Zak Bagans

“Everyone had their “bucket List”..I have mine.

Recently, I’ve become obsessed with going to Washington, D.C. and investigating the places where history is made — particularly Congress and the White House. There are many rumors of ghosts in both places.

I’ve petitioned the White House and Congress to be allowed access. As an American Citizen and a professional in media with a large audience, I believe I am entitled to explore this phenomena, and to share my findings with you.

But I’ve heard nothing, after months of trying. So I’m turning to you, my loyal fans.

I’ve dealt with non-believers before … I know all of the usual answers. But you and I know the truth… and we know that the truth lives in these great historic places.

Sign the petition to get Ghost Adventures to the White House!”

Sign the Petition here! 

Zak Bagans shares with USA TODAY some of the nation’s most notorious haunts.

The Washoe Club Haunted Museum
Virginia City, Nev.

“Virginia City is one of my favorite haunted cities in the country,” Bagans says. Here you can visit the 1862 bar, the haunted museum and, perhaps, have your very own ghost encounter. “Heck, the ghosts at the Washoe Club call me and my fellow investigator, Nick Groff, by our full names. What can I say? The ghosts get personal.”

Bobby Mackey’s Music World
Wilder, Ky.

This haunted honky-tonk was once a slaughterhouse and, according to legend, the site of cult activity. Even creepier, “the well in the basement, known as Hell’s Gate, is claimed to be a portal to hell,” Bagans says. The warning sign posted in the entryway says it all: Management is not held liable for any attacks by its ghosts.

Moon River Brewing Co.
Savannah, Ga.

“This is by far the most haunted building in one of the most haunted towns in America,” Bagans says. “You may want to think twice before heading to the bathroom while drinking that tasty beer. An encounter with the ghost of a Civil War soldier may await you.”

The Stanley Hotel
Estes Park, Colo.

The hotel that inspired Stephen King’s novel The Shining is believed to be haunted. (In fact, The Stanley hosts regular ghost tours.) “This hotel has its dark history, but also has guests who seem to never want to check out,” Bagans says. ” The problem is the guests have long since passed on.”

Soldiers National Museum
Gettysburg, Pa.

Not only is this former orphanage near the site of one of the Civil War’s bloodiest battles, the building has its own tragic history, which makes it “the creepiest spot in Gettysburg,” Bagans says. As the story goes, a woman who worked here chained children in the basement. Apparently, this resulted in a lot of “unrested spirits.”

Eastern State Penitentiary
Philadelphia

There’s nothing like walking into a 19th-century, gothic-style castle where thousands of criminals, including gangster Al Capone and bank robber “Slick Willie” Sutton, were incarcerated to get a hint of the prison experience. “Prisoners’ agony, pain and insanity were entombed in the thick, windowless cells of this prison,” Bagans says. “That energy can be felt.”

USS Hornet Museum
Alameda, Calif.

“Just over the bridge from San Francisco, the “Grey Ghost” (a former aircraft carrier), sits eerily decommissioned,” Bagans says. “You can take your own self-guided tour through its haunted jungle gym-like maze of steel corridors. The sailors and servicemen seem to still be hanging out in their bunks and in the ship’s medical facility, where the residual energy from horrific battle scars seem to never heal.”

Bird Cage Theatre
Tombstone, Ariz.

“You don’t have to watch wild West movies to get a feel for what rowdy gunslingers used to be like,” Bagans says. “Simply come to this old gambling hall/ brothel.” The raucous gathering spot first opened in the late 1800s, and “the ghosts of Boot Hill Graveyard seem to still be hanging out at their favorite nightspot,” Bagans says. “If you want to catch a good scare, linger around for a while. I must say, from personal experience, there are definitely some touchy-feely spirits here.”

Amargosa Opera House and Hotel
Death Valley Junction, Calif.

“This peculiar hotel is located in the middle of nowhere and was once used as a Borax Mining community complex,” Bagans says. “It has a creepy carnival feeling with eerie murals of people drawn on every wall. The staff reportedly gets channeled through quite often by its resident spirits. Use caution if you want to check out its unrenovated section tagged ‘Spooky Hallow,’ where an apparent murder took place.”

Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
Weston, W.Va.

The asylum, one of the largest hand-cut stone masonry buildings in North America, boasts more than 150 years of haunted history. “Once inside, you can feel the presence of the mentally ill patients who lived and died there,” Bagans says. “If you want to experience a chilling encounter, go stand inside one of the isolation cells and listen very carefully for a ghostly, blood-curdling scream.”

USA TODAY

Robert Bess Explains the Paranormal

By Andrew Cothern

On Oct. 30, viewers tuned in to the 7-hour live broadcast of Travel Channel’s “Ghost Adventures Live” as the group explored the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, W.Va.

Richmonder Robert Bess and his ghost-catching machine, the Parabot, were a part of that investigation. During the broadcast, Bess’ electromagnetic field detector flew from his hand, and a swarm of controversy ensued. Allegations began flying from fans that Bess intentionally threw the meter, bringing his credibility as a paranormal investigator into question.

Knowing that there are two sides to every story, we sat down with Bess to get his take on the recent events.

“People don’t realize that the investigation on ‘Ghost Adventures’ was more about ratings and attention to the stars of the show,” Bess said. “They were honestly searching for ghosts; however, they seemed much more involved in acting their parts. I thought to myself that if there is real poltergeist activity occurring, we could be in serious trouble.”

“There was definitely paranormal activity there,” he continued. “We were expecting ghosts, but we weren’t prepared for a poltergeist of that magnitude.”

Bess says the Parabot was assaulted by a paranormal presence five times before the broadcast began.

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