Haunting Audio Evidence of a Drowning Spirit at the Exchange Building
In the heart of Ogden, Utah, stands the Ogden Exchange Building, a piece of history that dates back to 1931. This early Art Deco structure was designed to symbolise and elevate the image of the Ogden Union Stockyards. Now owned by the City of Ogden, the building is listed as one of Utah’s most endangered historic sites due to deterioration amid surrounding new developments [1][3]. The city plans to preserve and revitalise this historic structure and its surrounding community.
However, the Ogden Exchange Building is not just known for its historical significance. Over the years, it has gained a reputation for being haunted. Paranormal investigators have reported apparitions of a little girl in the building [2]. Yet, according to investigator Brendan Cook, there were no children present during the investigation, and no water that could've made any kind of violent splashing sound [2].
One of the most intriguing incidents associated with the building is the 2005 EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) recorded on Art Bell's Coast to Coast AM radio show. The seven-minute recording, which starts getting disturbing at the 3:57 mark, features what sounds like a higher-pitched voice pleading for help, followed by a guttural and almost demonic voice [4]. The nature of the EVP raises questions about whether it's an environmental recording or an echo in space-time of something that actually happened long ago, or if there's something more nefarious happening on the other side.
The EVP was recorded in a room at the Ogden Exchange Building in Ogden, Utah. The building, which was turned into a haunted house in 2005, may have contributed to its association with the fictional Bellshire Hospital [5]. The authenticity of the EVP and the building's paranormal activity remain unclear. Some claim that an 8-year-old boy once drowned in a nearby canal, while others suggest a link to a missing woman whose remains were found in the Weber River in 1985 [5].
The Ogden Exchange Building has a history of tragedies, with multiple deaths, including suicides, deaths from natural causes, and a triple murder in the 1940s [6]. Yet, the connection between these incidents and the EVP remains a mystery. As Art Bell and the two Ghost Investigators Society (G.I.S.) members speculated after the clip of the EVP finished, the truth of the recording may never be fully known [7].
Despite the building's troubled past and the unexplained phenomena associated with it, the City of Ogden is committed to preserving and revitalising the Ogden Exchange Building. Whether the building is truly haunted or the stories are just urban legends, one thing is certain: the Ogden Exchange Building is a piece of Ogden's history that deserves to be preserved.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogden_Exchange_Building [2] https://www.deseret.com/utah/2018/10/21/17988515/ogden-exchange-building-paranormal-activity-investigation-ghost-little-girl [3] https://www.heritageutah.org/properties/ogden-exchange-building-ogden-union-stockyard-exchange-building [4] https://www.coasttocoastam.com/episode/422/2005/4/2/saturday-night-live-with-art-bell/ [5] https://www.ghostvillage.com/haunted-places/usa/utah/ogden-exchange-building [6] https://www.hauntedplaces.org/states/Utah/Ogden_Exchange_Building.php [7] https://www.coasttocoastam.com/episode/422/2005/4/2/saturday-night-live-with-art-bell/
- Despite the Ogden Exchange Building's reputation for being haunted, the City of Ogden is determined to preserve and revitalize its historical significance, recognizing it as a crucial part of Ogden's past.
- Amidst the building's association with fashion-and-beauty, home-and-garden, entertainment, and pop-culture due to its alleged paranormal activity, the Ogden Exchange Building still stands as a testament to Ogden's unique lifestyle and cultural heritage.
