Elvis Presley: The Ghost of Heartbreak Hotel

Elvis Presley’s first number one million-selling hit single Heartbreak Hotel was inspired by a suicide note.

Steel guitarist and session musician Tommy Durden read a newspaper article about a man who killed himself. In the note, he left behind were these haunting words: “ I walk a lonely street.”

Durden shared this article with his friend and cowriter Mae Boren Axton a high school English teacher who moonlighted as a journalist and songwriter. Axton had written hit songs for Perry Como and Ernest Tubb.

In 1955, Mae Axton took a part-time job working as a public relations secretary for Elvis Presley’s manager Colonel Tom Parker.

When Axton first met Elvis she told him all he needed to become a star was a hit song.

Axton and Durden then turned the poignant line from the suicide note into a song about a “heartbreak hotel” at the end of a lonely street where “broken-hearted lovers cry away their gloom.”

Eerily, this song in Elvis' later years seemed to reflect his own life.

Presley’s name appeared on the record as a third writer, but this was just a deal Colonel Parker struck with the two writers for Elvis so that he would cut the song.

Elvis upon hearing Heartbreak Hotel immediately loved it and started to perform it on the road. But it was different than any other song he had recorded at Sun Records, in Memphis. The label record boss at the time--Sam Phillips hated it and called it a “morbid mess.”

At RCA’s headquarters in New York, they agreed with Phillips, they told Elvis to re-record it. But Presley stood his ground and the rest is history. Heartbreak Hotel is still a part of pop culture today.

The old RCA recording studio where Elvis recorded Heartbreak Hotel, in 1956. is located in Nashville, Tennessee.

Studio B recording Heartbreak Hotel

Today these rooms are used for televisions productions, and it is here where Elvis’ ghost acts out the most.

Stagehands that work on productions, state that all one has to do is mention Elvis’s name and these rooms become active.

Old RCA recording studio

Lights blow out, ladders fall over, and mysterious noises are heard coming from the sound system. Several workers have observed Elvis ghost--he is described as wearing a white jumpsuit decorated with sequins.

It appears Elvis even in death believes “the show must go on.”

Other locations that lay claim to Elvis’ ghost include:

The Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywood. where Elvis stayed while making his 40+ films. It is said Room 1016 is always unseasonably cold.

At Elvis’ home Graceland in Memphis. Witnesses state they have felt him most often in the mansion’s kitchen. One famous photo taken is believed to have captured Elvis peering through the curtains at one window.

Another town that claims his ghostly presence is Las Vegas. He is seen at various locations at the Las Vegas Hilton, near the strip. It was here in 1976, where he gave his last performance.

He is seen in the penthouse suite where he stayed, in the basement where he would hang out, with members of his band before and after shows, and in a freight elevator where he hid to avoid mobbing fans.

Wishful fans also report seeing Elvis’s ghost wearing a jumpsuit, and driving a red Cadillac around the strip.

Here is Elvis performing Heartbreak Hotel on his network television debut in 1956.

The Ghost of Barret Hall

The old Presbyterian Theological Seminary in downtown Louisville, Kentucky sits today on the campus of Jefferson Community and Technical College.

Presbyterian Theological Seminary

When this Victorian Gothic structure was built along East Broadway in the late 1800s, it was one of many buildings, including churches and mansions that proudly sat along this elegant busy thoroughfare.

Today this area is doted with used car lots and other eyesores but William Dodd would be happy to know that the stone masterpiece he designed over a century ago still stands.

The students that attend Jefferson today call the old seminary  Barret Hall. Most of the students have heard about the ghost that resides in this building.

In reports in Louisville Magazine and local newspapers it has been noted this hall is so haunted the chief of security keeps a file on hand that lists all the strange activity that occurs.

Witness reports include unseen hands turning doorknobs, footsteps when no is about, elevators that go up and down on their own and lights flickering on and off.

Several witnesses have reported seeing shadowy figures in the hall that disappear when approached.

The ghost of Barret Hall is believed to be the wife of James Rankin Barret the, an who had the seminary built. It is said that Lucy Stites Barret is fond of leaving ghostly notes around the building.

These notes effectively announce her presence. The latest one was discovered by a freshman on her way to chemistry. She found the note in the chapel bearing the initials “LBS.” It read:

“I am with you, always.”

Both students and staff feel Lucy lingers because her husband had an inscription in her memory placed over one fireplace in the library. This inscription is a testament to James’ devotion to his wife.

Even though Lucy’s ghost appears to be friendly, two former employees at Barrett were so unsettled by her presence, they quit their jobs.

One staff member who taught in Barret Hall was told one compelling story by a security guard, Wendell Coates who at one time worked in the building.

Late one night around 3:00 a.m. as I was doing my rounds--checking that the doors and windows had all been locked--I entered what used to be the library.

I stopped to sit and rest for a minute. As I sat, I noticed a cold chill take hold of the room. My hair stood on end, and I realized I was not alone.

I had just changed the batteries in my flashlight the day before, but now it slowly dimmed and then went out. As I sat in the dark, I noticed a white mist which turned into a figure, directly in front of me.

It appeared to be a female. It walked slowly toward the fireplace and then vanished. I didn’t get the feeling she wanted to hurt anyone.

Barret Hall

Barret Hall is located at 109 East Broadway at the corner of Second and Broadway. The visitor cannot miss it for it has an impressive collection of gothic arches, spires, and turrets that all reach gracefully toward the sky.

Traditions: How To Get Rid of Ghosts

For centuries cultures from around the world have come up with methods to deal with unwanted ghosts or spirits that haunt one’s home.

The following methods have been passed down from one generation to the next. These beliefs are based on legends and folklore, but all have a grain of truth, so several of them actually work.

St. John's Wort

In the Middle Ages in Europe the plant St. John’s Wort was placed in every room of the house to ward off demons and dark spirits from entering the home.

An old folk legend states one should throw rice on the floor of various rooms in a house--because it is believed a ghost has to stop and count the rice grains. This is done over several days so the spirit will become frustrated and leave. Some use sand in place of rice.

Another method used to frustrate ghosts is to place one’s shoes in reverse directions at the end of the bed. It is said this confuses spirits, so they just leave.

Some believe that playing traditional organ hymns over and over can drive a ghost away. For it is thought the sound of hymns that praise God will drive evil away.

For several centuries people in various cultures have believed that hanging garlic can ward off ghosts--even evil ones. It is stated that a clove of garlic should be hung in every room and hallway of a home.

Some people carry a clove with them in their pocket. Even though this can get smelly people still follow this custom today.

Rosemary wreath

In ancient Greece, rosemary was burned in temples to keep evil spirits and illness at bay. In more recent times rosemary has been put in wreaths and hung on front or back doors to ward off ghosts.

Rosemary plants can also be placed in various rooms. Today smudge sticks used to cleanse houses often also include rosemary.

Another item that was hung to ward off ghosts was used in ancient Egypt and China. Cinnamon sticks were bundled together and hung. It was believed this kept homes and temples free of evil spirits.

Wind chimes are also used for this purpose. It is said the ghosts cannot tolerate the sound they make and will not enter a house but instead will just leave.

Yet another deterrent used is to hang an iron horseshoe upside down above the front door. This is said to bring good luck, but it also wards off ghosts because it is made of iron--which is also in blood and represents “life’s blood.” Because of this, it is believed to scare spirits off.

A wise old tale involves placing flat mirrors in every room facing the doorway. This is done for it is felt a ghost entering a room would see their reflection and be scared away.

Many paranormal investigators disagree with this practice today because of the common belief that mirrors are actually portals that allow ghosts to enter the living world.

Regardless, some swear this method does work.

Ba Gua mirror

In China, Ba Gua mirrors used in the practice of feng shui are hung on front doors to bring harmony into the home and to charm evil spirits, so they do not enter.

Another charm placed on a front door is a Mezuzah, which is used in Judaism to prevent evil entities or energy from entering a home. A Mezuzah is a rolled piece of parchment housed in a decorated case and placed on a diagonal on the frame of the front door.

Another belief involves painting doors red. The entrance to the room where the activity is occurring should be painted red for it is said ghosts flee when they see this color.

A more modern version of this is to place a red napkin or handkerchief near one’s bed before going to sleep. This prevents ghosts from awakening a person at night.

During medieval and Gothic times Gargoyles were used to drain water from large buildings. But it was believed that their grotesque appearance would ward off evil spirits as well. They were used on churches for this specific purpose.

Believe it or not some people today still purchase gargoyles and place them in doorways to keep an evil entity from taking up residence in their homes.

Here is another post about traditional beliefs--How To Prevent a Haunting.

Hell Dogs of Eldorado Canyon

Claim in Eldorado Canyon

Eldorado Canyon is located in Southern Nevada along the Colorado River just above Hoover Dam.

People who visit this canyon today often do not know about the regions violent past. At one time, this canyon epitomized what people picture when they think about the “Wild West.”

In the 1860s, this area was once the most prosperous gold mining area in Nevada, before it became a state. These riches drew many miners and prospectors into the region.

Two mines--the Techatticup and Queen yielded riches as well as many individual claims in the canyon. This area is near what is the ghost town of Nelson today.

Tours of Techatticup Mine are given today.

By the time these two mines closed down in the 1940s they had yielded millions of dollars in precious metals.

This frontier boom also attracted deserters from the Civil War, claim jumpers, and renegade Indians. Since the area was remote, there was no law for miles around so vigilantism became the norm.

Gunfights and murders were commonplace.

During these rowdy early days many prospectors kept dogs at their claim sites to protect their property. These dogs were reared to be vicious, so they would attack trespassers.

When the individual claims played out, the prospectors moved on, but they didn't take the dogs with them. They instead, shot these dogs, left them chained at their claims or let them loose to roam.

It is believed these dogs being abandoned or killed caused an unusual haunting that still occurs today. Over the past 155 years, stories of sightings of these ferocious spectral hounds have been reported.

Some tales state that these hounds chase or even attack visitors in this canyon. The locals call these hounds, “The Hell Dogs of Eldorado Canyon.”

The following is a first person account about one of these encounters.

My brother and I knew about the spectral dogs in Eldorado, so we decided to camp in the canyon.

For most of our visit, nothing happened out of the ordinary--that is until our last night when we cut our trip short and left quickly.

We had set up our campsite near another old mining shaft and then went to explore. We found an eight-foot rusty chain embedded into the rock wall near the entrance to this shaft.

We entered and discovered the bones of what appeared to be a large dog. We then went back to our campsite and built a fire since it was growing dark.

We ate our dinner and were relaxing around our small campfire, when the air appeared to thicken around us.

I told my brother I felt that someone was watching us. We heard breathing and heavy panting near where we sat.

I jumped as something growled loudly. Then we heard what sounded like several paws hitting the desert sand. Whatever it was, it was now circling our campsite.

In a panic, I realized we were surrounded.

We heard a loud scratching sound coming from the area where we had seen the chain earlier. By the firelight, we saw this chain move.

My brother grabbed his flashlight and pointed it in this direction. It looked like the chain was being tugged away from the rock wall--it was pulled harder each time.

As one, we fumbled to gather our gear. My brother flashed his light onto the wall once more. We saw what appeared to be scratch marks around the chain.

Then the chain dropped. Something brushed against my leg, and I almost lost my balance. My brother caught my arm to assist me and now frightened, we both ran faster than ever before--headed for our car.

We heard a pack of dogs panting and running after us. Even when we were in our car and driving down the dirt road, we could hear this pack of dogs chasing us.

We left our gear behind and we have never returned to retrieve it.