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Nancy Bradley

Psychic 'uncovers' ghosts in bookstore

September 9, 2009 | Comment icon 0 comments
Image Credit: Nancy Bradley
Disembodied voices in an empty room. Glasses clinking when no one is there. A few years ago, David Mintz, then owner/manager of Rivendell Books at 352 Main Street, Placerville, California, heart of the gold rush country, made an astonishing find. His store was haunted.

What started as an ordinary day would prove fateful. This particular cloudy winter morning he stepped from his car as he always did, and walked the few steps to the front door of his business. It was there he crossed the threshold to the unknown. As he fumbled to put the key in the lock to open the store for the day, he heard voices. Startled, he carefully and silently removed the key from the lock and listened intently. Just as he suspected! The voices were coming from inside. “There were people laughing and glasses clinking” he told this paranormal investigative reporter. “I knew I wasn’t imagining things. I grabbed my phone to call the police.”

But then it stopped. As surely as the voices came from inside the book store, the silence was now baffling. “My reasoning told me that no one could be in the building” he said, thoughtfully. “I had the only key. The door was locked. Yet I definitely heard people in there. I thought, ‘there must be an explanation’!” Mintz slowly regained his composure and reinserted the key. He entered his book store, leaving the door open behind him. All was quiet inside, and nothing seemed disturbed.

But the mystery continued. Over the next month strange things happened. Footsteps were heard when no one was there. The smell of stale cigarettes and old hay permeated the air. Plants would turn in their containers unseen hands were turning them to face the sun. When least expected books on the shelf would be flung to the floor. “They would not just fall mind you,” Mintz said. “But the books flew in the air and hit the floor about two feet away from the shelf.” More voices were heard, and angry tapings became commonplace. Unnerving as it was, Mintz and his employees continued to go about their day as always. But as things got more and more bizarre, they wanted an explanation. Could it be the work of ghosts? They made the call.

On an evening shortly after that, GOLD RUSH GHOSTS INTERNATIONAL PARANORMAL INVESTIGATIONS came to investigate, bringing along all the standard state-of-the-art equipment needed to make a sure assessment. We were anxious to see if there was indeed another in the ever increasing ghost sightings in the gold rush country. It proved to be an interesting evening.

I immediately jumped in on a spirit who called himself a hangman. “He likes to be called Darrell” I told the owner, clearing my throat as I continued to make a connection with him. “He just loves to come and go down Main Street. He hung men at the site of the old Hangman’s Tree Bar across the street, and also the big tree that stood just down the street where the Placerville Chamber of Commerce now is.” We looked in the direction of the Hangman’s Tree Bar, now closed, the building dilapidated and empty of live guests. We know the root of the hanging tree is still visible in the crawl space under the bar, we have seen it. Having explored that building as well as the Placerville Chamber a few years ago with a national television station, I was well aware of the activity that goes on there. People who work at the chamber were happy at that time to tell me all about the spirit man in a tall hat and black coat that walked the mezzanine before it was taken down and the building remodeled. Could it be the same man, the hangman standing at the exact height of the scaffolds of old? Probably!

Zeroing back in on the man in the book store again, he was anxious to talk to me. “He says he is just making the rounds” I told the owner, his employees and their invited guests that had come to find out what was going on. I was able to identify three other spirits who were anxious to make their presence known as well. Willy and Agnes Grant stated they were workers in a lounge and store which in the 1800s was near this site. They came hand in hand, he a tall man, thin, and she a buxom yet slightly boned woman. “There is also a man here called Samuel Gordon.” I told them. “He calls himself ‘little Sammy’” Those that had congregated looked in the direction of the entity. “He is dressed in farm like attire and appears to me he could use a bath.” (I hoped I had not hurt his feelings.) “He loves a good joke and having his friends around him” I told them. “He is a social cat, and somewhat of a chatterbox. He wants to learn to read but says no one seems interested in teaching him. When he is aggravated at this situation, he removes the books from the shelves.” Well, I was putting it mildly!

Looking more closely, I could see he had red hair, and had a woman with him called Sarah, who was more interested in picking at her nails than listening to him or for that matter teaching him to read... So now we know the book thrower! Looking around the building I could see there was a back door which I am told led to a mine way-back-when. There was still a large metal door leading to the outside. “It is in this way that ‘Little Sammy’ comes into the building and he is unaware of a front door.” Mintz was able to confirm this to be true. “The back of the building was the front of the store at one time” he said.

The atmosphere in the book store became rowdy, seemed more like a bar, saloon now. I could see it as a general store with people eating and drinking back then. “There are dogs lying about” I told the group, “and the silverware is dull and heavy. It is not a classy looking place to eat, nothing like today’s restaurants or lounge.” And it was then that it happened. So fast it startled all of us. A book was thrown from the shelf and landed hard onto the floor at the other side of the store… No ‘living’ person was on that side of the room, convincing everyone of the presence of something unseen. Walking back toward us, ‘little Sammy’ had a smirk on his face. Ah Hum! Something had to be done about him!

“I immediately went to the shelf and retrieved the book. Next to me watching what was going on I could see another spirit, a short, heavy man dressed in what appeared to be a dark suit, and he was clearly not the man that threw the book. He had a matching vest and white shirt. He had a round face, and was bald on top. The man had a watch in his pocked, which was attached to a gold chair he took out from time to time to examine. It appeared that time was of the essence to him because he seemed to have somewhere he needed to go and be on time for. He was nervous. He mentioned that he “worked for the ‘hotel’ and needed to get back to his desk.” I watched him finish a shot glass full of amber liquid, and leave through the back door. It was then the smell of cigar smoke filled the room. It had been quite an evening.

After a thorough investigation by GRG, we were more than convinced that the Rivendell Book Store is one of the most haunted places in all of the gold rush country. Meter readings rushed from .1 to 5.2 EMF and on examining photos later, orbs and forms showed up for all to see.

Before leaving I asked Mintz if he wanted any of the spirits removed. “I don’t think so” he told me, “as long as they behave themselves!” I asked them, and especially ‘Little Sammy’ to respect the books on the shelves and that Mintz did not mind sharing them, but asked that they please not be damaged. “Be respectful of things” I asked them, “Do not knock anything else over or throw anything. These things are not yours to destroy.” I went back a few weeks later and according to Mintz it seemed to help. He told us that after we left the activity subsided somewhat.

Unfortunately, after that, David Mintz and his family moved on. They sold the bookstore and went on to other pursuits. And guess what! Over the last few years the book store has changed hands several times. The new owners also stock my books and written works for sale and on one occasion or another someone in the store will mention to me of feeling, seeing, or hearing ghosts and spirits. I have taken little time to discuss the activity with the new owners about any strange activity going on inside. I just smile at them. I already know.

Many times in my mind I go back and remember when were alone in the store, late that night. Employees talked about how they could feel spirits surrounding them, watching them, as they went through all the business transactions that one must complete in the course of the day and evening. I could feel it, everyone could, and the proof of energy showed up on our meters and cameras.

One thing is for sure. There is no doubt the building is haunted! “The ghosts are both a comfort and a hindrance” people in the store tell us. “And” they added, “sometimes just plain spooky!” We suggest you come in and see for yourself. Even for those who do not believe in ghosts, this place is a happening!

Copyright @ 2009 Nancy Bradley. All rights reserved.[!gad]Disembodied voices in an empty room. Glasses clinking when no one is there. A few years ago, David Mintz, then owner/manager of Rivendell Books at 352 Main Street, Placerville, California, heart of the gold rush country, made an astonishing find. His store was haunted.

What started as an ordinary day would prove fateful. This particular cloudy winter morning he stepped from his car as he always did, and walked the few steps to the front door of his business. It was there he crossed the threshold to the unknown. As he fumbled to put the key in the lock to open the store for the day, he heard voices. Startled, he carefully and silently removed the key from the lock and listened intently. Just as he suspected! The voices were coming from inside. “There were people laughing and glasses clinking” he told this paranormal investigative reporter. “I knew I wasn’t imagining things. I grabbed my phone to call the police.”

But then it stopped. As surely as the voices came from inside the book store, the silence was now baffling. “My reasoning told me that no one could be in the building” he said, thoughtfully. “I had the only key. The door was locked. Yet I definitely heard people in there. I thought, ‘there must be an explanation’!” Mintz slowly regained his composure and reinserted the key. He entered his book store, leaving the door open behind him. All was quiet inside, and nothing seemed disturbed.

But the mystery continued. Over the next month strange things happened. Footsteps were heard when no one was there. The smell of stale cigarettes and old hay permeated the air. Plants would turn in their containers unseen hands were turning them to face the sun. When least expected books on the shelf would be flung to the floor. “They would not just fall mind you,” Mintz said. “But the books flew in the air and hit the floor about two feet away from the shelf.” More voices were heard, and angry tapings became commonplace. Unnerving as it was, Mintz and his employees continued to go about their day as always. But as things got more and more bizarre, they wanted an explanation. Could it be the work of ghosts? They made the call.

On an evening shortly after that, GOLD RUSH GHOSTS INTERNATIONAL PARANORMAL INVESTIGATIONS came to investigate, bringing along all the standard state-of-the-art equipment needed to make a sure assessment. We were anxious to see if there was indeed another in the ever increasing ghost sightings in the gold rush country. It proved to be an interesting evening.

I immediately jumped in on a spirit who called himself a hangman. “He likes to be called Darrell” I told the owner, clearing my throat as I continued to make a connection with him. “He just loves to come and go down Main Street. He hung men at the site of the old Hangman’s Tree Bar across the street, and also the big tree that stood just down the street where the Placerville Chamber of Commerce now is.” We looked in the direction of the Hangman’s Tree Bar, now closed, the building dilapidated and empty of live guests. We know the root of the hanging tree is still visible in the crawl space under the bar, we have seen it. Having explored that building as well as the Placerville Chamber a few years ago with a national television station, I was well aware of the activity that goes on there. People who work at the chamber were happy at that time to tell me all about the spirit man in a tall hat and black coat that walked the mezzanine before it was taken down and the building remodeled. Could it be the same man, the hangman standing at the exact height of the scaffolds of old? Probably!

Zeroing back in on the man in the book store again, he was anxious to talk to me. “He says he is just making the rounds” I told the owner, his employees and their invited guests that had come to find out what was going on. I was able to identify three other spirits who were anxious to make their presence known as well. Willy and Agnes Grant stated they were workers in a lounge and store which in the 1800s was near this site. They came hand in hand, he a tall man, thin, and she a buxom yet slightly boned woman. “There is also a man here called Samuel Gordon.” I told them. “He calls himself ‘little Sammy’” Those that had congregated looked in the direction of the entity. “He is dressed in farm like attire and appears to me he could use a bath.” (I hoped I had not hurt his feelings.) “He loves a good joke and having his friends around him” I told them. “He is a social cat, and somewhat of a chatterbox. He wants to learn to read but says no one seems interested in teaching him. When he is aggravated at this situation, he removes the books from the shelves.” Well, I was putting it mildly!

Looking more closely, I could see he had red hair, and had a woman with him called Sarah, who was more interested in picking at her nails than listening to him or for that matter teaching him to read... So now we know the book thrower! Looking around the building I could see there was a back door which I am told led to a mine way-back-when. There was still a large metal door leading to the outside. “It is in this way that ‘Little Sammy’ comes into the building and he is unaware of a front door.” Mintz was able to confirm this to be true. “The back of the building was the front of the store at one time” he said.

The atmosphere in the book store became rowdy, seemed more like a bar, saloon now. I could see it as a general store with people eating and drinking back then. “There are dogs lying about” I told the group, “and the silverware is dull and heavy. It is not a classy looking place to eat, nothing like today’s restaurants or lounge.” And it was then that it happened. So fast it startled all of us. A book was thrown from the shelf and landed hard onto the floor at the other side of the store… No ‘living’ person was on that side of the room, convincing everyone of the presence of something unseen. Walking back toward us, ‘little Sammy’ had a smirk on his face. Ah Hum! Something had to be done about him!

“I immediately went to the shelf and retrieved the book. Next to me watching what was going on I could see another spirit, a short, heavy man dressed in what appeared to be a dark suit, and he was clearly not the man that threw the book. He had a matching vest and white shirt. He had a round face, and was bald on top. The man had a watch in his pocked, which was attached to a gold chair he took out from time to time to examine. It appeared that time was of the essence to him because he seemed to have somewhere he needed to go and be on time for. He was nervous. He mentioned that he “worked for the ‘hotel’ and needed to get back to his desk.” I watched him finish a shot glass full of amber liquid, and leave through the back door. It was then the smell of cigar smoke filled the room. It had been quite an evening.

After a thorough investigation by GRG, we were more than convinced that the Rivendell Book Store is one of the most haunted places in all of the gold rush country. Meter readings rushed from .1 to 5.2 EMF and on examining photos later, orbs and forms showed up for all to see.

Before leaving I asked Mintz if he wanted any of the spirits removed. “I don’t think so” he told me, “as long as they behave themselves!” I asked them, and especially ‘Little Sammy’ to respect the books on the shelves and that Mintz did not mind sharing them, but asked that they please not be damaged. “Be respectful of things” I asked them, “Do not knock anything else over or throw anything. These things are not yours to destroy.” I went back a few weeks later and according to Mintz it seemed to help. He told us that after we left the activity subsided somewhat.

Unfortunately, after that, David Mintz and his family moved on. They sold the bookstore and went on to other pursuits. And guess what! Over the last few years the book store has changed hands several times. The new owners also stock my books and written works for sale and on one occasion or another someone in the store will mention to me of feeling, seeing, or hearing ghosts and spirits. I have taken little time to discuss the activity with the new owners about any strange activity going on inside. I just smile at them. I already know.

Many times in my mind I go back and remember when were alone in the store, late that night. Employees talked about how they could feel spirits surrounding them, watching them, as they went through all the business transactions that one must complete in the course of the day and evening. I could feel it, everyone could, and the proof of energy showed up on our meters and cameras.

One thing is for sure. There is no doubt the building is haunted! “The ghosts are both a comfort and a hindrance” people in the store tell us. “And” they added, “sometimes just plain spooky!” We suggest you come in and see for yourself. Even for those who do not believe in ghosts, this place is a happening!

Copyright @ 2009 Nancy Bradley. All rights reserved. Comments (0)


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