Purgatory
On Sunday, August 7, 2005, Eerie Oklahoma and GHOULI investigated Purgatory, an Oklahoma City nightclub that was once an Episcopal church. The story goes that it was originally a few blocks away from where it is now and was moved to its present location on North Classen by rolling it on logs with cattle helping to pull it. Also read the GHOULI report for additional history and their version of the report.
Local rumors have it that the building was used by groups that practiced "black magic" and some think perhaps whatever was done during that time may add to the mysterious and dark energy that sometimes lingers in the building. It is also documented that there was a priest that hung himself in the building during its former life as a church. These are valid reasons for an investigation to take place. The owners and the employees at the club report that they will not go in the basement alone as they have witnessed objects moving on their own and heard strange noises. They also reported an odd phenomena wherein brooms were stood upright in the middle of the dance floor without anyone holding onto them. Tonya got one to do it, but only in one area of the floor, right in the center where the arch of the roof meets.
We began the investigation by walking through the building and becoming familiar with it. We then took turns with tape recorders going into various sections of the building and spending quiet time alone. We did this in the basement, a back room, upstairs in the VIP room, and the stage. We also had two stationary video cameras set up in specific locations. I asked team members to take note of any places that made them feel particularly uncomfortable so I could compare them later and see if anyone picked the same spots.
While Susie was in the VIP room, which is an enclosed balcony, she felt something brush up against her ankle and her hair got flicked. The video camera she had set up there has a strange anomaly on it that is currently being analyzed. She also got a strange picture that I am also having analyzed.
The acoustics in the club are designed so that sound carries, so I thought that trying to get any decent EVP may be futile, but it seems that Eerie member Scott may have gotten one on the tape recorder he borrowed from Tonya for his round backstage behind the curtain. She discovered it Sunday night after she got home and was reviewing the data. You can hear a whispery voice right before Scott starts to speak about being on the stage.
When the last group was doing their tour of duty, I took a minute to look back through my photos. I found one that I thought was odd and I went upstairs to see if I could recreate it. The first one was when I was doing my time up in the VIP room. It looked to me like an image of an upper half of a torso and head in the glass (right in the middle). This is not my reflection as I was from a different angle and had my arm up taking a picture. There was no one else up there.
You can see the form in the negative version as well. I returned to this spot and took two more pictures for comparison - from the same spot and angle. As you can see, the form does not appear in the #2 shot or in the negative version.
It seems to appear again in the third picture taken, and in the negative version.
Scott says this could be a lighting issue with the digital camera, but I don't know. I took several shots from the same spot and angle and if it were a reflection or something on the glass, it would have been the same each time and it wasn't. Maybe it is something to do with the digital camera's interpretation of the lighting. Maybe it's not.
At the end of the evening, I compared the notes that we took and they read as follows:
Tammy
August 7, 2005 - Purgatory
Basement - I didn't like the back hallway type place.
Tonya - Basement
Back hallway behind big bar, 2 bathrooms, felt totally creeped out!!
Tonya & Jennifer both made notes that behind the stage curtain was uncomfortable (which is also where Scott got an EVP).
Note that these are not "technical" or "scientific" terms and are not evidence, they were simply impressions and we try to note areas where people have the same impressions. This is the back hallway. It was not dark and it was open on both ends to the big room of the basement. It was a just a small hallway behind the bar, but the atmosphere there was very different than the rest of the room. Tonya also captured an EVP which is posted on the GHOULI message board, along with the one Scott got. This is not one of us - I have listened and listened and I can verify that it is not.
So, is Purgatory haunted? I think we got some decent evidence and we will be going back to do a longer, more intense follow up investigation.