America’s favorite past time not only represented by the Hawks
While it is true that we have a well known baseball team, with players moving on to the majors for the last 20 years, the team that is often forgotten was in existance from 1892-1973.
The Outlaws, the baseball team from the Old State Penitentiary, was a team formed by inmates, played by inmates, against other inmates, and coached by both inmates and even prison staff.
The league ran from the first year of the prison opening, until it’s close in 1973. The inmates at the prison today still play, both against other inmates and even guards. and call themselves the Outlaws in memoriam.
Places you never knew about
We all know that Boise has an amazing past; not everyone appreciates it in the same way, but it is, nonetheless, everywhere you are.
Veterans Memorial Park got it’s name from the Old Soldiers Home that used to be on those same grounds. It was an amazing, statuesque building that housed Veterans from the Civil War through WWII. Some of our best loved Mayors were Civil War Veterans, some even Confederate soldiers, who fell in love with the city. Once they were treated and released from the hospital there, leaving Boise was no longer an option.
The building maintained its stature from its building in 1893, until it was torn down to make room for freeway expansion in the mid 1970s. It served as a hospital, a physical therapy locale, and was a place for Veterans to safely retire within a community they knew so well.
If you have never been to the area, it is on the corner of State and Veterans Parkway. There is a beautiful memorial in the center, with granite slabs thanking all Veterans. They include MIAs, POWs, and those killed in action. It is a beautiful place with beautiful, grateful memories.
There is more information and photographs of this and many other gone but not forgotten buildings on our historical website. Just follow the “Interesting Facts”!
Paranormal Backstab ~ The Haunting Reality
Today we encountered our first ever paranormal backstab. The constant message driven home by TV week after week has finally shown it’s nasty blade to my back. Every inspiring ghost hunter thinks every week will bring a new top notch venue. A new experience that most anyone else has to pay for. A new career of popularity driven by the hype machine that is paranormal TV. Honestly, when Boise City Ghost Hunters was founded for the first very brief while we thought, “hey, this will be fun and exciting”. Quickly we realized it was much more than running around in the dark chasing the unknown. It was a job. A job we didn’t get paid for. A job we volunteered for. We started to understand fast that what we were thinking we were doing. And what we actually were doing. Were two completely different things.
The first time we as Boise City Ghost Hunters walked into a house where we found an entire family afraid for what looked to be their lives. We knew it was much more than a fun Friday night. Since that time Boise City Ghost Hunters has dedicated hours upon hours of time, energy, absence from our families, and money towards helping anyone we can find peace in their homes.
We may not have the greatest equipment. We may not have the largest team. We may not have an abundance of fancy, historical, allegedly haunted event centers to filter in the many who look for the next big thrill. We may not always know the exact path to take with a client. We do however have an unrelenting desire to learn and educate ourselves on a daily basis. We do have courage that will stand up with any of our clients against the unknown. We have intelligent minds that do their best to think outside of the box to find logical answers. And some of the most willing to help people you will ever find. Being the founder of Boise City Ghost Hunters I swear to whoever will listen that Boise City Ghost Hunters will never fall into the media hyped, television corrupt, category of popularity and who has the better location to hunt. Historical Landmarks and Haunted Villa’s would be great. But not at the expense of those in our communities around the world that genuinely need our help.
I apologize for the rant. Thank you to anyone who gave it consideration. God is love!
Moses Alexander–The Countrys First Jewish Governor
Born in 1853 in Bavaria, Moses Alexander didn’t have long before he made the move to New York. At the age of 14, with no money and no father to provide for them, he and his sisters left for New York. Upon their arrival, his sisters sent Moses to live with a cousin in Missouri who owned a clothing store, giving Alexander his first job, and unknowlingly starting a legacy.
In 1891, Moses made his move to Boise to open is own clothing business. It began as a wagon with a running up and down Main Street with the name “Alexander’s One-Price Clothier” on the side. His business was so successful for just that reason; one price, no more, no less–this also meant no bartering which gave him an edge monetarily over other merchants at this time. Eventually his business became so successful it had to be moved to a permanent building, Alexanders White Store. The building is on the corner of 9th and Main and currently houses Zions Bank; the features of the facade of the building are very well maintained.
After his success as business man, he decided to invest with others in a plot on State Street where Temple Beth Israel now stands. This happened between 1895-96.
After clothing and property, Alexander moved his focus to local government, being elected to his first term as mayor in 1897. In 1901 during his second elected term, he began bringing a more powerful image to the mayoral office and transforming the face of Boise by prosecuting brothels, professionalizing the Fire Department, and bringing the power to veto to the mayor’s office.
Though he lost his first campaign for governor, in 1916, Moses Alexander became not only Idaho, but the first Jewish Governor in the United States. His successes are truly admirable, but his love for Boise also stands out as something that seems to sometimes be forgotten in todays political races. He is quoted
“WITH ME AND BOISE, IT WAS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.”
Ghostly encounters
Local citizens can tell you that the encounters around Boise extend beyond the borders of our fair city.
One story comes from a woman in McCall, only to be referred to as “A”. While on a camping trip near Wagon Wheel Road, “A” had a terrifying experience. Her camping partner happened to practice Wicca, and was in a state of mind to communicate with the beyond. The topic of a former love arose who had been murdered, and the practicing witch expressed a knowledge of the killing. “A” does not remember much after that, but woke up the next morning in the middle of the abandoned dirt road, stratch marks down both of her arms, and hand prints on her shoulders where she had apparently been grabbed.
Our second story originates in Mountain Home. Ms. X, a Boise resident, was visiting friends in Mountain Home. As a joke, a few of her friends left the home and warned of a ghost on their way out; Ms. X and her cohort thought nothing of it and went about their evening. About half an hour later, they began hearing noises from the back bedroom, knowing for certain they were alone in the home. Every 10 minutes they would hear a knocking, a creak, and then the door would close, reopening itself just to repeat the action. Attempting to pass off the occurrance as coincidence, she and her friend turned up the movie and continued their evening. When a loud knock came at the front door and no one was there, or anywhere in sight on the desolate Mountain Home road, the pair bolted out of the back door and Ms. X has not returned to the home since.
Your author has experienced a few ecounters as well. As a child, I was at the playground with a friend and we had decided to return to her home for snacks that we weren’t allowed to eat before her parents got home from work. Upon arrival at her house, we noticed the front door open, but her parents cars were not in the driveway. We, perhaps stupidly, entered the home and locked the door behind us, going down the stairs to the basement where her bedroom was. This is the point at which we heard loud footsteps on the floor above us and a creaking from the stairs. We rushed up the stairs, noticing the deadbolt had not been moved, and explored the main floor. When we could not find anything, the back and front doors were deadbolted, and the two of us dumb-founded, we stood in silent shock as we listened to quiet voices and creaking floors in the basement below us where we had just been. That is when we made our escape to my own home, where we did not mention the experience for years.
For myself, my most vivid experience came in high school, my freshman year. I was sleeping and woke up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. When I looked at the foot of my bed it looked as though there was someone sitting there, with the imprint of the body on the edge of my bed. Thinking (hoping) is was just the way the sheets fell, I swept my feet over the covers to fix it. It did. A few seconds later, however, the same formation game back, and the feeling of the pressure accompanied it. Knowing the history of my own home, and us being the first owners, I did not know what to make of the experince; this is what led me into the paranormal.
After hearing these stories, I am looking into the properties to see if there is any indication of past events that could have caused these. I encourage any readers with experiences or questions to email me! If you would like me to research your location for you even just to validate a suspicion or experience, my email is always open. You may also comment on this and share your own experiences with the paranorma community; there are definitely more experiences out there than people admit.
email: kate_h@boiseghost.org
The Host With the Most
The block where City Hall now lies — Capital to 6th Streets on Main — used to be the business of a man named George “Joe” Levy, known around town as the French Bohemian. During the time of Joe Levy’s business, a legitimate business owner by the name of Davis Levy, a baker with the best biscuits in town, is often confused with Joe. But they are indeed very different Levys.
The block that Joe Levy occupied was a collection of “legitimate businesses”, most of which were saloons, dance halls and the like. In the back, however, were his collection of Soiled Doves. Prostitutes. They preffered the afore mentioned term, however, as it provided them with more of a gentlewomanly appearance. One of the bars he owned, with the most bar fights and most…ahem…business, was called the Bucket of Blood. Just the place to go and relax after a hard day at Pioneer Tent and Awning (just down the street on 6th, the horse is still on top of the building).
Levy was not necessarily known for his personable attitude, and that was made known on several occassions. His main competetor was the 444 Club on Idaho Street, once the largest brothel in Boise, in the building where Java now lies. There was also business going on across the street from Levy’s at the Adlemann Building. It is believed, however, that the woman killed in the basement by a drunk patron was indeed one of Levy’s Doves. But perhaps the most apparent detail of his bad attitude came when he was sick of his landlord bothering him for money. So he killed him and ran off to Portland. He was sighted after this, but no confirmed encounters; it is believed he made his way back to France.
After Levy had gone and his businesses were slowly shutting down, the first vacated building on the corner of Idaho and Capital, behind the then current businesses, was opened as one of the first schoolhouses in Boise. What better neighbors for small children could be imagined?
Eventually, the buildings were demolished and the entire street taken up by the City Hall, torn down and redone years later.
If you listen closely in the Adelmann you can hear a fight between a man and woman; Levy and an employee? Perhaps the poor girl killed by the drunkard? It is believed by some, however, that the essence of Levy can still be felt at times even in our new City Hall. Perhaps he came back from France to watch over his new Doves of Main Street.
Permanent Guests
Built in 1902, the Idan-ha Hotel has been the host to celebrities, presidents, governors and mayors. It maintains its stature on the corner of 10th and Main streets, and is now used as an apartment building. The Idan-ha still host patrons with a restaurant on the first floor and a speak-easy of sorts ‘neath the sidewalk. It is also rumored, however, to be host to more unpredictable guests.
There have been several reported experiences in the Idan-ha Hotel, beginning in the 1920s after the bellman was murdered in a wrong-place-wrong-time scenario. His likeness has been seen throughout the building, though his main appearences are on the sixth floor where his death took place. One night while diligently checking floors, he opened the elevator to the sixth and was shot on sight. Experiences with the bellman have not been reported as angry or vengeful; rather a young man still doing his job, making sure people arrive safely to their destination. If you visit the building and feel accompanied to your room, as is often reported, it’s just the bellman.
The basement and forth floors are the other most active locations. The forth floors was the site of murderous rampage of a jealous husband, killing his wife with a pair of scissors after suspecting her of an affair. The entities of husband and wife have been seen on the fourth floor, however she also visits the basement gallery where her beloved buried her post mortem.
Reported experiences in building range from the feeling of being watched or followed and bad smells, to night visions of blood on the walls and being awakened by being pulled from bed.
Whatever the experiences may be, they are surely not alone. Stories of happenings and spontaneous incidents have been occurring for the better half of a century, and show no signs of slowing.
The Beer King of Boise and the hauntings left behind
John Lemp, known as the Beer King of Boise, arrived in the US in the mid 1800s, knowing no English, owning nothing. Lemp learned most of his Enlish while clerking at a store in Kentucky, eventually moving his way to Colorado. In 1865, however, he, too, got gold fever and made the move to Idaho. As legend goes, he bought his brewery on the corners of 6th and Main for a cup of gold dust.
Across the street from his brewery was the Turnervein building, though not erected and named until 1906 when a group of German gymnasts had finally gathered enough men from their homeland to form a gentlmans club of their own in the building. Lemp, being from Germany himself, supplied the Turners with his special Holiday Lager free of charge every season.
Lemp became Boise’s first German-born Mayor, living in the mayoral manision (now torn down) on Grove Street with their 13 children. Still known as the Lemp Block, Main Street between 8th and 9th streets were the locations of Lemp’s Dry Goods, as well as the Hotel he ran. Lemp was also well known for donating money and volunteering his time to help build warehouses, banks, saloons, canals, a volunteer fire department, and an entire block of the North End during it’s prime development stage.The brewing company, later the statesman building, now containing such businesses as the Reef and Tom Graineys, have both been rumored to have eerie things happen when the lights go out; is Lemp still watching over his cup of gold brewery?Even across the street, the Turners are still celebrating with their Holiday Lager. Most likely with the girl who died in the elevator shaft in the 1920s….
Boise: As Seen on TV
The Ghost Adventures Crew and their visit to the Old Idaho Penitentiary was not the first time the Travel Channel has made their way to the City of Trees.
The Travel Channel also runs a show aptly named “Ghost Stories.” These episodes are hour long stories of places that are rumored to be haunted in cities across the United States. The production crew had gotten wind of the Egyptian Theatre from local reporter-turned-ghost hunter, Dan Hamilton, along with confirmations of experiences from other paranormal investigators and employees of the theatre. Travel Channel made the decision to feature the Egyptian in one of their shows (avaible for viewing at travelchannel.com), and thusly named Boise on of the most haunted cities of the Northwest. This is the story of why…
Built in 1927 to replace the Pinney Theatre, built by former mayor James Pinney, in an attempt to thwart the image of our stagecoach-manufacturing epicenter. Larger cities had begun to built larger, more extravagant theatres, and these were being erected around the era that silent films would be replaced by films with sound. However, the Egyptian Theatre was built initially as a silent movie theatre, and still has the original pipe organ, making it the only surviving theatre from the silent-film era in Boise.
The ”picture palace” was given the name Egyptian Theatre and it’s current–and original–appearance because of the discovery of King Tut’s Tomb in 1922. However, the name was breifly changed to the Ada Theatre, but changed back only a few years later.
During Urban Renewal in the late 1960s-early 1970s, the buildings on the blocks leading up to the Egyptian were being torn down to make way for progress. The building was on the list to be destroyed when an anonymous donor purchased the property for an undisclosed amount, making it impossible for the city to destroy. In 1979-80 the inside of the theatre was remade, that is, the seating. The original artwork only required a little cleaning to look as good as new.
Throughout this process, since the early 1960s, there was a man who ran the projector; his name was Joe. Joe was the projection engineer for the theatre for the better part of 50 years. One day, on his way up to the projection booth, Joe suffered a massive heart attack and passed away in the theatre he loved so much. The atmosphere hasn’t been the same since. Employees have reported odd smells in the theatre, disembodied laughing, and being physically touched by something that was not visible.
The location has been investigated by more than one paranormal group, and the evidence collected suggests that it is quite an active location. One example of this: an investigator was standing on the stage of the theatre and looked up into the projection booth to see the same of a man standing there, appearing to be looking down at him. When he went up the stairs to check the door, he quickly realized that it was locked, and no one on the investigation was given a key to any doors. Making his way back down to the stage, he attempted to make contact with Joe, and when he attempted to comment on an odd feeling he was experiencing, a fellow investigator told him to stand very still. On one of the devices they were using that evening, there was the distinct shape of a man standing right next to him.
Throughout the evening, they reported more touching on shoulders, a disembodied laugh, and a shadow projected onto the stage from the projection booth. Part of their investigation is also available for viewing on YouTube.
An interesting fact to consider about this property: all of the images on the wall, the original Egyptian hieroglyphs, are from the Book of the Dead.
An Evening with the Ghost Hunters at St. Albans Sanatorium
I attended my first Ghost Hunters event last weekend, March 19, at St. Alban’s Sanatorium in Radford, VA. This event was hosted by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, both are lead investigators with The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) and are currently featured on SyFy’s “Ghost Hunters” paranormal reality show. Also in attendance were John Zaffis, a renowned demonologist, and Bruce Tango, better known as the father of Dave Tango, another cast member of “Ghost Hunters”.
The evenings itinerary was a meet and greet, followed by a lecture from John Zaffis, and a Q & A session with Jason and Grant. After this we were divided into four groups to do a tour/investigation. As I crossed the bridge that takes you over the New River in Virginia, I could see the structure to my left on a hill. It was built in Victorian style and had once been regal, but was now sad and in need of repair. The main structure is over 115 years old. It was built originally to serve as a school for boys, and was used as such from 1892 until 1911. Purchased again in 1915, it was then used for a psychiatric care facility. After 1980 it was no longer used for patients and was later given to the Radford University Foundation in the early 2000′s.
A local man has plans to purchase the property in order to renovate and use the structure for a center for spiritual research and enlightenment. He had been a patient there when he was younger and from the treatment he received for Asperger’s Syndrome, he is now able to be highly functioning and live a full life. 
There were other paranormal investigative groups that were a part of this weekend-long event. Some members acted as security, and others were guides that also manned various areas inside the building.
During the meet and greet I was able to say a quick hello and shake hands with Jason, Grant, John, and Bruce, as well as purchase any memorabilia that ranged from books and DVD’s to photos and clothing. Everyone was very polite and thanking those in line for coming.
After the brief history of St. Alban’s, John Zaffis gave his prepared lecture. This was very professional and full of information on his subject of expertise – demonology. He included many excerpts from various TV shows and real-life exorcisms that he was affiliated with. The sounds from the exorcisms themselves were heart-wrenching and frightening. One that was very emotional for me was the last exorcism that was performed on Emily Rose, of movie fame. She spoke in German in a voice that didn’t seem physically possible to come from a young woman. She passed away during this last exorcism.
Mr. Zaffis took questions from the audience, then Jason and Grant were introduced. A Q & A session followed that found Jason walking up and down the aisle to take questions because the lighting didn’t allow them to see the back of the room. Many different questions were asked, including a lot pertaining to how the show works behind the scenes. Grant and Jason both told a few humorous stories about past and current cast members. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the conversation.
Next we were broken up into four groups to be taken to separate areas of the building where a host would be waiting to assist us in conducting an investigation. Some people brought a lot of investigative equipment, and others had basics or none at all.
Our first stop was with John Zaffis. He employed the use of a Ghost Box and we were all able to hear a voice say “Peter” many times, especially when asked what his name was. Some of the other words were hard for me to make out. Others claimed to hear more phrases and words.
The next stop was with Jason and Grant. There was a room to the side of this floor that had been successful in obtaining EVP’s, so I headed that way. It was carpeted and the door shut tight so there was little, if any, contamination from outside noise. They had also asked the people in our group to be quiet and mindful of others trying to gather evidence.
For me this was easily the best time of the night. I was in the room with two others, one that I was acquainted with on Twitter who was an author with a paranormal book under her belt. She had interviewed both Jason and Grant in depth and had met them on previous occasions.
Jason and Grant both popped in to see how we were doing. After a few pleasantries were exchanged, Grant decided to sit with us and chat for awhile. He was a very kind person and seemed genuinely interested in each of us. We all talked about many subjects and found him to be an easy-going, down-to-earth guy. He did eventually offer to bring us a snack and when he mentioned a Snickers bar, yours truly jumped at the offer. To show you what a generous guy he is, he gave me the remaining half of a King Size Snickers. I was very grateful for the sugar to keep me awake and for his hospitality.
Our next stop was with a local paranormal group. They displayed new equipment they had designed for the ever-expanding field. There seemed to be some activity on this floor. A room named “Jacob’s Room” was said to have a little boy entity that would react to certain people, and a staircase had reports of people having a tug on their ankles as they walked up. Some of the equipment located in different areas of this floor would alert us to possible activity throughout our stay. When we ventured to the attic, there was an oppressive feeling to the atmosphere. A bathroom on this floor had 2 suicides documented. While attempting an EVP session in this area, one person claimed to see a shadow person. The uncomfortable feeling for myself grew in intensity here. Eventually I gave in to it and left the floor. As we walked down to the floor with the equipment mentioned previously, the electronics began reacting again. Make of it what you will, but I know that this area felt differently than the others.
The last stop was in the bowling alley in the basement of the building with Bruce Tango. This was also the area where the electric shock therapy was performed. It was a dark, damp, and very cold area. Bruce offered to head an EVP session in the electric shock therapy room itself. This room was uncomfortable in general and that could be due to knowing what went on in here. About 12 people followed him and stood silently around the perimeter in the darkness. A few K2 meters were set in the floor around us, and some audio recorders. I had brought a K2 and also used it here along with a voice recorder. He explained that the previous night they were getting K2 hits if they talked about southern food. We tried it and found that as soon as people spoke their favorite southern treat, sure enough, K2′s started lighting up. Another couple experimented with asking the entity to lower the temperature and it lowered by 2 degrees in the span of 30 seconds. After they thanked it, the temperature went back up. I stayed in this room the entire time and Bruce told many entertaining stories and a few personal experiences. Being a New Jersey cop for over 20 years, hearing him tell about something that spooked him seemed more profound.
The night was a wonderful experience filled with learning and enjoyment. Since this was my first time attending, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I have to say I was surprised by the amount of personal attention we all received.
I highly recommend attending one of these events if you have the opportunity.
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