10 Jul What Lies Within Malvern Manor?
Few buildings hold as many secrets as those with a long history dating back to the beginning of the town it resides in. In the early 1800s, Malvern Iowa was a frequently visited small town on the edge of the railroad crossing the United States. Mostly used as a stopover to bigger towns, an inn was the most prosperous and bustling business in Malvern. The first hotel in Malvern, Iowa, The Cottage Inn, was one such place. Built in the late 1800s, The Cottage Inn, later known as Malvern Manor was the perfect place for travelers moving across the country to stop, rest, and prepare for the rest of the journey to their final destination.
Residents Who Never Left
Malvern Manor is the type of building that sends chills down your spine as you approach. There’s nothing particularly noticeable about the building from the outside. It’s not the run-down, rotting, decrepit place that might come to mind when you think of a location known for paranormal activity. But the energy it emits is impossible to ignore. As you walk up the wide-set steps, you get a sense of the secrets held within the walls. A large porch welcomes you up to the front of the home, and as you cross the threshold, your body instinctively prepares itself for what lies within. Walk down the hall and the closed doors to rooms hold back the history and energy of decades of sorrow and pain. For those brave enough, opening those doors and letting the energy engulf you is the type of experience paranormal enthusiasts spend years, sometimes decades searching for.
Throughout the years, the manor changed hands numerous times. Serving as an Inn, family home, and nursing home for the mentally and emotionally ill. The look and feel of the manor reflect the diverse history of the space with makeshift nursing stations, long winding hallways, and exposed pipes. When the manor was purchased by current owner Josh Heard, he preserved the home in the way that he found it. To this day, personal effects can still be found in the drawers and closets of the manor. Many believe the personal items hold the energy of the people who once owned them. In one room in particular known for voices and banging sounds, children’s coloring books and activity books can be found throughout the room. Investigators report seeing these items move without human touch.
The Gibson Family Home
Aside from the many stories of suffering at the hands of under assisted nursing staff, the history of suffering started long before the manor was a hospital. In the mid-1900s, it served as the personal residence to the Gibson family. Rare for the time, the family was not a traditional family, as T.D. Gibson and his wife were not the biological parents of the Gibson children. Their biological parents were unfit to raise the children, and they were sent to live with their aunt and uncle.
The youngest Gibson girl, Inez, was particularly impacted by the stresses and did her very best to please her family and excel in her studies. According to stories and town history, one day after school, she told her brother, Otto, she was going outside to jump rope. A few hours later, upon not being seen inside or outside of the home, Otto walked into her room and caught a glance in the mirror that would change his life and the life of his family forever.
Inez was found with a jump rope around her neck, tragically hanging inside of the closet. Medical professionals were called and the cause of death was determined as accidental, but that didn’t stop stories and rumors circulating around town. Her family notes the cause for emotional distress exhibited by Inez prior to this event was a drop in her grades, but it may never be known the exact circumstances surrounding her death. Many visitors to the home report hearing young voices that could be the spirit of Inez in the home that gave her comfort and the family she so badly wanted.
The History of Malvern Manor as a Nursing Home
In the years after private ownership, the house was repurposed as a nursing home. As mentioned, this facility was not held to the standards of care we expect to see in homes today. While widely disputed, there is no mistaking the energy left behind from years of unsettled souls working through difficulties in life and beyond. Research of the nursing home points to years of neglect, but there are also those still living today who worked or had loved ones in the home who reject this notion. Either way, there are hotspots throughout the building that point to unsettled spirits of those who used to reside there. As paranormal investigators, we always keep an open mind when investigating locations. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between a malign spirit and one who simply wants to communicate.
We have the unique opportunity to not only explore this location ourselves but to bring you and people like you interested in the paranormal along to explore this space and get to the bottom of what really took place here. The only true way to understand the past of a place is to see it in its present and strive to communicate with who, or whatever might still remain. We have so much to share about this location, but nothing substitutes experiencing it for yourself. As seasoned investigators, we use our own experiences to determine what could be true of the past of this place and how the spirits feel about being there now. If you have what it takes, and are brave enough to be the person willing to reach through that spiritual plane to understand what these people need to express, come along with us and explore Malvern Manor. Ready to see for yourself? Grab tickets before they’re gone and join us for a night you’ll never forget at Malvern Manor.
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