GHOST TOUR MANAGER’S REPORT ON BASIN PARK INVESTIGATION.
2014
Ice and snow prevented Larry Flaxman’s invaluable participation and kept a few ESP (Eureka Springs Paranormal) fans at home, but we had a marvelous group of guests and the nocturnal investigations of the 1886 Crescent and 1905 Basin Park hotels were thoroughly enjoyable.
The Crescent obliged, as always, with indications of unseen presences, some great orb pictures and odd, inexplicable occurrences. In January the plan had been to empty the Basin Park completely and explore the entire building while it was vacant – but then the ice came down and that plan had to be abandoned. By mid-February we had guests booked in already, but we were able to close down two floors and turn off hall lights. We started around 9 pm in the curious “cave” at the back of the Basin Park Hotel on street level – a high, wide aperture in the bluff against which the building is built. There were 20 guests and four Crescent Hotel tour guides. After explaining that, as none of us knew much about the Basin Park, we were all starting without preconceptions, we headed for the sixth floor.
We split into two groups. One party explored the Grand Ballroom, famous for the barefoot ball, the other the Lucky Seven Bar and Billiard Room, site of much illicit activity during Prohibition. The orbs in the dark and cavernous Ballroom were brilliant and highly energized. In cameras we could see them performing aerial stunts, diving and swooping in the gloom – bright white, perfectly spherical and definitely not dust or insects.
Apart from spikes here and there on our EMF meters, the next major event took place in Room 519, which is known as one of the active spaces in the building. Several readers came up with the exactly the same finding – there seemed to be someone lying on the bed! We checked all around for sources of A/C current – there seemed to be no earthly reason for the off-the-chart readings down the center of the king bed in the center of the room.
On the third floor, room 313 showed a high rate of impulses, so we crowded in, closed the door, fell silent and then called to anyone who might be present. The impulses stopped, and try as we might, we could get no more response. Perhaps the entity did not like been in a tight space with so many strangers!
Throughout the rest of the investigation, slight phenomena occurred – someone felt cold on the back of their neck, apps produced words seemed uncannily apropos, spots where the meters responded seemed to move around, etc. No full body apparitions, nothing moved and no one poked or spoken to. We all wished we had more sophisticated equipment to follow up on what seemed to be strong indications. A little after midnight we called it a night.
So now we are looking forward to next January, when ESP weekend will be spread over two weekends – that way we should be able to keep the groups small enough to conduct serious explorations, our investigations will not be weather dependent and we will be bringing in more heavy-duty equipment.
So join us in 2015, to conduct a fully-equipped search, led by veteran paranormal investigators, of the 1886 Crescent and 1905 Basin park hotels in historic Eureka Springs!
FOOTNOTE – to all who were this us on this escapade: if you have pictures or experiences to share of your night at the Basin park – and we know some of you have some great stuff – do please send what you have to Barbara Kennedy at Crescentghosts@gmail.com – we would love to post and archive all the evidence we gather very beginning!
Thanks, and we hope to see you all on the first weekend of 2015 – when ESP attendance will be capped at a reasonable number for serious investigation, and repeated the on the second weekend!
See you in the shadows – Keith Scales
For more information on ghost hunts and ghost tours, visit americasmosthauntedhotel.com
