Creepy Cleveland - Folklore, Myths and Monsters in NE Ohio



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The following links were found online with some more information about the Jaite Paper Mill:

http://www.moonspenders.com/jaite.html
http://www.nps.gov/cuva/visitonline/towpathtour/jaite.htm
http://www.ohiotrespassers.com/jaite.html
http://www.titchenal.com/trails/ohioerie/
http://www.cvsr.com/map.shtml
http://www.geocities.com/ohio_lost/jaite_papermill_page.html
http://members.tripod.com/snap7901/id41.htm


Emails / Stories

Contributed by Becky Shott

Another amazing series of photos sent to me by Becky Shott. The subject this time is the Jaite Paper Mill. I'll let her tell you the rest...


We recently visited the old Jaite Paper Mill during the day from about 4:00pm until 7:15pm. The weather was very cooperative. Sunny, warmer and not windy. The four of us toured the buildings with nothing but two flashlights (which were only needed in a couple of dark rooms) and two cameras. Our interest in the mill is mainly related to our interest in history and old buildings and since we know demolition of the mill is scheduled for 2003-2004, we took our chance to investigate it.. We were very careful, which you have to be in the mill, and unlike all of the other visitors whose life-long careers seem to be vandalism, we didn't harm a thing.
It takes common sense and human curiosity to walk through the mill. Parts of the buildings were rotted and unsafe to walk under or over. Some of the buildings' roofs were caved in to the ground, leaving a nice open skylight. Arsons set fire in a few of the buildings and the remnants are still visible today. The pump expansion room was completely under about 3 or 4 feet of water, as was the basement. We didn't bother with the basement because the stairs were almost completely rotted through, and there was also a good few feet of water, assuming it came up from the river and caverns which are allegedly underneath the mill.
Out of every place I've investigated, the Jaite Paper Mill is the most eerie of them all. I have no knowledge of ghost stories, nor have I done any research to gain information about recorded deaths or local stories. As we walked through each of the buildings, it was as if the employees dropped what they were doing in 1984 and walked out for good. Old Pepsi cans were scattered around and rusted. Tools, machines, bundles of paper, books, receipts, pay stubs, gloves, hard hats, desks, chairs, and empty bottles of oil (and more) were found in all the buildings.
We first entered in the machine shop, which has a glass ceiling that has been broken as shards of glass were all over the floor. I was slightly nervous at the thought of another very large shard might happen to break and fall when one of us walked underneath it. The southwest of the room had fallen through, leaving a large opening to see the water tower.
Walking into the north end of the fourdrinier paper machine room, we continued out through where the beaters used to be. The beater room had completely collapsed, but we tiptoed and were careful not to touch anything to make the rest come down. At the most northern part of the mill where the baled paper storage once stood was nothing but a cement foundation. Because of the collapsed beater room we were unable to get through to the pulp storage room. Instead we found the decrepit stairway leading to the basement. After throwing a couple of rocks down there, we moved toward where the chemical storage tank area for boiler treatment was, and found nothing but rusted tanks.
We walked through the storage room and where the welding was done. We found a lot of tools, nuts, bolts, tubes that were used to be wrapped by paper, and bundles of paper now yellow/brown and frail. From there we trekked through the former power house, the rotary mixer room and the trucks and repair shop. In the upper part of the repair shop we found were one of the fires were set in the office area.
Then we climbed down some stairs to the outside and walked along the old train tracks until we found an opening that went down into the boiler room. This room was amazing and did have a bit of a "high energy" feel to me. It's an extraordinary room with the size of the tank, boilers, cat walks and left over coal. Going back outside we entered into a machine shop which was half fallen through, and then again into the back end of the room that contains the still-in-tact fourdrinier paper machines.
We spent some time in the large, open paper machine room. Immediately at the end of the roller machines I felt a presence, and we were all able to feel a large decrease in temperate around that area. No matter which angle we walked from, the cold area was solid. I took a few pictures and captured some anomalies. This surprised because as I said earlier, I was not expecting any paranormal activity. At the far southwest end of the fourdrinier room are some offices and the old multiwall paper storage. There is nothing left, no walls or ceiling, which looks odd because of the fourdrinier machines jutting out into the open.
After climbing behind the fourdrinier paper machines, we found the pump expansion room to be under a few feet of water. We walked through the vacuum pumps, autos and mill supplies storage rooms out into the monstrous wide open box shop and rolled paper paper storage rooms. The walls and most of the ceiling is missing from these rooms which makes it easy for people on the Towpath Trail to see who's investigating the mill. Across the wide open rooms are a line of small offices and a bathroom.
At the far northwest end of the storage rooms is the wooden warehouse. The garage doors where the trucks used to back into are in tact except for their windows. A part of the ceiling fell in and the wall fell out toward the north.
Walking back out of the warehouse two of us smelled very the very strong, sweet scent of cigar. It was in the north end of the box shop and rolled paper storage area, right outside the miscellaneous storage area. We followed it in and down to the right of the miscellaneous storage room, and I snapped a few pictures in a row. I was able to catch a few more dense orbs, and luckily this entity was strong enough to follow him around the parts of the room and catch him on film a few times. I'm going to assume he was an office worker, and apparently he is not ready to leave the mill and his job.
Finally, after spending some time with the cigar smoker, we headed back the way we came waling through the fourdrinier paper machines room, stopping in the electric and welding shop to look through some books (only to find some heavy white and black mold), and back out to the Towpath Trail through the machine shop where we entered.
Please be advised that there is a chain link fence surrounding the entire building and "No Trespassing" signs are posted. I have heard that trespassing tickets have cost people between $200 and $500. If you do make your way into the buildings, be extremely careful. Use common sense and don't go anywhere, or touch anything, that looks unsafe.
All in all it was a remarkable experience. I love history, and investigating old buildings is a hobby aside from my interest and investigating the paranormal. I think we happened to get lucky to experience the two paranormal energies we did, and possibly get something on film. Anomalies or dust? You decide. I have included pictures, some with alleged anomalies that are circled in red.

So without further adieu...

"The Investigation of Jaite Mill"
Bright Fourdrinier

Bright Fourdrinier: This was the first picture taken in the Fourdrinier Paper Machines room. I'm not sure about the bright light at the bottom, but at this point we were not using flashlights. As you can see, it's slightly darker where I was standing, so I'm contemplating the bright light at the bottom of the picture. Again, we had a ceiling over us here, so the possibility of light coming down from above is zilch. It's also dense, which light would not be, because you can't see the floor below it. I don't have hair that long, and it's not a finger. I held my camera out and away from my body.

Basement

Basement: This is looking down into the basement which was completely flooded. Where I'm standing seems to be outside, but I'm actually standing where the Beaters room once stood. Unfortunately, there was nothing left but a pile of the walls and ceiling.

Beater's Room

Beaters Room: This is a section of the Beaters Room. To the left is the "To Hell and Back" door, and the door leading down to the basement. If you look straight through you can see a reddish door frame. That door leads into the Rotary Mixers room which we didn't even attempt to accomplish.

To Hell and Back

To Hell and Back: This picture is from standing where the Beaters Room used to be, the Basement steps are to my left and I'm looking down a hall that leads to the Storage and Welding Rooms (to the right). The "to hell and back" is a nice little vandalism message spray painted on the door. Straight ahead is a very bright light in the Former Power House that shows up in a couple of pictures. We can't figure out what it could be, because the light bulbs showed up as light bulbs and nothing else reflected so much in the pictures.

Storage Room

Storage Room: This is just a picture down one of the many rows used for storage. I'm going to take a guess from the amount of left over rusted tools, nuts and bolts that this room was used for just that.

Storage Room Bundle

Storage Room Bundle: This is a left over bundle of paper found in the storage room.

Welding Orb

Welding Orb: The Welding Room is located directly north of the Storage Room, and in here I was able to capture an orb.

Storage Room Half

Storage Room Half: This is walking back into the hallway from the Storage Room. The Welding Room is directly behind me. I may have captured a half an orb in this picture.

Boiler Room

Boiler Room: This was the very first picture I took in the Boiler Room because of an overwhelming feeling of a presence.

Boiler Orb 2

Boiler Orb2: This is to the right of the door, to the left of the giant boilers/furnaces.

Boiler Ecto

Boiler Ecto: You may have to enlarge this one a bit. I've had people tell me it looks like two faces, but personally to me it looks like ecto.

Foundrinier

Foundrinier: A picture toward the end of the machine.

ColdFoundrinier

Cold Foundrinier: This is right where I stepped into the enormous cold spot and began snapping pictures.

Cold Foundrinier 2

Cold Foundrinier2: Taken right after the first one, a few steps back.

Cold Foundrinier 3

Cold Fourdrinier3: Taken immediately after the second picture looking to the southwest.

Cold Foundrinier 4

Cold Fourdrinier4: Again, taken immediately after the third picture, a few more steps back.

Behind Foundrinier

Behind Fourdrinier: This was taken after walking between the machines and snapping a picture. Nothing was felt, not even the cold spot on that side of the machines. It may be hard to see, but I underlined in red what looks to be something in motion, to the left of the bright "thing" hanging from ceiling.

Rolled Paper Storage

Rolled Paper Storage: This picture was taken after stepping into what used to be the Rolled Paper Storage Room. Going to the opposite end is where the Box Shop and the rest of the rolled paper was stored. Along the far left wall is a row of offices and bathroom. Down the far right wall is the Miscellaneous Storage Room.

Wooden Warehouse

Wooden Warehouse: Directly to my left is the doorway to the Rolled Paper Storage and Box Shop was. To the right is where all of the garage doors are that once welcomed trucks for deliveries.

Cigar 1 Cigar 2 Cigar 3 Cigar 4 Cigar 5

Cigar1-Cigar5: Directly behind me and to my right is the doorway leading to the Rolled Paper Storage and Box Shop, which is where we first got the very strong scent of cigar smoke. I followed the scent into this room and snapped this, and four more pictures taken immediately after the previous. It was very easy to follow this entity around with my camera considering how strong his energy is.

Note: Please keep in mind that some of these photos were rather dark, so I raised the brightness and gamma to see more of the buildings and alleged anomalies. Also, as stated in the write-up, I am not aware of any ghost stories, myths or recorded deaths in the paper mill. I'm basing my opinions on assumptions that working at a place like this, specifically with all of the chemicals involved and working the fourdrinier machines, was rather dangerous and I'm sure quite a few fatal accidents occurred. I am very interested in any stories that other people may have, so please feel free to email me with any information.