May 17, 2024 • 52 mins
Welcome to an engrossing episode of 'My Haunted Life' podcast with Angela Hartshorn. This episode will take you through Angela's spine-tingling experiences at Hotel Park Central in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The hotel, once a railway hospital and later, a psychiatric facility for children and teens, bears an uncanny past despite its luxurious refurbishments. Tune in as Angela shares eerie tales and ghost sightings in this haunted hotspot.
Experience goosebumps as Angela, equipped with a razor-sharp sixth sense, recalls her unsettling feelings of being watched during her stay at the hotel. The suspense deepens as she reveals how her intuition linked her with past reports of guests encountering similar paranormal phenomena. This journey doesn't stop at mere experiences, she delves deeper into the building's histories, even tackling theories about the resident lady-ghost haunting the premises.
This podcast episode takes you on a chilling journey, encompassing the detailed findings of Los Muertos Spirit Seekers, a local paranormal group. Listen in on the unexplained whispers heard in the dead of the night, the chilling presence of a female apparition, and mysterious scratches. Despite the denial by the hotel management, the tales of inexplicable occurrences continue to thrive.
Angela's riveting narrative will grip your attention, blurring the line between the past and the present as she journeys into the world of unexplained phenomena powered by the flashlight technique, described as a gateway for communicating with the supernatural. Despite its transformation into a vibrant hotel, Hotel Park Central's eerie past still lingers, making it an attractive destination for those daring enough to expose themselves to the supernatural.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello, goblins and ghouls, and welcome to my haunted life podcast.
I'm your host, Angela Hartshorn, and today I'm telling you the history of a
very creepy haunted hospital turned boutique hotel.
But thanks to the ghosts, they can't seem to ditch the spooky reputation.
(00:24):
Music.
Good morning, my darklings. How is everyone doing today?
I hope you are awesome, because you are awesome.
(00:46):
You might be able to tell, but allergies are kicking my butt right now,
so I sound a little scrungier than usual.
I don't know, maybe it's sexy vocal fry, cry like Phoebe on Friends that time.
Maybe that's what we're going to go with that.
I just got back from Tulsa and spending a very long weekend with the wonderful
(01:09):
Shell and her family from The Boutique by Shell. I think that's how it is on Instagram.
And of course, the Tulsa Oddities and Curiosities Expo. We had so much freaking fun.
I was a little worried about it being Mother's Day, but y'all came out and it was wonderful.
(01:33):
I was amused how many of my fellow artist friends I had to remind it was Mother's
Day, so that was rather amusing, but otherwise it was all good.
Chelle and I then did a tour of haunted places in Tulsa.
(01:56):
Apparently everything is closed on Tulsa on Mondays.
So we didn't actually get to go in anywhere.
So we didn't get to do much investigating or anything, but we went around,
checked things out, that kind of thing.
We couldn't do too much because we had a three-year-old with us.
(02:17):
But definitely look for like upcoming Tulsa.
I'll probably do like a bunch of the stories pretty quick.
Although there's one really cool one I really want to delve into out there.
You can't go anywhere because the house has been demolished.
(02:37):
So we went to a lot.
Anyways I think my next show for anyone local is the flower moon market and
you can find that at the Colorado Springs moon market on Facebook and I think
that's still a name on Instagram as well,
(03:01):
and I think that's about it I don't have a whole lot of housekeeping keeping
other than allergies are killing me and you might be hearing some chirpy little
birds outside because I'm recording the podcast quite early today.
(03:21):
So they might be making appearance. I don't, I'm not sure. They're pretty loud.
But yeah, I don't, I don't think there's anything?
Yep, I don't think there's anything. We're going to go with that.
So on this week's episode, I'm telling you all about the Hotel Park Central
(03:44):
in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
It was a hospital for railway workers that turned into a psychiatric hospital
for children and teens and has since been renovated into a boutique hotel with a hospital theme.
(04:05):
Yeah, it's a little odd. But it's a really nice hotel.
I really enjoyed my stay there.
But I can't help but think, though, that it might confuse the hell out of the ghosts.
(04:26):
It definitely holds on to its history and we'll go into that.
So let's get into it, shall we?
Grab yourself a cup of tea, make sure the doors are locked and the hatchet is close by.
I have a story to tell you.
Music.
(04:56):
The Hotel Park Central is a bit of a contradiction.
It feels like a really weird location.
It's a very residential area surrounded by highways.
And then suddenly there's a very large, several-story beige building, really out of nowhere.
(05:19):
Honestly, with it being so close to the highway, it's not the best location for a hotel.
It's a perfect location for a hospital though.
We were in Albuquerque for the Oddities and Curiosities Expo last year,
and I always love to try to stay in haunted places.
(05:41):
Usually I do more research before going in,
but I wanted to go in to this one
with as little knowledge of the hospital
and the hauntings as possible
it's like I
didn't want any of my experiences to be
(06:03):
you know what's the word colored by already knowing an information bias basically
I usually don't do that but you know I I hate to say it,
a hospital haunting is kind of cliche,
but, you know, I wanted to see
(06:27):
as blank slate as possible if I experienced anything out of the normal.
It's pretty obvious the Hotel Park Central used to be a hospital.
There wasn't much renovation to the outside of the big beige concrete building, and huge, It's huge.
(06:48):
But they decorated the hotel and even the rooms with items left over from the
hospital, including lights,
hospital signs, and the rooftop bar even has mortician.
Gurney.
There's a gurney for a table in the VIP area.
(07:12):
I have been in hospital and morgue-themed restaurants, but since you are actually
in a hospital-turned-hotel with hospital-themed details, it creates a weird vibe.
Like, at times I wondered if it was respectful or not.
(07:32):
Probably because the energy in that place was, honestly, it was different.
I'm personally not a hospital person.
My family never went to the hospital unless it was an absolute emergency.
So it was always catastrophic for us to be in one.
(07:55):
Since the Hotel Park Central retained so much of its hospital identity,
I wondered if that was what was making me uneasy.
I felt uneasy almost the entire time we were there, especially in the hallways.
It was uncomfortable and you felt like you were being watched when you were in the hallways.
(08:19):
We were on the third floor, which is is supposed to be one of the most haunted.
I swore at one point I heard footsteps outside our room.
And, you know, I was thinking it was my husband bringing our bags up or something.
I opened the door for him and there was nothing there.
(08:43):
It was a little strange. range.
The other thing is I heard these steps very clearly, like on a tile floor.
Everything's carpeted. So I just went and sat in the room, just listening for
anything else until the hubs came back up.
(09:07):
I didn't hear anything. Like I didn't hear him come in because of the carpeting.
Like, it was so strange because in the room, the energy was fine.
No creepiness whatsoever.
The rooms are lovely.
(09:29):
Oh, my God, the shower. Oh, my God, the shower. Even with the old hospital pictures everywhere.
Like, it's really interesting how they incorporated the history.
History and locally the history isn't always the best.
So it's interesting that it's so incorporated into everything.
(09:51):
Now, as soon as I went into the hallway, however, immediate uneasiness.
It felt like I was unwanted or somewhere I wasn't supposed to be and that somebody
was watching me because of it.
You know when you like sneak around in places and you know you're not supposed
(10:14):
to be there and you're trying to be sneaky? It felt like that.
But I wasn't trying to be sneaky. It was strange, and it definitely kept my anxiety up.
I will say it was kind of fun, though. In the mornings, the dining room for
(10:36):
breakfast in the mornings, which was the hospital cafeteria,
played like 1940s music, like the Andrews Sisters and Bing Crosby.
So it, everything felt like it was kind of having an identity crisis.
And it seemed, it, it made it almost creepier, in a way.
(11:00):
Because like, what was this hospital doing in the 40s kind of thing.
But that being said, breakfast was amazing.
So a little bit of background information before we get into the hauntings.
The Hotel Park Central started construction in 1926.
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It was originally called the Santa Fe Hospital.
It opened on September 5th, 1926, and Albuquerque held week-long festivities to mark its opening.
And I know I've said it a couple times already, ready.
But it is a huge, big, beige building.
(11:46):
I think I'm used to the Santa Fe adobe color.
This isn't that. It is beige beige. So I feel like it definitely stands out.
It also has this gorgeous, like, Italian architecture in it.
(12:07):
So it's different. But it's really, it's honestly a really beautiful building.
The hospital was originally designated for employees of the Atchison,
Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway companies who worked on the railway that cut through the city.
In the 1980s, the building was converted to a private psychiatric hospital for
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children and young adults.
The building then fell into disrepair in the late 1990s and sat vacant for years.
Now, this time is when a lot of the stories start about the hauntings.
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A lot of them have to do with the psychiatric hospital, whether they were kids
seeing things or people seeing things after they were vacant,
the hospital was vacant, and they associated the sightings they were seeing
with the psychiatric hospital.
(13:18):
That being said, the reports do go back further than that.
Music.
The hauntings in this building date back to the time it served as a hospital.
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Patients would report seeing apparitions, hearing voices, seeing objects move,
and shuffling in the stairways.
And the feeling of a presence of other beings when nobody was there.
(14:02):
Patients also reported waking up
with scratches a very common
experience patients reported was having
their sheets violently pulled off of their hospital beds by an unseen force
this freaks me out our fifth grade teacher used to tell us scary stories it
(14:27):
was the 90s and And shit like that was okay.
Like, we would take a break from schoolwork.
All gather around, sitting on the floor, in the dark.
And he would tell us different stories about him growing up and stuff.
(14:47):
And different local legends and creepy shit sometimes.
There was this one. I won't tell the whole story. But it was about a guy terrorized
by an unknown shadow creature that would pull the blankets off the man as he would sleep.
And as he pulled the sheets down, the creature would be pulling the man's soul out of his body.
(15:13):
So anytime I hear of bed sheets being pulled off, I think of this story.
So, I'm convinced there's a malevolent spirit involved right there.
There is no good reason for a spirit to be pulling off blankets.
(15:34):
Just there's not.
One family told how they had been awoken to sudden commotion and bedsheets being
physically pulled off of them as they sleep, as they slept.
A whole freaking family.
Now, I don't know if they were in separate beds or if they were all in one bed,
(16:01):
but multiple people experiencing this is even more terrifying.
I always like to think like when I have my husband with me, things won't mess with me as much.
I know that's not true, but it's
one of the things I tell myself so I can sleep in some of these places.
(16:23):
I'm so glad I did not see that before I went.
Several of these incidents occurred during the time the building was known as Memorial Hospital.
And I believe that's when it was a psychiatric hospital.
Many patients have their own experiences, including the sightings of apparitions.
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Many have readily witnessed sightings of full-spectrum apparitions which manifest
as former patients, fully-uniformed doctors,
railway workers, and very young children, all appearing in very real distress,
(17:09):
desperately roaming shadowy hallways.
Which to me that makes sense it's
a hospital like we were talking about earlier you
don't go to hospital for fun that that
to me kind of sounds very residual i don't know what do you think some even
(17:32):
claim to interact with these entities and have been physically followed down corridors by them.
A lot of reports come from the third floor in the right wing.
This is where we stayed.
(17:55):
And again, I didn't know anything about the hauntings. Like,
I described my experiences with you guys.
I wrote them down in this document for the podcast before I started doing research.
And when I discovered this part, I...
(18:20):
I got a little like, oh my God, that makes sense.
So third floor, right wing. Several guests have seen a female apparition.
People report seeing her watching them in the hallways, the freaking hallways, you guys.
A woman's ghost is said to stand in one of the hallways, silently watching those going by.
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Patients would mistake her for an employee on a few occasions,
and when they turned away, she'd disappear suddenly, with no explanation for
her departure or where she went.
Now, guests of the hotel see her peering around corners, wondering if she's
(19:08):
just a very strange guest.
Now, I didn't see anything when we were there, but I definitely felt it.
Like I said, I felt like I was being watched and I was somewhere I shouldn't have been.
So that to me is very interesting.
One of the theories I came across was that she might be a nurse who once worked there.
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And maybe, you know, she's just keeping an eye on things, trying to figure out
why in the hell these other people who don't really seem like they need help are there.
But this has been reported a lot. And...
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It appears she is not a guest, and when she's seen, she just disappears pretty quickly.
Now, in my research, I think I have a theory about who this lady might be.
Across the street from the Hotel Park Central is the Albuquerque Press Club.
(20:17):
We sadly didn't get to visit there, but apparently it's very haunted.
The vast majority of reported phenomena are auditory in nature.
The sound of high-heeled shoes has been heard by several witnesses walking across
the floor of the bar and lobby area.
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Noises have also been associated with the pool table in the room downstairs. stairs.
Voices and balls moving about on the pool table on their own.
The piano in the lobby has been played three notes, apparently, by an unseen presence.
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I feel like one note is, you know, cool, but three?
That's pretty... That one's, I think, a little bit harder to explain away. way.
But what is important is that the apparition of a woman in a black shawl has
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been reported on several occasions in various locations throughout the building.
Bar staff have a ritual of leaving the ghost a shot of gin on the corner of the bar.
Also, cats at the club have been observed watching and hissing at an unseen presence.
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So I thought this was really interesting that just across the street,
there is a woman in a black shawl running around.
And I also thought it was really interesting, the sound of high-heeled shoes
being heard, because that's very similar to what I heard on the carpeted floors
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that should not be making that sound.
So I found a local news article about a local paranormal group out there.
And it reads, according to Zachary Kluckman, the lead investigator for Horns
Paranormal, greets the spirits at the Albuquerque Press Club every time he walks through the doors.
(22:34):
Kluckman says Mrs. M is the former owner of the cabin.
He explains she was a nurse at the old old sanitarium, now the Hotel Park Central.
Kluckman claims she often used the cabin as a place for her patients to stay.
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There have been several deaths associated with the place.
You know, tuberculosis patients who had moved on, said Kluckman.
So maybe Mrs. M is also keeping an eye on her patients at both the Hotel Park
Central and the Albuquerque Press Club.
(23:19):
That's my theory. Do I have any evidence for that yet?
No. I think it just means I have to go to the Albuquerque Press Club the next time I'm there.
Anytime people go into a hospital, it's a stressful event.
But checking into the Santa Fe or Memorial Hospital might have been the most traumatizing.
(23:42):
Some patients, after being discharged from the hospital, reported nightmares
and panic attacks from their ghostly experiences in the hospital.
Patients were not the only ones to experience things that they couldn't explain.
The staff of the hospital did as well.
(24:05):
They would would often report having the sensation of being watched as well
as hearing something whisper in their ear and seeing nothing around to explain it.
The movement of objects, including very heavy ones, flickering lights,
and a general sense of heaviness was felt throughout the buildings.
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There are even reports of the staff,
the staff, also having nightmares and panic attacks after leaving the hospital,
to the point that they resigned due to feeling traumatized.
Now, I feel like some people immediately would explain a lot of these experiences
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away with the stories coming from patients because, you know,
traumatic events are happening.
There's a good chance you might be on some kind of drug. Right.
You know, you're not in your right state of mind.
You're already anxious and things come up.
But for the staff to report almost the exact same thing that the patients are
(25:24):
reporting, you know, hopefully they're not on drugs.
Folks, they're the ones who are the ones the patients are counting on to protect
them and keep them safe and to help them.
So if they're feeling traumatized by something in the hospital and not,
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you know, the hospital work itself, that's very strange to me.
Other phenomena Reported includes unexplained running footsteps,
objects spontaneously moving across tables, disembodied voices,
doors suddenly opening unaided, and the truly disturbing sounds of phantom babies crying.
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Again, hospital, these are all things that could be residual that doesn't make it comfortable.
I didn't hear anything about like babies or stuff, but that's never, never a good thing.
Now, the fact that people have reported hearing whispers directly into their ears during the night.
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That, that, that's, no, that's too much.
So there are many stories related to paranormal activity at this location,
with several incidents occurring during the time that the building was being
occupied as Memorial Hospital, the psychiatric hospital.
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The following excerpts are apparently from an internet blog regarding the activity.
I found it on a website that had old PowerPoints uploaded to it.
I was very confused by it.
(27:24):
It's definitely certainly old PowerPoints, but it was almost like this paranormal
group was coming forward to be like, this is what we found.
And I believe these were collected by Los Muertos Spirit Seekers,
(27:46):
which is a local paranormal group.
So, I spent over a year in that place as a patient.
Memorial Hospital is in my nightmares. They would move the units around yearly.
Each time I was there, I was in a different section in the hospital.
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I spent four to five months on the second floor, which in my opinion was the
least haunted to say the least.
On the top floor, right wing is where children would see a woman apparition lurking the hallways.
That's also Also where I would wake up in the middle of the night having my
(28:32):
blankets jerked off of me.
Or to wake up with scratches on me with cracking and clicking sounds circulating through my room.
There were countless suicides in the building, not to mention the deteriorating
psyche of thousands of children.
(28:53):
For example, the second floor bathroom right next to the elevator,
a boy hung himself, which led to us having everything of ours taken away.
We used to be able to use Nair until a girl drank a bottle on the second floor.
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Another child also killed himself with a bed sheet in the quiet room on the
second floor. Now, I'm going to throw this out really quick.
I could not find anything to substantiate these stories.
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I looked through newspaper archives. I couldn't find anything.
So, I don't know. I am going to throw that out there.
Take it with a grain of salt, but at the same time, this is somebody's experience.
So, I don't know. I also don't think children's suicide deaths would be widely reported,
(30:01):
reported and I don't think that would be something like you could find publicly
too much. I could be wrong. I don't know.
I could not find anything though. So if anybody finds anything, let me know.
Another story from this account or from this PowerPoint.
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My name is Robert C.
I was a patient at Memorial as well. I am anxious to see what kind of complaints
you will get from people unfamiliar with the hospital.
I still have the nightmares I had in that godforsaken place.
I hope you will begin to believe.
(30:47):
I have always been a practical person, But after my discharge from the hospital,
I looked at life differently.
Sometimes you have to see it to believe it.
And to the gentleman that was in Memorial as well for a year,
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I know and will never forget.
I now go to church, but once in a while, they visit me.
I was in the hospital when I was 13 for jumping in front of a truck.
I know now that suicide is not the way, but the stories are true.
(31:33):
So, I don't know. Like I said, the PowerPoint seems to be a debrief of this
paranormal's group of their time at the hospital. I think debrief is probably a good explanation.
It's interesting because, again, first-hand accounts, always wonderful to have.
(31:53):
So it's really interesting. And there's actually more from the debrief other
than just these stories they had previously collected.
And I thought it was really interesting, so I included it here.
During an investigation in January 2011 by the Los Muertos Spirit Seekers,
(32:14):
three team members experienced unexplained voices slash whispering close to their location.
They also reported distinct coolness near their bodies and a sense of being watched.
After reviewing their evidence, some of these experiences were captured on digital voice recorders.
(32:40):
I looked for this group like crazy. I'm just going to throw this out there real quick.
I looked and everything seems to be defunct.
Like the website doesn't work anymore, anything. So I don't know where these EVPs are.
I even tried contacting the woman who's associated with it on Facebook.
(33:03):
Never heard back. Anyways, they also carried out the flashlight technique,
an attempt at communication with a spirit that involves the answering of questions
through the turning on of the flashlight,
which was a success and several responses captured on video.
(33:24):
The LMSS team had the opportunity to tour the property on two occasions and
spent an evening in November 2010.
During the overnight stay, no known activity and or evidence was documented.
(33:45):
I'm just going to throw this out there. I really appreciate a paranormal team
that's like, yeah, no, we didn't get anything this time.
I love that. That gives me hope. I feel like that gives a group cred, personally.
The LMSS team performed the investigation at the hotel on Tuesday,
(34:07):
January 4th, 2011, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., which,
love a morning investigation.
The team consisted, oh, I bet that's in between check-in and check-out times.
Check-out and check-in times, I guess, technically. That would make sense.
(34:30):
The team consisted of five members, two groups, researching,
documenting, and recording the second and third floors of the hotel,
as well as the residency buildings, formerly known as the Surgeon's Building of the facility.
(34:50):
The residence building is located approximately 100 yards behind the hotel and
is one of the original buildings to the site.
This structure required minimal refurb and contained several guest rooms with
(35:11):
a common area living room.
During the course of the investigation, several employees, housekeeping,
maintenance, were actively working in the hotel.
So yeah, I bet this was in between check-in and check-out. I was literally just
going to ask about housekeeping.
Their location and presence during each session was identified and documented. minute.
(35:36):
Equipment used during the investigation included Sony digital voice recorders,
Sony digital video recorders, Nikon digital cameras,
K2 meter, Gauss meter, temperature probe, laser grid scope, and mag light flashlights.
Each group in their respective locations obtained base EMF readings,
(36:00):
performed EVP sessions, observed slash photographed the area,
and applied the mag light flashlight technique.
The team members captured over 160 digital pictures, four hours of auto recordings
on three digital voice recorders, and three hours of digital video recordings.
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While performing the investigation, at least three of the team members experienced
some sort of unexplained activity.
So this is the second time they went in, not the first time.
Which, you know, that to me makes sense.
Those experiences included voices and or whispering near their location,
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a distinct coldness near or on their body,
and a sense of being watched after review of the digital photos,
was determined that no anomalies were indicated via digital photography.
After review of the digital voice recorders, there were several sounds and or whispers identified.
(37:16):
Again, still sad, couldn't find it.
So, however, LMSS was unable to quantify and qualify those episodes as paranormal in nature.
There were no unexplainable incidences in the resident building.
(37:41):
LMSS team members applied the flashlight technique,
a procedure that requires an entity or spirit to directly answer questions in
an affirmative manner by turning on a flashlight. light.
There were several occasions when a positive response was indicated,
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and those responses were documented via digital video recording.
These recordings were obtained on the second floor
near rooms 213 and 214, as well as on the third floor near rooms 314 and 315.
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I don't remember what room we stayed in. No other anomalies were observed or
recorded, i.e. EMF spike or temperature changes in either location.
Saw this flashlight interaction cited numerous times on a lot of websites talking about the hauntings.
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I will work with the mini mag light that uses a twisting motion on the front
element of the light to turn the device on and off.
And real quick, this isn't me. This is still from the website,
from the paranormal group.
I have seen these sessions on television done with a small stand-up flashlight
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that use a switch to turn them on and off.
However, I have never used these personally.
Now here's the quote-unquote twist and the source of much of the controversy. see.
Twist the top element of the flashlight so it is not quite on.
This is done best by slowly turning the element until the light goes on and
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then slowly turning it in the opposite direction until it goes off.
But by doing this, you now made the flashlight and all of its intricate inner
workings, an extremely sensitive instrument.
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Sensitive to vibrations, electrical buildups, minute changes in atmospheric
conditions, and perhaps the presence of a paranormal entity.
Place the adjusted flashlight on a flat surface such as a table,
preferably a solid steady one.
I use a small bipod made with
(40:26):
a twisted coat hanger that has
a large loop enough to slide over the slim bottom end of the flashlight and
small enough to come to a stop at the larger front end of the flashlight to
ensure even steadier position and more separation from From the surface,
(40:48):
paranormal investigators and others who refer to flashlight sessions as the
flashlight trick have outlined a myriad of reasons why flashlights are either
inaccurate or a complete sham.
Site in particular, the initial adjustment of the flashlight essentially causes it to malfunction.
(41:15):
The mini mag lights are actually pretty delicate instruments filled with floating
contact elements and other mechanisms that are constantly under tension from
the spring at the base of the flashlight.
As soon as the forward element is twisted, whether the light bulb is on or off,
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The critics point out that operating the flashlight while it is malfunctioning
may cause it to be activated by even the smallest stimulus.
And they cite elements such as moisture, vibrations, and electrical buildups
within the instrument that cause the light to go on and off without the presence
(42:03):
of any paranormal entity.
There are even videos of people talking to ridiculous elements,
such as their gym socks or the flashlight guide that show the flashlight going
on and off in an apparent response to the questions posed to these elements. limits.
(42:24):
Okay. So honestly, that's a lot of information.
I really appreciate the thoroughness of this group.
This makes me want to like present my findings now like this.
This has totally inspired me. I love it.
It's so thorough. And I love how they went into how,
(42:48):
you know, the quote-unquote flashlight trick
works and how they used it and why they why
they used it but why they don't take it too seriously i i honestly like that
a lot because i tried the flashlight technique a couple times not here i kind
(43:09):
of wish i would have now because i think that would be
interesting because like they talked about,
you just, you find so many references to people doing the flashlight technique
at the Hotel Park Central.
There's so much of it and it's so commonly cited. So I don't, I don't know.
(43:34):
I thought it was really an interesting, I love, I love the thoroughness of this group.
I know it might be a little bit long and winded, but I love the way they broke
things down and everything.
So I thought that was very interesting.
Music.
(44:03):
The Hotel Park Central is a boutique hotel that offers both historic elegance
and contemporary comfort.
Guest rooms, of which there are 74, including 15 luxury suites and three spacious
cottages, are each stylishly appointed. pointed.
(44:25):
In your room, you'll enjoy high ceilings, large windows, rich fabrics,
and custom-designed furniture that complements the inviting ambiance.
You'll be able to enjoy the outdoor dining plaza, spacious garden park,
and the rooftop lounge bar,
(44:46):
which provides the most stunning panoramic views of the mountains,
downtown city lights, and the southwest sunsets.
A contemporary continental breakfast buffet is included in your stay,
and you can choose to enjoy this
in either the parlor or the relaxing surroundings of the outdoor terrace.
(45:12):
I believe most of this comes from the website.
And doesn't that just sound lovely? When we were there, it was too cold to sit
out on the terrace, but it's honestly a very lovely place, and I would definitely go back.
(45:33):
There are, again, as we have talked about,
several rumors about ghosts roaming the halls,
but developers said nothing unusual has been reported in the remodeling remodeled
space i think that's very interesting,
(45:56):
And my initial reaction to that is, of course they wouldn't.
They're not going to say that there's unusual things. They want people to come.
And a lot of what?
They want to leave the dark history behind and just be this lovely boutique hotel.
(46:18):
I just don't know if they can.
That being said, I highly recommend staying at this place.
Now, I'm not sure if I had any real experience at the Hotel Park Central,
even with all the history.
Sure, it was creepy, but part of that could have been because of my feelings
(46:42):
about hospitals, of course.
Hearing footsteps Footsteps in the hall honestly didn't make sense with how
thick the carpet is outside, so there is a chance there was a noise that just
sounded like footsteps,
or maybe, you know, it was residual since I doubt the hospital had carpeted floors.
(47:06):
Floors, the feelings of being watched and unwanted could have been weird EMFs in an old building.
Honestly, that's kind of what it felt like.
There was a weird air conditioner right outside of our room that was very loud
and the noise it made was very off-putting.
(47:29):
And that probably didn't help with anything.
So honestly, I'm 50-50 on this one.
I would love to go back, maybe bring some more tools, see how it goes.
Anybody want to go to Albuquerque with me?
(47:50):
Music.
You to everyone out there listening today. My Haunted Life podcast is written,
researched, produced, edited, and hosted by me, Angela Hartjorn.
(48:12):
For all of my sources, go to the Patreon, because really that's the place where I post them all.
Let's be honest. Make sure you subscribe on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode.
Also, if you're interested in more pictures, videos, info, all that good stuff.
(48:34):
Everything's on the Patreon page. Let's be honest.
Everything's there. You can also choose to support the show for as little as $2 a month.
I want to give a big old shout out to my longest freaking Patreon supporter, the wonderful Colleen.
(48:55):
You amazing, great, I love you.
You're the best. Call me has actually been on the show, come to think of it,
way back when at the very beginning.
But thank you so much for all your support. I want to definitely do what my
friend Tanya does on the Witch Daily show and call out my wonderful supporters more.
(49:20):
And I did not realize how many of you there were all of a sudden.
So that's pretty freaking cool. thank you so much. I'm going to start going through those more.
That being said, you can follow the show for free.
So definitely check that out because all of a sudden there's a lot of you following
(49:44):
for free and that's pretty freaking cool. I love that.
If you have any information about today's episode,
like ghost stories you might have had in the old hospital,
or maybe you work with the paranormal group and can get me the EMF recordings,
(50:11):
that would be really cool.
Or, you know, you just want to share your own ghost story.
Email me at myhauntedlifepodcast at gmail.com or write me on Facebook, Instagram,
TikTok and honestly, I'm really liking the YouTube I'm trying really hard I'm
going to try to get some visuals up for us,
(50:34):
and you know, while you're there please like and follow and comment it honestly
makes my day and let's not forget the podcast group,
on Facebook book so yeah
that sort of thing uh music
is by ghost stories incorporated and that's it for this week my loves i will
(51:01):
see you in two weeks and it will be a surprise to all of us what,
What the podcast will be. I'm hoping.
I'm hoping to get an interview in. But we'll see what happens. We'll see what happens.
(51:21):
Otherwise. We're just going to continue as normal. So I will see you guys.
Two weeks from now. And until then. Stay spooky.
Music.
Hello, goblins and ghouls, and welcome to my haunted life podcast.
I'm your host, Angela Hartshorn, and today I'm telling you the history of a
very creepy haunted hospital turned boutique hotel.
But thanks to the ghosts, they can't seem to ditch the spooky reputation.
(00:24):
Music.
Good morning, my darklings. How is everyone doing today?
I hope you are awesome, because you are awesome.
(00:46):
You might be able to tell, but allergies are kicking my butt right now,
so I sound a little scrungier than usual.
I don't know, maybe it's sexy vocal fry, cry like Phoebe on Friends that time.
Maybe that's what we're going to go with that.
I just got back from Tulsa and spending a very long weekend with the wonderful
(01:09):
Shell and her family from The Boutique by Shell. I think that's how it is on Instagram.
And of course, the Tulsa Oddities and Curiosities Expo. We had so much freaking fun.
I was a little worried about it being Mother's Day, but y'all came out and it was wonderful.
(01:33):
I was amused how many of my fellow artist friends I had to remind it was Mother's
Day, so that was rather amusing, but otherwise it was all good.
Chelle and I then did a tour of haunted places in Tulsa.
(01:56):
Apparently everything is closed on Tulsa on Mondays.
So we didn't actually get to go in anywhere.
So we didn't get to do much investigating or anything, but we went around,
checked things out, that kind of thing.
We couldn't do too much because we had a three-year-old with us.
(02:17):
But definitely look for like upcoming Tulsa.
I'll probably do like a bunch of the stories pretty quick.
Although there's one really cool one I really want to delve into out there.
You can't go anywhere because the house has been demolished.
(02:37):
So we went to a lot.
Anyways I think my next show for anyone local is the flower moon market and
you can find that at the Colorado Springs moon market on Facebook and I think
that's still a name on Instagram as well,
(03:01):
and I think that's about it I don't have a whole lot of housekeeping keeping
other than allergies are killing me and you might be hearing some chirpy little
birds outside because I'm recording the podcast quite early today.
(03:21):
So they might be making appearance. I don't, I'm not sure. They're pretty loud.
But yeah, I don't, I don't think there's anything?
Yep, I don't think there's anything. We're going to go with that.
So on this week's episode, I'm telling you all about the Hotel Park Central
(03:44):
in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
It was a hospital for railway workers that turned into a psychiatric hospital
for children and teens and has since been renovated into a boutique hotel with a hospital theme.
(04:05):
Yeah, it's a little odd. But it's a really nice hotel.
I really enjoyed my stay there.
But I can't help but think, though, that it might confuse the hell out of the ghosts.
(04:26):
It definitely holds on to its history and we'll go into that.
So let's get into it, shall we?
Grab yourself a cup of tea, make sure the doors are locked and the hatchet is close by.
I have a story to tell you.
Music.
(04:56):
The Hotel Park Central is a bit of a contradiction.
It feels like a really weird location.
It's a very residential area surrounded by highways.
And then suddenly there's a very large, several-story beige building, really out of nowhere.
(05:19):
Honestly, with it being so close to the highway, it's not the best location for a hotel.
It's a perfect location for a hospital though.
We were in Albuquerque for the Oddities and Curiosities Expo last year,
and I always love to try to stay in haunted places.
(05:41):
Usually I do more research before going in,
but I wanted to go in to this one
with as little knowledge of the hospital
and the hauntings as possible
it's like I
didn't want any of my experiences to be
(06:03):
you know what's the word colored by already knowing an information bias basically
I usually don't do that but you know I I hate to say it,
a hospital haunting is kind of cliche,
but, you know, I wanted to see
(06:27):
as blank slate as possible if I experienced anything out of the normal.
It's pretty obvious the Hotel Park Central used to be a hospital.
There wasn't much renovation to the outside of the big beige concrete building, and huge, It's huge.
(06:48):
But they decorated the hotel and even the rooms with items left over from the
hospital, including lights,
hospital signs, and the rooftop bar even has mortician.
Gurney.
There's a gurney for a table in the VIP area.
(07:12):
I have been in hospital and morgue-themed restaurants, but since you are actually
in a hospital-turned-hotel with hospital-themed details, it creates a weird vibe.
Like, at times I wondered if it was respectful or not.
(07:32):
Probably because the energy in that place was, honestly, it was different.
I'm personally not a hospital person.
My family never went to the hospital unless it was an absolute emergency.
So it was always catastrophic for us to be in one.
(07:55):
Since the Hotel Park Central retained so much of its hospital identity,
I wondered if that was what was making me uneasy.
I felt uneasy almost the entire time we were there, especially in the hallways.
It was uncomfortable and you felt like you were being watched when you were in the hallways.
(08:19):
We were on the third floor, which is is supposed to be one of the most haunted.
I swore at one point I heard footsteps outside our room.
And, you know, I was thinking it was my husband bringing our bags up or something.
I opened the door for him and there was nothing there.
(08:43):
It was a little strange. range.
The other thing is I heard these steps very clearly, like on a tile floor.
Everything's carpeted. So I just went and sat in the room, just listening for
anything else until the hubs came back up.
(09:07):
I didn't hear anything. Like I didn't hear him come in because of the carpeting.
Like, it was so strange because in the room, the energy was fine.
No creepiness whatsoever.
The rooms are lovely.
(09:29):
Oh, my God, the shower. Oh, my God, the shower. Even with the old hospital pictures everywhere.
Like, it's really interesting how they incorporated the history.
History and locally the history isn't always the best.
So it's interesting that it's so incorporated into everything.
(09:51):
Now, as soon as I went into the hallway, however, immediate uneasiness.
It felt like I was unwanted or somewhere I wasn't supposed to be and that somebody
was watching me because of it.
You know when you like sneak around in places and you know you're not supposed
(10:14):
to be there and you're trying to be sneaky? It felt like that.
But I wasn't trying to be sneaky. It was strange, and it definitely kept my anxiety up.
I will say it was kind of fun, though. In the mornings, the dining room for
(10:36):
breakfast in the mornings, which was the hospital cafeteria,
played like 1940s music, like the Andrews Sisters and Bing Crosby.
So it, everything felt like it was kind of having an identity crisis.
And it seemed, it, it made it almost creepier, in a way.
(11:00):
Because like, what was this hospital doing in the 40s kind of thing.
But that being said, breakfast was amazing.
So a little bit of background information before we get into the hauntings.
The Hotel Park Central started construction in 1926.
(11:22):
It was originally called the Santa Fe Hospital.
It opened on September 5th, 1926, and Albuquerque held week-long festivities to mark its opening.
And I know I've said it a couple times already, ready.
But it is a huge, big, beige building.
(11:46):
I think I'm used to the Santa Fe adobe color.
This isn't that. It is beige beige. So I feel like it definitely stands out.
It also has this gorgeous, like, Italian architecture in it.
(12:07):
So it's different. But it's really, it's honestly a really beautiful building.
The hospital was originally designated for employees of the Atchison,
Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway companies who worked on the railway that cut through the city.
In the 1980s, the building was converted to a private psychiatric hospital for
(12:35):
children and young adults.
The building then fell into disrepair in the late 1990s and sat vacant for years.
Now, this time is when a lot of the stories start about the hauntings.
(12:57):
A lot of them have to do with the psychiatric hospital, whether they were kids
seeing things or people seeing things after they were vacant,
the hospital was vacant, and they associated the sightings they were seeing
with the psychiatric hospital.
(13:18):
That being said, the reports do go back further than that.
Music.
The hauntings in this building date back to the time it served as a hospital.
(13:41):
Patients would report seeing apparitions, hearing voices, seeing objects move,
and shuffling in the stairways.
And the feeling of a presence of other beings when nobody was there.
(14:02):
Patients also reported waking up
with scratches a very common
experience patients reported was having
their sheets violently pulled off of their hospital beds by an unseen force
this freaks me out our fifth grade teacher used to tell us scary stories it
(14:27):
was the 90s and And shit like that was okay.
Like, we would take a break from schoolwork.
All gather around, sitting on the floor, in the dark.
And he would tell us different stories about him growing up and stuff.
(14:47):
And different local legends and creepy shit sometimes.
There was this one. I won't tell the whole story. But it was about a guy terrorized
by an unknown shadow creature that would pull the blankets off the man as he would sleep.
And as he pulled the sheets down, the creature would be pulling the man's soul out of his body.
(15:13):
So anytime I hear of bed sheets being pulled off, I think of this story.
So, I'm convinced there's a malevolent spirit involved right there.
There is no good reason for a spirit to be pulling off blankets.
(15:34):
Just there's not.
One family told how they had been awoken to sudden commotion and bedsheets being
physically pulled off of them as they sleep, as they slept.
A whole freaking family.
Now, I don't know if they were in separate beds or if they were all in one bed,
(16:01):
but multiple people experiencing this is even more terrifying.
I always like to think like when I have my husband with me, things won't mess with me as much.
I know that's not true, but it's
one of the things I tell myself so I can sleep in some of these places.
(16:23):
I'm so glad I did not see that before I went.
Several of these incidents occurred during the time the building was known as Memorial Hospital.
And I believe that's when it was a psychiatric hospital.
Many patients have their own experiences, including the sightings of apparitions.
(16:48):
Many have readily witnessed sightings of full-spectrum apparitions which manifest
as former patients, fully-uniformed doctors,
railway workers, and very young children, all appearing in very real distress,
(17:09):
desperately roaming shadowy hallways.
Which to me that makes sense it's
a hospital like we were talking about earlier you
don't go to hospital for fun that that
to me kind of sounds very residual i don't know what do you think some even
(17:32):
claim to interact with these entities and have been physically followed down corridors by them.
A lot of reports come from the third floor in the right wing.
This is where we stayed.
(17:55):
And again, I didn't know anything about the hauntings. Like,
I described my experiences with you guys.
I wrote them down in this document for the podcast before I started doing research.
And when I discovered this part, I...
(18:20):
I got a little like, oh my God, that makes sense.
So third floor, right wing. Several guests have seen a female apparition.
People report seeing her watching them in the hallways, the freaking hallways, you guys.
A woman's ghost is said to stand in one of the hallways, silently watching those going by.
(18:46):
Patients would mistake her for an employee on a few occasions,
and when they turned away, she'd disappear suddenly, with no explanation for
her departure or where she went.
Now, guests of the hotel see her peering around corners, wondering if she's
(19:08):
just a very strange guest.
Now, I didn't see anything when we were there, but I definitely felt it.
Like I said, I felt like I was being watched and I was somewhere I shouldn't have been.
So that to me is very interesting.
One of the theories I came across was that she might be a nurse who once worked there.
(19:36):
And maybe, you know, she's just keeping an eye on things, trying to figure out
why in the hell these other people who don't really seem like they need help are there.
But this has been reported a lot. And...
(19:56):
It appears she is not a guest, and when she's seen, she just disappears pretty quickly.
Now, in my research, I think I have a theory about who this lady might be.
Across the street from the Hotel Park Central is the Albuquerque Press Club.
(20:17):
We sadly didn't get to visit there, but apparently it's very haunted.
The vast majority of reported phenomena are auditory in nature.
The sound of high-heeled shoes has been heard by several witnesses walking across
the floor of the bar and lobby area.
(20:40):
Noises have also been associated with the pool table in the room downstairs. stairs.
Voices and balls moving about on the pool table on their own.
The piano in the lobby has been played three notes, apparently, by an unseen presence.
(21:02):
I feel like one note is, you know, cool, but three?
That's pretty... That one's, I think, a little bit harder to explain away. way.
But what is important is that the apparition of a woman in a black shawl has
(21:22):
been reported on several occasions in various locations throughout the building.
Bar staff have a ritual of leaving the ghost a shot of gin on the corner of the bar.
Also, cats at the club have been observed watching and hissing at an unseen presence.
(21:45):
So I thought this was really interesting that just across the street,
there is a woman in a black shawl running around.
And I also thought it was really interesting, the sound of high-heeled shoes
being heard, because that's very similar to what I heard on the carpeted floors
(22:08):
that should not be making that sound.
So I found a local news article about a local paranormal group out there.
And it reads, according to Zachary Kluckman, the lead investigator for Horns
Paranormal, greets the spirits at the Albuquerque Press Club every time he walks through the doors.
(22:34):
Kluckman says Mrs. M is the former owner of the cabin.
He explains she was a nurse at the old old sanitarium, now the Hotel Park Central.
Kluckman claims she often used the cabin as a place for her patients to stay.
(22:58):
There have been several deaths associated with the place.
You know, tuberculosis patients who had moved on, said Kluckman.
So maybe Mrs. M is also keeping an eye on her patients at both the Hotel Park
Central and the Albuquerque Press Club.
(23:19):
That's my theory. Do I have any evidence for that yet?
No. I think it just means I have to go to the Albuquerque Press Club the next time I'm there.
Anytime people go into a hospital, it's a stressful event.
But checking into the Santa Fe or Memorial Hospital might have been the most traumatizing.
(23:42):
Some patients, after being discharged from the hospital, reported nightmares
and panic attacks from their ghostly experiences in the hospital.
Patients were not the only ones to experience things that they couldn't explain.
The staff of the hospital did as well.
(24:05):
They would would often report having the sensation of being watched as well
as hearing something whisper in their ear and seeing nothing around to explain it.
The movement of objects, including very heavy ones, flickering lights,
and a general sense of heaviness was felt throughout the buildings.
(24:29):
There are even reports of the staff,
the staff, also having nightmares and panic attacks after leaving the hospital,
to the point that they resigned due to feeling traumatized.
Now, I feel like some people immediately would explain a lot of these experiences
(24:56):
away with the stories coming from patients because, you know,
traumatic events are happening.
There's a good chance you might be on some kind of drug. Right.
You know, you're not in your right state of mind.
You're already anxious and things come up.
But for the staff to report almost the exact same thing that the patients are
(25:24):
reporting, you know, hopefully they're not on drugs.
Folks, they're the ones who are the ones the patients are counting on to protect
them and keep them safe and to help them.
So if they're feeling traumatized by something in the hospital and not,
(25:45):
you know, the hospital work itself, that's very strange to me.
Other phenomena Reported includes unexplained running footsteps,
objects spontaneously moving across tables, disembodied voices,
doors suddenly opening unaided, and the truly disturbing sounds of phantom babies crying.
(26:15):
Again, hospital, these are all things that could be residual that doesn't make it comfortable.
I didn't hear anything about like babies or stuff, but that's never, never a good thing.
Now, the fact that people have reported hearing whispers directly into their ears during the night.
(26:41):
That, that, that's, no, that's too much.
So there are many stories related to paranormal activity at this location,
with several incidents occurring during the time that the building was being
occupied as Memorial Hospital, the psychiatric hospital.
(27:02):
The following excerpts are apparently from an internet blog regarding the activity.
I found it on a website that had old PowerPoints uploaded to it.
I was very confused by it.
(27:24):
It's definitely certainly old PowerPoints, but it was almost like this paranormal
group was coming forward to be like, this is what we found.
And I believe these were collected by Los Muertos Spirit Seekers,
(27:46):
which is a local paranormal group.
So, I spent over a year in that place as a patient.
Memorial Hospital is in my nightmares. They would move the units around yearly.
Each time I was there, I was in a different section in the hospital.
(28:09):
I spent four to five months on the second floor, which in my opinion was the
least haunted to say the least.
On the top floor, right wing is where children would see a woman apparition lurking the hallways.
That's also Also where I would wake up in the middle of the night having my
(28:32):
blankets jerked off of me.
Or to wake up with scratches on me with cracking and clicking sounds circulating through my room.
There were countless suicides in the building, not to mention the deteriorating
psyche of thousands of children.
(28:53):
For example, the second floor bathroom right next to the elevator,
a boy hung himself, which led to us having everything of ours taken away.
We used to be able to use Nair until a girl drank a bottle on the second floor.
(29:13):
Another child also killed himself with a bed sheet in the quiet room on the
second floor. Now, I'm going to throw this out really quick.
I could not find anything to substantiate these stories.
(29:34):
I looked through newspaper archives. I couldn't find anything.
So, I don't know. I am going to throw that out there.
Take it with a grain of salt, but at the same time, this is somebody's experience.
So, I don't know. I also don't think children's suicide deaths would be widely reported,
(30:01):
reported and I don't think that would be something like you could find publicly
too much. I could be wrong. I don't know.
I could not find anything though. So if anybody finds anything, let me know.
Another story from this account or from this PowerPoint.
(30:25):
My name is Robert C.
I was a patient at Memorial as well. I am anxious to see what kind of complaints
you will get from people unfamiliar with the hospital.
I still have the nightmares I had in that godforsaken place.
I hope you will begin to believe.
(30:47):
I have always been a practical person, But after my discharge from the hospital,
I looked at life differently.
Sometimes you have to see it to believe it.
And to the gentleman that was in Memorial as well for a year,
(31:09):
I know and will never forget.
I now go to church, but once in a while, they visit me.
I was in the hospital when I was 13 for jumping in front of a truck.
I know now that suicide is not the way, but the stories are true.
(31:33):
So, I don't know. Like I said, the PowerPoint seems to be a debrief of this
paranormal's group of their time at the hospital. I think debrief is probably a good explanation.
It's interesting because, again, first-hand accounts, always wonderful to have.
(31:53):
So it's really interesting. And there's actually more from the debrief other
than just these stories they had previously collected.
And I thought it was really interesting, so I included it here.
During an investigation in January 2011 by the Los Muertos Spirit Seekers,
(32:14):
three team members experienced unexplained voices slash whispering close to their location.
They also reported distinct coolness near their bodies and a sense of being watched.
After reviewing their evidence, some of these experiences were captured on digital voice recorders.
(32:40):
I looked for this group like crazy. I'm just going to throw this out there real quick.
I looked and everything seems to be defunct.
Like the website doesn't work anymore, anything. So I don't know where these EVPs are.
I even tried contacting the woman who's associated with it on Facebook.
(33:03):
Never heard back. Anyways, they also carried out the flashlight technique,
an attempt at communication with a spirit that involves the answering of questions
through the turning on of the flashlight,
which was a success and several responses captured on video.
(33:24):
The LMSS team had the opportunity to tour the property on two occasions and
spent an evening in November 2010.
During the overnight stay, no known activity and or evidence was documented.
(33:45):
I'm just going to throw this out there. I really appreciate a paranormal team
that's like, yeah, no, we didn't get anything this time.
I love that. That gives me hope. I feel like that gives a group cred, personally.
The LMSS team performed the investigation at the hotel on Tuesday,
(34:07):
January 4th, 2011, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., which,
love a morning investigation.
The team consisted, oh, I bet that's in between check-in and check-out times.
Check-out and check-in times, I guess, technically. That would make sense.
(34:30):
The team consisted of five members, two groups, researching,
documenting, and recording the second and third floors of the hotel,
as well as the residency buildings, formerly known as the Surgeon's Building of the facility.
(34:50):
The residence building is located approximately 100 yards behind the hotel and
is one of the original buildings to the site.
This structure required minimal refurb and contained several guest rooms with
(35:11):
a common area living room.
During the course of the investigation, several employees, housekeeping,
maintenance, were actively working in the hotel.
So yeah, I bet this was in between check-in and check-out. I was literally just
going to ask about housekeeping.
Their location and presence during each session was identified and documented. minute.
(35:36):
Equipment used during the investigation included Sony digital voice recorders,
Sony digital video recorders, Nikon digital cameras,
K2 meter, Gauss meter, temperature probe, laser grid scope, and mag light flashlights.
Each group in their respective locations obtained base EMF readings,
(36:00):
performed EVP sessions, observed slash photographed the area,
and applied the mag light flashlight technique.
The team members captured over 160 digital pictures, four hours of auto recordings
on three digital voice recorders, and three hours of digital video recordings.
(36:24):
While performing the investigation, at least three of the team members experienced
some sort of unexplained activity.
So this is the second time they went in, not the first time.
Which, you know, that to me makes sense.
Those experiences included voices and or whispering near their location,
(36:48):
a distinct coldness near or on their body,
and a sense of being watched after review of the digital photos,
was determined that no anomalies were indicated via digital photography.
After review of the digital voice recorders, there were several sounds and or whispers identified.
(37:16):
Again, still sad, couldn't find it.
So, however, LMSS was unable to quantify and qualify those episodes as paranormal in nature.
There were no unexplainable incidences in the resident building.
(37:41):
LMSS team members applied the flashlight technique,
a procedure that requires an entity or spirit to directly answer questions in
an affirmative manner by turning on a flashlight. light.
There were several occasions when a positive response was indicated,
(38:04):
and those responses were documented via digital video recording.
These recordings were obtained on the second floor
near rooms 213 and 214, as well as on the third floor near rooms 314 and 315.
(38:28):
I don't remember what room we stayed in. No other anomalies were observed or
recorded, i.e. EMF spike or temperature changes in either location.
Saw this flashlight interaction cited numerous times on a lot of websites talking about the hauntings.
(38:50):
I will work with the mini mag light that uses a twisting motion on the front
element of the light to turn the device on and off.
And real quick, this isn't me. This is still from the website,
from the paranormal group.
I have seen these sessions on television done with a small stand-up flashlight
(39:15):
that use a switch to turn them on and off.
However, I have never used these personally.
Now here's the quote-unquote twist and the source of much of the controversy. see.
Twist the top element of the flashlight so it is not quite on.
This is done best by slowly turning the element until the light goes on and
(39:41):
then slowly turning it in the opposite direction until it goes off.
But by doing this, you now made the flashlight and all of its intricate inner
workings, an extremely sensitive instrument.
(40:01):
Sensitive to vibrations, electrical buildups, minute changes in atmospheric
conditions, and perhaps the presence of a paranormal entity.
Place the adjusted flashlight on a flat surface such as a table,
preferably a solid steady one.
I use a small bipod made with
(40:26):
a twisted coat hanger that has
a large loop enough to slide over the slim bottom end of the flashlight and
small enough to come to a stop at the larger front end of the flashlight to
ensure even steadier position and more separation from From the surface,
(40:48):
paranormal investigators and others who refer to flashlight sessions as the
flashlight trick have outlined a myriad of reasons why flashlights are either
inaccurate or a complete sham.
Site in particular, the initial adjustment of the flashlight essentially causes it to malfunction.
(41:15):
The mini mag lights are actually pretty delicate instruments filled with floating
contact elements and other mechanisms that are constantly under tension from
the spring at the base of the flashlight.
As soon as the forward element is twisted, whether the light bulb is on or off,
(41:38):
The critics point out that operating the flashlight while it is malfunctioning
may cause it to be activated by even the smallest stimulus.
And they cite elements such as moisture, vibrations, and electrical buildups
within the instrument that cause the light to go on and off without the presence
(42:03):
of any paranormal entity.
There are even videos of people talking to ridiculous elements,
such as their gym socks or the flashlight guide that show the flashlight going
on and off in an apparent response to the questions posed to these elements. limits.
(42:24):
Okay. So honestly, that's a lot of information.
I really appreciate the thoroughness of this group.
This makes me want to like present my findings now like this.
This has totally inspired me. I love it.
It's so thorough. And I love how they went into how,
(42:48):
you know, the quote-unquote flashlight trick
works and how they used it and why they why
they used it but why they don't take it too seriously i i honestly like that
a lot because i tried the flashlight technique a couple times not here i kind
(43:09):
of wish i would have now because i think that would be
interesting because like they talked about,
you just, you find so many references to people doing the flashlight technique
at the Hotel Park Central.
There's so much of it and it's so commonly cited. So I don't, I don't know.
(43:34):
I thought it was really an interesting, I love, I love the thoroughness of this group.
I know it might be a little bit long and winded, but I love the way they broke
things down and everything.
So I thought that was very interesting.
Music.
(44:03):
The Hotel Park Central is a boutique hotel that offers both historic elegance
and contemporary comfort.
Guest rooms, of which there are 74, including 15 luxury suites and three spacious
cottages, are each stylishly appointed. pointed.
(44:25):
In your room, you'll enjoy high ceilings, large windows, rich fabrics,
and custom-designed furniture that complements the inviting ambiance.
You'll be able to enjoy the outdoor dining plaza, spacious garden park,
and the rooftop lounge bar,
(44:46):
which provides the most stunning panoramic views of the mountains,
downtown city lights, and the southwest sunsets.
A contemporary continental breakfast buffet is included in your stay,
and you can choose to enjoy this
in either the parlor or the relaxing surroundings of the outdoor terrace.
(45:12):
I believe most of this comes from the website.
And doesn't that just sound lovely? When we were there, it was too cold to sit
out on the terrace, but it's honestly a very lovely place, and I would definitely go back.
(45:33):
There are, again, as we have talked about,
several rumors about ghosts roaming the halls,
but developers said nothing unusual has been reported in the remodeling remodeled
space i think that's very interesting,
(45:56):
And my initial reaction to that is, of course they wouldn't.
They're not going to say that there's unusual things. They want people to come.
And a lot of what?
They want to leave the dark history behind and just be this lovely boutique hotel.
(46:18):
I just don't know if they can.
That being said, I highly recommend staying at this place.
Now, I'm not sure if I had any real experience at the Hotel Park Central,
even with all the history.
Sure, it was creepy, but part of that could have been because of my feelings
(46:42):
about hospitals, of course.
Hearing footsteps Footsteps in the hall honestly didn't make sense with how
thick the carpet is outside, so there is a chance there was a noise that just
sounded like footsteps,
or maybe, you know, it was residual since I doubt the hospital had carpeted floors.
(47:06):
Floors, the feelings of being watched and unwanted could have been weird EMFs in an old building.
Honestly, that's kind of what it felt like.
There was a weird air conditioner right outside of our room that was very loud
and the noise it made was very off-putting.
(47:29):
And that probably didn't help with anything.
So honestly, I'm 50-50 on this one.
I would love to go back, maybe bring some more tools, see how it goes.
Anybody want to go to Albuquerque with me?
(47:50):
Music.
You to everyone out there listening today. My Haunted Life podcast is written,
researched, produced, edited, and hosted by me, Angela Hartjorn.
(48:12):
For all of my sources, go to the Patreon, because really that's the place where I post them all.
Let's be honest. Make sure you subscribe on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode.
Also, if you're interested in more pictures, videos, info, all that good stuff.
(48:34):
Everything's on the Patreon page. Let's be honest.
Everything's there. You can also choose to support the show for as little as $2 a month.
I want to give a big old shout out to my longest freaking Patreon supporter, the wonderful Colleen.
(48:55):
You amazing, great, I love you.
You're the best. Call me has actually been on the show, come to think of it,
way back when at the very beginning.
But thank you so much for all your support. I want to definitely do what my
friend Tanya does on the Witch Daily show and call out my wonderful supporters more.
(49:20):
And I did not realize how many of you there were all of a sudden.
So that's pretty freaking cool. thank you so much. I'm going to start going through those more.
That being said, you can follow the show for free.
So definitely check that out because all of a sudden there's a lot of you following
(49:44):
for free and that's pretty freaking cool. I love that.
If you have any information about today's episode,
like ghost stories you might have had in the old hospital,
or maybe you work with the paranormal group and can get me the EMF recordings,
(50:11):
that would be really cool.
Or, you know, you just want to share your own ghost story.
Email me at myhauntedlifepodcast at gmail.com or write me on Facebook, Instagram,
TikTok and honestly, I'm really liking the YouTube I'm trying really hard I'm
going to try to get some visuals up for us,
(50:34):
and you know, while you're there please like and follow and comment it honestly
makes my day and let's not forget the podcast group,
on Facebook book so yeah
that sort of thing uh music
is by ghost stories incorporated and that's it for this week my loves i will
(51:01):
see you in two weeks and it will be a surprise to all of us what,
What the podcast will be. I'm hoping.
I'm hoping to get an interview in. But we'll see what happens. We'll see what happens.
(51:21):
Otherwise. We're just going to continue as normal. So I will see you guys.
Two weeks from now. And until then. Stay spooky.
Music.
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