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Local News

Video of 'ghost' in Hayswood Hospital getting plenty of attention
Monday, October 22, 2007 10:20 PM EDT Print this story | Email this story
Videos
As the camera scans the exterior of the old Hayswood Hospital in downtown Maysville, little can be seen in the darkness save empty windows and dark shadows.

But as the seconds tick on, the camera view changes, and even from a distance a white figure appears framed in one of the upper level windows of the hospital. Zooming in, the white figure seems to assume facial features just before it pulls back rapidly from the window, and the person operating the camera drops it and lets out a slight gasp of astonishment.

The video of the "ghost" at Hayswood Hospital was taped in the spring of last year. It was filmed by an unidentified individual from Lexington whose interest in the old hospital was sparked by Internet postings regarding the supposedly haunted hospital.

A friend of Maysville resident Jeremy Parnell, the person permitted Parnell access to the video, and it has quickly garnered attention on local Web sites, as well as sites such as YouTube, where it has logged more than 67,000 hits.

"It's gotten a lot considering its a small town ghost," said Parnell. "It's become pretty popular around the Web."

From its exposure on YouTube, the video caught the eye of staff on the Maury Povich Show. Producers were putting together an episode for Halloween that featured videos and images of the paranormal. They contacted Parnell through e-mail and asked him for permission to use the Hayswood video on the show. It is slated to air Friday.


"It's a little more than your average lights in the window thing," he said.

According to the Maury Povich Show's Web site, the episode on Friday will ask the question whether ghosts exist, and if loved ones who have died can "reach out from the grave to contact us in the real world."

The episode promises to look at paranormal activity to include window blinds lifting on their own in homes, "frightening voices in the dark," and "ghostly figures in the windows."

Hayswood Hospital operated as a full service hospital for about 60 years. Prior to that, it served as Hayswood Seminary, followed by the old Hayswood/Wilson hospital.

At its peak, the hospital had 87 beds available for patient care. The building has stood vacant since Meadowview Regional Medical Hospital was built and became operational in 1983.

Parnell said he is not sure when tales of ghostly phenomena began to spread about Hayswood, though he said the hospital has gained wider attention since the Internet has picked up the story.


On Web sites such as www.theshadowlands.net, which features haunted sites in Kentucky, Hayswood Hospital is featured.

On that Web site, it is reported that "people who live near it have said they have often seen strange lights in the windows and heard infant's cries." In addition, "some have claimed to see a figure standing in the last window on the third floor both day and night." Still others who have been inside the hospital report an old stretcher that moves on its own, shadows that follow them, and the feeling of being watched. Some say past doctors can be seen in the halls, and the cries of past patients can be heard.

In the basement and all over the building are "strange markings."

The site also claims the ghosts of Hayswood "haunt the entire town."

In addition to being featured on The Shadowlands site, the building is featured on other sites and is even the focus of groups on sites such as MySpace.

Parnell himself is skeptical about the tales of Hayswood, but said he has not been able to discredit the video, either.

"It's pretty spooky," he said. "Now what it is, I don't know ... There's always a reason to be skeptical of it."

Parnell said he is interested in the paranormal from an "X-Files" sort of stance, and created the Web site http://www.paranormalmagazine.com, which featured Hayswood at one time, though the site was later sold.

Parnell said the friend who shot the video did so between 10 and 11 p.m. and was alone at the time it was filmed. The footage caught was actually about 30 minutes worth, but was edited to the less than one minute clip now on-line.

The Maury Povich Show airs on Lexington station WDKY Monday through Friday at 4 p.m. The Hayswood video is slated to be included in Friday's show.

Contact Misty Maynard at misty.maynard@lee.net or 606-564-9091, ext. 274.

Reader Comments

Comments are limited to 200 words or less.

unknown wrote on Feb 7, 2008 8:57 AM:

" not scary it was fake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! chickens "

kelsey howard aka chicken wrote on Nov 8, 2007 7:19 PM:

" hhhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhoooooooooooo scary really and im only 8 im not scared and some of the older adults @ teenagers were scared OMG i cant belive u all were really scared!!!!!!!1 i wasn't even scared that person that was shooting the film drop a $130 camera just chos she thought she seen a ghost!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol "

CHRIS MILLS wrote on Nov 8, 2007 7:12 PM:

" OOOOOHHHHHHHHHH SCARY "

scardy pants wrote on Nov 8, 2007 7:07 PM:

" i belive in god but i just dont belive in ghost. i mean come on the ghost was just plan UGLY oh wait that looks like my first boy friend!! i have an idea lets meet there to night and see wat happens ok!! lol "

coffey-b wrote on Nov 5, 2007 12:14 PM:

" email ghost hunters, i agrre with t "

manthy wrote on Nov 5, 2007 8:42 AM:

" OMG.... Me and a couple of my friends went in there the other night and we did not see ne thing. we went on all three floors. we did not go into the basement b/c of the morg. i got some pictures of the inside, and all i saw was orbs in the pics. i got some pics of the outside, and the pic i like the most is one that has fog around it with a skull in the fog..... yea i love it and i might go back in this weekend. i had so much fun i got some suveners........... "

lindsey wrote on Nov 4, 2007 4:21 PM:

" we visited hayswood hospital Saturday the 27th and got pictures of the outside of the building...VERY CREEPY it is weird the way it looks on the outside it's just a very creepy place to me..My 2 sisters and brother were born there and my grandmother passed away there....It just gives you a creepy feeling being around there. "

caitlyn wrote on Nov 4, 2007 10:06 AM:

" i thought it was real the first time but now i dont think so because the hospitle is lock and close for good but then again i could be wrong "

cropper wrote on Nov 3, 2007 12:38 AM:

" i certaintly dont think its real....sorry guys, looks so fake to me!! "

t wrote on Nov 2, 2007 10:07 PM:

" email ghost hunters (taps) on sci fi they`ll tell us straight up, if it is or isn`t. "

samantha wrote on Nov 2, 2007 7:34 PM:

" that was not scary at all!!!!! lol you know im wacthing you with all my 3!!! lol!oh and you all need to stop watching me!!!! "

Hannah Marsh wrote on Nov 1, 2007 2:34 PM:

" Thats kool!! "

Uknown wrote on Nov 1, 2007 2:17 PM:

" I think that it is very true i beleive in god and all but i also kind of beleive in ghosts!! "

Unknown wrote on Nov 1, 2007 2:15 PM:

" the gost in the video looks fake!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol!!!!!!!!! "

Jillian Hall wrote on Nov 1, 2007 2:09 PM:

" I think it is kind of creepy that there was an old white figure in the window, but it would be cool if someone would go and stay the night and see if it really was haunted and only then would i completely have proof to believe it and i kind of believe it, but its only becuase my house is haunted and how do i know that it wasn't some idiot in the window being stupid? There are doors on the place think about it but no offense to anyone. IT IS CREEPY IN A WAY!! "

sara stickln wrote on Nov 1, 2007 8:50 AM:

" i think that we need to do a fuel image on this place and for me stay stay one night with out geting scared and we need to higher ghostbusters on that place and cheech and i bit that no one would stay in that place for one min with out geting scaered like totaly and ur all just a bonce of scaeredy cats "

hey wrote on Oct 31, 2007 4:30 PM:

" it is cool "

Davey T wrote on Oct 31, 2007 12:45 PM:

" I think we should definitly call taps to do an investigation they would debunk the video. it is all a big joke because if the guy was that fascinated in the hospitl he would of had a better camera. My camera is better then that. "

Indiana Ghost Hunter wrote on Oct 31, 2007 11:44 AM:

" that video it totally faked using something "

Vanceburg wrote on Oct 29, 2007 9:49 AM:

" Some of my family, friends & I visited Hayswood Hospital on 10/26/07. There were 6 of us as a group and we went after dark. We took cameras and a voice recorder. We did not see or hear anything out of the ordinary. However, we later found an unidentified voice on our recorder. It is very distinctly saying "I hate you, get out" in what appears to be a woman's voice. We were together at all times with recorder in hand. So, we are still unable to explain how that voice ended up on our tape. "

Skeptic wrote on Oct 27, 2007 7:32 PM:

" It's the reflection of the person operating the cameras in the monitor. He is scared of himself! LOL. "

chuck wrote on Oct 26, 2007 11:53 AM:

" I WATCHED THE VIDEO. I WAS WONDERING IF IT COULD BE ONE OF THOSE FLASH LIGHTS WITH THE FACE OUTLINE OVER THE LENSE. SHINING IT FROM THE INSIDE.YOU CAN BUY THESE AT TOY STORES. "

Been There wrote on Oct 26, 2007 8:02 AM:

" I have been in the old hospital back in 1988. It was creepy then, and creepy now. There were things going on in there when I was in there. There has always been stories of devil worshipers in there, and sacifices being done in there. I don't know if that is all true, but I do know there was blood like stains in there. My most vivid memory there, was when some how I got stuck in one of the closets. I was stuck in there for about 15 min and then all of a sudden the door came open. After that I ran out of there, and never returned. "

Jeremy wrote on Oct 26, 2007 12:54 AM:

" @whatever - It was uploaded to YouTube on Oct. 31st. The video was shot several months before. "

former resident wrote on Oct 25, 2007 11:12 PM:

" I guess no one else does their research. Ghost Hunters will be there this week "

Stoney in lewis co wrote on Oct 25, 2007 12:09 PM:

" Do you ever notice when you take picture of ghost fly saucer its very bad. BUT take a picture of your family or car boat its always perfect........... "

Cursed wrote on Oct 25, 2007 11:23 AM:

" Hayswood Hospital Myspace.com Group Founded: Dec 26, 2005 Group URL: http://groups.myspace.com/hayswoodhospital All information on the Hayswood Hospital Myspace.com Group is presented for entertainment purposes only. While we at this group certainly understand when our visitors want to check out the site first hand, we ask that you leave the investigating to trained professionals. The Hayswood Hospital Myspace.com Group does not condone, and certainly does not encourage, trespassing or the breaking of any other laws. True paranormal investigators obey all laws and posted no trespassing signs as well as respect the privacy of home and land owners. "

Micheal wrote on Oct 25, 2007 11:22 AM:

" My friends and I have been in there and on every floor. There is no ghost or anything of that sort in there. It is just and old building. The only thing remotely scary was when a bat flew at us. Yes I have been in there. If you need proof go to the second floor and in one of the far left rooms before there is a big sign against the wall which reads "The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Later Day Saints." "

whatever wrote on Oct 25, 2007 11:20 AM:

" this was filmed on halloween not in the spring i seen this on the web 6 months ago and it had a date which was oct 31 2006 and you can clearly tell this is fake i lived on the corner of market and 4th for 2 years and never seen or herard a thing it is just an old hospital that needs to be used for something good instead of sitting there and wasting away "

Gregory Workman wrote on Oct 24, 2007 9:08 PM:

" I am from maysville and I have been in that hospital many times at night and have never seen or heard anything, but this freaks me out. I am very curious to find out if this a fake or not. "

WOULD LIKE TO GO wrote on Oct 24, 2007 8:49 PM:

" I WOULD LLIKE TO GO IN THE HOSPTIAL ONE TIME TO SEE FOR MYSEFE ANYBODY READY "

K C wrote on Oct 24, 2007 7:53 PM:

" What a load!!! LOL!! That's one of the worst hoax videos I have ever seen. Try making it convincing next time!!! It was probably the girl's boyfriend in there with his new Halloween mask on!! WHAT A JOKE! "

TrueBelieva wrote on Oct 24, 2007 3:12 PM:

" OH MY GOODNESS! This video is remarkable. I always see 'rats' 'beavers' and 'opossums' scrambling their way out of the doors and windows that are broken when I drive past. I see a Dr. Phil look alike everytime and Oprah's twin is usually sitting in the window pane singing ''I'm All Out of Love.. I'm So Lost Without You''... I usually drive through and get old syringes dodged at me, most of the time they get stuck in my tires and my car breaks down.. I scream and run to Bri Bri's house. "

Teresa wrote on Oct 24, 2007 11:15 AM:

" Adams County: I was born in Rm. 9 at Hayswood in bed two. When I had my daughter, Samantha, she was born in Rm. 9, bed two. Hayswood Hospital is full of memories for me. My grandmother died in the ICU ward and I had three broken arms taken care of at Hayswood. I hope the town finds the resources to update the building and is able to continue what Hayswood meant to the people in all the surrounding areas. I'm living now in IN and I have fond memories of Maysville. "

Mary Lou wrote on Oct 24, 2007 9:33 AM:

" Has anyone thought of sprinkling blessed salt aroung the building? A Catholic Priest can be asked to bless a bag or a box of salt and then taken to the building where it can be sprinkled around the whole building. "

Daniel wrote on Oct 24, 2007 8:28 AM:

" I have spent many nights in the Hayswood Hospital and there have never been spirits like that in that building. The spirits are very open and will show them selves well. The little girl that stays there on the third floor likes to come down and play. there is a puppy that belongs to her that likes to chase the trespassers. the elevator on the side only goes up. The building on the side has a gentleman responsible for the fire that chases people away so they don't find the truth behind everything. For those of you who say you've seen something I don't care to hear it. Many people say a bunch of bs about the hospital over the years but no one really tells the truth about what goes on in there. I know myself and four other people who have spent the night in there on many occasions but only to get in touch with the spirits to help them and help them try to rest.This isn't something to make a big show of or to publicize. Although the hospital needs to be preserved for no other building will ever last on that location. By the way after using a video analyzer the "ghost" in the window can clearly be seen as a person with a mask on. If it was a spirit in that hospital it wouldn't disappeared as quickly either cause they do make themselves known. Kids please stop playing games in the hospital all your doing is pissing people off. If you was dead you'd want to be left alone as well. "

5th street wrote on Oct 24, 2007 5:32 AM:

" Lets all meet up at the hospital on halloween with our camera's to see if we can catch anything on film, halloween is suppose to be the spookiest night of the year. All ghost should be ready for a good scare "

To Joebob wrote on Oct 24, 2007 12:31 AM:

" You mean you dated "The Big Headed Ghost"? Yeah, and now she is a celebrity...you should have stayed with her. "

To Jon wrote on Oct 24, 2007 12:24 AM:

" That's funny what you said about the big head! And I agree with you....it was someone (alive) in there, and when they saw that somebody was filming they got scared and jumped back. That's funny...."The Big Headed Ghost" "

Adams Family Member wrote on Oct 23, 2007 10:51 PM:

" I guess you are allowed to walk through the building??? I always wanted too! "

I agree wrote on Oct 23, 2007 10:22 PM:

" To "preacher", I agree, I think someone was in there, and when they saw someone filming, they got spooked and jumped back. But it still a pretty cool video. "

Lobo wrote on Oct 23, 2007 9:42 PM:

" It really is a ghost in the Hayswood hospital.As a matter of fact i was having lunch just the other day with Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster at Pasquales and they told me that they were scared of that place and they wouldnt go near it. now how much more proof do you need "

Iosif wrote on Oct 23, 2007 9:35 PM:

" Man, that's fake! "

Shakin in our Boots wrote on Oct 23, 2007 9:27 PM:

" why cant there be a big headed ghost???? "

Miranda,Lewis County wrote on Oct 23, 2007 9:14 PM:

" hey i do beleive in that i freaked me out i always felt a weird feeling everytime i went past that place with my folks and i always thought i was seeing things outside walking around and then they would dissapear they do need to get somebody in maysville to check it out i would love to get a group of people together and go and see what happens i think it would be cool and scary at the same time i really want to find out. i always felt like someone was in there watching everybody. "

Mary wrote on Oct 23, 2007 9:01 PM:

" I also paused the video, where the face in the window gets a little larger. The head and face remind me of Boris Karloff in the "Phantom of the Opera". When I continued playing, the "apparition" seemed to disappear into the darkness, like it was not the living head of a man, but vaporous. Very creepy, whether or not it's authentic. "

Jon wrote on Oct 23, 2007 8:56 PM:

" It's a prank. Anyone with a head that big would be looking out the top of the window, not the bottom. And why would a ghost care if it was seen? And why would it wait to disappear until the camera focuses closer before doing so if it did? How would it know? It would just go on with its business. As for strange noises, anything could make them...bats, rats, homeless people, teenagers out for a Halloween thrill. "

John wrote on Oct 23, 2007 8:53 PM:

" Not a kid, definitely an adult male with glasses. Just freeze the frame at 42 seconds. Looks pretty ghosty to me. "

burma wrote on Oct 23, 2007 6:49 PM:

" here are some nice interior photographs and history of the hospital, far more important than a fake ghost http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=386 "

earnit wrote on Oct 23, 2007 6:40 PM:

" Is it possible for the unexplainable to exist? Ask Amelia Earhart when she reappears! The power of the mind is much stronger than the usage it`s enabled to realize due to humanities limitations in expanding its own horizons,thus we may never really know until it`s too late to take advantage of such knowledge,therefore I Do Believe in the existence of the unexplainable in Hayswood as well as many other areas worldwide ! "

Vanna Purdon wrote on Oct 23, 2007 6:32 PM:

" well i think all of you all have a point i also think we should get TAPS to come down i watch that show all the time and they are very good at what they do. "

joebob wrote on Oct 23, 2007 6:16 PM:

" Hey wait a minute - That looked like my first girlfriend. "

whatever wrote on Oct 23, 2007 6:02 PM:

" I live down from the hospital on 5th street. As long as i have lived there, i have never noticed anything. When i was younger we found ways in there and played in there. The camera he used must have come from the 1920's cause no camera made in the last 20 years would have that bad of quality picture. This is obviously a hoax. Ive been there during the day and night and nothing has ever been seen or heard except for the cops running us out "

JORDAN wrote on Oct 23, 2007 5:48 PM:

" yeah, i'm not too big on the whole "believing in ghosts" thing.. but nobody around this equipment, ability, or talent to edit a video in such a way. Not even mr baas could afford the equipment for those kind of cgi effects. Its worth thinking about. "

katie wrote on Oct 23, 2007 5:06 PM:

" i don't know if it's real or not but i stopped the video in a wierd place and saw some type of creature with big teeth i almost started crying! "

Born and Ran Maysville wrote on Oct 23, 2007 3:15 PM:

" Some do not believe the stories of hayswood, i was 15 years old and the guys I ran with saw this stretcher deal, even got a camera shot of it but unfortunately the camera was dropped when running down to the first floor by the old cremation station the hallway is on the second floor (was not about to turn back to get it), believe what you want and I will believe what we saw (5 total people), this place is haunted and needs to be destroyed. Even when I visit the hometown I make it a sure thing I DO NOT even go past this building as I do not want to experience anything like it again, POINT BLANK SIMPLE "

Magic Man wrote on Oct 23, 2007 1:56 PM:

" It's a fake. It's would be much better and even convincing if the scale of the face didn't change so dramatically at the end... "

scaredy cat wrote on Oct 23, 2007 1:55 PM:

" Lets all meet there tonight and see what happens! "

Wondering wrote on Oct 23, 2007 1:53 PM:

" I was wondering, would that happen to be the moons reflection? A slight move of your body holding a camera would make the image leave from the window??? The sizing is wrong! It would have to be a awful large adults face to fit that widely across a window and also a very short person to not even reach the second pane. So you would have to think! A very short adult with an extra large face or a 5 to 7 year old with avery large face. Also with such wide publicity? With such a stir, why wouldn't anyone want to clame the fame unless being worried of figuring out the trick! If the camera person would have been at a lower poine to the ground an outside reflection could have reflected from the upper pane. "

Dee wrote on Oct 23, 2007 1:37 PM:

" It would definitely be worth having a group such as TAPS (the folks from Sci Fi's "Ghosthunters") come in and investigate. With the high level of pain, suffering, and death associated with such a structure, hospitals are natural haunting grounds. The video certainly is thought-provoking, I'll say that much for it! "

anonymous wrote on Oct 23, 2007 1:21 PM:

" probaby someone stealing copper hahaha "

Melinda wrote on Oct 23, 2007 12:31 PM:

" The face seems larger than life in a way. I mean, look at the size of the window and how much face is exposed from the bottom of the window to the mid-point of the window. That's a pretty large window isn't it and that face seems to cover half of it. Different. "

me wrote on Oct 23, 2007 12:23 PM:

" I am a believer in Ghosts, although I have to wonder why drop the camera? not like she was standing next to the window. makes me think..hmmm "

Lori wrote on Oct 23, 2007 12:19 PM:

" To be sure that this is a true haunting,they should get TAPS, the Ghosthunters to investigate. They do a thorough investigation and try to debunk anything that may or may not be real. If it is haunted they will find out. I've been watching their show for awhile and they really seem to know what their doing. They are free and someone should call them. Their new episodes come on Wednesday's 9-10 on SCIFI channel. Check it out! "

MB wrote on Oct 23, 2007 11:56 AM:

" When we used to sneak in there it still had old beds and equipment scattered throught the place. At night it made for a skin crawling experience. Also had markings and what looked to be blood on some of the walls. You would hear noises where you knew noone could get to that part of the hospital. Day time or at night, either made a heart pounding aventure. Great Times.......;) "

columbiad wrote on Oct 23, 2007 11:31 AM:

" Ridiculous fuss over nothing! Hardly qualifies as worthy of investigation. Looks like a Haloween prank! "

DawnInTexas wrote on Oct 23, 2007 11:16 AM:

" Preacher...that's not the face of a kid! Creepy! "

Evil Monkey wrote on Oct 23, 2007 11:10 AM:

" I believe Hayswood is haunted. I wish someone could get TAPS, the ghost hunters to come to Maysville, and investigate the hospital, so that once and for all, all the questions and wondering would be answered. "

Freaked out wrote on Oct 23, 2007 9:06 AM:

" This video gives me the creeps when I watch it. I always have thought the building looked liked it came from a horror film. Scary!!!!!! "

denise walker wrote on Oct 23, 2007 7:26 AM:

" That is the spookiest shot I have ever seen. We need the ghost hunters to come to Maysville. I ike to know is she cont. shooting after she spoted the ghost. That would tell me weather or not if it is real. "

believer wrote on Oct 23, 2007 6:27 AM:

" The best method to validate would be to allow the Ghosthunters from Warick RI to set up and film. They are professional and will try and debunk the situations reported. This would increase the publicity though because their show is also national and televised. They have investigated the TB hospital in Louisville. This hospital also has validated occurences. "

preacher wrote on Oct 23, 2007 5:50 AM:

" I thnk there are homeless that may be stayng in this building.I do belive in ghost, but I think this was a kid, maybe homeless staying there. "

Anon wrote on Oct 23, 2007 12:31 AM:

" I have a few pictures of Hayswood. I definatly think it is got something going on in there. The night I was down there takes some photos there were some strange noises coming from in there. "


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