Phantom History

As a young boy, Ken Trulock grew up in a very haunted home just north of Indianapolis, Indiana. In this episode, Ken, who now works as a historic and ghost tour guide, shares his experiences in that home, which ranged from bumps in the night to full bodied apparitions. 

For nearly 70 years, Cresson Sanatorium served Pennsylvania as a tuberculosis hospital, a ward for the developmentally disabled and as a prison for a wide variety of criminals. Today the 400-plus acres upon which the former institution rests is a hot spot for paranormal investigators, including Barry Merwin, of Unfortunate Travels. In this episode Barry shares his experiences while investigating the massive complex over two nights. For him there’s no doubt that the building still harbors memories of its past.

In a rural area of California sits a building atop a hill that resembles a castle. The Preston School of Industry was a proposed as a reform school and was used to house wards, or minors under the guardianship of the state.

Today the building is a historic landmark and according to historians, volunteers and paranormal investigators, some of the spirits of the boys who were housed there, and a few employees, are still roaming the halls. Investigator Connie Brenner and administrator Sybil Griffith share some of their paranormal experiences in the historic landmark.

In the 1920s, the town Williamson West Virginia celebrated the opening of its hospital, which sat atop a hill overlooking the city. Today, nearly a century later, the building is abandoned, but serves as a tourist attraction and hot spot for paranormal investigations. Tonya Webb, one of the owners of the hospital, shares her personal paranormal experiences in the expansive building as well as the history around the rural town’s most imposing feature.

What roams the halls of the building today? Some say its former patients who died in the building and others thing doctors and nurses of the past are still doing their rounds.

Tonya believes it’s a mix of both, and there are many other spirits yet to be discovered and identified.

The Historic Old Scott County Jail first opened its doors in 1904 and served the people of Scott County Tennessee for 104 years. The three-story building saw suicides, mob hangings and even a fire that inspired the third floor.

Today the building stands as a museum and center for paranormal research thanks to Miranda Young and Kristy Sumner, two paranormal investigators with a love of history. The building they open to tours and investigations is teeming with paranormal activity, and both women answered questions and shared their paranormal experiences with me for this episode of the podcast.

The Basin Park Hotel serves as a luxury getaway for people in northern Arkansas, its surrounding areas and from throughout the country. The large building dates to 1905 and gets its name from the natural spring nearby that some believed had healing powers. It could be the spirits of some of those looking for a miracle cure to their ailments who still wander the halls of the Basin Park Hotel, and tour guide Diane Newcomb has made a career out of collecting evidence of the paranormal activity there. This episode dives into the history of the historic hotel and the unique way in which the hotel and Diane conduct ongoing investigations to try to identify the ghosts who still seem to call the hotel home.

The building that houses the Spookeasy Lounge in Ybor City, Tampa Florida’s historic district, started its life as a church. More specifically, it was a church that worked directly with Cuban immigrants that came to Tampa to work in its cigar factories. 

The 15th street structure has seen many occupants over the years .. churches, an orphanage, night clubs and, now, a Kava tea bar with a basement that hosts a liquor bar and night club.

 The Spookeasy Lounge is themed appropriately as a horror destination. Effigies of popular movie monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein and more adorn its walls and the gothic décor transport visitors to a vibe similar to a European castle. But the owners know there is more to the building. At least 17 spirits haunt the two-story building and co-owner Kat Travers is more than happy to research the history behind the hauntings and invite paranormal investigators in to determine who and what is still residing in the century-old building.

The Old South Pittsburg Hospital in rural Tennessee is considered by many to be the most haunted location in the state. It was founded in the 1950s and served the community for nearly 40 years before it slowly shut its doors and sent its remaining patients to nearby Chattanooga. After sitting quietly for several years, Ronne D, a paranormal investigator from Chicago, investigated and then purchased the building and has turned it into the Old South Pittsburg Hospital Paranormal Research Center (OSPHPRC) and regularly conducts investigations and tours while collecting evidence of paranormal activity. Ronne D and paranormal investigator Steve Nelson both share their stories of paranormal encounters in this episode and discuss who...or what...still haunts the historic location in the Tennessee foothills.  

The Tatum-Rawls house is an exact representation of life in 1880s Florida and is part of an educational and nature preserve in Sarasota County. While the two-story building has been relocated, it still maintains its original form and has been furnished with era-specific antiques to offer a full picture of pioneer life in the Sunshine State. Paranormal investigators believe that several of the home's original inhabitants are still calling the building home, and they made themselves known during an investigation there in the fall of 2022.
Phelan Paranormal shares their experience in one of Florida's original homesteads that is still open to the public.

In 1970,  Andrews Memorial Chapel was physically split in two and moved one mile north to its new home in Dunedin Florida. The original building, constructed in 1888, is in tact today, but may have spirits of its past connected to it. According to the paranormal investigative team Silent Slayer Tours, and the chapel's event coordinator, there are plenty of spirits in the old church to keep visitors on their toes.

Randolph Asylum has sat abandoned for years, but its tales of murders, suicides and abandonment have made it a target for paranormal investigators throughout the Midwest. In this episode, the women of Indiana Lost Souls share their experiences in the 50,000 square foot building and talk about the evidence they collected that they say prove the past residents ... and more ... still roam the vast hallways.

The Hacienda Hotel in New Port Richey, Fla., is a Mediterranean-style pink hotel dating back to 1927. While the venue has been recently renovated and returned to its former glory and is again welcoming guests, the hotel long sat dormant and was the site of break ins and alleged paranormal sightings.

With the hotel now restored and open again, Historian Bob Langford and hotel public relations manager Dylan Gamez share their stories of the hotel’s history and their own encounters with the spirits that they believe still reside within the 40-room hotel along Florida’s Gulf coast.

Poasttown Elementary School was built in the 1930s and served as a place of education until the year 2000. It’s a building in rural Ohio that is now known more for the sightings of apparitions and spirits within its walls than it is for exams and PTA meetings. The reasons behind those hauntings could be linked to two separate train accidents in 1891 and 1910 that claimed lives and turned the land upon with the school sits into a temporary trauma and triage unit. In this episode, Steve Hodges and Elvin Potter of Professional Paranormal Investigations share their stories of investigations that they say produce evidence of spirits still lurking in the halls of the historic school, some of which are connected to those train accidents and one which may have a much darker and disturbing origin.

As Indianapolis' longest-running bar, the Slippery Noodle is the site of some of the best live Blues music in the country. The bar originally opened its doors in 1850 but has had many names, several owners and plenty of mystery surrounding it since then. It has served as an Inn, a restaurant, a brothel and even as a stop on the Underground Railroad during and shortly after the American Civil War. Its storied history has led to investigations of paranormal activity on all three levels of the building and this episode explores the historic connection to the haunted rooms of the second story to the eerie feelings and sightings of bodies and bones in the dirt-floored basement. Featured in this episode, Unseen Press owners Michael and Nicole Kobrowski, who share their experiences of their favorite haunted hangout.

As the nation's oldest city, St. Augustine has a reputation for also being one of its most haunted. In this dive into the history of the city that has been alive for more than 500 years, Phantom History talks to a historian and tour guide who not only tells the fabled history of this town, but has her own experiences to share as well. From its impressive fort, Castillo de san Marcos, to its Old School House and City Gates, St. Augustine has a ghost story tied to almost every single structure standing throughout, even some of the newly constructed ones.

The Sorrel-Weed House is one of the first massive mansions to be built in Savannah, Georgia, and its sprawling 16,000 square foot presence overlooks one of the oldest squares in the city. But there's more to this building than just its impending size. Its history of tragedy, death, illnesses and suicide make it one of the most haunted destinations in the United States.
Aubrey Northrop, a tour guide at the mansion, shares the history of the house and her own paranormal experiences that she's witnessed during her short time there as an employee. And, of course, tours run throughout the year and she invites everyone to come experience the spirits for themselves.

The Starling Magickal Occult Shop at 1022 Royal Street in the heart of New Orleans' French Quarter is the home to the city's oldest all practice occult shop. But there is much more to the building than a shop. It's the home to Priestess Claudia Williams, who welcomes spirits into the building and often assists in guiding them into the light. 
In this episode, paranormal investigator Michael Bill, who works closly with Williams, shares the stories of the spirits who still walk the hallways and rooms of the 125 year old building and explains why some of them are connected to the home and why others may have drifted into the space after their death.
It's a look at just one of the many haunted locations in one of the country's most fascinating cities and the difficult and uncomfortable history that built New Orleans may explain why so much paranormal activity is reported in The Big Easy.

Bobby Mackey's Music World has been dubbed America's most haunted honkytonk. The building dates back to the early 20th century and has been a home to a number of failed businesses before boots scooted across its dance floor. The unique building has ties to the mob, a murder, alleged suicides and even rumored satanic rituals. Employees and visitors alike have reported apparitions, strange sounds and unexplainable phenomena in the building, especially in the basement, which is home to a well some believe is a gateway to somewhere, or something, else. Is there something paranormal infesting this former slaughterhouse-turned-nightclub? That's something paranormal investigators want to find out.

The current St. Augustine Lighthouse has stood on Anastasia Island since the 1870s, but there was a lighthouse prior to the current structure that eventually fell into the Atlantic Ocean. For centuries, Florida's oldest city has had some kind of light tower and those that lived and worked on the grounds are said to still roam them. Phantom History gets those stories and experiences directly from tour guide Kelcie Lloyd, who has worked there for five years.

In the 1870s, the United States Government commissioned 10 structures to serve as safe havens for shipwreck survivors along Florida's Atlantic Coast. Today, only one of those buildings still stands and now serves as a museum. But the Keepers of the Martin County House of Refuge aren't certain that they are alone in the building after hours. Different smells permeate various rooms, a cold spot rests under the stairwell and both keepers have seen or experienced strange phenomena that just might be the lingering spirit of Susan Bessey, the wife of former Keeper Hubert Bessey, who served in the late 1800s.

A historic restaurant and inn in South St. Louis, Missouri was once the home of an iconic family known for bringing lager beer to the Midwest. But the Lemp family's home, while iconic and beautiful, has a tragic past. Four members of the family committed suicide and a mysterious "missing" family member is said to still wander the halls. Learn about the history of the Lemp Mansion and its paranormal guests in this episode featuring Betsy Bernett Belanger, the facility's historian and chief paranormal investigator.

On the South Florida Fairgrounds sets a village that transports visitors back in time. A collection of relocated and reassembled buildings make up Yesteryear Village, offering a glimpse of what life looked like prior to 1940. But it may not only be the buildings that were transported to this outdoor history museum. Stories of the spirits of those who used to call those buildings home have been reported since the first building was put in place in 1990. This episode of Phantom History dives into the history of some of those buildings and we hear about paranormal encounters directly from the lead investigator at War Party Paranormal.

Before it was a museum dedicated to the railroad magnate and a part of the massive University of Tampa campus, the building that houses relics of Tampa's past was the largest hotel in the area, serving the elite of America's Northeast during the winter months. Some of those visitors from the past are said to still roam the halls and those who have spotted some strange things are more than willing to share their stories in this episode.

For more than nine decades the Tampa Theatre has operated non-stop, meaning the ornate downtown theater has seen more than its fare share of patrons. But theater marketing director Jill Watecki and Jeremy Reddig of Genesis Paranormal Services is convinced some of those patrons and past employees have never left.

Part two of this story discusses several entities spotted within the building, including the Woman in White, the Man in the Fedora and one simply referred to as "The Trickster."

Hear their first-hand accounts of their encounters with the spirits of the Tampa Theatre in part two of this in-depth interview.

The Tampa Theatre has been in continuous operation since it first opened its doors in 1926. Since then, countless patrons and employees have walked through its ornate lobby and enjoyed the unique "Atmospheric" architecture within. According to Tampa Theatre Marketing Director Jill Watecki and Genesis Paranormal Services director Jeremy Reddick, some of those patrons and employees may just still be lingering within the theater's walls.
Both share their experiences and the history of what many consider Tampa's most haunted building in part one of this look into the Tampa Theatre.

It was like every other night. Quiet. That was until they heard one sound that at any other time wouldn't spark that much interest. But after 2 a.m., the sound of a solitary key striking the string inside of an old piano would catch anyone off guard. It was especially surprising to both since they were the only two left in the business and neither one was near the piano. 

For Stone Soup Company owner Ilya Goldberg, the piano is a major contributor to the strange happenings that have been reported since he relocated his restaurant and bar to the building on 7th Avenue in Ybor City in 2017. 

For 17 years the Shriver family owned and operated the Don Vicente Hotel in Tampa's historic district. But the building did much more than entertain out of town guests. It also had a handful of spirits that would make themselves known in a variety of ways. In this episode I talk to Tessa Cramer, who ran the hotel with other members of her family. She shares her personal encounters and talks about the history of the building which once stood as a medical clinic, complete with a morgue in the basement.

For nearly a century the Vinoy Resort and Golf Club has overlooked the shores of Tampa Bay in downtown St. Petersburg. But shortly after it began accepting guests from all over the world, the resort has been home to "The Lady in White." She's seen throughout the massive building, and she may not be alone. This episode discusses the history behind the landmark hotel and probes why it may have so many lingering spirits within its walls.