The Destination America channel aired the Ghost Asylum investigation of the former Cannon hospital in Banner Elk this afternoon - the first time Ive had a chance to see it. Its hard to reconcile that a building I was in when it was in use is now an abandoned relic considered by some to be a paranormal hotspot. Its also difficult to reconcile because the building doesnt look the part. Its architecture isnt brooding Victorian like Danvers State Hospital, but a modern building with straight, efficient lines. The 4th floor of the hospital was a psych ward, which is how it qualified for Ghost Asylum. That was news to me - the only psychiatric hospital I knew of in Western North Carolina was in Morganton. The program mentioned a hostage incident on the 4th floor sometime in the 1960s - a patient somehow got hold of a gun and held several staffers hostage. I hadnt heard that either, and while my parents may have heard about it, they might not have wanted a child of my tender age to hear about it. Though I overheard quite a bit, and I really dont think theyd heard about it, either. Interestingly, the Avery Journal report on the Ghost Asylum visit mentions the hostage incident without providing details. Did the reporter not think to check the newspapers morgue to verify that it happened? Had it happened today, of course, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC wouldnt report on anything else until it was resolved, and Channels 3 and 9 in Charlotte would provide updates at the top of the 5, 5:30 and 6 newscasts. Back then, though, even a remote within Charlotte was considered a technical wonder and covering outlying counties wasnt a priority for WBTV and WSOC. So its conceivable no one two counties north of Avery heard about the hostage incident. More recent was the incident in which the town manager broke into the abandoned building and made off with the door to one of the old freezers in what had been the kitchen area. That truly is bizarre. Was it long-distance possession, as the program seemed to hint, or was he thinking Craigslist? Yeah, I could use a commercial freezer. Nope, sorry, Ive just got the door. Well, I certainly would try to make it if anyone arranges a legit (as in all the permissions) investigation of the former hospital. (Hint, hint, Chad - and Banner Elk is only 4 hours from Pigeon Forge.) averyjournal/news/old-cannon-hospital-featured-in-episode-of-ghost-asylum/article_fc3cc994-6527-11e4-b64a-3f2b24e51a4c.html
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 00:46:21 +0000
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