The Haunting of Asylum 49 – Chilling
Tales of Aggressive Spirits, Phantom Doctors, and the Secret of Room 666, Richard Estep
and Cami Andersen, New Page Books, Pompton Plains, NJ, 2016, 192pp, $15.99.
When Kimm
Andersen first saw the old Tooele Valley Hospital in Colorado, not far from Salt
Lake City, he knew it would make the perfect “haunt”—a building set up at
Halloween with actors portraying ghosts, zombies, etc. It turned out that the
hospital—now called Asylum 49—really is haunted.
When the hospital closed, personnel
simply turned off the lights, walked out and locked the doors, leaving behind
nearly all of the medical equipment as well as quite a few ghosts, who
occasionally join visitors as they walk through the facility during the yearly
Halloween haunt.
Kimm realized the hospital was haunted
after he bought it and began setting up for the first Halloween haunt. He felt as
if he were not alone. Then something touched his leg and he ran out in terror.
After some thought, he decided the little fingers tugging at his shorts had
been an invisible child either playing with him or wanting his attention. He
went back inside—albeit reluctantly—and continued construction work.
Everyone working on the construction
team reported strange experiences. Tools disappeared, turning up later in other
areas of the hospital. Voices were heard. There were disembodied bangs and
knocks. Workers saw things out of the corner of their eye. People have been
touched, and even scratched, leaving marks on their bodies.
A paranormal investigator was asked to
research the hospital and surrounding area. In the 19th Century, the
Goshute Native American Tribe lived on the land, and in 1849 clashed with the
Mormons who had emigrated to the area two years earlier. Tension built and there
were many deaths until 1863 when a peace treaty was signed. The infamous and
ill-fated Donner Party is also connected to the area.
Paranormal investigators who have explored
the hospital reported lots of EVPs (Electronic Voice Phenomena) and sightings.
The EVPs aren’t random words or phrases; one investigator said they were “fully
lucid, intelligent, sometimes even responding directly to our questions.” There
are always ghosts present on the Halloween haunt tours. The hospital has been
visited by Ghost Hunters International, who also had experiences.
The ghosts include a little blonde girl
who likes to hide during the Halloween haunts and reach out to touch visitors.
An angry ER doctor insists on things being done his way…or else. Burn victim
Jeremy’s appearances are always accompanied by the smell of smoke.
I don’t want to spoil an absolutely
fantastic read; I’ll just encourage you to read The Haunting of Asylum 49.
You can visit the Asylum 49 websites to
hear EVPs and see photos: http://www.asylum49.com/ or http://www.richardestep.net/books/the-haunting-of-asylum-49/. You can also
tour Asylum 49—if you dare. If you decide to visit for the annual Halloween
haunt, please tell us what you experience.
- Matt Fellanto
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