Investigators to look into Falcon Rest ghost rumors
Almost as old as the house itself, are the rumors that Historic Falcon Rest is haunted. Given a little luck, it?s time to confirm or put those rumors to rest.
A team of paranormal investigators will be visiting the mansion July 2 to hopefully catch some ghostly happenings within the walls. The investigation will begin at 8 p.m. and continue until midnight.
Night Owl Paranormal Investigations will be handling the investigation. The company was founded in 1997 by Piper Wood, who has been an avid paranormal investigator for 14 years. The team consists of volunteers who investigate paranormal phenomena using conventional and unconventional scientific methods and equipment.
The mansion was built by Clay Faulkner in 1896 and named Falcon Rest. Faulkner died in the house in 1916 at age 71. Shortly after his death came the first mysterious occurrence.
In 1919, Faulkner?s grandson Robert, 3, was playing out back and came into the hall with a tree branch. After being questioned about the stick, the boy said his grandfather had given it to him. Although more than 80 years have passed, Robert confirmed the story to the current mansion owners.
In the 1940s, the mansion was changed into a hospital, known as Faulkner Springs Hospital, which was run by Dr. J.P. Dietrich. The hospital also served as a sanitarium and nursing home.
The caretaker of the hospital, Mr. Tittsworth, reported to Dr. Dietrich about seeing a man walking along the back hallway at night. The man was dressed all in white and disappeared before the caretaker could question him. The man was seen on more than one occasion by the caretaker, walking along that same hall.
The hospital closed in 1968 and fell into ruins.
The mansion was purchased by George and Charlien McGlothin in 1989 and the restoration took the couple took four and a half years.
While restoring the mansion, the McGlothins were informed of even more occurrences. Many people reported seeing a mysterious woman carrying a lantern in the upper windows during the time the mansion sat empty and boarded up.
While the restoration was taking place, several people told the couple they loved the cut glass crystal chandelier that they had seen in the upstairs window. Except there was no chandelier in that window, just a 100-watt light bulb, the McGlothin?s said. The couple shrugged off the reports as just the light from the window.
The mansion was open to the public in 1993 and has become a tourist attraction and the center of some strange events including more sightings and unexplained occurrences.
?We don?t confirm or deny the existence of the ghosts here,? said Charlien. ?We let people come to their own conclusion through their own experiences. If they are here, we believe them to be friendly.?
Four hours in the house doesn?t seem like much time to catch a ghostly happening, so the couple is keeping an open mind about the investigation coming up empty handed.
?It?s entirely possible they won?t come up with anything,? said Charlien. ?That doesn?t mean there is nothing here. It could just mean the ghosts didn?t want to play and want to maintain their mystery.?