Friday, July 24, 2009

The Moon River Brewery


The Moon River Brewery is located in beautiful..... Savannah, Georgia. Built in 1821, by Elazer Early, it became Savannah's first hotel and opened in 1826 for business. Though very impressive and upscale, the hotel beheld it's share of extreme violence and murders.
The building was renovated in 1851 by Peter Wiltberger and closed in 1864, during the Civil War. The hotel was briefly converted to a hospital, when Yellow Fever hit the region and many people including children died inside of it's walls. Tunnels were dug all over Savannah, during the Yellow Fever outbreak, so that people could travel under ground, as they believed at that time ,that the disease was transferred through the outside air. One of these famous tunnels is in the basement of Moon River Brewery, and has since been sealed off. During the turn of the century, the building was used as a warehouse for wood and coal. ( Imagine such a beautiful structure being used in such a manner. ) In the 1960's , it became a store for office supplies and housed a large printing press. In 1979, it closed once again, due to hurricane damage and the building sat vacant for 16 years, until the Moon River Brewery opened in 1999.


Savannah attributes it's status as the Most Haunted City in the United States, to several factors. First on the list, are the four GREAT FIRES that burned much of the city..........next is the fact that Savannah was an actual battlefield in EVERY war fought on US soil. The soldiers were buried where they fell......which is ALL OVER the city! A huge cemetery is located in the center of town and 80 more cemeteries lay scattered about. Many of these cemeteries have been paved over and used to build upon................ on top of the dead! This means that this is a city, that is actually built ....on the dead.

With illness, war, and murders taking place, is it any wonder that this historical building is haunted? In 1832 a gruesome, coldblooded murder took place at the bar, of the City Hotel. James Stark was shot to death, while enjoying his drink by the town physician, with whom he had numerous verbal exchanges with, in the past. The Doctor walked in and shot James on site and was later acquitted by the town.

Another very well noted , time capsule of violence took place in 1860. All Southern hospitality, was completely lost when an angry mob of town folks, nearly murdered James Sinclair, a hotel patron, simply for being from the state of New York. Sinclair was viciously stripped of his clothing, dragged outside and brutally beaten to near death.

The ghosts of Moon River Brewery are very active indeed. In 1990's when they tried to renovate the second floor, the foreman's wife was thrown down the staircase, while trying to deliver lunch to her husband. Horrified, the foreman quit on the spot and the upper floors remain in a state of decay and ruins. The ghosts of children are commonly seen throughout the building and much of this is attributed to the history of the structure, being used for a brief time, as a hospital.
People have been pushed by phantoms, slapped, whispered to, screamed at, pulled upon and even partly possessed! Bottles have gone sailing across the room, thrown by unseen hands. A lady in white is seen floating on the 3rd floor, while the torso of a Union Soldier has been seen by the phone booth, inside the restaurant. The basement has a ghost that is seen and felt so much that he has been named, Tobby. This basement ghost is known to do quite alot of pushing around of patrons and staff alike. Tobby is blamed for the billiard balls being moved on the pool tables and in some instances even taken!

The Ghost Adventures crew, from Travel Channel, shot a lock down episode at the Moon River Brewery and got the following results.........................................................................................................

*Cold spots measured throughout the building.
*Many voices captured while using a black box, containing a sensory word data base. The box operates by using different energies for different individual words. The following words were captured........"Gender"......."Sister"............"water" ,(this is when the crew was standing near a water bottle on the floor.)
When a member of the crew put a ladder up against the rafters and said, " I'm gonna renovate this place." The response from the black box was............"remove..........step!"
The Ghost Adventures crew responded with,"What if I don't remove the steps.....what are you gonna do?" The response from the black box was.........."YELL!"
*EVPs included a loud yell, that happened just after the ladder incident... a laugh......a woman talking..... When the crew stood at the top of the stair case where the foreman's wife had been pushed, and made the following taunt, "Go ahead and push me!" The EVP response was, " I don't wanna." Another response was, "Don't do that."
In the basement the crew heard a noise and Zach said, " They are right behind you." The EVP response was, "I know."
*In the basement a dark shadow darts from behind Nick. A light is also seen flying into Nick's head. It is then obvious that Nick becomes quietly upset.
*In the basement, a light is seen going into Zach's head, where Zach becomes visibly distressed, and states that his head is starting to hurt.
*Nick claims that for a period of time, he blacks out and doesn't remember a particularly horrifying event where he appears to be possessed and does not respond to repeated attempts to engage in conversation. Nick later reports that a voice kept saying, " Kill him, kill him, kill him!"

If you would like to see a clip from the Ghost Adventures show, here is the link.................

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT7K3k28LPs







The Moon River Brewery is now a fantastic restaurant, with a full mouthwatering menu in a cheerful setting. They have a unique variety of beers that are freshly brewed and are award winning. If you would like more information on dinning, tours, ect. here is the link...............

www.moonriverbrewing.com/




Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Ghosts throw a curve ball to professional ball players.


Don't think ghosts have a sense of humor? Well, at the Pfister Hotel, the ghosts get a kick out of scaring the professional ballplayers, who have come to town to play a game.

Located in downtown Milwaukee, looms this impressive masterpiece, founded by Charles Pfister and his father, Guido in 1893. Breathtakingly beautiful, it simply must be seen, as words will not do it justice. The grand 116 year old structure, has cared for every President since William McKinley. Ornate with attention to detail, the Pfister has an extensive world class, Victorian, art collection.
I would LOVE to ghost hunt here, as inside this palace is an array of restaurants, salons, and lounges that tantalize every sense. Inside the Pfister you will find.......................
*Blu-Lounge

*Spa & Salon

*Main St. Grill

*The Cafe

*The Rouge- Champagne brunch.

*Lobby Lounge- Cocktails.

So.......all this magnificence AND it's haunted?......... YES!
What a way to get your ghostly thrills!

The recent uproar over the very active ghosts at the Pfister, have to do with a Major League baseball team,...The Minnesota Twins.

The Outfielder for the Twins, Carlos Gomez, was hearing the phantoms speak while in his room, sending fingers of fear down his spine. As the eerie moments seem to slip past, Carlos's ipod became a source of amusement for the specter. The ipod started to play music on it's own....then switch to static......then back to music...and finally back to static. I am sure Carlos was holding his breath in this Twilight Zone moment, however adrenaline finally took over and Carlos was seen running through the hotel, down to the lobby................. even though he was only partially dressed!

The next visit to the Pfister Hotel, Carlos decided he was not sleeping alone and brought a roommate named Erancisco Liriano, who also plays for the Minnesota Twins.
The following is a direct quote from Carlos, "Everything's scary.........EVERYTHING in the hotel.............the paintings and the pictures, it's a lot of old crazy stuff. No good, man. No good."

Many ballplayers have had eerie experiences including San Francisco's .....Pablo Sandoual, ....................St. Louis'....Brendan Ryan,.............and numerous members from the Florida Marlins.


MANY MORE, won't even talk about it!

Phil Rozewiez, the clubhouse manager from the Brewers, recalls one of his players experiences at the Pfister.........

"There was a rookie ball player and he was back in his room and he woke up in the middle of the night and his blinds were open, THE WINDOW WAS OPEN and he was panicked!............so he went into the bathroom, splashed water on his face, came back out and went to bed......shut the blinds, the window. Woke up in the morning..........SAME THING! Slept on the couch in the lobby the next night. Refused to go to his room. Finally, went to a Motel 6 or whatever, up the street and just stayed there."

Allison Jornlin who works for the organization, "Milwaukee Ghosts" and gives Haunted History Tours of Milwaukee, talks about a very specific and frequently seen ghost,.............................. in particular, a portly smiling gentleman who rides up and down in the elevator, ......takes casual walks with his devoted ghost dog,...... and wanders through the hotel hall ways.

The now famous ghost is said to look exactly like Charles Pfister, the founder of this exquisitely opulent and posh hotel. According to those that have seen him, he is still making the rounds, checking the entirety of the hotel, making sure it lives up to it's impeccable image.

Joe Kurth, the hotel general Manager, is sure to take care of our ghost busting friends. Joe can set you up in the hotel's historic wing, IF you want to increase your chances to play with a ghost!

So..............HOW BRAVE ARE YOU?

I bet this place fills up for Halloween..........talk about an elegant and exciting thrill!

Ready to make reservations? Go to ----

http://www.thepfisterhotel.com/

Don't forget to come back here and tell us your ghostly story.
The link below, is a brief video.......... that contains professional ball players giving their personal account, of the haunted happenings at the Pfister.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Stay in touch with the Ghost Adventures crew.



Ghost Adventures Crew



Are you a fan of the wildly popular show...Ghost Adventures?


This is an exciting and at times VERY SCARY show starring,.....Zak Bagans, Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin. The three extraordinarily brave men, get locked into the MOST HAUNTED locations on the planet! When the sun starts to set in the sky, the investigators head straight for the heart of the paranormal activity. They remain locked inside the frightening location until dawn!

WOW!


The VERY BEST of equipment is used to gather evidence, such as.....EMF detectors, night vision cameras, hand held cameras, digital video cameras, digital audio recorders, and infrared cameras. The MOST ASTONISHING EVIDENCE, in my opinion......remains the personal experiences of the crew.....which we get to see, as they courageously go through the dark of the night.

The emotions of the men are displayed as they are felt, with no robotic attempt to cover up their experiences. This is real and happening to them...............and the viewer feels the energy right through the TV screen! This team works very well together and when the evening is through, all the evidence gets examined. Any abnormality that shows up on the audio or the video is highlighted and shown to the viewing audience. Your toes will curl hear, as you will hear more spirit voices, than you can shake a stick at!

(I don't know why you would be shaking a stick at spirit voices,.....but it sounded good.)

You will simply LOVE this show!

Travel Channel, you have a WINNER IN THIS ONE.



Well, I have for you .....two of their most recent links, so you can stay in contact and up to date on their most recent shows.

Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/GhostAdventures



Twitter- http://twitter.com/ghostadventures

Eastern State Penitentiary







Eastern State Penitentiary, is a frightening stone fortress built to contain the evil that would be housed within. It is situated upon 11 acres of land and is completely enclosed by a half mile of solid rock walls. It is located on Fairmont Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

If you were to look at it from the air, it would resemble a wagon wheel. Long, grand halls, going out in every direction, with a large center hub, for monitoring.

Originally designed for only 253 prisoners, by the time all construction was completed,... it had been enlarged to accommodate 450 prisoners in solitary cells. The design became very popular and was copied by more then 300 prisons around the world.

Every prisoner was placed into an excruciatingly small (8'x12'), cement cells. Each cell had heat, water and a toilet, (which was a luxury for the time period.) The exercise yard was located directly behind each cell and it was roughly the same size. Each yard was also solitary, separated by lofty stone walls. The prisoners were allowed a small garden in the yard or at times,... even a pet.

Officially the hulking structure was opened in 1829, however,..it was abandoned in 1971 due to overcrowding.

Every cell had two doors, a metal door and a wooden door, which was there to muffle the sound. Directly over head , in the ceiling, was a long, narrow, glass sky light, dubbed........." The Eye of God."

The penitentiary used the "Separate System", which was basically solitary confinement for every single prisoner. Each prisoner was to be doing penance and seeking God, through quiet reflection and prayer.

NO verbal noise of any kind was allowed. NO CONTACT WAS TO BE MADE BETWEEN THE PRISONERS,............ AND EVEN MEALS WERE simply served through a slot in the door.

If the prisoners were taken out of their cell for any reason, they were hooded to continue the never ending and maddening isolation.


The chronic and constant silence and lack of interaction DROVE MANY PRISONERS to become completely demented.


Some of the harsh punishments include:..........................

* Watering- This is where an inmate was taken to a wall outside, stripped and doused with ice cold water............then left to hang for extended periods of time. In winter months, ice crystals would form over the entire body, leading to frost bite, hypothermia, gang green and in some instances even death.

* The Iron Gag- This apparatus was used on inmates that were caught speaking. It consisted of an iron collar that would wrap around the tongue............hook to a chain, that ran down the back, where it was secured to the prisoners wrists. ANY movement by the prisoner, would result in the tongue being torn.

* The Mad Chair- This is where an inmate was placed in a chair, strapped down, (to the point where their circulation was almost cut off) and then just left in that position for days. NO nourishment of any kind was given during this period. Because so many prisoners lost their sanity with this particular punishment, it became nicked named, "The Mad Chair."


Many murders and hundreds of deaths have taken place inside these gloomy stone walls and it has become a powerful magnet for lost and wandering souls.


The ghosts of Eastern State have become legendary.

Dark figures lurk and glide past you in the hallways. Sounds of the departed can be heard at almost any time,...day or night, which include................ crying, endless moaning and distant faint screams.


Investigators have even reported phantoms whispering directly into their ears! (Special note, if you plan on investigating this location,...I strongly advise you to bring a change of underwear.)

 Ghostly footsteps echo in the vast space and are said to follow visitors through the cathedral like hallways.


The most talked about and dynamic areas of the prison (as far as paranormal activity is concerned)..... are cell blocks 6.......12........15!


On many occasions, standing in The Central Guard Tower, a ghost can be seen surveying everyone who passes the phantoms view. So when that tingling sensation of being watched slowly starts to travel up your spin and lands at the base of your hair line, you better turn and wave back to the observing spirit, after all,............it is the polite thing to do.



Eastern State is now a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public as a museum. Tours are 10AM-5PM everyday, year round. Check out http://www.easternstate.org/ for more tour information.



The Ghost Adventures crew is running a show on Eastern State on Friday , July 8th, 2009............at 9PM E/P, on the Travel Channel. Check out a clip from the show,.......................
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj5QHRh5kZA



Other shows on the prison include..............................


*Haunted History- By the History Channel.

*America's Scariest Halloween Attractions- By the Travel Channel, ( A must SEE!)

*Mysterious Journeys- By the Travel Channel. This show is where a team of ghost hunters and a psychic spend the entire night inside the prison!


More shows on Eastern State include............................
*Ghost Hunters
*Ghost Adventures
*MTV- FEAR
*Most Haunted Live



Additional  Information on Eastern State..................


*Dark Destinations has a large array of Eastern State related links and information. I found their site to be a interesting one. Check them out.....
http://www.thecabinet.com/darkdestinations/location.php?sub_id=dark_destinations&letter=e&location_id=eastern_state_penitentiary



Attractions.......................................................................................
In October a haunted attraction called "Terror Behind the Walls" sets up inside the prision to give a spooky Halloween thrill. To get your tickets go to ....................
http://www.easternstate.org/halloween/



Want to see a video?
It is called SCARED at Eastern State Penitentiary. It is a paranormal investigation of the entire prison. The video is 54 minutes long. Here it is................................................
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEheb8iKQ2o


Wednesday, July 8, 2009

The Bird Cage Theater


Basement poker room, where the longest game in poker history took place!


The Bird Cage Theater is located in Tombstone, Arizona and opened it's doors for business on December 25, 1881.

Originally called The Elite Theater, it's name was changed to the now infamous, Bird Cage Theater.



Inside the three sets of tall wooden doors, was a brothel, saloon, a gambling parlor and theater. Long before Las Vegas was even a glimmer of a thought, the Bird Cage blazed a trail by operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!



In the basement is a very, very, tiny but notorious poker room. (Laughable, really,... when compared to today's marble casino palaces.

Legend says that the longest game in poker history happened right at this spot. The game was said to have lasted more then 8 years!

(Can you imagine a game lasting that long?)

As one man would get up to leave, another anxious player would quickly take his seat.

Tensions and negative energies flared, in this dank basement room and blood was spilled upon the floor boards on many rage filled occasions.


Some of the most well known Western figures in our history, played poker at the Bird Cage. Diamond Jim Brady and Doc Holiday are two of the more well known patrons. Doc Holiday enjoyed the diversion of gaming so much, he was actually a dealer for the game called Faro on occasion.



Dusty, dirty, wild, violent, with every kind of sin going on under it's roof, it is no wonder the building's floors, ceilings and walls are riddled with 140 bullet holes. Almost every where your eyes land is evidence of an attempted murder.



Many a knife and gun fights were played out at this old saloon and numerous dead bodies were solemnly carried out of the old wooden, front doors.

A minimum of 26 souls met with their demise in the senseless violence that took place at the Bird Cage,... and it all happened within the short period of time that it was opened to the public.


The pool table that Morgan Earp was murdered on, still stands as it did on that fateful day, complete with crusty, dried blood staining what is left of the ancient fabric.


The spooky hearse that was used to haul away the dead, can be found parked within the museum section of the building. 
This ominous looking black carriage would roll slowly along, carrying the unfortunates that were laying stiff inside,....to Boot Hill Cemetery for burial.





Twenty dollars in those days would buy you a strong bottle of whiskey and a lovely lady to entertain you in a private box.

The boxes were commonly referred to as "cribs" in those wild west days of long ago.

(Believe me,....it is NOT the kind of crib we are all familiar with.)



These cribs were small rooms built into the sides of the wall of the Gambling Hall, where the ladies of the night conducted their business.
Seven rooms lined each long wall, with red curtains draped over the front of a room. When the curtains were closed, the ladies were at work and when the curtains were opened, the ladies were available to select their next customer.


The ghosts are still partying it up at the Bird Cage,...... as it seems even in death some spirits could not bring themselves to leave the emotionally charged and exciting atmosphere.

The stories of these Western phantoms go all the way back to  the year,...1921.

The frightened whispers were started by the local school children, who would report seeing, smelling and hearing lost souls, while walking on their way to and from school.

The school was located directly across the street from the Bird Cage Theater, giving the children an unobstructed view and endless hours to ponder the haunted structure.


Ghost investigators have a whole host of unusual phenomenon to report,..such as,........

* Scents waft to your nostrils of cigar smoke, cheap perfume and whiskey. You can walk into and out of a phantom sent, with nothing in the surrounding vicinity to account for it.


* Shadowy figures are caught moving, out of the corner of your eye and faint outlines of people in full Western attire are occasionally spotted walking through the building.


* Equipment malfunction. The spirits are very aware of you here and they seem to play with most of the ghost investigator's equipment. (So be warned if you go!)


The Bird Cage boasts that 26 different ghosts are on the premises, to patrons who take the tour.









Most accounts of ghostly interactions start after 9pm, where according to the locals and the theater employees, you do NOT WANT TO BE. This is when strains of music can be heard faintly playing,.... voices can be heard singing, laughing and whispered conversations take place between phantoms.

Lastly,....let us not forget the occasional ghostly scream. (Is this spirit reliving it's nightmarish death, or is it just lamenting in duress?)




When the silver boom was over in the late 1880's, the Bird Cage suffered financially and finally had to close it's doors in 1889.


In 1934 the building was purchased and opened as a tourist attraction, by the Hunley family.


The building is now open daily from 8AM to 6PM, for those who want to have a tour and maybe meet a ghost. Call 520-457-3421, for more information.

If you would like tourist information on the city of Tombstone, go to http://www.cityoftombstone.com/


For a complete list of ghost tours, historical sites, museums, accommodations and restaurants of Tombstone, go to..
Here is a very short clip of the Ghost Adventures Crew investigating this location.




Want to see a picture of a ghostly orb? Check out, http://www.clantongang.com/oldwest/ghost3.html


In this clip you will see a large, lighted, floating orb on the stage of the Bird Cage Theater.