Our Holiday Exploration In Virginia City Nevada On - 12/7/19

[lordoft...@aol.com]

Every year we try to do an investigation and exploration in Virginia City Nevada. Even if its returning to a location or finding something new we can check out. Since I live so close to here we have done almost everything you can think of plus some. Id like to start getting more into private cases at some of the older historical homes perhaps one day when some of the locals decide to give us a holler.

My original plan this year was to investigate St. Paul's Church sometimes though things do not go as planned so we ended up revisiting the old hospital which in my opinion is one of most haunted sites in the Comstock. It was not just a hospital but an orphanage also and quite a few people did die here ranging from miners to nuns and children in between from epidemics that struck.

We always try to go up here a few times a year for various events these holidays would be special because VC was holding a variety of them. One of the shop owners told me instead of doing much of their events all in one day they were going to spread them out all month. The event going on was finding the Grinch downtown. They also had a few other activities so I could not wait just to get up there and get involved.

We started off our morning shopping it was an ice cold morning just snowed over night. We had another storm on the way so we could only be up there for the first half of the day but you could see the storm coming over the sierras slowly. But as the day went on in between it was actually decent out and was warming on up.

Every year I go shop to shop buying a few Xmas gifts for my family. If you shop around enough your going to find some cool stuff. We also went to the candy shop picked a bunch of saltwater taffy out to take home from the barrels plus they give you free root beer candy and if you wear disguises like me you can get a few extra lol. It really is amazing at how many folks know me up in VC I been going up here with my Santa beard walking the streets now for a decade. I started that tradition because now when I go there I seen about five other people doing it I was like WTF lol.

Some older lady pulls me aside downtown and says to me I just seen your twin pass by. I told her no worries I am the real and original one lol. While downtown we got to see them arrest the Grinch lock him in a cage. He was all looking at me banging on the cage lol! We got to decorate the tree downtown for each ornament we get a raffle ticket and we had quite a few. Near the tree they were serving fire whiskey hot chocolate and yeah I had ordered one its a must!

This is one of the only places in the country you can drink booze and go Christmas shopping where the cops wont harass you. I grabbed my spike coco and went shop to shop. They did not even ID me and I was wearing my Santa beard like I said most of the locals know me. Not to many black nailed Santa's with red mirrored sunglasses lol.

We also have another tradition where we get an ornament from the Christmas store every year. This year we got Christmas Bears for our tree. Its a family tradition of ours but next year we may not go just because we want to take trips to other places so will have to see. But its a cool tradition if you ask me to go ghost hunting and buy an ornament all in the same day.

Surprisingly VC was not as bustling as it usually is shops were empty, nobody was out hardly walking around and I was drinking hot coco infused with whiskey. It was cold up here real cold but by noon things were warming up I think it got into the 50's. I was back n forth between my truck and shopping. They have some cool Bigfoot signs at one of the shops you can buy.

Sadly many of the stores and shops were not open in the morning it use to be you go up there 8am people were open but now its 10am even later. I found a few places open but VC was a ghost town and if you look at some of our pictures you will notice nobody is in the background. Maybe it was be because of the storm that passed then the next day were issued a new storm warning. Most folks up here hunker down in the bad weather or they are merrily drinking at the local saloons.

When were done partaking in some spiked hot chocolate, hanging ornaments, talking to some of the local business owners etc we packed it up and went on over to the old St. Mary's Louise Hospital. In my opinion this is one of the most haunted sites in Virginia City while it is not directly downtown it does get overlooked and the ghosts that haunt it are ALWAYS there trust me.

St. Mary's Louise Hospital

The brick hospital always looks so dismal although the grounds are rather nice here lots of trees, grass etc. Out front everything was decorated for the holiday. It was nice to get on inside because it was getting a bit chilly outside as we could see dark clouds over Mount Davidson and it snowing on the Virginia Range. Its not uncommon for the peaks to get snow sparing Virginia City below them.

I am not sure you can call this an actual investigation but I did take EVP, readings and seen some parts of the hospital not everyone gets to see. Unfortunately I could not investigate the attic this time which is where I had gotten a couple EVP's during our first research project here.

The hospital was busy lots of staff, celebrations and even crafts going on. But I could get into some of the wards privately with no people to conduct my investigation which means the kitchen, woman's ward and some of the rooms where people died in.

The curator showed me a wheel chair from the 1800s their is nothing like it I have ever seen visiting old hospitals. She said it was donated and was in a dungy garage just up the street. They feel it came originally from the old hospital or was used here and now is making its return.

Like always the hospital has its warm areas but you can feel a few cold spots to ghosts? Who knows! I never feel alone at this place the history inside them brick walls ranging from miners who died in accidents to orphans that had gotten sick from epidemics. With that being said all paths led to death here because in the 1800's we were just not that medically advanced so while people could be made comfortable they just could not be saved.

Their was a man selling honey who gave me various samples as a matter in fact he let me try three different types of spicy honeys he made one of them was habanero. I ended up buying some of his cinnamon honey for biscuits the stuff is the best on earth I swear by it. Misbehavine Farms up in Dayton really has some nice product. They are a local farm not far from VC let alone me so ill be going up there to get some more eventually.

I had to wash my Santa Beard because I ate the honey with it on and it got everywhere haha. I was all walking around with honey hanging off me ran into the receptionist for my doctors office good stuff. But it is a small world up here people know one another. People recognize me for my black nails and crazy mask I wear lol.

I love the holidays up here down a dead end hall they had a lit and decorated Christmas tree. Everything is very holiday like this time of year inside and out. In my opinion if your going to investigate the old hospital you do it this time of year for the experience if anything.

While I had gotten high readings in some of the hospital rooms there is electricity flowing through the walls so I can only speculate that it could be a ghost cannot say for sure. But I did take EVP's in some of the rooms so will see what we get the place is never a disappointment.

I only spent an hour here we still had other things we needed to get done but it was a real treat making a second visit of it. Its so well preserved all the beds are made in the rooms, vintage furniture is everywhere and its like your stepping back in time. The ladies that are curators also have some good information if you talk to them.

After the hospital we went on over to St Paul's Episcopal Church to my surprise it was closed. I have not gotten a chance to do a project with this church we did do St. Mary's and were given access to a few places most do not get to see but St. Paul's doors were sealed for the long haul. What really upsets me about it is that many of the windows in the front were vandalized and you can tell someone threw rocks at them. All the windows on the sides of the church had wooden boards while the windows rocks had been thrown through were boarded as well.

I hate seeing that I know if I could do this church I could get some good paranormal evidence. Its one of the oldest churches in VC and yeah it burnt down but was built right on top of the original foundation so lots of history here. But the churches doors were barred up and it appears to be lifeless. I wish I went a few years ago while their website claims there are services here which maybe there are the doors only open my guess is on Sundays during service and well im not a very church going type of guy to be honest. But most churches are wonderful places for history and the ghosts that haunt them.

After my journey around VC it was time to grab some ales so we went to the Virginia City Brewery and Taphouse I have been wanting to grab a pint here for awhile. It is really one of the first brew pubs in the city since 1995 for decades breweries were outlawed. The building the brewpub sits in was a bakery and eventually a grocery store and eventually a gift shop. There is a nice area you can sit sip a brew and watch the people downtown. There was a bunch of rowdy women getting drunk not one man in there so I felt a bit out of place. Now I know what it feels like to be a woman and walk into a bar. I got to hear how all these women were naughty these holidays yet I was not getting any of the action what ashamed lol.

I had a steampunk extra pale ale it was a mix of citrus flavor, crispness and hops. It also is very high in alcohol content and is a wild western original. So being part of the culture here is pretty awesome drinking the ales the outlaws and people of VC once drank more or less. The brewpub does not serve food but they allow you to bring in food or order it which we thought about doing.

Instead we walked up the road and we went to the Firehouse Grille not sure ill eat there again. I had an expensive steak sandwich which was tough the fries were soggy. Everything was on a paper plate and the women at the bar kept giving me dirty looks. I locally promote restaurants and saloons being who I am and what I do but this place needs work. Last time I had the same thing but fries were not as soggy. We sat near the wood stove and they had a nice fire going the place was empty so that was only the plus to going there for dinner. I realize the place has high ratings but for the price I could have eaten a nice steak dinner with ribs at Applebees or Chili's to be honest and it would not have been that terrible.

No less I got tipsy had a few brews at the Firehouse then we decided to go home the skies were dark, winds were blowing and it was still raining. Lucky for me I was wearing my leather duster it weighs a ton but its super warm and not once was I cold being outside walking around even when I walked in the rain to the Brewpub. But we had to go the storm that was coming was suppose to be bad and VC is way up in the range so when they get snow they really get snow its a no joke thing unless you want to be stuck there. Not a bad place to be stuck at but we were hoping to make it home in one piece. Kind of funny I left VC almost in the evening and that Grinch in the costume still was in the cage since the morning and here it was snow flurrying and raining out lol. Now that is truly being stuck!

I had so much on my plate the night before I was at a Christmas party they had a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, music and even a gift exchange. I did not realize however the power of the storm till I headed out to Burnside Lake high up in the sierras to cut down a Christmas tree for three impaired people. I do volunteer work sometimes helping others so I wanted to take them out get them a real Xmas tree. I was so worn from VC and here I was early the next morning hiking in snow as deep as me then cutting a tree down a half of mile from the truck and hauling that tree through snow it was so heavy and the snow kept collecting on the branches.

So it had been an exciting weekend filled with shopping, Christmas chair, a tree cutting adventure high up in the mountains, drinking beer, shopping in VC and chasing ghosts at the old hospital. This is why I love living where I do! Our investigations sometimes are very simple but they are full of tradition, culture, history and good times too. I always integrate all of that onto our site paranormal included but its not my only focus. Because my job is to inspire our viewers and younger generations to live a little. Going to VC is living especially when you experience it the way I do. Although I was a bit taken back that now their are a bunch of other people dresses like the man with the rosy cheeks. I use to dress as Santa a little in VC for years was the only one then this time around there was like five other people doing it so I know my research, silly traditions etc are rubbing off a bit on the locals lol good stuff!

State tuned for our amazing and wild ghost town adventure coming on up its going to be stellar full of mills, mining camps, mines, cemeteries and ghost towns. You wont be disappointed!

Peace,

LR