Grand Midway Hotel – Return Investigation

Grand Midway Hotel – Return Investigation

September 9, 2023

Windber, PA

Investigation

Not far from the populated city of Johnstown, PA is the site of a train station turned hotel in the center of the small, relatively unknown, town of Windber, PA. Between these two primary functions the building had many transformations and transitions. Aside from the straightforward premise of a café and bar, the building was also utilized as a brothel and funeral home. The Grand Midway Hotel has a few different functions in its current state starting with its namesake of a hotel. Its beauty isn’t just focused on the building, nor its history, but rather is tied together with unique artwork and a partial museum of curiosities. This collection of oddities alone would ideally attract visitors but to top that the tragic events and documented hauntings open the former train station to an even wider array of clientele and genuine intrigue regarding the property.

The current iteration of the building was purchased and renovated by its current owner, Blair Murphy. Blair’s unique background has practically been a perfect precursor for his ownership of this location as a writer of both books and movies and has a long history of artistry including many of the pieces which have now found a permanent home here.

With the renovations came a few world records as well. Starting with the most noticeable from pictures and a quick Google search of the hotel it holds the Guinness Book of World Record with the largest Ouija Board on the roof of the building. It was painted on by Blair himself and leads directly to the next piece of combined artwork and record holder also painted by Blair with the World Largest Tarot Card. This unique display of artistry was designed and painted on a drop ceiling in a sitting room, already decorated with a similar style allowing it to fit in seamlessly.

Every room in the hotel is uniquely decorated with a different theme in mind, each one showcasing a different side of Blair’s personality or the building’s history. Each room seems to hold a unique energy and aura but it’s not necessarily known if this is due to the artwork displayed in each or if it’s from something more inside the hotel.

Whilst the building goes through periods of calm and peaceful moments, sometimes so much so that Blair has turned investigative teams and others interested in the hauntings away believing that the haunting have stopped completely or are now at peace. This never seems to last too long, however, as new pieces of artwork are brought in causing stir in these otherworldly happenings. This was perfectly evident and noticeable when Blair purchased and moved in this unsettling and slightly disturbing piece of macabre artwork, currently residing in the Library area, when things turned from dead quiet to increasingly active and altering the very state of the hotel’s energy practically overnight. Whether it was something which was brought with these pieces or just a change of scenery for both the artwork and the building, this definitely seems to be a regular occurrence when things change homes or just locations inside the hotel.

While the building itself was not well documented, there are other stories – very well well documented – that prove the original structure was already in existence and in full swing as a train station as of the late 1800’s. At that point in time, the building was seen as a main train hub for not just the town but the entire area which was in the midst of an economic boom with coal mining as a main point of focus. Unfortunately, as the coal mining industry began its quick decline in the area in the early 1900’s the trains were rerouted away from Windber ultimately leading to the station being abandoned.

The late 1920’s brought the first reclamation of the property as it became a brothel, in secret, so naturally there was a low class clientele linked to the establishment which led to countless alterations from illegal activities. Some of these led to the untimely deaths and reported disappearances. Once these tales finally came to light, the town forced its closure once again leaving it to the elements.

The property’s next iteration was a decade-long business of a funeral parlor. With limited reports and stories of this timeframe there seem to be no tragedies or unfortunate events linked to the funeral home. However, and almost ironically, the following business was filled more so with life and happiness rather than its former venture of death of sadness with a wedding reception venue. This business did not seem to catch on and had a short-lived home here.

While the property stood abandoned and began to fall into disrepair, in the late 1950’s a local family of the Timkos renovated the building into a bar and restaurant renaming it the Midway Cafe. Similar to the funeral parlor this business venture too lasted about ten years. Not far off from this was a renovation into the Kaleidoscope Bar in the 1960’s which had a long lifespan, at least comparatively, lasting until the latter 1990’s.

Its final bill of sale and transition was thanks to Blair and a small group of investors’ purchase of the property in the year 2000 after finding it listed on eBay for sale. Following the purchase, Blair moved in and lived in the ongoing restoration efforts for over a year until finally opening the doors of the Grand Midway Hotel as an Airbnb in 2001. With the whirlwind of a history surrounding the property, the most ironic of all circumstances occurred at this point. Along with the opening of the Grand Midway Hotel the train began to once again utilize the train tracks passing right in front of the former train station.

During the renovations is when Blair truly began to intertwine the history of the building with artwork, particularly his own and close friends but also local artists. With this one simple plan, the hotel also began to become a main stop off for artists in the area. The hotel has become a prominent feature in the area for events from art shows to paranormal conventions and even a regular and recurring pop up coffee shop but for a long timespan it also served as Blair’s personal residence.

There should be no surprise that with all of the different utilizations of the building that there are events which left an imprint on the property, some documented tales of tragedy while the vast majority have just been passed down amongst generations within the small town. The saddest yet most well documented incident occurred during a 4th of July celebration in 1911 when a young girl of 18 years of age was unfairly and tragically struck and killed by stray shrapnel during a fireworks display. This girl, Martha Selinsky, was only 18 years old and innocently watching the happy celebration from the second floor balcony. She was struck in the neck, her jugular vein severed and her spinal cord ruptured, and Martha was pronounced dead in less than ten minutes following the tragic incident. While the 4th of July party raged on, the majority of those around her, including inside the building, were completely unaware of her passing and the frightening accident. This was mainly documented thanks to an older man who was visiting and actually standing under the balcony as a younger boy at the time of this incident. He recollected that the blood puddled and poured down under the porch, creating a horrific display of violence and brutality in front of his very eyes. The tragedy was even covered up – at least until recently – by the local firehouse and authorities with a fear that Martha’s death would create criminal negligence charges to the volunteers on site. Little is known of Martha, aside from her being an employee of the former hotel during its time doubling as a brothel, and so it’s even been rumored that she was an undocumented prostitute.

While the events of Martha’s death were documented, at least to a point, another tale of an even younger girl’s death has been more rumored and hearsay rather than cold hard facts. The story explains that a girl, whose name has seemingly been stricken from all records and accounts of the time, was murdered by her psychotic father and buried under the basement staircase. His psychotic breakdown was supposedly linked to the death of his wife, and the young girl’s mother. This was brought on by a severe depression and spurred on by alcoholism. Strangely enough, there was never a formal investigation nor was there any inquiries regarding the family. Rumors swirled about the town and shortly after the father went missing, ultimately burying any truth to this myth with his disappearance.

Death and tragedies aside, other more supernatural and otherworldly tales have been linked to this former train station. The paranormal experiences seemed to stem from Martha’s 1911 death. Her niece, actually named Martha as well in remembrance of her, stayed at the hotel when she was a young girl. At that time she noticed a young lady walking the halls and, in the middle of the night, standing at the foot of her bed. Even though, at least at the time, the young Martha had limited knowledge of her aunt’s death, she suddenly knew information that only those extremely close to the deceased Martha would have known.

This was the first reported claim of Martha being seen in the hotel but certainly not the last. Since then, a woman has been seen staring out a window, not moving, as if she’s looking into an abyss. This has been claimed by an array of witnesses from the regular postman to children selling candy bars door to door. Aside from these visual representations of Martha, her energy has been said to be felt and visitors attention has been drawn toward an area on the second floor where the upper balcony used to be located but has since been removed.

Coal miners have had a draw to this location since its initial iteration of a train station during the town’s economic burst. These spirits seem to be drawn here but are not necessarily condemned to this location. Locally well known is the tale of a guest staying at the hotel from across the country in California. She brought flowers into the building as a show of respect and left the bouquet in the rubbing room. Although she flew home the next morning, she was not alone. She was woken up the following night by footsteps only to see a tall man wearing overalls and a miners helmet covered head to toe in black soot. He shocked her and even though she was paralyzed she was intrigued and just watched on with an open mind, although completely frightened. This man simply said “Thank you” before disappearing into nothingness. To this day she believes he was simply thanking her for the flowers and thinking of those still in the hotel.

During the renovations in 2000, Blair and volunteers noticed an unknown man walking the halls of the second floor. Thinking it was just a curious passerby, they followed in with the intention of asking him of his purpose in the building. To their shock, as he turned the corner he simply vanished. This man seemed to disappear (pun intended) for a while until a few months later when Blair opened his doors to a paranormal investigation. This similarly described man approached the group, paused with a confused look on his face, then apologized for getting in their way. They relayed this to Blair the next morning and he explained, both shocked and intrigued, that there were no other guests staying with them that night.

Following the renovation completion the first resident of the hotel, Aimee Kast, was moving her belongings in and paused as she entered the second floor hallway to this same soot-covered man. She was surprised as she was told multiple times that she would be the only one inside the building, not to mention that the hotel was locked up with no one else having access to it. She simply dropped her box, not giving a second thought as to what was in it, and ran out of the building. Aimee refused to re-enter the building without Blair but eventually grew content and comfortable with this man over time.

With these sightings and experiences beginning to build up, the ownership group brought in physic mediums with the goal of simply learning more about what was going on in the hotel in a supernatural sense. One of the more vocal and outspoken guests was Sydney Mulligan who noted that she saw a tall man who seemed to lurk in dark corners and got pleasure in toying with guests to the hotel. She described this man dressed in an older suit complete with a jacket and that he exuded confidence and comfort as though this man held a job in this place. As Sydney pursued this man she learned that he has a friend who resided in Philadelphia and this friend made frequent trips to the hotel. This same visit, the medium group felt the sadness and pain of a child left here on their own. This energy was focused mainly in the basement and, even though they did not hear the tales of the young girl being murdered by her father, they felt as a whole that this child was buried somewhere in the basement which relates perfectly to that tragic story.

The mediums visit seemed to stir things up further and following their visit paranormal happenings seemed to increase ten fold. These oddities began with simple noises like phantom footsteps have grown in strength with the slamming of doors but spiked to even greater heights with the throwing of books and moving of heavy furniture.

Following these mediums seemingly inviting a further paranormal presence into the property, guests began to report the transparent figure of a little girl on both the upper floor as well as in the basement. These all were experienced solely by women, each of whom explained a similar sensation but all described a genuinely curious little girl who simply wanted attention and to play. She was spotted playing in curtains and bouncing on furniture but also felt pulling on the pant legs of these women. In the basement she has been said to play hide and seek as if that young girl who was cut down in her youth and said to be buried in the basement or another child. Strangely, and almost as if on the opposite end of the emotional spectrum, a girl’s crying has been heard on audio tools only to be settled down and eventually hushed by a gentle voice singing what appears to be a lullaby. This has only been noted on the third floor while even another child has been physically seen in the bar. This is said to be a young boy who throws fits and tantrums as if not getting his way by tipping over chairs and throwing glasses across the room.

Unknown of their identity, intentions, or truly even their whereabouts, a ball has been heard bouncing on the third floor. This has mainly been claimed by guests who are staying on the second floor and have complained that they were kept awake throughout the night to this loud bouncing echo coming from above them. While some have ventured up above them to figure out the culprit, they have been confronted by the sealed door of a storage room. Others who do not attempt to investigate the noise, complain about it the next morning only to hear that there was no one else in the hotel in that area. Others even have felt as though they were hit with the physical sensation of a hollow rubber ball and yet there is no ball in sight either before or after these altercations.

Even though there doesn’t seem to be too much negativity, the closest energy felt to this is the sensation of a female who does not like men. She typically makes them feel extremely uneasy, stare at them from afar, and even physically mark them. This occurs strictly inside the canopy room and this supposed woman could be attributed to the hardened energy of a woman from the brothel era, protecting herself still in the afterlife.

While Martha is the most well known remnant energy she is also the only one who is identified by name. However, there is another who was given a title even though no name was given; this is of the ‘Professor.’ He was given this moniker following the three mediums’ visit. This aura seems to give off an older almost scholarly gentleman who walks the halls and is said to analyze and stare practically studying guests. On occasion, this same man has been spotted altering his glare toward the books in the library area and has even been to blame for rearranging books here. This was the time when the mediums began to feel as though there had been activity here for a very long time, dating back for nearly a century.

Recently adding to these identifications, an older yet very kind gentleman has been said to walk the halls simply watching from afar but also returning to protect the working girls from the brothel. This is said to be Lucky who was in fact a caretaker during the brothel era. He seemingly makes himself known any time guests are derogatory toward the prostitutes and their well being.

On a much more personal note for Blair, he has claimed to experience this activity about once or twice a month with no true rhyme or reason. He’s heard everything which had been reported before including the likes of the phantom footsteps, whispers, cries, to even loud yells. Blair has even been a first hand witness to objects moving on their own and strange lights moving about rooms. He has never come up with any explanation for these otherworldly happenings even though he always tries to track them down and even debunk them.

With our first investigation of the Grand Midway Hotel we experienced quite the whirlwind of an investigation. Our evidence spanned across many different devices, platforms, and even displayed different types of energies. We captured still images as well as thermal images. We witnessed K2 meters spiking and heard voices through the recorder as well as with our devices like the Spirit Box and Phasma Box. The most interesting experience was the altering energies and atmospheres from room to room and from investigator to investigator.

The K2 meter was seen, and captured in camera, numerous times beginning early on in the bar room then later on in the evening upstairs in the Shakespeare Room. Our simple flash photography produced an oddity in the canopy room of what appeared to be a woman’s face in the reflection while the thermal image photograph was recorded in the third floor hallway where a full body was captured as well as a pair of cold footprints.

The Kitchen produced some strange scratching noises out of thin air and intelligent voices, albeit different voices, coming out of almost every room we spent time in except for the bar. These interactions were all thanks to our speaking devices of the Spirit Box and Phasma Box. We did record a few residual seeming conversations as if we were overheating a conversation but the majority of the verbal communication was intelligent answering questions even though it never did produce any names or identifiers.

We took what we learned from our first experience here and applied it to our follow up investigation with hopes of proving or disproving some of our previous claims as well as venturing out into new territories. Much like other investigations, this second time around inside the Grand Midway Hotel with a stop off for some food prior to truly beginning our investigation under the pretense of staying protected and safe. Doesn’t make much sense? Well, we haven’t been able to prove that good food and full stomachs help protect us from attachments and bringing home something under – but technically this cannot be disproven either.

After a second night exploring the hotel then analyzing all of our captured evidence, our personal experiences, our guests’ tales of their own experiences we can confidently place and back up our claims of the supernatural elements at play all throughout the hotel. Some of these seem to stay attached to their own rooms while others, more powerful it seems, have full reign over the entire property not to mention seem to have a strong hold over the other spirits who reside here. The majority of these energies are absolutely positive and simply want to be known while others simply want their own space but those who can move around the hotel and prefer to keep others silenced at their own discretion and whim.

We do hope that others, completely unbiased eyes and ears, can help add to our reviews and analysis as YOU can help us add to these findings, interpretations. and even your own opinions. Once you listen to our recordings, view our footage, and review our experience we invite you to comment or message us directly at ironcityparanormal@gmail.com with your thoughts here as we are always grateful and humbled to hear what others think!

As always, you have been warned that some of this is not for the faint of heart and can be slightly explicit:

Pre Investigation / Walkthrough

Our walkthrough actually began after some time spent filming and roaming the building, including spending some time in the Doll Room and the Tarot Card Room. At first, during this break, we split up for a portion of the tour so those new to the building could listen to Blair’s enjoyable story telling while those who had already investigated here could continue with our always ascertained communication link in the Tarot Card Room. During the walk through, the group experienced a very strange occurrence where the power would not turn on in the Canopy Room. We do believe we captured a similar incident later in the night as the light turned, activating our trail camera placed inside the room. This was enough to send a chill down our spines and this seemed to exude a negative energy experienced by our sensitive forcing her out of the room and outside the building for a breather.

Photos:

There was nothing seen out of the ordinary from this timeframe.

Doll Room

While this room, located on the opposite side of the staircase of the hallway and bar, was once showcased as a sitting area or funeral parlor it has taken up a new residency as of recently. The newly adopted name of this room occurred due to its newest addition: Anne Rice’s Doll Collection. Blair came into this gorgeous collection due to a lucky happenstance and the generosity of the Rice family. They were once beautifully displayed at the American Renaissance Church, also newly owned by Blair, right around the corner from the hotel but, political turmoil aside, the church was sold by Blair to another local owner. For the betterment of the town, he accepted the sale and opted to keep the doll collection on display, just in a different way. The coffin on display to give visitors a good idea of the past life of the hotel as a funeral home now has dolls seated right atop it, as if in lieu of mourning bouquets. The rocking chairs and other furniture are now makeshift display shelves but all in all the dolls seemingly bring some life into this area which was at one time so full of energy mourning the deceased.

Our previous investigation did not lead us into this area, at least not for any investigation purposes. With that, we had nothing to pursue or even try to debunk.

While we set up much earlier than originally anticipated, and awaited Blair’s tour, we started our investigation in this area after we were pulled here by unseen forces and sensations. The majority of our interactions here were in responses through the Ovilus but were confirmed by the Spirit Light turning on as if helping to answer and make us aware that there was someone with us. At first we felt like we were being pushed out with “Out” and “Stairs” as if someone wanted us to move along. This was a sensation felt sporadically throughout the investigation and was almost an overarching tale during our time here. There was a moment when we heard a tapping noise which was captured during our simple EVP session. During a playback we also heard what sounded like a coughing but was not any of our doing which leaves this noise that much more unsettling as well as unexplained. Eventually we were forced out with our sensitive feeling as if she was being attacked on an unearthly level so for her safety and state of mind, we opted to close out in this area.

Photos:

There was nothing seen out of the ordinary here.

Recording 1 – EVP 1:

Even though we had plenty of notable Ovilus communication, what really caught our attention during our review were two particular moments heard during this same clip. Right away, at :01, we captured an odd heavy breathing or someone clearing their throat but this was not attributed to any investigator.
At 1:06, a light tapping was heard behind us. This was heard by our sensitive at the time but occurred behind the group conducting the investigation. This all felt like someone was trying to get our attention.

Tarot Card Room

This room, draped in a red ambiance light, has many different aspects to it both visually and physically. At the moment a humongous seven foot tall werewolf is positioned in the outside of the room as if watching over his domain. This was a momentary lapse of judgment by Blair as he purchased this used and had hopes of getting it constructed in the Werewolf Room but it unfortunately would not fit with the height of the ceiling. Under the werewolf’s glare is a long and simplistic medieval-esque wooden dining table surrounded by tall and, very uncomfortable (shh, don’t tell Blair), square wood chairs matching the era of the table. Centered in the room on the ceiling in the immaculate artwork of Blair himself seen in the form of the Guinness Book of World Records Tarot Card painting. In the corner of the room is a piece of artwork that cannot be described in any normal sounding terms. It’s a deer antler attached to the head of an unsettling face with reptilian eyes and elongated neck. If that’s not enough, the neck itself has its own eyeballs peering out at disturbed onlookers. The room doesn’t have many direct stories tied into it but thanks to our previous investigation we did have some leads to help us out.

The first investigation yielded some minimal results but evidence regardless. We recorded scratching noises echoing from the Kitchen, which is attached to the rear of this room, with no explanation to it. Later in the evening we recorded some seemingly intelligent responses through our Phasma Box with questions of “All of us?” and “Who’s this guy?” There were also references to books as we discussed the shelf where they were organized but to further the intelligent communication we heard “Goodnight” (twice) and “Too late” which began to send us packing but that truly moved us along was the word “Quit” after we asked if they wanted us to leave.

Our time here was split between the start of the night (following the Doll Room) and the end of the night as we returned here multiple times since it seemed to provide us with the most communication during the night. Starting with minor Ovilus communication leading into Spirit Light activity, we were led to believe that we made contact with a playful, gentle spirit who only wanted to feel like they were a part of our group. The flashlight yes/no communication also came into play here just as we explained that we wanted to take a different approach at communication. Even though we only just began pendulum communication, we did seem to receive enough of an energy transfer in a particular direction then a different direction as we started to get our baseline. Once again though the Spirit Light was activated and with force. A similar motion occurred when one of our glow sticks, which hung around our necks, was seemingly picked up then dropped banging the table in the process.

While we investigated most other areas of the hotel, this location intrigued us with the device activations and, simply put, the room’s energy. In fact, we were all drawn back to this area to attempt further communication. During this time period we utilized the Phasma Box (and some minor Ovilus) and managed to record communication seemingly answering us and even harkening back to other phrases and sayings earlier in the evening. Originally this second attempt didn’t look promising as we were told to leave the area and it even seemed as though we were being distracted by voices telling us to go to different parts of the building. This was recorded in such phrases like “Go out there” and “Out there” while the word “Bracelet” began to occur more regularly at that point. It seemed as though the energy in the room changed though as our sensitive felt touched. At this point the communication seemed to increase as someone began to open up a little bit showing emotion and continued and ongoing thoughts. While we began this energy fluctuation period with a phrase of “I’m coming” which prompted us to get our hopes up that someone was beginning to trust us and be willing to speak with us. However, to our dismay and disappointment, we were then told to “Get out” and that they “Can’t trust” us with “Information.” We then felt as though someone were trying to give us a hint at who they were by replaying a past tragedy but one that did not match up with any records that we knew of regarding the hotel. These occurrences produced such communication as “Very hot” while perhaps in the location of the “Basement” or “Funeral” parlor as we were told both locations practically simultaneously. This was followed by a more concerning voice proclaiming that “That’s a lot of blood” as if in reference to something in the past perhaps? Maybe even something that ties into the Funeral Parlor or the Basement and, with the “Very hot” comment, this led us to believe that maybe there was some type of fire or explosion here. Once again, there was nothing ever confirmed or documented that we are aware of. While we continued to pry, attempting to get a name, the energy once again shifted as we did not feel welcome any longer. Whoever took control at this point had the power and the wherewithal to want us gone as if hiding a secret or information that we were not supposed to know. At this point, following this energy shift, the Spirit Light began to jump intensely but more telling of this sensation were the words produced through the Plasma Box. This started with some unsettling tone as we heard “I’m done” followed by some cackling as we discussed this phrase. We then heard “Go” and “Run” repeated back to back. This all led to more direct phrases in the clear form of brisk commands with “Get out” and in a similar voice of “Out.” All this time, we also captured another, clearly different, voice trying to speak to us almost around or under this heavy, obviously controlling voice. We were asked “How long?” as we discussed leaving then some odd words that may tie together with “Bridge,” “Climb,” and “River. The intelligence showed through again here though as they knew we were aware of the different people and we were time “Different people are here” as if confirming this but as we attempted to dig for their name we did hear a confirmation question of “Her name, right?” followed almost immediately by “Public records” then even a train whistle was captured. All this ended though as the booming voice once again interjected with “I’m done” and “Leave” to which we finally obliged.

Photos:

We have attached some screen captured images of the Spirit Light being touched by some unseen force.

The flashlights could also be seen turning on in the screen captures, very similar to the Spirit Light activity.

The thermal imaging camera may have picked up something odd; a cold spot across the table. Unfortunately this was not followed up on as it was not noticed at the time.

Recording 1 – EVP 1:

This session was mainly observable with Spirit Light and flashlight communication so we felt it best to simply transcribe this section rather than breaking it up or focusing on any particular moments.
Early on, at :54, the Ovilus produced ‘Pounds’ and ‘Strength.’
One of the investigators got a cold chill that overwhelmed them just as the Spirit Light turned on at 2:53. After it shut off momentarily it turned back on at 2:56.
This Spirit Light activation occurred again at 3:13 so we asked if they could step back and then come close again to which they obliged, setting it off again at 3:26 but this moment lasted until 3:43.
This strong energy again set off the Spirit Light for a period of time from 4:09 to 4:15.
After about a minute this Spirit Light activation occurred once again at 5:05 until 5:08.
Another quick moment of the Spirit Light turning on was noted at 5:24 until all went silent for a period of time as Blair entered.
While Blair was explaining to us that there seemed to be spirits all throughout the hotel, suddenly the Spirit Light began jumping on and off starting at 9:11 continuing at 9:14 into 9:16.
We acknowledged this at the time and the Spirit Light once again was alerted multiple times at 9:39, 9:53, 9:56, then finally at 10:01 until there was once again silence.
A few of the investigators began to feel drained and, as if confirming this, the Ovilus produced ‘Pulled’ at 14:40.
With nothing else coming up on the Ovilus, we discussed the recent words and the flashlight which had been completely unused this entire time flickered on at 15:20.
This seemed to begin a slew of activity as this flickering occurred again at 15:34 until it stayed on only to turn off at 15:43.
The flashlight turned back on at 15:47 and stayed on until we asked them to turn it back off to which they in fact did at 15:57.
The energy seemed to shift here when the Spirit Light jumped back to life at 15:58.
We then asked if they could use that tool to give yes or no answers. We explained that the light on would be yes and off would be no. We asked if they could do this for us and at 16:18 the Spirit Light turned on for a yes.
After this we tried to affirm this and explained this again to which the Spirit Light turned on as if a yes response at 16:47 and stayed on and was very strong. This lasted until 17:09 when it finally shut off after we asked them to do so.
Switching from the Spirit Light, the flashlight turned on at 17:16 and stayed on.
We asked them to turn back off and, at 17:40 it did turn off.
As we began to ask questions, we started by asking if they are still the person who has been playing with the lights. Instead of any light turning on, the gimbal that held our camera was seemingly pushed at 17:53.
This was the only thing that occurred after that question so, even though there was an oddity, we took this as a no response. We proceeded down that path and asked if this is now a different person to which both the flashlight and the Spirit Light turned on simultaneously at 18:44 as if a strong yes or that there were actually multiple of them in the area now.
We were in awe at this point and wanted to focus on trying to debunk this. We could not and the Spirit Light began to spike intermittently as if calling for our attention back. This all began at 18:51 until 18:56 then spiked at 19:16, 19:20, 19:26, 19:31, and finally at 19:37.
At this point we shifted our attention back to them and asked if they were attached to the dog statue (which came from the Pink Panther movie set) as the light turned on any time someone moved close to it. The Spirit Light turned on multiple times here as if it was a very heavy, dramatic yes response. These occurred at 20:06, 20:12, 20:14, and 20:20.
Again in stunned silence we did not know how to proceed with such intense bursts and the Spirit Light turned on again, and strong, for a period of time from 20:26 to 20:35.
This tool flickered again at 20:40 until it gave us another period of strong energy from 20:48 to 20:51.
We discussed attempting a different type of communication and before we were able to shut off the light, the Spirit Light shot off again at 21:01.
We finally reached for the light and one of our glowsticks was tugged on and this could be physically felt and visually seen by those around him. This occurred at about 22:23.
At that point we then discussed this occurring and the Spirit Light turned back on, as if again re-affirming this, at 23:00, 23:06, and 23:09 just then the Ovilus produced ‘Monitor’ at 23:10 as we began video recording the pendulum attempt.
After explaining that we were going to try something different, a different tool specifically, the Spirit Light turned on at 23:41 then the flashlight, as if following this request, turned on and bright at 23:46.
We attempted to get our baselines set for a pendulum session and asked if whoever was with us could move the pendulum to let us know they’re with us. At 24:30 the pendulum moved forward and backward then the flashlight turned back on at 25:03.
To follow these motions, the gimbal again was shoved and the Spirit Light jumped on, both simultaneously, at 25:13.
Strangely enough, at 25:27, the pendulum could be seen vibrating.
With that, we asked them what movement they’d like a yes response to be and, at 26:00, the pendulum could be seen moving left and right.
At 26:30 the Ovilus showed the words ‘Paint’ and ‘Dark.’
We continued trying to set our baseline and asked them to set their no answer and the pendulum moved side to side at 27:04, just as the flashlight turned on.
Noticing this, we asked if they’d like more piano music to be played and the flashlight got even brighter at 27:50.
We asked if they could turn the flashlight off and they did just that at 28:19.
Following our discussion of the flashlight and pendulum, the Spirit Light turned on and, once again, bright at 30:37.
We decided at that point to re-center ourselves and grab a break before the group split up; half on the tour, half continue on the investigation.

Recording 2 – Phasma Box 1:

We returned here following an attempt to communicate in the Bar and only four of us were in this small group when we first began as the remainder were still on the tour with Blair.
After we introduced ourselves and asked if someone could step forward we heard “You’ll see” at :17.

Recording 3 – Phasma Box 2:

As we attempted to get them to move the ball on the table we heard “Afraid” at :01 but as we explained there’s nothing to be afraid of we captured “We can share it?” at :13.
Dan began to speak and joke around, we heard his name “Dan” at :22 followed by an almost disappointing tone of “Oh, Dan” at :25.

Recording 4 – Phasma Box 3:

The name “David” was recorded here, unprompted, at :07 but as we discussed not liking the tone of the voice we were to to “Just deal with it” at :30.

Recording 5 – Phasma Box 4:

With some silence prevailing, we asked why they didn’t want to speak with us any longer to which we heard our sensitive’s name of “Emma” at :18 followed by a knocking at :26.
As if they asked to speak with Emma, we captured “Go grab her” at :39 and after the Spirit Light blinked we were told “That means yes” at :48, confirming the previous conversion with just that light.
All that time, Emma was upstairs being subjected to negativity in the Canopy Room so perhaps they were trying to warn us and were actually protecting her but at :53 we heard “So they were here.”
We pursued this and asked who was here and the Ovilus produced ‘Drift’ and ‘Peace’ at :57 followed by “Umm, different” at 1:08 as if they were surprised they could speak through the Ovilus.

Recording 6 – Phasma Box 5:

Referring back to Emma’s name, we explained that we were hesitant to get her without more information and asked if they wanted us to get Emma to which we heard “No problem” at :10.

We then re-asked our question and wanted to know if they wanted us to get Emma and we recorded “Information” at :14, perhaps they wanted to tell only her a piece of information or that she had some type of information.

Without hesitation, the ball seemed to move but we felt like one of us had accidentally moved it so we asked them to repeat this motion and we recorded “Push it” at :22 but the ball never moved again.
We asked if they could move something else in that case and heard a clear “No” at :51.

Recording 7 – Phasma Box 6:

After a period of silence we seemed to wear out our welcome as we captured an irritated sounding voice commanding us to “Go” at :02.
We explained that they had to give us a reason to leave and more so if they still wanted Emma. At :14 we heard another command of “Get her.”

Recording 8 – Phasma Box 7:

At :04 we were told “I’m still here” followed by the Spirit Light turning on again as if trying to get our attention once more.
With no further answers we were getting anxious and they seemed to notice as we were asked “Does that bother you?” at 1:11

Recording 9 – Phasma Box 8:

As more silence persisted, we were almost given a frightened warning of “They’re coming” heard at :13 followed by “It’s real” at :15.
“Company” was captured twice here at :40 and :44 and this was originally taken as another warning that we may be getting company but with the change of energy it’s also possible that we already had that company.
We were then told “Together” at :46 as if we were confirming that we in fact did get company.

Recording 10 – Phasma Box 9:

After we found out what happened with Emma upstairs, we grew aggravated with whoever was responsible and we asked quite briskly if they knew what happened to Emma. Our response was chilling to say the least; “It’s him” was heard at :05.
We followed this asking if someone attacked her and we heard this same answer of “It’s him” repeated at :35.
With that, we told them to tell us what exactly happened upstairs and recorded “Doctor” at :52 then “In the bathroom” at :54. At the time we were unsure of this but was it possible that this ‘doctor’ hid in the bathroom?

Recording 11 – Phasma Box 10:

As Julia began to step in here, reminiscing about the last time she was here and the energy change, we heard a few different odd phrases beginning with “Doesn’t like books” at :03 but then she was seemingly acknowledged with “Welcome back” at :25.
She was then told that she was pretty with “You’re pretty” at :33.
The sound of a bell was recorded at :35 followed by an unsettling phrase of “The doctor called” at :39 as if referring to the doctor which was told to us previously.

Recording 12 – EVP 2:

We were pulled back to this room later in the evening and began to start fresh with another EVP session. There wasn’t too much out of the ordinary during this time around but the Ovilus did produce a few intriguing words but what got our attention was the Spirit Light once again which began at 1:16 and continued a few more times at 2:34 and 3:30.
At this point the Ovilus gave the word ‘Sum’ at 3:32 then ‘Son’ and ‘Tip’ at 3:43.
The Spirit Light was again touched at 3:56 which prompted us to again try to make a verbal communication attempt.

Recording 13 – Phasma Box 11:

As we placed a motion activated light in the hallway, it was alerted prior to this recording which began with a confirmation of “Go out there” as if drawing our attention towards it and perhaps out of this room altogether. This was heard at :04.
The Ovilus then gave us ‘Catch’ and ‘Shoulder’ at :11 and ‘Bracelet’ once again at :40.
While listening closely, the motion light turned back on and we heard, yet again, “Out there” at 1:08. We felt this was a diversion more than anything

Recording 14 – Phasma Box 12:

For the fourth time in the night “Bracelet” was heard at :04.
This piqued all of our interests so we pursued this and discussed if they wanted someone to take a bracelet off (there were two investigators wearing bracelets at the time) and “Keep looking” was captured at :50. Our minds thought about Martha’s necklace story but we could not recall anything with a bracelet.
We asked if our bracelets were stopping them from communicating with us, maybe scaring them off or the magnetic fields were not letting them speak, but “Just them” was heard at 1:00.

Recording 15 – Phasma Box 13:

As we felt an energy change we first heard “Walk away” as if it was another warning. This occurred at :04 followed by a continuation of “Away from him” at :07.
With no one leaving, as we thought they wanted, we continued to discuss this communication then were cut off as we heard “We shall see” at :35.

Recording 16 – Phasma Box 14:

Unknown as to what the following phrase meant, there were two notable moments which seemed to tie together but that’s about as far as our assumptions took us. “People think” was first heard at :03 followed by “It’s about them at :07 as if trying to tell us that ‘People think it’s about them.’ What it is and who the people are is unknown.

Recording 17 – Phasma Box 15:

As if that unknown entity was moving toward us, as we were previously warned, we heard “I’m coming” at :02 followed by a warning of “Get out” at :38.
We were told that they “Can’t trust” us at :41 so we followed this by asking if they in fact cannot trust us to tell us things. This was confirmed with an “Mhm” at :50.
At :57, as if confirming this, the word “Information” was captured.
Out of nowhere (literally and figuratively) we heard an odd, perhaps residual, phrase of “Very hot” at 1:22.

Recording 18 – Phasma Box 16:

We were once again seemingly distracted and told “Out there” at :03 followed by “Leave us” at :10.
The Ovilus produced ‘Basement’ and ‘Funeral’ at :12 as if trying to draw us to a different area of the building.
Again, perhaps capturing residual energy, we heard “That’s a lot of blood” at :17 followed by “Seven pieces” at :33. We are unsure what these tie into or if they’re relevant to the building at all but these phrases were unmistakable.
Another broken up sounding phrase started with “I want” at :35 completed with “The whole thing” at 1:04.

Recording 19 – Phasma Box 17:

We really felt as though they wanted us out by a few forceful commands beginning with an exasperated “I’m done” at :02 then reiterated by stating there were more than one of them that wanted us out with “We’re done” at :06.
This continued with what seemed like a threat with “I’ll whoop ya” at :27 followed by some mocking laughter at :39 as we discussed that phrase.
With more inflection in the voice, and seemingly getting more irritated, we captured “Go” at :48 then a repeated command of “Run” at :54 and :56.

Recording 20 – Phasma Box 18:

Our sensitive suddenly felt touched just as the Spirit Light turned on and a confirmation of “Just like that” was heard at :05. The Spirit Light turned on again at :13, :35, and :40 as if confirming their presence.
We were then told, once more, to “Get out” at :56.

Recording 21 – Phasma Box 19:

After we thanked them for communicating with us, and we were initially going to close out, we were told a formal “Goodbye” at ;06.
As we didn’t move along, we were asked “How long?” at :16 as if they were waiting for us to move along.

Recording 22 – Phasma Box 20:

We loosened up a little bit at this point, pushing a more positive tone to the conversation and pulling back the other, gentler spirit. As we told jokes amongst the group we heard what sounded like someone playing along exclaiming “Tell me a joke!” at :06.
Hearing some other words that maybe could have explained how they passed away after this, we heard “Bridge” at :12 and “Climb” at :14.

Recording 23 – Phasma Box 21:

To continue the previous thoughts of ‘bridge’ and ‘climb’ the Ovilus then produced ‘River’ at :02 then we verbally heard “River” at :27.

Recording 24 – Phasma Box 22:

After some really heavy energy alerts on the Spirit Light we decided to reset the device. As the buttons clicked and beeped, the lights flashed a sharp blue. This prompted a claim of “Changing” at :07.
We then asked if they could come close and touch the light like they did before. At :12, we heard a full phrase explaining that they were new with “Different people are here.”
As we repeated this question to this new energy we explained if they came close to the light that it would change colors and, as if they understood, they proclaimed “Ask anybody at 1:02.

Recording 25 – Phasma Box 23:

There was an odd situation where the Ovilus said out loud ‘animal’ but it did not produce this on the screen. This has never occurred to us before.
The Phasma Box was running this entire time but seemingly not through the device we heard “Out” at:02.
At this point the Phasma Box picked up “Leave” at :12 and “Go” at :23.
We then asked why they wanted us to leave, as we started to get the hint, and as if to grow aggravated they again said “Go away” at :33.

Recording 26 – Phasma Box 24:

We pushed forward asking for a name and heard a sarcastic remark of “Her name, right?” at :05 followed by “Public records” at :08 as if to say her name can be found in some type of public record maybe?
After this we asked if they wanted to light the Spirit Light up again and make a game out of it and we were declined with “Not anymore” at 1:01.

Recording 27 – Phasma Box 25:

As we tried to push through this heavy atmosphere that seemed to descend upon us we were told to “Get out” at :03.
We explained nicely that we were going to continue to ask questions and, at :08, heard an irritated voice proclaim “Oh, Jesus.”
Following this the motion detected light lit in the hallway and we recorded “Light” at :12 as if once again drawing our attention out of this room.

Recording 28 – Phasma Box 26:

A phantom train whistle was captured in this clip at :03.

Recording 29 – Phasma Box 27:

Following that whistle we lightened the mood once again and joked around. Someone else didn’t seem to like that so much and told us “I’m done” at :02.
The Spirit Light lit up bright again and stayed that way so we began to attempt to debunk this oddity but instead of figuring it out we heard a frightened command of “Go” at 2:39 then “Leave” at 2:47.

Recording 30 – Phasma Box 28:

Following some K2 meter and Spirit Light activity we heard some phrases alluding to us packing up and leaving with “I’ll miss you” right away here.
As we discussed the continued light phenomena we recorded “Hold on guys” at :05 followed by an encouraging “You can do it” at :24 as if someone were telling us to wait and convincing another energy that they can come close to the light.
A few of us were standing around the table and approached it as we were about to sit and surprisingly we heard a greeting of “Have a seat” at :25 followed by another similar welcome with “Please sit” at :26.
At :36 we captured an odd phrase broken up starting with “How did he get here?” continuing with “Him” at :55 perhaps referring to that controlling energy which had previously been known as ‘him.’

Recording 31 – Phasma Box 29:

We once again joked around and recorded “Interesting” at :03 as if they were studying us followed by an almost surprised “They’re recording” at :38 as if noticing our devices.

Recording 32 – Phasma Box 30:

As we began to close off here there were some more keywords that seemed to go together but just out of our context starting with “Progress” at :04 then a phrase of “By the west bank” at :15 and ending at :23 with “Mortuary.” Perhaps there was some mortuary by something known as the ‘West Bank’ where this person may have been placed. If we refer further back to the ‘Bridge’ and ‘River’ comments it makes us wonder whether this person committed suicide on some nearby bridge jumping into a river and was placed in a mortuary by a west bank? Note: this is all pure speculation.

Recording 33 – Phasma Box 32:

At :05 we recorded another similar train whistle.
The Ovilus then began to produce words like ‘Palm’ and ‘Castle’ at :08.
This continued with ‘Monument’ through the Ovilus at 1:08.
A strange question of “Why’s the door shut?” was then heard at 1:13.
None of these seemed to go together unfortunately, at least not to our knowledge.

Video 1 – Handheld Camera 1:

Throughout this clip, the flashlight can be seen on for the duration.

Video 2 – Handheld Camera 2:

The Spirit Light could be seen turning on at :02.

Video 3 – Handheld Camera 3:

Once again the Spirit Light could be seen lighting up but this time it was very bright and all throughout this clip.

Video 4 – Handheld Camera 4:

The Spirit Light could be seen turning on and off, this began at :05 and continued again at :08, :18, and finally with :34.

Video 5 – Cell Camera 1:

At numerous occasions the Spirit Light could be seen being alerted at :24, :31, :59, and 1:02.
Suddenly, as if stronger energy came forward, the Spirit Light began to stay on in heavy waves from 1:06 – 1:10, 1:12 – 1:17, and finally at 1:24 – 1:27.

Video 6 – Cell Camera 2:

Once again the Spirit Light was captured spiking at :33, :44, and :52.

Video 7 – Cell Camera 3:

The Spirit Light went off consistently once again as we attempted to debunk this and even reset it eventually. This all occurred, spiking individually, at :05, :23, :36, :39, :44, and :47.

Video 8 – Cell Camera 4:

At this point the energies began to shift and this was visually noted as the flashlight on the far side of the table turned on at :15 then back off at :39.
The flashlight closer to the camera and Spirit Light turned on at :46 then back off at 1:10.
At 2:13, that same flashlight closest to the camera plus the Spirit Light turned on simultaneously. The Spirit Light shut off at 2:24 but the flashlight stayed on until 2:42.
The Spirit Light began to alert again at 2:49, 2:55, 3:00, 3:04, 3:07, 3:35, and 3:41.
There was a short pause then the same Spirit Light went off even brighter with more force at 3:57, 4:07, 4:09, 4:12, 4:20, 4:22, and 4:29.
We asked if they would be able to use a different tool but as if too excited and anxious to change, the Spirit Light continued to go off at 4:33, 4:38, 4:43, then finally ceased for our chance to reset the tool at 4:52.

Video 9 – Handheld Camera 5:

Right away here the Spirit Light could be seen going off after we reset the tool. This lasted until about 3:00 when we decided to once again reset this. Following that second reset, the activity continued to pick up once again.

Bar

Through the entrance to the hotel opens this sprawling, open area which features an array of artwork on the walls, some of which is Blair’s own artwork. Past the wooden bar top, designed specifically for the Titanic (yes, that Titanic) toward the rear of the room sits a landing and partial stage that takes a few steps to actually get level with it. On top of this are three rather peculiar pieces of art. The first is a painted heart wrapped in barbed wire, the Sacred Heart, and can actually be seen from the street and was painted by a former tenant who actually resided in the Demon Room (don’t worry, more on that later). The second and third pieces are statues. Almost in front of the heart is a tall behemoth wearing an animal skull mask while the other, currently off to the side of the stage is a golden Ganesha sculpture and full detail of the Indian God complete with elephant head and multiple arms.

If that’s not enough, the bar has gone through many alterations, each time seemingly leaving a piece of history and energy behind. This alone has led the door open for tales of hauntings, mostly residual from each specific time period. Each event is unique and seems to tie into different eras such as sounds of arguing from the time of the brother which also may be responsible for the phantom gun shots which are (rarely) heard here. The entry door has been said to slam shut on its own similar to the squeal of the bar stools as if they’re being punched in or pulled out on their own. Some of the tenants have heard children’s laughter and the pit patter of their footsteps; only there are no children, aside from Blair’s daughter, at the hotel at these times. Some guests have even said they experienced these phantom children tugging on their pant legs as if simply looking for attention.

Early on in Blair’s renovation efforts this area was under near constant construction and even doubled as a headquarters as it were for those working inside the building. With this came tales of tolls going missing only to reappear in the most random locations throughout the building. While the majority of these experiences seem to have more residual properties, there is one tale that dates back to a time when the hotel was host of private, and illegal, meat sales during a time when there were limits of meat purchases in grocery stores. This service brought in nearly regular arguments and fisticuffs but one particular altercation ended a police officer’s life and the crime has since been unsolved. As most police officers in that time would be able to be bribed with money or meat, one law upholding officer attempted to shut the operation down but during a discussion, some of the meat purveyors got heated resulting in a brutal fight where the officer was forced out the back door in retreat only to be unceremoniously cut down and left for dead in the alley, which ultimately was his final destination. The assailants were never apprehended and the crime is classified as unsolved still remaining open with relatives hoping to one day find out who was truly to blame here. With this tragedy comes plenty of otherworldly activity linked to this unfortunate event. Shadows have been said to be seen in this area but some of the verbal activity including the arguments and even the gun shot have been tied to this event. Even though nothing has but substantially proven, there’s a possibility that this too is residual activity replaying that event for eternity.

During our initial investigation we did not spend a lot of time here but did receive some activity and anomalies from our K2 meter which jumped with no particular reason but this only occurred in one spot. We tried to debunk this scenario due to electrical interference but we’re unable to do so. Without any verbal communication, it’s possible that we were simply picking up some type of residual activity trapped in that one location.

Our time spent in this area during our follow up investigation was very similar to our last visit. This occurred as the group split up; one half touring the building, the other half continuing the investigation. Before we even began we were drawn to attempt communication in this stage area of the bar after we both saw shadows as well as heard a banging noise echoing from the back corner. Even though our communication did not lend to any results there was a very strange occurrence as the trail camera, placed towards the stage, seemingly overheated. Initially we thought we simply had dead batteries or there was a malfunction with the tool. We pulled the batteries out of the camera scorching hot as we recorded a temperature of nearly 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The only documentation we have was this thermal picture we took as we sat there perplexed at the situation. We ran this scenario by some professionals who have extensive experience with electronics and not a single one could explain the batteries overheating like that. If they shorted, the camera itself would have been damaged. They said that batteries overheat when they short because the short is removing the power from them faster than they are designed to give it off. So is it possible that someone was pulling the energy out too quickly?

Photos:

This image was taken after we pulled the batteries out of the trail camera only to notice that they were over 120 degrees but due to our sheer stupor we captured this image a little late in the process.

Recording 1 – EVP 1:

Prior to opening up any type of investigation here, we both heard something shuffle on the back of the stage and also saw a shadow move in the corner of our eye.
Our time here was mainly helped forward with Ovilus communication. Without much prompting the first word it produced was ‘Dark’ at 4:20 followed by ‘Pray’ at 4:22.
‘Son’ was heard at 4:35 through the Ovilus then ‘Journey’ at 5:24, again without much actual intelligent communication attempt.
Two more final words were produced with ‘Cheat’ and ‘Often’ at 5:29 and 5:47. These both may be more residual referring to the gambling and violence that at one time ran rampant here but nothing could be confirmed or pursued further.

3rd Floor Hallway

Upstairs in this simple hallway surrounded by art, pictures of the past including a beautiful portrait of Martha, and even an odd collection of stuffed deer heads. Martha was the most notable and well documented tragedy of this building. As she was working in the former brothel (she lived here during this time period as well even though there is no documentation of her job or duties) she was taking a much deserved break and stood up here on the balcony (no longer existing) in order to watch a 4th of July fireworks display set up for the entire town to enjoy. As the fireworks exploded upward, a stray piece of shrapnel burst out of the side and straight toward the balcony, striking Martha in the neck. This engineering error cost Martha her life and the only respite her family could take solace in is that she passed away quite quickly from the size of the laceration. She was buried fast and unceremoniously in a graveyard completely different from the rest of her family. With this, it was rumored that Martha may have actually been one of the prostitutes working in the brothel although this has never been confirmed. Following this funeral, her tombstone was installed and was lavish if not glamorous. Again only surmised with no documentation, it’s believed that there was a suitor who purchased this expensive headstone as no prostitute nor barmaid would have had the luxury to afford this. The necklace that is pictured in Martha’s portrait was said to be around her neck upon her passing but was unable to be located for her burial. This helped lead to the creation of the story of someone stealing her necklace off her recently deceased body and vanishing into the night. Martha has been witnessed wandering the halls, particularly up here, as well as seen staring longingly out of the window where the balcony once was located. It’s difficult to say what brought her back or ties her to the building but the intense amount of sorrow and pain with her quick and unexpected death may have pulled her back but, if there is any credence in the tale of the necklace, perhaps the missing pearl necklace has brought her back looking for it for eternity.

This area also tells of a former servant who passed away on the grounds of the hotel, one who was said to look after the girls in the brothel and was even forced to protect them on occasion. While this is perhaps simply conjecture this servant would have a perfectly good reason to return here to keep lookout over the girls he cared for during his life. This man is said to be dressed in a high class uniform and sticks out clearly as out of place in this hotel. As some guests have approached this man he seemed to be very sad and somber and even unaware that he’s passed away and doesn’t even know to move on. The children also have been spotted and heard running the hallway here, giggling as they frolic and play. Even though these children have never been identified, it is very possible that a child passed away and they’re simply trying to enjoy their long lost life.

The first investigation yielded spectacular results here, so much so that the image captured here was printed out and hung next to Martha’s portrait (thanks Blair!). As we stood in silence near the balcony’s former location we heard the creaking of footsteps coming out of the former Shakespeare Room followed by our Rempod, placed under the window, being alerted. As we simply documented this scenario we utilized our thermal camera and, as if standing right behind us, a pair of extremely cold footprints was spotted and photographed through the FLIR. We felt compelled to head in the direction of the footsteps and the K2 went off the charts here.

As we began an investigative session here, we started attempting to debunk these footsteps. We tried to recreate this by using our own footprints as well as our equipment in hopes of setting off some type of false reading. None of these attempts were about to recreate this pair of phantom footprints, seemingly proving this was a credible capture. We also attempted to get the rempod to jump again in the same location but there was nothing that stuck out to us that could have caused this occurrence. During our first attempt as a large group we captured a combination of creaks which sounded to us like footsteps but these did not sound as though they were coming from the hallways and rather below us as if someone were hiding from such a large group. We also attempted to use a motion activated light in the doorway of the former Shakespeare Room now Egyptian Room and this proved successful on a few occasions. Each occurrence we attempted to debunk this with no luck so it seemed perhaps someone was almost peeking out the doorway to see what all the commotion was that we brought with us. Following this minimal activity but the overall feeling that someone was in fact up here with us, we wanted to feel less intimidating and opted to split the group up. The Ovilus became the main focal point of communication at that point but after we felt some cold spots touching us and even heard an exasperated breath, the energy ultimately shifted and even subsided prompting us to move along.

Photos:

We have attached a few screen captures where there were unexplained light anomalies moving across the screen.

Recording 1 – EVP 1:

As we listened in silence following our debunking attempts of the cold footsteps we saw in the thermal camera during our previous investigation we heard a knocking noise followed by a creak of floorboards at :02.
This creaking sound was again heard downstairs at :31 then again at :39 and :43.
We thought that Jim was downstairs at first but he was actually outside the building when we went to find his whereabouts.

Recording 2 – EVP 2:

More of those creaking sounds were captured during a few more moments of silence at :01 and :04.
The Ovilus began to produce words following this clip including the reference to the bracelet once again.

Recording 3 – EVP 3:

We decided to split the group again to limit the numbers up here in this hallway. The group began to feel some cold spots on their shoulders but what was more intriguing were the pair of heavy breaths captured at :05 and :16. It’s unknown who this could have been (pure conjecture but perhaps Martha’s final breaths replaying?) but we do know that this was not any investigator.

Video 1 – Trail Camera 1:

There was a stray and unaccounted for light moving in the center of the frame across the floor at :02.

Video 2 – Trail Camera 2:

Right in front of the camera, on the lower right side, a light was spotted at :07.

Video 3 – Trail Camera 3:

There is a picture located on the right side of the wall and at :07 a light was seen moving across it.

Video 4 – Trail Camera 4:

In that same picture a light was seen moving at :05.

Video 5 – Trail Camera 5:

Early on here, at :02, a light could be seen ascending the staircase on the left.

Video 6 – Trail Camera 6:

There was a light moving sporadically near that picture on multiple occasions here at :02, :05, and :07.

Video 7 – Trail Camera 7:

At the base of that same picture, another light oddity was seen at :09.

Frankenstein Room

This room, simplistic in its own rite but designed in a monster theme or, more specifically though, Frankenstein’s Monster theme complete with photos of both the monster and his bride, props that could come right from the movies, and even a life size mannequin of a fully cloth-wrapped Bride of Frankenstein situated in a corner overlooking the room. This combination should produce an ambiance reminiscent of the movies/books but for some untold reason it gives off more of a relaxing and positive vibe. In the past this room has not produced a ton of paranormal activity although as of recently that seems to have changed. Voices and whispers have been heard here and if some visitors are hopeful for an otherworldly experience but have not had much luck this room seems to hold a calming presence which urges them on and helps them pick up some paranormal activity. It leaves an almost positively reinforcing sensation and provides guests with a sort of confidence boost, dramatically altering and improving their mindsets.

Our past investigation never brought us up to this room, nor was there much paranormal activity to note at the time of our last visit. We went into this area blind, not having any foundation to pull from.

Initially, the time frame where we investigated was really intended to be a breather or cool down period but we felt as though we were being watched, particularly from the movie viewing room in the adjoining room. This sensation pushed us to open up a communication channel but this time on a quieter scale using the ESTES Method. This session began with us testing the process and remained quiet in the room. As if passing this test, nothing was heard in the Spirit Box through the headphones at that point but once we began asking questions, the Spirit Box seemed to begin to produce some communication which lined up appropriately with the questions asked and topics discussed in the room. We thought we were getting somewhere as we heard some answers to our questions as to who was in the room and recorded “Me” and an abbreviation of “D.W.” As two additional investigators entered the room, unbeknownst to the listener, there was a number of “Two” then “Get out” as if there were too many people crowding their space so naturally we pursued this. After asking who they wanted out of the room, us or them, we heard responses like “I think?” and “Not you.” Once we brought up the name of ‘Lucky,” which was rumored to be the name of the servant or caretaker who watched over the women, we began to hear some less than desirable responses beginning with “Let’s go.” We attempted to get back on track and get them to trust us again but a different voice seemed to answer our next questions asking if they liked it here which responded with “Here” and “Home.” This was the last time this voice came through as they were seemingly drowned out or silenced. Even though we felt like we began to get somewhere, this all screeched to a halt with commands of “Get out” and “Stop.” At that point we opted to change out listeners and to our surprise almost all communication ceased, aside from one clear and concise “No” response to our question asking who was coming in to hurt the girls and if they could tell us. This response, and a lack of any further communication, prompted us to move on and actually get a breather this time.

Photos:

There was nothing notable through the pictures we took from this location.

Recording 1 – EVP 1:

There was nothing notable in this first clip.

Recording 2 – EVP 2:

This second clip also produced nothing through the EVP.

Recording 3 – ESTES 1:

After we asked for a name we captured a question of “Me?” at :13 as if making sure we wanted their name followed by what sounded like an abbreviation of “D.W.” at 1:46.

Recording 4 – ESTES 2:

Oddly enough as two more investigators entered the room the number “Two” was recorded and heard at :05 followed by “Get out” at :10.
This made them feel unwanted so we began to ask if it was an investigator who they wanted out and we heard an unsure “Maybe” at :55 then after a pause, at :58, a confirmation of “I think.”

Recording 5 – ESTES 3:

We continued to try to narrow down who they wanted out of the room. We heard “Not you” at :10 as if confirming that they did not want the investigator speaking to leave.
Another pause ensued as if they were thinking we heard “Umm” at :41 followed by an unsettling command of “Run” at :52.

Recording 6 – ESTES 4:

We heard a phrase of “Let’s go” at :08 followed by an almost sad phrase of “Here” at :56 then “Home” at 1:01 after we attempted to ask why they were still here. The answer they provided actually made some sense as if it may have been their former home.

Recording 7 – ESTES 5:

We mentioned that for some reason they do not want to reveal any personal information and heard “Get out” once again at :07 then “New” at :13 once new investigators entered the room.
After attempting to change the subject, we asked if they could make a noise if they were with us and heard a simple question of “Why?” at :57.

Recording 8 – ESTES 6:

As we explained that we wouldn’t hurt the girls we spoke directly to Lucky and the Ovilus produced ‘Slain’ right before this clip then we heard a booming voice tell us “Stop!” at :02.
Following this moment, our listener had to stop as he was overwhelmed with energy and a strong headache.

Recording 9 – ESTES 7:

With this last occurrence, we had to switch listeners. For the majority of the time nothing was heard. However, at :06, after we asked who was going to come and hurt the girls we heard another outburst of “No.”
Nothing else was heard in this room following this moment.

Demon Room

This room was once simply a living quarters for a tenant who lived here at one time. In fact this tenant moved in so early on that the room was never designed in any macabre or artistic fashion. To our knowledge this room has never really been documented in the former lives this building took on so it’s possible that this was simply a mundane living quarters, an office space, or even added on at a later time. However, the true nature of this room seemed to fester inside of the tenant here, one who was an artist and allowed his creations to be his release. These odd, beautifully dark pieces of artwork seemed to over take him, as if his inner demons were coming to the surface. While he designed and painted these surreal and mind bending masterpieces the artist claimed to just be painting what the inner voices tell him to and show him in his mind’s eye. These ethereal sensations grew to such a point where he would lock himself inside his room and paint tirelessly without food, water, or sleep.

Eventually he was at such a crossroads where he knew he had to do something to be released from these voices but he was pulled with such a strong force toward a minimalist new world church organization. As was noted by those close to him, he appeared to be brainwashed to a severe degree which led to him eventually ridding himself of his past image starting with the burning of his priceless and meaningful artwork while abandoning most of his belongings and naturally his living space. All that was left behind from this artist are the sacred heart in the bar area and these unsettling images all throughout this room. It’s said that there is a heavy feeling left over in this room as if the artist was truly able to shed whatever negativity was attached to him and leave it in the hotel. Some visitors claim to feel this heaviness and claim a feeling of being watched but this could easily be just an internalization of those images painted on the walls staring right through them.

Our last visit this room was in fact occupied and we did not have access to it so naturally, once again, we didn’t have much to go off or pull from to conduct our investigation.

We attempted a different approach when investigating this area. Our approach was actually sending one investigator in to try to replicate the silence that a guest would hear when staying in the room then live streaming this over Instagram so the rest of the team could watch and listen in. Unfortunately, at least we first thought, we did not experience much supernatural. Our Spirit Box was running the entire time which gave us the ability to listen back and see if anyone was trying to communicate here even though there was only one moment we heard anything substantial come through the device with a greeting of “Hello.” In addition to that, and only found out upon a review, we captured a few phrases beginning with that aforementioned greeting. After some silence we were told to “Go” twice as if someone did not want the company. This communication continued with a name provided to us, again repeated twice, and was heard to be “David” or “Daryl.” As we did not get much interaction we’d almost irritated whoever was in the room as they attempted to get our attention with “Hey” and “You” before they ultimately gave up and left us with silence.

Photos:

There was nothing abnormal captured here. aside from the beautifully macabre paintings.

Recording 1 – Spirit Box 1:

There was not a lot heard during this time of running a live stream and sitting in practical silence but “Him” was captured at :05 as if referencing Jim entering the room.

Recording 2 – Spirit Box 2:

With nothing but silence we heard a confused voice ask simply “Hello?” at :02.
As if they were irritated with the Spirit Box noise, lack of interaction, or simply Jim’s presence is unknown but the firm command of “Go” was captured twice at :39 and :49.

Recording 3 – Spirit Box 3:

The name “David” was heard once again (previously heard in the Tarot Card Room) at :03 and repeated at :48.

Recording 4 – Spirit Box 4:

While they seemed to be trying to get Jim’s attention, we heard “Hey” at :04 then “You” at :13 as if trying to simply say “Hey you.”

Canopy Room

Another simple appearance of a room, naturally aside from the décor, the white bed covered with a canopy top is the main focal point as well as the namesake. There is a white furniture set combined with a pair of mirrors that matches the bed finish tying the room together. However, above and beyond the “normal” furniture pieces to this room the décor truly gives an odd feeling to the room. There seems to be an overarching design feature here with a combination of paganism and taxidermy, which honestly can certainly tie together. There are skulls, feathers, and odd images strewn about combined with real stuffed animals, some of which are hung on the wall. Aside from these designs there is a large doll seated in a rocking chair at the base of the bed ready to greet visitors. The closet also features a life size replica of Raegan from the Exorcist peering into the room as if staring at the bed watching guests sleep.

The two mirrors are predominant here as they are quite frankly just beautiful décor which fit in well with the bed suite but the elongated mirror next to the bed is said to hold a supernatural element. Guests who attempt to take a picture of the mirror, us included, have seen a face peering back at them as if someone is standing over their shoulder. Others have claimed that this may actually be a portal which has let some spirits pass through into this plane. This room has been said to hold the past energy of a woman who is irritated and angry with men as they’re told to ‘leave’ and ‘get out’ on a quite regular basis. Others, on a much more rare occurrence, have claimed to actually be physically harmed in the form of scratches. The doll in the chair has been said to rock and move on its own as if just watching from its perch in the center of the room.

Our last investigation provided us with a quite decent amount of activity here as we began with a packed room eventually dwindling down to only individuals investigating one at a time. We were thanked for this action by phantom voices and even captured the names of “Anne” and “Shannon.” During our time here we experienced a little bit of everything from unknown lights bouncing around the room, even though there are no windows or anything external which could have caused it, to intelligent conversation as they answered our questions through the Spirit Box, and even phantom footsteps walking about as one of the investigators spent the night in this room.

With all of the activity we experienced our first time around, we had quite high hopes on both attempting to debunk these oddities as well as continuing on to learn more about who was here. Unfortunately we did not have much luck here even though we did spend three different occasions here. Our Ovilus did pick up a few words and phrases but none of which were relative. Our ESTES Method attempt was equally as quiet and did produce anything of substance and the only paranormality we experienced was a sensation of being watched from afar and our sensitive being pulled toward the mirror and just feeling generally uneasy.

Photos:

We pulled the images where the light was off and turned on.

Recording 1 – EVP 1:

There was nothing heard out of the ordinary during this first attempt.

Recording 2 – ESTES 1:

Even though there was not much produced through the Spirit Box or heard by the investigator, there was a quick, raspy breath which said “Get out :15.

Video 1 – Trail Camera 1:

This video captured a moment when the light turned on by itself. This occurred at :05.

Video 2 – Trail Camera 2:

The top right of the screen showed a white light moving for a period of time at :07.

Video 3 – Trail Camera 3:

On the right side of the room, a light can be seen moving at :05.

With our experiences gathered from our first visit to the Grand Midway Hotel we were extremely excited to head back here for a second, follow up investigation. Following this second go round in Windber, PA and a deep dive into our evidence and experiences we can conclusively and confidently conclude that we encountered an interesting amount of energy left over here in the form of intelligence and residual. This combination helped us conclude that we encountered paranormal activity in the Grand Midway Hotel for the second time.

Although we definitely communicated some intelligent energies all throughout the building there does seem to be an overarching presence practically quieting these other spirits as we began to gather some information, possibly information which they did not want shared with anyone. Each room individually seemed to hold its own particular energy as if different energies were drawn to these locations yet that overseer type presence stepped in no matter where we were, showing no boundaries or particular locations. We’re unsure how this entity ties into the building or what may have brought it here but it seemed strongest on the upper floors and not necessarily as influential on the lower floor; that’s not to say they never crossed that threshold they just never came across nearly as strong on the first floor.

The communication seemed to come in waves, particularly the intelligent energies, which was most evident in the Tarot Card Room and the Frankenstein Room that helped guide us to the belief that there was someone keeping every other energy there quiet. The 3rd Floor Hallway produced the most successful and consistent residual energy throughout the evening mainly in the form of phantom footsteps practically circling us.

No areas seemed to have any type of negativity but the Canopy Room did give our sensitive an unsettling sensation particularly during the walkthrough where the electricity seemed to be affected by something, only to work later on. She also felt touched here and was so overwhelmed at that point that she had to physically step outside of the building to gather herself. A similar video clip was also captured later in the night as the light seemingly turned on by itself.

Our conclusions are based upon personal experiences combined with captured paranormal evidence. The personal experiences stretch from our sensitive’s unsettled feeling that seemed to follow her to nearly every room she entered to investigators being physically touched up on the 3rd floor. This 3rd floor hallway is also where the motion activated light appeared to go on and off if tripped by someone we couldn’t see. The dark shadows which we could see appeared in the Bar area before we attempted to investigate here while the trail camera overheated reaching 120 degrees F as if someone were pulling energy extremely fast creating this intense fluctuation. In other locations such as the Canopy Room, our sensitive once again felt intense energies surrounding her and forcing her out all the while the electricity acted odd and would not turn on. This same scenario played out through a trail camera later in the night as the light near the mirror in the corner turned on by itself. The Spirit Light, flashlights, and pendulums were very active throughout the evening, particularly in the Tarot Card Room where they provided us with yes and no responses helping answer questions we had about these energies only to be quieted by that overseeing and protective spirit which blanketed the hotel.

The visual evidence and experiences were all backed up by verbal conversations and communication. Through the Phasma Box and Spirit Box, sometimes open air while others were using the ESTES method, we gathered enough communication and information to gather that there was clear intelligence throughout the building. Almost each time we felt as though we were getting somewhere with an open dialogue, we were stopped by the overarching energy seemingly controlling or scarring the others in each room. This was most predominant in the top two floors where this controlling force was able to quiet just about every conversation and spirit quite quickly even though we managed to open up a line of communication with greetings and even names, like “David.” However, and partially the reason we returned so many times, the Tarot Card Room seemed to be an area this energy seemed to take some time to manifest and finally put an end to our communication so we managed to gather more information during those time periods which told us the spirits here simply wanted attention and to feel belonged and welcomed.

We can comfortably state that there are high levels of energy throughout the entire Grand Midway Hotel and this has been shown not just once but twice with our second investigation here. The combination of captured evidence and personal experiences have helped us build off of the previous investigation and continue forward with new answers and experiences as well as helped us conclude that the previous investigation was not explainable or debunkable. Thanks to these interactions and communications we’ve been able to positively confirm that there are energies throughout the building which have been claimed to remain here but also a newer entity who is now controlling the narrative and perhaps secrets buried deep in the history of the old building.

Our goal and intention here is to help continue to grow the documentation of paranormalities and supernatural experiences that occur inside the Grand Midway Hotel. We hope that similar minded groups and individuals can pick up where our second investigation left off and build upon these findings. We hope to help continue the growing legacy of the hotel and preserve its history and help guide any others who are in search of true paranormal anomalies all the while building the story of the hotel and those whose energies still are locked away inside the Grand Midway Hotel situated in the center of the small town of Windber, PA.

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Grand Midway Hotel – Return Investigation

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