pnw – Madame Monster

my haunted cat mummy

So this isn’t a place, but I felt like it was worth sharing and on topic just the same. I bought this angry little kitty back in September 2017 from the antique store just down the road from my apartment in Oak Harbor, WA. After making a full pass around the store I decided to just go ahead and ask the owner if they had anything haunted laying around. Just a normal weekend shopping trip for me haha.

Fully expecting an “umm no we don’t really carry that sort of thing”, or to be laughed at, I was pleasantly surprised when he told me I was in luck, they had just got in the most interesting bronzed mummified cat that seemed to be roaming around the store in the dead of night, setting off the security alarms and making glowing red eyes at their camera. <Insert jaw drop here> I really didn’t intend to buy it, but I knew the second I picked it up that it was coming home with me.

I spent a great deal of time trying to research cat mummification through out history trying to pinpoint when this little bugger might have roamed the earth, unsure if it was really from ancient Egypt or a time when people were just super obsessed with ancient Egypt. The tag on it says it was originally purchased from a Baltimore antique shop in 1935.

What I found most interesting about this, was in most of the photos of bronzed cat mummies, even from ancient Egypt, the cats looked peaceful, or at least expressionless. This cat looks incredibly angry and distraught. everything about his body is tense and volatile.

I never experienced any hauntings (that I was aware of) while I owned this cat. We even tried video taping it overnight the first week I had it just to be safe. If anyone has any historical information on it, or have their own haunted collectibles, I would LOVE to know more. Happy Wandering!

northern state mental hospital farms-washington state

We attempted our exploration of Northern State Mental Hospital the same week as our trip to Devil’s Tower. If I remember correctly, we were actually TRYING to go to Devil’s Tower on this particular day, but didn’t have enough location information at the time to find it successfully. In an attempt to salvage the day, a quick Google search of other abandoned and possibly haunted locations nearby showed me we could probably find some success in Sedro-Woolley. I use the word “attempt” because unfortunately the hospital buildings themselves are off limits to the public. Some of the institution buildings were currently being used to house job corps offices and the others were in decent enough condition to be locked and secured(we try to be decent urban explorers and refrain from breaking and entering, especially since we had my 9 year old son with us that day. I’m a cool mom, I know).

Lo, all was not lost! Northern State was not just your average, every day mental asylum!

Opened in 1913 to house overflow from other Washington state mental hospitals, it’s progressive and “gentler” style of therapy- occupational therapy- meant that the grounds of the hospital included several hundred acres of farmland, barns,workshops and a cannery for the patients to use. At its peak through the 1950s, the hospital was completely self-sustaining. There is also a cemetery on the premises, although most of the graves are sadly unidentifiable or barely marked. Several of the buildings remain intact enough to walk through and they are now part of a large recreational park owned by the state that includes a disc golf course as well as trails for walking. We stumbled across the disc golf course and encountered a nice lady riding her horse on the trails during our visit.

A few sources online say Northern State still used some of the more traditional and cruel medical practices of the time, others argue it was one of the “good” ones due to its progressive views and use of occupational therapy. Either way, being considered “insane” back then included a very broad spectrum of folks who were often left places like this to be forgotten by their families. The hospital closed in 1973. The dairy operation was shut down, and the remaining patients were either transferred or dumped out on the streets of Seattle. Very little was done to document or preserve the graves of patients who died there. I honestly thought I would feel way creepier vibes from a place like this, and perhaps had we made it in to the hospital buildings themselves, I would have. Mostly though, I just felt a sadness over the forgotten people who lived and worked there. Thankfully, it is historically registered and the state as well as a local business have taken interest in putting the remaining property to good use instead of tearing it down. Overall this is great stop for those looking for an easy access urbanex- let me know if YOU have been here and have any paranormal experiences to share. Happy wandering!

devil’s tower-washington state

Although it’s been almost a full 2 years, our trip to “Devil’s Tower” in Concrete, WA, stays at the very top of my favorite urban explorations list to date. Looking out over the east bank of Lake Shannon, a reservoir created by the Baker Dam in the 1920’s, sits the hollowed out remains of the Washington Portland Cement Company.

To reach the tower you’ll need to pass through the small valley town of Concrete, aptly named for the industry that gave it life up until the 1960’s when the factory shut down. I would be lying if I said that town doesn’t give me the creepiest vibes anytime I’ve driven through it. Aside from the looming concrete towers and abandoned school building that greet you on your drive in, there’s just a eerie, heavy feel about the whole place that doesn’t lift until you’ve made it out of city limits. That feeling lingered even as we made our way up past the dam and onto the gravel road, ending at the gate where you must leave your car and continue the journey on foot.

The buildings are breathtaking in spite of their losing battle with Mother Nature. It truly is a photographer’s paradise. At the time we started our adventures, I wasn’t using my camera like I do now, so shots captured were taken with my phone.

We carefully made our way through the main building, taking in what remained of what I can only imagine would have been such a loud, booming factory setting. The silence is haunting. Although we had no paranormal experiences personally on the day of our visit, I have no doubt that supernatural activities take place there. Several steep stair cases and rusted out ladders will lead you to some of the most stunning views outside on the upper levels of the building. Explore with caution and care, and know your limits.

Graffiti aficionados will not leave disappointed either. The place has been covered top to bottom with an impressive variety of artwork.

In addition to the main building there are a few other structures left standing on the property. I’m not really familiar with how a cement factory would have worked, but I assume the other buildings were there to store or continue sifting through the gravel/cement product. Many of the chutes, stairs, ladders and tunnels were in too much disrepair to try scaling, but we did what we could on foot. This place is a gem for anyone who truly appreciates the history and process of urban exploration. There is quite a bit of information floating around the web on the history of the company and the dam in the area for anyone wishing to dig a little deeper themselves and plan their own trip.

Happy Wandering!