The Jellico Post Office - Jellico TN- (w/EVP)
Investigation by Jaina Proudmoore c/o Haunted Jellico
(this story has not been proof read for grammar/spelling errors)
(this story has not been proof read for grammar/spelling errors)
Something about this big, huge building has always made me feel uneasy. When I first enter the building the first thing I notice is how stale and heavy the air is, and it never changes. Day or night and any time of the year the atmosphere in here is always the same.
The next thing I notice is the echos. Every move I make echos throughout the building, this alone is enough to rattle the nerves.
I have always heard that this place is haunted. Some people say that the upstairs is haunted, others say the the haunting is actually downstairs.
From what I have already noticed about this post office and having those ghost stories lodged in my head it's fairly easy to believe that every little sound I hear (and there are many odd sounds) could possibly be a ghost. The eerie, uneasy feeling gets stronger the longer I stand here.
Before I actually start trying to rifle through evidence that this historic building is actually haunted. I want to find out some history about the location.
The next thing I notice is the echos. Every move I make echos throughout the building, this alone is enough to rattle the nerves.
I have always heard that this place is haunted. Some people say that the upstairs is haunted, others say the the haunting is actually downstairs.
From what I have already noticed about this post office and having those ghost stories lodged in my head it's fairly easy to believe that every little sound I hear (and there are many odd sounds) could possibly be a ghost. The eerie, uneasy feeling gets stronger the longer I stand here.
Before I actually start trying to rifle through evidence that this historic building is actually haunted. I want to find out some history about the location.
A little history
I know that it was built in 1915. The first floor was a post office and the second floor was devoted to the activities of the U.S. Bureau of Mines and a local mine rescue organization serving the coal mining region around Jellico.
Mine rescue stations were outfitted with equipment needed to respond to underground mining accidents and served as sites for conducting training of local mining personnel. I was also told that the basement was once a fully functional bomb shelter.
I do not know this to be a fact because I cannot find documented proof to support the claim. What I do have is several matching stories from different people who claim to have been around and seen the account first hand.
I have been told that after a train carrying troops wrecked near Jellico in July 1944, some of the troops were brought to the basement of the post office to receive temporary care until they could be transported to nearby hospitals. According to what I was told about this, some dead bodies were also brought here to await proper transportation. Some of the injured troops died here due to their injuries while waiting in the post office basement.
Many of the older generation around Jellico believe that the actual haunting of the post office comes from the basement area and is a result of that terrible train accident. Other people believe that it is the upstairs area that is haunted by a former postal worker who still roams around the offices located upstairs.
Maybe both locations are haunted!
Mine rescue stations were outfitted with equipment needed to respond to underground mining accidents and served as sites for conducting training of local mining personnel. I was also told that the basement was once a fully functional bomb shelter.
I do not know this to be a fact because I cannot find documented proof to support the claim. What I do have is several matching stories from different people who claim to have been around and seen the account first hand.
I have been told that after a train carrying troops wrecked near Jellico in July 1944, some of the troops were brought to the basement of the post office to receive temporary care until they could be transported to nearby hospitals. According to what I was told about this, some dead bodies were also brought here to await proper transportation. Some of the injured troops died here due to their injuries while waiting in the post office basement.
Many of the older generation around Jellico believe that the actual haunting of the post office comes from the basement area and is a result of that terrible train accident. Other people believe that it is the upstairs area that is haunted by a former postal worker who still roams around the offices located upstairs.
Maybe both locations are haunted!
Claims
Some of the claims that people have made about strange possibly haunted happenings inside the post office.
- One night I went in to get my mail kinda late and I heard movement coming from the back. I called and and nobody answered, I figured I was being ignored but the next day when I went back in, the workers said that nobody was there the night before.
- I went in one evening, nobody was there, the service window was closed and all of the employees was gone for the day. I heard foot steps on the stair case, it sounded like someone was right there and felt like I was being watched. There was a stamp machine there at the time and it went crazy shooting stamps out. I didn't even get my mail, I ran.
- Some friends & I decided to investigate one night. We was sitting on the stairs and heard the security guard upstairs moving around and shining his flashlight. The next day we found out that there was no security guard there.
- One night I went in to get my mail and I felt a heaviness like the air was almost too thick to breathe. I couldn't move for a few seconds, I felt paralyzed. I have never gone back in there alone at night anymore.
- One late night I was in the lobby and heard a female laughing upstairs. I was told that there was nobody, especially not a female there that night.
- I have never seen or heard anything in the post office but the feeling i get when i go in there scares the hell out of me.
- My grandfather always talked about going in to mail a letter one evening just before dark and he dropped his letter in the out of town slot and turned to leave. He heard something a turned around and seen his letter laying on the ground.
- My mother said that when she was a young girl she went into the post office and seen a lady standing on the stairs wearing really old looking out of fashion clothes. She said when she spoke to the lady she vanished. My mom would never go back in there for any reason, you couldn't force her to go back inside there.
- I was driving by one night and was stopped at the red light. I seen a lady inside it looked like she fell down the stairs. I parked and ran inside to help and nobody was there anywhere. It was pretty creepy. I was so sure of what I had saw I even reported it to the police.
My investigation equipment
Because this is a government building and I have not acquired the proper permission, I will not be taking photos inside of the building. What I do have is an EMF detector.
This device is used to measure changes in the ambiance or electromagnetic fields in a location. Because spirits need energy to manifest, the magnetic field will drastically change if one is nearby.
I also have an EVP recorder.
I also have an EVP recorder.
This is used to capture sounds and voices that the human ear cannot hear. It uses a series of white noise effects to distinguish electronic voice phenomena.
My investigation of the Jellico Post Office
First I want to share an interesting photo that I took outside of the building. This photo was captured at 8:37pm. I had already been inside of the building and nobody was there, no workers, no visitors the building was silent. I had stood inside for about 10 minutes just making sure that I could not hear any sounds of people moving around. On the top floor to the far left I heard what sounded like a heavy object being moved across the floor. I called out and asked if anyone was there who could assist me, and there was no response.
I am not trying to convince anyone that this is an actual ghost face in this window. But you can't deny that it does look very interesting. This could simply be a trick of light or a odd reflection. However I believe it to be something else. Possibly proof that the upstairs section of the post office is haunted. I believe this because of the atmosphere inside of the building, the heavy air, the eerie feeling and the sounds that I personally experienced while being inside. Below you will hear a EVP that I also captured inside of the building just prior to taking this photo.
I am not trying to convince anyone that this is an actual ghost face in this window. But you can't deny that it does look very interesting. This could simply be a trick of light or a odd reflection. However I believe it to be something else. Possibly proof that the upstairs section of the post office is haunted. I believe this because of the atmosphere inside of the building, the heavy air, the eerie feeling and the sounds that I personally experienced while being inside. Below you will hear a EVP that I also captured inside of the building just prior to taking this photo.
Inside of the building I decided to sit on the stairs for a while and just listen and take in the environment of the post office. If you truly believe in the paranormal, you can sense changes in the atmosphere for yourself without the need for any equipment. Although I use equipment to help me I rely on my own instincts as well.
The temperature definitely changed while I was sitting there. The area went from warm and stuffy to fairly cool and drafty then back to warm and stuffy within about a 10 minute span.
My EMF meter picked up a high reading sitting on the stairs. There are no electrical devices nearby that could be producing these readings. When the EMF reached its highest point I decided to begin recording EVP. If you listen close you can hear a female voice saying
"He's coming up the stairs!"
The temperature definitely changed while I was sitting there. The area went from warm and stuffy to fairly cool and drafty then back to warm and stuffy within about a 10 minute span.
My EMF meter picked up a high reading sitting on the stairs. There are no electrical devices nearby that could be producing these readings. When the EMF reached its highest point I decided to begin recording EVP. If you listen close you can hear a female voice saying
"He's coming up the stairs!"
My conclusion
My personal conclusion is that YES the Jellico post office is haunted. Possibly by more than just one spirit. I do not think that any of these spirits mean to scare or harm anyone...they're just simply there.
Taking into consideration the claims that have been made by other people and what I have experienced myself I truly believe that there is a female spirit haunting the post office, she possibly fell or was pushed down the stairs at some point in history. I believe this because of the female voice I captured on EVP and the many claims that people have made about seeing a female on the stairs and hearing a female upstairs. In my EVP we can hear a female voice say "He's coming up the stairs!" this leads me to think that maybe she was pushed...and that the male who pushed her is still there as well.
I'm also convinced that there is a male spirit there who lingers around upstairs. This is a different spirit than the female speaks of, I believe this one is a former employee of the post office. Possibly the spirit that most people hear or sense moving around at night. The one that likes to prank people at night by tossing around letters or making the stamp machine go nuts.
As for the basement area, I have no idea if there are more spirits down there. I did not hear any sounds coming from beneath and the lack of access to the basement area makes it almost impossible to determine if there is a story to be told down there or not.
Taking into consideration the claims that have been made by other people and what I have experienced myself I truly believe that there is a female spirit haunting the post office, she possibly fell or was pushed down the stairs at some point in history. I believe this because of the female voice I captured on EVP and the many claims that people have made about seeing a female on the stairs and hearing a female upstairs. In my EVP we can hear a female voice say "He's coming up the stairs!" this leads me to think that maybe she was pushed...and that the male who pushed her is still there as well.
I'm also convinced that there is a male spirit there who lingers around upstairs. This is a different spirit than the female speaks of, I believe this one is a former employee of the post office. Possibly the spirit that most people hear or sense moving around at night. The one that likes to prank people at night by tossing around letters or making the stamp machine go nuts.
As for the basement area, I have no idea if there are more spirits down there. I did not hear any sounds coming from beneath and the lack of access to the basement area makes it almost impossible to determine if there is a story to be told down there or not.