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| Fairfield County Infirmary 'Dungeon' Area |
Hey, hey, it's time for another installment of my deep-dive into the haunted history of the Fairfield County Infirmary, located in Lancaster, Ohio! Since SRI will be returning their soon, I wanted to delve into some of the reported paranormal activity and just see what type of historical documentation I could find that may help back up those claims.
There's really no 'dead' (pun intended) area of the old infirmary; activity takes places on all four floors, and everything from full-body apparitions to phantom voices has been witnessed. Shadow people are extremely common, popping in and out of doorways and blocking the light at the end of long corridors. But, there's a shadow being at FCI that's a little out of the ordinary. In the attic of the old county home, there has been reported a dark, towering figure standing at least SEVEN FEET TALL!
By some accounts, this super tall shadowy being can grow to 8 or 9 feet, but generally he's clocked in at around 7 feet. Now, humans are notoriously bad at estimating size, but there does seem to be a very consistent flow of people witnessing a shadow that is at least much taller than the average person. Let's take a look at some possible explanations for this phenomenon.
Firstly, though, let's get some background on the area. The fourth floor attic space has been used for quite a few things over the years. Before a proper orphanage could be built in the latter part of the 1800's, one whole side was dedicated to housing the children of the poor farm. In later years, the attic was where transients could 'rent' a space to stay by working the fields. More disturbingly, though, is the fact that the attic was where the 'dungeon' was located. The dungeon was an area where the most incorrigible 'inmates' were chained to the wall for an indeterminate time. If the 'jail cells' on the lower floor didn't straighten you out after 24 hours, you were sent to the attic for punishment. There's also a small section of the attic now called the 'Chicken Coop,' denoted by a space with a chicken wire door, that the most mentally ill patients were said to have been kept.
With that sort of history, it's easy to see how this area could gain a haunted reputation. SRI has personally had some interesting activity recorded in the attic, including having a REM pod's batteries removed and thrown on the floor in the orphanage area. And while we did see several shadowy 'things,' we unfortunately didn't experience the 7 foot tall Shadow Man. So what could cause an entity of this size to haunt the Fairfield County Infirmary? Here are a few theories:
1. The IR Shadow
Before we even consider the idea that there's a 7 foot tall shadow being, we have to rule out the idea of natural causes. Are witnesses just seeing the shadow of a living person that looks larger due to the placement of the light source? Are they seeing the shadow of some inanimate object that just appears human-like under the right circumstances? Or, are they experiencing an IR shadow witnessed through the lens of their camera? An IR shadow is simply a shadow where the light source is an infrared light. It is not visible with the naked eye, but will show up on your camera in pictures/video. And, like a regular shadow, depending on the angle and placement of the light source, can cause the subject to appear taller than it actually is.
2. Ghost of a Really Tall Dude
If we are dealing with an actual paranormal entity, specifically a deceased human entity, is it possible that there could be a ghost who was actually 7+ feet tall in life? As stated earlier, humans are notoriously bad at estimating height, especially when only catching a fleeting glimpse. Still, with the average male only being around 5'6'' to 5'7'' in 1900, you wouldn't think that so many people would be overestimating by so much. However, I was able to find an interesting article about Benjamin "Toppy" Parot, who lived at the county infirmary, and unfortunately died there as well. Toppy was cited as being over 6 feet, 4 inches tall in his stocking feet. It was said that his casket was among the largest ever furnished by the county home.
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| Lancaster Eagle-Gazette 30 January 1915 |
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| Source: Find-a-Grave |
3. Ghost of a Not-So-Tall Dude
While Toppy Parot was considered rather tall for his time, there are plenty of other 'inmates' of the infirmary who passed away, some of which who would inevitably make that transition after spending a significant amount of time in the attic...or who actually did die in that space. One gentleman who attempted to take his life in that space was Seward Wagner. Wagner climbed out a skylight and jumped off the room, injuring himself. He passed shortly after. But why would Wagner, or any other potential ghost show up so tall? I found an interesting explanation given by Patience, one of the tour guides at FCI. Patience explains that the attic area isn't exactly on one consistent floor level, especially around the cupola area. What if the shadow person only LOOKS like its taller...but is in fact, 'standing' on flooring that is 18 inches taller than surrounding areas?
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| Lancaster Eagle-Gazette 11 February 1950 |
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| Lancaster Eagle-Gazette 17 February 1950 |
4. Ghost/Energy Manifesting in a Way We Don't Understand
One last thing to consider is that perhaps we're just dealing with a matter of our understanding of OUR physical world doesn't quite mesh up with the physics of 'their' world. Perhaps a human entity can choose how it manifests, and this particular being chooses to manifest in a way that appears intimidating and large. Maybe it's more symbolic; maybe there is no actual 'ghost,' but something more elemental, or even a collection of energy that represents a large, angry, oppressive entity. It's these types of questions that keep me in this field, always trying to find another piece of the puzzle. As Spectral Research and Investigations return to the Fairfield County Infirmary this month, we'll be working to answer these questions and inevitably, uncovering additional questions to ponder as well. Stay spooky, ya'll...and keep an eye out for more FCI articles being posted on Theresa's Haunted History!
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