The haunted hotel

The West Virginia Society of Ghost Hunters conducted a hunt Saturday night in a vacant hotel reputed to be haunted. The old hotel has seen an unusual number of murders and suicides since it was built 100 years ago, according to Susan Crites of the West Virginia Society of Ghost Hunters. The hotel is even reputed to have been cursed. I did not attend this frightful ghost hunt. I was, uh, busy. Melanie, one of the ghost hunters, posted her after action report (reprinted with her kind permission). Click on link to post to read her account. The ghost hunt offered the chance for the paranormal investigators to spend the night.

Hi .... Posting about my experiences from last night at the hotel in downtown Martinsburg. Hope, Dennis, Matt and myself went down in to the basement and took some pictures. Got a few orbs down there didn't feel too much. Moved along up the stairway and went out onto the roof. I was the last one through the door out onto the roof. As I went to walk away from the door it began to shut. I walked back to it and grabbed the door and it still tried to shut. Everyone else had walked away from me at this point to explore the rest of the roof top. I was a little too nervous to let go of the door because it was as if someone was fighting against me to shut the door. After I battled with the door for a little longer I decided well hell if it locks someone will be along to explore the roof no harm if we get locked up there. Hope and Matt got a good deal of orbs while on the roof. We met another group as we made our way back down to the 5th floor of the hotel. Fifth floor was a little boring for me. Moved onto the 4th floor got a good bit of orbs again. 3rd floor felt a good bit of energy there, heard some heavy breathing. Then from out of nowhere a blood curdling scream. I looked at Hope and said oh my god something is wrong let's go and, I started running down the hall towards the scream. Got to the source and this poor woman had seen a shadow of one of the other ghost hunters..... and it startled her. 2nd floor nothing for me. Went back down to ground level talked with Susan [Crites, founder of the West Virginia Society of Ghost Hunters] and she asked the four of us to go and check out an area in the kitchen that has a known entity that comes in out of the freezer. We got into the kitchen and walked around and finally decided to sit for a bit. Once I settled into my seat I closed my eyes and tried very hard to focus on some communication. I had no luck with that particular ghost. I however kept getting a very strong smell of baby powder and heard a woman singing. I also felt very sad while in that paticular part of the hotel. I would have loved to have spent the night to get the full effect but, I have a toothache from hell. It was well worth the time and I would definitely love to go back again. Melanie