(Original headline: Haunted happenings )
A hotel-restaraunt in Mt. Pleasant that was built in 1883 is believed by some to have had customers that checked in more than 100 years ago who remain there today.
They're ghosts.
Sherry Wingrove, owner of the R&R Station, said she began noticing strange things happening soon after she and her husband, Ray, bought the business.
"Things would disappear and then reappear later. You heard footsteps when no one was there, and you could hear children bouncing a ball upstairs and pots and pans would fly off the racks," Wingrove said. "For 13 years I wondered what was going on."
Last August she decided to see if she was going crazy or if something supernatural was afoot.
That's when she contacted the Paranormal Researchers Organization.
"Someone from the organization has come in every month since then, except December, and they set up cameras and recorders in different rooms and sleep over night in a different room every time they come," Wingrove said.
The research was a relief to Wingrove because she said it showed orbs of all colors, and several apparitions, one of which was a woman holding a child.
There was also evidence of ectoplasm (what happens before a ghost materializes) and EVPs, the voice anomalies of a ghost talking.
Guests said the ghosts had made their presence known over the years.
"Some of the people were kicked, pinched or had their covers pulled off," Wingrove said.
She was quick to add that even with this behavior she believes the ghosts are friendly.
"They're just letting us know that they're here," she said
There has been evidence of numerous ghosts, two of whom were former owners of the establishment, and they just keep moving around.
"We have a top-hat man and a Victorian lady that runs the halls and there's one named Sarah and one named Robert," Wingrove said
Sarah and Robert told their names to a psychic that Wingrove brought in.
Wingrove admitted that she hesitated in checking if her business had ghosts because she was afraid that people would not want to stay there if it was haunted.
But since she's announced that the place is haunted, she's had a great response.
"I just think the people are curious about the possibility of coming in contact with something supernatural," Wingrove said.
"The job of PRO is to actually prove that a place is not haunted, but on Dec. 16 they told me their research found things that could not be explained," Wingrove said. "I was very happy to hear this because now I know it's not my imagination. I'm not crazy."
PRO's work has even gotten the establishment some attention from filmmakers who are looking for sites for scary movies.
The hotel was filmed on Jan. 16 with a psychic and the tape has been sent to a film producer in New York.
"At this point, I'm hoping to take advantage of this and see a real box-office hit movie filmed here one day," Wingrove said.
