Solo Ghost Hunter

  Fort Mifflin

  Fort Mifflin sits on the bank of the Delaware River in the

  Southeast area of Philadelphia near the Philadelphia 

  International Airport.  The fort grounds cover about forty acres and there are 8-9 structures you will have access to explore.  They offer two rental times.  One starts at 6 p.m.

  and ends at 12 a.m.  The other option is an overnight

  which begins at 5 p.m. and ends at 10 a.m. the following morning.  If you choose the overnight, the staff will provide snacks and an ice cooler filled with soft drinks and water.  There are restrooms for men and women located in the gift shop building.  The fort is surrounded by a thicket to the southeast so be alert for critters that may inadvertently wander onto the grounds.  When I was there, there were also some rather cantankerous geese on the grounds that retreat at night to the moat behind the fort.

  Now for a bit of bad news.  The fort is very close to the

  Philadelphia International Airport and a great deal of air traffic pass right over the fort.  There is an incoming flight just about every 15 - 20 minutes!, and it's LOUD!

  The jetliners are so close I could almost make out faces in the windows looking down at me.  So plan accordingly.

  And if you have tinnitus as I do, a pair of earbuds might

  not be such a bad idea, yes it's that loud.

  And now for the good news.  Almost every structure produced excellent EVPs.  A couple of places even had disembodied voices.  If you don't feel creeped out in this place then you are truly a badass.   The whole time I was there I felt a good deal of dread as if some unseen entity was following me around everywhere I went.  You will have to edit around every time a jetliner thunders by above you.

  It's what I did to produce my video of my exploration of the fort which can be found @ www.timelinesshow.com.  When you arrive you will first pay the balance for your investigation at the hospital building which is outside the fort walls.  Then you will get your choice of rooms in the officer's quarters and that will serve as your base station.

  If the site manager is around she/he will show you around and give you the low-down on the place.  After that, the 

  Fort is yours.  When I was at the fort there was a caretaker who stays in an upstairs room of the officer's quarters.  

  WHAT  TO HIT:  You will definitely want to spend some time in the commandant's quarters.  When I was there it became really active with footsteps and a rather large, shy, shadow person who darted behind one of the fireplaces and remained hidden.  I recorded a good deal of class A - B  EVPs and 

  the sound of a door being slammed shut about 11 or 12 

  times.  Next on your list should definitely be any of the casemates.  I recorded an enormous amount of EVP's of all classifications in the casemates 1-5 and 11.  The magazines and the arsenal were pretty quiet.  The officer's quarters did become briefly active and I was able to get a few good EVPs.

  I spent so much time in casemates 1-5 that I got to the best one, casemate 11, a little too late.  Plan accordingly.

   THE FOLKLORE:  The legend of the screaming lady is pure bunk!  No female committed suicide at the fort.  Two women named Elizabeth did indeed live in the fort at two different times.  One of them did lose her two young children to yellow fever.  This Elizabeth died after she too came down with the dreaded disease.  The other Elizabeth was married to an officer and died an agonizing death from gastritis.   She is most likely the screaming woman.  William

  H. Howe was imprisoned in casemate 11 and was executed  at the fort.  

  

  

  Bobby Mackey's Music World is an old, authentic, 

  honky-tonk just minutes from Cincinnati, Ohio in Wilder,

  Kentucky.  It has had quite a colorful past and was the site

  of a pre-Civil War slaughterhouse that was torn down in

  1890.  However, a number of smaller structures remained that have been at that location since before the Civil War and are located in the basement of the nightclub.  You can book the location for a 5-hour exploration that can start anytime between 7 p.m.-9 p.m.  Because it is a working bar and the stage is set up for weekend shows someone will be in the nightclub the whole time you are there.  There are cctv cameras with infrared lights scattered throughout that will enhance what you may already have.  The last time

  I was there, my host informed me that she had the number of several eateries that will deliver food, should you need it.  I happened to be there a little later in May and it got to below freezing.  I mention this because when I went into the basement I needed a sweater.  

  Now for the good stuff.  There is, without a shadow of a

  doubt, something extra-paranormal happening in this

  location.  I had of a lot of class A EVPs, 3 shadow people

  events, I recorded an amorphous, semitransparent entity

  on one of my video cameras, I experienced a cold spot on

  my elbow and the sensation of cobwebs on my nose and 

  lips that persisted.  I had a good night!  If you have read or

  seen any of the coverage this location has received, you

  might be inclined, as I was, to believe the basement should

  be more active, it wasn't.  Most of everything I actually 

  experienced and documented happened in the nightclub.

  WHAT  TO HIT:  All of them in the bar and upstairs apartment and the catwalk over the stage.  Something substantial happened in every area.  

  THE FOLKLORE:  Okay, time the ruffle some feathers.  

  Nothing, I repeat, NOTHING demonic, satanic, or evil has ever been associated with this location at any time in its history.  All of that demon crap is legend and folklore that

  started after the location became Bobby Mackey's Music 

  World.  It is a huge disservice to this field to continue to perpetuate these outright lies and utter bullcrap.  Those who do are willfully ignorant and are disingenuous, bold-

  faced liars.  (Yeah, you know who I'm talking about.)  Yes,

  some unfortunate high crimes did occur, but that was only when the place was owned by a gangster in the 1950s.

  And yes, there is a covered drainage pit in the basement

  that was used to channel slaughterhouse blood into the

  Licking River.  Sorry to disappoint, but all this "gateway to

  hell" and  "dark energies" idiocy just makes those of us    

  who try to maintain a certain degree of dignity, and 

  earnestness, look like boobs.

  IF YOU GO:  I stayed just south of the nightclub (a few miles)

  in a suite next to a movie theater and a Mellow Mushroom.

  They had killer sammies and pizza!  If you need to kill some time the cinema was a multiplex playing mainstream current movies.  If not, head north just a few miles across the Ohio     

  River into Cincinnati for big-city entertainment and dining.

  The old prison is located in Moundsville, WV., and is hard to miss.  It is huge, it takes up four city blocks.  This is

  one of my favorite places that I intend to return to because

  I couldn't hit every area I wanted to.  Plan accordingly because there is a lot to see and you will only have six hours.  You will be given a tour of the space just so that you can get your bearings and learn how to get back to base camp.  My tour guide taught me a few shortcuts too. 

 

The prison was named one of the most dangerous prisons when it was in operation.  Sometime in the 80's a riot broke out that lasted several days.  A few inmates were killed and an agreement between the prisoners and staff was broadcast live on the news that evening.  Conditions improved, but it was still a horrible, inhumane place to be locked up.  Here's the funny thing about being in this penitentiary alone.  I thought I would be overwhelmed with negative energy or bad vibes, but was surprised to have felt at ease and happy.  On the contrary, it was quite soothing. 

  The structure is in very good shape and there are no areas with potential safety issues.  There are restrooms for both men and women and there are a few vending machines in the gift shop, which I made my base camp for the evening. 

 

Expect two very knowledgeable staff members to be in your base camp for the evening.  And make sure to ask them what areas have been recently active.

  Expect a little of everything here.  I experienced shadow people, disembodied voices, a bump on my hip, and felt my shoulder touched.  EVPs were all over the place.  I had a few good class As but a lot more Bs and Cs.  I recorded a voice that very clearly said my name and heard and recorded non-

  stop clinking, clanking, and knocking sounds.  Every place I 

  spent a little time in produced EVPs.  But the most active areas were the Psych and medical units.  You will very likely stick to the North end of the complex because that's where everything is including, the main lobby, the kitchen, the med wards, the hole, North Hall, and the sugar shack.  There is a

  lot of ground to cover and endless nooks and crannies.

  WHAT  TO HIT:  You will most definitely want to spend some time in, the "hole" which is a bit of a misnomer.  The hole was actually the maintenance department.  The sugar  shack is where I expected some sort of physical response because it's a known location where some folks have been scratched and touched.  The med and Psych wards were the absolute most active places in the prison.  Again, there are a

  lot of places you can hit in these areas so plan wisely.  The  kitchen area produced the least amount of activity for me that evening.  Finally, you will definitely want to spend some time in North Hall.  This is where the extra violent prisoners were housed.  

  Be extra careful in the hole because it is a favorite hunting area for a whole bunch of bats.  Yes, I said bats.  I have zero problems with bats because I know how to deal with them.  

  Bats will fly around you as long as you move in a slow deliberate path.  It's only when folks go nuts and start running that our flying little friends collide with our heads.

  There was a room in the hole that had just way too many of them that they were getting real close to my noggin; I had to abort.  My only regret is that I didn't have any time left to explore the South Hall, maybe next time.

   THE FOLKLORE:  You will probably be told or have read the untrue story of Willian "Red" Snyder.   He was a notorious prisoner who was the leader of the Aryan Brotherhood and played a pivotal role in the 1986 prison riot.  He was and may still be in cell # 20, on the ground floor of North Hall.

  The legend says Snyder killed his mother and father and chopped them up into pieces that he kept under his bed.  

  What really happened is not quite as gruesome.  He did kill his father with a rifle shot to the head.  Then he went and killed the father of the boy who was dating his sister.  When law enforcement showed up, he fired on them with the rifle.  They returned fire and shot him in the leg.

  IF YOU GO:  Moundsville is a small community and I believe there is only one motel there.  I stayed up the road in 

  Wheeling which is a larger city with all the amenities you would expect including restaurant chains and hotels.  The nearest airport is in Pittsburg, PA.  I had been ill the previous night in Kentucky and was not feeling culinarily adventurous so I ordered a plain cheese pizza from the hut.

  

  The hospital is located in Yorktown, Texas and I must begin with a plea for you to move quickly on this location.  Here's the reason, the structure is not being maintained in any  way.  Every time I go back it seems like the condition is worse than when I was last there.  I predict that within 5-8 years it will be condemned, declared dangerous and consequently shut down as a paranormal site.  Also, 

  contrary to claims of being locked down in the hospital, 

  it is wide open to anyone who can jump a fence or find an easy way in.  A good friend who visited recently (2018) 

  said he had found evidence of possible squatting.  On one of my visits, three teenagers just waltzed right in, easy-

  peasy.  It is for these reasons that I will not be returning to the hospital as a soloist anymore.  Is it safe?  Well, I'm sure the caretaker will clear it out if there are any squatters around and you can always ask him for his cellphone number.  This one is entirely up to you.  But I would definitely have the Yorktown PD's phone number on my contacts list.  

 

Having listed all the reasons a return visit is doubtful for me, I will add that this is a very active location!  I got some amazing EVP's on my first solo of this hospital.  It also had very active shadow people activity.  I had my most significant physical contact experience in the nun's lounge.

  The creep factor alone is amazing.  There is a lot to do in this hospital.  Most of the cast from the old Ghost Hunters tv show have spent the night.  It was extremely active the night I was there.  It's such a shame that the place isn't getting the attention it needs.  It would be extremely easy to lock down this location so that soloists like me can feel some amount of safety.  There are a lot of reasons why this is a worthy site.  But there are concerning reasons for soloing.  Finally, if you have a thing about rats, hate to break it to you, but this place is infested with rats.  Some of them are huge, and I mean New York City huge.  Finally, 

  there is no power or lights or working bathroom here.  The caretaker will offer to run an extension cord into the main lobby though.  When I hosted a group, I got a room at the motel right across the street from the hospital.  The room was surprisingly well maintained and clean.  

  WHAT TO HIT:  Virtually any location in the hospital should produce a few excellent EVPs.  Most active for me were the  operating rooms and the birthing room.   If you are there on a Saturday night, save the chapel for Sunday morning.  It has been noted that the chapel gets active in the morning and daytime.  The nurses' station on the first floor also s

  seems to be a hotspot.  It is where I had the most aggressive shadow person experience.  It's also where I may have been goosed by a ghost.  All of the basement can become active quickly.  There is also an apartment a the far end of the corridor and where signs of squatters were found.  It is yet another location where goosing activities have been reported if you're into that sorta thing.  While I was there alone, the first time I went into the basement I heard the voice of a little girl simply say "hi!" to me.  Allegedly this is

  Stacy, a little girl who may have died in the hospital.  The  nun's quarters take up the entire second floor.  If it hadn't been for my groping experience I might be inclined to recommend you spend just a short amount of time in the nun's quarters because it seemed to be the least active the two times I soloed it.  Finally, the kitchen yielded one of the most unusual groupings of EVP's and extremely loud knocking/striking sounds.  It was a very active producer of class A EVPs.

   THE FOLKLORE:  After Yorktown Hospital shut down, it was briefly used as a drug rehab place.  It is alleged a 

  counselor named Debbie was having a relationship with two addicts.  While she was engaged in goosing activities in the basement, love addict # 2 caught them in the act.  He pulled a knife and fatally stabbed Debbie then attempted to stab love addict #1.  Love addict #1 disarmed and stabbed love addict #2 to death.  I researched this story and could not substantiate any of it.  Did it really happen?  If it did there is no record of it.  However, when I hosted a 

  group, we got a very interesting EVP of what appears to be a female.  When I asked "Debbie are you here?", I got an angrily stated "Deborah!" on my audio recorder.  So who knows?

  IF YOU GO:  I would stay in San Antonio because there is a lot you can do here on your recovery day.  We have the best Tex-Mex food in the world.  If that ain't your thing then nothing beats Texas Q.  We're super friendly.  Want

  to play tourist on your hangover day, then stay in one of 5 

  haunted hotels downtown.  Stay at:  The Menger, The

  Emily Morgan, Sheraton Gunter, the St. Anthony, or the 

  Holiday Inn Express Riverwalk, then stroll down our awesome Riverwalk.  We've got pretty good walking and riding haunted San Antonio tours also.  Now here's the best advice about my hometown.  You want to visit Feb - 

  April or May or November.  If you visit from June - Sept. it will be unbelievably hot!  And none of our haunted suites  have air conditioning.  You've been warned.  If you do plan to visit, drop me an email for additional suggestions and advice.