, I did keep a few of the elements from the medieval past design because I'm Celtic/Nordic and because I love the Green Man and garden whimsy. So, here's some faces that greet me around the house. Of course, one of those guys is a Roman head with a plant in it (but I like to think he's a garden man) and one is a dude I call "Merlin" because of the beard. I usual...

Waverly Hills Sanitorium in Louisville, Kentucky is the focus for my research on the haunted formula. If you recall, TAPS "Ghost Hunters" show went there and did an episode in which Jason and Grant caught something crossing the hallways on the Flir. The thing was 3-1/2 to 4-feet tall. Construction began on the building in 1908. Due to expanding numbers of tuberculosis patients and no antibiotics invented yet, the building was enlarged by 1926 to accommodate a massive amount of patients. Until 1926 it handled tuberculosis patients who died by the thousands (estimated at 63,000!). It reopened as a medical center and then later a geriatrics center until 1980 when it closed forever. It is most notable for the "death chute," a hallway designed to carry the bodies out past the patient's viewing eyes. I don't think there's many places with such an amazing location, construction, and death toll and suffering. This scored a 6/6, but I'd put it on the tipping ...