Joshua Dowidat

Haunted Places: Essex County Hospital Center

Hello Everyone,

Well once again thank you for taking the time to read another post of mine about a haunted place. Once again it is a hospital and this time it’s Essex County Hospital Center. Or as some call it, Essex County Insane Asylum.

A Little History:

Essex County Hospital Center was built in 1896. The purpose of the hospital might come as a shock to you. Although it was obviously a hospital for the mentally ill it was primarily built to house the overflow of mentally ill from other hospitals in the area.

Built in the Township of Cedar Grove, New Jersey the hospital served through many rough times. Unfortunately those who were there were the ones who paid the costs. That is until the hospital shut down in 2003 when a new hospital was opened.

Dark Times at Essex County Hospital Center:

There are two very particular instances Continue reading →

Haunted Places: Hudson River State Hospital

Hello Everyone,

Yes I know I drifted away a little from the haunted places over the last month but that was to concentrate on the Halloween Holiday. So once again here we are and the haunted place today is the Hudson River State Hospital.

Hudson River State Hospital:

The hospital was opened in 1871 and served its purpose as a hospital for the purposes of psychiatric care. It first 40 patients were admitted then but the construction was far from complete as the hospital grew over the next 25 years. The hospital seemed to slow down gradually with its treatments over the next century because new means of care were introduced and thus eliminated the larger buildings such as the Hudson River State Hospital.

The hospital which still stands in New York was sold to an unnamed buyer when the hospital closed its doors. The gothic design of the hospital Continue reading →

Eerie for Thoughts: A Hawk’s Cry….Coincidence?

Hello Everyone,

Well, I try to stay put on a certain criteria for my blogs from one month to the other but something came up that I wanted to elaborate on. A hawk’s cry.

Why?

I was walking outside and doing some work when I stumbled across a rock in the desert. For those of you who do not know much about where I live, I live on a large acreage of land in southeastern Arizona. It is desert but lush and full of life at the same time.

But back to the story the rock is no ordinary rock. It is a rock that is not normally found around these parts because it was something that we brought in years ago for decoration. The interesting thing about the rock was its placement. It is placed outside of our general yard area and sits alone among the many brownish and Continue reading →

Haunted Place: Willard Asylum

Hello Everyone,

Today we are going to dig into a haunted place known as the Willard asylum. Unlike many of the buildings or hospitals that I have been talking about over the last couple weeks the Willard Asylum is still functional and in 1995 was declared a Historic building.

History of Willard Asylum:

The property for the asylum was purchased in 1850 and was originally going to be the site of an Agricultural college. The American Civil War put a damper on this just like many of the hospitals and dreams created around that time. It was under the direction of New York’s Surgeon General at the time to make the completed buildings on the property into and insane asylum.

Little did these people ever know is that these places would eventually become areas of supernatural phenomenon and paranormal activities.

I know I mentioned the asylum is still operational but Continue reading →

Haunted Place: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Hospital

Hello Everyone,

So here it is. Another haunted place and what do you know? It’s a hospital. A hospital for the insane but also other people as well. For some reason the fact that it held the mentally insane, just like the previous posts, makes you move a little more into the eerie realm. I think, and I am sure many agree, that the tortured souls of this world seem to have a better grasp on inheriting a place in the afterlife amongst us. At least that’s what it seems like most people believe.

The Haunted Place, the Hospital:

It took almost thirty years to construct and was originally started in 1864 and completed, at least for the most part, in 1881. It was in operation in 1864 and was originally designed to house 250 patients. The hospital did not close its doors until 1994. I know, it seems Continue reading →

Eerie for Thoughts: Eaten Alive

Hello Everyone,

Eaten alive. Cannibalism. Being eaten after you have already been disposed of. These are some things that really hit a different nerve with people when you talk about it. Why? Well, for me it is the feeling that your body is being consumed by something other than the Earth. Maybe it’s because we have climbed to the top of the food chain and are not used to this so the very thought repels us. Perhaps it is the primal fear because this was humans most known threat of death in the beginning of human kind besides the accidental, being eaten by animals.

Cannibalism:

When many people think cannibals they immediately think of Hannibal Lecter or Native Tribes of the Jungle regions where cannibalism was a large part of the Hollywood pictures for some time. In fact it dates back before any of these known Native Tribes of the Continue reading →

Seasons are Finally Changing

Hello Everyone,

I know I’ve mentioned it before but something always stirs in me this time of year when the seasons begin to change.

I know it’s not a drastic change, as of yet, but where I live when you stop reaching temperatures in the 100s it is a nice respite from the other 6 months of the year. The nights are what gets me. The cool air comes in a little quicker and compared to summer, the cool air actually comes in at night. But also there is the earlier sunsets. That rush to do things before the light fades away from the horizon when just a week ago you had what seemed like so much more time.

I guess that’s why they call it Daylight Savings Time.

The Mood of the Seasons:

The mood that people get in where I live becomes much more lighthearted. The hot temperatures Continue reading →

Eerie for Thoughts: Owen Parfitt

Hello Everyone,

First off many people or reports that relate to Owen Parfitt’s disappearance use a different title. I prefer this one because of its kinder nature to the missing person involved. Also, for any of you who have really been following me for the past several weeks on these disappearances then I would like to inform you or something. The last blog on this subject will also help to be an insight into the world of “Desert Shadows” when the time comes for the proper book in the series to reveal itself. It won’t give anything away but will allow you to understand a little of the historical or prior myth and back story that I do apply to my books.

Now back to the main topic of discussion. Owen. Well as many of you know some of the tales have been debunked or at least people have claimed Continue reading →

Eerie for Thoughts: Windy and Gusty Weather

Hello Everyone,

We all have different attitudes toward the wind. Someone once even told me that I got angry if the wind wasn’t blowing the right direction. I don’t think that had anything to do with the wind but was something else entirely but still the fact of the matter is the wind can be a blessing and a burden at times,

I actually like the wind. Although not always in the hot summers here where it feels like a confection oven blowing in your face every time you walk outside but typically I like the unstill feeling that the wind or gusts of wind provides.

Wind and Gusts:

Wind is caused by changes or differences in atmospheric pressure when the high and low pressures meet. It is also caused by the Coriolis Effect. So the rotation of the planet is a combining factor in the wind production and the Continue reading →

Eerie for Thoughts: Thunder & Lightning

Hello Everyone,

First of all I would like to point out that although marvelous and spectacular and fascinating and everything else that it is, lightning is dangerous. Just needed to get that out of the way and to point out that there doesn’t need to be storm clouds for there to be lightning. In certain climates there are such things as “dry lightning” and this phenomenon exits in some areas more than others. However I am sure that we or at least most of us are all aware of the precautions necessary when the dangers of lightning increases and how to prevent any accidents and decrease the risk. If not you can find some good information on the Internet by looking up the National Weather Service or the Center for Disease Control and Prevention under “lightning-safety.” Or simply follow the links:

http://www.cdc.gov/features/lightning-safety/

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/lightning/resources/lightning-safety.pdf

Be safe out there this storm season. Continue reading →