LITTLE-KNOWN MUSEUM HIGHLIGHTS AREA MYSTERIES
Walking up the steps of Asheville’s Masonic Temple, the atmosphere instantly changes. Visitors are greeted with the musty smell of a building rich in history as they enter the first-floor study, the first stop in the tour of the Asheville Mystery Museum.
Leather-bound books cover the walls. Overstuffed couches fill the room, and certificates of accomplishments by former masons cover the walls. Here, the mood is set to learn the history of ghost stories and the hauntings of Asheville.
The museum was founded by Joshua P. Warren, a nationally-recognized expert on paranormal activity in the Asheville area. Tadd McDivitt, a former Roberson graduate, serves as the tour guide and “secondhand man” when Warren is away.
Participants at the museum embark on the two-hour long walking tour to some of Asheville’s most haunted spots, combining history and urban legend. Upon returning to the temple, guests descend down a steep staircase into a dimly-lit room stuffed to the brim with supernatural paraphernalia.
Here, obscure trinkets are the norm. In one corner is a piece of stone from Dracula’s alleged castle in Transylvania, brought back by Warren after one of his expeditions. In the study sits a brick from King Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem.
“I think it’s pretty cool. We have a part of one on the holiest sites in the world, as well as a piece of one of the most-haunted and dark places in the world,” McDivitt said.
A wing of the museum is dedicated to the scientific instruments that Warren and McDivitt use in their investigations. These complex, wire-covered tools attest to the meticulous scientific research and complete dedication the ghost hunters possess.
“Joshua’s background is primarily in electrical engineering and physics; he’s our science guy,” McDivitt said. “My official job title is the Haunted Asheville Occult Specialist. I always joked that I wanted to grow up and be Indiana Jones, and being Josh’s sidekick is as close to that as I can possibly get.”
Wandering deeper into the museum, artifacts continue to catch the eye. From the alien skulls hanging against the wall to the life-sized replica of the Newby Phantom (a larger-than-life black cloaked figure), the relics correlate to stories told along the tour.
After hearing tales of the murders by Will Harris on Eagle Street in Asheville’s largest mass murder, participants can see the picture taken of Harris’ bullet-riddled body on display. Historical documentation from Asheville’s bootlegging days enhances the point that ghosts follow crime and scandal. Photos of apparitions of ghosts are on display at every turn.
Freshman Jay Troll is interested in paranormal activity, and while he has not attended a ghost tour in Asheville, he has been on one in Canada.
“I had no idea that the Mystery Museum existed. I’ve heard some stories in Asheville, like the stories about people jumping off of the Jackson building downtown. I think it would be really cool to go,” Troll said.
Admission to the Asheville Mystery Museum is only available through Haunted Asheville tours, which run every weekend at 8:00 p.m. from the Masonic Temple. Tickets cost $20. McDivitt finds that not as many locals take part in the tours, but added that October is typically their busiest time. Regardless, he believes that the tour is a great experience for anyone interested in expanding their perspectives of Asheville and the supernatural.
“I’m one of those people who have a middle-ground perspective on the paranormal. A lot of people say you either believe it or you don’t. But it’s not that easy. I see it as yesterday’s mythology and tomorrow scientific advancement; they’re kind of the same thing. I like to point out that it’s not necessarily one camp versus the other. I don’t want to disregard everything, but I also don’t think that everything is a demon out to get me like the horror movies say,” McDivitt said.
Leather-bound books cover the walls. Overstuffed couches fill the room, and certificates of accomplishments by former masons cover the walls. Here, the mood is set to learn the history of ghost stories and the hauntings of Asheville.
The museum was founded by Joshua P. Warren, a nationally-recognized expert on paranormal activity in the Asheville area. Tadd McDivitt, a former Roberson graduate, serves as the tour guide and “secondhand man” when Warren is away.
Participants at the museum embark on the two-hour long walking tour to some of Asheville’s most haunted spots, combining history and urban legend. Upon returning to the temple, guests descend down a steep staircase into a dimly-lit room stuffed to the brim with supernatural paraphernalia.
Here, obscure trinkets are the norm. In one corner is a piece of stone from Dracula’s alleged castle in Transylvania, brought back by Warren after one of his expeditions. In the study sits a brick from King Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem.
“I think it’s pretty cool. We have a part of one on the holiest sites in the world, as well as a piece of one of the most-haunted and dark places in the world,” McDivitt said.
A wing of the museum is dedicated to the scientific instruments that Warren and McDivitt use in their investigations. These complex, wire-covered tools attest to the meticulous scientific research and complete dedication the ghost hunters possess.
“Joshua’s background is primarily in electrical engineering and physics; he’s our science guy,” McDivitt said. “My official job title is the Haunted Asheville Occult Specialist. I always joked that I wanted to grow up and be Indiana Jones, and being Josh’s sidekick is as close to that as I can possibly get.”
Wandering deeper into the museum, artifacts continue to catch the eye. From the alien skulls hanging against the wall to the life-sized replica of the Newby Phantom (a larger-than-life black cloaked figure), the relics correlate to stories told along the tour.
After hearing tales of the murders by Will Harris on Eagle Street in Asheville’s largest mass murder, participants can see the picture taken of Harris’ bullet-riddled body on display. Historical documentation from Asheville’s bootlegging days enhances the point that ghosts follow crime and scandal. Photos of apparitions of ghosts are on display at every turn.
Freshman Jay Troll is interested in paranormal activity, and while he has not attended a ghost tour in Asheville, he has been on one in Canada.
“I had no idea that the Mystery Museum existed. I’ve heard some stories in Asheville, like the stories about people jumping off of the Jackson building downtown. I think it would be really cool to go,” Troll said.
Admission to the Asheville Mystery Museum is only available through Haunted Asheville tours, which run every weekend at 8:00 p.m. from the Masonic Temple. Tickets cost $20. McDivitt finds that not as many locals take part in the tours, but added that October is typically their busiest time. Regardless, he believes that the tour is a great experience for anyone interested in expanding their perspectives of Asheville and the supernatural.
“I’m one of those people who have a middle-ground perspective on the paranormal. A lot of people say you either believe it or you don’t. But it’s not that easy. I see it as yesterday’s mythology and tomorrow scientific advancement; they’re kind of the same thing. I like to point out that it’s not necessarily one camp versus the other. I don’t want to disregard everything, but I also don’t think that everything is a demon out to get me like the horror movies say,” McDivitt said.