Hi, My name is Ken Baggette. I own Garden District Apartments in Mobile, Alabama, built in 1940. One year ago we had a major fire. For the last year we have been remodeling and restoring the building and units. As of now we have eight apartments completed and four to finish. I’m writing because I’m at my wits end.
I’ve always thought that there was a spirit in our building. A few years ago I had an experience that convinced me. I tell people and feel silly because it sounds so trivial but was really significant to me. It was a nice day, very quiet. Most of my tenants were at work. I was on the third floor, walking through apartment 304, checking the condition. I just had a tenant move out. As I walked through the bathroom I noticed one of the shower curtain hooks hanging down. It was a heavy hook and I placed it back over the rod and straightened out the curtain. A little later I left the apartments for about an hour.
I returned and was back in this apartment, kinda just walking around and seeing what was needed to get it ready to rent. I happened to look at the shower curtain and the hook that I placed so nicely over the rod was hanging down exactly like the first time I found it. I wasn’t scared, I kinda giggled and said out loud “O.K. ghost, I know your here.” I really felt strongly that something supernatural did this. Like I said, I think this sounds silly but I know a spirit did this.
There were also times when tenants would call me and say that someone was in attic, a large area above the third floor. I would check and the doors would be locked, no sign of anyone being there. Anyway, this story is not why I’m writing.
I’m at the apartments working everyday. About two months ago I rented apartment 103 and soon after 104, both on the first floor. I was then working on 203 and 204, both apartments on the second floor above 103 and 104. It all started one day when the tenant in 104 jokingly said there must be a ghost above him. He said that about 1:00 am he heard what sounded like someone dragging a heavy piece of furniture across the floor. I assured him that no one had been in there, the doors were locked. I even mentioned that we have been known to get rats. He said that it would have to be a gigantic rat to make this much noise. (during renovations we installed thick insulation between ceilings and floors above).
I believe it was the next day that my tenant who lives in apartment 103 mentioned to me that the new tenant above her sure walked loud in high heels. This apartment was nearly complete and she assumed that I had rented it. I told her that the apartment above her had not been rented yet and was all locked up, no one could have been up there. I then told her about 104′s experience with the loud dragging sound. I am fully convinced that the tenant in 104 had not told her about this yet.
These tenants both seem honest, not the type to make these stories up. We all three talked about these things and very calmly agreed that there is a spirit hanging out in the empty apartments. None of us are frightened. We laugh about the spirit(her). We think it is a female.
Every few days each tenant tells me what they heard above them. It’s not every night. But several events over the last two months. Just recently, about three days ago, my tenant in apartment 104 told me that in the middle of the night he heard the loud dragging sound. He said it sounded like someone dragging heavy furniture. He also said the same night he heard someone crying. Just going on and on. Please understand that there is no one living on these floors above him.
Like I said, we are not afraid. No evil or threatening feelings there. I am kinda in a dilemma. I’m not really afraid of losing my tenants because of the haunting. I’m more afraid they will soon get sick and tired of the loud noises above them. I also don’t want word to get around that the building is haunted because naturally I have to keep these rented.. this is my main income.
Thanks, Ken
Written by Ken Baggette, Copyright 2009
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 Classic Ghost Stories: Eighteen Spine-Chilling Tales of Terror and the Supernatural |
 The Best Ghost Stories Ever (Scholastic Classics) |
 The Mammoth Book of Modern Ghost Stories |
 This House: The True Story of a Girl and a Ghost |
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It sounds like you’re begging for help without actually asking for it..
Being young, I wouldn’t take myself too seriously, but maybe you should make it sound like it’s a building of horror, or a scary hotel, and that it’s just machines making the noise or something…that would cut off future customers, though…
Soundproof the floor?
Otherwise, I have no suggestions for now.
woah that is super scary
well here’s my theory, just rent them out as you normally would and see what happens or spend the night in each of those apts and find out first hand if what your tenants have been relating to you. you sound like a smart guy and maybe you could find a skeptic to go with you. good luck and be safe because i have a feeling about this one, nothing may happen when a living soul occupies those apts. thanks and please keep us updated on the situations.
I THINK THAT YOU HAVE A RESIDUIL TYPE HAUNTING
why don’t you try to get a priest and get the whole apartment blessed or cleaned? it help. i have two house & i never have any ghost live in my house & bother us, because we already get it blessed early.
sorry my grammar in last comment is wrong. i mean, I have 2 house & each is in different country. I have never have any ghost in both of my houses because we got them blessed early as soon as possible when we move in.
I agree w/Melllisa you should get the apt blessed by a priest or just do a blessing in the apartments yourself that way none of your tenents would see. My brother, whom is also a super like yourself once told me that before any of tenents move into an apt, he usually blesses the apt to take away any negative energy it may have from provious owners. You mentioned that you are renovating, renovations tend to stir up hauntings in some places depending on its past. It does not sound that you have anything evil in that apt, it can just be a spirit that has not moved on. Just sprinkle holy water on each corner in the apt and recite prayers from the bible, you should be fine. Now, try not to talk about ghost haunting w/ your tenents. You may not realize that you are placing fear on them and they may end up leaving. Even if you think they may be skeptics, they may be taking it serious.
I would pay extra to stay in a haunted hotel room!
You say that you dont want word to get out about this yet you put your full name and so much info about the apartments here which should make it fairly easy for anyone to find you and your apartments.
There is Alabama Paranormal and Alabama ghost hunters. You can do a search on the web for Alabama- and after that any key word like ghost, paranormal, cleansing etc. Sites like Ghosthunters (The TV Show) also have ALOT of links to other people that may be in your area and may help. Most of these people do not charge. Beware of the ones one that do!
I would leave “ghost hunters” out of this…unless you do want the word out. Ghosts hunters are mostly just a bunch of people that will simply check out your place and say if they believe if it’s haunted or not- Who really cares what they would have to say, they can’t help you.
I agree with those who said Blessing the apartments- this is the oldest and most sure fire way to remove the spirit(s). Because this is your main income, ask a Priest or a Pastor to do it, don’t waste any time trying to do this yourself- In most cases of “personal blessings of a domain” The spirit(s) become more active and a 100 times more noticeable.
Good Luck
i live in grand bay alabama.
I don’t believe that the spirits will harm you. It seems that something did happen there many years ago. Check out the history of the place and the land. See if a muder happened. It seems likely because the man in the apartment below it said that it sounds like heavy furniture is being moved. It could be a body that is being hid. Also, the lady that lives below the other apartment says that the lady has high heels. Well, that one could have been somebody died while they were out on the town or something or even suicide. Just check out the history to see what happened and then tell us. Believe me I know about hauntings. Every place I have lived at except this one was haunted by evil and good spirits.
Good Luck
Jeez. K, read all comments and there were only two that made any sense, one guy was AJ. Anyway, I have witnessed these type of occurrences my entire life, and yes, there is the typical “good” and “bad” feelings from these. If you and everyone else is feeling the good ones, what’s with the extensive worry? I am not any critic to your story but just know that what you feel is very REAL and in some cases people like me see what the noises are making. A lot of people love the mystery and sixth-sense-type of hope, but only some of us get this cursed gift. HOWEVER, if you are simply perceptive, you will feel things. Just don’t have too much of a zeal for things not really occurring, opt for the proof instead. Such as, you DON’T hear anything but three other people DO. They DO, okay, you don’t. Then find someone who can see them, not with just their eyes, but in the mind’s eye-it’s the same. Your building, along with mine, will be the same as any other and that’s that people will always need a place to live…or die…
Um, duh. I’m tired. In the sixth line, I meant lol what is MAKING the noise. Feel free to ask me personal questions RE:this matter and very similiar ones, on my myspace: http://www.myspace.com/awesomestchickintheworld Til then, thank you and keep things truly real. Otherwise, don’t bother.
Dear Ken,
It seems that many of the comments have spoken of getting the apartment building
blessed. This would not be a bad idea.
I would suggest that you not only have it blessed, but, before you do that, have a true
gifted physic come and do a reading in the apartments where the activity is. They will
tell you who is there and why “she’ is still there.
This would be a good thing to do because they will be able to communicate to “her”
that she should go to the “other side”. And help her get there. Before you have the blessing.
It is likely that “she’ is still there because she either does not know she is “dead” or
she is waiting for someone to come for her.
As your building was constructed in the 1940s, “she” may be waiting for her “fellow”
who was in the military. It is possible that he did not make it back from WWII or that
he found out that she had died while he was overseas. He may have never come for
her. This is likely why “she” is still there.
“She” may have died of an illness, or by her on hand, if she thought that or found out that he was on the casualty list. “She” is most likely looking for “him’ to bring her to the other side.
Have you done any research on the building? Have you found out if a lady died in the building during the war years? This could have been during WWII, Korea, or even Vietnam. Mobile is very near several bases.
Please let me know if I can help you find a reputable physic. I know one very good one
in Birmingham, she has worked with law enforcement. I have a good friend in New Orleans who may know of a very good person there on the Gulf Coast.
Please let me know if I can help you.
Camille
First let me say that I am shocked that my letter is posted on a blog.
I wrote this to ‘The Mobile Paranormal Societ’ hoping for some help from them.
Needless to say I never got a reply. Not sure if they posted or what. I would have never
used my real name or name of my apts.
I guess the cat’s out of the bag now.
I only found this blog because of friend of mine said that her brother read about my apts on web. So I did a search today and found this blog.
It’s actually kinda neat that there are comments and I appreciate the advise.
Might as well tell the latest.
Soon after the letter I did eventually finish the remodeling on the two apts above the tenants I spoke of in letter. I didn’t mention ghost or spirit to renters but I did ask them to let me know if they heard anything it apartments above them. These two apts are on third floor and are vacant until they get renovated.
I took a few months off before I started the renovations on these last two. Everythinig was quite. Occasionally I would ask new tenants on second floor if they heard anthing above them and always no.
Finally I started working on third floor apts about two months ago. Really haven’t thought much about or spirit. In the meantime the guy that lived on second floor apt, #204, moved out. I rented it two two young ladies about 6 weeks ago.
I am going strong on renovations and getting near completion.
About 3 weeks ago I got a call at about 1:30 am, woke me up. One of the girls who lives in #204 sounded a littel frantic and asked me if there was supposed to be anyone upstairs.
(By the way, I never mentioned anything to them about a ghost or spirit, I would never bring that up to any new tenants.)
I told her no, I am the only person with a key to these two apts. I told her that I would call the police to meet me there and check it out.
I was actually scared to confront a thief. I then immediately thought of the spirit and in my heart knew that it was ‘her’.
I immediately went to apts, policed arived right away.
Two cops and I walked upstairs, I unlocked back door to apt. They entered before me, we turned on lights. I looked right away to see if front door was locked & it was. They searced every inch of apt. and there was nothing. They then went upstairs into attic and there was nothing.
I tried every way to justify how these noises were made. Asking the girls if they could have been coming from front hallway and not from inside apts. Thinking maybe a tenant wondered up there being nosey.
They assured me that these were footsteps right above their head coming from inside the apts. They also said that it sounded like things being gathered or drug around.
When the two cops came down from attic one of them said “You may have a ghost.”
He was dead serious, not smiling. I then told him about our experiences with the apts below a few months ago.
A coupld of days later I asked the girls if they have heard any more noises. They said one night they heard walking for just a couple of minutes but nothing else. I haven’t asked them since, kinda don’t want to upset them.
I really thing the intense renovations disturbs this spirit. I think and hope that when these last two are completed everything should settle down.
I am just fascinated by all this. I’ve always been open minded but never had experiences or proof of something beyond our reallity until now.
I’ll post if there is more disturbances.
Ken
Hello Ken, this story was sent in to us by ‘someone’ who said they were Ken Baggette
Thanks for the updates!
Hi, I’m Ken Baggette and didn’t know that I was sending to a blog.
It’s o.k.
I kinda like taling about it and hearing comments.
Ken
its unfortunate that someone more or less plagerized your letter, and i think it was that paranormal society. but i’m glad to hear how things went and that you are nearly complete on those apts. please do post whether you hear anymore disturbances!! thanks for being so cool after what has happened!!!!
Hey Ken, since you’ve been unintentionally “outed,” I sure would like to have this story for my newest book on Mobile hauntings —
Elizabeth Parker
HAUNTED MOBILE:Apparitions of the Azalea City
MOBILE GHOSTS: Alabama’s Haunted Port City
MOBILE GHOSTS II: The Waterline
Hi Elizabeth,
Sorry it took so long to get back to you.
I started to write you several months ago. I just don’t know what to
do. It has quietened down now at the apartments. I have the construction
all done and all rented.
After a lot of thought, I’ve decided that I don’t want this published.
If it were my personal home I would be tickled. But word may spread
that these are haunted and could get a bad reputation, may become hard to rent.
I suppose if you wrote about an apartment complex in the garden district but didn’t
use names that would be o.k.
Let me know what you think.
Thanks,
Ken
Hi, Ken —
My books are in the library if you want to take a look at how I approach the stories; I very often change names for people, and obscure identifying details as requested. I never give addresses or locations of private homes — or businesses that do not want to be identified.
If you get a chance to look at the books, you will see that I am very straightforward with the stories, don’t embellish or add anything, and treat my interview-ees with great care. If people didn’t talk to me, there would be no books at all and I’m very aware of that.
Thanks,
Elizabeth P.
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