by Kimmie Chameleon:
Ghost Adventures Recap: “Excalibur Nightclub”
Original Air Date (Travel Channel): Friday September 21, 2012
Season 7 Episode 2
Location
It seems like wherever the Ghost Adventures crew heads to, chaos follows. Usually, a freak storm hits whatever location they land on, but this week a different kind of storm has been brewing. Nick, Aaron, and Zak journey to Chicago, Illinois for two separate investigations. First location is Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery and the second location is the Excalibur Nightclub. Before they can get to these locations they must push past thousands of NATO protesters that have flooded the streets of downtown Chicago. The crew find themselves surrounded by police and angry citizens. Rev.Jesse Jackson is present talking to the media while Zak receives a threat from a bandana masked man that he is going to break Zak’s camera. Chicago proves to be a hot spot of intensity.
History
Known as one of the most haunted burial grounds in the entire world, Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery is surrounded by what some believe to be an enchanted forest. In 1991, a now famous photograph of a female apparition sitting on a tombstone was shot. John Stephenson, a paranormal researcher, shares some experiences he has had in this haunted cemetery. He tells the crew that shadow people are often spotted and he even has a photograph to prove his point. He also shows them a photograph he took that appears to have what he describes as a “frickin werewolf” in it. John then plays and E.V.P. recording that he captured that stated in a growling voice, “I’m gonna kill you.” Zak wonders why spirits at rest would be so angry, so they explore a slurry of possibilities. Maybe it is the fact that this abandoned cemetery has been desecrated and vandalized. Or maybe it is the spirits of angry victims that are rumored to have had their bodies dumped in a nearby swamp by the Mob. Perhaps it is that Satanists use the surrounding forest to conduct rituals. Ofc. Kim Reese of the Cook County Forest Reserve tells Zak that they find the heads of chickens on occasion. She concludes that the Satanist must believe that this forest area is haunted.
The second location that the Ghost Adventures crew will visit has a terrible past. Built in 1892, the Chicago Historical Society landmark building replaced the previous structure that burned down in the Great Chicago Fire. Neil Tobin, Excalibur Necromancer (one who practices magic or sorcery to communicate with the dead) reveals to the crew that when the fire was raging in the city, many sought the safety of the “fireproof” building. Over 300 people perished because it was not “fireproof”. Neil then tells them that many people have reported seeing a man walking inside the building that looks to be in old trapper clothes. Neil believes this could be the spirit of the first white landowner of Chicago, Jean Lalime. His spirit may be restless due to the fact that he was murdered over a disagreement he had with another settler named John Kinzie.
Since 1985, the Chicago Historical Society building has been operating as the Excalibur Nightclub. Former General Manager Joshua Kerbis tells the guys that there have been reports of people being pushed over the railing onto the second floor…only nobody was behind them when they were pushed. Joshua also shares that one night at about 2 am, a woman urged him to call 911 because she saw a little girl roaming around near the women’s restroom on the third floor. When Josh went to investigate, he saw the little girl with his own eyes, but she was an apparition. Ursula Bielski, founder of Chicago Hauntings, also has a story about the third floor women’s restroom. In 1991, she had her very first paranormal experience in there. As she was tidying up she felt hands go through her hair. There have also been several occasions where people have seen a lit candle appear in the lap of a small cherub statue that sits on the ledge of the dome near the women’s restroom.
Detour
Since the crew is only a mere 45 minute drive away from Zak’s old hometown of Glen Ellyn, they decide to pay a visit. Zak fondly remembers the many 4th of July parades he marched in as a “Banner Bear”. Zak drives them past Glenbard High School where he graduated in 1995. He reveals that his favorite class was Poetry. They stop in an old pizza joint where Zak used to eat lunch everyday. A short drive away is his childhood home where Zak reminisces about the snow covered sidewalks he used to sleigh down.
The Lockdown: Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery
Ghost Adventures crew is the first paranormal group to be allowed to investigate inside of the cemetery at night. Eight Cook County Forest Preserve officers have the perimeter patrolled so that there is no contamination during the investigation. Right away, Nick reports that he hears a conversation taking place, but they are unable to hear it on any equipment. Flashing lights in the distance are then spotted by the crew. They call Sgt. John, but he tells them that there are no officers in that area with flashlights. The strange lights are only 150 yards away from the crew and about 2 feet in diameter. They are extremely bright and then gradually flicker and fade away. As the crew follows these odd light anomalies, Aaron points out that it seems like the spirits are trying to lure them away from the cemetery. As they head towards a nearby creek, Zak begins an E.V.P. session.
Zak: “Is there somebody here with us?”
Digital Recorder E.V.P. “(inaudible) is coming.”
Nick now heads over to a tombstone in the cemetery section and conducts an E.V.P. session of his own.
Nick: “Do you like people coming here to this…your resting place?”
Digital Recorder E.V.P. “I see it. Light.”
Upon reviewing this particular E.V.P., they wonder if this was in reference to the lights in the forest that they saw earlier.
The Lockdown: Excalibur Nightclub
Zak, Aaron, and Nick set up night vision cameras by the women’s restroom and basement, where it has been said that the doors down their open and close for an unexplainable reason. A thermal imaging camera is focused on the cherub on the ledge of the dome. On the first floor, a Shadow Detection device invented by Gary Golka is set up to alert them to any movement in it’s 180 degree path. For three hours they capture no evidence coming from their night vision cameras, Mel Meters, or SB-7 device. Aaron heads upstairs to investigate the attic while Nick and Zak focus on the railing area.
Zak tempts any possible spirit by parking a chair next to the railing and standing on it. When he is unable to collect any readings, he and Nick decide to head down the stairs. Zak begins to feel like all of the energy has suddenly been drained from his body. Nick then suddenly feels off-balance as they both head down the stairs. Zak then falls down backwards. He expresses that he felt a thrust on his torso area that caused him to fall down backwards.
Quotable Quotes
Aaron: “Show me some creepy.”
DarkMedia contributing writer Kimmie Chameleon was born and raised with a healthy appreciation for horror and science fiction. She currently covers Supernatural, Ghost Adventures, BBC’s Being Human, Syfy’s Being Human, and Sherlock. When she’s not out ghost hunting with her kids, you can find her stealing a moment to add to her own pieces of fiction. Follow her on Twitter @dvsduo and “friend” her on Facebook.
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