From: To: Subject: [IGHS] Newsletter, March 21, 2004 from Deming, New Mexico Date: Saturday, March 20, 2004 9:41 PM ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Remove Link To Unsubscribe from Newsletter: Click on Reply To or send email to ighs-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com for an automatic removal from this newsletter. Mission Statement: The Ghostweb is the official Web Site of the International Ghost Hunters Society. Membership in the IGHS is always FREE. The IGHS is dedicated and committed to the research, documentation, education, and investigation of ghostly phenomena recorded through EVP, digital, film and video photography. The IGHS is a society of ghost believers, ghost hunters, and ghost researchers with over 14,000 members in 87 countries worldwide. Travel Along with Dave & Sharon: Join us as we start our fourth year of RV traveling as we explore America's Most Haunted Sites. We had a dream and now we are living that dream of traveling across this great land in our little house on wheels with our Welsh Pembroke Corgi dog named BooBoo. We are currently investigating haunted sites in New Mexico. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ International Ghost Hunters Society Newsletter March 21, from Deming, New Mexico Dr. Dave’s Notes: We have a Mail Forwarding Address for our mail. We changed from the Pensacola, Florida address and now have a Deming, New Mexico address. We also have a new telephone number, 505-494-0026 that now matches our mailing address. Please update your records and if you have a home study course exam to send to us, please use the New Mexico address. The address is as follows: Dr. Dave Oester Dr. Sharon Gill 713 W. Spruce PMB 715 Deming, NM 88030 We have posted some remarkable supercharged orbs in motion that has been sent to us by several members and visitors. Check them out, as the photos are amazing. We are told about really spooky haunts across the United States. Unfortunately, many haunts are based on urban legends and not on actual hauntings. Many people love urban legends, such as the haunted railroad tracks in San Antonio that actually took place in Salt Lake City. My comments today will be based on urban legend found here in Deming, New Mexico. Case in point, we have heard from half a dozen people that the old sanitarium in Deming was one of the most haunted sites in all of New Mexico. Even our local banker in Deming assured us that she has heard the tales of spooky happenings at the old insane asylum. This urban legend has ghosts, nuns, satanic rituals, torture, and death. We visited the old sanitarium and met two local people in their late teens. They shared with us the spooky and eerie tales that they have heard about or experienced at this sanitarium. The tales include words that are painted onto the walls and the following week the names can no longer be found. It is said that anyone who writes their name unto the wall will die in seven days. The female teenager said that she has personally found that half the names written on the walls were dead and the other half were still alive. The basement of the sanitarium held shackles dropping from the ceiling for the violent patients as is evident by the hanging cables. A man was supposedly murdered in the sanitarium and his body tossed down a deep shaft inside the building. His ghost has been reportedly seen by various teens that come here to do what teens do in abandoned buildings. An old nun has been reported seen at the gate and has become known as the keeper of the gate. Visitors have heard strange voices and the cry of a baby. The image of the devil was painted on the wall and later his image vanished. An alter inside the sanitarium is used for Satanic rituals. Evidence of the salt and candle wax are still visible on the alter. The two teenagers we talked to swear that this is the most haunted place in all of Deming. Supposedly, there are tunnels running from the sanitarium to Deming, a distance of some four miles. One report says that a bank robber used the tunnels as an escape route. Standing in front of the sanitarium, the underground tunnels are clearly visible as holes in the cement clearly show the tunnels running eastward. We followed the direction given to us by our banker, hoping to find this most haunted site, at least according to the legends that were growing daily. We took Second Street and drove to the dead end where upon we turned onto Holy Cross Road. The lone cement building was the only old building in the immediate area. As we drove to the abandoned building, we spotted a red vehicle parked in the back of this building. I got out and walked over to them. I am sure they were thinking I was going to ask them what they were doing parked behind the building, but I surprised them by asking, “Is this the old sanitarium?” The teenage driver had started his engine and rolled his window half way up by the time I got to his car. He looked surprised by my questions and his girl friend had that bewildered look of wondering if we were going to kick them out or if we represented danger to them. I young man spoke at last, and said, “Yes, this is the sanitarium!” I responded that I had heard that it was haunted and that was like opening the flood gates, ghostly tales of the supernatural poured out of his mouth. His girl friend quickly added her two cents to the tales. They even pointed out the chimney of the crematorium where the bodies were cremated. He said he has not found the cemetery yet, as he has looked all over the area without success. We attempted to do some EVP recordings, but found that the voices of these excited teenagers echoed too loudly within the cement walls of the sanitarium. I photographed the entire abandoned building and then we drove to where the chimney of the crematorium still stood. We took some more photos and took some more EVP recordings. That evening I got on the Internet, did some research on the sanitarium, and found that it was called Holy Cross Hospital and that it was part of Camp Cody. The Holy Cross Hospital and Sanitarium was never an insane asylum, but a tuberculosis treatment center for ex-military service men. Just like so many military forts in New Mexico that closed down and their hospitals converted to tuberculosis sanitariums because of the favorable climate and clean air. The next day we went back and walked around the foundations of the old hospital near the abandoned building we have investigated the previous day. We recorded about fifteen tracks with our digital recorder. We drove down to the chimney and followed a dirt road until we found the old cemetery. We contacted the local museum and researched through their archives concerning the sanitarium and Camp Cody. The facts we discovered took the shine out of the urban legend and taught us a good lesson about relying upon urban legends. Supposedly, every urban legend has a basis in fact. Well, that may sound good, but it is not always the case. Some urban legends have no foundation in facts, but exist because of alcohol and an overactive imagination. We live to be scared silly, we watch horror flicks and people being chopped in half and think nothing about it. We expect the worst to happen. Remember Blair Witch, an entirely made up film based on rapid camera movements and overactive imaginations, yet people tend to believe what they see in films, even lousy movies. We discovered some facts that I would like to present that give an entirely different image of this most haunted site. First, the ‘sanitarium’ building is really the Boiler House that supplied steam for the new hospital. The new hospital was built in 1918 and served as a 800 bed hospital to Camp Cody. In 1923, the Sisters of St. Mary took over running the hospital when it converted to a sanitarium. The Boiler House was produced the steam to heat some 32 buildings associated with the hospital. The cement building that urban legend says was the sanitarium is really just a cement building containing the boilers. The claim that the cables held shackles to hold violent patients were really cables connect to the boilers. No evidence of anyone dying in the Boiler House or for that matter, no one died in the 1939 fire that destroyed the hospital complex. Too many paint ball games have been played in this old abandoned building and too many drinking parties have led to too many visions of devils and demonic happenings on moonlit nights. The Boiler House provided steam heating to all of the building in their hospital complex, thus the tunnels were steam tunnels to heat the 32 buildings. The urban legends that says a bank robber escaped through the tunnels to the sanitarium is not possible. While there may be tunnels in Deming, they are probably the result of steam heating tunnels that were employed in the early years when coal heating was used. The crematorium turned out to be the garbage burn site, and not the site where they disposed of dead bodies. So many urban legends are filled with rumors and hearsay that stems from an overactive imagination. A professional ghost hunter will take the time to research and discover what actually took place at a site, not relying upon the urban legend as their source of information. While this may remove some of the glamour from ghost hunting, at least the facts discovered from research will either prove or disprove the urban legend so many hold so dear to their hearts, especially the teenage drinking group. We discovered more in two days that dispelled the myths that the old abandoned cement buildings was the sanitarium and instead discovered Camp Cody on two thousand acres and the Holy Cross Hospital that was managed by the Sisters of St. Mary. The abandoned cemetery has the lone remains of a priest as the sisters have all been removed and interred elsewhere. Now the most important questions any ghost hunter should be asked. Did we discover if this old hospital complex is haunted? You bet we did. We have so far recorded about a dozen spirit voices from the area where the hospital wards were located and from the old cemetery. We got no ghost voices from the boiler building that was supposedly so haunted, but from the places that patients lived and died in the hospital. We found ghostly voices where we suspected we would find them, not in urban legend buildings, but in the common places one would expect to find spirits who have unfinished business or unresolved issues that might keep them earth bound. The IGHS teaches a scientific approach to ghost hunting, free of psychic wannabes proclaiming how haunted the “sanitarium” is and never knowing that their sanitarium was really the old Boiler House. Their psychic emotions got all tangled up with the excitement of the moment, jumping onto the bandwagon promising more thrills and horrors as they toss in their two cents. Historical research provides more insights into the facilities than listening to tales stemming from urban legend. We also discovered the history of Camp Cody and its contribution to World War I. It was amazing to search through old photos of Camp Cody and see the troopers mounted on their horses as Camp Cody was for horse soldiers as in the U.S. Calvary. We learned a little bit more about our history by taking the time to research and finding the truth behind an urban legend. IGHS San Antonio Ghost Conference on June 19th: Dave & Sharon are preparing their annual Ghost Conference that will be held in San Antonio, Texas on June 19 at the Menger Hotel. The Conference for the third Saturday in June will focus on the ghosts of the Alamo, the Menger Hotel, and San Antonio, ghost photography, EVP recordings, and EVP evaluations. No psychics or mediums will be speaking, as we are a scientific based organization focusing on using scientific tools for recording and documenting the existence of ghosts. There will be a special investigation on Friday night for Inner Circle members. All events are within walking distance of your haunted hotel and meeting place. Special room rates of $95 at the Menger, just ask for the International Ghost Hunters Special, as long as rooms are available. We will have limited seating due to the meeting room limitations, so do not delay registering with Dave & Sharon. Check out http://www.ghostweb.com/alamo1.html. New Jersey Ghost Hunters Society Ghost Conference 2004 This statewide conference will be held on Saturday, May 15, 2004 in Florham Park, NJ. It will be an all day event (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM) packed with multimedia presentations, author presentations, and great key learnings. All conference attendees are invited to ghost hunt at various haunted locations that evening. For more information or to register, please visit www.njghs.net or email the co-founder directly at laura@njghs.net. Digital Ghost Photography Handbook: Confused about orbs? What are dust orbs and how do they relate to real ghost orbs? Read our 20 page thermal bound book or download the PDF book and discover how digital photography is the wave of the future. We have been using digital since 1994 and we share with the reader, which are the best digital cameras on the market today. We also share what to look for when purchasing a digital camera and provide some protocols to avoid falling into the dust orb trap. Check it out at http://www.ghostweb.com/booklet2.html. How to Record and Analyze Ghost Voices: Traditional techniques for recording ghost voices are outdated and far less successful. Sharon and I have an accumulated 28 years of experience in ghost research and in evaluating ghost tools for field investigations. Along the way, we have discovered many hidden techniques that enable us to be tremendously successful in recording the voices of the dead. Our new book will disclose our time tested techniques in a step by step procedure that is easy to understand and to apply. Check out the book at http://www.ghostweb.com/booklet.html. We ship via Priority Mail through the Post Office, not the slow boat to China known as Media Mail that takes several weeks to arrive at an address. CD Version Home Study Courses: We offer two CD versions, one with the Home Study Course in PDF format that can be read by any hardware or software with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, version 4 or higher. This option is for those using the Mac Operating system or PC computer with an operating system that is not Windows based. We also offer the second version on the CD as the HTM version for PC computers using Wins95, Wins98, WindowsMe, and WindowsXP. The added features of this CD version, includes color photographs of spiritual orbs, spirit energy ectoplasm, a full body apparition and samples of ordinary airborne dust particles we call dust orbs that fool so many people. The separate Photo Analysis CD is now a part of the CD version. In addition, a printed copy can be made from CD, as in the printed version. We pay the shipping charges for Priority Mail in the USA, International Air Mail to Canada and for an extra ten dollars, we will ship it by Global Priority Mail to Europe and Asia. More information is available at http://www.ghostweb.com/mainhsc.html. Fulfill your dreams: Magic Dimensions We all have dreams that we wished that could be our reality, but we do not know how to make that wish come true for us. In our book, we teach about the magic of having your dreams fulfilled. We show the reader how to open a doorway for a new reality where your dream will come true. Many claim this process is a miracle, but Quantum Mechanics teaches us that our miracles are simply an application of this weird science. Out book can show you how to create that miracle! We share with the reader the magical techniques that create the miracle we seek after in life. Magic Dimensions may be one of the most important books that will change people’s lives. Visit our web site at http://www.ghostweb.com/magic1.html for more info on ordering the book. The ISBN number is 0-595-22032-0 and can be ordered from any bookstore or online at major dot.com bookstores. The online e-book can be downloaded immediately. IGHS T-shirts Available: We are pleased to announce that we have our new IGHS light blue 50/50 screen printed T-shirts available. The two sided printing has a large full size on the back and a smaller size image on the front, over the left pocket area. Limited sizes are available ranging from XL to 2XL. Check them out at http://www.ghostweb.com/tshirt1.html. Life Time IGHS Member Certificate: Instead of renewing every year, IGHS members can now purchase a Life Time Membership for $60 or a Life Time Membership and Life Time Clip ID Badge for $75. This is available through PayPal and through our online Secure Order Form. IGHS ID Badges for Investigations: We have received many requests for some kind of Identification Badge to wear while conducting field investigations. We have created a laminated ID Badge with a metal clip that snaps onto your shirt or other piece of clothing. It says that you are a Registered Ghost Hunter/Paranormal Investigator in good standing with the International Ghost Hunters Society and it has our signatures and web address. Order the ID Badge at http://www.ghostweb.com/id_badge.html. Password Memberships: We offer a special membership in our Ghostweb Ghost Galleries. Due to the size of these ghost galleries, we have to limit the number of people because of the bandwidth consumed by downloading the photos, spirit voices, and ghost videos in this area. If you want to view over 9,000 ghost photos, EVPs, and videos, check out our membership program at http://www.ghostweb.com/pass.html. IGHS Membership Certificates: The IGHS offers a beautiful Membership Certificate. The membership certificate is valid for one year Check it out at http://www.ghostweb.com/memcert.html for more information. Kind regards, Dave, Sharon & BooBoo International Ghost Hunters Society Copyrighted 2004 by Dr. Dave Oester All Rights Reserved. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our next book is spooky! American Hauntings Investigated, due out in June 2004 San Antonio Ghost Conference -- June 19, 2004 -- San Antonio, Texas http://www.ghostweb.com/alamo1.html Dave Oester, Ph.D., DD. Sharon Gill, Ph.D., International Ghost Hunters Society 713 W Spruce, PMB 715 Deming, NM 88030 Web URL: http://www.ghostweb.com Email: MagicDimensions@aol.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~