GHOST NEWS

Investigators spot at least one ghost
WALB News

August 16, 2006

Americus - - It's official. Employees and guests aren't the only ones seeing ghosts at the Windsor Hotel in Americus. Over the weekend, the Big Bend Ghost Trackers investigated the hotel.

They came with gadgets and sophisticated devices.

"I showed them several different parts of the hotel. I took them to the basement where we have an unfinished area of the hotel so they could check. They checked mainly the temperature," says Christiane Grune.

Sudden changes in tempature, they said, are signs ghosts are in the midst.

"They put infarerd cameras and they saw some little orbs skipping in the cameras," Grune says.

After heavy investigation, they confirmed at least one ghost. No, not the little girl that runs down the 3rd floor laughing. They found the ghost of an old bellman who worked here about 40 years before he died.

"They said that they saw it. They saw his ghost, his silouhette on the 3rd floor and that's something new because we had never heard anyone say they saw Floyd Lowery," Grune says.

In fact, the hotel named its pub in Floyd's honor. James Dalton who comes here everyday for lunch remembers the guy.

"I knew Floyd well. He was a big tall black guy. He'll meet you and he'll repeat your name and he'll say Hello Mr. Dalton. I suspect he is still here," Dalton says.

Visitors at the Windsor don't seem to mind his spirt may still linger here.

"Not at all. We all have spirits and your spirit doesn't die when your body dies," one visitor told us.

"It's probably people that love the Windsor that have worked here before such as the housekeeper and Floyd and they just don't want to leave because they love this place," Grune says.

And they're still in control.

"I'm glad theyre friendly. No evil spirits here."

Windsor staff say since the Big Bend Ghost Trackers came, another group called the Paranormal Investigators of North Georgia have also requested to come investigate the hotel.
 

BOND CREW SHAKEN AND STIRRED BY GHOSTS!

August 17, 2006

The Bombay Times

Casino Royale unit feared that the 747 stunt jet was 'protected' by the spirit of a passenger - a woman - who died of a heart attack on board.

The shooting of the new James Bond flick Casino Royale ran into a bit of a problem recently, when jittery cast and crew of the flick refused to get on a jumbo jet - because they believed it was haunted, according to a UK tabloid.

Casino Royale unit feared that the 747 stunt jet was 'protected' by the spirit of a passenger - a woman - who died of a heart attack on board.

That's because there were claims that the lights and warning systems on the plane rapidly and randomly switch on and off - even when the jet has no power.

The crew also claimed to have seen the woman's ghost gliding up and down the aisles of the 30-year-old plane.

One unit member reportedly said, “We were asked to stay on it overnight for one scene, but several of the crew refused.

Some won't get on board at all because of the ghost. It's been a real problem.” The plane is a de-commissioned jumbo jet that cost £2million pounds.

The scene in the film requires 007 Daniel Craig to stop a villain from ramming into the plane with another plane. So what does the latest Bond Craig have to say? Is he equally petrified?
 

Ghosts Join Extras in Spooky TV Show   The dead are spooking actress Jennifer Love Hewitt and her Ghost Whisperer cast and crew by making blink-and-you'll-miss-them appearances in frames of film. Editors behind the scenes of the hit TV show, in which the actress speaks to ghosts, have started spotting sinister images when they check back through film. Producers think that perhaps the dead "extras" are trying to tell loved ones they've left behind they're OK, and so they've posted the split-second cameos on the show's official website. Love Hewitt says, "They (editors) find presences on film all the time. In one instance they froze the still and saw a person in the background who wasn't in the frame before or the frame after." The actress admits her show has helped grieving parents and spouses come to terms with their loss - and realize their dead loved ones are never too far away from them. She adds, "I was talking to a fan and she told me how her and her husband always sit down to have dinner together and watch the show and hold hands. It wasn't until the end of the conversation that I realised that the woman's husband was dead."

Haunted or not, historic St. Augustine lighthouse worth the trip

Sunday, June 11, 2006
LYNN EDGE
For The Birmingham News
Watching a recent episode of Sci-Fi Channel's "Ghost Hunters," I couldn't decide if I wanted them to find a ghost or wanted them not to find a ghost.
After all, they were climbing steps I had climbed, viewing museum exhibits I had viewed and lifting a bucket I at least had tried to lift.
If they did find a ghost, it meant I was lucky enough to have been in a place that really was haunted. If they didn't, it meant I was lucky enough to have escaped being in a place that really was haunted.

The St. Augustine Lighthouse is spooky enough in the daylight. I had to admire their courage in tackling the structure - and all those steps - at night. And I'm especially in tune with Steve, who doesn't like heights and hung back inside the lighthouse when he reached the top.
I might have had mixed feelings about the search for ghosts, but one thing I know: Fear of spirits or fear of heights aside, the lighthouse is worth the trip.
The structure has a long history, linked to the water and the city that surrounds it. After Pedro Menendez founded St. Augustine in 1565, he ordered a wooden tower built on the north end of Anastasia Island. It was manned by a single soldier to help identify incoming ships. The tower also served as a landmark for sailors attempting to locate the town from sea.
In 1683, the Spanish government replaced the wooden tower with a sturdier structure made of coquina stone.
About six months after Florida became a United States territory in 1821, the Territorial Council asked President James Monroe to build lighthouses at Pensacola and St. Augustine. The Spanish coquina guardhouse/ watchtower was converted into a true lighthouse. On April 5, 1824, Juan Andreu was named the first lightkeeper of the first lighthouse in the State of Florida.
By 1870, the coquina lighthouse was in danger of collapse. Construction on a new lighthouse began in 1871. This one, built of brick, was on a concrete foundation. It is this lighthouse that stands today.
With its black and white spiral and red top, the lighthouse is 165 feet tall and contains about 1.2 million bricks. There are 219 steps to the observation deck, including the granite steps leading up to the metal stairs. The observation deck is about the height of a 14-story building or the bridge of a destroyer.
The lens first was lit on Oct. 15, 1874. In 1936, the St. Augustine light became the last Florida lighthouse to get electricity.
The lens is the lighthouse's original first-order Fresnel lens dating to 1874. It stands 9½ feet tall and contains 370 hand-cut prisms set in brass frames. The beam can be seen up to 20 nautical miles (about 21½ land miles) out to sea.
And for those who believe in that sort of thing, "Ghost Hunters" found at least one ghost, a woman who calls out, "Help me." They also saw a ghostly form leaning over the stair railing looking at them.
How about that! I was lucky enough to have been in a place that really was haunted.
The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum is open to the public 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. The last tickets to climb the tower are sold 15 minutes prior to closing time. Children must be 44 inches tall to climb the tower and must climb under their own power. For children who don't qualify, free admission to the museum and the base of the tower is provided for the child and one accompanying adult. The child also receives a lighthouse coloring book and a pass to come back and climb when he is tall enough.
Admission to the museum and tower is $7.75 for adults, $6.75 for 60 and over and $5 for ages 6-11. Admission to the museum and grounds is $5 for adults; $4 for 60 and over and $3 for ages 6-11.
HOW TO GET THERE
To get to St. Augustine, take I-65 South to Montgomery. From Montgomery, take U.S. 231 South to I-10. Take I-10 East to Jacksonville. From Jacksonville, take I-95 South to St. Augustine. It is about 500 miles from Birmingham to St. Augustine.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
About St. Augustine, call 800-653-2489. About the St. Augustine Lighthouse, call 904-829-0745 or go to www.staugustinelighthouse.com.