A tragic fire swept through the Rhoads Opera House in 1908, killing 170 people within minutes. The victims were buried a Fairview Cemetery in Berks County. Since then, police have responded to calls about horrifying screams and wailing, only to find the cemetery deserted when they arrive. Legend has it that those screams belong to over 150 souls who have yet to find peace after such an excruciating death.
For more information about the Rhodes Opera House Tragedy, visit WMFZ.com.
The Trans-Alleghany Lunatic Asylum (formerly called Weston State Hospital) housed the criminally insane, including Charles Manson. Closed in 1994 as a hospital, it was reopened in August 2007 when it was bought by Rebecca Jordan.
Rebecca called TAPS when she began hearing reports from workers and tourists of phantom footsteps and doors slamming, disembodied voices, full-bodied apparitions, etc. The result is one of the most lively Ghost Hunters shows I’ve yet to see.
People either love Paranormal State or hate it. Over the past several months, I’ve found myself somewhat entertained by the bashing Paranormal State has received since it launched. I hadn’t heard anything good about the show until I went to Amazon and read the reviews for the newly released DVD.
Two of the five-star reviews proclaimed that Paranormal State was better than Ghost Hunters and Most Haunted. Curious, I read them from beginning to end, hoping to find some unbiased information. When I didn’t get it, I decided to go to the A&E website to watch an episode.
Paranormal State is decidedly different than Ghost Hunters in that it’s scripted. I enjoyed listening to the history of the Willard Asylum (New York), but wasn’t impressed by Chris Coffey’s theatrics. He’s the psychic who rids himself from demon possession by slapping himself. Uh-huh. I was even less impressed by the ending, where they “vanquished” the spirits with a simple prayer.
That said, I was reminded of Ghost Hunters when they used an EVP device. Whether that device was real or a stage prop, I’m not sure. I came away from this show more skeptical than ever. If you’d like to judge for yourself, you can watch the videos at A&Etv.com.
That has sparked curiosity with the paranormal community as well as fans. Dominick Villella, who works for Paranormal Investigation of New York City, doesn’t think the ghosts of Mickey Mantle and Joe Di’Maggio will move into the brand new museum, which is scheduled to take the place of the world-famous stadium.
Yankee CEO Lonn Trost takes a humorous approach by saying, “I have spoken to the ghosts and they will be coming with us. We have a vehicle to transport them, though you can’t necessarily see it.”
