Troy Taylor is an expert on things that go bump in the night. STLtoday sits down with one of America's premiere ghost hunters to get his professional opinion on the haunted Lemp Mansion, infra-red photography, and why Alton is "the most haunted small town in America."

STLtoday: This is the most obvious question—but how did you become interested in ghosts and hauntings?

Taylor: I don't think that I so much as "became" interested in ghosts and hauntings, but perhaps was born that way. I can't remember a time, even as a small child, when I was not interested in ghosts, legends and folklore. My early memories of such things involved children's and young adult books of true ghost stories and unexplained mysteries. I suppose that some people grow out of such interests, but I never did. Later on, as my interests turned to writing, I began collecting stories of ghosts and haunted places around the town where I grew up. I wrote my first book in 1994. It was well received, and I have since followed it up with 20 more. I feel lucky to be able to do something that so interests me and actually do it for a living.

STLtoday: So how did Alton earn its title "One of the Most Haunted Small Towns In America?"

Taylor: This reputation was given to Alton a few years before I moved here in 1998, by FATE, the paranormal magazine. Since moving here, I have tried to uphold that reputation, because Alton really is one of the more haunted small towns that I have been able to find—it's certainly one of the most haunted in this region. I have traveled all over the country in the last 10 years or so, and it's rare to find small towns with the sort of history and haunted tales that we have here. And I really believe the history is the key. Many people ask what makes the town so haunted, and I always say, "the events of yesterday create the hauntings of today." Few towns can boast such a dark history of murder, death, disease, floods, the Underground Railroad, a Civil War prison and more.

STLtoday: What's your take on the Piasa bird? [The Piasa is an Indian petroglyph near Alton that features a fanged, clawed, human-faced monstrous bird].

Taylor: I have never thought that the story of the Piasa bird was anything other than an old legend, but it is true that it's a very old tale, and that Marquette and Jolliett made a reference to the creature—or rather two of them, with no wings—back in 1673. Such a history can make you wonder if the myth might have some truth behind it. I only mention this because there's a story from the 1840's about a professor named John Russell, who wrote that he was taken to a cave along the Mississippi River, and the floor was covered with human bones. Locals stated that it was the lair of the Piasa bird.

STLtoday: Give us a thumbnail description of what you'd find in a "Ghost Hunter's Toolkit."

Taylor: A "Ghost Hunter's Tool Kit" is really the essential items that are brought along when researching or seeking out ghosts. Over the past few years, a lot of "gee-whiz" devices have been added to the ghost hunter's arsenal, and while these things can be effective, they will never replace good, old-fashioned common sense and items like a notebooks, pens, a camera, a recording device and of course, the one thing no ghost hunter should be without...a handy flashlight.

STLtoday: For people who suspect they might have a ghost in their house, what are some signs to look for that might suggest that their home is indeed haunted?

Taylor: I always want to caution people to not jump to the conclusion that they have a ghost in their house. The vast majority of cases that I have investigated have nothing to do with ghosts. I always look for a natural explanation for the strange things being reported before I assume that it's a ghost. Usually, my advice for the occupants of the house is to keep a journal of any strange things that occur, as well as when and where they happened. That way, a pattern can be developed, and a haunting can either be pursued or ruled out. Things to look for include doors that open or close by themselves; lights that turn on and off; odd behavior by appliances or television sets; knocking or scratching sounds; footsteps in empty rooms or halls; pets that begin behaving oddly; unexplained cold drafts, winds or smells; and of course, sightings of figures in the house. Of course, any of these things can be explained away—except perhaps for the sightings of the ghosts! But a competent researcher will know what to look for, and hopefully can help the home owner to determine if anything strange is really going on or not. An investigation can be very intrusive in a home, and will require hours of waiting and watching, interviews and research into the history of the place. It can all be very time consuming and there are no quick fixes to most cases.

STLtoday: What's the most unnerving investigation you've ever done?

Taylor: I have been out on a lot of investigations, but the most unnerving was probably the night when I actually saw a ghost! Keep in mind, that I had been doing this for almost 10 years at the time, and I had experienced some strange things, but had never actually seen a ghost. The investigation was an outing to an allegedly haunted farm in northwest Indiana. I went there with some other researchers, who had been there before. They told me of their experiences with cold spots and strange photographs, so I decided to go along. To make a long story short, we spent several uneventful hours on the farm. Then around midnight, a friend and I were sitting in the barn in pitch darkness, just waiting to see if anything would happen. A white light filled an entryway just inside the barn door, which was closed at the time. It was so bright that it lit up the interior of the barn. Then it moved sideways and passed through a wooden wall, into a horse stall. This was all at the speed of a fast walk. Then the light moved though the barn and disappeared out the back wall! We followed it outside, but it was gone. Whatever this thing was—and I do think it was a ghost—we could not find an explanation for it. We tried duplicating the experience with flashlights, but no light could get into the building. There was simply no other explanation that to say that it was something from out of this world.

STLtoday: What is the most irrefutable piece of evidence you've seen that substantiates the existence of ghosts?

Taylor: While we are unable to prove that ghosts exist scientifically, I do believe that it can be done in other ways. For science, ghosts would have to appear in a laboratory and be recorded doing the same thing over and over again. Obviously, this will never happen. However, I think that we can acquire "historical" proof of ghosts. An example of this can be seen in a case that I was involved with a few years ago. A house was reported to be haunted by a young couple living there, who described a man who was seen in the house. During my research, I spoke to several previous owners of the house, and all of them described an identical man. The previous owners had had absolutely no contact with the current owners, and I found this to be too much for mere coincidence. So I began looking into the history of the place, and managed to find a photo of a past owner, who had committed suicide under mysterious circumstances. The previous owners, and the current ones, were able to pick the photo from several others as the ghost they had been seen haunting the place. That was one that I couldn't find another explanation for.

STLtoday: Most people use the word "ghost" to describe any type of unusual phenomenon they can't explain. What are some other types of paranormal activities that aren't necessarily ghosts?

Taylor: Perhaps the most common type of haunting is actually what I call a "residual haunting". This is different than the type of ghost that most people are familiar with because it's really just an impression that's been left on the atmosphere of a place. These events (or impressions) often replay themselves over and over again, like an old film loop or a recording and they don't have the consciousness behind them that most people associate with ghosts. At sites where traumatic events have taken place, this type of haunting can often be reported. We have a well-known local site in Alton with the old Confederate prison. The horrible events that occurred here, and the deaths that took place, made an impression that has lasted for more than a century. People still sometimes report hearing the sounds of cries, shouts, weeping and even gunfire.

STLtoday: Have you ever conducted investigations at the Lemp Mansion, one of St. Louis' most notorious "haunted" sites?

Taylor: I have been involved with several investigations at the Lemp Mansion, both with small groups and with other members of the American Ghost Society. While I haven't personally experienced anything here that I would consider unexplainable, many reliable associates and witnesses have, leading me to feel that the place is haunted. I have collected many such accounts over the years and I am currently compiling them for a book that I have coming out in early 2002 called "Haunted St. Louis."

STLtoday: What sorts of sites seem to be the most paranormally "active?"

Taylor: I have found that just about any site with a lot of history, especially violent history, has the chance to become haunted. As I have stated, it is these events of the past that create hauntings and whether the ghosts that are present are spirits of unfinished business or merely lingering images from the past, you are much more apt to find ghosts at historic spots.

STLtoday: What's the best advice you could give to a novice ghost hunter?

Taylor: My best advice is to remember that there are no "experts" when it comes to ghosts and hauntings. No one has all the answers and it's all right to say, "I don't know". All that a person can do is conduct all of their research to their best of their ability, never jump to conclusions and to always keep an open mind to any possibility! It takes a lot of hard work to be a successful ghost hunter, but it can also be a lot of fun too. Never give up too easily and just keep looking... there are ghosts and haunted places out there but you have to go looking for them because they aren't going to come to you!

• Story originally published by:
St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Dorian Falco - Oct 14.01

All Copyrights© are acknowledged.
Material reproduced here is for
educational and research purposes only.