In January 2024, Ghostly Activities and friends went to Fort Worden (Port Townsend, WA) to uncover the haunted secrets of its buildings, barracks, and more. Get the scoop after the jump.

Paranormal Investigation Background

We learned about Fort Worden by accident. In 2023, the team investigated Manresa Castle. During our downtime, we looked for cemeteries and other haunts in Port Townsend to investigate when we learned about an old military base, Fort Worden.

We went to check out some museums at the (now) state park and learned about the hauntings. That sold us, and we booked an investigation for January 2024, during offseason, to limit exposure to the living.

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Please note: You can get all the following information in our ghost hunt video above.

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Fort Worden’s Dark History

The federal government acquired land from a civilian, John Alexander, and Port Townsend along Admiralty Inlet in 1897. Fort Worden was founded in 1898 to help with the defense of Puget Sound from enemy invasion. It was part of the “Triangle of Fire,” along with Fort Flagler and Fort Casey. By 1902, the Army equipped with the most powerful artillery of its time. Disappearing guns would jut out from concrete batteries to destroy any enemy vessels that may try to attack Everett, Seattle and Tacoma.

But the conditions at the fort drove many men to abandon their posts and go AWOL. The long blustery winters and isolation took their toll on our soldiers.

Over the years, numerous murders, accidental deaths and suicides happened at the fort. Some of the most infamous include the murder of Cpl. Henry Johnson, the suicide of Captain Frank Thornton, and the accidental drowning of William Payne.

Bricks building

The Bricks sits along Officers Row. It’s one of the first buildings you see as you enter the park. The unmarried junior officers lived in these quarters. It was here that Captain Frank Thornton ended his life in 1911. In the 1950s, the Bricks became home to nurses that worked at the juvenile detention center. Capt. Thornton, a nurse, and (possibly) a child named David, from the detention center, may have contacted us during our ghost hunt. More on that under the Investigation Details section.

Alexander’s Castle

William Payne, a maintenance man for John Alexander, drowned under mysterious circumstances. His body was found is a cistern with 6-inches of water in it. Under normal circumstances, William could just stand up, but he landed head first in it. We’re not sure how he ended up on his head in a pool of water, and that mystery was a focal point of our questions.

Alexander’s Castle also has an urban legend associated with it. It deals with the murder of Cpl. Henry Johnson, who was killed in 1908. The legend says he was murdered at the tailor shop at the Castle, but that’s not true. Cpl. Johnson was killed at Bldg. 205, the band barracks. The Castle became the tailor shop in the 1940s, over thirty years after the corporal’s death.

Melissa Becker, our historian, invited the spirit of Cpl. Johnson to come follows us to Alexander’s Castle. It appears he, his murderer, James Holt, and someone else paid us a visit. More on that under the Investigation Details section.

Eyewitness Reports

We interviewed a few people that work at Fort Worden as well as online news reports. Most witnesses described the following phenomena:

• Phantom footsteps
• Whispers in the artillery batteries
• Apparitions on the parade grounds
• Ghost lights
• The sense of someone watching you

But these reports are general to the entire base. There was next to no information about Bricks and Alexander’s Castle, where we spent most of our time investigating.

Investigation Details

We started ghost hunting in the Bricks building Unit 16A. This is where Captain Thornton ended his life. On night 2, we headed over to Alexander’s Castle to see if William Payne and John Alexander continue to haunt it.

Investigators present:

• Jacob Rice
• Mike Morin
• Melissa Becker
• Rachel Brevik
• Amy Beal
• Sandy Huff
• Christel England

Equipment Used:

• J Portal with SBox
• ParaLight+ EMF lantern
• 3 ParaLight Minis
• REM pod
• Military medals, awards, and letters home
• SLS Mini
• Onvoy Ghost Box
• Ovilus 5
• MEL 8704R-REM-ATDD meter
• Sony hand recorder
• Zoom H4n Pro handy recorder
• Paranormal Tripwire
• Paranormal Tracerwire
• Para4ce Quad

Baseline Measurements

In general, the temperature never varied by more than 3 degrees from the baselines listed under Environmental Factors, and the EMF ranged from 0mG to 3mG, depending on how close you were to a lamp or wall light.

Environmental Factors:

Bricks Building	Alexander’s Castle
Date: Friday, January 26, 2024	Date: Saturday, January 27, 2024
Start Time: 8 PM	Start Time: 8 PM
End Time: 1 AM (Jan. 27, 2024)	End Time: 1 AM (Jan. 28, 2024)
Solar X-Ray Activity: Low	Solar X-Ray Activity: Low
Geomagnetic Storm: Low	Geomagnetic Storm: Low
Moon Phase: Full Moon	Moon Phase: Full Moon
Temperature: 74 (indoors)	Temperature: 70 (indoors)
Humidity: 55%	Humidity: 49%
Barometric Pressure: 29.88″	Barometric Pressure: 29.81″
Windspeed: 0 mph (indoors)	Windspeed: 0 mph (indoors)

Investigation Experiments

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Note: You can watch all these experiments in the video at the top of the page.

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Our experiments were laser-focused on triggering responses from the people in our historic research. There was next to nothing available online for us to try and replicate. We decided to use ghost hunting equipment that could provide confirmation responses. This would help us confirm the identity of a ghost for further research after this weekend.

Bricks Building

North Head Technique

The North Head Technique is a modern take on a seance. It uses ITC devices, like the J Portal, to replace a medium. Our session focused on communicating with Capt. Frank Thornton, who took his own life in our rented unit, 16A.

We placed military medals, Army paperwork and things a soldier would use in their daily lives. Also, we had an Ovilus 5, J Portal, ParaLight+ and 3 ParaLight Minis in the dining room.

Activity began and escalated once we placed a vodka shot on the table. It seemed like 2 spirits manifested, a soldier and a (possible) nurse. They seemed to argue about the alcohol. At one point, we received an EVP and intelligent communication about where the shot of alcohol was in the kitchen.

While this activity happened, Sandy saw shadow figures in the living room.

Upstairs Unit

On the second floor (Unit 16B), Mike and Melissa heard what sounded like an intruder in our rented unit (16A). They went downstairs to see if anyone had entered the apartment. Melissa reported footsteps in the apartment’s hallway as well as something rummaging through the food on the kitchen table. Mike, Melissa and Jake checked each room for someone hiding, but they found nothing. In the main lobby, we found the door ajar as if someone entered. It had been locked earlier in the evening.

In Unit 16B, we had to use an exploratory approach because there was no information available about this apartment in the Bricks. We placed REM pods around the unit to detect any ghostly presences. In the living room, Amy led a live-listening session, and, in the kitchen, Rachel monitored a Tracerwire to see if something would move in there. When Jake approached her with a SLS Mini, the device caught what looked like a child spirit trying to hold her hand.

Personal Experiences

Overnight, Amy, Mike and Sandy heard someone walking down the hallways. It woke Amy up, and she checked to see who would be up at 4 AM – 5 AM. She didn’t see anyone. However, Jake didn’t hear anything, but he sleeps like a dead horse.

Alexander’s Castle

North Head Technique

To start, Melissa provided the background on the ghosts associated with Alexander’s Castle. With that in mind, we tried to communicate with William Payne, Cpl. Henry Johnson, and John Alexander.

It took about 30 minutes before activity began in the dining room. We received intelligent responses on the Onvoy Ghost Box and Ovilus 5. The J Portal also provided a way for the spirits to communicate with us, but they made it clear that gadget wasn’t their preferred gadget.

Finally, we placed a REM pod on the table. Once we invited Cpl. Johnson to sit with us, it went bonkers. This happened after we asked questions about the corporal’s murder and his killer.

Cistern Death

Next, Melissa placed a Paranormal Tripwire and REM pod along the trap door to the basement (where the cistern lies). She asked a series of questions to William Payne, who drowned in the cistern. However, she didn’t receive any responses during her experiment.

Upstairs Bedroom

In the bedroom, Melissa had witnessed the vanity lights flickering at odd times of the day. After the North Head Technique and cistern test, she went upstairs and placed a REM pod, Onvoy Ghost Box and a ParaLight+. While asking questions, Melissa did receive engagement on the REM pod. After the experiment ended, she went downstairs to rejoin the team, and the camera caught a Class A EVP.

Personal Experiences

After investigating at Bricks, Melissa and Christel heard loud phantom footsteps going up and down the stairs to the bedroom while they slept. Melissa got up to check to see if there was an intruder in Alexander’s Castle, and she didn’t find anyone.

Fort Worden Ghost Hunting Conclusion

Fort Worden is definitely haunted. We captured EVP, SLS ghostly figures, shadow figures, intelligent responses on ITC devices, engagement responses, and personal experiences. We had only 2 nights to investigate, but I think you could easily spend 4 or 5 nights exploring the haunted buildings.

Tips For Ghost Hunting At Fort Worden

• Give yourself 30 minutes of engaging with an experiment because it takes at least this long before you get activity
• Set up a wide area to capture evidence because the ghosts would engage in different rooms around your area
• Have those microphones ready for EVP – ghost voices went off all around us
• Use a spirit box because that seemed to be the fastest and simplest way to capture evidence
• Place REM pods and other EMF engagement in the area because that seemed to be a favorite way for ghosts to communicate

Last Updated on March 21, 2024 by Jacob Rice