Harriman TN: Washed in Water and Forged by Fire

With each paranormal investigation we try and do at least some historical research to understand the location and area. So once I bought two tickets to a public investigation at Harriman Hospital in Harriman, TN we began researching not just the building but the whole area.

Harriman is located in Roane County in East Tennessee. 

TN became a state on June 1st, 1796 and five years later in 1801 Roane County was formed. The area's main geographical features are the meeting of the Tennessee, Clinch, and Emory Rivers into Watts Bar Lake and it sits on the boundary between the Tennessee Valley and the Cumberland Plateau.

The American Civil War has been characterized as neighbor versus neighbor and that was keenly felt in East Tennessee. On June 7th, 1861 future President Andrew Johnson spoke against secession on the steps of the Roane County Courthouse in Kingston, TN. The next day the county voted on the manner and voted 1,568 to 454 in favor of remaining in the Union. Unfortunately the statewide vote finished at 102,172 - 47,328 in favor of secession. East Tennessee was out-voted and the state joined the Confederacy. On a side note if you ever get the chance to visit the Civil War Battlefield in Vicksburg there is a fantastic statue representing Kentucky click here for my blog from that trip. 

Robert King Byrd was a local farmer, experienced military man, pioneer, trader, and political figure. He was the son of Joseph Byrd  who had served as Roane County Sheriff and had assisted in the 1836 forced removal of the Cherokee Nation from the area. Robert was against secession because he believed the Union should stand. However he also owned slaves but when faced with a choice between the two he would rather preserve the Union. Of his eight brothers four would serve in the Union army while two joined the Confederacy. Byrd had made a name for himself during the Mexican War and faced with a threat to the Union he founded the 1st Tennessee Infantry and lead almost 2,000 men for the Union from 1861-1864, which included the majority of the adult male population of Roane County. His troops and leadership played major roles in several battles including Mills Springs, Cumberland Gap, Sander's Raid on Knoxville, Stone River, and the Battle of Atlanta. Under Sherman in Atlanta his troops were the first to cross the Chattahoochee six miles upstream of Pace's Ferry. At Cumberland Gap he was shot in the left side below his heart but returned to his command four weeks later. At Stone River his horse was shot from under him and his clothes had bullet holes but he was unharmed and commended on his bravery by two generals. 

In 1864 he returned home to Roane County and his wife Mary. During the war she had also left home after a warrant for her arrest was issued by the Confederates as a "dangerous enemy of the South." Oliver Perry Temple, an attorney and organizer of East Tennessee Unionist as well as co-founder of Rugby TN, described Mary by saying "[n]o one could look into her piercing eyes without recognizing that there was within her frail form an unconquerable will and a dauntless spirit." Robert would live in the area and spend his days trying to preserve and repair the damage done to the Union until his death in 1885. Due, in part, to his work Tennessee was the first Confederate State to rejoin the Union on July 24th, 1866. In his own words "I went into war to save my country from the foolishness of my friends... We saved the country. Now, in the name of God, let us preserve our liberty." 

The Byrd property was split by the Emory River. On one side was Robert and Mary's home. On the south side was their coal mine which was said to be the best coal in the Cumberland Plateau. Not only was the land rich with coal but it also was full of limestone. In 1889, four years after Robert passed away, Captain J.W. Ayers representing the East Tennessee Land Company purchased the property from Mary. She would stay in the area and passed away in 1902. Mary is buried in Bethel Cemetery in Kingston, Tennessee and was mentioned in the "Statement of Significance" section on the cemetery's application to be listed on the National Register Of Historical Places.

The goal of the East Tennessee Land Company, directed by Walter Harriman, was to build a planned city grounded in the Temperance Movement, a social movement against the consumption of alcoholic beverages. The other primary founders of the town were  Minister Frederick Gates, Isaac Funk, AW Wagnalls, Clinton Fisk, and Ferdinand Schumacker. Gates thought the ideals of Temperance would guide the residents and businesses into prosperity. They planned the layout of the town putting the industrial area along the river for easy transport and continuing out with residential, business, and downtown areas. Walter Harriman was from the North East as were most of the founders but the location was selected due to Harriman's father. He had marched through East Tennessee during the Civil War and returned to tell his son about a spot along the Emory River that seemed perfect for a settlement. 

In February of 1890 from the porch of the Byrd home a land sale was held for the 10,000 acres that would become Harriman. Over 3,000 men from 18 states  came to the auction J. C Woodward of Lexington, Kentucky, was the first purchaser securing his plat at $70 a front foot. On the third day of the sale John C. Snow of Brockton, Massachusetts, purchased land for $275 a front foot and within thirty minutes was offered $300 a foot but declined. By the end of the land sale 573 lots had been purchased for $604,705.  Every resident and business that purchased land or operated a business signed an agreement that they would not partake, serve, or sell alcohol. Harriman would be called "The Town That Temperance Built."

The downtown area was planned as the heart of the city. At the corner of Cumberland and Devonia street a private company planned to build a state of the art hotel. Architect Rudolph Gill was commissioned to design the property. When the private company fell into bankruptcy the East Tennessee Land Company took over the property and building of the hotel.  The hotel could accommodate up to 150 people and featured steam heat and "the best table in the entire region."

The first two years of Harriman saw a growing thriving city with 4,000 residents and numerous industries. In a booklet published to commemorate the town's two year anniversary a poem entitled "Our Harriman" showed off the town's pride:

Our Harriman

Lift up your voice in glad acclaim,
O ye who gather here to-day.
And echo every heart the name
To which we loving tribute pay.

O Harriman, dear Harriman!
May peace be thine, forever thine!
Brave hearts, and true, in love thy ways defend,
While heaven's blessings on thy homes descend.

Here field and forest waited long

The music of the hammer's ring,

The thrill of Labor's cheerful song.

And bounty that the years might bring.

O Harriman, dear Harriman!

Thy mountain look with pride on thee;

Hope, faith and courage here have builded well, 

Long may their faith and works thy people tell!

Here loyal hearts and willing hands

Have lifted high their banners brave, 

And heeding Love's divine commands

Have sought the tempted soul to save.

O Harriman, young Harriman,

Grow strong and bold through all the years,

As if within thy pulses run

The blood of thine own pioneers.

O Harriman, our Harriman!

The skies above in blessings bend;

Heav'n hear thy prayer for thee that each heart lifts,

And fill thy future with its choicest gifts.

However in November of 1893 the East Tennessee Land Company declared bankruptcy.  Many returned to their home states but others choose to stay and make Harriman their home. In 1918 Harriman faced one of many challenges that would visit the town over the next century. The Influenza Outbreak of 1918 effected Tennessee very severely. One town in neighboring Morgan County, Coalfield, saw 98% of residents infected with the disease. In Harriman the city's two funeral homes did not have the ability to keep up with calls and issued a printed apology to the residents. 

 I do not know the local numbers but in total in Tennessee alone 7,721 lost their lives due to the fast spreading illness. 

In 1921 the Cumberland Hotel was destroyed by fire, the first of several fires that would plague the town.

Then on March 23, 1929, Harriman faced its greatest natural disaster. After a particularly rainy February a strong storm traveling from the Gulf northeast dropped nine inches of rain in the span of 24 hours. At noon on 3/22 the Emory river was 35 feet below its top bank. As the rain fell it began to rise reaching a rate of nine feet per hour. Harriman's idyllic spot in the bend of the Emory helped with transportation for industry. It also set it up for disaster when the water ran over its banks. As quickly as the flood waters came they then receded and by 10:30 pm on the 23 the Emory was within its bank. The rushing waters made recovery difficult and of the 20 lives lost only 10 bodies were found. In total fifty homes were washed away and over 3.5 million dollars of damage was left behind. However beyond the physical damage of the flood waters was the emotional damage and toll it took on the residents. Every resident of Harriman. 

One of the worst stories of the flood was the story of Boy Scout Troop 45 that lost seven members and their Scout leader during the flood. 

James Tarwater Wright had been trying to bring the troop out for a camping trip but the rainy month had postponed most his plans. When the day came for the planned camping trip to a cabin near Whites Creek he did not want to cancel. After a day of activities Dick Gilbreath brought two of the boys home. The rest and their troop leader set up for the night. Whites Creek is normally 70 feet wide. As the water rose it spread to 600 feet and the cabin was surrounded. James had the boys climb to the roof for safety. The boys who survived noted how their Scoutmaster joked and kept them calm. At first it seemed they would be able to wait out the storm on the roof. However a railroad bridge among several others upstream had been knocked loose and along with other debris began being carried by the current.  The cabin was hit and broke into pieces. Some of the boys were able to grab branches and climb into trees for safety but others were thrown from the roof. James Tarwater Wright dove in after his boys and despite being a strong swimmer he was killed by the flood waters. There are some accounts of people being pulled to safety by him however he was not able to find any of the boys who had been thrown off the cabin. In total seven of the boys were killed that night.

Tom Douglas was the youngest member of the Troop and in 1978 gave an account of the night and following day. He described James keeping the boys calm and then diving in after the cabin had been broken. He also told how his brother, Willie, and another boy pulled him from the water and his brother moved him from tree to tree to keep him safe. Willie pulled others from the water and would eventually be awarded a gold medal form the Boy Scouts of America for his actions during the flood. The story of the Scouts made newspapers across the State and when visiting Harriman at any mention of the flood of 1929 it will not take long for someone to add "that is the flood with the Boy Scout Troop."

A monument was erected by local Boy Scout Troops from Harriman and Rockwood in honor of the lost boys and James Wright.

Today along the Emory River is a small water front park called David Webb River Front Park. In the park there is a bench in honor of another hero from the flood. Robert Underwood woke up to flooding near and around his home. He quickly loaded his family into a coal cart and moved them to safety. No one would have given it a second thought if he had remained with his family during that day. But he did not. Instead he returned to the rising waters with his cart and began helping others to safety. Eventually he was in the process of rescuing the Jenkins family when his cart overturned. One child, Felix Jenkins, would survive the accident however Robert and the rest of the family were killed. According to the information on the bench he is credited with saving the lives of 75 families.

Since its founding it is not just flooding which the people of Harriman have had to contend with. Fire has also struck several times. Not only was the Cumberland destroyed by fire in 1921 but the business district has been damaged multiple times. The art deco Princess Theater opened in 1926 and in 1932 it was damaged by fire from a faulty projector and then on January 25, 1939, the theater was destroyed by a fire that started in an adjacent building. 

The theater was rebuilt and still stands today showing films as well as hosting live productions. 

In 1938 one of the local schools was damaged by fire and had to be rebuilt. Then on January 31st, 1945, during a band recital the elementary school caught fire. The band played as long as they could before evacuating with the crowd. Besides that fire there were two other fires in town that day. A year later a temporary school was struck by fire, in 1969 another fire claimed a school in Harriman, and in March of 1969 the Baptist St. Andrews Church was damaged and had to be razed when a fire started during the service. 

Destruction by fire and flood was so frequent then that during a review of the year in the Harriman Record the columnist wrote an article remarking how there had been no disaster during the previous year.

However it should be noted that was January of 1939 looking back at 1938. So as mentioned above on January 25th, 1939, there would be a fire causing over $125,000 worth of damage to the business district followed on February 3, 1939, by a flood. 

On December 22, 2008, a containment pond at the nearby TVA Fossil Fuel Plant failed and 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash was released into the Swan Pond Embayment, a recreational area used by many Harriman residents.  While dredging the coal ash workers discovered barrels that had been dumped in the preceding decades from the nearby Oakridge nuclear facility. Many of the clean up workers were not aware of the full extent of hazardous chemicals in the coal ash and would eventually become ill and be forced to file a lawsuit against Jacobs Engineering. In 2018 the company was found guilty of endangering the health of the workers and their families and began paying for medical expenses. 

After the Cumberland Hotel burnt down in 1921 it was replaced by a roller rink before finally being replaced by The Old Harriman Hospital (Roane County Medical Center). Throughout its time it was added on to multiple times including the addition of more surgical rooms, extended ICU, geriatric wing, psych ward, and a state of the art surgical ward. 

Around 2013 the hospital was closed when a new facility opened nearby. The Harriman Industrial Board took possession of the building and thought about bulldozing it to increase downtown parking. Thankfully they did not when they discovered it would cost almost 1 million to take it down. Instead Ronnie Dee, owner of Old South Pittsburg Hospital saw the potential in the building and the rich history. 

June 11th, 2022, was the Old Historic Harriman Hospital Opening night as it was opened up to Paranormal Investigators to discover the stories of the spirits who lived, died, or worked there throughout its many years.

Part 2: The Investigation

Part 1: Indiana State Sanatarium Haunting Beauty

Haunting Beauty

In 2021 we began seeing reports that the Indiana State Sanatarium which had been closed in 2011 was opening to the public for paranormal investigations. Meg and I were excited at the opportunity to investigate a location which had only just recently been opened and so reached out to book a date in early 2022. 

The History of the Indiana State Sanatarium in Rockville Indiana.

Long before European settlers came to America the area now known as Rockville, Indiana was inhabited by the Piankeshaw Indian tribe a subgroup of the Miami Tribe. Once a thriving community by the 1800s their numbers were falling as hostilities between the Tribe and the new settlers as well as harsh winter followed by draught took its toll. In 1805 the Piankeshaw were forced to cede their properties in Indiana and move West to Missouri joining with other Native Tribes. 

In 1821 Parke County was formed with the Wabash River serving as its western boundary. Three years later Rockville was laid out and the following year it became the county seat. In July of 1854 the citizens voted to incorporate the town. 

Property records show that the land where the Indiana State Sanatarium would eventually be built was registered to Jonathan Garrison on March 12, 1831. It would then change hands multiple times. At some point there was a distillery on the property, the furnaces were found while building the administration building, however the name and owner of the distillery is unknown though it is believed to date to the 1830s. 

What is known is that in 1907 Parke County began looking for a property to build a sanatarium due to the rising number of tuberculosis cases. They had a list of demands for the property ranging from access to railroads, height above sea level, and landscaping. This helped narrow the choices down to a few properties. On October 9th, 1907 the committee tasked with finding a suitable property came to visit Rockville. For its part the town and residents of Rockville did everything they could to show why they should be selected. They saw the addition of the Sanatarium to their community as a great opportunity to sell their farm fresh goods like eggs, milk, and meat. The building of such a large building would also provide a boost to the economy as jobs both in construction and eventually healthcare would become available. Their efforts paid off and the local paper on May 6, 1908 declared that the Little Raccoon site, named for the river that ran through it, was selected by the Hospital Commission and Governor. 

Before construction could begin the property had to be purchased. The entire tract was divided between seven different land owners: Edgar Adams owned 130 acres, Gary Connelly owned 126 acres, John Adams owned 80 acres, Theodore Jessup owned 49 acres,  William and Charles Bullion owned 44 acres, Claude Kent owned 41 acres, and James Myers owned 39 acres. Either the Bullions never wanted the Sanatarium or they soured on it after the fact but their property was eventually marked condemned as they would not agree to the proposed sale price. Finally in 1909 the first cornerstone of the multi-building facility was set and construction continued over the next two years. 

On April 1st 1911 the Sanatarium opened as The Indiana State Tuberculosis Hospital and began receiving patients. At first the mortality rate was very high but within just a few years it lowered. For example in 1914 the annual report showed 53 deaths, in 1915 there were 24 deaths, in 1916 there were 30 deaths, and in 1917 there were 31 deaths. The staff worked to keep patients highly educated and involved about the disease and their treatment offering lectures 3 to 4 times a year about the disease, phases, symptoms, and treatments to help people understand and prepare for the duration of their stay. Some who recovered would help care for others. In fact the Sanatarium itself was self-sustaining with farmland, orchards, a hen house, and dairy to also help provide food for the residents.

In 1919 the name was changed to the Indiana State Sanatarium which would remain its name until 1968. 

The property consisted of the Administration Building which had doctor's offices, exam rooms, the surgery, and all records. On either side of the Administration Building connected by an enclosed passageway was a tuberculosis ward, one for men and one for women. The wards consisted of long open hallways to allow fresh air and sunlight, two of the main treatments for tuberculosis at the time, to fill the patients' rooms. Originally each ward was built to house 140 each however that number increased and eventually they also had a waiting list of over 400. 

Credit: Indiana State Historical Society

In 1913 the State Sanatarium Bridge was added over the Little Raccoon creek to help aid in travel to the hospital. The bridge is a Kingpost Truss Burr Arch structure spanning 154 feet designed by Joseph A. Britton. 

Unfortunately the tuberculosis wards no longer remain because they were removed and repurposed to build the nursing home. Only the tunnels below them used to access the steam pipes remain. Those steam pipes were heated by the coal burning power plant built on site to power the Sanatarium. As we drove around the area it was the smoke stack of the power plant that told us we were getting close, which makes me sad to know the stack is being removed due to structural issues.

 

As time passed more buildings were added including a children's ward and schoolhouse that at its height served 100 children. 

Indiana Historical Society

A five story building, Adams Hall, was also added in the 50s as staff housing and that building still remains having been repurposed over the years.

Around 1922 the Superintendent's Residence was added to the property. This two story structure had multiple entrances indicating that it may have been split between multiple families/staff. 

In the late 1800s and early 1900s many large facilities like the Indiana State Sanatarium opened throughout the country. Tuberculosis was a rising disease that had a lot of fear surrounding it because little was understood about it and treatment was very limited. For the majority of patients that came to Rockville the main prescription was clean air, sanitary conditions, and good food. However there were other treatments that today seem cruel. For example in 1914 they injected nitrogen between the chest wall and lungs in order to collapse the lung and allow it to "rest" and slow the spread of tuberculosis. In five of those they also removed the ribs to help collapse the lung. According to the Superintendent W.A. Geckler "[n]o patients are subject to [surgery] who have any possible chance of recovery without it. Surgery in diseases of the lung is and must remain a last resort." For the doctors and staff at the time I imagine the balance between  "do no harm" and also trying to save and preserve life weighed heavy on their minds. 

With the development of streptomycin to treat tuberculosis in 1943 by Selman Waksman, Elizabeth Bugie, and Albert Schatz large Sanatariums like the one at Rockville began to empty. The property was taken over by a conglomerate and renamed Lee Alan Bryant Healthcare Center. The five story building originally used to house staff became Adams Hall, a mental institution. On the first and second floor coed patients were housed, the third floor was reserved for woman, the fourth floor for men, and the fifth floor supposedly housed more dangerous patients. Between Adams Hall and the original Administration building a single story cross shaped 120 bed nursing home was added. 

Unfortunately as good as the Indiana State Sanatarium was at treating its patients Lee Alan Bryant was bad. There are allegations of abuse, suicides, escapes, and a murder suicide. There are reports of patients running away in the middle of the night and dying from exposure in the surrounding woods. There are stories of a woman who ran away and climbed to the top of the water tower. She was found frozen the next day. Some patients would be lost in the woods their remains found days or more later. Looking back now it looks like the whole situation was out of control for patients and staff. There are reports of attacks between patients and patients and staff. There was a murder suicide between two employees near the power plant with multiple stories about the dispute whether it was over a promotion, raise, drugs, or something else we are not sure. Throughout the building there are passive aggressive notes hanging on the walls warning staff and patients about acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. In 2012 after multiple complaints the state came to Lee Alan Bryant and shut it down. Patients were released or moved to other facilities. Staff were sent away. 

Today nature has worked hard at reclaiming the buildings. Vines grow through the windows and birds nest in the vents. Suitcases, personal belongings, pay slips, and hospital equipment remain. Drywall has fallen down and paint peels from the walls. 

Part 2 Coming Soon.

A visit to the Ancient City

Ever since watching Ghost Hunters "Haunted Lighthouse" episode in 2006 we knew we wanted to visit the St. Augustine Lighthouse. Jay Hawes and Grant Wilson pioneered paranormal investigations on TV and brought it to the attention of a much broader audience. Many today would not be where they are if not for this show. 

In January we got to visit the St. Augustine and the Lighthouse for a quick trip. We knew we could not stay long and we wanted to use this chance to explore the eventful history of the city and Lighthouse that inspired many to join the paranormal field. 

The History of the Town:

In 1565 the Spanish crown sent Pedro Menendez de Aviles to destroy the French held Fort Caroline on the St. Johns River in what is now Jacksonville, Florida. On the feast day of St. Augustine of Hippo (August 28th) his crew spotted land and on September 8th he claimed the land in the name of Philip II and named the city St. Augustine in honor of the Saint. 

In 1586 Sir Francis Drake, an English privateer and explorer, brought the Anglo-Saxon War to St. Augustine. At the sight of his fleet approaching Governor Pedro Menendez Marquez ordered the residents to evacuate. Drake's forces seized some artillery, robbed the garrison, and razed the town to the ground. 

In 1686 pirate Robert Searle sailed his ship, the Cagway, to St. Augustine. In the fight 60 citizens were killed and Searle and his men raided storehouses, churches, and the homes of the residents. After this and looking at the history of attacks on the small settlement Spain began building the Castillo de San Marcos on the western shore of Mantanzas Bay to defend the city.

It was completed in 1695 and is the oldest masonry fort in the continental US. In 1702 James Moore, Governor of the Carolina Colony, moved to attack St. Augustine. After a 58 day siege and still no progress taking the fort Moore's forces set the city on fire and retreated.

In 1740 James Oglethorpe governor of Georgia again tried to take the city and fort but again they held on and the fort did not change hands.

At the end of the Seven Years' War Great Britain, France, and Spain signed the 1763 Treaty of Paris and in that Treaty Britain finally took control of Florida including St. Augustine. Control was short lived though and through the 1783 Treaty of Paris Spain regained control of Florida. Spain maintained control for 40 years before signing it over to the United States. 

As more settlers came to the area skirmishes increased between them and the Native Seminole, Creek, and Miccosukee people. There were three Seminole Wars with the longest being the Second War between 1835 to 1842 during that time American settlers forced the Natives first to a four million acre reservation in Florida and then to Oklahoma.  During the wars Seminole prisoners were held in the Castillo de San Marcos.

In 1861 the American Civil War began and Florida ceded to the Confederacy. In 1862 Union troops took control of the city and held it for the duration of the war. 

Today it is also known as the Ancient City....

It has been raised, sacked, sieged, burned, and fought over by the Spanish, French, English, Pirates, and both the Confederate and Union armies. Its place as the oldest European city in the United States is evident in the architecture of its oldest buildings.

Pictured above is the original gate of the city built in 1739. Those gates withstood 150 years of raids, regime changes, siege, and a Civil War. 

In 1883 St. Augustine would be changed forever when Henry Flagler came to visit the Ancient City. Henry Flagler, co-founder of the Standard Oil Company, came to the city in 1883 and spent the winter in the more temperate Florida sun. He liked the town and saw room for growth. In 1885 he formed the Florida East Coast Railway which he would continue to build upon for years: at first buying existing railroads and then beginning to lay his own track. He saw the east coast of Florida as an area ready for growth and a great escape for wealthy northerners looking for some place to visit and relax. 

By 1887 he also completed work on two large luxury hotels the Hotel Ponce de Leon and the Hotel Alcazar.  He used Spanish Renaissance Revival and Moorish revival architecture to keep the old world feel of the city. Soon tourism would become the primary industry of St. Augustine. Wealthy northerners would come for the winter and many others would stop in St. Augustine before continuing to other luxury resorts further south. The invention of the car and increased popularity of family road trips and brought families to St. Augustine for fun vacations. 

Today St. Augustine is still a popular tourist destination. Walking through the original gate you enter into a series of buildings that have been reconstructed to their original look. They are filled with small boutique stores, restaurants, and a lot of ice cream shops! 

The History of the Lighthouse:

When the Spanish had first settled at St. Augustine they built a watch tower or beacon at the end of Anastasia island that was documented by Baptista Boazio in 1589 when he drew a map of the area showing the raid of Sir Francis Drake. 

In 1737 they upgraded the wooden structure to one made of coquina, a rock composed of fragments of shells from various shellfish. In 1780 the tower was noted in a Jacques-Nicolas Bellin engraving  "A Plan of the harbour of St. Augustin." 

In 1824 a new tower was built on Anastasia Island and in the early 1850s it was upgraded to a Fresnel Lens which improved the range of the light. However tragedy struck in 1858 when the Lighthouse keeper Joseph Andreu was on scaffolding to white wash the Lighthouse. The scaffolding gave way and the keeper fell to his death. He was buried in the Tolomato Cemtery, Catholic Cemetery, in St. Augustine.

His distraught wife, Maria Mestre de los Dolores Andreu took up the role of lighthouse keeper and became the first Hispanic-American woman to serve in the Coast Guard. In 1861 at the start of the American Civil War the prized lens was removed by Confederate sympathizers and hidden to avoid Union forces from taking control of it. The lens was not restored until 1867. Around this time Dr. Allan Ballard, who owned the property and the Lighthouse sold the property to the government partly out of fear that it was going to fall into the ocean and because the state told him if he did not agree to the price they would take the property.

As erosion continued to threaten the Lighthouse a new structure was started in 1871 and completed in 1874. During the building of the Lighthouse tragedy struck. Hezekiah H. Pittee was the superintendent of Lighthouse Construction and moved with his family to St. Augustine. In 1873 three of his children and a local friend were playing in a rail car that was used to bring supplies to the worksite. As the rail car approached the end of the track the brakes failed and the children were thrown in to the sea and pinned under the cart. Mary age 15 and Eliza age 13 as well as their friend were drowned before they could be rescued. Only four year old Carrie was rescued from the accident.  

On October 5th 1874 William  Russel, who served as light keeper at the old and new Lighthouse lit the new first order Fresnel lens. It could be seen between 19 and 24 nautical miles depending on the weather. The new tower was well timed as the old one fell in to the ocean in 1880. The ruins still exist underwater and is currently an archeological site. 

In October 1875 William Harn after a career in the military where he lead troops in several major battles including Gettysburg became the light keeper until his death from tuberculosis in 1889. 

In 1901 Peter Rasmusson took over as light house keeper and has the longest tenure of any keeper at 23 years. He and his wife Mary frequently had visitors to the Lighthouse from Flagler's hotels who would stop by to see the 165 foot structure. In a memo sent to the Light-house inspector in Charleston SC Rasmussen listed the increase in visitors over several years.

The tourists came from Flagler's hotels using the wooden bridge that was built across Matanzas Bay connecting St. Augustine to Anastasia Island and the Lighthouse. In 1904 it was renovated to allow for a trolley to run over the bridge further facilitating tourism.  The Lighthouse did close to visitors from February 6, 1917 till after the end of WWI when Peter received orders in the name of national security. A few years later in 1924 Peter Rasmussen retired from his role of keeper and John Lundquist, who had served as an assistant keeper previously in 1893-1901, became the head keeper. 

In 1936 Cardell D. Daniels was the keeper at the Lighthouse when on March 1st it was electrified. The Lighthouse keeper would no longer have to make the long trip up 219 steps to the top carrying buckets of oil or kerosene. 

In 1981 the Lighthouse and Keepers' House were included on the National Historic Register and became protected buildings. In 1994 thanks to the hard work of the Junior Service League of St. Augustine, the Keepers' House and Lighthouse were opened to the public as a museum and for the first time ever visitors could climb to the top of the Lighthouse. 

And finally as mentioned above, and what started this journey for us, in 2006 the tv show Ghost Hunters, about a team of paranormal investigators, filmed their highest rated episode at the Lighthouse. During the episode they captured on camera a shadowed figure peering over the rail in the Lighthouse.

The Paranormal History:

The whole area of St. Augustine has a deep history filled with turmoil and strife. Th'e historic city gate, Castillo de San Marcos, old Huguenot Cemetery, and the old Catholic Cemetery stand today as reminders of that past. Specifically there are several stories on the Lighthouse property. The first is the possible ghosts of Maria and Joseph Andreu. When Maria heard about her husbands death she ran to the top of the Lighthouse and cried. Then as the story goes she heard a voice tell her to 'take up the light' and she recognized that voice as her husband. Maria is rumored to have been seen on the grounds by visitors to the Lighthouse and numerous pictures have been taken of a woman in white with long dark hair at the top of the Lighthouse. Joseph is often thought to be one of the possible inhabitants seen as a shadow figure in the Lighthouse. 

Another possible spirit is Dr. Allan Ballard, the previous owner before the state took control. It is said upon hearing the low price offered he replied: "I will never leave this property." 

There are numerous stories of playful spirits and children's voices as well as wet footprints in the Keepers' House. These could be the spirits of the two young girls who drowned in the accident.

The smell of cigar smoke in the Keepers House is sometimes attributed to William Harn and other times Peter Rasmussen. Both men could also be the figure captured on film by the Ghost Hunters or it could be William Russel, the first keeper who is seen standing to the right in this photo.

Our Findings:

While we did not do a full investigation we did take lots of photos and I looked around with my Seek Thermal but did not see anything strange. We did take this awesome photo which shows the shadow of the Lighthouse cast on the overcast night sky, not paranormal but very cool looking.

And while we were at the top about to come down we both heard a male voice despite the fact that at the time there was only us and one employee who was female in the Lighthouse.

The Huguenot, Protestant Cemetery, and Tolomato, Catholic Cemetery contain graves of some of the earliest residents of St. Augustine including several of the Lighthouse Keepers. Both are only open one Saturday a month so we know we will be making at least two more trips to St. Augustine to see those locations. Each time we plan to explore the Lighthouse and the city more.

Travelers: Lotz House Overnight Investigation

Johann Albert Lotz was born in 1820 in Germany where he worked as a master craftsman woodworker. In 1848 Johann moved to the United States, first stopping in New Orleans where he met his wife Margaretha. Shortly after that they moved to Franklin TN and bought a small plat of land from Fountain Branch Carter. There Johann built his showcase home. The house is two stories and features four large columns in the front reflecting the Greek revival style. Inside he built three fireplaces of varying degrees of woodworking to show his skill. He also built a magnificent walnut railing on the staircase with the first post being a piano leg. On the top he carved his name and the year. Everything from the cabinetry and furniture in the home could be used to show potential clients his range of skill.

 Johann and Margaretha had five children of their own Paul, Augustus, Matilda, Julius, and Julian. Also living in the home were Margaretha's two children from a previous marriage, Joseph and Amelia. It's a beautiful home and location sadly the family would not be able to enjoy it properly. Years later on April 12th, 1861 the American Civil War began and the Lotz house would be at the center of one of the bloodiest battles.

Before the battle Julius and Julian passed away from either sickness, drowning, or possibly poison by playing in a creek that had been contaminated. Sources are unsure but I believe they were 3 or 4 years old.

The Union army under the command of Major General John Schofield arrived in Franklin around 4:30am on November 30th. They began setting up their position with their backs to the Harpeth River while repairs were done to the bridges that would allow them to cross and continue north to Nashville. They had been moving all night as they tried to reach Nashville before Confederate General John Bell Hood could cut them off from the 30,000 reinforcements that  Major General George Thomas had waiting in Nashville. Due to over confidence and a failure of command or orders being followed (it is unclear) the Union army was able to pass by Confederate troops at Columbia and Spring Hill. This set up the two sides for a meeting 12 miles further at Franklin.

On the morning of the battle the family woke to discover thousands of Union troops. The river however was impassible at the time because of recent rain fall and they could not cross until repairs were done to bridges. With no choice the soldiers began fortifying their position and preparing for battle with over 20,000 Confederate troops. The Carter family, hurriedly sent a message for the Lotz family to come to their home and shelter in the cellar.

Almost 12 hours after the Union troops had arrived in Franklin Hood and his army also arrived in Franklin. Some say Hood was angry at his commanders and troops for allowing the Union to pass in the night and so ordered his men to battle immediately. Others say it was not anger but determination to prevent the joining of two large union forces from meeting in Nashville. Either way this would start one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War sometimes referred to as the Gettysburg of the West.

At some point the Confederates broke through the Union line and brutal hand to hand combat began around the Lotz and Carter Houses and gardens. The Union troops were able to hold their defenses and by 11pm both sides were exhausted. Hood and his men pulled back to regroup and rest. Schofield and the Union took this chance to continue their march to Nashville. Technically that left Franklin in Confederate control but it was not a victory. The Confederate side had 6,252 casualties with 1,750 killed. Among them were six of Hood's Generals one of which was Patrick Cleburne who was arguably one of the best division commander's on either side and today has a small park just a block from the Lotz House named for him.

This was the most exciting investigation we have had so far. We left knowing we had good communication and probably one of the best S-Box interactions we will ever have. But beyond the evidence we collected one thing that stands out in our mind is how much the staff and especially Thomas Cartwright love and care for the spirits. It was evident in every interaction Thomas had whether it was the others using dowsing rods trying to communicate with Eula Lee Carothers or with Mark using his GeoPort.

While we waited for the whole group to arrive Meg and I split up and began taking photos inside the home. Meg went upstairs and was taking a series of photos in the "red room". In her fourth photo a figure can be seen in the back of the mirror. In the following video I go through the photos and then attach the real time audio recording. 

Later in the night one of the Lotz House employees told us that there are numerous reports of seeing soldiers in that mirror.

After Thomas gave a history and tour of the home we began investigating. I left stationary cameras in the downstairs gift shop, the stairwell, and the upstairs "red room." With those areas covered we went upstairs to the "children's bedroom." There we used our EMF detector to try and communicate with any spirits present.

Every investigation before this we would leave and be like "nothing much happened but we will listen to the recorders and see what we got." Not this one! We had three of the best S-Box interactions we have ever seen! Really I can't see how they can get much better. To explain what we were doing our S-Box or Spirit Box sweeps very quickly through radio stations so that words of sentences heard are across multiple stations. Meg was listening to the S-Box with noise cancelling headphones so that she could not hear my questions. At one point in this first session I thought we were communicating with several Civil War soldiers. I asked what other battles they had been in and after a few moments Meg listed three cities that also had battles. I asked what state they were from and a few moments later she said a state. She couldn't hear me and I was floored by how accurate the responses were. It took every bit of constraint to not stop and tell her how awesome this was going. I uploaded the whole S-Box session on youtube as well as a short version where I took out the long pauses between questions because I realize some people don't have 20+ minutes.

Full version:

Short version:

After investigating in a few other rooms we returned to the bedroom where we had such a great S-Box session and tried again. This also did not disappoint. This session was again quite long so I have condensed it in this video. One of the high points of this one was when I asked the soldier if they were here as a hospital. They responded with the word "ether" and then when I asked about their injury they answered "foot" and "they took it". Meg also had the word "sick." Also she heard the phrase "General Hood Killed us." Now before the battle the Union troops moved through the night past where the Confederate army was and were spotted by scouts. According to some accounts Hood says he gave a command to attack but others said no command was given. As I said above overall the battle was a loss and the army of the TN never fully recovered. We also got responses asking for a priest which may have been from a soldier named Willard Tolliver who the staff has identified even researching to find what unit he may have served in.

S-Box Session 2: 

Speaking of Hood we also heard a response on the GeoPort that a different group had brought that was possibly about General Hood:

We had a third S-Box session but this time it was at the end of the night and most everyone else had stopped investigating so we played the S-Box out loud since it would not interfere with other investigations and we had several other people in the room with us investigating. 

We also made contact with past residents of the house. We were upstairs trying to reach out to Johann Lotz and we received an answer from the Geoport:

And finally in this compilation we possibly made contact with Thomas Carothers.

Since we were making contact with soldiers Meghan decided to read an A.E. Housman poem about soldiers.

Overall this was an amazing experience that has us excited to return. When talking about the paranormal I often say I know I will never have any evidence that will convince a skeptic but this maybe the closest I can possibly come with the photo and S-Box sessions. 

Another reason we love the home though was, again, the staff. Everyone we met not only loved the location but they respect and care so much for the spirits that still reside there. I think that helps foster communication. 

A walk through Waverly Hills Sanatorium

When we first decided to give paranormal investigations a try one of the first locations we went to was Waverly Hills Sanatorium. We hoped our second visit would be a private investigation that would allow us to investigate the building alone. However we decided to return for another public investigation to become more familiar with the layout and make a plan for our future private investigation. The first two hours of the night was a detailed tour. The whole group was split in half and we were in the group that started at the morgue. Our tour was given by Jason and Josh. As we walked around the building they shared stories of paranormal accounts, history, and their own experiments and experiences. It was a great tour that gave us a lot of information about the building and those who still reside there. Jason seemed to care deeply for the residents which showed through the stories he told. Josh offered his help to the group and shared his current experiments and different plans that he had to investigate the building.  He invited anyone to take part in his experiments.

We had some specific plans and as soon as the tour ended we got to work. We walked along the first floor to the morgue where Meg slid on to one of the storage tables. 

As I was setting up the stationary camera another group had wandered to the morgue. One jokingly said "Are you going to lock us in" to the tour guide and while he answered we hear another voice say "Yes"

Once Meg was settled I left to walk down the entire length of the body chute. Let me tell you that is a walk I think I only need to make once. The passage way has steps on one side and a ramp on the other. Staff could walk back and forth on the steps and use the ramp to move a cart back and forth with supplies or deceased patients. Walking down the chute was fine except for one moment when I stepped into a giant spider web. Coming back up the chute is no joke. I tried to walk on the ramp for a bit because I thought it would be better then tackling the steps again in total darkness. The ramp was slippery and as I walked it felt like I was being pushed backwards and towards the wall. And that wasn't anything paranormal it was just the slant and grade of the ramp. Overall the walk was uneventful except for when I walked right in to the before mentioned giant spider web.

Another area we planned to visit was the fifth floor. Half that floor served as the children's ward with a playground on the roof. The first time we visited Meghan had read a children's story and we planned on reading another story by the same author. Meg settled down with  our light up catballs that we first used at the Lotz house in front of her.

At one point while Meg was reading a small light appeared next to her knee and then faded away which I will have at the end of the blog in a compilation video. 

I started taking a video of her reading but then moved on to explore the rest of the floor. The fifth floor is one of the most visited floors because of room 502. There are many different theories about what happened outside that room and on that floor. In 1933 a nurse was found hanging from a light fixture and many questions still continue today. When we were first here we had an EVP, Electronic Voice Phenomena, that said "hanged". This time looking back at my photos taken with my IR camera I believe I have a figure looking back through the window into the area. I had taken two photos in a row.

Photo 1:

Photo 2:

Close up:

The night was a clear night so Meg left her camera taking a picture of the stars while she read the story.

The rest of the night was going to be simple. We would walk each floor twice first by walking up the solarium and then back through the dark center hall. It was on the fourth floor that Jason's tour really had its biggest impact on me. We were all stopped at the stairwell looking down the hall and you could see the shadows moving back and forth across the hall. Now the shadows in Waverly are very active and there are good reasons why people so often report seeing shadow figures... they do interact with you. Jason told a story about how after Waverly had closed a geriatric hospital had been opened up and there was terrible abuse and neglect. During a visit in 1981 a fire marshal mistakenly exited the elevator on the fourth floor, the building was only cleared for occupancy up to the third floor. There the marshal found "the forgotten ones" as Jason called them. As we watched their shadows move back and forth Jason told us he promised to tell that story to every tour and that they would not be forgotten again. As we listened back to our recorders we think we have an EVP from that hall.

A few minutes later we had another EVP that sounded different on both recorders. In this video I play one recorder, then the other, and finally both at the same time with the audio over each other.

With each investigation I feel like we really get to delve in to different theories about hauntings and the history of locations. With this investigation the idea of Egregores kept coming to mind. It was fresh on our mind because shortly before we went Meg had been reading a magazine article with Adam Berry and Amy Bruni commenting on the subject. The theory of the Egreore is that by continually telling the same story it can actually be brought into existence. For example one of the most popular "ghosts" of Waverly is a young boy named Timmy who is said to play with the many balls that can be found throughout the building. While there may very well have been a boy named Timmy at some point there were hundreds of children that lived at Waverly at one point or another. Is the ghost child really named Timmy, maybe? Or is Timmy a creation of the story telling. 

There were several moments were we tried to empathize with the patients and medical professionals who lived and worked at Waverly. One way was acknowledging that we have names like Timmy or Lois Higgs who people will go and ask for them but that there are many others who we don't know the names of that lived and died at Waverly.  

At the end of the night we stopped across from where the old cafeteria was and I read a poem by Robert Frost called Desert Places. There we think we have another EVP.

For more clips (including the light while Meg was reading) watch this compilation.

Going through evidence review is long and boring at times. It involves listening back to hours of recordings or just watching videos of nothing happening. But finding an EVP or something strange in a video is worth it. Also it is worth it to know that we are being as thorough as possible. We both carry recorders so that we can verify what we hear on one with the other. In one instance it really paid out. While listening to Meg's recorder we thought we had an intelligent answer; however listening to mine we heard the same sound and it was me going through my bag.

For future videos please consider liking and following us on facebook, twitter, instagram, tiktok, and youtube