On the Scene with Ghost Adventures

On Friday, I found myself in the company of the Travel Channel’s most famous ghost hunters. Zak, Nick, and Aaron had come to Coles County in order to film an upcoming episode of their hit show Ghost Adventures at Ashmore Estates, a former almshouse and care facility in Coles County. Knowing I had written extensively on the history and folklore of the building, Scott Kelley, its current owner, suggested that they interview me for the episode.

For a week I spoke back and forth with Jeff Bellinger, Writer/Researcher for the show, but I was kept in the dark about their final decision until Tuesday. That Friday afternoon, eager to see my old friends at Ashmore Estates and meet the crew of Ghost Adventures, I drove 182 miles – a three hour trip – from western Illinois to the outskirts of Ashmore on the other side of the state.

From what Scott tells me, the Ghost Adventures crew wanted to do an episode on Ashmore Estates several years ago, but scheduling conflicts prevented them from working out a deal. Finally, the stars aligned and it couldn’t have been a better time. For my part, I was eager to contribute to the episode. Not only will this show attract more attention to the area, but hopefully it will encourage tourism and bring a much needed economic windfall to my beloved Coles County. Here are a couple of pictures from the filming: