Bodarc Academy
Paranormal investigators inspect an abandoned college.
“I distinctly remember hearing, in my younger days, of how ‘Indians’ had attacked Bodarc Academy and slain the students and faculty. For some reason, some of the victims were hanged by their hands on the front porches of the buildings. It was also claimed that the perpetrators (in some twisted, ingenious way) tied some of their victims to the ceilings of the buildings in such a way that the outline of their bloody hand-prints could be clearly seen on the ceiling. How this was done has never been made clear, but this unique feature of the murders became the centerpiece of a ghostly legend. At certain times (midnight typically, or else during a full moon), it was said that anyone who was brave or adventurous enough (foolish enough?) to creep up to one of the surviving buildings and peer through a window would see these bloody hand-prints—which incidentally had been painted over many times—appear on the ceiling and begin to drip blood! On a few occasions, it was even claimed that the dangling bodies of victims could be seen hanging from the porches. In short, the claim appears to be that at least some of the victims and the hand-prints of others would appear as phantoms to mark the scene of a hideous massacre.”
“‘It’s the site of a bloody massacre!’ it is exclaimed. Or, ‘Bloody hand-prints can still be seen on the ceiling!’ Some even claim to see ghosts hanging from the ceiling(s) that follow the observer with their eyes. Now, we ask, what is Mackenson Institute’s statement on this so-called haunting? If asked, we will release the following:”
“As usual, and as we had suspected, historical sources unanimously fail to mention any so-called ‘Indian massacre’ at Bodarc Academy. Nor were there any Indians living in the area at the time, for although there is evidence of a native presence in the county, these tribes were driven out of the area by at least the early 1700s. Moreover, it is absurd to suppose that bloody handprints consistently manifest or manifested through freshly painted ceilings. After the Academy closed, there was no ongoing maintenance, including painting; the buildings were left to the elements. The one building that remains on the property is not maintained. In short, there are no ‘freshly painted ceilings’ through which hand-prints could manifest.”
“The truth is much more mundane: The college operated from 1840-1860 (some sources say 1861) until the western United States became more populated. After this, the dwindling number of students made it financially impossible for the owners to keep the school open. On June 24, 1860 (or 61), Reverend Edwards closed the school permanently. The college does not appear to have ever fallen victim to Indian raiders—or any other raiders, for that matter. It did fall victim to lack of money.”
“As far as spirits, ghosts, and hauntings are concerned, Mackenson Institute maintains that such tales were originally started by the landowners who later came to own the property on which the school was located. If not started outright by the owners, such tales were definitely not contradicted. We speculate that the tales were invented to discourage young trespassers and would-be ghost hunters from entering the grounds. We have sponsored our own investigation of the Academy, and our researchers have stated that their work has been inconclusive inasmuch as they found no evidence of an intelligent haunting. - Dr. Robert G. Williamson, Director of Mackenson Institute.”
Dr. Wilson: “Now that you’ve heard the Director’s comments, can you describe for us what happened during your investigation?”
Morgan Burns: “Absolutely, and it’s clever for him to mention the lack of an intelligent haunting. He says much by not saying much. As for our research, we went into the remaining building and set up shop, so to speak. It’s a two-story structure, by the way, and we conducted what is probably the most thorough investigation we’ve ever done. We actually worked on-site from Monday night to Saturday morning.”
“The building is, of course, empty except for the remains of fireplaces. Nicole Sutherland entered the site and set up cameras, heat detectors, and motion detecting cameras in every single room. Arnold Elliot set up sound recorders and microphones. Brett Hansen set up lighting and thermometers in the places where phantoms are said to appear, even near some of the ceilings.”
“While Nicole and Arnold monitored their equipment, I, Brett, and Jonah Oliver walked through the structure attempting to get someone or something to communicate with us. We did this for three hours each night before we retired, from 12:00 AM to 3:00 AM. At 3:00 AM we all left the building so as not to contaminate the work site. We slept outside in tents and in the back of Jonah’s pickup truck.”
“We went in with EVP recorders, EMF meters, and one Gaussmeter. We also employed what we call a Spirit Box. For those who may not know, a Spirit Box is a piece of equipment that continuously scans AM and FM radio frequencies. It is believed that spirits can communicate with us through this device.”
“Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful in our searches. While we did get some false positives with the EMF (electromagnetic field) meters, the readings could not be reproduced. In short, nothing spoke with us all week long. As the Director said, there were no intelligent hauntings.”
Dr. Wilson: “Excellent. Well, not excellent, but I’m pleased that you went onto the site for us and investigated the Academy. I know that your group has been paid for your efforts. As is normal for us, we’re also offering all of you a free enrollment at Mackenson Institute. Basically, we will send you to school for two years, should any of you decide to go. We’re also offering you a contract to work with us on future projects. My secretary will go over the details with your group once you can all get together and meet her here; her office is just outside of this room: You had to walk through it to get in here. Be sure to pick up her business card when you leave today.”
“Morgan, do you have any questions for me before I file Mackenson’s report about our meeting today?”
Morgan Burns: “No, I think we’re good and I’ll be speaking to the group, probably this evening, about the offer for school and the contract. I think everyone is going to be pleased.”
Dr. Wilson: “Be sure to give my secretary your report and all of the photographs. Please delete them from your phones, computers, and other equipment. Morgan, I look forward to working with you again in the future. Maybe next time you’ll be able to talk to those elusive ghosts.”
“By the way, Mackenson Institute has recently purchased four acres that used to be a part of the Bodarc Academy. We now own the old building. It hasn’t been determined yet, but we may decide to do another investigation. There’s even been talk of doing a controlled burn and having the fire department get rid of the building altogether. That, of course, is going to involve some legal work, so it may not happen for quite some time. If ever.”
Morgan Burns: “We’ll be ready when and if we’re called. It would be a shame to see the old place torn down or burned but…”
Dr. Wilson: “Yes?”
Morgan Burns: “If it happens, I for one will not miss seeing all those bloody, dripping, handprints. They’re everywhere after midnight, and I ruined four good shirts in that terrible place.”
The End.
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