Mercer School Spirits

Mercer School ca 1914
Source: WV History on View

Charleston's first Mercer School building was constructed around 1888 at the corner of Washington Street East and Brooks Street. Just before it was torn down in 1925 to make room for the new (the third and last) Charleston High School, the Charleston Daily Mail ran a short, light-hearted piece about the 'spasmodic' return of the school's ghosts. It seems that several years prior, the city was on high alert, both from being just a short time post-WWI and also because Charleston had been experiencing a rash of 'firebugs,' who had been responsible for several area fires. 

So, when strange, flickering lights were observed in Mercer Hall, and then sporadically throughout the building in the late hours of the night, it was believed to be intruders. Later, the assumption would turn to it being the fault of some ghosts, or 'hants.' 

The article notes that the flickering lights were again being seen and could be the ghosts' way of saying goodbye to the building before being torn down. However, it's pretty obvious that to the author at least, there was no real paranormal activity at play. The ghostly phenomenon had a tendency to cease whenever investigated and not show up for long intervals in between 'hauntings.'  And while there's probably a lot of truth in that belief, I personally would like to think that the creepy old castle-like building, covered in ivy, WAS haunted, like so many other schools tend to be. 

The land where the Mercer School once stood is now located behind the Clay Center, across from CAMC General. It is unknown whether or not the spooky light show continued with the new high school, or if paranormal activity is still present within the halls of the current on-site buildings. 

*The website, My WV Home, has a great collection of photographs, articles, and other information regarding the first Mercer School. Check it out HERE.*

The Charleston Daily Mail
10 January 1925

 

1912 Sanborn Fire Map
Mercer School Circled in Red

Current Map
Approximate Location of Mercer School Circled in Red

A Frankenberger Follow-Up

This is the photo by Dick Johnson allegedly
showing the shadow figure(s). Unfortunately,
this copy is too dark to see anything!

Hey everyone! It's officially Spooky Season, and despite the fact that I last mentioned it almost two years ago, I wanted to post a follow-up to the Frankenberger Mansion in Charleston, WV! This location came to my attention via a modern-day story on it ran by a local news station. That article was fun, and it inspired me to look into the history behind the turn-of-the-century home turned broadcast station, but details about the actual reported paranormal activity were kinda...sparse. But, thanks to newspaper archives, I was able to find a story from the Charleston Sunday Gazette Mail dating back to 1972, which delves a little deeper into eyewitness reports. The smell of perfume, LOTS of phantom footsteps, and a wayward hat are pretty much what was experienced by everyone who worked there.

I've transcribed the article from the 19 March 1972 edition of the Charleston Sunday Gazette Mail below for your Halloween-time reading pleasure!

THE RADIO-ACTIVE GHOST

By Terry Marchal

Al Sahley, the rotund radio man, arrives at WCHS in the deep, dark hours before dawn. The minute he steps inside the main door of the television-radio building on Virginia St. E., he starts talking to a ghost.

"Ghost," he says, "I know you're in here. Just let me know you're around. You can have a cup of coffee with me if you want. But don't do anything. I don't like surprises."

Sahley has never seen the ghost. He has never experienced anything unusual. But he sincerely believes the spirit is there.

"A lot of people laugh at me," he said. "But I really believe in the thing. Too many things have happened to too many people around here. It couldn't possibly be a practical joke."

For several years, incidents around the older section of the WCHS building complex have kept alive the belief that a ghost wanders in the nighttime.

Hats being knocked from heads. Puffs of cold air blowing through closed-up rooms. Strange odors. Eerie noises. Footsteps in deserted areas. Slamming doors. Flickering lights.

The WCHS complex is built around an old three-story Virginia Street home. Although a newly built front section and an adjoining television building have hidden the outer views of the old house, it's still there. And that's where the ghost is said to stay.

"Nothing ever happens in the newer television section," Sahley said. "And the incidents mostly occur in the upper two floors of the old house."

Sahley said the house was once owned by the Frankenberger family. The radio man said he has tried to dig up some history of the house, something that might account for the presence of the ghost. So far he has found nothing. "But I'll keep trying," he said "because I know the ghost exists. 

Dick Johnson, director of photography at the station, also believes in the ghost. He thinks it's a female.

"Well, there have been perfume odors," he said. "So, I figure it must be a woman."

Like Sahley, Johnson talks to the ghost. He calls it "honey." He said "I guess as long as you talk nice to it, it won't bother you."

Johnson may have taken a picture of the spirit of WCHS.

He once set up a camera on time exposure overnight in an office at the station. When he processed the resulting picture, two shadowy images were apparent.

"It could have been someone who came in to get a coat and created a shadow on the time exposure," he said. "But I like to believe it's the ghost."

Gene Brick, chief engineer, also believes that talking to the ghost keeps its bothersomeness limited.

Brick said his hat was knocked from his head a couple of times one evening. At first he thought it was done by a fellow human. When he realized there was no one around him, he assumed that the hat had been knocked off by a string dangling from an overhead light.

"But the string was five or six feet away from me," he said. "So I turned around and said "Ghost, why don't you stop bothering people around here?"

That was the last trouble he had with the spirit, Brick said. 

When art director Butch Armstrong first came to WCHS 20 months ago, he had a harrowing experience.

The art department is on the top floor of the old section. A storeroom adjoins the art room. 

"I don't believe in ghosts," Armstrong said, "but when some strange thing happens that you can't explain, you can't discount it."

Armstrong was working in the art department one night when the lights suddenly went out. He said he went to a master switch and circuit breaker next to the storeroom door. But flicking the switches failed to bring the lights on again.

Armstrong said he had a hint of perfumey odor near the storeroom. In the darkness he opened the storeroom door. 

"When I opened that door," he said "the odor filled the entire art department. It was a sweet musty odor like that of an old trunk that's just been opened."

"I had a morbid feeling as if a cold wind had swept past me. But all the windows were closed. I backed away from the storeroom door. Then the odor faded and the lights came on."

Armstrong said he didn't think too much of it. "I'm a believer in logic and there must be some explanation," he said. "But it wasn't my imagination. I didn't even know about the ghost at the time."

The art director said there are often footsteps around the upper floors of the building.

"They are distinct footsteps. Sometimes you hear them approach from behind, but there's no one there when you turn to look. I once had an assistant run out on me one night after hearing the footsteps."

Armstrong said the footsteps may be explained by the acoustics of the building, that they could possibly be an echo from some other section where someone is walking.

"But there are very few people in this building who will come upstairs alone after dark to investigate noises."

Bob Hamlin, assistant operations manager, agreed. 

"There are a lot of unexplainable  happenings," he said.

One night, Hamlin was working after midnight on a videotape project with Gary Lashinsky of National Shows Inc. 

Although all the offices were locked and deserted and the lights turned out on one of the upper floors, they heard a banging noise from the area.

"When we went to check," Hamlin said, "we found all the doors open and all the lights on." Still, he said, the floor was deserted of other human existence.

"We turned out all the lights and relocked the doors," Hamlin said. But shortly after they returned downstairs they again heard the noise.

Returning to the area, they once again found all the locked doors swung open and all the lights on.

"This ghost has a thing with lights," Johnston said. "I was here one New Year's Eve--just stopped by to pick something up--and a fluorescent light above my desk that had never worked suddenly came on. "It hasn't worked since," he said.

"I walked into a hallway and around a corner and said to the ghost, "Hey, Honey. Happy New Year." My wife was with me. I went back to the office and got her and said, "Let's get out of here."

Commercial film coordinator Charles Martin had a "frightening experience" one night.

It was last summer. He was alone on the third floor, preparing to pack up a projector. 

"There was suddenly this sickening sweet perfumy odor you wouldn't believe. An eerie feeling came over me, just as though someone had slipped up behind me and started running their fingers up and down my back."

Martin said all the windows were closed, that there was no breeze in the room. Suddenly the door slammed shut and locked. 

"That door is next to impossible to lock," he said. "You really have to work with it. But it locked by itself."

"Naturally I was scared. I ran to the door and it wouldn't open right away. When I finally managed to get it unlocked and open, I ran downstairs.

He said newsmen Roy Brassfield and Jane Martin had to sit with him for about 20 minutes before he was calm enough to drive home.

"When I'm working alone upstairs now, "Martin said, "I tie the doors open. I know a lot of people laugh at people experiencing things like this, but I say wait until it happens to you. I was scared and I admit it."

Jane Martin, the pretty blonde TV weather girl, said she has experienced noises when there's no one around. 

"Some of them can be explained," she said. "Once, I was fixing some coffee and reached for a paper towel when I heard the floor squeaking as if someone was walking. But there was nobody there."

It was explained to her, however, that the tile floor often popped or squeaked a few seconds after someone had walked by, a natural occurrence. 

"But I tend to believe there is a ghost," Mrs. Martin said. "There are some things that haven't been explained. I once heard shuffling noises in a corner when there was absolutely no one there."

Engineer John Barker said there is a WCHS janitor who refuses to go to upper floors after dark because of the footstep noises he has heard.

"There are noises all around here at night," he said. "We used to have a lot of break-ins around the building and when we hear noises, we always go check them out. But we never find anything."

Barker said there are very few people who will travel alone to upper floors at night. 

"They always go in groups," he said. The footsteps are frequent. Nearly everyone in the building at night has heard them at one time or another.

"People hear the footsteps in the hall," Charlie Martin said, "and open a door to look. There's no one there. You hear them in the same room with you when there's no one there but you."

"There are a lot of people around here who laugh at the idea," he said, "but I'm a firm believer that there's a spook in this building."

The other morning, Charles Ryan, the news director, banged on the door of the control room and moaned softly. 

"There were people inside," he said "but they wouldn't open the door to investigate. Around here, nearly everyone believes."

Does Charles Ryan believe?

"Well, I don't know. Are there such things as ghosts?"

Before WCHS refronted the old house, it looked as though it certainly should be haunted.

Art Linkletter once visited WCHS. As he stepped from a car on Virginia Street and looked up at the old building, he said: "I thought they filmed The Munsters in California."

Charleston's Clicking Ghost

Charleston, WV ca 1920
Source: WV History on View

I love a good, local ghost story! Today's tale comes from the September 5, 1920 edition of the Charleston Daily Mail, and shares the experiences of one family living in a two-story home in the city. Unfortunately, there are no names, addresses, or any other clues to help figure out WHICH house is being discussed. All we know is that in addition to the family, the home contained a 'clicking' ghost.

The family had moved into the home several years prior, and weren't there very long before they noticed a strange phenomenon. Day or night, whatever the season, they'd hear strange noises coming from various points throughout the house, including the living room, dining room, upstairs and downstairs halls, and even the bedrooms. But, this noise was unlike the normal noises made by settling homes, experiencing shifts in temperature and humidity. This noise was a very distinct 'click,' not unlike someone snapping their fingers. 

While the family quietly engaged in reading or other activities, out of nowhere would come the clicking sound, arousing everyone's attention. However, this was always just one, lone, solitary click, and as much as the family strained to hear another, the next click never came sooner than 1-2 hours later, and always from a different part of the house. 

In terms of paranormal activity, these clicks were pretty mundane, and the family just accepted that they had a ghost, even commenting jovially on the subject. But, activity would take a slight upward turn during the summer of 1920. It was then that the family began using a previously unoccupied bedchamber. Apparently, this room wasn't exactly unoccupied, for it would seem that it was actually the personal space of the clicking ghost!

After moving into this room, the family noticed that while the clicks in the rest of the house were sometimes rather faint, the clicks coming from this room were consistently clear, sharp and crisp. They also tended to come more frequently, and occurred rather close to wherever the person was at in the room at the time. If they were in bed, the noise would come from around the headboard. If they were by the dresser, that's where the click was heard. 

The family insisted that these noises were not emanating from the walls, floors, or even ceiling. Rather, they seemed to be coming from right in the middle of the room, floating about 5 to 6 feet above the floor, further convincing them that the clicks were the work of a phantom guest snapping his fingers.

By the end of the newspaper column, the father of the family notes that the ghost, along as it keeps to just the snapping, is welcome to stay. However, if it starts pulling the bedclothes off, it better watch out!

My first thoughts in reading this were that the clicking noises sound a lot like poltergeist activity, but poltergeists tend to not stick around for very long and many times, the activity quickly intensifies until it reaches a head. This ghost just seemed most content to click or snap every now and again reside peacefully among this Charleston family, who fortunately, was more than willing to also coexist peacefully with their ghost! 

Charleston Daily Mail
5 September 1920

Charleston's Haunted East End

Charleston Ghost Tour Company FB Page

Last November, my husband and I moved into an apartment on Charleston's historic East End. My dad has worked and lived in the area for quite a few years now, and often tells me about the ghost stories and reports of hauntings HE has heard, many from some of the buildings where he works. Hell, we've even experienced a few unexplained things in our own apartment, including the sensation of being touched, and seeing a man standing in our hallway. So, when the Charleston Ghost Tour Company announced that it would be offering a Ghost Walk of the Historic East End as part of the annual Sternwheel Regatta festivities, I signed my husband and me up!

Despite living in the area, life has always seemed to get in the way, so this was only the third tour I've gotten to take with Charleston Ghost Tour Company---the first two being focused on downtown haunts. Those were awesome, but I REALLY enjoyed the East End tour as we meandered about this historic district, learning about the haunted history of my new home.

April and Scott start the tour

It was hotter than Hades as my husband and met the rest of the tour participants in front of the Governor's Mansion. We had signed up for the 9pm tour on June 30th (I had an investigation on the 1st!) hoping that the later time would be a little cooler. It wasn't, and the humidity was oppressive, but thankfully the tour was conducted at an easy walking pace with the opportunity to sit down in a few spots. 

As stated, we started off at the Governor's Mansion and learned why employees are no longer allowed to enter by themselves. I'd like to think that Governor Jim Justice is just terrified by the ghosts, and that's why he refuses to follow state protocol and actually LIVE there...but the Greenbriar also is said to have it's fair share of ghosts, so I guess he can't use that as an excuse!  Following the Governor's Mansion, we moved onto another building on the state capitol grounds, Holly Grove Mansion. Holly Grove is Charleston's oldest home, being built in 1815 by Daniel Ruffner. From the legends and lore, even during the Ruffner's tenure there, a servant had an unfortunate run-in with an alleged ghost...a run-in that would prove fatal. 

The Ruffner family, who at one point owned all the land in the current East End (and pretty much all of the land between Malden and the Elk River, too), would make a couple of appearances on this tour. We also made stops at Ruffner Park, which once served as the town's burial grounds, and where several members of the Ruffner Family are still said to be buried. Dogs tend to avoid this area (except for my beagle, who when we tried it, was far more fascinated by the squirrels and new places to pee, rather than any potential ghosts) and strange temperature fluctuations are common. 

Holly Grove Mansion

We also stopped at a private home along Kanawha Boulevard that also once belonged to Ruffner heirs. According to a famous psychic medium of the late 19th/early 20th century, this home was a portal to connecting with deceased Ruffner ancestors and she would occasionally hold seances there. A modern owner of the property also had some paranormal activity, and contributed the less-than-friendly atmosphere of the ghosts to him NOT being a Ruffner relative. 

Two more houses along the boulevard were near-identical copies of each other, or at least they were when they were built in 1923 by Albert Schwabe for his two daughters. The daughters, Claire and Hedwig, were giving matching EVERYTHING, and it is said that even in death, the two girls' spirits are still in the homes, copying each other. If one turns a light on, the other will turn a light on in the reciprocating room. This must be quite the spectacle for anyone happening to pass by at night, or watching from across the river.

Speaking of the river...

April Morgan, owner of the Charleston Ghost Tour Company was accompanied by Scott Worley of Beckley Ghosts, a tour company, offering tours in the southern part of the state. One of the stories Scott added to the tour was the tale of a strange giant leech creature that lived in the Kanawha River, luring people, especially small children, to their demise. That's a pretty horrific aquatic cryptid to lay claim to, but being the Kanawha River, nothing surprises me.

Capito Mansion

Another stop on the tour, and my favorite home we visited, was the Capito Mansion on Virginia Street. I drive by this location all the time on my way to my dad's place. Now, I'll make sure to slow down a little and try to catch a glimpse of either the shadow man, who struts across the front porch, still acting as a guard for Mr. Capito's perfectly legal wholesale liquor business *coughcough*, or the angelic image in the stained glass, depicting a woman who passed away while giving blood during the home's time as a Red Cross donation site. 

The evening was wrapped up back at the West Virginia State Capitol, which is full of enough legends and lore for its own tour, probably. Both guides shared some personal experiences from the building, and also shared some of the more famous tales, such as the Suicide Stain and the phantom maintenance man. Overall, I had a great time. It was certainly worth the $10 admission fee, and (mostly) worth the mini fibro flare up due to the heat and being so outta shape, lol. I had a great time learning more about the haunted history of the state's capital city and will be waiting patiently for more tours held during slightly cooler months!

Both the Charleston Ghost Tour Company and Haunted Beckley offer a variety of tours throughout the year, so please follow them both for more updates! 

Ending at the State Capitol

Tombstone Tuesday: Miles Vernon Dixson at Charleston's Spring Hill

Miles Vernon Dixson's Tombstone at Spring Hill
Photo by Find-a-Grave User, Rosa Nutt

My husband and I recently rented an apartment in Charleston's East End...which means I'm literally about a five minute drive from the city's beautiful, historic Victorian-era burial ground known as Spring Hill Cemetery. This massive, sprawling cemetery overlooking the state capitol is the final resting place for many of Charleston's most famous and accomplished citizens. It's a wonderful look at the history of the city and a snapshot of the lives of those who made it all possible. 

But there's one tombstone included in the cemetery's self-guided history walk that is rather unassuming. To walk up on the small, rather plain marker amid elaborate obelisks and extravagant displays of funerary art, you might not take a second glance. However, the young man buried there has a fascinating tale to tell. 

Twenty-one year old Miles Vernon Dixson of South Hills was a teller at the Kanawha Valley Bank, but his dream was to become a pilot. So, the young man enrolled in Glen Clark's flying school, which he ran from his seaplane base, located on the Kanawha River. On Saturday March 2, 1935, Dixson took one of the training sea planes out for a practice run in preparation for his upcoming licensing exam. As he was flying over the vicinity of Spring Hill Cemetery, something went wrong.

Spring Hill Mausoleum 
Photo by Theresa Racer

Newspaper articles of the time period aren't 100% clear, but it seems as if a stunt may have went wrong, and one or both of the plane's wings were torn away from the body of the plane at about 1,800 feet up. He tried to deploy his parachute, but was unable to until he was only 200 feet high and it didn't have time to open. The plane crashed, and his body plummeted to the ground, right beside the mausoleum of Spring Hill Cemetery. His death certificate lists his cause of death as a fractured skull and crushed chest. Ironically, he was buried in Spring Hill, just a short walk from where his life actually ended. 

Over the years, Spring Hill Cemetery in Charleston (like it's counterpart, Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington) has gained a reputation for being haunted. In recent years, the debate as to why cemeteries would even BE haunted locations of note has been a hot topic among the paranormal community. That's a blog post for another day, but it's stories like this one that definitely add an interesting layer to that debate! Unfortunately, this was a really sad case where a young life was extinguished way too soon. 

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
03 March 1935

Food Among the Flowers: A Haunted History of a Former Funeral Home

Food Among the Flowers
formerly Bartlett-Burdette-Cox Funeral Home

Several months ago, Spectral Research and Investigation was approached by April of The Charleston Ghost Tour Company to help investigate a 'virgin' location---a location right here in Charleston, West Virginia that had never before been investigated. Of course, we jumped at the chance, and made arrangements to meet with April, Gerry, and several other members of his staff to work out the logistics of a full-scale overnight investigation.

Walking into the location, I was already enthralled. From the outside, its a beautiful old building, and it's big, but I don't think you can really appreciate just HOW big until you really start to explore the maze of corridors and rooms that make up the two stories plus basement. Built on the west side of Charleston (Elk City District area) around 1930, the building began its life as Bartlett's Funeral Home, later to be known as Bartlett-Burdette-Cox Funeral Home. Currently, the location is home to Food Among the Flowers, a florist and event planning/catering business. 

I have to give a shout out to Gerry and the rest of the staff at Food Among the Flowers. This is an awesome local business. If you're planning a wedding, a graduation, or any other big event that needs food, flowers, or any other type of similar service, give them a call! If you need a beautiful bouquet of flowers sent to a loved one for any occasion, give them a call! If you'd like your home or business professionally decorated for the holidays, they can do that, too.  They do beautiful, professional work, and are just awesome people to boot. Plus, their showroom is just a really cool place to browse. Sprinkled among the tasteful silk floral arrangements and upscale lawn and home goods are hilarious, cheeky little gifts that are perfect for family and friends...or as a special treat just for you. Anyway....

From that initial meeting, we knew this location had a lot of potential. In fact, as we were standing around talking, we heard the distinct, disembodied sound of phantom keys jingling down an empty back hallway! We learned that we weren't the only ones that had heard that, or similar sounds. Footsteps, items shifting, jingling sounds, were common, as were other minor occurrences such as two swivel chairs in the main first floor work area rotating on their own and stopping like they were facing the person talking. There was also some talk about the sound system being played with, as if the potential spirits in the buildings didn't quite care for certain choices of music.

The elevator that always took one employee to the basement,
whether or not that's where she wanted to go or not!
To the right is the shelf where Baby Grace's body was
said to have awaited burial for so many years.

Overall, the activity described was not mean, scary, or malevolent in any way, although it could be a bit unnerving at times. We were told that one member of the staff hated using the elevator because even though she'd push the UP button to go to the second floor, it'd inevitably take her down to the dark, creepy basement where the old body storage units were found. Activity seemed to peak when the staff was staying late, and seemed more concentrated on the right side of the building where the living quarters/apartment section is located. It was described almost as if someone was watching them and knew that it was past hours, and therefore, time to be heading on out for the evening. 

As stated, this location WAS a funeral home from around 1930 all the way up until 2016 and I think the first inclination for some people is that, wow...that's creepy. OF COURSE A FUNERAL HOME WOULD BE HAUNTED! But would it be? According to ghost lore, most ghosts tend to haunt places that meant something to them, such as where they lived or where they died, or even where they spent a lot of time (such as places they worked, or places they really enjoyed visiting in life). Why would they want to stick around with their bodies? There are a couple of theories that say its possible that the soul would stay with the body for a set period of time, or perhaps indefinitely if it had nowhere else to go...so what type of ghosts could possibly be haunting THIS location? That's what SRI, joined with Charleston Ghost Tour Company and Mountaineer Paranormal set out to find during our investigation in late May. 

And one of the first stories we concentrated our research and investigation on was the tragic tale of Baby Grace. As the story goes, some time around the 1950s or so, the body of a baby girl was left on the steps of the funeral home. There was nothing left with the body to identify who the little girl was, or who her family had been. As with any other unclaimed body, the funeral home processed her as normal...but there was one difference. Generally, when an unclaimed body was brought into an area funeral home, it was processed by that funeral home and sent for burial at Charleston's Spring Hill Cemetery, which had a 'pauper's cemetery' section laid out for indigent individuals. For whatever reason, this baby girl's body was embalmed, laid out in a little coffin, and put upon a high shelf in the basement. 

Bruce Bartlett, original owner and founder
of Bartlett-Burdette-Cox Funeral Home

There she stayed, on a wooden shelf, right by the staircase, until 1996, when John 'Sonny' Cox, the owner, sold the business to Stewart Enterprises (which later became Service Corporation International). Cox stayed on as the funeral director, but under the business' new ownership, the staff was told that Baby Grace, as the little infant was now known, would finally need to be laid to rest. Supposedly, it was now time for her to take her place among the other unknowns in Spring Hill Cemetery. It's a heart-wrenching story, and those with knowledge of the tale are adamant that the story is exactly as described. Unfortunately from a documentation point of view...we just can't verify it. 

Sadly, there were a LOT of newborn babies found abandoned in the Charleston area, especially between the 1930's (onset of the Great Depression) and the 1960's (when most of the online records cease to be available). Going through the state archives, there are just pages after pages of unknown infants, many of them found thrown in the Elk River and the cause of death being hemorrhage due to the umbilical cord not being properly clamped. Several of these babies were brought in to Bartlett's, but the death certificates all state they were promptly buried in Spring Hill. There is no mention of any NOT being buried, or any actually being found on the steps of the funeral home itself. Nor is there any publicly available record of such a burial in or around 1996 at Spring Hill. So, although we cannot say the story didn't happen, we can't prove as of this writing that it did. 

This 2nd floor apartment wing was the site of much
activity during our investigation. Motion-activated 'cat balls'
continuously went off without any known source of provocation.

There's another unfortunate story connected to the funeral home, one that happened rather recently. In 2016, there was a mix up. Two women, passing away around the same time, were 'misidentified,' and the body of one ended up being shown at the funeral for the other. Despite protests from the family that the body in the casket was not who it was supposed to be, she was put in the grave meant for that other woman. The mix-up was finally acknowledged and proven, and of course the funeral home was sued by both families. That same year, Mr. Cox decided to retire as funeral director, so both factors inevitably led to the Bartlett-Burdette-Cox Funeral Home being shuttered for good. 

Those two cases by themselves could theoretically be fodder for some hauntings, but to do our due diligence, we have to look at ALL scenarios. Based on the feelings of the staff and the concentration of activity in the apartment area, could the ghosts of the building be from those who worked and/or lived there? To learn a little more about that, we had to take a look at just who owned the building. 

The land that now sits at 513 Tennessee Avenue was acquired by Bruce E. Bartlett in 1928 for the purpose of building a stately new funeral home. Bartlett had come from a family of funeral directors, and had been in business since 1918 on the East End of Charleston with a man named Boyle. The new West Side funeral home was finished around 1930, with Bartlett serving as funeral director until the early 1960's. He passed away in 1965, but his predecessor, Garnet Frank Burdette had already purchased the business...but not the building. The building actually remained in the Bartlett family until 1981 when John 'Sonny' Cox purchased the building. Cox had already been working there for years, and had purchased the business in 1976, right around the time Burdette passed away. These three owners/funeral directors were the main faces of Bartlett-Burdette-Cox, but they were joined by Harold Meadows, M.C. "Dugie" Tatum, and a host of other employees over the years.

Advertisement from 1974

Any number of these employees probably spent a great deal of time at the funeral home, working late into the wee hours of the morning, and probably spending more than a few overnights in the apartment wing of the building. It is interesting to note, however, that NONE of the buildings owners ever actually lived full time in the building with their families. Each owner maintained a separate private residence in another part of town. So, we speculate that the multiple bedrooms were either for those employees who were tasked with being 'on-call' or who had to work too late to make the drive home worth it...or perhaps as one newspaper ad from 1936 would suggest that those rooms were sometimes rented out to the public. There is a separate entrance on the side of the building which allows access to this section of the building. Could one of these former employees still be looking after the building that for so many years bore his name? It seems very possible, as throughout our evening the majority of the activity WE experienced on our investigation was concentrated on the second floor, especially in the area where the embalmings took place, and the hallway of the apartment wing. Most notably, we had quite a few odd noises picked up, and quite a few times where motion-activated 'cat balls' went off on their own. Personally, I felt extremely drawn to the stairway leading from the apartment wing to the outside exit, and as I was standing at the top of those stairs, our guest investigator who was conducting an Estes Method listening experiment stated that I should 'go down there.' 

Because of the experiences WE had, the potential evidence we caught, and the majority of activity reported by the clients, I feel inclined that there is a strong connection between the activity at Food Among the Flowers and the people associated with the daily operations of the funeral home. But, again we wouldn't be doing our due diligence if we didn't go back even another level...and take a look at the history of the location BEFORE the funeral home was even built. 

The pre-1930 West Side of Charleston was an interesting place. Prior to the Civil War, that entire area was home to several large plantations, including one named Edgewood owned by the James Carr family, and we do know that there was some minor troop movement probably directly through the area where the building now sits. Starting in the 1870s, however, is when the area begins to break up into individually owned plots of land, and the little town known as Elk City would be born. 

The crew prepares for our investigation!

In 1870, J.B. Walker moved to Charleston, West Virginia and began rapidly buying up land west of the Elk River, including land belonging to the James Carr family. He turned around and sectioned the land off, selling this particular plot to William Reveal in 1877. The land was in the Reveal family for ten years until it was sold to the James and Mary Cox family.  It was also owned by the Holians and the Higginbothams, before finally coming into possession into to Mr. Bartlett.  And, according to the Sanborn Fire Maps that are available, we know that at LEAST as far back as 1893, there was a private residence on the property--a two story wooden dwelling. Research is always an on-going endeavor, but as of this writing, I haven't found any significant events involving any of the families that owned the property previously that would make me suspect that we were in contact with them, or did we? Messages about a fire, or being burned kept coming through. Similar feelings of heat, or suffocation, or other things that could be associated with a fire kept popping up. What happened to that wooden dwelling? Was it simply torn down to make room for the new or was it destroyed by a fire at sometime between 1893 and 1912 when we have confirmation from available Sanborn maps that it stood on this corner? 

Spectral Research and Investigations has just begun to scratch the surface into this fascinating piece of Charleston's history, and we're hoping that we will have many more opportunities to come in and gather evidence and continue to compile historical documentation which will let us share the stories that have been hidden among its walls for 90 years. We've already had a wonderful opportunity this past weekend, to rejoin Charleston Ghost Tours and Mountaineer Paranormal, along with teaming up with Haunted Beckley and Amber's ParaWorld for a unique public event! Dining with the Departed: The Wake of Baby Grace offered patrons an eventful evening of delicious charcuterie, complimentary psychic readings, the premier of SRI's evidence compiled into a feature-length video, tours of the building, ghost stories, and of course, a chance to break into groups a do a little hands-on ghost hunting! 

If you missed out on that opportunity, don't worry...SRI's episode of Locked In: The Wake of Baby Grace at Food Among the Flowers, a film shot mostly by, and produced entirely by SRI videographer Kaysee Brabb, has officially been made public on our YouTube page! And...I wouldn't be too surprised if you see this location pop up as the venue for future public events. Stay spooky, everyone...and make sure you check out the links below to support the many people who pulled together to make this investigation and subsequent public event a reality. Stay spooky, ya'll. 

Links of Interest:

Food Among the Flowers Blog by Brian Clary, SRI Founder (SRI Official Website) (Facebook)

Locked In: Food Among the Flowers Video by Kaysee Brabb (SRI YouTube Channel)

Food Among the Flowers Blog by Austin Stanley, Mountaineer Paranormal (MP Website) (Facebook)

Food Among the Flowers

Charleston Ghost Tour Company (Facebook)

Haunted Beckley 

Amber's ParaWorld (YouTube Channel)

Sources: (Complete list coming soon!)

Glenwood Chronicles PowerPoint Presentation (PDF)

Elk City Historic District National Register Nomination Application (PDF)

"The Girl with 1000 Eyes" Comes to Charleston's Plaza Theater

Leona LaMar
Source: Wikipedia

Leontine DuMar was born in Rochester, NY on October 26, 1883. Although this was the same town the famous Fox Sisters hailed from, making it a modern mecca of the Spiritualist Movement, it is unknown whether or not a young Leontine also exhibited early signs of mediumistic ability. However, by the 1920's, Leontine, now going by her stage name of Leona LaMar, would be known as one of the best mentalists in the country. Billed as "The Girl with 1000 Eyes," she'd tour the United States, headlining vaudeville acts from city to city.

She and her husband, Walter (Hugh) Shannon, were a duo. They were signed by Terry Turner in 1910 and it is reported that they made $2500 a week off their show of mind reading and astrology, which Leona referred to as 'mental telepathy'. In one popular act of theirs, Hugh, referred to as 'The Professor,' would go out into the audience and randomly select small personal articles, such as a scarf or wallet. Leona, who would be blindfolded on stage, would then have to identify the article using mind reading. Her accuracy was outstanding and thrilled audiences as she could even correctly guess dates on coins and names on calling cards. 

From my modern perspective, I assumed that Leona, aided by her husband, was a skilled cold reader. In short, cold reading is a technique used by mentalists/psychics/etc. in which they ask leading questions and follow certain visual clues in the person's appearances/mannerisms/reactions to come up with high-probability answers to questions. And, I'm sure that to a degree, cold reading techniques WERE used in her acts. However, Joe Nickell, in his 2005 book, Secrets of the Sideshows, puts forth the explanation that Leona and Hugh had actually worked out an elaborate system of code. For example, if Hugh would say, "what am I holding?" that would signify it was a specific item, such as a scarf. But, if he said "What do I have in my hand?," that would indicate a different item as specified by their code. 

During the week of November 24, 1919, The Girl with 1000 Eyes was the headlining performer at the Plaza Theater in Charleston, West Virginia. The Charleston Daily Mail ran an article announcing the show, and sharing a little bit about what Leona could do. It was requested that audience members have faith when asking Leona to help them find friends and lost articles or answer any other pressing questions they may have. It was suggested that tickets be bought early, as seats would surely fill up fast. And, in addition to Leona's headlining act, this particular vaudeville show would also feature some wonderful singers, actors, and others. Phil Weir, Jack King, Margaret Ryan, Will Halliday, Curly Burns, and the 'Parlines' would all be there, accompanied by the Plaza Orchestra under direction of C. Raymond Minotti. 

After Hugh's death in 1930, it seems as if Leona would still perform...just not to the same degree of touring that she and her husband undertook. Leona herself would die in 1941 at her home in Englewood, New Jersey. She was buried at Mt. Carmel Cemetery. Her gravestone bears her given name of Leontine DuMar Shannon, and makes no mention of her profession as the Girl with 1000 Eyes. 

Throughout her career, Leona was often compared to and even said to have abilities far superior to Eva Fay, a contemporary medium/mentalist. Ironically, Eva Fay would be investigated by Harry Houdini for fraud, and after retiring in 1924, admitted to faking much of her work. As far as I can tell, Leona was never actually studied under controlled settings or ever really a part of any major public controversy. I don't want to downplay her 'abilities' because I honestly have no idea whether the possibility of her legitimately being a psychic can be proven or disproven at this stage. I think she avoided a lot of the scrutiny from the scientific community simply because her work on the vaudeville circuit, demonstrating this fun, little 'parlour tricks,' made her public persona one of an entertainer and not a Spiritualist. Although she answered questions from the audience, undoubtedly some of which were from grieving survivors, she wasn't regularly involved in seances, manifesting ectoplasm and  channeling deceased loved ones. She was telling people where their lost keys were and if her husband was holding up a hair comb or a dollar bill. She predicted the outcome of sporting events, and offered relationship advice, occasionally during special 'women-only matinees' held in larger cities.  And when she died, her profession was listed as 'actress.'

Even if Leona's 'ability' was strictly being really good at her novelty act and NOT actually possessing any real psychic senses, I think her story is an interesting one. It provides a glimpse into the Spiritualist movement that swept the country, especially in the years following the First World War. People were desperate for hope and desperate to have proof that life continued on after bodily death. They were also hungry for new forms of entertainment and escape from everyday monotony. While some viewed Spiritualism as a religion, others just enjoyed the novelty of the unknown. While Leona wasn't the only mystical performer to come to Charleston, West Virginia, or even the Plaza Theater (which still stands downtown and is said to have a haunted reputation), her booking is a fun snapshot into the history of Spiritualism in Charleston and a really interesting peek into the history of the old Plaza Theater. Leona LaMar has certainly earned her spot in the spooky and weird side of West Virginia history. But, like I said, she isn't alone! Over the course of the next few months, I have many, many more stories to share with you all about Spiritualism in Charleston and West Virginia as a whole! Until then, you may enjoy past stories I've shared, such as Effie Fulton: Huntington Spiritualist or Charleston's Very Own Ouija Board. 

The Charleston Daily Mail
24 November 1919

The Frightening Frankenberger Mansion of Charleston

Frankenberger Mansion
Photo from WOWK 13 News

On November 1, 2016, the local 13News posted an article about a spooky, haunted mansion located right in the heart of Charleston, West Virginia! Located at 1111 Virginia Street East, the former Frankenberger Mansion is now home to the West Virginia Radio Group. Noel Richardson, who at the time of the article had been working in the building for 20 years, explains some of the ghostly goings-on.

According to Richardson, the ghost of the Frankenberger Mansion enjoys communicating through small, unexplainable acts, such as strange, unaccounted for noises, and messing with the lights. During one such event, Richardson had set out to work on a rooftop satellite dish around 2am. He turned the light switch on, then went down the steps, only to have the light go right back out. After turning it back on, Richardson noticed the light actually click itself off a second time, leading him to believe that the resident spirit enjoys the dark! But who is the lost soul that haunts the building? Richardson believes it is a former servant of the Frankenbergers who, after a brief affair in a second floor room with Mr. Frankenberger, found herself pregnant. Legend states that the unwanted baby was buried in the basement, possibly behind a hidden wall, and that the wronged mother comes back to search for her child and trying to make amends with the Frankenberger family. Let's explore that theory a little further...

Frankenberger Mansion Today
Photo by Theresa

The Frankenberger Mansion was built at the turn of the last century (I've seen 'official' listings as being either 1893 or 1900) by Philip Frankenberger. Philip was born in Wertheim, Germany on October 20, 1843. As a teenager, he immigrated to the United States, eventually settling in Charleston in 1860. He and his brother, Moses, opened up a men's clothing store that would remain a staple of downtown shopping for the next 100 years. 

Philip married Jennie Moss, and together, they had five children. In the 1900 census, the family is living in their palatial Virginia Street home with Herbert (23 years old), Max (21 years old), Hortense (17 years old), Rena (14 years old), and little Walter (5 years old). They were also living with a servant named Elizabeth Saxton. 

Unfortunately, Mrs. Frankenberger passed away on April 2, 1904. Philip followed her in death on November 13, 1908. On October 30th, he had come home from work and went to bed. He took violently ill during the night and would undergo surgery for appendicitis. It was hoped that he would recover from his illness, but he took a turn for the worse, and died on a Friday afternoon at 3:30pm, surrounded by family and friends at home. Funeral services were held in the house by the Masonic Lodge No. 20, of which Frankenberger was an active member. He was buried in the B'Nai Israel Cemetery in Charleston, located within the Spring Hill Cemetery grounds. 

Map Card for 1111 Virginia St. E

By the next census in 1910, Max is living in the Virginia Street home as head of the household. He lives with younger siblings Rena (24 years old) and 15 year old Walter. They also live with a servant named Allie Lively. 

By the following census of 1920, the family is no longer associated with the property, and its rooms are being offered in the local newspaper for rent. In 1954, WCHS-TV came on the air, moving its offices from the Middleburg Auditorium on Lee Street to the newly renovated mansion, complete with studio space. After the station moved to new facilities in 1988, the Charleston Radio Group took over, and today the space is home to several radio and television stations. Oh, and its home to the ghost, too. 

Household help comes and goes, and since census records are only taken every 10 years, its unlikely that either Ms. Saxton or Ms. Lively is our ghost in question...if that story is even factual. As with many hauntings said to stem from not-so-nice circumstances, information usually isn't easily verified. I mean, an affair with a prominent businessman and a potentially murdered baby aren't necessarily things that would have been publicized back then, especially if a family had the wealth and prestige to cover things up. But, as I often tell my clients: Just because I can't find historical documentation to back up the story, doesn't mean it didn't happen. I haven't found anything that refutes the claims either! Hopefully, Spectral Research and Investigation will be allowed in one day to thoroughly investigate and help find some answers. If there truly is the spirit of a long-deceased maid searching for her baby, we'd love to share her story. 

If you have any information on this location, please comment below or reach out to me at Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State Facebook. Stay spooky, my friends! 

I've recently added a second blog post about the Frankenberger Mansion. While it doesn't delve into the history of the home or the family, a newspaper article from 1972 does go into detail about the type of activity experienced by employees. Check that out here: A Frankenberger Follow-Up

Below is Philip's lengthy obituary, published in The Advocate, 19 November 1908. 

The Ghosts of Charleston's OTHER Capitol

WV State Capitol 1885-1921
Source: WV History on View

Before Charleston's East End became home to our beautiful and impressive modern gold domed capitol building and complex, the seat of West Virginia's government was located on what is now Capitol Street in downtown Charleston. This 'Victorian Capitol' was completed around 1887, and incorporated an earlier structure built by Dr. John P. Hale in 1870 also used as the state's capitol building. 

From the photos, it's apparent that this Victorian Capitol was absolutely gorgeous! I love an old Victorian building, but unfortunately, I'd never get to see it in person. On January 3, 1921, the capitol building was completely destroyed by fire. There are slightly differing accounts as to the whole story, but it's generally accepted that the fire started in a storage room located in the 4th floor attic, probably around 2:30pm. It was noticed about 3:15pm by a stenographer on the second floor, who noticed smoke pouring from the attic. She sounded the alarm, and two janitors immediately headed up to see what they could do.

Unfortunately, the fire was already out of control, and by the time the fire department arrived, the area of the fourth floor where the fire is believed to have originated was inaccessible. Compounding the problem was the fact that this attic, besides papers and office supplies, also served as storage for a rather large ammunition stockpile that was being maintained in case fighting in the coalfields erupted into full-blown Civil War. On-lookers were said to have been sent scrambling as the fire reached the cache of bullets. 

Firefighters desperately trying to put out the fire.
Source: WV History on View

Despite their best efforts of working through the night, the fire raged through the building, leaving just a shell behind. Three men who killed, including an electrician named Edward Spencer and Howard Pauley, who was helping the firemen. A third man, Charles Walker, was listed as missing and presumed deceased by the local newspapers. I never did find a follow-up article on his fate, but his death certificate does confirm that he was killed by falling stone during the capitol fire. His date of death is recorded as January 5th, however, so I can only guess that either they did find him and were able to pull him out alive, or that they didn't actually find his body until two days later. 

At the time, the Charleston Fire Chief went on record as stating that he believed the cause of the fire was faulty electrical wiring. This was later confirmed by state fire marshal, John S. Horan.  Although it was tragic that three lives were lost and several more were injured, no one could really be said to be at fault. It was just an unfortunate accident. However, growing up in the Charleston area, there was always those persisting rumors that there was more to the story than just that simple explanation. The story I always heard was that the fourth floor attic served as kind of a 'secret' meeting place where the night watchman would hold epic card games. As liquor was freely available in this hidden den of iniquity, one night the guys got kinda rowdy and a fight broke out. During the scuffle, a lantern was knocked over, which started the fire.

Obviously, my particular memory of the story doesn't hold up. The fire was in the middle of the afternoon, so it couldn't have been caused by a night-time brawl. Still, there may be a grain of truth to the story...

On January 7, 1921, the Dayton Daily News out of Dayton, Ohio ran a story with the headline "PLAYED CRAP IN ATTIC OF CAPITOL". James J. Geis, chief janitor, went on record stating that the fourth floor attic was not caused by faulty wiring. Rather, he believed that it had something to do with the regular 'crap shooting,' a popular dice game, that was frequently played in the attic. He further states that despite the guards, the doors to the capitol were open day and night and anyone could go in at any time without any trouble. 

7 January 1921
Dayton Daily News

I really find this particular account fascinating, because Geis doesn't really mention the story I grew up with. He doesn't say that the fire started DURING one of these craps games. But, he does make it a point to let the public know that the doors to the capitol building were open all hours of the day, and access was easily obtained. I find this interesting because of ANOTHER quick mention. According to an article in the New York Times, a local lawyer who wished to remain anonymous came forward with information that William Briggs, a prisoner at the West Virginia State Penitentiary had predicted the capitol fire three weeks earlier. Briggs couldn't give an exact date, but noted that the capitol would soon be destroyed by either a bomb or explosion. Was William Briggs having a psychic premonition of what was to come, or did he have inside knowledge that someone planned on purposefully destroying the capitol? 

Today, the site of the old capitol building is a little memorial park area on the corner of Capitol and Lee Streets. And, this past autumn, it became a popular stop for the Charleston Ghost Tour Company! According to legend, around midnight, if you look closely enough you might just hear the tell-tale noises of firemen desperately trying to put out a fire. You'll hear chains clanking, hoses being dragged, water being sprayed, and voices. You might also smell the distinct smell of charred wood and smoke. Some people believe that the spirit of the night watchman (or janitor) who 'ran' the craps games feels so bad about what happened that he comes back to visit the location. Locals have been known to leave him the occasional alcoholic offering as a means of helping him relieve the stress he still carries, even in death. 

April Morgan, owner of Charleston Ghost Tour Company
shares some history and hauntings of the old Capitol Grounds during a special
Halloween ghost tour. 

For more information, photos, and even newspaper articles about the 1921 fire, please check out the following resources!

Thoughts and Ponderances: The Adventures of Chelle

My WV Home

*Did you know that the current capitol building in Charleston is also said to be haunted! Check out my blog post about the resident ghosts of the capitol, along with the story behind a rather odd stain on the floor!*

Halloween with the Charleston Ghost Tour Company!

The last month or so has been super busy! Between my personal life and SRI/Theresa's Haunted History commitments, I've been booked solid. Because of my crazy schedule and overall exhaustion, I was afraid that I would miss out on the Charleston Ghost Tour Company's October schedule. But, as they tend to do, the pieces fell into place, and I was able to grab a pretty last-minute ticket to Saturday night's Midnight Mischief Halloween tour/ghost hunt. 

When my husband and I took the tour in September, we had an awesome time, walking around downtown Charleston and hearing the wonderfully told stories of the city's haunted history. Unfortunately, my husband had to work this weekend, but I still had a ton of fun as April, owner of the Charleston Ghost Tour Company, shook things up a bit with this special Halloween edition. Instead of just hearing about the ghosts of Charleston, tour guests were given the opportunity to actually try to interact with them and capture proof of their existence!

Our ghost tour/investigation began at 11:30pm at the United Bank Courtyard, where we checked in, and were given glow sticks and a choice of light-up crown or light up sunglasses. That was a fun little surprise and definitely put everyone in the mood for some Halloween party fun. The big surprise, however, was that April had gone all out and purchased a ton of ghost hunting equipment to use on the tour. 

Brawley Walkway. Tour guests have captured alleged photos 
of a ghost in this doorway! This is also where we contacted the spirit
of 'Darren.'

Before we headed out, the tour group got a quick tutorial on the use of pendulums, dowsing rods, laser grids, EMF meters, spirit boxes, digital recorders for EVP work, and even a FLIR-type thermal camera! Equipment was divided up, and we headed to our first location---Brawley Walkway. 

Brawley Walkway is reported to be haunted by a mischief-causing ghost that at one point, terrorized a homeless man who would sleep in the area, mainly by stealing his possessions and moving them to a different location. On previous tours, patrons had reported finding strange anomalies in their photos, especially in the doorway of one particular storefront. 

As the group spread out to test their equipment and see if they could capture evidence of ghosts, I headed straight for the doorway in question. Joined by two other tours guests, one with a K-2 meter, I attempted to make contact with whatever may be in Brawley through pendulum work. According to the pendulum, we made contact with a homeless man named Darren, who originally didn't want to share his name, but agreed to if I asked nicely, lol. It's important to note that it was cold...and my hands were shaky as a result. But, even if it hadn't been cold, it's important to remember that this type of pendulum work is heavily influenced by the ideomotor effect---tiny, involuntary muscle movements that make it SEEM like the pendulum is moving on its own, but in reality, it's not. Eventually, I wandered away from the doorway, leaving the two other tour guests there to see if they could continue talking with Darren. When I met up with them later, they said that Darren had left, been replaced by a not-so-nice entity, who then left when Darren returned. Darren also lit up the K-2 meter---something he wouldn't do when I asked him to earlier, lol.

Our next location was a double stop---we explored the area of the 1921 capitol building fire, which sits directly across from the old Oddfellows building, both of which are said to be haunted. The Oddfellows building is a favorite spot on the tours, and many tour patrons have submitted photos taken of the building which seem to have human figures or shadow beings in the windows, especially one in particular. This is fairly significant, because the story that is told about the building is that a large, shadowy, humanoid figure actually attacked an unsuspecting cleaning woman one evening! And, of further interest is that when I posted the photos I took to Theresa's Haunted History Facebook page on Sunday, I had someone say they saw something in that exact window! 

Oddfellows Building. Do you see anything?

Despite that particular building's potential, I focused the majority of my time spent in that location trying to contact the ghosts associated with the capitol building fire. It is believed the fire that brought down West Virginia's fourth capitol and killed two people was the result of a poker game gone bad. When an argument erupted and a lantern was knocked over, the night watchmen who was responsible for this secret attic activity felt so bad that he is said to come back to the spot, trying to save the two people who were lost because of him. I chose to do some EVP work, but upon analyzing the recording, haven't found anything of note. 

Further stops on the tour didn't afford much opportunity for ghost hunting, but it was fun to rehash some of the tales we heard on the first tour, such as the mysterious Mortar Man figure, the ghosts of the Capitol Theater, and the firemen still trying to put out the fire at the old Woolworth Building. I was pleasantly surprised to also hear about the ghost that likes to play with the vintage elevator in the old Masonic Lodge building, as well as the 'Southside Bridge hanged man.' I've been meaning to blog about the strange addition to the mural, seen from the Southside Bridge that has a hidden figure of a man hanging himself, since I first learned about it back in 2012, but never had an opportunity to stop and get a photo! So...be looking for that in the near future. 

Anyway, it was well past 1am when we finally wrapped up the tour with one last tale--the strange disappearance of a colony of settlers along the Kanawha River. I was worn out, a little damp from the misty rain that never quite completely cleared up that night, but thrilled to have rang in the Halloween holiday sharing the spooky history of West Virginia's capital city with other ghost enthusiasts. 

Do you see the hanging shadow man? 
More info coming soon!

Obviously, ghost hunting outside in downtown Charleston, especially on the Saturday before Halloween, isn't exactly an ideal set-up for legitimate evidence, but that's not really the point. I had an awesome time hearing the stories of each haunted location and seeing the excitement of other tour guests when they seemingly 'got a hit' on a piece of equipment! It was a really cool introduction to various tools of paranormal investigation and a really fun way for those who don't do this kind of thing regularly to get a taste of what it's like and some hands-on experience in a fun and laid-back setting. I can't say enough good things about this tour and I'm so happy that Charleston has such a fun, spooky activity available. After this weekend, I'm even MORE excited for the November tour route, which will feature haunted locations in Charleston's East End. 

For more information on upcoming tours and events:

Charleston Ghost Tour Company Website

Charleston Ghost Tour Company Facebook page