Titanic Exhibits… Haunted or Not?

underwater diverSometimes, I’m more convinced by retracted “ghost stories” than those that get lots of publicity.

Here’s an example:

I was searching for fresh news reports about ghosts.  I use special software to filter out the stories that won’t interest me.  Then, I click on those that look interesting.

The following is a screenshot of one story that caught my interest.

HauntedTitanicExhibit

However, when I clicked to read the article… it had already been removed from the WOOD-TV website.

That’s not entirely weird.  After all, it looks like the story was from 2012.

On the other hand, I’m still not sure why it showed up on my feed of recent news stories. (Cue the Twilight Zone music…?)

Generally, when I see something that looks like a publicity stunt — a news reporter “locked in,” Ghost Adventures’ style — I sigh in exasperation.  Really, guys, that’s become a cliche.  Zak and his friends can do “locked in” investigations far better than amateurs.

What made this story different is that it’s the Titanic. 

Of course the artifacts from it could have eerie energy.  I’d be more surprised if this kind of exhibit wasn’t haunted.

Though this news story is old, my point is still current:

If you’re looking for creepy, haunted places to investigate, sometimes it’s better to look for reports that vanish almost as completely as the ghosts do.

Stories (and commercial sites) that shout “Look at me! Look at me!” are less likely to be the real deal.

It doesn’t take the Haunted Collector to spot a show or exhibit that could be truly haunted, and worth visiting.  In fact, if you can get to a display like this one, I recommend (discreetly) carrying an EVP recorder in your pocket, to pick up any odd messages you might hear while in the gallery or exhibit.

If you’re intrigued by the idea of a haunted Titanic exhibit, you’ll have lots of choices.  Check the Titanic Exhibitions list to find a site near you. (Personally, the Luxor would be my first choice.  That place is pretty creepy to begin with, with its massive Egyptian statues.)

Haunted Cemetery Tour – Otterbein, Ohio

This video – “Haunted Cemetery – Ghastly Sounds…” – isn’t a “ghost” video, but a tour and history of an Ohio cemetery that’s worth investigating.

We need more videos like that, to help ghost hunters find worthwhile sites.

Interested in ghost hunting in haunted cemeteries? Here's a quick way to get started.However, I didn’t see or hear anything especially scary in this video.  Most of the night video quality is poor – weak sound and blurry camerawork – but that’s not what I was watching for.  In general, this video provided some good history and ghost stories, and I’m confident this is an active (ghostly) cemetery.

There’s a certain mix of sounds and silences, images and shadows… it adds up to a “gut feeling” about some locations.  Almost invariably, they turn out to be haunted.  I’m pretty sure this is one of those sites.  If I were in Ohio, near this cemetery, I’d visit it regularly for research.

In the video, the woman mentions some spooky sounds.  Maybe I missed them; the soundtrack isn’t great.

What I did hear – between normal, rural night noises – sounded like footsteps.  If the woman filming the video was alone, or her companions weren’t moving around while she was standing still… yes, those sounds are kind of spooky.

The mausoleum is creepy.  It has that sterile/tragic combination that often marks a site that seems to attract shadow people.  I have no idea why.  It’s as if they need to fill in the void with their forms… but maybe I’m putting the cart before the horse.

All in all, this video got me interested in this cemetery, enough to compile some useful links if you’re investigating that site.  And then, I discovered another haunted cemetery with the same name, also in Ohio.

Resources if you’re investigating Otterbein Cemetery in Franklin Co.

Another haunted Otterbein Cemetery, in Perry County, OH

There’s also an Otterbein Cemetery in Darke County and one in Marion County, Ohio.

Originality – The person who filmed this didn’t let her video skills hold her back. Though the quality isn’t great, the information and the impressions I got from this video made it intriguing.  It’s also thought-provoking because I’m trying to understand why I feel so certain that the site is haunted… and has shadow people.

3-stars

Credibility (Doesn’t apply. This is mostly a “this is the cemetery and what’s known about its ghosts” video.)

3-half-stars

Ghosts of Eloise, Michigan: The Asylum that Started It All

“Eloise: The Asylum That Started The Whole Mess” (above) is not a ghost video, it’s a tribute, and a downright chilling one.  The really creepy part..? It’s not hyperbole.  The information in that video can be confirmed.

Watch it before the videos about ghosts at Eloise, Michigan.

This site was first a stagecoach stop, the Black Horse Tavern. Then it was purchased and turned into a poorhouse, and then became a medical facility.  In its various incarnations it was a sanitorium for victims of tuberculosis, and a mental hospital.  Its names included the Eloise Infirmary for the Sick and Elderly, and the Eloise Hospital for the Insane.

Several locations associated with Eloise sound as if they should be haunted.  In fact, I’d expect this to be one of the creepiest haunted hospital sites in America.

More history of Eloise:

“Eloise: Mostly a memory” (This video is no longer available at YouTube. I’m keeping this note here, in case it returns. It was a great history.)

Next, “Spirit Caught on Camera In Haunted Eloise Asylum” includes highlights of a brief investigation inside Eloise – Visual anomalies, some clear Ghost Box responses, and lots of NSFW language from the investigators.  It’s a good balance of evidence.

Next, a daytime tour by the Dearborn Paranormal Research Society of Michigan.  Sound quality is challenging to listen to, dialing the levels up and down, but the information is excellent.

“Eloise Mental Hospital – Ghost Hunters” isn’t the Ghost Hunters’ TV show; it’s a news report by a startled reporter who — apparently — didn’t really expect to encounter anything at Eloise.

Parody? The next video includes a daytime tour by Michigan Paranormal Investigators, interviews about (fictional) Patient 626, and a night-time investigation with impossibly clear EVP.  This is how many “ghost stories” are created.  In five years, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear about genuine phenomena related to the invented patient’s ghosts.

And now, only to better understand what you’ll find at Eloise, the next video series looked like a Ghost Hunters parody. Mostly, it showed foolhardy investigating, with some inaccurate history thrown in.

These 12-year-old kids may have encountered some paranormal activity. But, they made such serious research blunders, it’s impossible to sort fact from fantasy.

The worst part is: They’re clearly breaking the law. This kind of prank is unacceptable and it gives serious ghost hunters a bad name. (Two words: No trespassing. How smart does anyone have to be, to understand what that means? Yes, it’s a rhetorical question borne of frustration.)

[Update: These YouTube videos seem to be online, but can be viewed “by permission only.” I’m leaving the descriptions here in case that changes.]

  • Part One – Stylish introduction, and a quick daytime tour of the key locations at the Eloise site.
  • Part Two – More criminal trespassing. The smokestack building doesn’t seem especially haunted to me, but the visual imagery is impressive. It’s ideal for photographers who like abandoned sites. I’m not convinced that this part of the complex is worth paranormal research.
  • Part Three is more of the same. It shows more criminal activity no 12-year-old should try… or anyone of any other age, either. Mostly, the video shows a bunch of kids scaring themselves. The “reveal” (or summary) starts at 4:41 in the video, and some of the evidence is worth a second look. Unfortunately, this silliness erodes any credibility. That’s just one of many unfortunate aspects of what we see in these videos.

Resources for investigators

ties.

Joplin, MO, Team – Apparition Video

You’ll see two possible anomalies in this video.  One is an interesting orb.  The other is something that might be an apparition.

The Joplin Paranormal Research Society (Missouri) don’t claim that the orb is a ghost.  Of the two anomalies, I think the orb is more credible to someone who wasn’t there at the time.

The orb appears and then backs away.  It’s clear and large, and the right shape and density to be interesting.

However, it might be something reflective that drifted in and was pushed back by… well, I wasn’t there. A fan could do it, a door opening and closing, someone moving abruptly enough to cause a slight breeze, and so on.

But, after my intensive research into orbs and how easy they are to fake (or mistake) with dust, moisture, reflections, etc… this orb could be paranormal.

On the other hand, the apparition looks like someone walking in front of the camera.  It catches the light.  It’s too solid.

That’s exactly what makes this credible.  Unless the Joplin team are terrible investigators, had temporary amnesia, or are trying to promote a hoax, that figure is something paranormal.

(Yes, as the author of the popular article, Scams and Con Artists, I know that audacious lies fool us most often.  Nevertheless, I’m taking this video at face value.)

Does the video show a ghost?  Maybe.

I’m raising an eyebrow because — as I said earlier — it’s too solid.  That doesn’t mean it’s fake, but I wouldn’t rule out other paranormal explanations.

And, for that reason, assuming this was a real anomaly, I’d be very cautious about returning to that location.  It might be malicious.

All in all, this is an interesting video.

Originality (assuming it’s real)

4-stars

Credibility (combined, of either anomaly – the orb or the figure)

3-stars

Old South Pittsburgh Hospital, Tennessee – EVP?

Tennessee’s Old South Pittsburgh Hospital is haunted. I’ve investigated the site informally… enough to know that it requires a strong stomach to explore at length.  However, this first video — by Cryptic Shadows Paranormal Research, from Ohio — is a little too tidy and too informal for credibility.

My initial problem is the crystal-clear EVP.  The fact is, we hardly ever hear EVP like that, especially involving the exact same voice and absolutely no static or interruptions.  Unless this was processed to an extreme level before adding to the sound track, almost all of this EVP sounds like it was a prank, or it was added afterwards… and by one man.

The exceptions might be real EVP worth studying.

The following videos have more credibility. They’re among a series of videos — covering a 28-hour investigation (three nights) — at that same hospital.  The team members are part of Living Dead Paranormal, also from Ohio.

Update: All related videos were removed from YouTube, and I can’t find any of them on the Fourman Brothers’ (Living Dead Paranormal) website. That’s disappointing, but seems to happen often in this field. (If you find someone with a copy of that full episode, watch the investigation. It’s worth your time.)

Old South Pittsburgh Hospital looks like a normal medical facility, except that it was empty when I investigated the site.  It’s not creepy-old, it’s simply creepy.  Except that it lacks the usual visual cues, it could have inspired the Geoffrey Rush remake of The House on Haunted Hill.

  • The site’s energy is weird.  It’s not your normal haunted site.  It has a grisly aspect, lurking in the shadows.  I have no idea what it is, but I was uneasy when I was there.
  • My research suggests that bodies are buried on the site, in unmarked graves.
  • I’d expect almost any kind of phenomena there.  It’s not a site to explore with children, especially after dark.

I haven’t been inside the building (it was closed and looked abandoned, when I was there) nor have I taken part in any of their events.  However, if you’d like to investigate a site that’s more than a little strange — even among haunted places — Old South Pittsburgh Hospital is probably a site to visit.

All I can say is: Something is not right at that hospital, and it’s not your typical haunted site.  It feels like a gathering of shadow people… and I’m not convinced they’re actually “ghosts” in the classical sense.

I don’t think my reference to The House on Haunted Hill is misplaced.

Originality of the first video (by Cryptic Shadows) – Not much.  They were having fun.  I don’t think they intended it as a serious “ghost video.”

1-half-star

Credibility of the first video (by Cryptic Shadows) – The clear EVP raises questions about how it was recorded and filtered.  If that’s raw footage, someone (not necessarily the people in the video) was probably playing a prank.

2-stars

However, I think the other videos — by Living Dead Paranormal — have enough credibility to place Old South Pittsburgh Hospital on your list of places to investigate.

And, as I said, I’ve been there when the hospital was mostly deserted.  No one was there to hype the ghosts or try to convince me it was haunted.  My feeling was: The hospital is haunted, including the grounds around it.  I haven’t been to any events there, so I can’t say whether they’re worth your time, but the site itself is good and creepy.

Of course, check accessibility to the site. I’ve heard that it’s now posted against trespassers, and under management by a group determined to keep vandals out.

Brown Springs, OK – Too Scared

If you can see this Brown Springs video by “Panic Attack Videos,” watch it. It’s interesting and credible.

[Update: Video made private by “Panic Attack Videos” on YouTube – link was http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DttYnOd1RPw  However, the video was so compelling, I’m leaving the link here in case you want to try to access it.]

This video looked like the real thing to me.  There is no reason for grown men to act that frightened… unless they were.  And, if you check some of their other videos from that site, I think you’ll be impressed with the location.

This was a very short video and — because it’s so brief and the guys panicked —  it’s not terribly scary.  However, it’s exactly what happens in a genuinely haunted sites… even if you’re a guy who’ll get out of a car to confront unknown people pursuing you.  (That refers to part of the video featured in my Hollow Hill article.  It’s an amazingly risky thing to do.)

Basically, the guys arrive at Brown Springs — in Love County, by Thackerville, Oklahoma — and stay just a few minutes.  Then, a sense of evil and danger overtakes them and they decide to leave, quickly.

Strong language made this video not safe for office viewing, and the authenticity — suggesting something truly frightening — made this video unsuitable for family viewing, too.

Originality

2-half-stars

Credibility

4-stars