Ghost Busters Investigate the Windsor:

By Christiane Grune

Click here to see the results of the investigation.

  

Americus, August 16, 2006

 

   The Windsor has good chances of being classified as a Certified Haunted Hotel by a group of ghost hunters from Tallahassee. But don’t get alarmed; all of the Windsor’s ghosts are friendly!

 

On Sunday, August 13, 2006, the Big Bend Ghost Trackers spent the night at the Windsor and monitored several areas of the hotel where strange sightings have occurred. Among the areas where they performed the investigation was the third floor hallway, where legend says that the ghost of a little girl, daughter of a former housekeeper, runs laughing at night. Both the housekeeper and the little girl lived at the hotel and were pushed down the elevator shaft in the early 1900’s. The third floor hallway is also the place where, in August of 2005, Turner South recreated the story of the little girl ghost for its Blue Ribbon Show. Other areas of the hotel were also investigated, such as old staircases, the basement, the attic, guestrooms, the Grand Dining Room and the kitchen.

 

The ghost hunters came fully equipped. They had flashlights, thermometers, cameras, tape recorders, infrared equipment and electromagnetic monitors, and were looking for signs of a haunting. Betty Davis, leader of the Big Bend group has a positive feeling about the Windsor being haunted and hopes to be able to classify the Windsor as a “Certified Haunted Hotel”. According to Davis: “It looks like the Windsor will get an authentication of a haunting”. The Big Bend will review all tapes and videos, frame by frame, and will release an official report in seven days. 

 

 Davis personally investigated the third floor hallway where, according to her, she felt the most ghost activity among all areas of the hotel. The investigation on the third floor started at around 10pm, when light bulbs were unscrewed and two infrared cameras were set. While the cameras were on, Davis started singing “Twinkle, twinkle, little star” to catch the attention of the little girl. Shortly after, Davis felt a sudden chill and her thermometer immediately picked up a drop in temperature of 4 degrees, while at the same time one of the cameras picked up the image of three orbs skipping down the hallway. At that moment Davis felt the presence of the little girl there with her. Davis and other team members also saw one of the unscrewed bulbs turn on by itself, and they heard the voice of a woman and cry of a baby while investigating the third floor.

 

Another friendly ghost was also on scene this past Sunday: the silhouette of Floyd Lowery was seen on the third floor by the ghost hunters. Floyd worked at the Windsor as a doorman and elevator man for forty years. Floyd was known for being a very friendly employee that loved the Windsor and his job. It is likely that Floyd is still wandering around the hallways of the Windsor, because he so loved the Windsor that he doesn’t ever want to leave. Citizens of Americus that have met Floyd, say he was known for being a very cordial employee who greeted every guest that came in the Windsor, and took pleasure in his job. According to the Windsor management, Floyd is always going to be welcome at the hotel.

 

The official report will be out in a few days. According to the Windsor Management, whatever the outcome of the investigation is, the whole situation is more exciting than scary, and a lot of people are into ghosts’ stories and spooky events.

 

When asked why the Big Bend picked the Windsor to investigate, Betty Davis said that she sensed that the Windsor could be haunted and that she somehow was drawn to this beautiful historic hotel.

 

The Big Bend Ghost Trackers perform investigations in historic sites as a passion and not as a job, and they do so because they believe that death is not the end. The Big Bend members also believe that everybody has a sixth sense; people just need to have the mindset and openness to use it.  When asked if they are afraid of evil spirits and what they do to protect themselves, they said that they carry crucifixes and rosaries with them when ghost hunting, and that they always form a circle of meditation to ask for protection before an investigation.

 

Click here for photos

Click here to see the results of the investigation.

 

http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/local/local_story_263231928.html?keyword=topstory

If you would like to see WALB’s last segment about the Windsor Hotel, click on the link. You can read the article and watch the video:

http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=5449720

 

The Big Bend Ghost Trackers’ investigation of the Windsor Hotel was featured in several websites and publications:

 

http://www.roadandtravel.com/hotelsresorts/2006/hauntedhotels.htm

http://www.albanyherald.com/frontsarchive/2006/0806/front081406.html

http://www.albanyherald.com/frontsarchive/2006/0806/front081506.html

http://www.theweekly.com/news/2006/August/09/Windsor_Hotel.html 

http://www.paranews.net/beitrag.php?cid=4534

http://walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=5270920

http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=5290103

http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=5308972

http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/siteSearch/apstorysection/local_story_223001516.html

http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/siteSearch/apstorysection/local_story_227010007.html

http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/siteSearch/apstorysection/local_story_231235925.html

http://www.americustimesrecorder.com/siteSearch/apstorysection/local_story_230010613.html

http://www.hotelinteractive.com/index.asp?page_id=5000&article_id=6493

http://www.travellady.com/Issues/September06/3539PARANORMAL.htm

Paranormal Investigators of North Georgia will investigate the Windsor Hotel and Georgia Writer will be telling Ghost Tales in Lobby

 229-924-1555, Ext 109

Windsor@bellsouth.net                                                                                           Americus, Georgia

The Windsor Hotel ghost tales have been attracting different groups of ghost trackers. The Paranormal Investigators of North Georgia will be conducting an investigation at the Historic Windsor Hotel this Sunday, November 05, 2006, from 8pm-midnight.

The Paranormal Investigators of North Georgia (PING) is a non-profit organization with over 25 years of combined experience in investigating the paranormal. The group is composed of six investigators, including Sharon Johns, a psychic that has been on Court TV among other TV programs, and works with law agencies in solving unsolved cases. PING primarily does research in the North Georgia area; however, the location was not a limiting factor when it came to the Windsor Hotel. The group heard about the ghost tales at the Windsor and contacted the management in August wanting to perform and investigation.

The investigators will spend the night at the Windsor on the third floor (haunted floor), and will bring different kinds of gadgets and devices that can sense ghost activity. The gadgets include camcorders, EMF detectors, thermometers, etc. They will investigate areas of the hotel where strange happenings have occurred. Among the areas where they will perform the investigation is the third floor hallway, where legend says that the ghost of a little girl, daughter of a former housekeeper, runs laughing at night. Other areas of the hotel will also be investigated, such as old staircases, basement and guestrooms.

            On Saturday, November 4, as part of the Americus Pecan Festival, Kathleen Walls, author of the book Georgia Ghostly Getaways, will be at the Windsor lobby telling ghost stories from 10am to 4pm. Walls will be dressed as the ghost housekeeper, a character from her book that is said to haunt the Windsor together with her little girl. In the book Walls states that the housekeeper “is a restless but not a dangerous ghost” and “she has been at the Windsor through all the renovations and isn’t likely to ever leave”. The book also tells the tales of ghosts that haunt the many historic attractions of the south.

            The Windsor Hotel has been featured in several publications as one of the most haunted hotels in the south, including the Atlanta Journal Constitution, NBC Today’s Show, Turner South, The Arkansas Democrat Gazette, The Americus Times Recorder, the Albany Herald, WALB and other local publications. The Windsor is located on 125 West Lamar Street, Americus, GA. For information visit: www.windsor-americus.com or call 229-924-1555.

 

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