Columbus, Texas (15 Jul 06)

Columbus, Texas has so many haunted locations, it's like a theme park for ghost hunters. Really.

Over 40 ghost hunters met at Jerry Mikeska's Bar-B-Q restaurant (just off I-10 at Columbus). We're all members of Texas Paranormal Researchers.

Mikeska's is a great, affordable place for lunch, and it has an eerie display of... well, more hunting trophies than you've ever seen in one place. It definitely sets the mood.

From there, we went to the Turner-Chapman Gallery, where artist Ken Turner explained about his famous "ghost paintings" and the history of the gallery. (Larkin Hope died there after being shot during the Colorado County feud.)

After that, we visited Hometown Hall Antiques and saw the elevator that was used to transport bodies during the site's years as a mortuary. The energy is very strong at the back of the store, and we could also detect its history as a "saloon" and gambling hall.

From there, we were invited to a private residence that has a very haunted history. I had a chance to try dowsing rods, and I went from skeptic to believer in a hurry.

I'd seen dowsing rods used successfully to find water when drilling teams had failed but... for ghost hunting? I figured that people were subconsciously influencing the swing of the rods.

Well, even when I tried to twist the rods so that they wouldn't cross, they pulled so hard that I couldn't move them. It was very weird.

Next, we dashed back to the Stafford Opera House which features several ghosts. Most of them are connected with the auditorium upstairs.

Finally, after a dinner break, we were given a fabulous tour of Columbus City Cemetery by historian Bill Stein.

This was an amazing tour in a great Texas town, and it's a preview of what it'll be like during my upcoming nine-day ghost tour of the UK. (I'm getting ready to announce this June 2007 tour, soon.)

If you have a chance to ghost hunt in Columbus, Texas, it's well worth exploring. Bring your dowsing rods!

USOs, faeries, and hollow earth theory

Last night on the History Channel, I watched a program about USOs--Unidentified Submersed Objects. They're like UFOs--and some of them fly in the air, too--but come from and/or return to somewhere deep in the ocean.

It's interesting that these objects seemed to be attracted to the USS FDR. The evidence is compelling.

This also opens up some alternate explanations for underwater cities in faerie lore. And, I can see how it might link to Hollow Earth theories, too.

Related links:

USOs
http://www.ufoevidence.org/documents/doc1782.htm
http://www.sciforums.com/archive/index.php/t-6704.html
http://www.space-2001.net/html/uso_.html
http://www.crystalinks.com/usos206.html
http://ufocasebook.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=uso

Hollow Earth
http://www.unmuseum.org/hollow.htm
http://www.crystalinks.com/hollowearth.html
http://www.hollowearththeory.com/

it's a busy, interesting time

If you've wondered why I'm doing fewer investigations and writing fewer article right now, it's because I'm finishing my book, "Ghosts of Austin, Texas." This has turned into a much larger--and more fascinating--project than I expected.

I'm also working on a couple of projects for the website, and they're the kinds of things that don't happen overnight, or even in a week or two. I think you'll be pleased when you see the results.

And, we'll soon launch a new website that will feature the stories of people who've encountered real ghosts. This is going to be different from other "ghost story" websites, and we're certain that you'll enjoy this new site. It should be online in early August.

Also, I'm part of the team that's putting together the ghost hunt in Columbus, Texas on Saturday, July 15th. If you're interested, join Meetup.com and sign up at the Texas Paranormal Research group. This is open to the public, and the only fee will be the $2 charge for the guided tour of the haunted Opera House. Be sure to say hello when you see me there. I'm always interested in meeting Hollow Hill readers.