This is a journal of my family's hobby of going on haunted vacations. We have been featured in "My Ghost story" on A&E, the Bio channel, and Subways Fresh looks series on MSN. Everything is 100% true. Nothing has been faked or misrepresented. It is just our record of our experiences. We have over 8 years experience and we all have a common curiosity in the unknown as a family that brings us closer together.
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A while back I was contacted by the Biography Channel's hit TV Show "My Ghost Story" about having my family appear on the show. They had come across this blog and were intrigued. We were asked to give our accounts of the trips we had taken to the Crescent Hotel, showing evidence we had captured along with an on camera interview of Kimberly and I describing whatever paranormal experiences we had. After sending them the pics they requested we submitted a brief statement and audition tape.
Conner's audition tape
All four of us were flown out to Hollywood leaving on Friday December 10th filming in studio Saturday and returning Sunday night. MGS sent us tickets and room reservations along with per diem for the weekend.
360 of plane ride to Hollywood
TV star looking to sign autographs at airport.
Outside hotel
Hotel view
Saturday morning, at the hotel (a mile or so from the studio) we were picked up by a driving service and arrived at make-up about an hour before we were to go on. While sitting in the "green room" I could hear the previous interview finishing up and the producer speaking with them as they walked off the set. I recognized her voice immediately as Annie Wilder, an author whose book, House of Spirits and Whispers, I had read a few years back which had perked my interest in the paranormal originally. After hearing her on a couple of radio shows promoting her books, I had befriended her on Facebook and we had messaged each other a couple of times about her books, this blog and ghostly experiences. Conner and her struck up a Facebook friendship as well. It was quite a surprise meeting her there of all people. I found her one of the nicest individuals you would care to meet.
After meeting the producers we were ready to go on set for filming our segments. The MGS wanted to make our stories were 100% honest and our evidence 100% unedited (they were). I went first. I sat in a old wooden chair facing 3 or four camera filming from different angles.
The producer sat off camera and went through a list of prepared questions dealing with our story. We had to answer the questions in a way as to repeat the question since the only voices on the final TV show would be mine and Kim’s. My segment took an hour to shoot and Kim’s a little longer. After shooting we were driven back to the hotel and our time was our own for the rest of the weekend. MGS told us they would be in contact with us for an additional on-location shoot in Arkansas. We explored Hollywood Blvd. and checked out the Santa Monica pier. We all had a great time and were treated 1st class by the MGS staff the whole trip.
We took our 4th trip to the Crescent Hotel leaving early Friday morning and driving to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. This is probably our favorite haunted location to visit. This time we had the most paranormal activity we have ever experienced. Along for the trip this time was Conner’s friend and fellow Arlington Jaguar, Cole. This was his first trip to a known haunted location.
The whole drive there we filled Cole in on our past experiences (see first three post), and the history of the hotel. http://www.crescent-hotel.com/ Cole seem very excited along with all of us but I never expected things to happen as fast and as often as they did. Usually if we have one or two experiences the whole trip we consider it to be a successful haunted trip. The hotel started hopping this weekend 20 minutes after we arrived.
Rooms 205 and 215 We checked in about 3:30 in the afternoon on Friday. Kim and I stayed in room 215 with balcony access and Conner, Cole, and sometimes Chloe stayed in room 205 next door to room 203 from our first visit 3 years earlier. (Remember this, it becomes important later on)
As soon as Conner and Cole dropped their bags off they headed to our room to ask if they could go into town. They stood in our room watching us unpack and carried on with their best vaudeville comedy routine. Kim had about enough and jokingly threatened to lock Conner in the large wardrobe. No sooner had she said it the wardrobe door swung open so fast it hit Cole in the back. He jumped causing us all to jump. We grabbed the video camera and the emf detectors but it was too late. We were all shocked but laughed it off as a good natured ghost getting in on the joking around.
The wardrobe would continue to be found open and even closed throughout our stay. Not real spooky but most definitely paranormal. It has a latch on the front that doesn’t unlatch unless the doorknob is turned. We also would have phantom knocks at our door the whole weekend. Half the time we would jump up to answer the door we found nobody in the hall.
We found out a little later that a spirit of a man named Michael is said to roam that area and is fond of practical jokes as a way of flirting with ladies staying in the proximity of the hotel where he died. Apparently he died as a result of a fall during the construction of the hotel back in 1886 when he was paying more attention to some women than his job as a stone mason on the upper levels. He fell to his death landing in room 218, across the hall from us.
The kids staying in room 205 didn’t have any activity until they laid down that evening to catch a couple of z’s before we went ghost hunting later in the night. Conner and Cole were laying in each of the two beds in the room with the lights off trying to scare each other. Conner was chanting “spirits come” as a joke. All of a sudden he felt someone grab his arm and he jumped out of bed turned on the lights and ran to our room leaving Cole wondering what the heck he had gotten himself into. They burst through our door ready to explode with the news . I headed back with them to their room and we waited it out in the dark for 30 minutes or so but nothing further happened. At least in the room that night.
Later that night we wandered the hallways trying to catch some paranormal activity on one of our digital cameras or video recorders, or maybe a spike or two in the electromagnetic field with one of our emf detectors or a compass. Nothing, until we made our way to the basement. The basement now houses the New Moon Salon and hotel maintenance. But in the 1930’s it’s where the morgue was located during the Crescent’s history as a treatment hospital for terminal cancer patients. Thousands of cancer victims died at the hotel under the false hope the local natural springs would cure their ailments. Most lost their lives as well as their money.
While snooping around in the basement I noticed a shadow of what looked like a man standing next to a window in the locked up lobby of the New Moon Salon. I snapped a few pictures of it but the next day I think we debunked it as a shadow cast by a few very normal structures that would appear when a security light would come on periodically during the night.
The next day we woke early to a great breakfast buffet in the Crystal dining room. The Dinning room supposedly is haunted by a Victorian era man dressed in a black suit waiting indefinitely for a sweetheart who never shows. Later Kim and Chloe indulged themselves with the services of the New Moon Salon while Conner and I swam in the beautiful Crescent pool. Cole was in his room for a quick nap. 30 minutes of swimming and I look up to see Cole running out to the pool with eyes the size of dinner plates. Apparently after making a few calls he had just shut his eyes when he felt an unseen hand on his face and then a quick slap. He wasn’t hurt but he was shocked to say the least. He told us his story and we all had a good laugh. No harm done.
That afternoon we dropped the boys off in town and did a quick walk around ourselves with Chloe around the main street of Eureka Springs. They have very cool and unique shops. We discovered some great deserts at the ‘Peace, Love, and Cheesecake’. A little overpriced in my opinion but good enough to buy extras to take back to the hotel for a mid night snack. We got back and found the Ghost tour s at the Crescent had already sold out by 5:00 PM. Fortunately, for us we have been a number of times in the past. But still I felt bad for Cole who had to settle for us as his tour guides Saturday night.
As the sky darkened we noticed an electrical storm moving in. We have found in the past an oncoming storm is usually a precursor to a heightened night of paranormal activity. This would prove true as we began the most active night of ghost hunting we have had since we started four years ago.
The night began with Kim outside taking photos of the hotel until she got spooked and came inside. Then the normal occurrences of phantom knocks and doors opening and shutting on their own. A new element was thrown in when Chloe pulled out her Barbie with the extensive collection of miniature eveningwear any self-respecting 7 year old girl would bring. Kim went outside to get some additional night shots of the hotel. I grabbed Chloe up from her Barbie night-life in the middle of the floor. We walked up to the vending room. 5 minutes late we returned and the first thing we noticed was Barbie’s finest night gown was standing up on its end across from the pile of toys it had been when we left. We snapped a few pictures but caught no activity.
The boys and I wanted to try something new tonight so we decide to mimic something we have seen many times on one of the more unbelievable paranormal TV shows, using a glass to communicate with spirits. We never mess with Ouija boards because of the warnings of more experienced investigators against it. Using a glass is similar to using a Ouija board so we said a prayer for protection, just in case. All three of us placed a finger lightly on the top of a upside down glass resting in the middle of a clean table. We were careful not to move the glass ourselves. We were all shocked with the results. We would ask various questions and the glass would move as a response to the answer yes. The whole idea of two-way communication with the spirit world is freaky enough, but we were astounded when we were able to determine exactly the gender and history of who the spirits were in the room. We also found the spirit we were talking to was the same one Chloe had seen on our first visit. The whole process took over an hour and is too long and drawn out for this blog. I will transcribe it and put it in book form at little later date (In Haunted Family Vacations volume 5). We video'd the whole episode and without a doubt in our minds was the most profound experience we have had ghost hunting.
After that I went to my room to show Kim the video and the boys went to the lobby to chat with the desk clerk. By this time it was after midnight. I heard later what had happened…
While they were in the lobby Conner noticed some movement out of the corner of his eye. He glanced up into the Crystal dining room and saw a man walk by the door dressed in a dark Victorian suit. He hollered to the others an ran in the dining room. The room was completely empty being closed for the since 9PM. The first thing he noticed was one chair out of place and facing the entrance. The other 30 or so tables all had the chairs neatly in places and service immaculately set out ready for the morning brunch. As soon as the clerk and Cole walked into the room the out of place char rotated and moved back under the edge of the table to match the rest. All three witnessed this.
Conner and Cole shot up to my room to grab the cameras and other equipment and told me about the experience. I went back down and confirmed the story with the night clerk. She said this sort of thing happens quite a bit at night but she is usually too freaked out to investigate it by herself. The boys and I went into the dining room and investigated. We found numerous emf spikes but determined this was due to the wiring under the floor. After 30 minutes or so we sat down at the corner table while Cole panned the room with the video camera. Conner started to doze off a little.
Then, while I was looking at him his chair slid sideways a foot or so and turned over dumping him on the floor. Conner was startled to say the least. Cole just missed catching it on video but you can hear the whole thing and he turns the camera back just as Conner is sprawled out after being tossed out of his seat. We didn’t catch any additional evidence in the dining room.
After a quick break we headed down to the basement to see what we could see. About 2 AM we started to hear some light music or singing apart from the elevator music in the lobby. A second or two later we all realized at once it was a little girls voice sing ‘Jesus loves me’. We could all hear it and could recognize the verses of the song but it would fade in and out and we had a hard time agreeing exactly where it was originating from. It was not a record or the lobby background music we were sure.
The next day we ate brunch, discussed the night before, and drove home. We are still attempting to get our minds wrapped around some of the experiences we had.
