by Chad Alan

 

French Quarter Phantoms

Old U.S. Mint - New Orleans, Louisiana

 

Built in 1838, the Old U.S. Mint is the oldest structure in the country to have served as a U.S. Mint., doing so until 1909.  The confederate army took over the Mint in 1861 when Louisiana seceded from the Union and it was the only Mint captured by confederate forces.  The Union army was able to retake the property but not before a confederate soldier named William Mumford was hung off the balcony in front of the building.  The current caretakers of the Mint, which is now a museum, believe they see Mumford walking around the building and may very well be the one making loud noises and thuds.  Whether it's Mumford or not, the appearance of apparitions is constant.  It should be noted that a female apparition is seen as well.  Museum workers have also reported the lights flickering on and off.

 

In a strange twist Dave Tango and Steve Gonsalves started off the investigation and focused on the upstairs area where William Mumford was hung.  Moans, bangs, and footsteps are the most reported items coming from the second floor.  As they were describing the reported "paranormal" activities, the door leading out to the balcony opened up and then slammed shut.  You could blame it on the wind but while they were up in that area, it didn't happen again....to any of the investigators.  They tried out a new toy called the "Geo Phone," which picks up vibrations.  The team has found it useful tracking reported footstep activity. The lights on the Geo Phone flashed and this was followed by some flicking lights coming from the second floor.  They could not find any light source or any way a person could have escaped the area. 

 

TAPS co-founders Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson started their investigation on the main level in the lobby area where apparitions have been reported.  They started an EVP session calling out for William Mumford.  They both believed they heard a faint conversation occurring followed by what looked like some shadow movement to them.  It happened twice and they could not track down any kind of forced light that could have been playing with their heads.  Could this be the same light that Dave and Steve saw?

 

Amy Bruni and K.J. McCormick headed to the jail area.  Of all parts of the museum, the jail area looks like the most forgotten part of the building.  It's cramped and damp and peeling paint is everywhere giving the viewer a claustrophobic feeling.   Multiple reports of apparitions have been seen in this area.  Amy thought she saw someone behind the cameraman and assumed it was other members of the production team, but it was only the three of them.  Jason and Grant also had some interesting times in the jail, constantly hearing conversations and footsteps coming from above them. 

 

Adam Berry joined Amy in the lobby area and it seems that something was trying to get their attention.  They called out, hoping for further responses, but nothing else occurred and they hoped that maybe something would show up on their recorders during the evidence review.

 

The team did capture a lot of interesting sounds on their audio devices and they might have caught an EVP saying "William" in response to one of Amy's questions.  They believed they also caught a woman's voice as an EVP but it was really hard to understand what it may have been saying.  For all the personal experiences the team had, and a few of the actual pieces of evidence, Jason and Grant would not call the Mint haunted but were impressed with some of the paranormal activity.

 

Be sure to check out our interview with Amy Bruni!

 

 

Ghost Hunters airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Syfy.  Check your local listings.  HD channels offer different times for the show.

 

(Image courtesy of Syfy)

 

 

Contact Chad Alan at [email protected]