Tour 120-Year-Old, Abandoned Hospital That's Become a Magnet for Ghost Hunters
"I have seen things down hallways that nobody can explain."
— -- An eerie hospital where things are said to go bump in the night is sure to give you nightmares.
The now-closed St. Ignatius Hospital in Colfax, Washington, is said to be haunted and is now a magnet for amateur ghost hunters.
"I've heard voices on recorders; I have seen things down hallways that nobody can explain," said Valoree Gregory, a tour guide and executive director of the Colfax Chamber of Commerce. "There's some creepy things that go on there."
All year round, Gregory and multiple volunteers host ghost tours and overnight sleepovers for brave visitors.
Gregory said she began giving spooky tours of the 120-year-old building in October 2015.
"It had been sitting there since 2003," she said. "The first thing I said was, 'Who owns this old hospital?' They told me the name of the person, who lives in Los Angeles, and I asked him 'Hey, can I use your hospital for ghost hunts?' and he said, 'Sure!' That's how easy it was."
Built in 1893, the 50,000 square-foot hospital has six floors and 25 rooms including an original x-ray room, medical equipment and a morgue in the basement.
Each tour is two hours long, and Gregory has had 67 tours scheduled for October, she said.
Admission is $45 dollars per person, with all the proceeds going back to the city of Colfax.
Gregory said she books groups from five to 20 people, but the smaller the group, the bigger the fear, she said.
“I’ve had crazy reactions,” Gregory said. “I’ve had one girl that couldn’t even walk into the room, and I had to escort her out of the building.I had a group of homecoming kids ages 17 and 18. We heard someone running up the stairs towards us, but couldn't see anything. We had three girls that started bawling and I was like, 'I'm so sorry!"
She added: "We walk them through and we tell them the history of the building. We hand out paranormal ghost hunting equipment, EMF [ghost] readers [and] voice recorders. They bring their cameras and take pictures of the inside."
St. Ignatius is having a “fright night” the night before Halloween, at which guests will watch a horror movie in the hospital before embarking on a tour.
"This Friday is our third sleepover, which is super creepy," Gregory said. "I've never thought I'd be able to spend the night in there this is my third one, so I'm doing pretty good. I'm sure half of my people will leave."
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