I grew up reading books where kids jumped in lakes and rivers to swim. I also grew up in Louisiana with a bayou just beyond my back yard. I grew up with my parents constantly telling me not to jump in the bayou behind our house to swim, because it was
Tag: childhood
This Friday kicks off THE SPOOKY SEASON! Introducing: I Was a Teenage Ghost Hunter: Camp Claiborne A 10-Part Story and Video Series Join me on a mini-autobiographical journey through my teen years poking the paranormal at an abandoned WWII military base in the middle of the Louisiana woods. YouTube Channel *
This collection of stories is, to the best of my knowledge, an accurate recollection of my experiences, as I experienced them at the time, and an accurate report on what I have been told by individuals known to me. Any divergences from what happened were either intentional changes made to protect
When I return to visit Louisiana, I like to make the time to stop in at Camp Claiborne, revisit the old stomping grounds. Over the years, it has changed. A lot. At some point, the state or military or some kind of authorities swept in. They said it was hazardous, that
If the knowledge that I actually went out to adventure in Camp Claiborne on a Halloween night doesn’t make you question my sanity, then the story of what happened might. It’s a story that I don’t really like telling for that reason. If there hadn’t been another witness there…well, then I
I’m not usually one for content warnings. I mean, I don’t begrudge people who use them or need them, but I can never remember to until it’s too late. That said, I really, really like dogs and cats, so I’m giving a reverse content warning here: nothing bad happens to the
When I recount these stories to friends nowadays, there’s one question in particular that comes up again and again: “Why did you keep going back?” Sometimes I try to answer it, but other times I dodge and instead laugh and mention that there were places in the camp that were too
Why exactly was Camp Claiborne so wretched, and when did it start getting this way? For answers, let’s look to the history of the place. It’s hard to find detailed accounts of the land’s older history beyond what we can infer from archeology. To summarize what little I found, what’s now
One of my favorite Claiborne stories is one that makes me question why anyone would ever go out there with me again, especially the witnesses present for this one. You see, in deciding which stories to pull together for this, I’ve made a conscious decision to privilege things that happened to
Camp Claiborne attracted more than just partying or thrill-seeking teens. On my first trip out there, I was warned by the older kids about the more dangerous sorts who would also use these woods—criminals and cultists. Of course, I didn’t believe it. I figured it was just old rumors. But I