Blog Archives

Riverview Hotel, New Smyrna Beach, Florida Investigation

4/9/2013

Wow! What an investigation at this beautiful historic hotel in New Smyrna Beach Florida. Historic Haunts Investigations was invited to investigated this 1885 haunted gem for Jamie Roush Pearce's 3rd book Historic Haunts Southern Inns.
When we finished our investigation, which was on the quiet side, I wanted to take a shower before going to bed. I locked the main door to my room, then went into the bathroom and shut the door and got in the shower. As I was washing my hair I heard the bathroom door open, first thought was I didn't pull the door all the way shut. But then, I heard footsteps and I was like oh crap I didn't lock the main room door. I looked out from behind the shower curtain and saw nothing but heard the footsteps and the light from above the sink was slightly blocked out as something passed by it. The footsteps stopped at the window, turned around came back toward the door and the bathroom door shut. Talk about spooking me a bit, especially standing there naked. Ha Ha
I never saw an apparition or shadow or anything like that but we definitely have enough for the book between the employees stories and my experience. Keep an eye out for the book, the stories will be amazing!!

Old St. Augustine Jail Investigation w/Guest Investigator Jamie Pearce

4/9/2013

Join 2Ghouls for a special investigation at the old St. Johns County Jail in St. Augustine Florida.
Along with the amazingly talented women of 2Ghouls joining this Saturday April 13th is author, paranormal investigator, and founder of Historic Haunts Investigations is Jamie Roush Pearce. The old jail was featured in Jamie's first book Historic Haunts Florida. Pick up your copy at the investigation or right here off the website and hear some of the ghostly tales before the investigation.
Get your tickets for the event at www.2ghouls.com
It will be a fabulous evening and we hope you can join us!

Is Ginger Dropping Dimes At 33 Star?

4/9/2013

Jacksonville Times- Union Shorelines
Ghostly Shores
By: Jamie Roush Pearce April 6th, 2013

You don’t have to be a rock star to enter 33 Star — a Jacksonville Beach store full of eclectic, funky clothing and more — but the decor sure makes you feel like one. The building that is home to 33 Star was built in the 1950s as OC Supermarket, and now features sparkly evening gowns, leather jackets and more.

Some people believe it may even have a ghost.

When Thressa Anderson bought the building in 2011, she turned it into an amazing Rock-N-Roll boutique and concert venue. While remodeling, the building went through some major renovations. Just like debris from the building, renovations can sometimes also stir up the paranormal world.

Funny thing is, the ghost who visits there on a frequent basis is not some long-gone rocker or ghostly groupie, but seems to actually come from next door at Ginger’s Place, a favorite Jacksonville Beach drinking establishment. While Ginger’s ghost has been spotted at both locations, her history and the bar that bears her name is a ghostly tale for another day. Still, one thing you must know about Ginger is that when she lived, she was all about sparkle and glitz. With all the rhinestones, bejeweled chandeliers, and even the glamorous stage found at 33 Star, it’s easy to see why Ginger might make frequent personal appearances.

For Anderson and her crew, the activity began when they were in the middle of the remodel. They started finding dimes throughout the store in the strangest places. They would completely clean and sweep an area and turn around to find a dime. Customers have even had a dime appear out of nowhere, right in front of them. The staff insists that with only a brief interruption, the sudden appearance of the dimes has continued with customers and workers even to this day.

“The place often has that you’re-not-alone feeling,” said Eddy Kalanoc, 33 Star’s operations manager, who’s also experienced the dimes appearing out of nowhere. “We kept finding these dimes so I decided to Google it and see what it meant.”

Kalanoc’s research coincided with many of my past experiences: dimes and small change are a way for many spirits to say hello. I have experienced this with pennies in the past.

Keith O’Rourke, 33 Star’s internet sales manager, elaborated further on the dime drops.

“I went into the convenience store to get a drink, pulled out my wallet, and there was a dime inside my wallet,” he said. “This is the kind of strange stuff that happens around here.”

It was a funny coincidence that, while O’Rourke was recently sharing his story with me, the light directly above his head (a brand new 7-year LED light bulb) got really bright, then went completely out. O’Rourke confirmed that, apparently, Ginger also messes with the lights.

In addition to the lights, the staff has reported the dressing room doors opening and slamming shut on their own. One customer got spooked when she was patted on the back while trying on clothes. Most of the paranormal experiences described by customers and staff seem to be centered on drawing attention. Sometimes this happens even when there’s no one there to receive attention from. One morning when the staff came in, there was a shelf lying on the floor and shirts were everywhere. The staff checked video captured from the store’s security cameras (outfitted with night vision) to see what happened. Anderson, O’Rourke and Kalonoc all shared the same story about what the video showed them.

“There was a ball of light floating around in front of the shelf sporadically with no definite direction,” Anderson said. “Then all of a sudden — wham! It slammed into the shelf, the shelf collapsed and shirts went everywhere.”

The activity at 33 Star recently drew the attention of Jacksonville paranormal investigator Steve Christian and his Local Haunts TV show. Local Haunts investigated here and actually captured a full body apparition walking through the wall as if it were leaving and heading next door to Ginger’s Place. Maybe it was Ginger stopping by for her daily visit, or maybe she was checking on some great vintage concert gear?

Like the staff at 33 Star, and the Local Haunts team, I too had an interesting experience while researching this story. After doing the interviews for this article I had to run a few errands. Like many of us I ran my errands with debit cards and credit cards, I had no cash on me at all. When I got home, I discovered several dimes in my pocket that weren’t there before. Coincidence? Only Ginger knows for sure.

Big Investigation This Weekend

4/2/2013

Historic Haunts Investigations will be investigating the Riverview Hotel in New Smyrna Florida this Sunday night. It will be featured in the third book by Jamie Roush Pearce of the Historic Haunts series, Historic Haunts Southern Inns. Hopefully the local haunts of the hotel will come out and introduce themselves to us while we are there. Looking forward to the investigation and seeing this historic gem.

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