Theresa's Travels: Archive of the Afterlife Museum

Archive of the Afterlife is located in the old Sanford School

West Virginia is an awesome place for the paranormal enthusiast---our Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum and WV State Penitentiary consistently show up on lists of "Most Haunted" locations throughout the country and even the world. Numerous television shows, including the Dead Files, Ghost Hunters, and Ghost Adventures, have filmed the spooky experiences of our residents. Our Greenbank Observatory is helping lead the way into potential extraterrestrial contact. We've got the first ghost to ever testify in a court of law, leading to a murder conviction. And...we've got some pretty awesome, yet spooky MUSEUMS!

Most paranormal enthusiasts are familiar with the world's only Mothman Museum, located in Pt. Pleasant, WV...but there's another wonderful paranormal-themed museum in the northern part of our state that is definitely worth checking out: The Archive of the Afterlife.

Located just down the road from the WV State Penitentiary in Moundsville, the Archive of the Afterlife Museum is a fascinating repository of history, culture, and all things spooky!  Since 2011, curator and owner, Steve Hummel, has worked tirelessly to amass and share a collection of haunted artifacts and pieces of paranormal history from throughout West Virginia and beyond.

The Archive of the Afterlife isn't huge---in fact, it's a little on the small side. However, it is absolutely PACKED to overflowing with items that would make Zak Bagans salivate, lol. You could spend hours in there and probably not get a good look at EVERY item that makes up the collection.

Can't make it to the Warren's Museum in Connecticut to see Annabelle, the haunted doll? No worries---the Archive of the Afterlife has MULTIPLE dolls that are not only creepy to look at, but who have shown definite signs of being haunted/possessed. Want to see the long-lost skull cap from the State Pen's Ol' Sparky? You can find that here as well! You can find haunted portraits, military memorabilia, death/life masks, and plenty more. I just think its awesome that we have this type of place right here in the Mountain State!

My family and I visited this wonderful attraction last summer during our weekend in Moundsville. Of course, I was in Heaven, and probably a little overwhelmed with all there was to see. I worried that my 7-year-old son would be bored stupid, but to my surprise, he enjoyed it as well. He had a weird fascination with this creepy 'Charlie' Doll, and requested I take his photo with it for posterity. He was also drawn to a haunted edition of Dr. Seuss' famous Foot Book that apparently carries the memory (and a blood stain) of a quadruple homicide. That was probably MY favorite artifact as well, but like I said, there was so much to look at and read about that it was really hard to choose just one top item.

In addition to the collection of artifacts, Steve and his museum also offer a variety of special events, including the 2018 Grave City Haunted Relic Expo January 20th! And....I'll be there! I have rented a vendor table to promote Theresa's Haunted History and will be selling some ghostly household items and other sundries. If you're going to be in the area, please stop in and say hi! Admission is only $5, which includes access to the vendor area, live music, and tons of AWESOME speakers and presenters. You can find the whole lineup and more information at the EVENT PAGE.

The museum is located on the second floor of  the Sanford Center (1600 3rd St., Moundsville, WV, at the corner of 3rd and Cedar). From April to November, the museum is open from 1pm to 6pm, Tuesday through Saturday. December through March, the museum is open from 1pm to 6pm on Fridays and Saturdays only. Admission is just $3/person or $5/couple. Please see official WEBSITE and Facebook page for more information. This location is a MUST-SEE, and is an easy stop for anyone coming in from out of town to investigate or take a tour of the penitentiary. Also, make plans to attend this year's Haunted Relic Expo, and make sure you stop by and say hi to me!