Dead and Breakfast Inn
Most of us believe there is some existence after we leave this life. Over the years, my otherworldly encounters have shown me a place which exists parallel to our own reality, a realm where our souls continue on until we are spiritually ready to go home. My main goal for starting this blog is to share some of those personal paranormal experiences, and I’d like to start with my trip to the Thomas House in Red Boiling Springs, Tennessee, where the night brought muffled whisperings, and things went bump in broad daylight.
I’ll post my impressions here, along with pictures and a recording of the disembodied voice I captured, so you can get a sense of what prompted my insights. There’s no denying the whispers you’ll hear on the recording. As for the images, maybe those will trigger certain feelings for you, or maybe not. I suppose whatever you glean from the pictures will depend on your ability to clear your mind and look past the physical. Then again, I know a powerful psychic who could never get much from just looking at a photograph.
Interpretation is always a crap shoot…
The moment I pulled my car up to the Thomas house, an eerie feeling crawled through me. I sat there for several minutes, scanning the veranda that spanned the length of the top floor, while a multitude of windows looked back at me in a blank stare. My skin started to prickle, and the little voice in my head whispered, “Yeah, this place is definitely haunted.”
I’ll admit I had second thoughts about going inside, but turning back wasn’t an option – I was part of a threesome of psychics scheduled to do a walkthrough of the house. So, I took a breath to steel myself, grabbed my luggage, and headed up the walkway, aware of unseen eyes tracking me. The sense of being watched vanished when I stepped up to the check-in counter and chatted with the owner. I felt a bit lighter then, as though a weight had drifted off my shoulders, and figured the spirits who hovered there probably got bored and went off to play elsewhere.
Most of us know the universe doesn’t work that way. They, whoever “they” were, had faded back to wait for me. I felt their presence again as soon as I started up the stairs.
The instant I stepped into the hall, the sensation of walking among those who were no longer breathing intensified.
Room 40 – Last room on the right at the end of the hall
When I passed this room’s open doorway, a strong sense of anger and bitterness weighted the air. I poked my head inside and felt someone glaring at me, willing me to leave. I was the intruder here, definitely not welcomed.
This kind of atmosphere isn’t always as hostile as it first appears. There are reasons why the poor souls attached to these emotions linger. I wanted to help, or at least try to communicate. I think the spirit there realized my intentions. When I returned to the room with my camera, the impression of resentment directed at me seemed tempered with a quiet resignation.
Of the two psychics who joined me shortly after, one is an extremely powerful medium. Brian (last name omitted to preserve his family’s privacy) communicates with those who have passed on, but at times, he also experiences physical symptoms suffered by the deceased before their death. In the case of room 40, we learned through Brian that an elderly woman had passed away in the bed. She suffered with some sort of lung/breathing problem. Those symptoms manifested themselves through Brian to the point where he began having trouble breathing and had to walk away from the room.
Watching him struggle to catch his breath was, in a word, disturbing.
In the picture below, you’ll see the intense focus required for Brian to communicate with the dead. He has to shut out the world around him to let his mind become a magnet.
Things that go bump in broad daylight
Yes, we’re back to the spooky hallway again. See the shelf with decorative wrought-iron sides? Below the shelf is a mirror mounted to the wall. Some have reported seeing shadowed figures running down the hall, and capturing faces in pictures of the mirror.
Late in the afternoon of my first day at the Thomas House, I had gone to my room (#39, last room on the left) to unpack while Brian and his companion ran out for some supplies. The three of us were the only guests registered at the time, so I was alone on the second floor, with my door shut. After a few minutes, a horde of kids ran, stomping, down the hall, laughing and hollering, having a great time. I thought, Oh, well. Guess we had a group check in at the last minute. There goes the peace and quiet…
Then I realized the laughter sounded strange – distant, and airy. I opened my door to have a look. An empty hallway stared back at me, the last echoes of phantom laughter fading away. I don’t know why the ghostly kiddies waited for Brian and company to leave before having their fun, but I imagine the show was intended just for me. I’m lucky like that.
You’re probably wondering why no video recording, why just pictures?
I’ll tell you – I barely managed to transfer a few photos to my laptop before my digital camera/video recorder died. The camera never worked again, and, yes, it was a new device. I had to use my cell phone to take the majority of pictures, but the recorder on the phone refused to work. Each time I tried to use that function, diagonal bands of color shot across a black, blank screen, without recording the light show I was seeing.
Room 39 – The Sneaky Ghost
I have no idea how many ghosts roam the Thomas House, but I can tell you there are too many to even begin to guess their numbers. Most of you who follow paranormal news and investigations are aware that activity of the otherworldly sort tends to zap batteries and electronics. Well, they zapped me, too. By the end of the first day, I’d already begun to suffer a severe energy drain.
Curious about what I’d capture sound wise, I settled into my room (39) once dark fell and setup my digital audio recorder. The recorder had gone dead as a doornail. I’ll add here that I had just put in fresh batteries.
I didn’t trust the digital equipment at this point, so I pulled out the mini cassette recorder I’d brought as back up. Listen to the audio clip below. You’ll hear a low, breathy whisper, and then later a more distinct voice – deep, and male. There is some atmospheric interference; the source I suspect belonged to the entity who visited me. I’m usually conscious of an unseen presence, but not this time. The idea that I hadn’t realized I had company of the non-breathing sort gave me a serious case of the creeps.
Sneaky ghost…
After getting home, I opened both recorders and found the batteries obliterated, almost as if they’d taken a direct hit from an extreme blast of heat. I was surprised the recording on the cassette tape hadn’t been destroyed.
Notice the severely warped shape of the batteries:
I learned from the owner of the inn about a cleaning woman who had previously worked there but was frightened off. At the time, the woman had gone into the utility closet for supplies. She turned to leave and found herself looking at an apparition of a tall man dressed in black.
G.E.I.S.T. paranormal investigators reported seeing the dark, shadowy figure of a man during a Thomas House investigation. Some disturbing corroboration in their initial write up was the mention of hearing a disembodied male voice. In a 2011 follow up, their report noted photographic evidence of a creepy face appearing to the left of the door in the entryway. The investigators were inside the hotel at the time. I captured the image of what may be the same eerie face, this time on the right, since I was standing outside the hotel, facing the front.
The photos below were shot after night fell. I caught a flicker of movement inside and quickly took the picture from my cell phone, using the flash. Blurry, due to my haste, but you can still make out the image looking out at us from the window. I snapped the second shot with the flash off. The image is much more pronounced.
We did verify with the owner and resident staff that they were in their suites at the time.
Before traveling to the Thomas House, I avoided researching any related investigations, so as not to be swayed. Our undeniable experiences there later prompted me to search online for similar accounts, and led me to the G.E.I.S.T. reports – initial and 2011 follow up. In the summary of the initial investigation, G.E.I.S.T. states “there may be ghosts at the Thomas House.” The report also adds there was “much contamination” due to ambient noises.
Other than the ghosts, there were no distractions during my stay. The three of us were the only living guests on those days.
Our time at the Thomas House was like taking a journey back through another era. Yes, the inn is spooky, but it is also quite beautiful. Another plus is the chef does an awesome job of whipping up the most fantastic Southern cuisine!
If you’re curious about more evidence found at the Thomas House, and other haunted locations, you’ll find some interesting video and audio links at Tennessee Ghost Hunters.
Thanks so much for reading,
Anne
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Excellent post, certainly enough to get even the most ardent non-believer wondering. And I love the ‘Dead and Breakfast Inn’ title, definitely a few story possibilities there!
Thanks, P.A. The sheer amount of ghostly activity at the Thomas House was overwhelming. And you’re right – in the “Dead and Breakfast Inn” title, there’s definitely a story lurking.
Spooky! Love it :)
Thanks, Theresa. I’m thinking about going back at one point, just have to work up the nerve. The ghosts there are greedy – they really feed off your energy. At least, that’s what happened to me. Took me about a week to get back to my old self. 😏
That face gave me the Heebie Jeebies! Wow…. you’re braver than I am. 😉 definitely great story material.
Did the same for me. I don’t know whether you noticed, but the aspect ratio of the face (and his entire image) was all wrong compared to the size of the door. The face was much larger than normal.
I agree – good story fodder here. I use so much of my personal encounters in my writing, I’m sure this will find its way into a paranormal mystery. 👻
Very creepy! Gave me goosebumps just reading.