Elizabeth Town Hall - Elizabeth, LA

230 Poplar St.

Elizabeth, LA 70638

30.867875,-92.793469 

            Originally the Elizabeth hospital building, it was built in 1924 and is a two-story framed structure located in the small community of Elizabeth. It was initially built as a hospital for the Industrial Lumber Company, who was the main source of work and income for the community. Some controversy exists concerning the date of construction of the original hospital building. A stone on the front steps bears the date 1924, but a building which looks very much like the present one appears in a March 1923 publication. Some older town residents recall that an earlier hospital was damaged or destroyed by fire and restored or rebuilt shortly thereafter. Visitors will find relics still present from its days as a hospital, including the original antique rope elevator. Once the town's hype from its lumber days died down, so did the hospital, as it eventually shut down and now serves as the Elizabeth town hall.

            There have been numerous reports over the years of strange occurrences taking place at the town hall. Most commonly reported are the sounds of disembodied footsteps and voices have been heard on the second floor when no one else is around. In one specific incident, the mayor was alone in the building and was fixing a pot of coffee downstairs when he heard what sounded like someone walking upstairs. The mayor went upstairs to check out the source of the sound, only to find no one was there. As he returned downstairs, he found the coffee pot, which had been securely placed on the counter, several feet away, in the middle of the room, smashed into pieces.
            Staff and visitors alike have reported hearing strange sounds and an overall sense of sadness that suddenly envelopes them for no apparent reason. Many people feel that the presence of many of the former patients still linger in the building.
            We were fortunate enough to conduct an investigation at the Elizabeth Town Hall several years ago. As with many prior reports, we too, heard several instances of disembodied footsteps on the empty floor above us. Further inspection found no one there, as had been the case in previous instances. Albeit the sounds were cool and made for an interesting moment, unfortunately we could not use these instances to definitively confirm that the building was in fact haunted. Follow-up investigations are the only remedy to confirm past experiences.
            Although frustrating at times, I am quite proud that our group follows these strict methods of investigating. There are many groups out there that, just to appease the client and/or boast their credibility, they will take the very first odd occurrence, label the place haunted, and disappear quicker than a set of rims at a rap concert! Initially, this may seem cool for the group but in the long run, what have you accomplished other than giving a sense of false hope to the client, as well as discrediting yourself. Sooner or later, someone will call you on your false findings and you will look pretty stupid trying to explain yourself.