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Encounters Archive:

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2005 Encounters:
The Old Man in Our House - Edmonds, Washington

Grandmother's Angry Goodbye - Woodbury, Minnesota

The Fourth Kitty - Jasper, Tennessee

Dad's Kitten - San Diego, California

The Shadow and the Footsteps - Queens, New York

The Faucet Turned Itself On - West Virginia

The Dark Phantom at Paris Les Halles - Paris, France

The Haunted Family Home - Exeter, United Kingdom

Mysterious Footprints - Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Precognitive Dream About my Sister's Passing - Orlando, Florida

Remembering G.G. - Long Beach, California

1700s Ghost Lady - Dublin, Ohio

Dad's Message - El Dorado, Arkansas

The Graveyard Woman - Indianapolis, Indiana

Apparition at Senator Bard's Mansion - Ventura, California Ghost picture

The Vanishing Soldier - Posovina Corridor, Bosnia

Belleview's Haunted Biltmore Hotel - Clearwater, Florida

In Memory of Uncle Fred - Shelby Twp., Michigan

Floating Down the Stairs - Omaha, Nebraska

Our Old-Time Visitor - Savannah, Georgia

The Footsteps and Opaque Mist - Fraser, Michigan

Graveyard Shift at the Water Plant - Dayton, Tennessee

University of West Florida Pirate Apparition - Pensacola, Florida Ghost picture

The White Lady of Easton - Easton, Connecticut Ghost picture

A Spirit Saved My Life - Austin, Texas

My Sign From Dad - Kansas City, Missouri

Gram's Warning - Philidelphia, Pennsylvania

Jordan's Vigilant Watch - Tehachapi, California

A Strange Light in Willer Hall, Quincy University - Quincy, Illinois

Dad's Spirit - Navasota, Texas Ghost picture

The Rotating Bed - Virginia

Poltergeists at the Desert Sands Inn - Albuquerque, New Mexico

The Reclining Ghost - Gresham, Oregon

The Hand Grabbed Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

The Dark Figure - Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada

Grandpa's Late-Night Visit - Colorado Springs, Colorado

Second Sight After Surgery - San Diego, California

Mom's Goodbye Kiss - Virginia Ghost picture

Encounters At My Grandparent's House - Lumber City, Georgia

The Spirit Girl Who Lived With Us - Flagler Beach, Florida

My Cousin By the Pool - Dubai, United Arab Emirates

My Doppelganger - Perth, Western Australia

The Orb Brushed Beside Me - Blooming Grove, New York

The Old Beauchamp House - Grove, Oklahoma

Knocks, Shadows, and Apparitions - Alexandria, Minnesota

The Misty Working Girl - Chicopee, Massachusetts

The Shinto God at Tojinbo Cliffs - Tojinbo, Fukui Prefecture, Japan

My Car Crash Premonition Dream - Atlanta, Georgia

The Ghost Who Pinches Toes - Birmingham, England

A Voice In My Ear - Sitka, Alaska

The Entity From My House - Georgia

Talking to Grammy - Evanston, Illinois

The Ghost Followed Me Home - New Orleans, Louisiana and Santa Rosa, California

The Man in the Pool - Marietta, South Carolina

The Girl at the End of My Bed - Louisiana

Fog of Spirits on the Graveyard Shift - Springfield, Pennsylvania

Floyd and the Walking Horse Hotel - Wartrace, Tennessee

Rattling Cabinets From Mom - Pensacola, Florida

The Basement Girl - Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Scarborough Beach Restaurant Apparition - Scarborough Beach, Western Australia

The Ghostly Ballroom - Delevan, Wisconsin

The Haunted Garden - Cornwall, England, UK

Gale Force Phantom Winds - Sussex, England, UK

Tomkins Square Park Apparition - New York, New York

The Girl in the Pilgrim Dress - Griffin, Georgia

A Late-Night Visitor - Loveland, Colorado

The Mohawk's Cry - Altamont, New York

Granny's Passing - Jonesboro, Arkansas

Anna Tried to Show Me - Rochester, New York

The Shadow in the Kitchen - Elgin, Illinois

Bessett House Orbs - Bannack, Montana

My First Haunting - Wareham, Massachusetts

Our Haunted Office - Ocala, Florida

James's Last Call - Austin, Texas

Great Grandmother's Ghost - Mendoza, Argentina

Channel Road Apparition - Sanger, California

Haunted Practice Space - Massillon, Ohio

Strange Sounds in Our House - Portland, Oregon

Paris Theatre Orbs - Paris, France

My "Daughter" Sarah - Somersworth, New Hampshire

My Creepy Apartment - Amherst, Massachusetts

Nan's Ghostly Girl at St. Mary's - Jersey Channel Islands, United Kingdom

Greatmother's Message - Pittsburg, Kansas

Bessett House Orbs - Bannack, Montana

The Disappearing Battery Pack - Honolulu, Hawaii

Paul's Goodbye - UCONN, Storrs, Connecticut

My Haunted Life - Orange County, California

My Ancestors' Spirit at Ruthin Castle - Ruthin, Wales

The Little Red Rocking Chair - Brooklyn, New York

My Uncle's Visits - Wiggins, Colorado

Strange Sounds at The Rock - San Francisco, California

A Visit From Ole Pete - Sharpsburg, Virginia

Shadow Figures - Sykesville, Maryland

Flagler Museum Energy Ribbon - Palm Beach, Florida

Phantom Perfume at the Whaley House - San Diego, California

Floating Red Eyes - Uvalde, Texas

Ivy's Watchful Vigil - Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom

Mists and Streaks in the Philippines - Cebu, Liloan, Philippines

Six Days of Torment - Old Wethersfield, Connecticut

Scratching Torment - Palm Coast, Florida

Granny's Bouncing Lights - Jemison, Alabama

Visions From Lourdes - Lourdes, France

The Evil Eyes - Northern Ireland

Sleeping by Camp Letterman - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Living With Spirits - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Cozy... Haunted, But Cozy - Warrensburg, Missouri

My Grandmother Walked By - Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada

Entities at a Prayer Meeting - Salem, Illinois

The Foreboding House - North Shields, Tyne & Wear, UK

Waverly Hall Cemetery Anomalies - Waverly Hall, Georgia

The Island Ghost That Follows - Wrentham, Massachusetts

The 4:05 AM Banshee - Suffolk, Virginia

My Cousin's Ghost - Bronx, New York

Do Orbs Mean a Haunting? - Newton, Iowa

A Guardian Angel and Haunted Home - Massachusetts

The Spirit of Mrs. Rogers - Wakefield, England

Conjoining Mist Spirits - Chesterland, Ohio

My Family's Clairvoyant Gifts - Region 1, the Philippines

The Queen of Hearts - Irwin, Pennsylvania

"Little Chicken" at Hotel Meade EVP - Bannack, Montana

My Two Haunted Houses - Bridgend, Wales, UK

The House Of Ludington Ghost Video - Escanaba, Michigan

Dad's Ice Cream-Eating Angel - Barboursville, West Virginia

A Phantom Leg Rub - Sheridan, Michigan

The Ghosts of Iversons Pits - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Spirits on the Land - Milton, Florida

The Ghost Who Doesn't Like Men - Neptune City, New Jersey

The Old Aunt's House - Indiana

The Ghost of Opus - Nashua, New Hampshire

Dad's Last Visit - Cliffside Park, New Jersey

The Glowing Window - Glendale, California

Grandmere's Gift - Louisiana

Blizzard's Ghost - Lynn, Massachusetts

Contacting Sam - Stinson Lake, New Hampshire

Grandma's Dusty Sign - Scituate, Massachusetts

The Face on the Floor - Southampton, England

The Ghostly Roommate - Channel Islands, UK

Captain Tony's Saloon's Haunted Bathroom - Key West, Florida

Grandma's Last Call? - Grapevine, Texas

The Front Porch Moaning - Managua, Nicaragua

The Crystal Curse - Chesapeake, Ohio

Bringing Evil Home - Denver, Colorado

Mr. Ruckman's Mansion - Runge, Texas

Brown Robed Figure - Fremont, California

The White lady of Old Burial Point - Salem, Massachusetts



August 8, 2005

Floyd and the Walking Horse Hotel

Rate this encounter:
Votes:47 Rating: Rating = 7.38 Ratings Breakdown
Patrick, Wartrace, Tennessee, Early 1980s, info@ghostvillage.com

I grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and went to school with lots of the country music stars' kids. This afforded me some rather unique experiences and one of those is how I came to encounter a ghost. There is a hotel in Wartrace, Tennessee called the Walking Horse Hotel. I know it is still there because I visited it yesterday with my wife and kids on the way back to Atlanta from visiting family in Nashville. The property has changed dramatically on the inside, but as soon as I saw the outline of the building I knew that was it -- even after 20 years since my experience. 

It was in the early 1980s and I was invited to go with some of my friends and one adult, the wife of a very prominent country music star, to stay New Year's Eve as the guests of the manager of unique hotel located in Tennessee -- Walking Horse country. We were to be the only people in the hotel as it was closed that evening. My friends had stayed there in the recent past and had some interesting experiences. This particular hotel was the resting place of “Strutting Jim,” one of the most famous Tennessee walking horses of all time. His trainer “Floyd” had lived in the hotel and sometime after the horses passing had died himself in his room on the 3rd floor of the 3-story hotel. Floyd was said to still be wandering the grounds and the halls of the hotel but our host George, the manager of the property, assured us that he was always friendly and had not harmed anyone. 

We arrived mid evening after stopping for dinner on the way and enjoyed a nice quiet evening. We spent most of the evening looking at the amazing Walking Horse artwork that hung on almost every square inch of the lobby and main staircase. It was shortly after midnight, we had been listening to George’s tales of encounters from other guests when everyone started settling down to sleep. I was feeling a bit brave and still wasn’t as sold as the others on the authenticity of “Floyd the Ghost,” so I decided to go up and sit in his room on the third floor to see if anything would happen. I sat on the bed in the almost total darkness and waited for “Floyd.” 

When I opened my eyes I was laying on the bed, still fully dressed in clothes and shoes and day was just breaking. I knew that I had fallen asleep and that there had been no visit from “Floyd.” I went downstairs to find George starting to put together breakfast and the others were just starting to mill about. George suggested we go out and see “Strutting Jim’s” grave marker and stretch our legs before breakfast. As we headed out to the back pasture to visit the stables and grave it all seemed strangely familiar. As we approached a fenced in area on the side of the pasture I stopped George and asked how long the English sheep dogs had lived there. He looked rather surprised as we had not been out here the night before and there had been no mention of the dogs, but sure enough they came running up to the fence and started barking and looking directly at me.

We then proceeded to the stables where the grave marker was and there were a few horses kept. As we approached one of the stales George told us all to stay clear of the big black one as he bit anyone he didn’t know. The black horse immediately came to me and started nuzzling my head with his and stamping his feet in excitement. We then walked over to the Grave marker and I lead the way as if I had been going there for years. By now even George was blown away with all of this and when asked, I responded that I slept in “Floyd’s” room but didn’t remember leaving the bed all night. 

We all walked back to the hotel talking about the strange events and without asking I walked directly in the rear kitchen door like I owned the place. We had not been anywhere near this area of the hotel for our visit but I knew exactly where to go. We all sat down in the dining room and George asked who would like biscuits with honey to start. I jumped up and stated that these were the best biscuits in the world and everyone should have some. George asked how I knew this since this was my first visit and we had arrived after dinner the night before. I walked straight into the kitchen – opened a pantry – reached up to a tin on the third shelf and opened it up to reveal a tin full of the very biscuits. 

That pretty much sealed the deal. It is my assumption that “Floyd” took me for a little spin the night before, using my body as a vehicle to get to his favorite places and get some of his favorite food. I am still not quite sure what to make of this incredible event, but I know that I now believe that there are some people who just aren’t ready to go on to heaven or whatever awaits them and they are still here on earth with us.

On my visit yesterday it was so disappointing to learn that the new proprietor had gutted the hotel, changed the entire layout -- losing the lobby and grand staircase, and didn’t believe that any of the tales about “Floyd” were anything more than poppycock. The entire feel of the place was different and I hope “Floyd” has moved on to his eternal resting place. I know the memory of that incredible day will always be with me.




2014 Haunted New England Wall Calendar by Jeff Belanger photography by Frank Grace
Check out the 2014 Haunted New England wall calendar by Jeff Belanger and photography by Frank Grace!


Paranormal Conferences and Lectures
Don't miss the following events and lectures:

Jeff Belanger and “The Bridgewater Triangle” at Dedham Community Theatre - April 6, 2014 9:00PM

The Spirits of the Mark Twain House - Hartford, Connecticut - April 12, 2014

Paracon Australia - East Maitland, New South Wales, Australia - May 10-12, 2014