GEORGETOWN, Calif. \u2014
\nThe streets of Georgetown whisper old secrets after dark, but inside the 169-year-old Georgetown Hotel, those whispers become voices\u2014and some don\u2019t come from the living.<\/p>\n
During a recent overnight investigation by a small paranormal team, strange electromagnetic readings, voice box responses, and flickering lights pointed to the presence of at least one spirit who identified herself as a prostitute\u2014\u201ca lady of the night,\u201d passing through town long ago. Her energy seemed strong, intelligent, and perhaps still seeking closure.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wasn\u2019t just a shadow or a noise,\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
said investigator John M., who co-led the two-night investigation.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was responding to direct questions. When we asked if she was hurt on the job\u2014those lights went off twice.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Built in 1856 during the height of the Gold Rush, the Georgetown Hotel has long been rumored to harbor residual energies from its past. Originally a stop for miners and wayfarers, Georgetown was founded in 1849 by George Phipps and flourished with saloons, Masonic halls, and three hotels\u2014one of which still stands today. Though the hotel was destroyed by fire twice, it was rebuilt in brick and iron in 1896, and the spirits, it seems, stayed behind.<\/p>\n
The ghost team\u2019s second night yielded even more intense experiences. With only two members awake\u2014John and newcomer Claude Dixon, a self-proclaimed skeptic\u2014they conducted solo interviews with EMF detectors and a spirit box.<\/p>\n
\u201cI used to think ghost shows were staged,\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
said Dixon, a Marine veteran.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut when you ask a question and the lights flash in response\u2014not once, but over and over\u2014it\u2019s hard to write that off. I\u2019m telling you, it was real.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Among the clearest moments was when the team asked if the spirit was a sex worker. The EMF reader flashed almost immediately. When asked if she was hurt in the room, again, the meter reacted.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt felt like she was trying to tell us something,\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
said Dixon.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe her story never got told. Maybe she wanted to be heard.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The investigators also interacted with what appeared to be a male spirit, described as angry and \u201ctrying to get lucky,\u201d suggesting a spectral echo of the hotel\u2019s wilder past. They estimate at least ten distinct presences remain within the building.<\/p>\n
While skeptics may still scoff, both investigators said the hotel\u2019s atmosphere and the intelligent responses they recorded were beyond coincidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t just bumps in the night,\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
said John.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a conversation.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Georgetown Hotel remains open to overnight guests, and while the staff make no formal claims of hauntings, they have acknowledged previous paranormal investigations and the building\u2019s colorful history.<\/p>\n
As Dixon put it with a chuckle,<\/p>\n
\u201cCome stay for a night. Bring a flashlight. And maybe a prayer.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n