The Jefferson Hotel
Jefferson, Texas
Stockyards Paranormal Investigations made our first out of town investigation in Jefferson, Texas on the weekend of February 27, 2010. Jefferson is reputed to be the most haunted small town in Texas and the Jefferson Hotel is listed in many places as being one of the most haunted locations in the state. Jefferson was a prominent city in the early years of Texas, being a major river shipping center and connection between Texas and New Orleans. The Jefferson Hotel was originally a warehouse built around 1850 and converted to a hotel following the Civil War.
Guests and employees have reported paranormal activity including seeing full apparitions. Several different spirits are alleged to haunt this location, with the most famous being that of a young woman who hung herself when her husband failed to show for her wedding. The rooms with the most frequent reports of activity are 5, 12, 14, 19, and 20. Room 19 has consistently been reported as the most active.
Readers can consult a multitude of websites for the history and haunting of Jefferson. We would suggest you check out the hotel’s website at www.historicjeffersonhotel.com. I would also highly recommend checking out the ghost tours provided by Jodi Breckenridge, her website is www.jeffersonghostwalk.com
Investigation
SPI rented rooms 5, 19, and 20 for our investigation. Our investigators for the trip were Cheryl, Monica, Shirley, Kevin, with guest investigators Amy, Clare, and Brandy. We utilized our regular equipment including cameras, audio and video recorders, EMF meters, K2 meters, and temperature gauges.During the early part of the evening we divided into smaller groups and worked the different rooms. We encountered very little in the way of activity early in the evening.
Around midnight we all gathered in room 19. During this session we began to get hits on the K2 meter. We had three of these in different parts of the room. We had previously checked the room for EMF and found no unusually high readings. Initially we were getting weak hits, where only one or two lights would flash. Over the next fifteen to twenty minutes those hits began to increase in frequency and intensity. The flashes began to go to yellow and then to red. At times only one K2 meter would flash and at other times they were all going off at the same time. We tried to get the K2 meters to respond to questions but this effort met with failure.
Cheryl noted a fragrance of vanilla during this session, but the odor faded quickly. We picked up several whispers on our audio but nothing strong enough to be considered an EVP. We did get a couple of orb photos during the evening and we’ve included these on the report. Cheryl also heard a sigh come from the bathroom in room 19. This occurred just as Cheryl and Monica were setting up and they did not have a recording device on at the time.
Photo from room 20: note two orbs in the photo one near the floor and the other directly on Amy, sitting on the bed.
Photo from Room 5: one small orb on the wall
After we had concluded the night’s activities and everyone had gone to bed, Brandy’s K2 meter went off with an audible alarm at about 5:00am. The audible alarm only sounds for an especially high EMF detection.
We did not obtain enough evidence from this investigation for our group to conclude that the Jefferson is haunted. However our investigation covered only one night and there has been reported activity at this hotel for many years by a wide variety of people.
In conclusion we had a great time in Jefferson. The town is a must for paranormal enthusiasts. The hotel manager Lindsay, was wonderful to work with and very helpful to the group. We would also like to send a shout out to Vicky, the night clerk, who related her own story of seeing what seemed to be the apparition of a tall dark man standing next to her one night. We look forward to making a return trip. It would be great to investigate on a night when the hotel is not nearly full as it was the weekend we were there. Jefferson and the Jefferson Hotel is a great destination regardless if you go for an investigation or just for fun.
Hotel Manager Lindsay
Desk Clerk Vickie
Ghost Tour Leader Jodi