The Man in the Basement

The S&W Cafeteria has been featured before on this blog, but with all its Asheville and paranormal history, it's more than worth a second glance.

This time it's the basement of the Cafeteria that grabs our attention. There have long been tales of employees "hearing" and "feeling" things downstairs, but here is substantive photographic proof that someone, indeed, lurks there.

This image was taken by former manager Brad Boughton. Brad was alone in the basement taking pictures when he reportedly felt "something" and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He snapped this picture and captured ... well, something.

Some people see a woman, some see a man. What is clear is that there is something in the corner. Some type of disturbance, some irregularity in the light and brick. Someone perhaps enjoying a last tipple in a place that holds some of their dearest memories.

You can now make some special memories of your own in the basement of the S&W Cafeteria where the Funny Bones Comedy Club recently opened. Or come join us on a Ghost Hunters of Asheville tour and share other memories of ghosts long past.

Thanks, Chad Moore, for the zoom and cropping job!

Highland Hospital Haunts, Pt. II

This summer, psychic Angelique Clark from Arizona joined one of our Ghost Hunters of Asheville tours, the Haunted Montford Stroll. It always promises to be a livelier evening when someone who is paranormally sensitive joins the tour. This night was no different and, although there were plenty of paranormal sightings along the trail, most of the truly fascinating occurrences happened at the Highlands Hospital site.

The first indication we were not alone came in the form of a whistle. Angelique and another guest were standing apart from the group snapping photos when they heard tuneful whistling. Turning to each other, the duo saw that neither of them was whistling although the source of the sound appeared to be right beside them.

Then, two blocks further on the Highland Hospital complex, Angelique snapped the above photo -- a running figure appearing to be on fire. The photograph was taken on the site of the Central Hall dormitory before it burned to the ground over 60 years ago.

Highland Hospital Haunts, Pt. I

A 15-acre complex stands on the northern end of Asheville's historic Montford district. A complex once known as Highland Hospital and run by the nationally-known psychiatrist, Dr. Robert Carroll. Highland Hospital functioned as a psychiatric facility for over 70 years. Here, the rich and famous came to be treated for a variety of nervous and mental disorders. Zelda Fitgerald, wife of author F. Scott Fitzgerald, was a long-time patient.

Among Dr. Carroll's questionable practices of electroshock and insulin therapy was his hiring of former, "cured", patients. On March 10, 1948, Night Supervisor Willie Mae Hall -- one of these former patients -- systematically gave a double sedative to those patients she did not like, locking their bedroom doors in the Central Hall dormitory. She then set a fire in the kitchen. Quickly spreading to the building's dumbwaiter shaft, the fire reached all three floors in record speed.


There were bars on the patents' windows. The fire escape was wooden. Willie Mae Hall had cut the telephone lines. By the time the fire department was contacted and arrived over 30 minutes later, the place was ablaze. One thousand citizens watched helplessly. A nurse later said, "All we could do was watch, hear the screams and smell the flesh burning."

Nine women died in the fire, including Zelda Fitzgerald. She was first identified by her charred slipper found underneath her body.

Next up: An incredible tour photo captured at the fire's site.