This is an I Heart Podcast. Guaranteed Human. Now here's a highlight from Coast to Coast AM on I Heart Radio. And welcome back my friends, George Norrie with you. Aaron Dignance is with us, founder of Hauntines Around America, a paranormal history platform dedicated on covering the real stories between and behind America's most haunted places. Aaron is a historian and history professor that blends documented history and I witness accounts and unexplained experiences to explore the mysteries that linger in forgotten towns, old buildings, shadowed landmarks all across the country. Her book is called A Hauntine Diary Investigations with a Ghost Hunter and her websites are linked up at coast to coastam.com. Aaron, welcome to the program. Thank you for having me. It's good to be here. How did you get involved in Hauntines? So it dates back to when I was in high school, I had a history teacher who was a ghost hunter and he would link history with ghost hunting and it kind of captivated me and I kind of became obsessed with it and here I am. You are indeed. Do you put together Hauntines around America? Tell us about that. Yeah, so it really started during COVID. I'm sure you heard that a lot. But I was bored at home and kind of started writing this blog about haunted locations that I had been to and kind of linking the history of each of these. I started with New Orleans and Gettysburg and locations like that and you know, people just started reading it and it kind of blew up and I realized, you know, I have to expand this and turn it into actual ghost hunts. So that's kind of how it started. Now, how did you get involved in history and being a historian? Well, I started actually as a nurse and I realized that was not for me. So I went back to school and you know, the only subject that really grasped my attention was history. So I kind of angled that way and then once I got my bachelor's, I got a master's and I started teaching history as a professor and I realized, you know, I love it and there is a link between ghosts and history. So I kind of put my two loves together and the rest is history. Good for you. My granddaughter just got her nursing certification. She loves it. Great. That's awesome. You know, I, more power to her. I wish I could have stuck it out, but I just couldn't. Apparently there's a huge shortage of nurses around the country. There is. We need nurses badly. What has been the scariest moment for you doing what you do? For me, it started early when I didn't know what I was doing. I was still. It's the tails old time, right? I started as a teenager right after my teacher was kind of, you know, this place is really haunted. You should go check it out, you know, but be safe. Teenager brain says, okay, I'll just go do it and we'll see what happens. And it was an old asylum and the residents were not treated well there. And my group and I, we had no idea what we were doing. We were 18 years old. And we took turns in this basement kind of cellar where they used to lock some of the patients up that they could not control. It was a really awful, really awful spot. There was not even a floor. It was a dirt floor. And we closed the door. There was no locks on it or anything like that. And when it was my turn to sit in the room, I immediately started feeling really happy. I immediately started feeling really uncomfortable, almost claustrophobic, which is not something that I normally experience. And I told my friends, it's like I need to get out. I want to get out. I can't stand this. And we couldn't get the door open. Even though there was no lock, no one was standing in front of it. The door would not open. I was in tears. And it was probably about 10 minutes before the spirit or whatever released it and opened it up. And that almost stopped my ghost honey before really started. Was it a asylum that was closed? Or was it still full of people? It was closed. And what happened was it was an old house farmhouse, because I'm an Indiana turned asylum, turned whatever. And now it was kind of like a museum. And the people that ran it didn't really tell us much about it before going in. So we didn't know not to go into these rooms because the spirits are kind of angry. The weird thing about this location is a couple years later, it mysteriously burnt down. So yeah, it's a, it was an intense location. Well, when the group of 18 year olds went to the asylum, do you think about more of a fun party time? Yes, it was, this was before I really understood anything. And I don't even know if I really believed in it quite yet. So for us, it was kind of like a party, adrenaline junkie kind of situation. Once that moment started and occurred, when did you begin to realize there's more to this than I think? It took a little bit of time to really realize what I was experiencing. And honestly, I don't know if my brain was trying to override the situation or what, but by the time I was in my tears, what I was basically sobbing, I realized, you know, this is something paranormal. It felt very, very dark, it felt very scary. And I realized, you know, there's something more here. And it took me a couple years after that situation to even attempt to go on any kind of ghost on the gun. Now, where will hauntings around America take you all over the place? All over. So far, I've investigated in 42 different states, but I have written about all 50. About all the states, which ones seem to be the most haunted? Pennsylvania, New York, and oddly enough, Indiana. Indiana, really why? That's a good question. I guess we're just so bored here. I don't know. But, you know, we have some old jails up where I live in Northwest Indiana. It's linked to a lot of alcapone situations. You know, this was where they did a lot of the mob boss meetings. And, you know, they took care of a lot of people that way. So I think that that has a lot to do with it. Interesting take on all of that. And what do you think of cemeteries, Aaron? You know, for the most part, I don't think they're haunted. You know, of course, there are, there are some exceptions to every role. But for the most part, I think that cemeteries are more peaceful and it's more of, you know, a memorial site than a ghost hunter site. Since you've been doing this, do you recommend other people get involved? I do. I do recommend it. I recommend being safe though, because if not, you may end up locked underneath a silo. So I would recommend, you know, always being with someone who has done this before. But I do recommend getting an even if you don't believe in it. You know, it's a good time. It's a chance to experience history in a different, in a different way. You mentioned Pennsylvania has been one of the most haunted states. Is that because of Gettysburg? It is. It is. And that's where I, I had my very first ghost experience, but I didn't really realize it at the time. But that's what I was experiencing. But yes, Gettysburg by far is one of the most haunted locations I've been to. What is it about death, Aaron, that magnifies hauntings? Like Gettysburg where so many people tragically died. Yeah, I think it's just that the death was so tragic, you know, it was so quick. It wasn't an expected situation. It was, you know, abrupt. And I think that would that being one of the largest battles, maybe the largest battle to ever happen on American soil, there's so much death and despair there and such young men. And I believe that it kind of just sticks around, you know, and kind of plays off each other the energy of it. What have you concluded about dying based on your work? I would say based on my work that this is not the end. That is just my theory on it. But I believe that there is something afterwards. Is it, are they actual ghosts? What are they? I don't know, but I do believe that this is not the end. You're convinced there's something. There's got to be something. I'm not sure what, you know, when I first went into this, I was thinking, you know, this is just a fun little thing to do to get a self-scared, but I'm sure, you know, it's nothing really. But now that I've been doing it for a few, well, few years, 20 years, I would say that, yeah, there is something going on. What is it? I'm not sure. I do believe that there are ghosts. And then I do believe there are darker beans, but, you know, for the most part, it's spirits. How do you deal with skeptics? I embrace the skepticism I've been there. I understand it. I appreciate it. Because until you actually experience it, how do you, you know, how do you, you know, how do you believe that? I did not believe it. I just thought it was just a fun little game or whatever until I actually experienced it. And then you realize, okay. So when I come across a skeptic, I invite them to come along with me. I do a lot of events throughout the year all over the United States. And I say, you know, I just come on. And if we experience something we do, and then maybe I can change your mind, if not, well, then that's fine too. And I know you're going to want some after here in this. This is an amazing story. You got Steven and Malachi Gregory in Nelson, New Zealand. I understand that Malachi, who is eight almost nine years old now, was suffering with not just one or two warts, but I mean a significant outbreak of warts all over his body. So significant. It impacted his ability to really function. Yeah. He was having trouble even holding a pencil to write. I've just typed book actually that they got me thinking about it. I'm not surprised. It is an amazing immunomodulator. And so I can see that it would work. And so at what point did you see that there was actually improvement? It's really going to work. Well, we really started to notice it around 12 weeks. You can see these things actually getting smaller and smaller and then going down to the weather, just a little red marks. The whole things are gone. And we're talking about once, you know, one the size of the water. I thought no way that's going to. Wow. It's just been miraculous to see him get into a pure of shoes. Yes. How wonderful. It's great to see him so happy and. Yes, absolutely wonderful. Every incident. That is blown away. Hi, this is awesome. Yeah, this is awesome. Another amazing story. Why we're talking about carnivora. Call them to awaken your immune system and protect yourself now. Call 18668368735. That's 18668368735 or visit carnivora.com. C-A-R-N-I-V-O-R-A carnivora.com. Generally, Aaron, what's the reaction of people who go on these tours with you? Usually when we first started this excitement, by the time we're done, some of them can't wait for the next one. Others want to never do it again. It really depends on what kind of night we have at the location. You've had people so scared they didn't want to come back? Yes. One situation in particular, I had a guy come and he was pumped. He was ready to do it. He said he was going to become a ghost hunter. You know, he was going to start his own chapter or whatever. You know, he was pumped by maybe an hour and a half into it. He left screaming. So I don't know if he stuck with it or not, but I'm thinking probably not. It scared him that quickly. It was, yeah, it was an intense night. This was a location that it's an old jail. And for whatever reason, it's always active. And by an hour into it, he had already got a disembodied voice that was laughing. I guess at him. I know I wasn't with him at that particular moment, but I heard him screaming and I went running to him. You know, what's going on? He goes, I can't do this anymore. I want to go home and it's like, oh my goodness. I don't know what happened to you, but he was gone before he gave us the rest of the story. Have you ever been on a ghost hunt with somebody got hurt? No, I've never been on where someone's gotten hurt. I have been pushed myself, but that's as far as it's went. Did they want to hurt you? I don't think that they wanted to hurt me more so to let me know, hey, you know, I'm here. And I don't necessarily want you here. It was more of a shove than, you know, like a push to the ground. But it was certainly noticeable when, you know, you're the only person around and then you feel a nice shove in the back. Do any of these ghosts or entities ever attach themselves to you when you're out? I personally have not had that happen. I have heard many stories of it happening. I have, however, I'm a historian and I collect civil war. I have relics and I have a lot of stuff from battles such as Gettysburg, Shiloh, your name, and in one particular instance, I received a bayonet from Gettysburg. And that night, my husband who does not like the whole ghost thing, he does not want anything to do with it. He was downstairs and he looked over to the side and there was this civil war soldier standing there and he, you know, he screamed and it woke me up. I was already asleep. Yeah, I was already asleep and I go running down like, what's going on? He goes, there was a civil war soldier there and he was holding a band. And he didn't know that I had bought the bayonet. He did not know that I had gotten it in that morning. So, you know, it was, it was very interesting, but needless to say, I have to keep the bayonet in our storage because he doesn't want it anywhere around him. Do you think the ghost was attached to the bayonet? I do. I do. And I knew that it was a union bayonet just because I knew who it was. And the way that my husband described him, he said that he was a union soldier. So my guess is that this was his bayonet. What do you think ghosts are? Somebody said, what's your definition? What would you say? I would say ghosts are, you know, spirits of those who lived before us. I don't think that they're necessarily demons or whatever. I think that they're just spirits that came before us. Some of them, I would say are residual hauntings, which are basically nature's video camera. And then some are intelligent, which are actually here. Do they know they're dead? I believe so. I think everyone that I've ever interacted with through EVP or whatever. I do believe that they know they're dead, yes. Have you ever communicated with a spirit or ghost where they literally talk to you or you hear something? I have heard short bursts, you know, maybe one or two words at a time. One time I was on the USS Lexington, which is down in Corpus Christi, Texas. And we were having kind of a dud night. And that's where you're not having any any kind of activity, which it happens quite often. It's rarely like ghost hunters were, you know, on TV, you see them constantly interacting with spirits. Most of the time, they're very slow. This particular night was one of those nights. And we were kind of sitting around the boiler room. And the man that was taking us around was telling us a story about a woman who had passed in this particular room. And as we were talking, I see a shadow move and I pick up my camera and start recording. And then all of a sudden you hear her go, sir, really loud like into attention. It was not through EVP. It was, you know, we heard it with our own ears and we kind of looked each other like, wow, where where did that come from? And a couple of minutes later, she said right here. And it turns out that's where she had passed away. Relayed for us here in one of your favorite stories. One of my favorites would be down at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami. I joined War Party Paranormal. And I didn't know really what to expect from that night because I didn't know much about it. It was an old blimp. I think it was a base, a blunt base during World War II. It's a very interesting location to begin with. But they turned it into a train museum. And we were there and we were on different, different cars. And each time we would sit down to do an EVP, the spirit would come through. And each time they'd say, I hate Aaron. And they just kept saying it. And it was so funny because, you know, I had never been there before. And I don't know what I did to necessarily irritate the spirit, but throughout the night for maybe six hours straight once an hour, we would get I hate Aaron. I was going to say, what have you done for them to hate you? You're livable. I think you, I appreciate that. I thought so too. But apparently I wasn't the ghost favorite because they were picking on me all night. There was one time where we were, we were in a mechanics room or something. And I felt a hand go across my face. And you know, Florida is extremely human. And I had makeup on and you could actually see the fingerprints from where it moved my makeup out of the way. So the spirit was all over me all night. Have you ever had a situation Aaron where a child ghost came to you? I don't know if it was actually a child ghost, but at Waverley Hills, there is a spirit. They say his name is Tammy. I haven't found anything to say that that is actually him. But up on the fifth floor, there is a ball that you can play with. And I was telling him, you know, I'm here and I, you know, I'm a mom, you know, if you want to play ball with me, I'll kick the ball to you. And so I kicked the ball. And then it went to the other side of the room. It stopped. And then I watched it as it went in a circle. And then he kicked it back to me. And I have this on video because, you know, it shocked me a little bit. But yeah, that was the one time that I was able to interact with what I think is a child spirit. But you've never been hurt. Never been hurt. I've been scared a few times. More than a few times, but I've never been hurt. I've only pushed. I've been touched quite a bit, but never hurt fortunately. Never been on the haunted Queen Mary. I have been there once, not for a ghost hunt surprisingly, but there that is an interesting location. I hope to go back very, very soon. That one is, you know, that one's incredible. I've been on it a couple times and they say it's a haunted ship. I've heard that and from a couple of people I've talked to that have actually been on it. They've had full body apparitions that they've actually seen on them are on it. And I think that's incredible because we consider that the Holy Grail ghost hunting to see an apparition. So yeah, they saw a woman walk out of one of the rooms and she walked on the hall a couple of faces and then she just disappeared. Listen to more Coast to Coast AM every weeknight at 1 a.m. Eastern and go to coast to coastam.com for more.
