LOGAN COUNTY

MASON'S CHILDRENS HOME

HISTORY: Located at 602 East College in Guthrie, Oklahoma the Mason's Guthrie Children's Home (Dominion House) served as a children's home in the 1920's providing a place of refuge, warm meals, warm beds, a religious education and even an indoor swimming pool, with the added opportunity of being educated by the public schools. It gave many children a new chance at life, during the years it was up and running. In 1978, the state of Oklahoma voted to have a foster care system using small family units, to give the children a more personal home life. In 1978, the home closed, and was vacant until 2000, when it was rescued from its deplorable condition by a man and his family, and renovated to have a new purpose in the community. THE LEGEND: When the building was abandoned, people reported seeing apparitions appearing and disappearing in the rooms as the people peeked in the windows of the building. Construction workers hired to renovate the building, reported hearing unexplained footsteps, the feeling of being watched and hearing strange noises and crying. Throughout the years, this home was blessed with many fine caregivers and staff, however there are rumors about caregivers who didn't have the patience or wisdom to deal with hard to handle children. Acts of abuse and cruelty occured. Some report that there was a nurse who killed herself in the belltower. A dark shadow has been seen in the bell tower, and as been known to hover around people who had broken in the building when it was abandoned. Another tale describes a cruel headmistress who beat a 6 year old girl to death. Several eye witnesses have seen an apparition of a little girl who appears and pleads for protection. The headmistress was also said to have buried four boys in the basement. It was reported by some that there were some graves in the backyard, seen there when the property was abandoned. There are also stories of dedicated staff members who remain in the afterlive still looking after the children. Sounds of crying and screaming children in emotional pain have been heard, perhaps an impression of the negative feelings felt so long ago. EVIDENCE: Anecdotal. LINK: dominionhouseguthrie.com

THE STONE LION INN
HISTORY: Located at 1016 W. Warner, Guthrie, Oklahoma this three story Greek Revival Victorian style mansion was built in 1907. The third floor housed the main ballroom and a play area, with a closet used as a storage place for toys. It was built by F.E. Houghton, a wealthy man with a family of 12 children. In the 1920's, the mansion was transformed into a boarding house. It later became a funeral home. In 1986, the Luker family bought the mansion, renovated it into charming bed and breakfast. This location also hosts murder-mystery weekends. THE LEGEND: The story goes that Little Augusta Houghton died at the age of 8 when the maid gave her the wrong medication to combat the child's whooping cough. She is said to haunt the mansion. But diligent research revealed that Augusta was found to have lived a full life. Nevertheless, witnesses have reported hearing footsteps of a child that can be heard pattering up and down the stairways. Around 10:00 pm, a child's footsteps could be heard on the back staircase leading to the third floor playroom. The Lukers would find the children's toys strewn all over the playroom floor, even when Mrs. Luker put a lock on the closet. Guests in one room on the second floor report feeling their faces patted and tugs on their feet. Others report sounds like a bowling ball moving across the ceiling of the second story. Maids have seen a male entity in a tall top hat, dressed in an old-fashioned black suit, hanging out behind the heating system in the basement. Although the owners have established a no-smoking policy, guests report the smell of cigar smoke and say that they can see it in the air as well. One guest reported that when she went to bed, she left the ceiling fan light on because she couldn't turn it off, then felt a heavy presence climb up on the foot of her bed and turn off the light for her. EVIDENCE: The Oklahoma Ghost Patrol reports that they found photographic evidence of orbs, but warned that they had information suggesting the manifestations may be staged. The OGP also reported that the owners have been charging large sums of money to paranormal investigation teams going there to investigate as well as seeking a lot of media attention for their "paranormal" business. LINK: Oklahoma Ghost Patrol

LOGAN COUNTY JAIL
THE STORY: The Logan County Sheriff's Office at 216 S Broad in Guthrie, Oklahoma has maintained a detention center since 1898. During the early 1890s, noted lawman and gunman James Masterson served as a county Deputy Sheriff for Logan County. Suicides by inmates, generally hangings in the kitchen or inside the jail cells are on record. On May 14, 1903 Jailer Jerry Emerson was shot and killed by a prisoner making his escape from the jail aftera woman who was infatuated with the suspect had smuggled him the gun he used to make his escape. Odd noises have been reported at night. One witness reports seeing apparitions appear in the cameras faced into the cells. Witnesses have reported also seeing apparitions walking into the kitchen, a man hanging from a rope in the kitchen, objects moving by themselves, and a door and locking on its own behind workers. EVIDENCE: Anecdotal.

LOGAN COUNTY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
THE STORY: The Logan County Memorial Hospital located at the intersection of 19th street and Warner avenue in Guthrie, Oklahoma was built in 1946 and shut down in the late 1960's. Residents say this abandoned building is rumored to be haunted. An apparition has been seen in third-floor windows. A general, very strong feeling of fear, doom and terror is present at the hospital, and according to witnesses becomes incredibly strong when photographs are taken. Mary Roberts, a Guthrie resident said, "My nephew who was 16 went inside once, and saw a pentagram on the basement floor, and they heard some scary thing. He came home crying, he swore he'd never go there." Guthrie resident April Barnett said, "We've seen a few things, and sometimes I've heard a few things but that could just be me. We've seen lights on upstairs." Guthrie Police Chief Damon Devereaux warned that the building is structurally unsafe and that trespassers would be prosecuted. Devereaux stated that there are live cameras set up inside the building that dispatchers watch from time to time, and many people do watch the web-cams. EVIDENCE: Basically all paranormal activities that have been reported are limited to figures and shadows. This building has been investigated by many of the Oklahoma paranormal teams and has even used this site as an ongoing research site. Due to many break-ins and upcoming renovations no teams will be allowed to enter anymore. LINK: If you want to view the web-cams inside the hospital go to: http://researchwebcam.net/chatframes.html

SANTA FE DEPOT
HISTORY: The two story red brick depot was built in 1903 in Guthrie, Oklahoma and stayed in operation until 1979 when Amtrak's lone star from Chicago to Houston being dropped from the timetable. In 1998 the northern portion of the building that once housed the Harvey House Restaurant was restored and now houses another restaurant. Soon after the rest of the building would start to be restored and most has been finished. They are still working on the upstairs rooms above the Southern section of the depot, these are the rooms that the Harvey Girls would stay in. Today the Depot can be rented out for weddings and other special events. THE STORY: The most famous of it's hauntings is a woman in Victorian dress who has been seen looking longingly out of one of the upstairs windows as trains pass. It is believed that she is Pearl Harvey, the wife of the famous Fred Harvey who was responsible for the "Harvey House Restaurant". These were well ran and very clean restaurants that were housed in railroad stations. At that time these restaurants were very unsanitary at railroad stations, making the Harvey House Restaurants very popular. "Pearl" is said to have really enjoyed her time at the Guthrie Depot and even thinking of it almost as a home away from home. The room she is spotted in was most likely the room she would have stayed in when spending time at the Depot. EVIDENCE: Anecdotal.

BLACK JAIL
THE STORY: This Federal Prison was built in 1892 in Guthrie, Oklahoma and was the first in the Midwest. Labeled the “Black Jail” by inmates, the eighteen inch thick walls of dark limestone and brick was a penitentiary that was rumored to be non-escapable back in the days of the Wild West. These would be the rough and wild bandits of the West. The two-story structure housed no more than ninety prisoners at a time, two levels assembled including the complete basement where the unruly convicts were held in solitary confinement. Some it's most famous inmates include The Dalton Gang and Bill Doolin. After the prison would close in the early 1900s the Samaritan Foundation would house their activists and radicals along with their families in the building. The jail was shut down in the late 1990's by the Department of Human Services. A figure has been seen in the hallway and is believed to be the spirit of James Phillips. On June 1907, Phillips was the first white man sentenced to be hanged at the prison for the murder of a local man. According to the State Capital News Paper and prison records, Phillips was to die on a mid-June morning across the street of Noble Avenue. Reported by guards, Phillips was observing the construction with a deal of great dread and angst, and then all of a sudden he abruptly fell backwards onto his bunk, dying instantly without a sound or even a word of warning. According to witness accounts a young woman’s voice can be heard singing throughout the main level of the building. She has been reported to wear a long printed dress and sports a large brimmed hat with gloves. The woman has only been seen by a select few in the town. The woman has been noticed outside of the prison walking the grounds and on occasion attempting to cross the street of Noble Avenue. The woman appears on occasion, usually at dusk, and alone. EVIDENCE: The jail was investigated by G.H.O.U.L.I. (Ghosts, Haunts of Oklahoma and Urban Legend Investigations). Two EVP's were collected by Tonya Hacker during their investigation. Click here for EVP #1 & Click here for EVP #2.