Ghost Adventures Recap: “Tor House”

by Kimmie Chameleon:

Ghost Adventures Recap: “Tor House”
Original Air Date (Travel Channel): Friday November 16, 2012
Season 7 Episode 10

Location

Carmel, California welcomes Zak, Nick, and Aaron to the beloved home of poet Robinson Jeffers.

History

Gracing the coast of Carmel, California is the former home of American poet Robinson Jeffers and his wife Una. Stone by stone, Robinson constructed the beautiful cottage and tower in 1919. When walking through the home you notice unicorn knick-knacks and paintings. These were a favorite of the lovely Una. It has been said that Una and Robinson were mystics, which was quite a popular trend back in the 1920’s. Robinson built Una a two story tower called Hawk Tower, named after a hawk that would visit Robinson every day while building it. He even created a tight secret passageway to the second story where it is said that Una conducted séances. Robinson and Una felt a special connection to the land where they raised their twin boys, and where Robinson wrote treasured collections of poems.

Great grandson, Aengus Jeffers, recalls spending time at the cottage as a boy. He did not like going into the house because it was made of stone and had many dark corners. Carol Dixon, Tor House Administrative Assistant, shares with the crew an incident that occurred in the upstairs docent office where the books are kept. She had heard a noise and went to investigate and found that the biography book about Una Jeffers had fallen to the floor. She picked up the book and secured it safely. A week later, the book had fallen again. By the third time, Carol decided that it was time she read the book. She now has tremendous respect for Una.

Joan Hendrickson, Tor House Docent and Archivist, recalls an event that prompted her to write down her haunting experience. One day, while she was dusting off the bookcases in the house, she heard the front door making a sound. She was alone, but heard what sounded like an old key trying to unlock a door. When she went into the front room she saw the apparition of Robinson Jeffers walk across the room towards a window and look out onto the sea.

Former president of the Tor House Foundation had told people that he saw the apparition of a woman enter the Hawk Tower. Current president, Vince Huth, informs the crew that it is coming on the 50th anniversary of Robinson Jeffers death and one poem in particular is of great interest. In the poem, “Ghost”, Jeffers writes, “I imagine fifty years from now a mist-gray figure moping about this place in mad moonlight..examining the mortar joints…pawing the parasite ivy.” Further into the poem he writes that a man with a poodle dog will be drawn to this place. What strikes Zak as eerie is that on a recent vacation, he was drawn to this house with his dog, but without knowing the history of this house.

The Lockdown

Billy Tolley, equipment tech, sets up the thermal imaging camera pointed at the exterior of Hawk Tower. He tries to figure out why the camera seems to be having issues due to the fog outside. He reboots the camera and as soon as the camera comes online, he sees a figure in the doorway of the tower. He calls Zak over to examine this evidence. It appears to be a human figure, possibly a woman because the shape looks like a lady in a gown. Could this be Una?

The crew decides to investigate the tower first. As the crew squeezes through the secret passageway to the second floor of the tower, the SB-7 device reacts:

SB-7 device (in a woman’s voice): “Welcome to my_____”

The crew then heads to the cottage. Robinson Jeffers once wrote a poem that seemed to predict exactly where he would die. He had described that it would be in a bed in the cottage on the first floor. This would come true in 1962, when Jeffers died in this deathbed. Zak sets the SB-7 device on this bed and instructs Jeffers to use it to communicate:

SB-7 device: “What is that that?”

Nick, Aaron and Zak then explain once again to the spirit how the device they are using can hear their responses.

Zak: “How many years in the poem “The Ghost” did you say you would come back?

SB-7 device (in a woman’s voice): “Ghost.”

It is at this time that Nick and Aaron hear a door shut in the other room and footsteps. They rush out to see that a door has been shut.

Zak decides that he wants to try an experiment where he places a piece of paper on the desk where Robinson Jeffers used to spend hours writing. Zak globs a big dollop of ink onto the middle of the paper. When he returns to see if anything has appeared, he notices what looks like “a little devil man” with two horns.

Quotable Quotes:

Aengus Jeffers: “Are we living passionately enough?”

Aaron: “OW!!! Hit my head. Like I always do.”

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.