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We at GhoSt Augustine like to discuss topics of all kinds to do with the spirit world. William H. Mumler (1832–1884) was an American spirit photographer who worked in New York and Boston. His first spirit photograph was a self-portrait which developed to apparently show his deceased cousin. Mumler then left his job as a jeweller, instead opting to work as a full time photographer, taking advantage of the large number of people who had lost relatives in the American Civil War. Perhaps his two most famous works are the photograph of Mary Todd Lincoln with the ghost of her husband Abraham Lincoln, and his photo of Master Herrod, a medium, with three spirit guides. After being accused of various activities, he was taken to court for fraud, with noted showman P. T. Barnum testifying against him. Though found not…

A good friend of mine Teeta Moss is the owner of the Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, LA. It is America’s most haunted bed and breakfast and is a great place to spend the night. It has it all, history and ghosts all in one spot. The Myrtles was built in 1796 by General David Bradford and was called Laurel Grove. His daughter Sara married Judge Clark Woodruff and they managed the plantation after the General’s death in 1808 for her mother Elizabeth. Sara and Clark had 3 children: Cornelia Gale, James, and Mary Octavia. One of the slaves owned by the Woodruffs was named Chloe. The Judge took a strong liking to her and forced her into being his mistress. One day Clark caught Chloe ease dropping and he had one of her ears cut off as punishment. From…

We deal with real haunted buildings every day on our ghost tours. We often get questions about the Amityville Horror, Exorcist, and since we are so close to Orlando we even get questions on Walt Disney’s Worlds Haunted Mansion. Well, with my connections I decided I would look into this a little more closely to answer that question when I hear it. Walt Disney World’s Haunted Mansion opened October 1st, 1971. It is styled after an 18th century colonial mansion.  It looks down upon the eastern banks of the Rivers of America in the north east corner of Liberty Square. As the story goes you board one of the Doom Buggies for a frightful ride through the Haunted Mansion and hopefully will encounter some of the 999 happy haunts that haunts those halls. Over the years, cast members have created…

Another great pub tour with the folks from Northeast Florida Scottish Highland Games. Thanks for another great tour, see you again in 2012!

As I was making my way to St. Francisville, Louisiana I decided to stop in Pensacola and check out Fort Barrancas. I checked in through the gift shop and learned I would have the fort to myself. They had just opened for the day and no one was out there. I thought, fantastic! This way I can really feel the history of the fort. A ghostly encounter never even crossed my mind. Fort Barrancas sits on a bluff overlooking Pensacola Bay and the location inspired engineers of three nations to build forts here through the years. The British built the Royal Navy Redoubt here in 1763, the Spanish built two forts here sometime around 1797 then, American engineers remodeled the battery in 1840. I was touring every square inch of the fort and found a narrow stair case that descended…

GhoSt Augustine was invited to an overnight investigation of Meehan’s Irish Pub. Our results… it is haunted!! But, if you want to hear all the details you will have to check out our Original Haunted Pub Tour. GhoSt Augustine conducted a paranormal investigatation February 16th, 2011. With our experienced team the results were amazing. Dr. Harry Stafford has a PhD in Human Consciousness and has been working in the paranormal field for decades. Jamie Roush, General Manager of GhoSt Augustine and Founder of Historic Haunts has a degree in Parapsychology and has been investigating the paranormal for over 13 years. Many of the GhoSt Augsutine staff has been featured on the Travel Channel, Discovery Channel, Sy-Fy, and on A&E sharing their personal experiences in the paranormal field. Please join us on our Haunted Pub Tour to hear the details from…

Hans Holzer (January 26, 1920 – April 26, 2009) was an Austrian-born, American pioneering paranormal researcher and author. He wrote well over 100 books on supernatural and occult subjects for the popular market as well as several plays, musicals, films, and documentaries, and hosted a television show, “Ghost Hunter”. Holzer was born in Vienna, Austria. His interest in the supernatural was sparked, at a young age, by stories told to him by his uncle Henry. He went on to study archaeology and ancient history at the University of Vienna but sensing that war was imminent, his family decided it was unsafe to stay in Austria and left the country for New York City in 1938. He studied Japanese at Columbia University and, after studying comparative religion and parapsychology, claimed to have obtained a Ph.D. at a school called the London…

The first time Gypsy sailed into St. Augustine was the summer of 2005 just as Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf.  She has cruised the Atlantic Coast and the Caribbean on the Merry Madalien for many years always stopping in St. Augustine.  St. Augustine immediately became her favorite port of call.  Gypsy buried her anchor and stepped onto the holy ground of St. Augustine for good in the summer of 2008.  Gypsy joins us as a seasoned storyteller.  Her story telling began in high school. Gypsy adds her own spin to the historical legions of St. Augustine. Along with story telling Gypsy is a local photographer and costume designer.

Loyd Auerbach is a professor of parapsychology and a prominent field investigator in psychic phenomena. He is an accomplished professional mentalist and psychic entertainer, performing as Professor Paranormal before private and corporate groups. He served as President of the Psychic Entertainers Association for four terms from 2001-2005. He is the creator and principal instructor of the Parapsychological Studies Certification Program at HCH Institute in Lafayette, CA which was approved by the State of California. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology from Northwestern University (1978). Loyd Auerbach is the Director of The Office of Paranormal Investigations and the author of several books on the paranormal. His first and best known book was ESP, Hauntings, and Poltergeists: A Parapsychologist’s Handbook. That book was named the “Sacred Text” on ghosts by Newsweek in August 1996. He was a columnist for Fate…

We need a responsible person who is a great story teller and willing to drive a haunted hearse! We are adding to our GhoSt Augustine family and need one more tour guide. Please apply at Beerhammers 162 St. George St. St. Augustine, FL or call 904-814-8446 All applicants must be 25 years of age or older due to insurance purposes and must have a safe driving record.

Ed and Lorraine Warren are American paranormal investigators and authors associated with prominent cases of hauntings. Ed Warren (September 7, 1926 – August 23, 2006) was a noted demonologist, author, and lecturer. Lorraine Warren (January 31, 1927 – ), his wife, is a professed clairvoyant and a light trance medium who worked closely with her husband. The Warrens founded the New England Society for Psychic Research in 1952 and later opened the Occult Museum. They are the authors of numerous books about the paranormal and their own private investigations into various hauntings. They claimed to have investigated over 10,000 hauntings during their career. The Warrens were among the very first investigators in the controversial Amityville haunting. The Warrens were responsible for training several current paranormal investigating demonologists including Dave Considine, Lou Gentile, and their nephew John Zaffis. The Warrens are…

John Zaffis (born 1955) is a paranormal researcher born and based in Connecticut, He runs the Paranormal and Demonology Research Society of New England, which he founded in 1998. Zaffis has over thirty years of experience as a paranormal investigator. Zaffis admits that he was initially very skeptical of the existence of ghosts, until one Wednesday evening when he was sixteen and saw a transparent apparition at the foot of his bed shaking its head back and forth. When he told his mother of the incident, Zaffis learned that his grandfather, when he was alive, always shook his head when he was upset about something. In the next few days, Zaffis’ grandmother, who lived with him, died. This incident peaked his interest in the paranormal and set him about talking to authorities in the subject and reading about the paranormal….