As I mentioned in another thread, this past weekend I drove up to Pensacola for a paranormal investigation in the historic downtown district. Regardless of whether or not I would actually find anything, I was very interested in re-visiting the town where I spent quite a bit of time growing up - as much of a "hometown" as a Navy brat can really hope to have. I had a great time, and even after more than 20 years, I still knew my way around town pretty much - only had to break out the GPS a couple of times. I got the chance to visit both of my old high schools, check out a few of the historical forts, see the Naval Air Museum, take in the beach, and squeeze in a little ghost hunting. Coincidentally, we had just missed Jason & Grant from TAPS - they left Pensacola the day before we got there, they were doing some filming for Ghost Hunters at the Pensacola Lighthouse. As far as the paranormal investigation results, I didn't really get anything, although a few of our members did have a few minor experiences, and I still haven't gone through my investigation audio and photos yet.

Anyways, the pics...

The Dorr House - built in 1871, this was the subject of our investigation, it's been written up in several books about haunted places


Old Christ Church next door to the Dorr House; built in 1832



Escambia High School - home of Emmitt Smith, and my junior year


Naval Air Museum





Pensacola Lighthouse


McGuire's Irish Pub - recognized as one of the country's top steakhouses. Yes, those are real dollar bills you see - there are over $750,000 plastered on the walls and ceilings, and they have to count it all every single year for the IRS.




Fort Barrancas - located on the Naval Air Station; a lot smaller than I remember it as a kid.



Fort Pickens - located across the waterway from Ft. Barrancas. This one, by contrast, is quite sprawling, with lots of dark tunnels and passageways. This is where Geronimo was held. During the Civil War, the Union held Ft. Pickens while the Confederates held Ft. Barrancas.



The tunnel below is only about 4' tall, and less than 3' wide.

Looking across the water towards Ft. Barrancas - you can see just how close the Union & Confederates were


Pensacola Beach & Gulf Shores National Seashore - some of the whitest sand you'll ever find







As you can see, it was one heckuva trip, quite a bit of activity squeezed into two days!

Nice pics. Its too bad you didn't find much. That house just looks haunted to me. I've always wanted to investigate the paranormal, especially Robert the doll.

quote:

Originally posted by jumpman919:
Nice pics. Its too bad you didn't find much. That house just looks haunted to me. I've always wanted to investigate the paranormal, especially Robert the doll.

You mean this guy?


I took that pic several years ago, long before I got into paranormal investigating. If you look above the outstretched leg, you can make out a vague image of a skull. It's caused by the way the white cloth reflects on the glass case, combined with the floor tiles in the background, but still looks pretty cool. True story, within 15 minutes of taking that photo, I got the worst pain in my leg that I'd ever felt in my life - so bad that I could barely even walk for a few days. More than likely it was caused from walking up the Key West lighthouse, but it was still a creepy little coincidence - especially after reading all the postcards and letters on the wall next to his case from people who had taken his photo without asking his permission, and then suffering bad luck afterwards.

But yeah, Pensacola and Key West are definitely two of my favorite places. Too damned bad they're so far apart from each other!

Yeah that little guy has always fascinated me and creeped me out. I'm going to make an effort to go visit it next time I'm in Florida. That is a strange coincidence that your leg started hurting right after the picture and so many bad things happen after taking his picture.

Cool pics Brim! So is the paranormal investigating just a hobby? always thought that would be interesting stuff

Those are awesome pictures, Brim! I've always been kind of interested in paranormal investigation-stuff (and not only because I used to watch "Ghost Hunters" ). However, it's always been a bit too creepy for me to look into it too much. >_>

Nice pics! I've been fascinated by the paranormal. The only really haunted house we have where I live is Wolfe Manor in Clovis. I got to investigate that house with our local Paranormal group, and that house is freaking haunted.

I'm part of Florida Ghost Team, we're part of the TAPS network. Robb Demarest, from GHI, is our group's assistant director. Most of what we do is residential investigations, the vast majority of which we can usually find natural explanations for.

In a few weeks, I'll be going up to St. Augustine to check out an old Spanish jail. I'll also be at Screamfest in Orlando, Oct. 9th and 10th - Steve and Tango from Ghost Hunters will be there also.

Very nice pics Brimtown!

love the pics! I want to walk through that sand, it looks so soft

That looks amazing! The tunnel pics are my favorite.

quote:

Originally posted by Melonie:
That looks amazing! The tunnel pics are my favorite.

Well then, here are a few more for your enjoyment! If I would have had a flashlight and a few extra hours, I could easily have spent a few hours exploring this old fort.

Hey hey! Good ol' P-cola. I just moved away from that base back in March once I finished Primary and Intermediate Flight School. Many a stressful day and night spent there. Too bad you hadn't been there sooner when I was still around! Love the pictures, aren't the beaches beautiful? I too lived there before as a Navy brat, in fact I was born there when my father way in Flight School. What did your family do there when you were a youngin?