While doing research for my piece on the history of the DeJarnette
Sanitorium, I came across a man named Marty Seibel who is the owner and founder
of Ghosts of Staunton as well as the director and founder of Black Raven
Paranormal.
The goal of Ghosts of Stanton is to provide visitors with a tour that
merges historical fact and hauntings. It’s their mission to educate, enlighten,
and entertain guests on both the culture of the Staunton area and its local
legends.
Black Raven Paranormal is a paranormal investigation and research
organization, originally established in 2005 as the Shenandoah Valley
Paranormal Society. The group travels across the country investigating
reportedly haunted sites in the hopes of debunking the stories or capturing
evidence.
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| Retrived from Ghosts of Staunton Facebook page. Marty Seibel waits to start walking tour of DeJarnette, October, 2013. |
Seibel, an active paranormal investigator for over 13 years, explains
that history is the driving force behind what he does, adding, “We learn from
the past to secure our future.”
When asked about the history and controversy concerning The DeJarnette
Center and its namesake’s propagation of eugenics, Seibel describes it as a
local shame – claiming that some Staunton natives don’t like talking about it.
“It amazes me that it was at one time such a big movement with it
across the county and that the driving force in Virginia was based right here
in Staunton, Virginia - right here where I live.”
This past October, Marty and his coworkers at Ghosts of Staunton hosted
walking ghost tours of the facility. The group hopes to host this event again
in the future.
When asked if there were any local legends about the DeJarnette
facility, Seibel responded with the story of Mr. Atlee.
“There was a patient there in the early 1960s named Mr. Atlee. It is said he was a patient there and never
spoke a word the many years he was at the sanatorium, not a word during his
entire stay until the last week he was still alive. A few days before his passing, he made a
comment he would never be able to leave the sanatorium. There are stories of nurses and staff seeing
him shortly after his passing at various locations on the 3rd floor. It is also stated, many would hear a sound of
grinding, like grinding your teeth.
Staff spoke that when he was alive, he would sit in his wheelchair and
grit his teeth, making a grinding sound. Mr. Atlee did exist, the other
information we have no documentation to proof such.”
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| Photo credit to the News Leader. Retrieved from Black Raven Paranormal Facebook page. |
For more information on Ghosts of Stauton, call (540) 448-2743 or email
ghostsofstaunton@comcast.net.
Additional information, pictures and updates on events can be found on the
Ghost of Staunton Facebook page or at http://www.GhostsofStaunton.com
For more information on Black Raven Paranormal, visit the Black Raven
Paranormal Facebook page or visit http://www.BlackRavenParanormal.com/
Cool pictures!
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