0:00

shipping Mother's Day gifts with a rapid -fire round

0:02

of questions. Ready? Rapping fire round

0:04

of questions. Ready? Yes, my gift.

0:06

Can you pack it? Yep. Ship it?

0:08

Yes. Guarantee it? Of course. Oh, send

0:10

gift baskets? For sure. Protect electronics?

0:13

Dog proof it? Return it? Return

0:15

it if they hate it? Yes,

0:17

no. And yeah. Are you? The

0:20

UPS store. Hey guarantee for full

0:22

details. Most locations are independently owned.

0:24

Product services prices and hours of

0:26

operation may vary. Sea center for

0:29

details. The UPS store. Visit a

0:31

store today. Welcome. There's

0:37

a place in Tampa where old Florida

0:39

grandeur still lingers in the air, like

0:41

the scent of an expensive cigar from

0:43

another century. The towering minarets,

0:45

the red brick facade,

0:47

and the sweeping verandas of

0:49

the Tampa Bay Hotel tell the story

0:51

of an era when luxury knew no

0:54

limits and history was being written with

0:56

every clink of fine china. Once

0:58

the crown jewel of railroad

1:01

tycoon Henry B. Plant's empire,

1:03

this sprawling Moorish revival masterpiece

1:05

drew presidents, generals, and

1:08

high society like moths to its

1:10

lavish flame. But as with

1:12

many monuments to the past, there's a

1:14

shadow behind the shine. Today, the

1:16

building houses the University of Tampa and

1:18

the Henry B. Plant Museum. While

1:21

just next door, the Oxford

1:23

Exchange serves up elegant

1:25

brunches beneath skylights and beside

1:27

shelves of leather -bound books. But

1:29

beneath the surface of this

1:31

historic setting, there

1:33

are whispers. Whispers of ghostly

1:35

soldiers still marching through the

1:37

halls. of a mysterious

1:40

lady in white appearing at the

1:42

grand staircase and of unseen

1:44

presences that make even the most

1:46

skeptical visitors glance nervously over

1:48

their shoulders? Are

1:50

these mere echoes of history

1:52

reverberating through creaky floors and

1:54

drafty halls? Or is something

1:56

far more restless at play? Tonight,

2:00

we pull back the heavy velvet curtains

2:02

and step into the lingering mist of

2:04

Tampa's haunted history. I'm

2:06

Tony Bruski. Let's dig in. It

2:09

began as a bold vision, a

2:11

dream crafted from brick, steel, and

2:13

opulence along the sunny shores of

2:15

Tampa, Florida. In the

2:17

late 1880s, Florida was still considered

2:19

the edge of the American frontier,

2:21

an untamed, humid expanse not yet

2:23

known for the palm -lined vacation dreams

2:25

we picture today. That

2:27

was until Henry B. Plant, a man with

2:29

a railroad empire in his pocket, and

2:31

an eye for grandeur, set his sights

2:33

on transforming Tampa into a winter playground

2:35

for the nation's elite. Plant

2:37

didn't just build a hotel, he

2:40

built a palace. The

2:42

Tampa Bay Hotel opened its

2:44

doors in 1891, stretching over six

2:46

acres of lush grounds, wrapped

2:48

in regal red brick and with

2:51

gleaming silver minarets. Architect

2:53

J. A. Wood, well

2:55

known for his penchant for

2:57

exotic designs, embraced the Moorish revival

2:59

style with passion. Horseshoe

3:01

arches, domed cupolas, and intricate woodwork

3:04

turned the hotel into a

3:06

visual masterpiece that stood apart from

3:08

anything else in the South. At

3:11

a time when hotels were modest

3:13

and utilitarian, this one came outfitted with

3:15

electricity, telephones in every

3:17

room, private baths, and even

3:19

an elevator, luxuries that were

3:21

nearly unheard of. But

3:24

it wasn't just luxury that

3:26

gave the Tampa Bay Hotel its

3:28

allure, it was the clientele. Presidents

3:31

like Theodore Roosevelt, who once prepared

3:33

his rough riders at the hotel

3:35

before shipping out to Cuba during

3:37

the Spanish -American War, walked these

3:39

halls. Foreign diplomats, industrial

3:41

magnates, authors, and artists

3:43

filled the grand dining rooms.

3:46

Lavish balls and garden parties were the order

3:48

of the day. Servants

3:50

scurried between floors, porters managed

3:52

an endless parade of steamer

3:54

trunks, and the soft glow

3:56

of Edison bulbs illuminated an

3:59

age of

4:01

gilded decadence. The

4:03

Spanish -American War in particular stitched

4:05

the hotel directly into the

4:08

fabric of American history. As

4:10

tensions flared in 1898, the

4:12

hotel became a bustling hub of

4:14

military activity. Soldiers bivouacked on

4:16

the grounds, the opulent spaces of

4:18

the hotel, doubling as makeshift

4:20

command centers, officers plotted strategies beneath

4:22

chandeliers, and weary troops, many

4:24

of whom would never return from

4:26

the battlefields prepared for the

4:28

unknown. Some say the

4:30

emotional residue of those final

4:33

nights, hope, fear, longing, soaked

4:35

into the very walls of the hotel.

4:38

But war isn't the only thing that left a

4:40

mark. Time itself began to take

4:42

its toll. After Henry Plant's

4:44

death, his empire fragmented. The

4:46

Tampa Bay Hotel soldiered on until

4:49

the Great Depression tightened its icy grip

4:51

on the country. By

4:53

1932, after four decades of

4:55

glittering soirees and high

4:57

society glamour, the hotel closed

4:59

its doors to paying guests. Yet

5:01

its story was far from over. The

5:04

city of Tampa stepped in, purchasing

5:07

the sprawling complex and breathing new life

5:09

into it. Part of the building

5:11

found fresh purpose as the

5:13

University of Tampa opening its

5:15

doors to students eager to

5:17

learn beneath its cavernous ceilings. Another

5:20

portion was meticulously preserved as

5:22

the Henry B. Plant Museum, where

5:24

today visitors can step back

5:26

in time and experience the luxury

5:29

of the gilded age firsthand. Next

5:32

door, the Oxford Exchange emerged

5:34

in the early 21st century, revitalizing

5:36

the neighborhood with a blend

5:38

of old world sophistication and modern

5:40

flair. The exchange pays

5:42

homage to the area's history

5:44

with its design, iron staircases,

5:47

wood -paneled walls, and grand skylights

5:49

that flood the space with

5:51

sunlight. Patrons sip

5:53

artisanal coffees and browse

5:55

curated bookshelves, blissfully unaware or

5:57

perhaps knowingly aware of

5:59

the legacy that lingers beyond

6:01

the page and porcelain

6:03

cup. Yet with history

6:06

of this magnitude, there always comes

6:08

something more. Even as the hotel

6:10

transformed into a place of learning

6:12

and the Oxford Exchange blossomed into

6:14

a gathering spot for locals and

6:16

tourists alike, whispers of the past

6:18

refused to be silenced. Long

6:21

time staff at the museum

6:23

and university began to share hushed

6:25

accounts of strange sounds echoing

6:27

through empty corridors, footsteps

6:29

heavy and deliberate pacing through

6:31

long abandoned hallways, doors

6:33

creaking open without cause, and

6:36

in the stillness of night,

6:38

fleeting glimpses of shadowy figures

6:40

in period attire slipping just

6:42

out of view. Security

6:44

guards tasked with keeping watch over

6:47

the historic structure sometimes found

6:49

themselves feeling like the ones being

6:51

watched. At first these

6:53

occurrences were brushed aside. Easy explanations

6:55

flowed readily. Old

6:57

buildings creak and groan with

6:59

age. Drafty windows rattle. The

7:02

footsteps probably echoes from elsewhere

7:04

in the cavernous structure. or perhaps

7:06

tricks of the acoustics bouncing

7:08

down the ornate hallways. But

7:10

as the tales accumulated,

7:13

curiosity deepened. Some visitors

7:15

reported hearing disembodied voices murmuring

7:17

in rooms devoid of life. One

7:20

guest, touring the museum, claimed to have

7:22

seen the shadowy form of a soldier

7:24

standing motionless in a corner, only for

7:26

him to vanish when she turned her

7:28

head. Was it her

7:30

imagination, sparked by the rich

7:32

history of the place? Or

7:34

had she brushed shoulders with something

7:36

far less explainable? Skeptics

7:39

argue that much of this is

7:41

the natural byproduct of suggestion. When

7:43

you step into a place so

7:45

steeped in history, especially one where tales

7:47

of war and death intertwine with

7:49

stories of grandeur, your mind begins to

7:51

fill in the blanks. It's called

7:53

the power of suggestion, and it can

7:55

make even the most rational person

7:57

second guess a shadow in the corner

7:59

or a chill down the spine. Environmental

8:02

factors can't be dismissed either.

8:05

The architecture of the Tampa Bay

8:07

Hotel is breathtaking but also

8:09

contributes to these eerie experiences. The

8:12

high ceilings and endless corridors can

8:14

distort sound making footsteps or voices seem

8:16

to come from nowhere. Shifting

8:18

temperatures caused by the Florida

8:20

climate can create bursts of

8:22

cold air or strange noises

8:24

as materials expand and contract.

8:27

And then there's the old plumbing.

8:29

pipes that bang and moan,

8:32

creating their own nocturnal soundtrack. Still,

8:35

not every story can be so easily

8:37

explained. It's one thing to

8:39

hear a random noise in an old

8:41

building, it's another to see a figure

8:44

in full military dress step into view

8:46

only to dissolve into thin air. And

8:48

that's where the line between

8:51

history and mystery begins to blur.

8:54

As tales of odd occurrences

8:56

and spectral sightings continue to

8:58

circulate, Amongst staff, students, and

9:00

visitors alike, the Tampa

9:02

Bay Hotel and Oxford Exchange have both

9:04

become living monuments, not just

9:06

to the grandeur of the past, but

9:08

perhaps to the restless spirits that

9:10

refuse to let the past fade quietly

9:12

into history. As we

9:15

move deeper into the story of the Tampa

9:17

Bay Hotel, it's clear that this place is more

9:19

than just a museum frozen in time. Beneath

9:21

the polished floors and gleaming

9:24

exhibits lies something more elusive,

9:26

a presence felt by many

9:28

seen by some and stubbornly

9:30

resistant to rational explanation. One

9:33

of the most chilling and

9:35

consistently reported phenomena involves the

9:37

appearance of shadowy figures. These

9:40

aren't vague movements caught out

9:42

of the corner of an eye.

9:44

Witnesses, including museum docents and

9:47

university staff, describe distinct silhouettes, often

9:49

dressed in what looks like

9:51

military garb from the late century.

9:54

These figures tend to appear in the quietest

9:56

parts of the building, down long, dimly

9:59

lit hallways or standing silently in

10:01

corners of empty rooms. Nighttime

10:03

security guards walking their rounds

10:05

through the labyrinth of historic

10:08

spaces have reported moments of

10:10

sheer unease. Some claim to

10:12

have seen shapes darting from

10:14

one room to another, though

10:16

upon investigation no one is

10:18

ever found. Others

10:20

speak of the unmistakable sensation

10:22

of being followed, the

10:24

hair on the back of their

10:26

necks rising with a chill that no

10:28

Florida humidity can explain. And

10:31

then there's the lady in white. She's

10:33

become something of a legend unto

10:35

herself. Described as a

10:37

graceful woman dressed in flowing

10:39

white attire, she's most frequently

10:41

spotted gliding down the hotel's

10:43

grand staircase or gazing wistfully

10:45

from the upper windows as

10:47

if watching for a lover

10:49

who will never return. Some

10:52

believe she could be the spirit

10:54

of a woman connected to the Spanish

10:56

-American war era, perhaps the wife or

10:58

fiance of a soldier who once

11:00

stayed at the hotel and never came

11:02

home. Other suspects she

11:04

may have been a guest

11:07

who succumbed to illness or

11:09

tragedy during her stay Her

11:11

appearances are usually brief but

11:13

profound Witnesses describe a sudden

11:15

drop in temperature followed by

11:17

an overwhelming sense of melancholy

11:19

She never speaks never interacts,

11:21

but her presence is unmistakable

11:23

leaving a lasting impression on

11:25

those who encounter her Paranormal

11:27

investigation teams have taken a

11:29

keen interest in the hotel

11:31

over the years bringing with

11:33

them an arsenal of high

11:35

-tech equipment aimed at capturing

11:37

the unexplained. EMF detectors

11:39

designed to measure electromagnetic

11:41

fluctuations have registered unexplained

11:43

spikes in areas where

11:45

visual sightings have been

11:47

reported. Infrared cameras

11:49

have captured what some

11:52

interprets as human -shaped anomalies

11:54

moving through empty spaces. Perhaps

11:57

most compelling are the

11:59

EVPs, electronic voice phenomena captured

12:01

during late night sessions. Investigators

12:04

have recorded faint voices seemingly

12:06

responding to their questions. Words

12:09

like help, stay, and

12:11

get out have been captured on

12:13

audio, chilling reminders that if spirits linger

12:15

here, they are not merely passive

12:17

observers. Temperature readings

12:19

have also produced puzzling results.

12:21

Investigators have documented abrupt drops

12:23

of up to 20 degrees

12:26

Fahrenheit in localized spots, pockets

12:28

of cold air that, to

12:30

defy explanation, given the

12:32

hotel's updated climate control systems, these

12:34

cold spots often coincide with

12:36

sightings of shadow figures, or the

12:38

lady in white, leading some

12:41

to believe these temperature anomalies mark

12:43

the presence of spectral entities. Surprisingly,

12:46

even the Oxford Exchange, the

12:48

stylish and bustling neighbor of the

12:50

museum, has an escape the

12:52

whispers of the unexplained. Though

12:54

known today as a chic gathering spot

12:56

for brunches and book lovers, the

12:58

exchange inhabits a building with its

13:00

own historic roots. Staff

13:03

and patrons alike have reported

13:05

strange occurrences. The

13:07

sound of footsteps on the upper floor

13:09

when no one is there, doors

13:11

that open or close without cause and

13:13

fleeting shadows glimpsed among the sun -drenched

13:16

walls. Some paranormal

13:18

researchers speculate that the extensive

13:20

renovations to create the Oxford

13:22

Exchange may have disturbed lingering

13:24

energies. It's a theory

13:26

common in paranormal circles that construction

13:29

can stir the pot, so to

13:31

speak, awakening dormant spirits

13:33

or residual hauntings. Whether

13:35

or not you believe it, the stories

13:37

from the Exchange add another layer to

13:39

the tapestry of mystery surrounding this corner

13:41

of Tampa. Yet for all

13:43

the technology and testimony questions

13:45

remain. Are these encounters

13:48

the result of residual hauntings?

13:50

Energy imprints from the buildings

13:52

past replaying like old film

13:54

reels? Or could they

13:56

be manifestations of intelligent entities

13:58

seeking recognition from the

14:00

living? Paranormal theorists

14:02

often debate this very distinction

14:04

with some leaning toward the

14:07

idea that the hotel's wartime

14:09

past with its heightened emotions

14:11

and unfinished stories has left

14:13

an indelible mark. Sceptics, of

14:15

course, offer alternative explanations. They

14:17

point to confirmation bias, where

14:20

visitors primed by ghost stories interpret

14:22

natural events as supernatural. They

14:25

reference infrasound, low -frequency vibrations

14:27

that can induce feelings

14:29

of dread or even hallucinations.

14:32

And they remind us of the

14:34

building's age, old structures settle,

14:36

materials contract, and the resulting

14:38

noises can easily spook the

14:40

unwary. Yet, despite

14:42

these logical interpretations, the

14:45

legends endure. Employees

14:47

of the museum continue to

14:49

trade tales of unexplained activity. University

14:52

students are studying late

14:54

into the night, speak

14:56

of hearing footsteps echoing down

14:59

empty corridors. Patrons at

15:01

the Oxford Exchange glance over their shoulders,

15:03

feeling eyes upon them in moments

15:05

when they believe they're alone. These

15:07

aren't isolated incidents, they are

15:10

a chorus of experiences spanning

15:12

generations and refusing to be

15:14

silenced, whether fueled

15:16

by imagination, environmental quirks,

15:18

or something genuinely

15:20

otherworldly. The stories surrounding

15:22

the Tampa Bay Hotel and its

15:24

elegant neighbor, the Oxford Exchange, persist

15:27

as some of Tampa's

15:29

most enduring mysteries. As

15:31

long as the minarets gleam in

15:33

the Florida sun and the grand staircase

15:35

casts its sweeping shadow, the

15:38

question will remain. Do these

15:40

walls merely remember their history? Or

15:42

do they still live it? When

15:44

you step inside the Tampa Bay

15:46

Hotel or linger a little longer

15:49

over brunch at the Oxford Exchange,

15:51

you can't help but feel it,

15:53

that weight of history pressing gently

15:55

but unmistakably, against your senses. It's

15:58

in the echo of footsteps across

16:00

polished wood floors and the flicker of

16:02

light playing tricks through the arched

16:04

windows. and in the stories

16:06

that refuse to fade, no matter

16:08

how many times they're explained away. On

16:11

one hand, we've got

16:13

rock solid theories, drafty

16:16

corridors, architectural quirks, and the

16:18

psychological power of suggestion

16:20

are formidable forces. Buildings

16:23

like this. After all,

16:25

when you're told you might see a

16:27

ghost, your brain starts to look for

16:29

one, turning creaks into whispers and shadows

16:31

into soldiers. Add in

16:33

the eerie effects of infrasound and

16:35

those classic old pipes rattling

16:37

through the night, and you've got

16:40

the perfect recipe for a

16:42

haunting atmosphere. But

16:44

then, there are those moments

16:46

that slip right through the cracks of

16:48

logic. The chill in the

16:50

air where it shouldn't be. The

16:52

voice is caught on recorders when the room

16:54

is otherwise still. The

16:56

fleeting figure of a woman in white

16:59

glimpsed by people with no prior knowledge

17:01

of her legend Those are the ones

17:03

that make even the skeptics pause, however

17:05

briefly, and wonder if something

17:07

beyond the veil is brushing past

17:09

us. Maybe what

17:11

keeps this story alive isn't just the

17:13

phenomena themselves, but our very human need

17:16

to connect with the past, to feel

17:18

that history is not just dead and

17:20

dusty, but alive in some

17:22

way with us. Ghost

17:24

stories give us a strange

17:26

kind of comfort that remind us

17:28

that people who once danced

17:30

across these grand ballrooms or nervously

17:32

waited for news of battle

17:34

might still linger, not entirely gone,

17:37

not entirely forgotten. So,

17:41

the next time you're in Tampa,

17:43

beneath the towering minarets or beneath

17:45

the warm glow of the Oxford

17:47

Exchange skylight, listen closely. You

17:50

might just hear the echoes

17:52

of the past, or you might

17:54

find the past whispering right

17:56

back. I'm Tony Bruski. Be sure

17:58

to press subscribe so you

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don't miss any episodes so you

18:02

can join us again for

18:04

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