The Stanwood Hotel & Saloon was built in the late 1890s, and is one of the oldest buildings in town. Although it has been changed and added to, it is essentially the same structure that housed loggers, mill workers, hunters and tourists for many years. The PIHA Grey Team’s investigation of this historic building revealed some amazing evidence of paranormal activity indicating that some people that were connected to this building never left.
Welcome to PIHA’s Historic Haunting of Washington State Magazine On behalf of the volunteer paranormal investigators of PIHA, I invite you to experience Washington State’s amazing historical sites and museums like never before. PIHA has created a program unlike any other in Washington State. Through our process of networking with local historical societies, museums and registered historical sites, PIHA hopes to help educate the public of our state’s exciting history and the process and technology utilized in today’s paranormal investigations. PIHA was created with two goals in mind: 1. PIHA hopes to bring our history to life by attempting to obtain significant evidence of these strange occurrences. Utilizing the latest in today’s electronic technology and dedicated paranormal investigators, we are accomplishing this objective. 2. PIHA wants to stimulate additional interest in our residents and visitors to Washington State’s fascinating history. We want to encourage individuals, families, schools and community organizations to visit these (and other) historical locations for a better understanding of our state’s history and the people who made it. PIHA is not out to prove or disprove the existence of possible paranormal activity, but to publish any significant evidence collected at an investigation and let each individual decided for himself what to believe or not to believe. Wherever your travels in Washington take you, best wishes for a “Trip to the Extraordinary”. For additional information about PIHA, visit our website at www.pihausa.com
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In this Issue: Welcome to PIHA’s Historic Haunting of Washington State Magazine…..2 Washington State History………….…………………………….……..…….5 The History of Western Washington…………………………….....………..7 The History of Stanwood…...…….…………………………………..……….9 The Historic Stanwood Hotel & Saloon………………..…….………………11 Paranormal Investigation Report………………………………………..…...13 Paranormal History Report……………………………………....…….....…..15 Contact PIHA:
PIHA Magazine Publisher:
PIHA (Paranormal Investigations of Historic America) Vaughn Hubbard: Case Manager/Historian/Founder Phone: 360.799.4138 Email: Info@pihausa.com Website: WWW.PIHAUSA.COM
Publisher………………...…..….Historic Haunting Chief Publisher…………..……..Vaughn Hubbard Program Manager:………….…..Debbie Knapp Marketing Manager:…………....Kathy Gavin Graphic Designer:…………..…..Julie De Stefano Research Assistant……….……..Robin Western Research Assistant……….……..Terry Knapp
Debbie Knapp: Lead Investigator/Historian Kathy Gavin: Senior Investigator Terry Knapp: Investigator Julie De Stefano: Investigator Robin Western: Investigator-in-Training Dave: EVP Specialist
Acknowledgements: We wish to acknowledge the HistoryLink for allowing PIHA to use their published historical research information as reference material. To read about the history of Washington State visit the HistoryLink website at: www.HistoryLink.org Special thanks to Dave from Silent Voices who works with the Grey Team as our EVP Specialist. To read more about the groundbreaking work that Dave is involved with and his instructions on EVP's techniques, visit his web site at www.SilentVoices.info
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Washington State History The State of Washington occupies the far northwest corner of the contiguous 48 United States. It occupies 66,582 square miles (176,600 square kilometers) between the Pacific Ocean on the west and the Idaho border at 117 degrees longitude. Washington borders Canada on the north along the 49th parallel and Oregon on the south along the Columbia River and 46th parallel. Great Britain and the United States jointly occupied the region between 1818 and 1846, when Britain ceded the Pacific Northwest below the 49th parallel to the U.S. In 1848 the U.S. created Oregon Territory, including the future states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho and a portion of Montana. Washington Territory (including Idaho and western Montana until 1863) was separated from Oregon on March 2, 1853, and gained statehood on November 11, 1889. The federal government created Oregon Territory on August 14, 1848. The area of the new jurisdiction included the present-day states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and western Montana. The discovery of gold in California in 1848 triggered a large westward migration, and settlement of Oregon Territory was promoted by passage of the Donation Land Claims Act of 1850, which granted 160 acres to any U.S. citizen who agreed to occupy his or her land for five years. On August 29, 1851, 27 male settlers met at Cowlitz Landing (south of present-day Olympia) to petition Congress for a separate “Columbia Territory” covering the area between the Columbia River and 49th parallel. The petition was reaffirmed by 44 delegates who met in Monticello on November 25, 1852. Congress approved the new territory on February 10, 1853, but changed its name to “Washington.” President Millard Fillmore signed the bill on March 2, 1853, and Olympia was named the Territorial Capital and has remained the capital of both Washington Territory and State since 1853. President Franklyn Pierce named Isaac I. Stevens as the first governor of an area that included northern Idaho and western Montana until President Abraham Lincoln established Idaho Territory on March 4, 1863. Washington’s non-Indian population grew steadily to more than 300,000 over the following decades. Its residents began petitioning for statehood in 1881, and Washington was admitted to the Union on November 11, 1889, with the signature of President Benjamin Harrison. Thirty federally recognized sovereign Indian tribes and reservations occupy substantial areas in Washington, and there are an additional seven unrecognized but culturally distinct tribes. Native American Indian tribes have occupied this area; now know as Washington State for over 10,000 years and have a rich history in culture and survival. By the 1850s, when the first Euro American settlers arrived at Alki Point and along the Duwamish River, diseases had already taken a devastating toll on native peoples and their cultures. During the 80 year period from the 1770s to 1850, smallpox, measles, influenza, and other diseases had killed an estimated 28,000 Native Americans in Western Washington, leaving about 9,000 survivors. Historian Robert Boyd conducted extensive research on the effect of European diseases on Northwest coast Indians. In his book, The Coming of the Spirit of Pestilence, he states that the 1775 Spanish expedition led by Bruno Hezeta, commander of the Santiago and Juan Fracisco de la Bodega & Quadra, commander of the Sonora was the most likely carrier. 5
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The History and Expansion into Western Washington The first settlement in the Puget Sound area in the west of what is now Washington was that of Fort Nisqually, a farm and trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company, in 1833. Washington's founder, the black pioneer George Washington Bush and his Caucasian wife, Isabella James Bush, from Missouri and Tennessee, respectively, led four white families into the territory and settled New Market, now known as Tumwater, Washington, in 1846. They settled in Washington to avoid Oregon's racist settlement laws. Eventually, many more settlers, migrating overland along the Oregon Trail, wandered north to settle in the Puget Sound area. In 1852, people from all over what was to become Washington state gathered in Monticello (now Longview) to draft a memorandum to Congress. The memorandum expressed their desire to be granted statehood under the name of Columbia. This meeting came to be known as the Monticello Convention. The desires of the Convention were met favorably in Congress, but it was decided that a state named Columbia might be confused with the preexisting District of Columbia. In a manner which strangely enough did not solve the problem of being confused with the nation's capital, the state was instead named Washington in honor of the first U.S. president. Washington became the 42nd state in the United States on November 11, 1889. The heavy rainfall to the west of the Cascade Range produced dense forests, and the ports along Puget Sound prospered from the manufacturing and shipping of lumber products, particularly the Douglas-fir. Other industries that developed in this portion of the state include fishing, salmon canning and mining. In the spring of 1853, Congress authorized a US Army expedition made up of engineers and explorers and led by Isaac Ingalls Stevens, to survey a route from the Missouri River to the Columbia River suitable for building a railroad. Stevens assumed the task, but also kept in mind that the route should be suitable for a wagon road. The 25’ wide road was so called because its purpose was to connect Fort Walla Walla east of the mountains to Fort Steilacoom along side the Puget Sound. The road was built from Fort Steilacoom and then, following an ancient Indian path known as the Naches Trail, it crossed over Naches Pass and down to the Naches River east of the mountains. The road then followed the river to Yakima. The trail roughly follows the present day State Route 410 which instead goes up and over the Chinook pass, a little south of the original route, to Naches and on to Yakima.
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History of Stanwood Washington Coast Salish people of the Stillaguamish Tribe had an encampment near the site of the first trading post and other villages upriver and along the shoreline of Port Susan. The word Stillaguamish means “people of the river.” Neighboring tribal groups were the Kikiallus at Conway and on Camano Island, and the Skagit people and the Snohomish people to the south, among several others. They, both men and women, were often crucial in transporting early settlers and their belongings to every area of the Puget Sound using their expert canoeing skills. The area that later became known as Centerville was first settled by Saxton Hale in 1848. Slowly, farmers and loggers began staking claims in the river’s rich delta. In 1870 the first post office was established followed by a trading post at the mouth of the river. The settlement was officially designated Centerville. In 1877, D. O. Pearson arrived with capital and goods for the first community store. Pearson also built a wharf allowing steamboats to dock along the Stillaguamish River. After Pearson became the Postmaster he changed the name of the town to “Stanwood”, his wife Clara’s maiden name. By 1895 the Stanwood Cooperative Creamery was started and built its building on the highland east of the depot, beginning the story of the two towns, Stanwood and East Stanwood. Five years later, in 1903, the Town of Stanwood and the Stanwood Lumber Company were incorporated. Stanwood Lumber Company was located at the mouth of the river where the river forks north to Skagit Bay and south to Port Susan. Associated with the mill was the boom company that handled logs coming down the river. East of the mill was the granary. Near the depot (the future East Stanwood one mile east) the People’s Union operated a general store and meat market. In 1904, The Bank of Stanwood was incorporated and the H & H Railroad Co. was built. To make use of the Great Northern, the H & H Railroad was established to connect Stanwood mills and passengers with the depot one mile east. With H. C. Anderson as a primary investor and the Stanwood Lumber Company as its major early customer, it carried passengers and products between Stanwood and the Great Northern Depot in East Stanwood. About 1941, it became the Twin City Grain Company. On the east end of the waterfront, the Irvine Slough entered the river. In the early days, the slough carried logs and barges from the uplands and shingle mill at East Stanwood. In East Stanwood, after the establishment of the People’s Union, the community slowly began to grow. In 1906, Francis Giard registered the plat of East Stanwood adjacent to the depot and just east of his large farm. In 1922 that East Stanwood became an incorporated town with Giard as its first mayor. At that time the mile of road between Stanwood and East Stanwood (271st Ave NW) was paved with the first hard pavements of vitrified brick laid in Snohomish County. In the 1920s the Pacific Highway was built, bypassing Stanwood east of the depot.
With road improvements, East Stanwood could grow. That same year, 1914, the East Stanwood Post Office was established and the town began to come into its own. When the high school building was completed next to the North Street School in Stanwood it drew students from the surrounding communities of East Stanwood, Camano Island, Cedarhome, Florence, and Norman. 9
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The History of the Historic Stanwood Hotel & Saloon The Stanwood Hotel & Saloon was built in the late 1890s, and is one of the oldest buildings in town. Although it has been changed and added to, it is essentially the same structure that housed loggers, mill workers, hunters and tourists for many years. The mill workers purchased meal cards to eat there. It became a tavern with a card room after Prohibition. Hotel Stanwood was a mecca for travelers from the busy Stillaguamish River waterfront. As the waterfront declined in later years, it acquired a somewhat seedy reputation. Long-time Stanwood residents remember as children they were not allowed to go near the saloons in those days. Over the last 110 years the building has had numerous owners, but it still remains a favorite gathering place for the residents of Stanwood. Some of the previous businesses that have occupied the building included bars, restaurants and bordellos. Most of the previous owners of the building ran their business on the main floor and had rooms available for rent on the 2nd floor. PIHA became interested in scheduling a paranormal investigation of this historical building for these reasons: 1. Being a local community gathering place usually means that there were a lot of happy times shared by many of the residents over the years. 2. Being used as a bar and bordello usually means a strong attraction remains with the building by previous tenants. We have found that these factors can play a significant role in possible paranormal activity in a historical site. And usually not by one or two spirits, but by many spirits. This theory was reinforced by the numerous EVP’s (Electronic Voice Phenomena) digital recordings obtained as evidence on other Grey Teams investigations. Today, the present owner of the Stanwood Hotel & Saloon, Marilyn Guthrie, maintains the same friendly atmosphere and still provides a gathering place for the local residents and visitors of Stanwood. It is no wonder that Marilyn and her employees and patrons have reported strange activities since she has owned the building. It still remains a happy place and as such, there’s really no reason for the past spirits to leave.
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The PIHA Grey Team’s Paranormal Investigation On December 10th, 2010 the PIHA Grey Team scheduled paranormal investigations at the historic Stanwood Hotel & Saloon in Stanwood, WA and came away with some interesting results indicating that possible paranormal activity does exist. These are the results of the PIHA Grey Team’s investigation. The PIHA Grey Team’s Lead Investigator, Debbie Knapp was joined by Marilyn Guthrie, Stanwood Hotel & Saloon owner and manager. As is the usual practice, the team first completes a scan of the area to be investigated. They use their EMF (Electromagnetic Field) detectors to locate any abnormal electronic energy that may exist. Next, the Grey Team sets up their camcorders to video tape any shadows or strange movement that may take place during their EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) session. Finally they position the PIHA “Parabolic Dish” that they use to record any noises or voices that may or may not be heard by ear. The parabolic dish also has a headset attached allowing an investigator to hear any voices or noises that cannot be heard naturally by the other investigators during the EVP session. This has proven to be a valuable tool to validate anything recorded during the EVP session that would otherwise go unnoticed. Vaughn has concluded that if ghost actually exist, they can be seen, heard and felt anytime, day or night with the lights on or off. The main reason that most paranormal organizations investigate late at night is that there are fewer people in and around the area or building being investigated and the same is true for vehicle traffic. All of these factors can contaminate the electronic recordings being made during the actual investigation. Basically, the quieter it is the better chance of recording possible evidence of paranormal activity. But, if someone just wants to have a paranormal experience or possibly see a ghost, they’re chances are probably better during the day than at night. There are many more encounters told by ordinary people of seeing or experiencing a ghost during the day and fewer at night. You could have something standing right next to you in the dark and you may never see it, but during the day you will. 13
Results of the PIHA Paranormal Investigation This paranormal investigation yielded some fascinating evidence of paranormal activity throughout the entire early morning hours. Employees and visitors had reported numerous activities in this area over the years. At 2:24 AM, the Grey Team began their EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) session in the hotel rooms on the upper floor of the building led by Dave (PIHA’s EVP Specialist). An EVP session is when a series of questions are asked and recording devices such as digital recorders and the PIHA parabolic dish are set to record any noises or responses. The Grey Team also uses the Sony hand-held I.R. video camcorder to help document these sessions. Shortly after Dave began his EVP session, the motion detector located in the hall by room #9, was activated by something unseen. The detector went on and off numerous times for no apparent reason before finally stopping for the rest of the night. About 43 minutes into recording, Dave and Robin hear someone say Robin’s name About 33 minutes into recording-Debbie hears and records a faint whisper Debbie feels like the small hand of a child grasp her leg Robin was sitting in room #5 with an EMF CellSensor and after about 30 minutes, it was activated by some unknown energy source and remained active for about 10 minutes and then suddenly stopped. There is no electrical power installed upstairs. At 3:30 AM, the Grey Team moved into the bar/dining room area using an EMF (ElectroMagnetic Field) detectors and video recorders. An EMF devise indicates any energy fields that are present during an investigation. Many paranormal investigators believe that this type of energy field could mean the presence of a spirit or ghost. Just as Debbie is starting the EVP session a voice is recorded saying “HI”. About 28 minutes into recording-Dave gets an answer “I Am” to his question “Is your name Charlie Gibbons” that was killed by a motorcycle accident. After Dave makes the statement “We will let the others know if we find out you were here with us” he gets an answer “Good” that sounds like a child’s voice. Later Dave states “Again, I’m trying different ways for you to let us know that you are here and a female voice is recorded saying “I’m OK”. After our investigation PIHA has determined that the Stanford Hotel & Saloon is haunted!
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The History of Paranormal Activity There have been many reports of staff and patrons hearing footsteps being heard upstairs when no one else is in the building. A long time employee witnessed an apparition accompanied by an odd smell. People have witnessed the apparition of a woman wearing period clothing and believe that she is overseeing or protecting the premises. The current owner and manager Marilyn Guthrie has captured what appears to be an apparition type cloud moving behind the bar on her surveillance system. Men sitting at the bar tell of feeling the sensation of a woman walking up and pressing her breasts ever so flirty onto their back, only to turn and find no one there. Paranormal investigators have recorded unexplained voices and sounds during their EVP sessions. Investigators have also used EMF meters (K-II devices) to communicate with a spirit. They ask a spirit to respond by blinking the light on their K-II meter for a “YES” answer and don’t blink the light for a “NO” answer. The first owner and barkeeper of the Saloon have made his presence known to the female staff on occasion. Women have reported having glimpses of him wearing black pants, tie, and black vest over a white shirt with garters on his sleeves. Some of the female bartenders report having their hair stroked lovingly while working behind the bar. There is also evidence of a mist forming and moving behind the bar that was captured on the Saloon’s surveillance camera. Margret another spirit that is often channeled may have been the Hotel's Manager and/or Madam to some of the women working as ladies of the evening in the earlier days of the upper class Hotel. Margret is seen as a tall blonde mature woman whom presents herself as being very business minded while having that air of being distinguished. It is thought that she spends many hours in the original Old Hotel Lobby now turned into an office, while Marilyn is working. Charlie Gibbons was a regular of the Saloon in the 1970's. It is believed that he died in a motor cycle crash when his bike hit a slick spot on the highway between Mt. Vernon and Stanwood. One paranormal group managed to record an EVP of him stating his name. This file is unedited except for the loop and volume making it a Class "A" EVP. Carl, a young red headed man may have suffered a head injury that caused his death. Some believe that he has difficulty walking. It is reported that Carl is usually on or around the dance floor. Female staff has reported that feeling of not being alone while working in the backroom storage area just off the dance floor. This area is also next to the ladies room. Some believe him to be the whistler responsible for the recording made in the ladies powder-room. Another resident spirit named Lily is a young beautiful woman with long flowing dark hair. It is believed that Lily was an early resident and working girl that made her living in the front upstairs of the Hotel, known as the white section. 15
On behalf of the volunteer paranormal paranormal investigators of PIHA, we invite you to experience Washington State’s amazing historical sites and museums like never before. PIHA has created a program unlike any other in Washington State. Through our process process of networking with local historical societies, societies, museums and community leaders, PIHA hopes to help educate the public of our state’s exciting history and the process process and technology utilized in paranormal research research. The PIHA “Grey Team” is made up of dedicated paranormal investigators with a passion for history and a curiosity in the paranormal phenomena. Our approach, equipment and procedures to paranormal investigating are primarily based on research and logic in obtaining evidence of possible paranormal activity.
The PIHA Approach to Paranormal Investigations PIHA never use mediums, psychics or Ouija Boards in our investigations. Many people who think that something paranormal exist, physics and logic can debunk. That said, occasionally PIHA obtains evidence that neither physics nor logic applies. When this occurs, we classify it as paranormal evidence and let each individual decide for himself what to believe or not believe.
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