Don Vicente Hotel (Closed)

October 16, 2011 – Ybor

Newspaper article, Tampa Tribune:  http://www.tbo.com/events/paranormal-investigators-take-on-tampa-area-haunts-298918

Note:  After this investigation I spoke to the reporter again.  She said that she didn’t sleep for two nights after the investigation.

Interview with hotel staff:
Room 305 — water has come on by itself, footsteps heard at 4:20 a.m.  Travel Channel’s “Dead Files” is featuring the hotel Oct. 28.

In the bar downstairs:  The daughter of the owners said that she was in the basement/bar and used the restroom.  She looked up into the mirror and saw a woman in the Spanish veil standing behind her.

Dead files picked up a nurse named Tabby and a boy in the rooms upstairs.  She had to leave the area of the basement to regroup as 20 entities were there.

History:  (From hotel flyer). Ybor City founder, Vicente Martinez-Ybor constructed the building in 1895 as the Ybor Land and IMprovement Company, a planning and development office for the community he wanted to create.  At the turn of the century it became a health care clinic called El Eien Publico (“The good of the public”) eventually transforming again into The Gonzalez Clinic serving the needs of thousands of Tampa residents until 1980. 

After the Gonzalez Clinic clised, the building sat empty for 18 years, suffering the ravages of neglect, vagrants, and fire.  Jack Shiver saw the potential fo rthis old building and began refubishing it in 1998.  Floors, trim, windows, and support beans were painstakingly re-created by craftsmen to match the historical period of the building’s construction.

Two years and more than two million dollars later, the building was reopened at The Don Vicente de Ybor Historic Inn, Florida’s premier boutique hotel featuring hardwood floors, Persian rugs, antiques and chandeliers gathering from around the world.  The Don Vicente Historic Inn has sixteen guest rooms as well as meeting and event space….

From front desk:  The hotel was a factory two times, most likely creating cigars or working with tobacco.

Front desk also reported that a man came in that night and said that he had been born in the hotel when it was a clinic in 1952.  5 years later he had his tonsils out in the clinic. 

In its clinic phase, 2,000 people likely died in the clinic (over 40 years). 

History of the hotel (other sources):
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/travel/sfl-febinnfeb08,0,3563052.story?mid=50

http://goflorida.about.com/cs/tampawestcoast/a/yborcity.htm

Investigation Notes:

2.  EMF meter, Audio recorder, IR Camcorder, Paranormal Puck
3.  Got an unusual aroma in the bar area downstairs — smelled of pine cleaner.  Thought I saw light movement but later detemined that this was something natural (light reflections off of a watch).
4.  I believe that I got one EVP where we ask “How old are you” and get the response “Dead”.  The second EVP is questionable — initially I thought it was a whisper, but just when I thought it might be an EVP a second member got a clearer recording of the “Yeah, it is” statement.  I now believe it is a member whispering. 
The camcorder did something unusual which I still can’t explain.  It appeared to be tapped or to move slightly at 4 points during the recording downstairs.  I left the camera on the counter of the restroom where there are rumors of entity contact.  In the recording there are 4 points where the camera is “tapped”.  I am not sure if this is a natural phenomena (a/c or vibrations?) though the building is off the beaten path.  I will have to try to check the counter, itself, next time I can get into the area.  We did get response via the EMF Trifield meter to questions.
5. EMF was there.  The Paranormal Puck did chatter quite a bit, though it appears to be a response to EM rather than a message.
6. None, really.
7.  See information typed above for the history.
8.  6
9.  Would like to check on recording in basement again.
10:  Nope.