Weekly Photo Challenge: Eerie

On By AngeliaIn Don't ever leave the house, Fright

The kind folks at The Daily Post at WordPress challenge us photographers to be eerie this week. And that challenge takes me to the most eerie place I know – The Baker Hotel. Located about an hour from the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex in a town called Mineral Wells (and yes, they do sell Crazy Water). A once regal landmark of luxury, attracting stars and visitors from across the globe, now stands in decay. A grand token of days gone by, its majesty deflated. The massive ruins in such a small town sticks out even more in its gruesome state. A state that yearns for renewal.

It is this place I visited last year, during a cold snap and full moon. The post of my midnight ghost run got Freshly Pressed for creepiness – The Baker Hotel Ghost Walk – on Halloween.

After our ghost hunt, I kid you not, I slept with the lights on for a week. But I told myself…one day, I will return to face those ghosts in the day. Because surely, it would be so much better with all the lights on.

And isn’t that ironic? Because, the Ghost Adventure Guys got their best EVP of the episode – in the day.

And in the day I returned….

© Angelia's Photography 2013

And it is still as creepy as ever. And I still cringe to walk anywhere near the boarded up windows.

But I do.

I walked all around the building. Peaking through broken walls, taking photos, and not having any focus or camera malfunctions whatsoever.

I did not smell lavender. I did not capture a disembodied head. And I didn’t hear anyone telling me to drink the water.

In all honesty, I didn’t want to walk around taking photos of this monstrosity, but at the same time, I couldn’t NOT take photos of this monstrosity.

Image below – a window wasn’t quite boarded up on the mezzanine level. I peaked in and snapped a photo. It was pitch black inside. It was pitch black on my LCD screen. I had no idea what could be in the photo. I lightened it up later, and was grateful not to see anything in the image. I think?
© Angelia's Photography 2013

But I am not looking that hard either.

© Angelia's Photography 2013

The Baker Hotel did not disappoint. As eerie as it was in the dead of the night, it was just as eerie in the eve of the sun.

There is just something about it that makes you unable to look away.

We got out of there before night fell.

© Angelia's Photography 2013

That was another promise I made to myself.

27 thoughts on “Weekly Photo Challenge: Eerie”

    1. The town the hotel is located, named Mineral Wells, is noted for it’s wells of mineral water. People flocked to bathe and drink the water due to is high mineral content which proclaimed to heal illnesses. Lots of stories about the water and what was in those wells. Some people drank the water and acted “crazy”. Some crazy people drank the water and they weren’t crazy anymore. They do still have a well open and so they sell the mineral water to drink or bathe in. My husband really wants to try it. The place was closed when we got there. Maybe another time. 🙂

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  2. Oooooooooooooo…faaaaaaabulous post, Angelia!!!!!

    And you photographs are truly awesome because you really get a sense of the FEEL of the place. I’m one of those odd people who really likes older and creepy-looking buildings. We have a lot of those in Philadelphia because it’s such an old city.

    To me, there is a beauty in decay.

    Love your photo collages!

    X

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    1. They say someone is going to restore it. Who knows if that will happen. I hear the top floors are pretty bad. But I think it would be really neat to see. I am honestly fascinated by this hotel. Not just the size of it, but how it out in the middle of nowhere. I want to see Philadelphia! One day, Ron. One day.

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  5. Wow after reading this I plan on googling the history of this magnificent structure.. I would not want to be caught there in the dead of night! I too would have slept with the lights on for a night or two lol.

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  6. what a monster of a building! yet, i love the look of this brick structure – the second to the last photo displays a beautiful floor, almost Spanish in flavor. now the inside, well, perfect for the theme Eerie! thankfully nothing popped out and said, boo! ☺

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    1. I think you are right. There is a lot of Spanish influence in this building. Most of the back buildings have Spanish tile on the roof, even the pool house. And yes, thankfully, this time no boos. Phew!

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  7. I remember that post. It is spectacular! I also think this one rocks and I’d love to see that place, drink the water, take pix, and then run! I wouldn’t go alone, but I’d definitely give it a shot (excuse the pun). 🙂

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  8. Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge: Eerie Tomb | Processing the life

    1. I understand your question, no worries. I am not sure that I believe in ghosts as much as I believe there is an energy. Maybe a residual energy that replays itself. I believe there are demons and angels. A supernatural force we can not see, but we can sense them. In the original post about the Baker hotel. There is a photo of my husband taking a photo. His back is turned and he is next to a pole by a wall. I have photos of him at that spot from all different angles. In one photo there is something there. Appearing from behind the pole. The ghost tour lady said this area had hauntings from a women who jumped from the roof aiming for the pool. She missed and died on the wall. This “ghost” typically appears for men. Which is why we photographed there and my husband was talking to her the whole time. I can’t explain what the mist is in that photo. I wish I could.

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  13. Marianne Owen

    I have very fond memories of staying at the Baker Hotel when I was little. My parents let us roam all over the place. They had the coolest game room. But, this was many, many, many years ago.

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