The South’s Two New Haunted Places That Opened for Paranormal Investigations in 2018

The last half of 2018 saw some exciting developments on the paranormal front. Namely, two new historic –and haunted– locations opened for business. Not only that, both are super para-friendly.

Let’s take a quick peek at both, shall we?

Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary – Petros, Tennessee

It’s got a bit of a funny name, but Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary was no joke. You don’t have “Welcome to the end of the line,” as your motto for nothing.

Since they sum it up perfectly on their website, I’ll just share their description of what this prison was all about:

Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary was the last place you wanted to be sent to. Known as the “End of the Line,” Brushy was a maximum-security prison that held murderers, robbers, rapists, evil men who committed heartless crimes with little remorse. Once you came here there was little chance you’d leave here. Prison sentences were 200 years or more. 

Brushy Mountain officially opened for tours on August 4, 2018. My husband, Smalls, and I visited in November 2018. They’d already had over 20,000 visitors pass through their gates.

While they don’t offer guided ghost tours, they do offer two options for investigations: a four hour (10 p.m. to 2 a.m.) Paranormal Tour, and seven hour Overnight Investigation (11 p.m to 6 a.m.).

The price is pretty steep for both. (Well, it’s not bad if you split the cost with your team or other investigators.) $480 for the Paranormal Tour; $1,500 for the Overnight Investigation.

And what kind of activity has been reported there? The usual phenomenon you might expect, like footsteps, disembodied voices, and even apparitions. But visitors have also reported being touched, scratched, shoved and growled at.

This is one of the first historic places I’ve ever visited that included a warning about possible paranormal activity on the “beware” sign.

They closed for the season on December 31, 2018. They’ll reopen again April 1, 2019.

For more info visit their website: https://tourbrushy.com/

Sweet Springs Sanitarium – Sweet Springs, West Virginia

Sweet Springs Sanitarium is also known as Sweet Springs Resort Park, or “Old Sweet,” as locals affectionately call it. It’s a pre-Civil War resort that operated as a sanitarium for tuberculosis patients from 1942 to 1945. On November 1, 2018, the sanitarium opened for private paranormal investigations.

Rumors allege that duels were fought on the property, which may account for the apparitions that have been reported on the lawn area. There are also rumors that as many as 12 Shadow People call the resort home.

The Sweet Springs Sanitarium staff will help paranormal investigation groups navigate the building at the beginning of the evening. They’ll also answer questions about the location’s history, but they will not offer training or equipment. It is the responsibility of the groups to provide their own equipment and program.

Investigations are available for groups of one to 10 participants. Pricing is for an eighteen hour investigation from 6 pm to 12 pm. (Prices aren’t listed online. But if you go to the Paranormal Investigation Information section of their website it tells you how to contact them to inquire about prices and availability.)

Groups wishing to rent the sanitarium resort for paranormal investigation are required to make reservations in advance online. Full payment is due at the time of booking.

Sweet Springs Sanitarium notes that it does not book multiple paranormal investigation teams at the same time. Your group will be the only paranormal team in the building when you conduct your investigation. However, staff members or contractors may be working in the building
during the investigation.

For more info, visit their website: https://sweetspringssanitarium.wordpress.com/