Recently I had the honor of chatting with author/Ghost hunter Troy Taylor. I found it to
be an interesting, thought provoking experience, & walked away with more knowledge than I came
with. A handful of his books include: Where The Dead Walk, The Haunting Of America, Out Past
The Campfire Light, & Spirits Of The Civil War Season Of The Witch & The Ghost Hunter’s
Guidebook, just to name a very few. He is also the president of The American Ghost Society; a
long established ghost hunting group. Mr. Taylor was so kind as to take time from his busy
schedule for our PROOF readers, & answer some questions for us. I will be adding some links to
various parts of his site… http://www.prairieghosts.com/
Many interesting articles & valuable information can be found there.
Proof Tracey: The paranormal community can learn about many different things, by reading your
articles & books, & also by visiting your website. Can you share with our readers what
originally sparked your interest in the Paranormal?
Troy Taylor: I have been interested in the paranormal my entire life, for as long as I can
remember. I wish that I could say that I saw a ghost as a child but I didn’t. It was really
just a series of odd experiences that led me to wonder about the unexplained, combined with my
interest in books. I ran across a book when I was about 12 about a writer who traveled all
over the country and looked for – and wrote about --- haunted places. I decided right then
that this is what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to be a writer and well, you write
what you know. And “what I know” is ghosts, I guess.
Proof Tracey: It seems that the majority of your paranormal research & series takes place in
the Midwest. Any reason for that?
Troy Taylor: Actually, I have traveled all over the country and have researched ghosts. I
have been to most every state and have visited all of the so-called “most haunted” places. In
many cases, I have been lucky enough to do this in conjunction with televisions shows and such
but many investigations have been on my own. However, most of what I write about takes place
in the Midwest because I love it --- especially Illinois – so much. I was born and raised here
and I guess it goes back to that “write what you know” thing. In this case, I write about what
I love the most too.
Proof Tracey: Have you ever had a paranormal experience, & if you have, would you mind
sharing a brief account with our readers?
Troy Taylor: Actually, I’ve had quite a few paranormal experiences but most of them have not
been very dramatic. I have written about them in a number of my books because I like to
present a first-hand approach to hunting ghosts in some of my titles. I have see things move
in homes and buildings, have heard things that cannot be explained and have had several
experiences with hauntings associated with smells. On two occasions in Gettysburg, I was with
other people who experienced the same “phantom smells” without realizing that anyone else had
had the same experience.
The most chilling experience that I had was when I was at the Waverly Hills Sanatorium in
Louisville and myself and another investigator actually saw the apparition of a man cross the
hallway in front of us and disappear. Now, that was exciting!
Proof Tracey: What is your opinion on why Alton Illinois may be indisputably one of the most
haunted places in America?
Troy Taylor: Let me state that these are not my words –-- I have always referred to Alton as
“one of” the most haunted small towns in America. That’s not to say that it’s the most haunted
place but I can say that there are many legitimate hauntings there. I have put a lot of
research into Alton and have uncovered a lot of things that no one else ever has. It’s a great
town and one that is literally haunted by it’s past. This is what makes the town so haunted
--- the events of the past. It’s a small place and there has been a lot of concentrated
history here that includes the Civil War, the Underground Railroad, violence, murder, floods,
disasters and more. A haunting is history that leaves a little bit of the past behind.
Proof Tracey: When you dedicate a whole book to one paranormal event, how much time does it
take you to do your research, before you feel comfortable putting the title to press?
Troy Taylor: I have actually only done two books that are all about one paranormal event. One
of them “Season of the Witch” concerns the Bell Witch case and it’s been a lifelong interest
for me. I have done 2 editions of the book starting in 2000 with the first one and I thought
it was complete. It wasn’t --- and I’ll likely do another update before it’s all over. It’s a
complex story.
Even more complex is a book that I have coming out this summer on the St. Louis Exorcism case
of 1949, which inspired the book and film versions of “The Exorcist”. I researched this story
for about 12 years before I put the story to paper. It’s been a long time coming and a very
weird tale.
Proof Tracey: Any tips for new investigators just starting out?
Troy Taylor: I try to encourage new investigators to try and not get caught up in all of the
fancy gadgets and gee-gaw’s that people think are so imperative for ghost hunting. Don’t
misunderstand, I’m all about using technology to gather evidence but that’s not what it’s all
about. I spend a lot of time in the “Ghost Hunter’s Guidebook” trying to convince people to
rely on their own skills and methods first, before they get all caught up in buying equipment.
Proof Tracey: You have been on many investigations; would there be a favorite? & could you
tell our readers why?
Troy Taylor: I’ve done hundreds of them and most are as boring as all get out, which is
something that new people coming to the field don’t understand. They see exciting things on TV
and think that’s all about real life. It’s not. I guess my favorite investigation would be one
that did not turn out to be about ghosts. I have detailed the case in a couple of my books ---
the “Christine M. Case” --- and it involved a family who thought they had a ghost but it was
actually a troubled young girl at the root of it. We saw some amazing stuff in this case;
heard things we could not explain; saw things move and more. The best thing about it was that
by getting this girl some help, the case resolved itself and had a “happy ending.” That’s
another thing that investigators forget about it --- we aren’t always supposed to be doing
this for thrills, we’re supposed to be helping the scared, nervous people at the heart of the
case.
Proof Tracey: What equipment do you prefer to use on investigations?
Troy Taylor: I have probably gotten the best results in cases by using just a notebook and
pen and a good camera but I love all of the technology that it’s involved too. I would love to
have a thermal imaging camera but such things are a little tough to afford. There are basic
lists of equipment that everyone should have but I also like to add in good standard and
digital cameras; Tri-Field meters; motion detectors; and good audio and video recording
devices. I have pages and pages of set-ups for investigations but there are many variations,
as long as you have some standards to follow and some basic rules.
Proof Tracey: Investigators tend to use their own preferred camera equipment on an
investigation. Some prefer non-digital camera, & some prefer digital. Which do you prefer for
primary use in an investigation, & why?
Troy Taylor: I still like to use both because, since we don’t really know why paranormal
energy is recorded on film, I like to keep my options open. I used to speak out vehemently
against digital cameras because many so-called “ghost hunters” were using them incorrectly. In
addition, the old digital cameras were really not up to the quality of standard cameras. Since
then, I have changed my stand on this ---- but only under certain conditions. A lot of that
depends on the camera, the number of megapixels and more. There’s an in-depth article about
this on my website but I just like to urge people to keep all of their options open.
Proof Tracey: What’s the best evidence that you have gotten to date and can you share a
little bit about that with us?
Troy Taylor: The best evidence I ever uncovered had nothing to do with technology --- it was
all about history. I had a woman who reported a haunted house and she described the ghost that
she was seeing to me. I started to research the history of the place and found a photo of a
previous owner who had committed suicide. I took this photo ---- along with several other men
of the same time period and from the same newspaper --- and showed it to the home owner. Out
of the collection of photos, she immediately picked out the suicidal former home owner. She
had no information about or knowledge of who he was but she named him as the ghost. In
addition, I spoke to other former owners of the house, who also reported the ghost, and they
also picked the man’s face from the collection of photos. Historically speaking, I had just
proved the house was haunted!
Proof Tracey: Can you tell us a little bit about the American Ghost Society?
Troy Taylor: The American Ghost Society was started in 1996 as a national network of ghost
hunters, authors and researchers. We have about 600 members all over the country, an
interactive mailing list and a national conference each year in June. We started the group as
a way for people to stay in touch with one another and assist with investigations, offer
support, etc. We have a lot of smaller local groups who act as our affiliates and
representatives in their states and areas. We have a good core group and then a lot of active
members on top of that.
The main thing that sets us apart is our longevity. We have lasted for 10 years because we
stay away from the “fads” and “what’s hot” on TV and keep doing what we do in the most
authentic way possible. It’s been really satisfying to watch the group change and grow over
the years and I’m looking forward to seeing what we do in the future.
Proof Tracey: I just couldn’t resist, who is your favorite author?
Troy Taylor: I wish that I could say that I had one favorite one but I have dozens
(honestly!). I don’t read a lot of ghost books, unless it was written by a friend of mine or
is about something that I’m really interested in. I read a lot of history, I read a lot of
books on historical crime and I read a lot to just “escape”. Those are mostly novels but some
of my favorite writers include Max Allan Collins, Robert B. Parker, Jonathan Kellerman, Greg
Iles, Michael Connelly, Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, Stephen King, John Connolly and many,
many others. I have also been reading a lot of the Dan Brown / Da Vinci Code knock-off books
on religious conspiracies. I read all of the original stuff on that years ago and it’s
fascinating.
Proof Tracey: Finally, what is your favorite scary movie?
Troy Taylor: Oh boy, same problem as with the authors – too many to list and so many for
different reasons. I love “The Exorcist” because I am so fascinated with the original case and
the movie is really scary. I’m always looking for ghost movies though and a few of my
favorites include: “The Sixth Sense”, “The Changeling”, “The Others” and “Stir of Echoes” but
one of the scariest movies that I have seen is “Session 9”. If you haven’t seen it yet, track
it down, it’s worth the search!
In ending, Mr. Taylor, I just want to thank you on behalf of the paranormal community, for
your years of dedication, & your never ending quest for answers where few people dare to
tread. Your knowledge, experience, & advice, is unsurpassable.
Tracey H.
PROOF Paranormal
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I would like to dedicate this interview to my dad. For all the times he jumped out & scared
me, all the scary movies we watched together, & all the other spooky stuff. Thanks Dad