Monstrous
Ghosts, Poltergeists & Apparitions => Ghost hunters => Topic started by: Devious Viper on September 05, 2006, 02:38:24 AM
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by Matthias Gafni/Times-Herald, Vallejo
On April 1, 1912, Albert Hatt Jr. hung himself from a wooden beam in his family's warehouse. According to some, the building on the banks of the Napa River in the city's downtown district has never been the same. In fact, they say it's haunted.
Nearly a century later, the old feed store serves as the Napa River Inn, a charming hotel in the heart of wine country. Ironically, its haunted mystique has actually helped business, said Sara Brooks, the hotel's assistant general manager. "We get quite a few people specifically requesting to stay in a haunted room and then we get quite a few people specifically requesting to stay out of a haunted room," Brooks said.
The Napa River Inn is one of many so-called haunted landmarks throughout the region that you can reach on a tank of gas. Jonna Miller, a paranormal researcher and author of the historical fiction novel "Haunting for Time," has cataloged many local places that claim to be haunted. "You live in a very interesting area. I'd love to have more time to research your area," the Fresno author said in a recent phone interview.
She too had heard of the Napa River Inn and the sad tale of Hatt Jr. When he hung himself at the age of 46, Hatt Jr., a recent widower with five children, suffered from poor health and business troubles. The somber site of his death now houses Sweetie Pies Bakery.
Room 208, the room directly above the bakery, and its neighboring rooms, have seen numerous reports of paranormal activity, Brooks said. "A few people say they've seen people dressed in period garb and try and go talk to them and then they disappear," she said. Most of the comments are from guests who say something mysteriously moved items in their room, Brooks said.
Some guests have more intense experiences.
Recently, two women stayed in a room and complained that in every photo they took in the hotel, one woman's face would appear blurry. The women came to the front desk, showed Brooks 15 pictures on their digital camera and left. "They really flipped out," she laughed. "They checked out a day early."
Not everyone is cut out for ghost hunting, says Miller, but for those who want to travel to different haunts and experience it properly they must keep an open mind. And bring a camera. "I never go anywhere without my camera," Miller said.
Even Vallejo has its haunted areas, especially Mare Island, Miller said. She's recently been contacted by a Vallejo woman who lives in the new housing on Mare Island.
"She's seen some military ghosts," Miller said. "On the causeway bridge, people have seen different people walking across and then they've just disappeared into the mist."
source: The Reporter http://www.thereporter.com/
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I heard about that.. hung himself on April Fool's..the irony.. :evil: