R.I.P. discovers hotbed of paranormal activity at St. Albans sanatorium

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R.I.P. discovers hotbed of paranormal activity at St. Albans sanatorium
December 17, 2010
by Patricia Marin
Examiner.com


R.I.P.’s recent investigation at the abandoned St. Albans sanatorium has resulted in approximately a dozen EVPs, several instances of team members being touched (including a new camera person on his first paranormal shoot), and – for several investigators – their first “visible to the naked eye” sighting of a golf ball-sized ball of light. Many of these experiences were captured on film and will be included in the upcoming “The R.I.P. Files: St. Albans” episode of the Internet TV series, “The R.I.P. Files.”

St. Albans, located in Radford, VA, started out as a private school for boys, founded by George Miles in 1892. The school was named for the famous St. Albans School near London which was founded in 948 AD. The school, however, was not to last even two decades and closed in 1911. In 1915, Dr. John King purchased the property and established St. Albans Sanatorium, a psychiatric hospital with very progressive ideas. Patients were treated here until the 1990s.

The hospital has always been rife with rumors of ghostly figures, odd noises, and unknown voices. Although it was considered one of the more modern facilities for the treatment of the mentally ill, St. Albans – like other such institutions – engaged in practices, such as electroshock therapy, that are not as widely used today. Since some very ill and violent patients were housed here, it’s not surprising to learn that there were several suicides in the building, all on the third floor where the most disturbed individuals were kept.

The Haunted Bathroom

Investigators held one of their first EVP sessions in the third floor bathroom. At least four suicides have occurred here over the years. To date, R.I.P. has found four EVPs and one EASP from the session. EVP stands for Electronic Voice Phenomena and refers to a voice that was not audible at the time of the recording but is heard only on playback. EASP means Electronic Anomalous Sound Phenomena and this is a “non voice like” sound that was not audible at the time of the recording but is heard only on playback.

The Bowling Alley

During an earlier investigation at St. Albans by another paranormal group, several people reported seeing the apparition of a little girl in the basement bowling alley. R.I.P. reports one EVP and one EASP from this area so far, with more audio files to review. The EASP is a direct response to one investigator’s request.

Visible balls of light

In a particularly interesting development, several investigators witnessed a small ball of light on the first floor that zipped along the wall, changed direction, stopped, and hovered in front of their faces before disappearing around a corner. One of R.I.P.’s psychic mediums, Bob Hickman, had been seeing similar balls of light throughout the evening but no one else had witnessed it until the group was packing up and almost ready to depart. One investigator commented, “That’s the strangest thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve heard about this type of phenomena, but never thought I would see it with my own eyes. We checked for obvious sources of the light, such as reflections from windows, headlights, etc., but found nothing. Also, it did not look like a reflection at all; instead, it appeared round and solid, somewhat translucent around the edges. I have no explanation for what we saw.” Owner Tim Gregory later confirmed that he has also witnessed many similar instances of these visible balls of light in that same area, near the staircase on the first floor. Since there were no meteorological reports of ball lightning in the Radford area on the night of the investigation, no other potential natural cause


for the phenomenon has yet been found.

Reincarnation of St. Albans

St. Albans’ owner Tim Gregory is one example of the many people who were helped during their stay as patients at this facility. Hospitalized as a teenager, Gregory was eventually diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome and the therapy he received at St. Albans helped him learn to function normally in the outside world and develop a successful career. Gregory and many former patients remember St. Albans fondly and were distressed to find that it had been abandoned, allowed to fall into disrepair, and vandalized. He decided to do something about it.

St. Albans is now being reborn as the St. Albans Center for Research and Enlightenment. This complex, in the mountainous region of southwest Virginia, is blessed with a naturally beautiful and tranquil setting. Tim’s plans include offering St. Albans as a venue for a variety of conferences, retreats, and special events and he is already booking rooms for next December. Rooms will be available starting December 16th. Read more about this on the “Friends of St. Albans” Facebook site. Tim is also working with the Association for Research and Enlightenment in Virginia Beach, VA, to bring some of their classes and events to Radford, as well as with other well-known paranormal celebrities such as TAPS.


NOTE: Visit the article on the website for booking information and information about The R.I.P. Files.