Author Archives: trmcswain

By Tina R. McSwain

The Perils of Summer Ghost Hunting

With last week’s high temperatures being well above 90, and throw in the heat index of 104-110, it is quite an undertaking to investigate in the summer time.  Especially if your investigation, or the bulk of it, is to be outdoors.  Or worse, your location is inside, but does not have air conditioning.

The obvious is to drink and have plenty of water on hand.  Don’t forget the bug spray to ward off all our little winged friends.  (Unscented is the way to go so as not to spoil any smells that may be attributed to a paranormal cause.) Beware the dive bombing bats, and then, there are the snakes!

Last but certainly not least, you have the physical strain on the body; profuse sweating, easier exhaustion, and the possibility of cramps, nausea or other heat related issues. 

With no end in sight and another week of 90+ temperatures, be mindful of this, and try to hold those investigations in a modern, well insulated and air conditioned home….lol

By Tina. R. McSwain

They come to get you when its time…

I have a friend who is dying.  (The reason you did not see a blog from me last week).  She is currently at a hospice facility.  I spent all day with her on Saturday of last week, and yesterday.  I can tell she doesn’t have long.  She asked me to check out her room.  I asked her what she meant by this statement.  She said, you know, do that thing you do and see if anyone is here with us.  I began a short meditation, and did pick up on a man; rugged, tall and was wearing a hat.  I kept this to myself.

She continued and said, well I am seeing people.  I asked her what people, she said she was seeing her dad.  I knew her dad had passed many years ago, but I had never met him.  I asked what he looked like and did he favor wearing hats.  She said that he did, and that he was a tall, rugged man who had been a farmer all his life.  That confirmed what I had suspected.  Her time is drawing near, and her father is there to help her cross into the afterlife. 

What a comforting thought, that you don’t have to make that journey all alone.  Someone who loves you will be there to help, and allieviate any fears you may have. 

Godspeed, my friend.  I will miss you

By Tina R. McSwain

Waverly Hills Sanatorium – Louisville, KY

Has to be one of the most haunted locations in the country.  Given its long history (around 100 years) there has been plenty of time to make a haunting.  Opened in 1910 as a tuberculosis clinic, it was expanded in 1926 to what is seen today.  It remained a tuberculosis hospital until 1961. 

Closed for a year, quarantined, and renovated, it opened back up its doors in 1962 as a geriatric facility called Woodhaven Medical Services.  It remained as such until the state of Kentucky closed it down in 1980.

So much death, dying, deplorable conditions, misery and mistreatment of the elderly, has made this place ripe with ghostly activity.  Add to that, suicide (or was it murder?).  During the time it lay abandoned, rumours of satanic practices within its walls permeated the local folklore. 

With its dark past, The Charlotte Area Paranormal Society decided to travel to Louisville and investigate Waverly.  While personal experiences are not considered evidence, they are deemed important, and almost everyone in the group had at least one.  Four team members experienced the sound of rolling coffin carts, and the bang of them stopping at the bottom of the Body Chute (long after they have been removed.)  Another four team members experienced a dark presence on the 4th floor which left them unnerved.   Still others saw “Shadow People”, and experienced the strange phenomenon of a “doppelganger”.  Two team members encountered the ghost of a dog that had met a tragic end at Waverly. 

We employed a great deal of technology, (8) Sony Hi8 night-shot cameras on tripods with IR illuminators, (3) roving Night Shot cameras with IR illuminators (these accompanied the teams as they investigated), (2) full spectrum HD video recorders on tripods with IR Illuminators, (2) roving full spectrum digital cameras, (1) roving full spectrum video camera with IR Illuminator, and (1) roving FLIR thermal imaging camera. Of course, team members ran digital audio recorders the entire time, and used
digital cameras as well.

With this much footage and audio to review, it will be some time before we can complete our analysis. We will post anything we find on our website. 

On a personal note, I will say that if you ever get a chance to investigate
Waverly, go for it!  But, don’t go alone!  It has been the most active site I have ever seen (and I have been to many across the country). I know I speak for my fellow team members as well when I say that the place, the images and the experience stays with you long after you leave.