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I had the opportunity to join reader and paranormal investigator Janet Roller, along with my daughter Candace, on a trip to the Haunted Magnolia Hotel in Sequin, Texas.
This hotel has been featured on many news channels and in newspapers and magazines because people have reported interesting paranormal experiences while staying there. In fact, this was Janet's fifth visit back to the hotel in her twelve-year career as an investigator.
Janet, Candace, and I stayed in the restored two-bedroom suite on the second floor. The living room, kitchen, two bedrooms, and bath were beautifully done.
We found pieces of history by way of news articles framed on the walls of nearly every room.
And the kitchen was outfitted with some beautiful pieces of antique dishes.
Candace and I stayed in this room with the king bed, known as Jane Doe's Room, where the orb of an unknown spirit has been caught on camera.
And Janet stayed in the room with the double bed, known as Amelia's Room, because the spirit of a woman named Amelia has been captured in digital photography in that room.
There was a door between our suite and the unrestored side of the hotel. As hotel guests, we were permitted to investigate that side of the hotel and had the place to ourselves--or so, we thought.
As we walked through the unrestored kitchen and other rooms, we definitely caught vibes. I wouldn't call them eerie. I felt welcomed by the spirits that seemed to be lingering there.
Perhaps we were welcomed because we befriended the spirits and offered to pray for them. We said a special prayer for the soul of Willie, who died in this bathroom after a botched abortion.
The room above was called the Prisoners Room because the parents of prisoners who were about to be hanged often stayed in this room, across from the hanging tree. We prayed for the parents and for the sons and hoped they found peace.
The dress above hung in the closet of the Prisoners Room. The dress below was in Rosebud's Room.
Rosebud was the name of a madam who lived in this room.
We prayed for her, and we think she spoke to us during a session with the ghost box. She said she was called "Love." I promised her I would name a character after her in my next book.
From Rosebud's Room, you come to Itsy's Room. Itsy is the nickname for a three-year-old daughter of a single mother. The little girl died of Yellow Fever while her mother was at work. We heard Itsy's name over the ghost box a LOT while we were there.
Janet put a teddy bear and a REM POD on Itsy's bed. Later, Candace asked, "Itsy, can I come into your room?" And the REM POD lit up, which Candace took as a yes! (The REM POD did not go off but maybe one other time.)
After you passed through the Prisoners Room, Rosebud's Room, and Itsy's Room, you walked by another bathroom and eating area that led to Sam Wood's room (I didn't get a photo of it). He was a slave who stayed there. His name came up on the ghost box a lot, too. After Sam's room, past another kitchen, was the Murderer's Room.
The murderer killed a girl named Emma in New Braunfels during an attempted robbery and returned to his room at the Magnolia Hotel the same night. He got away with it! Emma's stepfather was falsely accused and hung for it. The real murderer confessed to his crime on his deathbed. We believe we spoke to him through the ghost box, too. He said he did not regret his crime! The ax pictured below is a trigger object resembling the one he used to kill Emma.
We told him we weren't there to judge but to pray for his peace.
We did most of our investigating in the parlor, because there were chairs where we could sit.
Janet put a cat ball on the coffee table and the card table. They didn't light up when we asked the ghosts to touch them except for one time, and I caught it on video! I wish I could show you, but the hotel owners ask that no video of their home be posted.
However, I can share an audio recording with you. Janet caught two EVP's (electronic voice phenomena) with her recorder. If you listen VERY carefully, you will hear a soft "no" after Candace asks, "Can you knock on the wall?" The soft no is VERY audible when you wear headphones, but you can hear it without if you listen closely at the 0.14 second mark.
Then later, at the end of this two-minute excerpt, I ask, "Are you happy here?" and you hear the faintest "yes" around the 1.58 mark. You can really hear with headphones.
We conducted several investigations throughout our three-day stay, both in the daytime and at night. One name that came up a LOT on the ghost box was Eddie. We couldn't recall reading about an Eddie, but when we looked at the record of hotel owners, we discovered an Eddie Wahl who lived there with his in-laws in 1916.
We believe Sam, the slave, told us that his ankle hurt and that he needed help. We tried to conduct a cross-over ceremony for him, asking him to find peace. We believe he said, "Mom" and was reunited with his mother on the other side.
We also spoke with Itsy who asked for a doctor. When I asked, "Did a doctor help you?" we think she said, "Maybe not." She was the one who died of Yellow Fever.
If you're looking for an interesting and beautiful place to visit where you can commune with ghosts, I highly recommend the Haunted Magnolia Hotel in Sequin. I plan to use my experiences there for inspiration for my next Mystery House book.
Btw, if you don't already own The Bookworm Bible--my fifty-page comprehensive guide for book lovers compiled from articles I've written over the years on topics such as "How to Overcome a Reading Slump" and "How to Write Easy Peasy Book Reviews" with free resources such as a printable reading log, review templates, and an online reading journal--grab your free copy here.
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