LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – The historic Baker Building downtown is known for hosting weddings, but it has attracted a couple from Brownfield for an entirely different reason.
The 98-year-old building has seen many visitors since opening in 1928 as a furniture store. In the 1940s, it served as home to the USO, hosting military celebrations. It later became a rehearsal space and community center before its current use as a wedding and event venue.
John and Alisha Coakley took over the building about a year ago, initially thinking it would be a typical wedding venue, but they quickly began having experiences that made them wonder if that was the case. They asked a previous owner about any unusual activity.
“She goes, oh yeah, it’s haunted,” Alisha said.
The Coakleys have heard and seen things they cannot explain, from what they describe as flirty touches from a spirit they call “Naughty Nic” to the smell of cigarette smoke and full-body apparitions.
“There’s no exit coming out. There’s a one way in, one way out. And when I turned the corner, nobody there. My hair stood on end. I got goosebumps. And I was like, holy cow,” John Coakley said.
But the owners say they have not felt anything evil or malicious.
“We think that this has just been home to a lot of people who have celebrated life or who have worked in this building or have had such a big part of them here that a little piece of them still remains,” she said.
Fear Faction Paranormal wanted to test the theory for themselves. BJ Alaniz and Chelsea Aguilar from Brownfield have always wondered if there could be something on the other side, but both struggled with finding anyone to believe them.
“Even just being a kid at 8, I just experienced a lot of things…with things that I couldn’t explain. And of course, shadow figures, seeing things like that, hearing noises, the typical stuff,” Alaniz said.
A few years ago, they started visiting haunted places across the country. Then a few months ago, they began documenting their investigations for followers on YouTube and social media. One of their videos from their investigation at the old Lubbock County Jail received more than 200,000 views.
“It kind of heals a part of you, like knowing that people believe you,” Aguilar said.
They decided to investigate the Historic Baker Building next, letting KCBD come along.
“We love Lubbock, so we figured why not explore some places, especially the ones that they’re willing to work with us and give us the time and opportunity to do it,” Alaniz said.
The couple used touch-activated cat balls, flashlights and dowsing rods during their overnight investigation, asking yes-or-no questions to try and communicate with possible spirits. They later tried to detect Electronic Voice Phenomena through an app.
While KCBD only stayed for the first part, they’ve posted the full paranormal investigation on YouTube.
He understands people may be skeptical, so Alaniz encourages them to watch the full video or even come along for one of their investigations.
As far as the Baker, on evenings when there aren’t other events going on, the Coakleys say people can do their own investigation. They recommend groups of five to 10 people and tickets are $30 each. They will even allow people to use their equipment and show groups around.
“We don’t try to convince anybody that we’re haunted. We just say, come find out for yourself,” Alisha Coakley said.
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