Over the years I have heard rumours that The Palmer House hotel in downtown Sauk Centre was haunted. My wife Sharon and I had a drink in the bar once and certainly didn't see any ghosts. But earlier this year the Travel Channel Program "Ghost Adventurers" paid a visit to The Palmer House and the episode aired last Friday. Sometimes when the modern-day "ghostbusters' visit a place they come back empty handed, but that wasn't the case at The Palmer House. The hotel was built in 1864, but was destroyed in a fire in 1900 and was rebuilt in the same spot. Over the years there have been documented cases of people seeing shadows, hearing voices and foot steps and feeling ill or ill-at-ease, especially in the basement where people were said to have died in the fire. The Ghost Adventurers crew spent a lot of time in the basement where they felt ill and lethargic, felt electrical charges, one person was pinched or scratched and they recorded voices saying their names, saying they would follow them and more. A broom fell to the floor by itself, and cameras picked up mysterious lights and wires moving by themselves. The Ghost Adventurers left The Palmer House feeling it was one of the most haunted places they've been to. Many times they end up feeling like the spirits are harmless, but they felt whatever is still lingering at the Palmer House is possibly evil or demonic. As a Christian, I'm not sure I should be watching shows like these. We generally believe when we die our souls go to a better place (hopefully) and don't hang around here any longer than they need to. As humans we are naturally curious and many feel like they need to know every single secret of the universe, from The Big Bang to the DNA code. But there have always been those who feel a need or an ability to contact the spirit world...remember the Ouija Board craze of the 60s? Or the seances that were all the rage around the turn of the last century? Many thought it was just for fun, but people who study the paranormal believe they can be doorways through which satan can enter into our lives. Having watched Ghost Adventurers, Ghost Hunters and Haunted Collector for many years now, I can't believe everything they document is a hoax...if anyone ever proved they were faking it, or if they confessed, all credibility would be lost. They are compelling shows, but I don't know how I feel about being entertained by lost souls. Have you ever seen a ghost?
