Beatty himself has heard disembodied footsteps in the building, and once saw a fleeting figure pass outside the windows on the second floor. He was obviously shocked since there is no standing support outside those windows. Such reports are common, as only weeks before the investigation, a prominent radio host witnessed a form behind him (via reflection in tiles) in the downstairs bathroom, only to turn and find the room vacant.
Another employee, who professed some psychic sensitivity, was visibly shaken after a variety of experiences prompting her to believe that a "portal" of some kind was located near the ceiling at the front third of the bottom floor. L.E.M.U.R. was fascinated by the ceiling since it forms a number of individual, square compartments containing a metallic inner structure. It is possible that these compartments, in combination, form a series of capacitors that enhance natural electrostatic/electromagnetic energies.
During our preliminary investigation, we found distinct, anomalous surges of low frequency EMFs around the entrance of the hallway leading to the lower floor bathrooms, the stairway connecting both Barley's floors (note: there is also a brewery on a basement level below Barley's), and around the upstairs bar. The gate inside the elevator produced surges of DC voltage sometimes well over a volt and frequently reversing polarity. And one of our researchers noted an average increase in alpha, beta, and gamma background radiation around the downstairs stage (however, more data samples are necessary to confirm this).
The data from our preliminary investigation allows us to refine the focus of future investigations, under a variety of conditions, as we gain even more specific information. Updates will be posted to this page.
For more information on Barley's, please visit: www.BarleysTaproom.com
The night of January 20, 2005, L.E.M.U.R. investigated the original Barley's Taproom and Pizzeria in Asheville, North Carolina. Owner Doug Beatty, as well as employees and customers, shared paranormal experiences dating back to the early 1990s (it opened in 1994). The 8,000 square foot building, in the heart of Asheville's arts and entertainment district, is a restored 1920s appliance store located at 42 Biltmore Avenue.
At least one employee quit his job due to paranormal activity. He witnessed a backroom elevator "operating itself." The elevator can only function if its main door is closed, its metal gate is closed, and a button is pushed. There is no conventional explanation for how this occurs.
Additionally, Investigator Brian Irish captured a number of visual anomalies, and one audio clip (still being processed and analyzed). Irish's visual anomalies seem to correspond with some areas where paranormal experiences have been reported and where L.E.M.U.R. documented notable unconventional fields.
On November 13, 1906, Will Harris, a fugitive from Charlotte, killed five people, including two policemen, and injured more, before being gunned down himself. Harris died from more than 100 bullets from a posse of over 1000 men. We'll post more details as they become available. AND property close behind Barley's was the site of gallows where many criminals met a public demise for years.
