EVP Session in Hotel Lobby

Tuesday, September 9, 2008, 3:55 a.m.

I was, once again, getting one of the many cups of coffee that I drink during the night and it suddenly came into my mind to do some EVPs.  I have learned, through the years, to trust my instincts and when something pops into my head without consciously thinking about it, it usually means someone is communicating with me.  So, I didn't hesitate to grab my digital recorder.

I spent approximately one and one-half hours (beginning at 2:30 a.m.) in the breakfast room and lobby speaking with a soldier spirit.  More on that below.

I finished my recording session and walked back into the inner office and stood listening to what the soldier spirit had been saying to me on the digital recorder when I heard a loud creaking sound.  I immediately looked toward the source of the sound and watched the seat cushion on the leather recliner move or "un-depress" like someone just got up from sitting on it.

This is the not the first time I have witnessed this.  Courtney, a co-worker and fellow night auditor, has also witnessed this several times.

MY EVP SESSION:

I was using my Sony digital recorder, which is set to record when a voice and/or sound is picked up by the recorder.  I first started recording in the breakfast room and then moved from the breakfast room into the lobby.  As soon as I turned on my digital recorder, I knew from the blinking light that someone was trying to communicate with me.  Just as I stepped into the lobby, I noticed a marked difference in the temperature.  When I checked the thermostat on the wall in the lobby, it read 75 degrees; however, the air around the front counter and in the lobby itself was ice cold.  I thought that I should be seeing my own breath, it was that cold.

I have communicated with the soldier spirits on the battlefield thousands of times via my digital recorder, so I wasn't surprised to see that one of our many soldier spirits in the hotel was speaking to me.  On my first playback, I realized it was not our Confederate soldier in the attic.  He has a very distinct, frantic, speech pattern and he calls me by name constantly.  This was someone completely new.

This new soldier spirit had a low, slow, deep voice.  Sometimes, the soldier spirits speak very clearly; other times, they need some practice.  We must remember that spirits have no physical body and they have to learn to speak in spirit.  This soldier spirit was definitely one who had a lot of practice and knew how to use his energy to speak in spirit.

I proceeded to ask several questions, waiting long minutes in between each question to give my soldier spirit plenty of time to gather his energy to respond.  (1)  What is your name?; (2) What state are you from?; and (3) What regiment did you fight with?  On playback, there were definite responses to my first two questions.

It was difficult to understand what he was saying because he spoke so slow and with such a low tone.  However, he must have become frustrated with my last question because he shouted out his response.  His response to my last question was:  "I'M FROM THE SOUTH!"  I immediately tried to confirm this with him, but he was silent.

I then noticed that the temperature in the lobby was no longer ice cold.  After several more attempts to record him speaking to me to no avail, I decided to try again on my next all-night shift.  It was clear he was finished speaking with me.

I have since listened to the recordings with Courtney, my co-worker and fellow night auditor.  We both heard the same responses to my three questions.  His answer to my first question (What's your name?) appears to be either Tom or John.

His answer to my second question (What state are you from?) appears to be Alabama.

There is no doubt about his response to my third question.

NOTE:  I found in my research that one Alabama regiment, under the Third Corps. Division command of Maj. General Henry Heath, passed over the property on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg exactly where the hotel sits today.  The 13th Alabama regiment, commanded by Col. Birkett D. Fry, directed by Brig. General James J. Archer, did, indeed, come through the area during their engagement with the Union Iron Brigade (2nd, 6th and 7th Wisconsin, 24th Michigan and 19th Indiana).

How cool is that?

I was in the process of checking out one of the guests at 7:10 a.m. and had to go into the inner office to retrieve some new keys, when I heard that loud creaking sound once again.  I looked at the leather recliner and, once again, watched as the seat cushion moved up.  I had not been sitting in that chair since 5:40 a.m.  No one else was in that office during this time.