Ghost of a chance in Amador County hotel

By Bobby Caina Calvan - bcalvan@sacbee.com

Last Updated 6:39 am PST Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Story appeared in METRO section, Page B1

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Paranormal investigators Michelle Barbaria, left, Amy Bruni and Ann Overhiser unpack monitoring equipment in a room at the St. George Hotel in Volcano in Amador County. The 21-room hotel, where staff and guests have reported apparitions, will be the site of a ghost seminar in March. Randall Benton / rbenton@sacbee.com

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VOLCANO – A young girl, an apparition dressed in white, is said to roam the halls of the St. George Hotel here, startling guests and housekeepers alike. She comes and goes, as does the equally mysterious, well-dressed gentleman who skulks through the three-story inn with a cane.

For years, strange things have supposedly taken place at the hotel, set at a sharp bend of a narrow road that winds through the thickly wooded hills of the historic Gold Rush town, 60 miles southeast of Sacramento.

Ghosts, if you choose to believe, have lurked in the place for years. Voices, footsteps and otherworldly creaks have given some the creeps.

Lights are said to fade in and out. Beds, fresh and crisp one minute, are in disarray the next. Things go bump, deep into the night.

"Do you ever get the feeling that you need to get the hell out of someplace?" said Elsa Seeger, the hotel's office manager since 2001. Her eyes widened and her voice stiffened. "I've heard so many stories, but to tell you the truth, I've only experienced something strange just once."

For at least one night, though, the chatter in the corridors, the shadowy figures, the flashes of light – all the weirdness of the night – weren't the work of poltergeists.

On Saturday, a small swarm of ghost hunters gathered at the St. George Hotel in search of the little blond girl and the dashing gentleman.

The ghost hunters, as they call themselves, set up video cameras, sound recorders. They used dowsing rods to lead the way. A handheld Geiger counter sought to measure radiation, if not ghostly vibes. They cajoled the spirits to appear.

When the "science" was done, a psychic swept from room to room, sniffing out the spirits.

"I feel so very emotionally and physically drained," said the psychic, Jason Lindo, after visiting one of the darkened rooms.

"It was like something grabbed me by the shoulders," said Lindo, who in the parlance of the paranormal is referred to as a "sensitive."

Richard Winters, one of the new co-owners of the hotel, said he knew little of the ghost stories when he and his partners bought the Amador County hotel.

"One day, a guest asked whether we had any ghosts," he said. The guest claimed she had spoken to a gentleman who identified himself as Charles Osgood, who Winters claims was among the hotel's first customers more than a century ago.

In the room called "Soldiers Gulch," a guest in September reported speaking to a little girl in a white dress. Journals located in every room tell of other brushes with the paranormal.

"Enjoy the ghost. We did. … Knock on the walls – you will get a knock back," said one recent, but undated, entry.

Investigators claimed they captured on tape the sing-songy voice of a little girl during Saturday's hunt, although they acknowledge that whatever made those sounds is open to interpretation.

Robin Little, whose family also has a share in the business, contacted a friend well-known in the paranormal field and invited her out to investigate.

"We're not taken very seriously all the time – I know you find that hard to believe," said Amy Bruni, who produces "Beyond Reality Radio," a broadcast hosted by two members featured on the popular sci-fi network show "Ghost Hunters."

Bruni doesn't mind skeptics, and she has quick answers for nonbelievers.

Why for example, must ghost hunts occur at night?

"The theory is, ghosts manifest themselves in the dark," Bruni said. "In broad daylight, a misty figure walks by you – not that it happens very often – but you're probably not going to see it in broad daylight.

"But even among us paranormal types there's a debate," she added. "Some of us think you can ghost hunt in the day."

She and other believers endure the jokes. Bruni laughs along with the naysayers. But there is a serious side.

"Ghost hunting is almost a belief system. It's about trying to figure out what happens when we die," she said. "People want to know what happens when we die, and ghosts are a lot more tangible for a lot of people. In the paranormal, there are a lot of people who aren't naturally religious, but they believe in ghosts."

Instead of spooking potential guests, Winters thinks the ghosts at the 21-room hotel could become a draw.

The St. George is the third hotel built on its site on Main Street. Its predecessors, the Eureka and the Empire, both built mostly of wood, burned down.

When the hotel was rebuilt, someone finally had the bright idea of using brick – and naming it St. George to ward off the "demonic fire dragon," as the hotel's Web site says.

In March, scores of disciples of the paranormal will convene at the hotel for a "Ghost Rush," a weekend of seminars on ghosts and other hard-to-explain spiritual phenomena that will double the population of the town's core of about 100.

Volcano, named for the caldera-like valley in which it is located, was a hub of California's Gold Country. It once bustled with miners, but these days can seem, well, like a ghost town when tourists don't swarm the place.

"We just want to be sure we don't scare away all of the people," joked Ann Overhiser, whose fiancé, Dave Bender, led the team of investigators – including one staffer whose task is to debunk his colleagues' claims.

Suzanne Anderson, a graphics artist from Carson City, Nev., swears she felt a presence in her room – dubbed "Hell's Delight" – as her husband slept. Someone, something, was walking behind her tracing her steps as she moved, she insisted. During a previous visit, door latches seem to release themselves.

"Yeah, I would have to say I'm a believer now," said Anderson. "Do I want to be? No."

About the writer:

• Call The Bee's Bobby Caina Calvan, (916) 321-1067.

Ghost hunters search Bushwhacker Jail

Nancy Malcom/Daily Mail-- Using state-of-the-art equipment, ghost hunters look for restless spirits in the old Bushwhacker Jail.

Nancy Malcom/Daily Mail-- Tri-County Paranormal Research Society members who investigated the Bushwhacker Jail are: front row: Kyle Cornwell, Tom Faris Sr., Heather Fisher and Tiffany Campbell. Back row: Shawn Essex, Dennis Clifford, Melissa Fisher and Ernie Faris.

Several weeks ago members of the Tri-County Paranormal Research Society of Joplin were driving through Nevada and noticed the Bushwhacker Museum's old jail. They contacted the Vernon County Historical Society to obtain permission to conduct an investigation at the site.

The group organized in February 2007 after a trip to a cemetery in Jasper County, and is basically a family group consisting of: Tom Faris Sr., siblings Ernie Faris and Melissa Fisher, and Melissa's daughter Heather Fisher with friends Shawn Essex, Kyle Cornwell, Dennis Clifford, Lloyd Gipson and Tiffany Campbell.

Melissa Fisher said, "When we decided to form the group, we did some Internet research of university sites and other reputable groups. We also contacted other seasoned groups for advice."

The group uses standard 'ghost hunting' equipment. The EMF (electro-magnetic field) reader measures electro-magnetic energy. Breaker boxes, lights, etc. will make those spike up. "If you are seeing a big jump on the EMF, and you rule out all the usual things that set it off, it could indicate ghostly activity," Fisher said. "The theory is that ghosts have to amass energy to manifest and the EMF can read that." Other equipment they use include infra-red thermometers and cameras, voice recorders, cam-corders, laptops and digital cameras.

They maintain a Web site featuring their investigations. "We have a rating system where people can give us feedback if they think things we've posted are paranormal or not," Fisher explained.

One photo posted on their Web site has received a lot of attention.

"We have a picture that I took at Prosperity Bed & Breakfast in Joplin of a woman standing in the entry door -- there was no female there. That photo is being published in a book by a lady in Arkansas," Fisher said.

During past investigations team members have been pushed and touched by unseen hands. Radios have come on spontaneously, and flashlights and camera batteries have been drained of power.

What is considered paranormal? "People say they feel someone watching them -- that can usually be discounted by using an EMF reader," Fisher explained. "High EMF readings of that much electrical energy around you can make you feel someone is watching you. If you see something physically move, that would be something to look into. You can debunk a lot of 'footsteps' by a house settling, furnaces, pipes in the wall, how the air flows through the house.

It would be hard for people to investigate their own place objectively, it doesn't cost anything and they can call almost any group and they will come in and help decide what's going on."

Sometimes it gives people comfort if they think a loved one is still with them."

Ernie Faris explains types of hauntings: "There are two types of hauntings. One is residential hauntings where the ghost or spirit doesn't know or care if you are there and they do the same repetitive things.

"The other type is an intelligent haunting where the ghost or spirit tries to communicate with you. As far as spirits are concerned I believe there are four types. One is a poltergeist, and it likes to move or throw things. Another is demonic -- we don't like messing with them. The last two are the residential and intelligent ghosts I already mentioned."

Faris added, "In my opinion, a spirit is a soul that is unsettled because of a tragic experience in their lives. I don't go with the 'unfinished business' theory.

"Everything in this field is theory," he said. A lot of it is personal feelings as much as analyzing the evidence. It can be 90 percent boring and 10 percent scary.

We don't use psychics, mediums, any of that. We try to stay with the scientific side of it," he said.

The group split into three teams and rotated throughout the night visiting the jail. They had video cameras and voice recorders set up throughout the jail that remained on whether a group was present or not.

Tom Faris Sr., equipment manager, said, "I told the kids to get the best equipment available to do this. Cameras can run into thousands of dollars each."

His children told him if he didn't stop spending so much money his wife might do him in.

He laughed and said, "Well, I guess they'd know how to come looking for me then." He added that there can be a dangerous side to the investigations. "You need to take paranormal investigating seriously. Ghosts (spirits) can do bodily harm. They can pick you up and throw you, scratch and hit you. Some others can play jokes on you. It's not a job for amateurs.

"People who have experienced the paranormal and want explanations should contact a paranormal group," Fisher said.

"Everyone around here does investigations free of charge. Our Website is http://www.tricountyparanormal.net..."

Despite the cold, and with the benefit of several pots of coffee, the investigation continued most of the night. Terry Ramsey, Bushwhacker Museum coordinator, and Nancy Malcom, Historical Society board member, assisted the groups with their investigation.

The group will give a formal report to the Vernon County Historical Society at a future date after they have had time to review their findings.

Dangerous and stupid when you get kids involved.

TV show a creepy experience for teen

Posted By Peter Downs, Standard Staff

Posted 4 hours ago

Devin Robbins used to be skeptical.

He had a tough time seeing much to believe in the murky world of the paranormal.

That was until the St. Catharines teen donned some high-tech ghost-hunting gear for a popular kids TV show and went searching for signs of disembodied spirits in a building some think is haunted.

The 15-year-old came through the experience with a whole new mindset.

"I started to find some evidence that I couldn't find and an explanation for. I started to believe in ghosts," Robbins said Saturday, relaxing at his family home in the city's north end. "By the end of it, it really changed my opinions. It was really creepy."

Robbins, a Grade 10 student at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School, recently wrapped up filming episodes of the YTV show Ghost Trackers.

The series, which begins its fourth season Feb. 2, is shot at spooky locations around Ontario, including one episode shot in November at Keefer Mansion in Thorold.

Robbins is among a dozen teenaged contestants who will compete over 13 weekly episodes at finding signs of ghostly beings.

Each week, two contestants face off in the same location. They're judged by other contestants on how well they track down paranormal activity using various gadgets, such as electo-magnetic field detectors, infrared thermometers and a parabolic microphone.

Robbins originally auditioned for the show in August and then landed the job after a second meeting with the show's producers.

"It was a lot different than I thought it was going to be," he said.

Local News

EXCLUSIVE: Happy Mondays sign up for ghost hunt show

Thursday, January 3 2008, 14:45 GMT

By Nick Levine, Music Editor

.. google_ad_section_start -->The Happy Mondays have signed to appear on an episode of ITV2's Ghost Hunting With... series.

Four members of the iconic Manchester band – lead singer Shaun Ryder, percussionist Bez, drummer Gary Whelan and backing vocalist Julie Gordon – will hold a seance at a Victorian jail in Lincoln, before tracking down spectres at a Nottingham manor house that was used for sex parties in Elizabethan times.

Pop groups Girls Aloud and McFly, several members of the Emmerdale cast and a group of Radio 1 DJs have previously appeared on the show, which is hosted by former Blue Peter presenter Yvette Fielding.

Bez, the winner of Celebrity Big Brother in 2005, said: "You've got to watch this one, man - especially if you don't believe in 'em. Yvette's not kidding when she says that she doesn't know who's gonna be more scared - the ghosts or us. You decide!"

Ghost Hunting With… The Happy Mondays will air on ITV2 later this year.

JUDE LAW - LAW HAUNTED BY SINATRA IN CUBA

Caption: Jude Law arriving home. London, England - 01.12.07

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