22 June 2024 | Audible Activity, Creepy places, Haunted locations, Your Stories, Your True Encounters
My name is Michael Todd and I’m writing to you from Muldrow, Oklahoma. Per your post of 6-14-24, inviting individuals on your mailing list to submit a ‘creepy story’, I thought I would forward a brief, but rather frightening event I experienced a few years ago.
I am the founder and lead investigator of ‘Spook Earth Paranormal’, based in Muldrow, Oklahoma. I’ve researched and investigated the paranormal for over 16 years. During this time frame, I’ve been scratched, bruised, pushed through doorways, had my hair pulled and witnessed so many ‘shadow’ incidents, I actually lost count. I’ve been to diverse locations such as Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Kentucky and historic War Eagle Mill east of Bentonville, Arkansas. My encounters have been documented by audio and video recordings, scientific instruments such as K2 meters, infrared cameras and still photography. I’ve physically heard disembodied voices in the hallways of old TB sanatoriums, had a doorknob turned by unseen forces, while I stood on the other side urging them to open the door. And shadow figures are one of many apparitions, spirit entities and otherworldly creatures I have witnessed. Throughout it all, I always managed to keep my nerve, stand my ground and gather the best evidence possible.
Except for one location which defeated me totally.
One location in Charleston, Arkansas, scared the living crap out of me.
And at this location was the one spot which unnerved me. Room #52.
In a nutshell, I had an opportunity in July of 2013 to investigate a location in Charleston, Arkansas called Green Hurst Nursing Home. This facility had been shut down the previous year as a new facility was built a few miles from the old location. I became acquainted with the owner, (who was friends with my father) and he gave the ‘greenlight’ for my group and I to do an investigation.
As the investigation was scheduled for the following weekend, I wanted to have an early ‘look-see’ for myself and determine where night vision cameras would be best utilized and so on. So, on Saturday the 13th of July, I drove to Charleston with a few pieces of equipment to see the building.
I swung by the owner’s home and found the ‘keys’ to the nursing home hidden in his mailbox by the road. The nursing home which housed at one time over 60 elderly and mentally handicapped patients, was a silent, deserted and lifeless hulk of a building. It rested in a quiet residential area near a semi-busy road. I drove into the parking lot, climbed out of my car, hoisting my equipment bag and made my way to the front door. It was pushing twilight, and a warm breeze was flapping the old flagpole chain about. I managed the key in the old, worn-out lock and went inside what was once the main lobby. I sat my bag down on a couch and surveyed the area.
The electric was still on in the building, and I flipped on the lobby lights. One set of fluorescents came on allowing some light in the gloomy, semi dark of the lobby. The interior was like any nursing/ hospital type facility. The lobby had a few remaining pieces of furniture, a deserted nurse’s station, (papers were strewn around the floor) and an old coffee maker on a shelf which I’m sure served many a cup on long nights of work. I took note of a kitchen/ breakroom type area beyond the nurse’s station. It appeared totally barren and very dusty. The final thing I took note of was the patient halls ran west and east. The west hall had one light at the end and the hall itself was in pitch darkness. The east hall, however, was an unnerving sight. I felt it was ‘odd’ that the doors leading into the hall were chained together. I immediately thought of the TV show, “The Walking Dead”. If you watched the show, the sheriff was warned not to open one set of hallway doors and the warning was intense: “Don’t open. Dead inside.” Somehow, I knew I had to go that way.
I removed a mini-mag flashlight and my small Sony Camera from my equipment bag. I went to the ‘chained’ doors and much to my surprise saw they were not locked but merely wrapped around the door handles to keep anyone from the other side from opening the doors. “Strange”, I thought. The owner had mentioned some TV’s had been stolen recently by trespassers and I was told to let him know about any open windows or doors.
I opened the right-side door and with an ominous ‘creak’ it came open and I was immediately in a ‘pitch black’ hallway. The hallway lead toward what appeared to be another nurse’s station. Items were literally strewn everywhere. Wheelchairs, television sets, hampers of clothes, toiletries and the like. It made walking a bit difficult, but I managed. I heard a ‘scurrying’ sound and saw a mouse flying around a nearby door frame. I made it to the nurse’s area and snapped off a few pictures into the dark. I was at a junction where the ‘new’ hall headed north and the other south. I was passing the room the owner had told me about, which was the intensive care room. I looked inside, snapped a few pictures. A bed, various cabinets with linen still waiting to be spread greeted me and I couldn’t help but shiver slightly as I pictured the poor person who might have spent the last few minutes of their life there.
I have been in numerous dark places, and usually march on with no problem. But as I stepped backway out of the ‘intensive’ care room, I had a horrible feeling something was watching me. I whirled around shining my mini mag in all directions. Junk filled; midnight dark hallways was my only discovery. I listened quietly and didn’t move for a min or two. I decided it was just my imagination. I shined my light south and decided to explore that particular hall. I was peeking into a room when a sound from behind me caught my ear.
I froze.
I had heard a car earlier as it accelerated through the intersection next to the facility and wrote it off. I thought about going back to the lobby and retrieve a camcorder but as I made my way to the west hall, I heard the ‘strange’ sound again. No denying it.
Someone was snoring from a room in the north wing.
I made my way quietly up the hall and as I neared the halfway point toward the hall’s exit door, the sound of ‘snoring’ and heavy breathing was coming from a nearby room. I took note of the room number. Room #52. Hoping it wasn’t a transient who had broken in, I peeked into the doorway. To my dismay, it was mostly empty and totally silent. The snoring/ breathing sound stopped the minute I crossed the threshold. I shined my light all around the room. Nothing stood out. No person, food items; clothes lying on the unmade bed… nothing.
I turned on my cameras video and asked: “Is there anyone in here?”
Total silence.
I admit that something was unnerving me, for the ‘someone is watching me’ feeling was now stronger and the hairs on the back of my neck was standing up. I heard movement again to my left and witnessed another mouse scurrying in a hurry to somewhere. Being an investigator, I tried to communicate but silence was all I received as an answer. I noticed that the day was darkening outside, and I decided it might be best to head back to the lobby. I turned and started back to the main junction. I, however, froze still in just a heartbeat and didn’t go any farther.
Behind me the bed in room #52 sounded like someone had just sat up in it. Heavy breathing and footsteps were heading toward the doorway of the room. I shined my light toward #52 and half expected to see a ‘grinning’ apparition staring at me.
My nerve broke and I hurriedly made my way back to the lobby. I put the chain back on the door and tried to shake off the strange occurrence. Outside, the streetlights were coming on as the sun was slowing disappearing. I started getting ready to leave and had flipped off the lights. The mystery of Room #52 would have to wait until the full investigation. I was honestly mad at myself for not being able to follow through with this incident and get answers. I was about ready to go as the lobby was in deep shadow now and there was an unnerving, creeping feeling of dread in the building. I turned my back to the station and started to walk to the front door. I didn’t go far.
There came a snoring/ heavy breathing sound emanating from the far corner of the lobby. This time it didn’t stop. I flipped on my cell phones flashlight and shone it toward a couch in the far corner. Nothing was there.
I had annoyed someone (or something much darker) and they had followed me.
I admit I was scared at this point. I was alone with something or someone who wanted to show me who’s in charge. I did the one thing; I knew I had to do. Loudly, I invoked the name of the Son of God and commanded this spirit to leave my presence and go back to their room. They could not follow me home or harass me any further. I said this in a commanding voice and ordered them to leave.
The room became silent as a tomb, and I left.
The following Saturday, my group and I investigated the Nursing Home. We did capture several EVPs, and one ‘odd’ picture of an old man with a gray beard. My snoring/ heavy breathing spirit never showed itself. Research found nothing out of the ordinary. The owner checked records but could not confirm anyone dying in the room. I’m not sure but I have pondered that the encounter was possible a wandering spirit (probably demonic) who had found a place to dwell.
I hope you found this story of interest. I do have some remaining audio pieces from this location as well a short piece of video from that day. Green Hurst was turned over to the state of Arkansas in 2014 and after several months of renovation is now called ‘Maggie House’. It serves the needs of homeless children and is run by DHS
Best regards,
Michael Todd
Founder and lead investigator of ‘Spook Earth Paranormal’
6-17-2024
Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/groups/2023274361094529/
© 2025, G. Michael Vasey & My Haunted Life Too.com (Unless indicated otherwise by author’s own copyright above). All rights reserved.