On Saturday, June 18, 2011, I was to be a guest speaker for “
The Paranormal Sense” at the
Santa Fe Depot Diner in Leavenworth, KS. Having only been to Leavenworth a few times in my life I really was not sure how long it would take to get there or whether the directions I found online were accurate.
After missing our turn and having to backtrack to get back on the right road, we finally managed to find the right streets but at first did not see the Diner, although we were practically right in front of it. Luckily, we made it on time for the event but I have to admit that I was extremely nervous, which is nothing new for me though.
The old depot is beautiful, on both the inside and the outside of the building. The staff at the diner was helpful and friendly greeting us with a kind smile as we came through the door. I was especially happy that their facilities were so clean, that always makes me smile.
The first person to speak was
Dan Terry, Spookstalker, is a police officer, author of several successful books, and a long time paranormal investigator. He shared some wonderful stories, slide shows, videos, and EVP’s during his lecture.
Enthralled by his stories, I was listening closely to the details of facts and evidence that had been uncovered during his research. As he spoke, I felt as though someone was staring at me. I looked behind me to see who it was but there was a crowd of people sitting behind me.
I thought at first that it must have been the crowd behind me that was making me feel uncomfortable because I have never really cared to have people sit behind me or between me and the door. I could not ignore the fact that it still felt strange, like they were staring at me so again I looked behind me.
This time when I looked back, I noticed a man standing in the next room back a little ways from the crowd in the doorway of the main dining room. He was standing near the men’s room door in a doorway that led to yet another room off to the side of that one.
As I turned back to watch the video that Dan Terry was discussing I could not help but think how the man in that room did not quite fit in. His clothes were different and he was standing in a place he would not be able to see the screen so it did not make sense to me. I looked again and this time I could sense his presence but was unable to see him but I could vividly picture him in my mind.
I turned back again and looked around the room a little to see if anyone else may have seen him or noticed him in some way, then one more time I decided to look toward that room to see if he was there. This time a man, who I knew to be a part of the group that had gathered for the event came strolling out of the men’s room door. I did not see the man I had seen before but then, before I could turn back around completely, he appeared as if by magic in the doorway where I had seen him before. I felt myself take a deep breath as the realization hit me that I had just experienced something paranormal in a room full of people, most of them complete strangers.
The last time I saw him I noticed the cigar in his hand. Then after he had disappeared from my view, I could still smell the cigar smoke as if he was there somewhere close by. I was sure at that point that he had to be a spirit from the past, maybe 1930’s or so; I knew he was not really smoking in there because that is not allowed in restaurants anymore in this area.
At the break, I decided to approach
Cathy Ramirez, the founder of
Ghost Tours of Kansas, LLC and ask her about it. I did not really want to bring it up in front of everyone for fear someone may think I had lost my mind, so I waited to talk to her alone.
I told her, “I know this place is haunted because all of the places you use for this event are haunted but is it haunted by a dude, a man? She asked, “Why? Did you see or feel something?” I said, “I felt a man.” She said, “What exactly did you feel?” I told her the details and she said, “Are you kidding me, Lena?” Suddenly I was feeling very insecure; I could not tell from her face or voice whether she believed me. I said, “I wouldn’t have told you if I didn’t.” She asked, “Where did you see him and is there anything else you can tell me about him?” Therefore, I told her and added that he was smoking a cigar. Again, she said, “Are you kidding me?”
As I was talking to her, she said she wanted to share a story with me. Then she told me that a psychic that had done a show there in the past had a similar experience, in fact, the details were almost exactly the same.
While I was doing my presentation, I had a few other spirit encounters, sensing things that matched stories of others though I had never been there or heard any of the history or stories of the building before. The details of the spirits matched almost perfectly those of others that had been there and had experiences before.
It was very exciting to get that kind of validation for the things I was experiencing. Someone was even able to get some questionable footage on video, which I am anxiously awaiting the chance to find out the results of that one. It is possible that the video when looked at more closely may show nothing but it is also a possibly that even when on a larger screen it may appear to be a woman and maybe a man in the corner of the room seated in the chairs next to a table right behind where I was standing to speak.
I have to say that if you ever get the chance to visit the Santa Fe Depot Diner in Leavenworth, KS, you should definitely take along a camera phone, video recorder, or digital voice recorder. Be prepared to catch some interesting stuff. The Santa Fe Depot Diner is awesome and if you have never been to "The Paranormal Sense" I highly recommend it.
