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Paranormal Texas: Did We Hear My Doppelgänger Singing? #evp #paranormal

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The following account is an excerpt from my travel guide to haunted places, Paranormal Texas.  I’ve included brief audio files of the EVPs mentioned, so you can hear them for yourself. Enjoy!

Top Notch Ghost Hunters

When Becky Vickers invited me to investigate the Old Park Hotel (OPH) in September 2017, I leapt at the chance. Not only is Becky friendly and fun, but she is an accomplished ghost hunter with a weekly radio show called “Bridging the Paranormal.” She and her team, BECKS Ghost Hunters, have even been featured on the TV show “Ghost Adventures.”

Greg Stephens, from Texas Research and Investigation of the Paranormal (TxRIP), was also in attendance. While Greg didn’t have his team with him, he brought decades of experience along with a heap of equipment. I met Greg while researching Paranormal Texas, my travel guide to haunted places. Since then, I’ve accompanied him on several paranormal investigations. He is always very organized and professional.

Vintage sign at the haunted Old Park Hotel in West Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Vintage sign at the haunted Old Park Hotel in West Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Haunted West Texas Hotel

The Old Park Hotel is owned by Dan Lafave and his wife, Connie. Dan has investigated the paranormal for decades and been featured on the news several times regarding famous hauntings in the San Antonio area. Not only did Dan give everyone a through pre-investigation tour of his haunted property, but he stayed during that actual ghost hunt. (I should add that Dan is also an author. I’m currently reading Shadow of the Ghost Hunter, but his book, The Supernatural, Texas & the West, sounds interesting, too!) 

With so many seasoned investigators under one roof, I knew we were in for an exciting night! I say “we” because rounding out this crew was me and Larry.

Archie Debunker…

In addition to being my spouse, Larry is a mad scientist and devout skeptic. Larry is so set in his non-beliefs, in fact, that I nicknamed him “Archie Debunker.” (Of course, if you read my story, “Message from Muriel,” you’ll know that Larry is not able to debunk everything. He certainly tries, though.)

The Old Park Hotel is located in the charming little West Texas town of Ballinger. Like most historic buildings, it’s housed several different businesses over the years, including a secret brothel. Most recently, however, it served as a resale shop crowded with antiques. One theory for why the place is so haunted is that some of these objects had spiritual attachments.

Who knows?

Pre ghost hunt photo with OPH owner, Dan Lafave (photo by Larry Snider)
Pre ghost hunt photo with OPH owner, Dan Lafave (photo by Larry Snider)

Not like a TV show

If you’ve never been on an actual paranormal investigation, but you’ve watched lots of TV shows, then you may not realize how much time it takes to set up for a ghost hunt. It usually takes a couple of hours for a paranormal team to get a haunted location ready for an investigation!

BECKS Ghost Hunters was no different. By the time Larry and I arrived, they had already chosen a room as their command center. This is an important part of a serious paranormal investigation, and at least one person remains in the command center at all times. If they notice unusual activity in one of their monitored locations, they can let other team members know.

The Spirits were ready before we were!

As soon as Larry found a comfortable couch to sit and read his Kindle, I poked my head into the command center. I was about to ask if they needed any help when a man’s voice called out, “Alan! Alan!” from the hotel entryway. This was a loud voice, and everyone downstairs heard it.

Since all the men in our group were accounted for, a couple of us crossed the hall to see this newcomer. I assumed it was a friend of Dan’s.

Who else would walk right into the hotel without even knocking?

Much to everyone’s surprise, the entryway was empty, and the front door was locked. Even so, I stepped outside to look around. The sidewalk and streets were empty. Dan had told us that disembodied voices are a common occurrence at the Old Park Hotel, but we didn’t expect to hear one so early in the evening.

I didn’t even have my digital recorder on, and I’m not sure if any of the other investigators caught this voice. The experience was a good reminder that just because we weren’t ready for the ghost hunt to start,  didn’t mean that the spirits were going to wait for us!

OPH owner, Dan Lafave, is an author, too! (photo by Tui Snider)
OPH owner, Dan Lafave, is an author, too! (photo by Tui Snider)

Doppelgänger caught on tape?

We had a bunch of anomalous experiences that night at the Old Park Hotel, but the one I want to focus on here involves a phenomenon that I have never experienced before, a doppelgänger.

A doppelgänger is when a person seemingly appears in two places at once. My ghostly double made herself known early in the night. Immediately after we heard that disembodied voice shouting “Alan!” I went upstairs to a spot where Dan says investigators often catch EVPs.

While the team finished setting up downstairs, I conducted a brief EVP session. After turning my digital recorder on, I simply asked a question out loud, then mentally counted to ten before asking another question. Rather than talk the whole time, I wanted to leave plenty of blank recording space for spirits (or whatever it is that creates an EVP!) to reply.

At one point I said, “I’m just wondering if I have any company up here with me,” before slowly counting to ten in my head. I was about to ask another question, when Greg hollered up the stairwell.

“Tui!”

“Yeah?”

“Are you singing?”

“No.” I have a rather sing-song voice, so I figured that is what Greg had heard.

“It wasn’t you talking,” he insisted. “This was singing, and she sounded just like you.”

Even so, I didn’t give Greg’s remarks much thought. It wasn’t until the next day, when Becky messaged us and said that she could hear a woman singing, that I began to wonder what was going on.

Inside the Old Park Haunted, a haunted hotel in West Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Inside the Old Park Haunted, a haunted hotel in West Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

EVP sounds like me!

Here’s where it gets really weird. If you listen to my recording, you’ll hear me say, “I’m just wondering if I have any company up here with me,” followed by several seconds of silence. This silence is only broken when Greg asks if I’m singing.

Unbeknownst to me, however, there was a second recording of this moment in time. Several minutes before my arrival, Becky had left a digital recorder on the table beside me. On her recording, immediately after I say, “I’m just wondering if I have any company up here with me,” you can clearly hear a woman humming a little song. Strangest of all, this woman sounds exactly like me! It is the eeriest thing. If I didn’t know better, I would swear it was a recording of my own voice.

Could this strange EVP be from my doppelgänger?

Inside the Old Park Haunted, a haunted hotel in West Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Inside the Old Park Haunted, a haunted hotel in West Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Listen to the doppelgänger EVP here:

You can listen to the EVPs here:

This is MY recording (Greg asks if I’m singing after several seconds of silence.): 

https://tuisnider.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Tui-ru-singing-Tuis-audio.mp3

BECKY’s recording (same exact time frame, but instead of silence, there’s an EVP that sounds like me, humming!):

https://tuisnider.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Tui-ru-singing-Beckys-EVP.mp3

Pretty weird, eh? If Becky hadn’t been taping at the exact same time, we would not have caught this anomaly. I would have assumed that I was humming a little ditty, but simply wasn’t aware of it at the time.

I’m so glad she had put a digital recorder nearby!

My doppelgänger strikes again?

As I sifted through my recordings from our night at the Old Park Hotel, I came across another odd incident. Later that evening, I joined Greg and several others in a room where a mysterious death allegedly occurred.

Out of the blue, Greg goes, “Tui, where you at?”

“Oh, I’m right here,” I said, waving my hand at him in the semi-darkness.

“OK,” he said, pointing to his left. “But it looks like you’re over here.”

“I’m bilocating right now!” I joked, but Greg was puzzled. He went on to explain that he had just seen a slightly shorter version of me walk by on his left. “She looked exactly like you, same hat, same dress, same everything.”

Was this another encounter with my doppelgänger? Why was Greg the only one seeing and hearing this other Tui that night?

Inside the Old Park Haunted, a haunted hotel in West Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Inside the Old Park Haunted, a haunted hotel in West Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

What are your thoughts on doppelgängers?

When I mentioned this to Archie Debunker, he didn’t roll his eyes or attempt to discredit the experience. Instead, Larry merely said, “Perhaps it was your counterpart visiting us from her existence in the multiverse.”

Since whatever it was looked and sounded like me, I feel comfortable calling it a doppelgänger. But what causes a doppelgänger? I can only guess.

Could it truly be, as Larry suggested, a version of me from a parallel reality? Or is one of the spirits of OPH a really good mimic? What do you think? Have you ever encountered a doppelgänger?

Must return to the OPH!

All I can say is that our night at at the Old Park Hotel was full of surprises. I can hardly wait to return! When I do, do you have any suggestions?

Want to read more?

You’ve just read an adapted excerpt from my travel guide to haunted places, Paranormal Texas.  Were you able to hear the EVP of my doppelganger singing? I hope you enjoyed it! 

 

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If you enjoyed this, check out my YouTube channel. Each Sunday, I share a new info-video about haunted places, historic cemeteries, offbeat travel and more! Join me!

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No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui's books can take you on a FUN adventure!
No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui Snider’s books & presentations take you on a FUN adventure!

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Filed Under: Blog Posts, Haunted Travel, Travel Photo Essays Tagged With: #hauntedhour, becky vickers, dan lafave, evp, ghost hunting, goatman, greg stephens, haunted road trip, old park hotel, Tui Snider

5th Annual Granbury Paranormal Expo: Like a Comic Con with Ghosts! #VisitGranbury

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Free Paranormal Expo on October 1, 2016

After four years as a springtime event, the Granbury Paranormal Expo has shifted to a spookier time of year: October! This year’s expo takes place on October 1 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a street festival in the middle of Granbury’s historic downtown square.

This free festival features: ghost hunters, psychics, horror, sci-fi, cosplay, fantasy, and much more!

 

Image provided courtesy of the Granbury Paranormal Expo
Image provided courtesy of the Granbury Paranormal Expo

Like a Comic Con with Ghost Hunters

“We are considering it to be a ‘Comic Con’ with ghost hunters,” said Brandy Herr, co-founder of the Granbury Paranormal Expo. “We wanted to bring everything together into one big event to ensure that we have something fun for everybody!”

Celebrity Guests & Speakers

This year’s special celebrity guest will be Alex Vincent, best known as “Andy Barclay” from Child’s Play 1 & 2. He will be holding a Q&A session about his work on the horror franchise. Joining Alex Vincent as guest speakers will be Shelley Kaehr, Ph.D., aka “The Past Life Lady,” and the Austin Ghost Tour Gals. Tugg the Superhero Bull Terrier will be making a special appearance to promote his comic book series.

Me & Dean Haglund. (Yes, I was a little star struck!)
Me & Dean Haglund at the 2014 Granbury Paranormal Expo. (Yes, I was a little star struck!)

My First Paranormal Expo

The Granbury Paranormal Expo was the first paranormal conference I ever attended and it really set a high bar! As you can see in the photo above, I got all fan girl geeked out over meeting Dean Haglund from the X Files.  I really appreciate how Brandy Herr and her crew do a tremendous job planning this event, and how the whole town rallies around it.

I was honored to be among last year’s speakers, although thanks to a tornado, I was unable to drop by the local winery and buy a bottle of the vino featuring my face on the label along with all the other speakers. Dang!

While I’m not speaking this year, I am a vendor (check out the full list here!) and will be selling books, photos, note cards, my album, and some Halloween-themed items that my husband, Larry, made. It’s going to be so much fun!

Zombie Pub Crawl

Several restaurants on the square will be showing their support for the Granbury Paranormal Expo by hosting a Zombie Pub Crawl, a separate, ticketed event to be held the evening of October 1. I’m not much of a drinker, but I think the people zombie-watching will be great fun!

Canine comic book celebrity, Tugg the Superhero Bull Terrier (photo provided courtesy of the Granbury Paranormal Expo)
Canine comic book celebrity, Tugg the Superhero Bull Terrier (photo provided courtesy of the Granbury Paranormal Expo)

More about the Granbury Paranormal Expo:

For the latest news and updates on the event, visit www.GranburyParanormalExpo.com and like the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/GranburyParanormalExpo. Brandy Herr can be reached at GranburyGhosts@gmail.com or 817-559-0849.

Curious about my books? I’ve got 3, so far…


To read about more weird, offbeat, and overlooked places, check out my best-selling travel guide: 
UNEXPECTED TEXAS

For ghost hunting hot spots, check out my best-selling travel guide to haunted places: 
PARANORMAL TEXAS

For a strange-but-true tale of Texas history, check out this bizarre piece of West Texas history: 
The Lynching of the Santa Claus Bank Robber

Hey, you! Want to come along for the ride?

No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui's books can take you on a FUN adventure!
No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui Snider’s books can take you on a FUN adventure!

FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: For updates on my offbeat travels, books, music & other fun stuff (such as postcards from the road!) subscribe to my newsletter using the form below.  You can also mix & mingle with me by clicking this link & “liking” my Facebook Author Page:

Filed Under: Blog on Writing & Life, Blog Posts, My Music, My Music CD Tagged With: #visitgranbury, Brandy Herr, ghost hunting, ghosts, Granbury, Granbury Paranormal Expo, paracon, paranormal expo, Texas, Tui Snider

History, Haunts & Legends Paranormal Conference in Jefferson, Texas

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What is Jefferson’s History, Haunts and Legends?

History, Haunts, and Legends (HHL) is a one-day paranormal conference held in Jefferson, Texas twice a year: once in the spring and once in the fall. Jodi Breckenridge, who leads the Jefferson Ghost Walk, created this event in 2006, and it has steadily gained momentum ever since!

Historic Cemetery Symbols Talk

I’m so excited to be giving my Historic Cemetery Symbols presentation at History, Haunts, and Legends on November 7, 2015. I absolutely love the town of Jefferson and have been dying to attend HHL, but it’s just never worked out for me in the past. For once, I’m not out of town or booked elsewhere, so I can finally attend!

IMG_1947

HHL Daytime Events

History, Haunts, and Legends offers Daytime Events and Nighttime Events. Daytime events include a full roster of speakers, numerous vendors, and a psychic gallery. HHL’s Daytime Events are hosted at the Jefferson Visitors Center (305 E Austin St, Jefferson, TX 75657.)

Speakers and Vendor schedule: The doors open on Saturday, November 7, 2015 at 8:00 a.m. This gives attendees time to drink coffee and don name tags. Guest speakers start presenting at 9:15 and will run all day. (Read on for a full list of speakers and more info about the vendors.)

Psychic Gallery with Dakota Lawrence: At 4:00 p.m., medium, Dakota Lawrence, offers a psychic gallery. Tickets for this event are an additional $35. Seating is limited, but there are still a few seats available as of this writing.

Dinner Break: Around 5:30 or 6, there’s time for a dinner break. People can relax, grab a bite to eat, and get prepared for some ghost hunting, if so inclined!

HHL Nighttime Events

Evening Paranormal Investigations: For its Nighttime Events, History, Haunts, and Legends offers paranormal investigations at 6 haunted hot spots in historic Jefferson, Texas. These spots were all chosen because they are haunted hot spots.

A different paranormal investigation team will be set up at each haunted location. This way, conference attendees can see how different groups conduct their investigations, while also experiencing different haunted locations. To keep these locations from being overly crowded, HHL’s Nighttime Events attendees will be divided into 6 groups.

Each group will spend 45 minutes at each location. It’s like a bar hop, except instead of boozing it up, you are moving from one haunted hot spot to another throughout the evening!

HHL: Paranormal Investigations

Here’s the list of Haunted Locations in Jefferson, Texas that History, Haunts and Legends attendees with tickets to HHL’s Nighttime Events will be investigating:

Hale House
Segal-Wharton
Claiborne House
Three Sisters Cottages
Old Kahn Saloon
Old Mill

HHL: Who is speaking?

The History, Haunts and Legends paranormal conference is going to be jam-packed with interesting speakers, including my talented friend and TGWW Radio co-host, Teal Gray, who will be giving a presentation on Interspecies Communication.

As I mentioned earlier, I’m also giving my Historic Cemetery Symbols talk at HHL in Jefferson, Texas this weekend. (Jefferson has some gorgeous historic cemeteries, too, so I plan on doing some research while I am there!)

Other History, Haunts and Legends paranormal conference speakers include:
Larry Flaxman – Author
Brad Klinge – Paranormal Investigator, Producer
Chris Melancon – Paranormal Society of New Orleans
Jeromy Jones – Paranologies (ghost hunting equipment)
Cathy Nance – Photographer, Woodlands Paranormal
Maria Santos  – Psychic Medium
Dr. Rita Louise – Author, Medical Intuitive
Mitchel Whitington – Author
Terri Jones – Author
Martha Decker – Author

Dakota Lawrence – Please note: Dakota is not a speaker, per se. He will, however, be giving a Psychic Gallery at 4:00 p.m. for an additional $35.

HHL: Who are the vendors?

Jodi Breckenridge has rounded up a wide variety of vendors, for History, Haunts, and Legends. I am really looking forward to seeing what these folks have to offer!

Here’s just a partial list of vendors who will be attending the History, Haunts and Legends paranormal conference in Jefferson:

Linda Anthony Hill – Author
John Cappello – Psychic/Medium, Aura Photography
Ka Horne – Psychic Artist
Olyve Abbott – Author
Kimberly Ridgeway – Spiritual Healer
Diana Leggett – Blue Road Institute

Tickets, Admission, More Information:

$35 Daytime Events Ticket: This tickets lets you enjoy all the speakers and vendors during the day.
$50 Nighttime Event Ticket: This ticket pays for your paranormal investigations at 6 different haunted locations in Jefferson, Texas.
$75 VIP Ticket: This ticket covers both the Daytime *and* the Nighttime events, and is a fabulous deal!. (Plus, if you attend the Jefferson Ghost Walk, this dual ticket is a mere $65.)
$35 Psychic Gallery Ticket: This ticket is exclusively for Dakota Lawrence’s psychic gallery.
Jefferson Ghost Walk: Speaking of the ghost walk, visit the Jefferson Ghost Walk website for more information on how to attend. (I highly recommend this tour! Even my skeptical, science teacher husband enjoyed Jodi Breckenridge’s tour. You learn a lot about the town of Jefferson’s history in a very entertaining manner!)
For History, Haunts and Legends Tickets and more information call: 
903-601-3375 or 903-665-6289

Read more about Jefferson, Texas

Jefferson, Texas is a picturesque town chock full of fascinating history and haunted lore. To read more about fun things to see and do in Jefferson, check out these articles from around the web:

Here’s a photo essay I wrote called: Jefferson, Texas: Simple Pleasures, Ghosts, & Bigfoot in the Little Easy.

The river plays such a big part in Jefferson’s history, that it’s well worth taking a ride on the Turning Basin Riverboat Tour.

Great article about Jefferson, Texas by Chet Garner, aka “The Daytripper”: Haunting Hospitality in Jefferson.

Find out why the Houston Chronicle calls Jefferson: The Most Haunted Town in Texas

A blogger named Pat Austin shares her tips for: Taking a Fun Trip to Jefferson

Want to read more like this?


To read about more weird, offbeat, and overlooked places, check out my best-selling travel guide: 
UNEXPECTED TEXAS: Your Guide to Offbeat & Overlooked History, Day Trips & Fun Things to do near Dallas & Fort Worth
.

For ghost hunting hot spots, check out my best-selling travel guide to haunted places: 
PARANORMAL TEXAS: Your Travel Guide to Haunted Places near Dallas & Fort Worth
.

For a strange-but-true tale of Texas history, check out this bizarre piece of West Texas history: 
The Lynching of the Santa Claus Bank Robber

 


white-line-separator

Hey, you! Want to come along for the ride?

No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui's books can take you on a FUN adventure!
No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui Snider’s books can take you on a FUN adventure!

FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: For updates on my offbeat travels, books, & other fun stuff (such as postcards from the road!) subscribe to my newsletter using the form below. Each week, I’ll let you know the Historic Cemetery Symbol of the Week, who Teal Gray & I are interviewing on our show that night, and any other fun or interesting news. You can also mix & mingle with me by clicking this link & “liking” my Facebook Author Page:

Filed Under: Blog on Writing & Life, Blog Posts, Haunted Travel, Historic Cemeteries, Travel Photo Essays Tagged With: east Texas, ghost, ghost hunting, ghost walk, haunted, history, history haunts and legends, jefferson, jodi breckenridge, paracon, Paranormal, paranormal conference, Texas, Tui Snider

Love True Ghost Stories? Check this out!

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True Ghost Stories, with Prizes for Treats!

Later this month, Teal Gray and I are hosting a special streaming radio show in honor of Halloween. Instead of just having one or two guests on the Teal Gray Worldwide Radio show as we usually do, we are inviting people to call in and share their best real life ghost story.

Listeners can then vote for their favorite true ghost stories. The top 3 paranormal tales will be announced on our show the following week.

And, yes, there will be PRIZES!

Love Ghost Stories-

2 Ways to Win Ghost Hunting Goodies!

First way to win: Help us spread the word!

You can win prizes simply by helping us spread the word about this contest. Just use the Rafflecopter gizmo below. It’s easy to use! Just scroll down and get started. Plus, you can enter daily.

We want to get the best true ghost stories possible for our contest, but we need to get the word out. Your help is greatly appreciated!

You can enter daily, & the more times you enter, the better your chances! Three winners will be chosen at random (so the more times you enter, the better your chances! You can enter daily.)

Please note: Due to the high cost of shipping overseas, physical prizes will only be sent to those with an address in the USA. We can, however, send you ebooks as a prize, no matter where you reside. 

Second way to win: Tell Us Your Best True Ghost Story

How to enter: Best True Ghost Story Contest On-Air
Teal Gray and I will choose up to 12 listeners to share their ghost stories on our show. So, if you have a good spooky story to share – that happened to you – please email me at TuiSnider at gmail.com. I will get back to you as soon as possible to let you know if your story sounds suitable.

Here’s what we are looking for:
1. Keep it brief: You must be able to tell your story in 5 minutes or less.

2.  If needed, we can read the story on your behalf: If you want, we can read your true ghost story on your behalf. We promise to do our best for you, since this is a contest! Since we have listeners all over the globe, if you live in a time zone that makes it hard to listen live, or if you simply feel too shy to be on-air, or whatever… we still want you to have the opportunity to enter the contest. (We already have one story that we will be reading for a person.)

Please note: Due to the high cost of shipping overseas, physical prizes will only be sent to those with an address in the USA. We can, however, send you ebooks as a prize, no matter where you reside. 

Prizes for Spreading the Word:

 

Three winners will be chosen at random from those who help us spread the word about the True Ghost Story contest on Teal Gray Worldwide Radio. We really appreciate your help! Here are the prizes Teal and I are giving out:


First, Second & Third place winners will all receive the spiffy SainSonic SS5650 Non-Contact Instant-Read Laser IR Themometer Gun Wide Temperature Range(-50~650°C) Yellow-Grey (pictured above) which you can take with you on paranormal investigations and use to detect sudden changes in temperature!

In addition, the First Place Winner will also receive signed copies of all 3 of my books, (Unexpected Texas, Paranormal Texas, &  The Lynching of the Santa Claus Bank Robber) as well as a road trip postcard from me!

Please note: Due to the high cost of shipping overseas, physical prizes will only be sent to those with an address in the USA. We can, however, send you ebooks as a prize, no matter where you reside. 

Prizes for True Ghost Stories:

GRAND PRIZE – true ghost story


GRAND PRIZE WINNER: Wins signed copies of all 3 of my books, (Unexpected Texas, Paranormal Texas, &  The Lynching of the Santa Claus Bank Robber), The Ghost Meter EMF Sensor (pictured above), as well as a road trip postcard from me!

SECOND PLACE – true ghost story


2nd Place WINNER: Wins signed copies of all 3 of my books, (Unexpected Texas, Paranormal Texas, &  The Lynching of the Santa Claus Bank Robber), a handy-dandy Natural Quartz Crystal Pendulums 12 Facet Reiki Charged (pictured above), as well as a road trip postcard from me!

THIRD PLACE – true ghost story

3rd Place WINNER: Wins signed copies of all 3 of my books, (Unexpected Texas, Paranormal Texas, &  The Lynching of the Santa Claus Bank Robber), and a road trip postcard from me!

Please note: Due to the high cost of shipping overseas, physical prizes will only be sent to those with an address in the USA. We can, however, send you ebooks as a prize, no matter where you reside. 

Follow the Steps Below to Enter the Contest Right Now & Help Us Spread the Word!

All you have to do is either login via Facebook or by using your email address (which will be kept private!), then follow the steps in the Rafflecopter gizmo below to be entered into the contest to win ghost hunting equipment and signed copies of my books.

You can enter each day, so y’all come back now, ya hear?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want to read more like this?

 

To read about more weird, offbeat, and overlooked places, check out my best-selling travel guide:  UNEXPECTED TEXAS: Your Guide to Offbeat & Overlooked History, Day Trips & Fun Things to do near Dallas & Fort Worth.

 

For ghost hunting hot spots, check out my best-selling travel guide to haunted places:  PARANORMAL TEXAS: Your Travel Guide to Haunted Places near Dallas & Fort Worth.

 

For a strange-but-true tale of Texas history, check out this bizarre piece of West Texas history:  The Lynching of the Santa Claus Bank Robber

 

  Hey, you! Want to come along for the ride?white-line-separator

No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui's books can take you on a FUN adventure!
No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui Snider’s books can take you on a FUN adventure!

FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: For updates on my offbeat travels, books, & other fun stuff (such as postcards from the road!) subscribe to my newsletter using the form below. Each week, I’ll let you know the Historic Cemetery Symbol of the Week, who Teal Gray & I are interviewing on our show that night, and any other fun or interesting news.  You can also mix & mingle with me by clicking this link & “liking” my Facebook Author Page:

Filed Under: Haunted Travel, Teal Gray Worldwide Radio, TGWW Radio Tagged With: contest, ghost hunting, ghost hunting equipment, giveaway, Paranormal, prize, Teal Gray, tgww, tgww radio, true ghost stories, Tui Snider

Paranormal Expo: Hill House Manor in Gainesville, Texas

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Gainesville-HHM-top

Unique Paranormal Event in Gainesville, Texas

I’m honored and excited to be giving a talk on Historic Cemetery Symbols during a unique paracon at the end of this month. Simply called “Hill House Manor,” this event combines the fun of a paranormal expo with the thrill of ghost hunting at historic haunted sites.

Fun Filled Weekend

If you’ve ever been to a paranormal expo before, you know the drill. You spend the day listening to fascinating speakers share paranormal expertise. You cruise through vendor booths, mixing and mingling with like-minded souls, while loading up on interesting books, crystals, jewelry, and ghost hunting equipment. You might even get a psychic reading while you’re there, too.

But then night comes, and after hearing about paranormal activity all day long, you’re absolutely dying to take part in a real life ghost hunt of your own. But where to go? What to do?

<shameless plug>If you’re in north Texas, of course, you can always buy a copy of Paranormal Texas, my best selling travel guide to haunted sites. It’s full of paranormal hot spots you can explore!</shameless plug!>

Paracon Fun with Ghost Hunting Thrills

But what if someone hosted a paranormal open house where the fun didn’t end at 5pm? What if you could attend a paracon in an actual haunted location? A paranormal weekend that included investigations each night?

Well, folks, that’s exactly what you get this August 28th and 29th over in Gainesville, Texas! The vendors and speakers will be set up in the historic (and haunted!) Santa Fe Depot (605 E California St, Gainesville, TX 76240) from 1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on both Saturday, August 28th and Sunday, August 29th, 2015.

Read on for more details!

Date, times, price, location, yada, yada…

Price: $60 COVERS EVERYTHING! You get to hear the speakers, see the vendors, and attend paranormal investigations on both nights.
How to  buy  tickets: For tickets and more information, visit: ASAP Entertainment LLC’s website 
Where: Santa Fe Depot, 605 E California St, Gainesville, TX 76240
When:
Speakers & Vendors at the Santa Fe Depot: August 28 & 29 from 1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. each day.
Nightly paranormal investigations: General admission includes paranormal investigations of haunted locations, including the Hill House Manor and the Gainesville’s Hanging Tree, from 8:00 p.m. – midnight each evening.

Gainesville-HHM-bottom-speakers

Who is speaking at Hill House Manor’s Paranormal Weekend?

Jereme Leonard – Cajun demonologist

Jereme Leonard has been in the paranormal field since 2008. He was part of a regional TV show that investigated landmark structures in Louisiana Mississippi. In, 2009 Jereme was part of a high-profile demonic possession case, which changed his course from paranormal investigator to demonologist. Jereme Leonard has appeared in books and TV shows such as “Out of the darkness” by Joy Stinson, “When ghost attacks” -Destination America, “Swamp Monsters” -Destination America and “American supernatural: The Curse of Julia brown” on The Weather Channel.

Scott Gruenwald – Paranormal Investigator

Scott is a self-described “Para Whore” who you may recognize from such TV shows as “Paranormal Paparazzi” and “Ghost Adventures.” Here’s how he describes himself: “Comic books, tree forts, video games, hide and seek, action figures … catching frogs? These may be things you would use to describe the average fifth grader, or myself. You see, I’m a player. Hold on a minute. When I say player, I mean I live to play – from the moment my Batman alarm clock wakes me up to when I rest my head at night in a fort made of couch cushions. I love life and playing keeps me young.”

Dash Beardsley – Haunted Tour Guide

Dash Beardsley, Galveston’s premier paranormal expert, also known as “The Ghostman of Galveston” is the creator of The Ghost Tours of Galveston, which began in 1998 and has been rated the #1 Ghost Tour in America. Last year, he started an exciting annual event in Galveston, Texas called “Dash Beardsley’s Wake the Dead Horrorcon.”

Selena Roane – Empath & Radio Host

Selena Roane is the founder of FEAR Paranormal Society, a paranormal investigation team. She is also the host of Close to Death, an internet show about virtually anything paranormal. Selena is an empath and is currently working on developing and enhancing that ability. Selena attends and speaks at various conferences and has led numerous investigations. She was included as an investigator on the “Shadows of 66” documentary with Chip Coffey, Brad and Barry Klinge in 2013. The paranormal is Selena’s passion. She is continuously researching and learning in an effort to deepen her knowledge and enthusiasm for the field.

Tui Snider – Bestselling Author, Photographer, Radio Host

Tui Snider is a globetrotting author, photographer, public speaker, radio host, musician, and travel blogger. She loves exploring mysterious places, strange-but-true history, cemetery symbolism, and haunted lore. So far, Tui has published 3 bestselling books inspired by the quirky and mysterious state of Texas. Meanwhile, Tui’s photos of offbeat and overlooked places have appeared in FOX Travel News, Coast to Coast AM, easyJet, and other publications. Tui Snider’s presentation for the Haunted Hill Manor event is a photo-laden exploration of Historic Cemetery Symbols.

Mark Elliot Fults – Trance Medium, Artist, Author

A native of Chattanooga, Mark E. Fults is a locally known self-taught psychic, artist, trance medium, songwriter and now storyteller. In his book, Chattanooga Chills, Fults shares a lifelong collection of well-known and obscure ghost stories set in the rich historical landscape of Chattanooga, Tennessee. From Native American burial grounds to the Civil War battlefields, from elegant hotels like the Read House to a lynching on the Walnut Street Bridge, Chattanooga has ghosts, some of whom Fults has met personally.

Teal Gray – Psychic Medium, Radio Host, Author

Teal Gray is an intuitive, empath, tea-leaf, coffee ground, and tarot reader with over 25 years of experience. As a writer, sacred and haunted site traveler, radio host and founder of Teal Gray Worldwide, Teal has amassed many paranormal and unexplained experiences gaining a greater understanding of the unknown. Sharing that knowledge with is her passion. Teal Gray will be offering a *FREE* Psychic Gallery at the Hill House Manor event. Do not miss it!

Hill House Manor: Event Schedule

FRIDAY – August 28, 2015
Registration starts at: 1p.m.
1:30 TO 2:15 – Selena Roane
2:30 to 3:15 – Scott Gruenwald
3:30 to 4:15 – Dash Beardsley
4:30 to 5:15 – Tui Snider
5:30 to 6:30 open Panel Discussions
7:00 Conference ends for the day
Dinner break
8:00 Meet at Hill House to begin investigations of the Hill House Manor and the site of the Great Hangings of 1862.*
VIP lock in: Midnight until sunrise.

SATURDAY – August 29, 2015
Registration starts at 1p.m.
1:30 to 2:15 – Jereme Leonard
2:30 to 3:15 – Mark Fults
3:30 to 4:15 – Scott Gruenwald
4:30 to 5:15 – Dash Beardsley
5:30 to 6:30 – Teal Gray Gallery Reading
7:00 Conference ends for the day
Dinner break
8:00 Meet at Hill House to begin investigations of the Hill House Manor and the site of the Great Hangings of 1862.*
VIP lock in: Midnight until sunrise.

*During the Investigations one group will be Investigating the Hill House Manor and the other group Investigating the of the Great Hangings of 1862.

Want to read more?

To read about more weird, offbeat, and overlooked places, check out my best selling travel guide: Unexpected Texas.
For ghost hunting hot spots, check out my best selling travel guide to haunted places: Paranormal Texas.
For a strange-but-true tale of Texas history, check out: The Lynching of the Santa Claus Bank Robber. Happy travels!

Hey, you! Want to come along for the ride?

For updates on my offbeat travels, books, & other fun stuff (such as postcards from the road!) subscribe to my author newsletter using the form below:

Tui Snider having fun on a Texas road trip!
Tui Snider having fun on a Texas road trip!

Filed Under: Cemeteries & Symbolism, Travel Photo Essays Tagged With: asap entertainment, gainesville, ghost hunters, ghost hunting, hanging tree, haunted history, history, medium, paracon, Paranormal, psychic, Texas, Tui Snider speaker

Ghost Hunting in Mineral Wells, Texas: Haunted Hill House & So Much More!

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FREE Cemetery Symbols Guide:

Would you like a FREE guide to historic cemetery symbolism? If so, click the image below:

Haunted Hill House in Mineral Wells, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Haunted Hill House in Mineral Wells, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Writing Research Trip & Ghost Hunting

Even though I wrote a chapter on Mineral Wells in my first book, Unexpected Texas, I keep learning interesting things about this historic Texas town. (So much so that I’ve got another book underway – but that’s another story for another day!) Meanwhile, there’s so much on my Mineral Wells to-do list that I recently took a writing research trip there. My husband, Larry, and my pal, Teal Gray, came along for the ride.

We had a great time!

Paranormal Hot Spots in Mineral Wells, Texas

For a small town, Mineral Wells packs a lot of offbeat history per square inch. In fact, my second book, Paranormal Texas, includes a chapter on Mineral Wells because when there’s so much offbeat history, there’s bound to be haunted lore!

The Baker Hotel is just down the street from Haunted Hill House in Mineral Wells, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
The Baker Hotel is just down the street from Haunted Hill House in Mineral Wells, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Haunted Hill House Investigation in 2014

One of the haunted hot spots I describe in Paranormal Texas is known as the Haunted Hill House. Last August, I attended a paranormal investigation there with Shelly Tucker (a.k.a. Denton’s Ghost Lady) in conjunction with FEAR Paranormal. It’s a long story, but although we were booked to spend the entire night, everyone in our party bailed by midnight.

I was so disappointed!

Shelly Tucker & I gave Phil Kirchoff copies of our books last year (photo by Tui Snider)
Shelly Tucker & I gave Phil Kirchoff copies of our books last year (photo by Tui Snider)

Mysterious Whispers Caught on Tape

Even so, my digital recorder caught some mysterious whispers. I can’t understand what is being said, but the tiny, whispering voice on this audio file does not belong to any of the living who were present that night. It’s *very* brief, but after listening to 45 minutes of me wandering around the house chatting, this strange little whisper really stood out. I’ll save you the tedium and me the embarrassment of listening to the whole clip, but here is the snippet that contains the tiny whisper. What do you think?

Listen to the mysterious whisper by clicking here:

https://tuisnider.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/HHH-combo-clips.wav

The other “head scratcher” during my first visit to Haunted Hill House came while a group of us sat in a circle around a Spirit Box. As I excused myself to attend the local Baker Hotel Ghost Walk, a man’s voice came through and with no static at all, said, “Bye, Tui!”

The voice was so clear, that without thinking, I reflexively responded with, “Bye!” before exclaiming, “Hey, did that gizmo just call me by name?”

The same voice came through again and simply replied, “Yes.” When I asked if he wanted me to come back after the haunted history tour, that same voice came through again with another, “Yes.”

While I must admit I have very little experience with the Spirit Box, I found that brief exchange rather interesting!

Shelly Tucker had quite an emotional experience at the Haunted Hill House, but I feel that it is her story to share and not mine – if she even wants to share it! So, I’ll leave it at that.

I’ve been wanting to return to Haunted Hill House ever since! Last weekend, I finally got my chance – and it did not disappoint. But before I dive into all that, here’s a little background about the Haunted Hill House in Mineral Wells, Texas:

The team checking out the cameras at Haunted Hill House in Mineral Wells, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
The team checking out the cameras at Haunted Hill House in Mineral Wells, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Brief Background Info: Haunted Hill House a.k.a. The Kyle House

Built in 1892 by local pharmacist C.F. Yeager, the Haunted Hill House sits a few blocks east of Mineral Wells’ historic (and infamously haunted) Baker Hotel. For many years, the home was known around town as “the Kyle House” because Fannie Yeager Kyle and her sister lived there until the late 1920’s.

According to the Haunted Hill House website, after the sisters passed away, things turned a bit shady. There are rumors of a brothel as well as the production of illegal booze during Prohibition, but none of this has been substantiated.

In 2013, Phil Kirchhoff bought the historic home. He planned to remodel the place and retire there. Due to the high level of paranormal activity, however, Phil abandoned that idea and turned it into a paranormal research center, instead.

According to investigators, Haunted Hill House has at least nine distinct entities residing there. Exactly who they are has not been determined, but the most well-defined appears to be the ghost of a 6-year-old boy.

The home is now available for ghost hunting groups as well as those who simply want to experience a bona fide haunted house in person. For details, check out the Haunted Hill House website.

The other side of the monitor at Haunted Hill House in Mineral Wells, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
The other side of the monitor at Haunted Hill House in Mineral Wells, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Teal Gray Worldwide Investigations

I should mention that Teal Gray, Larry, and I are part of a paranormal investigation team called Teal Gray Worldwide Investigations. Different groups have different specialties, and we are no exception.

For one thing, while most ghost hunting groups have at least one member described as being “the skeptic,” Teal Gray Worldwide Investigations includes a complete non-believer! My husband, Larry, does not believe in the paranormal and is convinced that every anomaly can be explained away if you look hard enough.

Teal Gray, on the other hand, is a talented psychic medium of the “I see dead people” variety. Meanwhile, I’m no professional psychic. I’m just a bit sensitive, for lack of a better term. (If anything, I tend to hear dead people from time to time!) That said, all three of us strive to find the most logical explanation for any seemingly paranormal phenomena we encounter.

Case in point, the glowing tombstone at Veal Station Cemetery over in Springtown, Texas. You can see what Larry and I discovered on our investigation there by reading this post: Glowing Tombstone in Springtown, Texas

I should also add that while our team enjoys ghost hunting, we focus on the actual history of an area as much as we do on gathering paranormal evidence. One of our main goals is to promote awareness of and respect for regional history.

We had a good K2 session in this room at Haunted Hill House in Mineral Wells, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
We had a good K2 session in this room at Haunted Hill House in Mineral Wells, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Teal Gray Worldwide Investigations at the Haunted Hill House

Larry and I showed up at the Haunted Hill House in Mineral Wells a few minutes ahead of Teal, thanks to her moody GPS. This gave us a chance to catch up with the man who owns the house, Phil Kirchoff.

As I mentioned earlier, Phil Kirchoff originally purchased the house with the intention to fix it up and retire there. It may surprise some readers, however, to learn that Phil Kirchoff is a scientist!

That’s right, folks. Phil Kirchoff is an archaeologist specializing in the Pleistocene Era. He was even involved in the discovery of a new dinosaur named Hadrosaur discovered a few years ago near Arlington, Texas. Pretty cool, eh?

Prior to buying Haunted Hill House, Phil was not particularly interested in ghosts. The past two years, however, have been a crash course in all things paranormal.

Since Larry is a mad scientist and chemistry teacher, he and Phil hit it off right away. In fact, “the boys” hung out in the air-conditioned kitchen watching all the cameras and fiddling with the technical equipment while Teal and I roamed the house looking for ghosts.

The first impression Teal Gray picked up on was of several “ladies of the evening” hanging out in the sitting room. I didn’t feel anything, but there was a fan there, so I was happy to set the K2 meter on the couch and see if we could make contact.

Long story short: no luck!

Teal and I wandered slowly from room to room. For some reason, I didn’t take as many photos as I usually do. I just kind of “forgot,” which is weird for such an avid shutterbug as me! The same thing happened last time I visited Haunted Hill House. (Note to self: take lots of photos when visiting paranormal hot spots!)

I thought we might feel something upstairs, but aside from being hot and humid, we didn’t pick up on much there, either.

We tried the K2 in several different rooms at Haunted Hill House in Mineral Wells, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
We tried the K2 in several different rooms at Haunted Hill House in Mineral Wells, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

A Lively K2 Session & an Inexplicable Chill

We had a lively 10-minute K2 session in one of the front rooms on the main floor, however. It was still pretty hot, and there were no fans or open windows, but at one point a freezing cold chill snaked its way up our arms. It didn’t last too long, maybe 30 seconds, but it was very noticeable.

As for our K2 session, we were able to ask questions and get a strong response for roughly 10 minutes, before we both felt as if the energy was done. Through a series of yes/no questions, we were told that 8 entities were with us, and that they liked Phil Kirchoff.

Since Phil had mentioned seeing a “shadow man” the night before, we asked about that and discovered that none of them liked the shadow man, either!

One of the strongest K2 responses came when I asked if those present would like for me to do more research into the history of Haunted Hill House. Hey, I love any excuse to do more research!

None of my photos picked up any anomalies, nor did I get any potential EVPs this time. I was a little worried, too, because I used the bathroom while recording. I figured Murphy’s Law would cause me to pick up a mysterious voice while I was “EVP-eeing!”

All in all, it was a fun visit! I look forward to visiting again.

Me & Teal were sweating like crazy in the attic at Haunted Hill House in Mineral Wells, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Me & Teal were sweating like crazy in the attic at Haunted Hill House in Mineral Wells, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Teal Gray Worldwide Investigations at the Crazy Water Hotel

Shortly after our visit to Phil Kirchoff’s Haunted Hill House, the three of us accompanied Greg Stephens as guests with his team, Texas Research & Investigation of the Paranormal (a.k.a. TxRIP) for our second paranormal investigation of the day over at the historic Crazy Water Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas! As a history buff, I’ve been wanting to visit the Crazy Water Hotel for ages, but like the Baker Hotel, it is not easy to gain access (Thank you, vandals, for ruining the good stuff for everyone else – grrr!)

The three of us had quite an adventure at the Crazy Water Hotel. I actually saw something with my naked eyes that I’m still puzzling over, and the TxRIP team caught some bizarre anomalies (including a large, swirling vortex) on video! So… stay tuned for my upcoming blog post about our crazy time at the Crazy Water.

Spooky room at the Haunted Hill House in Mineral Wells, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Spooky room at the Haunted Hill House in Mineral Wells, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

One More Paranormal Encounter…

And, lastly, come back tomorrow to read about a completely unexpected paranormal experience I had in Mineral Wells, Texas. This strange experience was one of my favorite moments of the whole weekend, but did not occur during any of our ghost hunting expeditions! (You can also keep up with me and my blog by signing up for my newsletter: just scroll down to see how!)

FREE Cemetery Symbols Guide:

Would you like a FREE guide to historic cemetery symbolism? If so, click the image below:

Want to read more like this?


To read about more weird, offbeat, and overlooked places, check out my best-selling travel guide: 
UNEXPECTED TEXAS: Your Guide to Offbeat & Overlooked History, Day Trips & Fun Things to do near Dallas & Fort Worth
.

For ghost hunting hot spots, check out my best-selling travel guide to haunted places: 
PARANORMAL TEXAS: Your Travel Guide to Haunted Places near Dallas & Fort Worth
.

For a strange-but-true tale of Texas history, check out this bizarre piece of West Texas history: 
The Lynching of the Santa Claus Bank Robber

 


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Hey, you! Want to come along for the ride?

No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui's books can take you on a FUN adventure!
No matter where you live in the galaxy, Tui Snider’s books can take you on a FUN adventure!

FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: For updates on my offbeat travels, books, & other fun stuff (such as postcards from the road!) subscribe to my newsletter using the form below. Each week, I’ll let you know the Historic Cemetery Symbol of the Week, who Teal Gray & I are interviewing on our show that night, and any other fun or interesting news. You can also mix & mingle with me by clicking this link & “liking” my Facebook Author Page:

Filed Under: Blog on Writing & Life, Haunted Travel, Travel Photo Essays Tagged With: author Tui Snider, evp, ghost, ghost hunting, haunted history, history, Mineral Wells, Oct15, paranormal, paranormal texas, spirit box, Texas

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