2023 Ravenswood MystiCon

On Saturday, October 7th, the Ravenswood Public Library in Ravenswood, WV hosted its second annual Ravenswood MystiCon! This sleepy lil' river town really knows how to capitalize off its spooky name and come together to put on a really nice FREE smaller-scale paranormal convention.

I didn't attend last year, and honestly debated as to whether or not I was going to this year, as there was actually another event that same day that I was interested in attending. I'm really glad I gave it a shot, though! We arrived about 15-20 minutes after the event started and found ample parking nearby. We gave a quick peruse of the outside vendors, before heading in to say hello to this year's speaker line-up. Being in the field as long as I have, I knew just about everyone scheduled to speak!

After a bit of small talk, JR (yeah, my husband made a rare appearance!) and I went to find seats and settled in to listen to the speakers. Hearing the lectures on various paranormal topics is always my favorite part of any convention. I like to keep up with the research being done in this field, and I'm always down with learning new snippets of information. As we were waiting, we took note of the extensive and creative decorations adorning every available space in the library, giving it a fun, spooky, magical feel.

Tony Breeden

Tony Breeden was the first speaker we had the pleasure of listening to, and he gave a humorous and fact-filled talk all about WV's very own controversial ufologist, Gray Barker. Since I know Tony from the monthly St. Albans Paranormal Discussion Group, I was already familiar with his views on Barker, but it was a really fun refresher on such a fascinating topic. Next up was Ashley Hilt, a Fortean researcher and podcast host (On Wednesdays We Talk Weird) who specializes in the topic of Mothman. She gave an interesting talk about the Men in Black phenomenon, and even shared her own crazy encounter with a possible MIB. Her talk was also very informative, and hilarious at times. As a bonus...I got to sit next to Linda Sigman during the presentation! Linda is an original Mothman witness who spoke about her experiences at this year's Mothman Festival. I also picked up a copy of her book while in Pt. Pleasant, so I was happy to get the chance to tell her how much I enjoyed it. 

Ashley Hilt 

We had a brief interlude after Ashley spoke, so we grabbed a snack from the food trucks. I had a yummy chicken fajita from Jimmy Avocado's.  As the temperature had recently plummeted, we hurried back inside to settle in for the next speaker. While waiting, I checked my phone, and my sister had another pleasant surprise for me: an interview on ghost hunting I gave to Amanda Larch that had been published in the Charleston Gazette the previous weekend had been posted online as well! My sister sent me the link and saved me a physical copy of the newspaper! 

Ron Lanham

Ron Lanham, who also appeared in the article, speaking about Wild and Weird West Virginia, was up next. He spoke on a variety of things going on in the paranormal field and within his own research. I'd heard quite a bit before from other presentations (seriously, at this point, I feel like a Wild and Weird Groupie, with all the events I follow them to, lol) but there was some never-before-seen footage from their investigation of the RAVENSWOOD LIBRARY! Seems like this little community hub is home to spooky things more than just once a year! As always, Ron's talk was excellent, and he had plenty of embedded QR codes for further information, which is a really cool touch.

The last speaker we saw was WV author, researcher, and TV personality Dave Spinks. Dave talked a little about UFOs, cryptids, AND ghosts/hauntings, mainly in West Virginia, but also those pertaining to his research worldwide. Even though I had heard Dave speak before, there were a lot of stories and details that I hadn't heard previously, so that was awesome. Plus, he even took a minute to shout out my blog, so that was super appreciated as well!

Dave Spinks 

After Dave spoke, we did one final lap around the inside-vendors, picking up a hot chocolate bomb for Luke, and a weird little musical instrument for JR. I snagged some books from both Tony and Dave, and JR picked out a UFO art print of Ron's...which, get this: using the app Artivive, MOVES. It's the coolest/freakiest thing I've seen in a long time, lol. 

Anyway, we had a lot of fun, despite the fact that we didn't really take advantage of all the cool things on offer. There was also a costume contest going on, an Escape Room, photo booth, psychic readings, door prizes (we were there between 12:15 and 4:45 and never heard these called?), LOTS of merch, and live music later in the day. But, I got to see what I really wanted to see...and that was my paranormal family. My earlier years in this field were filled with groups not getting along and not working together, and even though that's still true for many areas, I feel like I've finally found a supportive community that works together to further this field along. Of course, I love spending every minute I can with like-minded people doing like-minded things, making this weekend another incredible one!

Theresa's Haunted History + Paranormal Tourism in WV

Theresa Racer and Brian Clary 
of Spectral Research and Investigation
Photo by April Morgan

A couple of weeks ago, I was honored to take part in the first annual West Virginia Paranormal Tourism Convention, hosted by Charleston Ghost Tour Company and Haunted Beckley. The two-day event was held in Beckley, WV at the Raleigh Theater and Playhouse, and brought together a unique blend of representatives from all aspects of West Virginia's paranormal community. Brian and I spoke together on Saturday (and taught a ghost hunting class) but on Friday, we both spoke separately; him speaking about how Spectral Research and Investigation can be an asset to the paranormal tourism field, and me focusing on my blog, Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State.

I will eventually be posting a blog dedicated to convention as a whole, but for today, I just wanted to share the written article version of the presentation I made on Friday about the role Theresa's Haunted History plays in paranormal tourism. Before this convention, I had written a couple of blogs specifically about paranormal tourism, in addition to my Theresa's Travels features and spotlights on various 'touristy destinations.' However, I never really stopped to think about it. I knew I loved sharing my own experiences, and I loved sharing any updates I found about events/locations, but it never really clicked that yeah...this blog and it's accompanying social media platforms ARE excellent sources of information for the paranormal tourist. I'm so glad I was given this opportunity to really think about how I can personally expand my role in helping to bring people from all over to West Virginia's many, many paranormal hot spots!  Anyway....here's what I discussed:

As the name suggests, the topic of the first annual West Virginia Paranormal Tourism Convention was obviously paranormal tourism in the Mountain State. Paranormal tourism is a quickly growing, and rather lucrative field...and West Virginia is in a unique position to be able to take advantage of such. West Virginia is known for having some of the most haunted locations in the country, if not the world. Locations such as the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, the former WV State Penitentiary at Moundsville, and even Lake Shawnee Amusement Park, are consistently featured on television, and in books, podcasts, and articles. We also have some of the weirdest UFO and cryptozoological case files to grace the annals of Fortean research---Mothman, the Flatwoods Monster, and the Indrid Cold case are just a few that come to mind. In addition, we've got plenty of Bigfoot sightings to keep even the most casual monster hunter satisfied!

As more and more paranormal-themed museums are created around the state, and as more and more locations begin offering haunted history tours, and as more and more 'haunted' buildings open up for investigations...West Virginia is surely becoming a premier destination location for lovers of all things spooky.  And, a great tool for learning about all these haunted locations, spooky stories, and places where YOU can go to experience them for yourself is this blog, Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State!

This January marked the 11th anniversary of Theresa's Haunted History blog, but the idea behind it goes back a little further, all the way to 2006...

That's when I found myself the newly appointed Historic Research Manager for Huntington Paranormal Investigations and Research (HPIR). As a newly formed group, we were constantly on the hunt for new and exciting haunted locations to investigate, and it was part of my job to find and vet possible places. And, at the time, it was a little...frustrating...because back in 2006, there weren't a whole lot of places you could go online for really good information. Two resources come to mind, however: WVGhosts.com and the Shadowlands.net. 

Both these sites still exist today, and for the most part are excellent resources, but they were problematic to the researcher trying to find locations to investigate. At best, they were incomplete. The stories were great, but they often didn't contain the needed details to distinguish where exactly the haunting took place, or even if it was a consistent thing, and not just a once-only encounter. At worst, the stories were downright inaccurate, with wildly erroneous details (such as calling a building a former Civil War hospital that was built in 1932). The problem was that the curated lists of haunted locations found on these sites was user-submitted; anyone with an internet connection could pretty much post whatever the heck they wanted and no one had the time to actually fact-check. So, I thought I could do better.

But, it took awhile to get there. I won't bore you with the details of how Theresa's Haunted History came to be, since I did that back in a January blog about my 11th Anniversary. No, today's blog topic is just how exactly this little blog has grown into a tool to help push that paranormal tourism industry into our great state.

As of this writing, Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State features about 1300 posts. Nearly 300 of those feature haunted locations, right here in West Virginia, many of which you can go visit yourself. But what do the other 1000 posts cover? Well, if you've followed Theresa's Haunted History for any time, you'd know that I love to cover just about anything and everything spooky related to West Virginia and beyond. I love to share those ghost stories from folklore that don't necessarily have a location that can be visited today. I love to share West Virginia's rich UFO history, and it's history of various monster sightings throughout the years. I cover book reviews, tips for ghost hunters, and advice for those experiencing paranormal activity in their home or business. Most importantly (to this article, at least!) I have made a commitment to keep sharing all the fun and spooky things there are to see and do in West Virginia.

Every time there is a paranormal convention in West Virginia, I write about it! Every time I visit one of West Virginia's paranormal museums or works of public art, I write about it! Every ghost tour, story-telling event, or similar attraction I can find and attend, that's right...I write about it. And, of course, whenever my current investigation team, Spectral Research and Investigation (SRI) is invited to investigate a public location, I write about it! I love sharing my own paranormal travel and experiences, but I also love helping to spread the word about events, locations, and stories that I'm not directly a part of...which I use social media for.

Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State blog is (and always will be) my main forum for spreading information. With an average rate of 1500 unique visitors a day, jumping to an average of 5000 a day near Halloween, it reaches quite a few people throughout the world. My work has been referenced in over 20 professionally published books, is part of the lesson plan for Ruth Ann Music's Trunk of Tales project, and was recently named #16 in Feedspot's 90 Best Paranormal Blogs of 2022. But, I'm no stranger to social media!

The FaceBook page for Theresa's Haunted History has over 7000 followers, and has given me a way to not only share MY work, but to keep those followers informed of what's going on throughout West Virginia's paranormal community---which locations are holding public events, where other teams are investigating, and new reports and stories, just to give a few examples. I'm also on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, and hope to grow those platforms even further in the coming months and years. I've also been very lucky to have been asked to speak on multiple podcasts, and at several different conventions and other events, all in an effort to not just promote MY work within the field, but to promote West Virginia as a whole as being one helluva spooky and awesome place to come visit! 

West Virginia's paranormal community is a wonderfully supportive group of people, all working together to preserve West Virginia's rich, cultural history as it pertains to the strange and unusual. I am honored to play a small role within that community, and I invite everyone reading this to take advantage of all the ghostly goodness West Virginia has to offer. Whether it be taking one of our state's popular haunted history tours, visiting a creepy museum, or even taking part in an actual paranormal investigation, there is so much to see and do in every corner of the state. Come see why West Virginia truly is becoming (but really, always was) a premier destination for paranormal tourism! 

*Interested in what there is to see and do for the UFO enthusiast? Check out my blog, UFO TOURISM IN WEST VIRGINIA!* 

Hidden Marietta Paranormal Expo 2022

Lafayette Hotel
Marietta, OH

On Saturday, January 29th, Brian, Kaysee, Dan and myself made the trek to the haunted and historic Lafayette Hotel in Marietta, Ohio to represent Spectral Research and Investigation at the 2022 Hidden Marietta Paranormal Expo!

As one of dozens of vendors, we set up our SRI table in the ballroom of the beautiful old hotel and from 11am to 4pm, met with many, many awesome paranormal investigators, researchers, authors, pod casters, artists/crafters, and other fans of all things spooky. At times, it was overwhelmingly busy with over 500 visitors coming out to take part in the event this year!

SRI Table at the Hidden Marietta
Paranormal Expo 2022

In addition to mingling with vendors giving psychic readings, promoting their spooky locations/groups, and selling everything from jewelry to books, to artwork to ghost hunting supplies (and so, so much more!) a top-notch speaker line-up was included with admission. Patti Wigington, pagan priestess/blogger/author started the lecture series with a talk on protection from paranormal entities. Scott Sukel, former ghost hunt manager and historian for the Ohio State Reformatory followed up with a chat about his time at OSR and other how he got his start in the paranormal field. Jeff Ignatowski, creator of Killers-The Card Game, shared his knowledge on serial killer psychology, and Fortean researcher Ashley Hilt, ended the day with a discussion on Mothman. 

Scott Sukel

Unfortunately, there just wasn't enough time in the day to see all the great speakers, but I did catch Scott and Ashley's presentations. Scott's talk about his former mentor and how he came to be associated with the Ohio State Reformatory was at times hilarious, and at other times, moving. He spoke quite passionately about how letting a haunted location become the main focus of your life has its upside....but also has a very deep downside. I'm glad he was able to break away from the hold the old prison had on him and can now allow himself to take care of his health, explore new haunted locations, and travel the country educating others on the lessons he's learned in his long career of paranormal investigation.

Ashley's presentation was also really interesting. Kaysee, Dan, and I enjoyed her talk on her upcoming Mothman documentary and some of the weird examples of high strangeness surrounding West Virginia's favorite cryptid. Ashley also co-hosts the podcast, On Wednesdays, We Talk Weird. I stopped by her table afterwards and had a nice lil' chat about living in wild and weird West Virginia.

Ashley Hilt

 And really, those chats were absolutely the highlight of the event for me. I LOVE talking about the paranormal with other paranormal enthusiasts, and there were plenty of people there to share my love of all things strange and spooky. We saw old friends, and made some new contacts. I've got a stack of business cards and have already gone and started following about a dozen new people/groups on social media. Lots of people stopped by our booth to chat, and we of course, made our rounds to each vendor and tried to introduce ourselves to as many people as possible. It was great seeing Les from WV Cryptids and Strange Encounters, Jordan Cline and Sarah from Fireside Paranormal Podcast (Brian and I were on the show awhile back), the crew from the Old Hospital on College Hill, author Jannette Quackenbush (who also runs the Haunted West Virginia Facebook page) and John from Haunted Hills Paranormal Society. 

Those who know me or follow this blog know I couldn't leave such an event without a book or two...or three in this case. I picked up two of Jannette's books, as well as a book from Sabrina at 2Realm Paranormal Research. I also bought a few stickers and a new ghost keychain at the Hidden Marietta table! 

I got to meet Jordan Cline from Fireside Paranormal!

In addition to these festivities, event goers could also opt to purchase tickets for a haunted history tour of the Lafayette Hotel, or partake in the after-hours dinner and investigation with Paranormal Quest. Unfortunately, I didn't get to participate this year, but I did take the tour back at the 2019 Paranormal Expo and it was really, really interesting. There are lots of ghosts that are said to roam the historic hotel, and hopefully SRI will be back in sometime in the future to help document their presence.

Overall, it was a really fun and productive day. Hidden Marietta once again did a fabulous job putting on a convention for lovers of the paranormal. It was a great way to kick off 2022 and I'm looking forward to joining Hidden Marietta on one of their many tours and public hunts held throughout the year. A huge thanks to everyone involved in making this event a huge success, and a huge thanks to everyone who stopped by and chatted with the SRI team! 

Big Announcement: WV Monster Con!

 

Hey, everyone! I just wanted to share with you this upcoming paranormal event that I am honored to be a part of. On March 12th, 2022 I will be speaking at the first annual WV Monster Con! 

Monster Con will be a three-day event held in Richwood, WV. It is hosted by Dave Spinks' World of Weird and will feature vendors, a VIP event Friday night, psychic services (including gallery reading) and some really interesting and knowledgeable speakers, presenting on MY personal favorite topic: West Virginia's weird and wonderful paranormal history! 

Dave Spinks is a well-known and well-rounded paranormal researcher, based here in the Mountain State. He's the author of paranormal nonfiction, has been featured in different paranormal television shows, and most recently, has opened up a wonderful paranormal store in Richwood, WV. 

I'll be speaking Saturday at 1pm on the topic of West Virginia's Cemetery Urban Legends! Ghosts, witches, 'vampires,' Mothman and even UFOs have all shown up in the spooky stories associated with our burial grounds, and I'll be discussing some of my favorite cases, as well as some tips on researching these types of locations for yourself. You can also find me throughout the weekend in the vendor area, along with several of my colleagues from Spectral Research and Investigation. Ticket prices range from $25 to $100 and can either be purchased through the EventBrite link below, or at the door. 

Come join us March 11-13 at the WV Monster Con for a weekend full of monster fun, and until then, make sure to check out the work of the awesome speakers who I can't believe I get to join! 

EventBrite Ticket Information

WV Monster Con Facebook Event Page

Dave Spinks' World of  Weird & Synergy Springs, LLC Facebook Page

Dave Spinks' Website 

Serenity Jenny's Website: Synergy Springs Soul Center

Night Stalkers Paranormal Research with Barry Gaunt

Eric Altman's Website

East Coast Bigfoot Researchers with Daniel Benoit

Books/Bio of Dr. Ray Keller

Frank Bennett's Website

Wild and Weird WV with Ron Lanham and Joe Perdue

The Flatwoods Monster Museum's Bazaare!

What's a Bazaare? Bazaare = Bazaar + Bizarre, and its what happens when you bring together a bunch of paranormal authors and researchers specializing in UFOlogy and cryptozoology for a FREE meet and greet event and merch sale!  The Bazaare was put on by the Flatwoods Monster Museum, and was another great opportunity to bring attention to the Flatwoods Green Monster as well as the paranormal field in general.  It was also a great way to bring paranormal enthusiasts and others to the Sutton/Flatwoods area for an up-close look at the little town that made history in 1952.

After Luke's jiu-jitsu class, we jumped into the Jeep and made the journey north to Braxton County.  The last time Aaron and I were in Braxton County, we visited the Flatwoods Monster Museum, took pictures with all 5 of the Monster Chairs, and concluded the evening with the world premier showing of Small Town Monsters' movie, The Flatwoods Monster: A Legacy of Fear.  It was a lot of fun, but we didn't have Luke with us!  We thought the Bazaare would be a great opportunity to introduce him to the legends and lore of the Flatwoods Monster without him getting bored and cranky, lol.

We were right!  The event ran from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. and we arrived around 12:30 p.m. with things already in full swing.  The center floor of the museum was set up with several large tables packed with merchandise from Seth Breedlove, Stan Gordon, Dave Spinks, George Dudding, Eric Altman and Les O'Dell from WV Cryptids and Strange Encounters.  Each featured guest was available and eager to chat with---sharing their knowledge and hearing visitor stories.  

Paranormal investigator, Dave Spinks was there with his new book, West Virginia Bigfoot.  I had to pick up a signed copy for myself and have a quick talk with Dave, who is a really nice and genuine kinda guy.  George Dudding was there with his wide array of books on all things spooky in West Virginia, and Stan Gordon had some of his work available as well.  Seth Breedlove was selling DVDs of his Small Town Monsters productions, including his Flatwoods movie.  Luke, however, was more interested in his movie on the Beast of Bray Road, lol.  Funny side note:  When Luke was about 3 years old, we took him to the French Creek Wildlife Center.  We were both fascinated by the wolves---lying in the sun they just looked like a cute, happy domestic dog.  However, when they stood up and walked, there was something powerful and a little creepy about their movements.  Later on, when we asked Luke what his favorite animal was that he saw that day, he replied with, 'the werewolves.' For YEARS after that, whenever you'd ask him what his favorite animal was, he'd say it was a werewolf. 

Anyway, Eric Altman, who is a Bigfoot researcher, was also in attendance with some cool merch and information. Les from WV Cryptids and Strange Encounters was there as well, and its always a pleasure to see him and talk with him about his current research.  We first met Les at the museum back in April, so it was fitting that we got to go see him again at the museum.  He even had a really awesome gift for me:  an Ouija t-shirt that he made!  Speaking of the museum, it was up and running as usual during the event and the staff was awesome as usual---very friendly, chatty, knowledgeable and helpful.  Luke had a fun time checking out the displays, and it always amazes me how interested he actually is in this stuff, asking follow-up questions and talking about what he saw for days afterwards.  We bought some really cool souvenirs, some for us and some to send to friends in Australia, including postcards, magnets, and guitar picks.  Luke was thrilled to see the pressed penny machine, as he absolutely loves those things and honestly, there were some really cool designs!

We wrapped up our visit to the museum, but we weren't done with Braxton County yet! We had planned on grabbing lunch and then starting the journey to photograph all five of the Monster Chairs. We wanted to take Luke to The Spot, the little restaurant decorated with monster memorabilia and featuring menu items named after various creatures.  Unfortunately, The Spot was closed for the season!  That was a huge disappointment, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  Not only does it give us an excuse (as if we needed one!) to return in the Spring/Summer, but it led Luke to the finest dessert known to man.  We ended up having lunch at Shoney's, which was actually sort of a treat since most of the Shoney's restaurants around us have closed.  The meal was good, but Luke and Aaron decided to order the chocolate cake/sundae monstrosity you'll see in the photo.  I'm pretty sure my son now has diabetes, but it was sweet to see him so excited about a dessert and hear Aaron share his childhood memories about eating the same thing.  I'm pretty sure that made the whole trip worth it---at least to Luke!  But, we still had the chairs to conquer!

Since Aaron and I had found all five chairs back in April, we had no problems quickly locating the first four in the series.  Luke wasn't all that into it at first, but by the time we pulled up to the park for the third chair, he was excited.  Unfortunately, as we pulled into the Gassaway Dairy Queen for the last stop on our trip, we noticed a spot of dead grass, tons of No Trespassing signs, and NO CHAIR. What the hell?  We couldn't find any information online, so we drove around Gassaway a little bit to see if it had been moved.  We finally pulled into the drive-thru at Dairy Queen and asked the employee what was going on.  He told us that the property the chair sat on had been recently sold to a private buyer and the chair removed. He didn't know where it had been taken or if there were plans to reinstall it.  If you have any information, please let me know what's going on!

It was a disappointing way to end the day, but we had fun, nonetheless! As my son is getting older, he's getting more into West Virginia's monsters and the paranormal side of our state's history.  It's quite rewarding to have the opportunity to share stuff like this with him, and see his reaction.  And I gotta say, we are so lucky to live in an area that is embracing this spooky history more and more.  The Flatwoods Museum does such a great job in preserving and sharing information on the Flatwoods Monster.  This Bazarre was just one more way to bring awareness, have fun, and get people excited about an interesting piece of our state's history.  Please visit the links to the guests' websites/social media and show them some love...and be sure to check out the Flatwoods Monster Museum's page as well for updates on upcoming events and information on everything you've ever wanted to know about the Flatwoods/Braxton County/Green Monster!