The Arkansas State Tuberculosis Sanatorium was established in 1909 about three miles south of Booneville. Once fully established, the sanatorium was the relocation center for all white Arkansans with tuberculosis. By the time the facility was closed in 1972, it had treated over 70,000 patients. The main hospital, named the Nyberg Building after Leo E. Nyberg, a former sanatorium patient and state legislator who sponsored the bill funding the construction, was completed in 1941. The facility became known worldwide as one of the most successful and modern hospitals for the treatment of tuberculosis of its day.

The sanatorium complex was self-sustaining, with dormitories, staff entertainment buildings, a chapel, laundry, dairy, water treatment plant, independent telephone system, and even a fire department. At the height of its use, the complex employed nearly 300 staff members. At one point, the total population of the center was greater than that of Booneville, in the valley below.

With the introduction of more effective drug therapy, the patient population began to decline. Eventually the sanatorium was closed in 1973.

People diagnosed with TB came to Booneville by the carload, sometimes in handcuffs, because Arkansas state law mandated that victims of consumption be isolated at the sanatorium where they could not spread their germs on the rest of society. The Sanatorium was among the largest TB treatment centers in the world, housing thousands of patients in peak years. Surgeries included ripping out ribs, collapsing lungs and filling chest cavities with ping-pong balls. Only 50 percent of patients undergoing these operations survived the operations.

RVPRI was told that during the time that the sanatorium was in operation some 53,000 people died there.

 

Investigation

3-2-2007

Team members present

Adrian, Tina, Shawn, Charlie, Kristy, Daniel, Tony

with guests

Christy, Anita, Mel, Corey

Data recorded

Audio, video, photographic, EMF and Temperature.

Report

At the onset of the investigation after the initial setup of base the team members of RVPRI with guest members from OKPRI split up into two groups leaving two members at base to monitor the video cameras and to provide security. One team started at the basement level and worked their way up and one team started at the 6th floor and worked their way down. Several personal experiences happened throughout the night by many team members even those who remained at the base station. These included shadows, light anomalies, a door that moved on its own and an apparition which was seen by one of the teams. EMF and temperature readings remained constant with no compelling variation. The shadows seemed intelligent in their actions and moved from one side of the hall to another but always stayed at a distance. The light anomalies I would consider "orb" like although when pictures were taken they did not create an image and although two video camera's were trained on them they did not show on the screen or on playback. The door that seemed to move by itself also seemed intelligent and not moved by wind or gravity, this door moved both ways and was checked by levels and we felt no draft even remotely strong enough to move a door that heavy not to mention that it was doing so on command. The apparition seemed to appear before one team but there was no data to support it other than the testimony of that team, there was another witnessed apparition on the 4th floor that seemed to beckon a team into a room, this has been experienced by other teams that have investigated this site.  We will place these encounters in the personal experience category and leave them there.  Throughout the night we heard what sounded like a metal pipe dropping to the floor once right next to a team and when they investigated where the sound came from there was nothing within the room capable of making that sound, this was recorded on our still video camera on that level. We took several pictures to which there were none compelling enough to show, but we recorded several audio anomalies with examples below.  All in all we are left with the opinion that the Arkansas Tuberculosis Sanatorium has demonstrated genuine paranormal activity.

Daniel (Redd) all business here.

Creepy hallways just make me happy. Here you see that Anita from OKPRI (NAGS) is with us.

This was our exercise all night long.

As you can see, this place can be very, very, very dusty.

While not an EVP this sound was heard all night long and from different areas. Once in a room not far from a team. Nothing was ever found that would make this sound.

They really want you to know where they are.

I hear the name Hector in this EVP

I can't make all this out, it sounds like I can't keep up, or, I can't get up.

I won't tell you what we think this says, all I will say is that it isn't nice, and Tina would not have let it go if she had heard it.