Mia Williams
A man who spent his life savings on purchasing a forgotten 'ghost town' recalled an incredibly eerie encounter he had in his new sticks.
Back in 2020, Brent Underwood spent his entire life savings purchasing a 'ghost town' in the mountain mining town of Cerro Gordo in California - which is just on the edge of the famous Death Valley.
Prior to his $1.4 million purchase, the area was once the largest silver mine in California, but during its busiest period in the 1800’s, one murder a week was reported to have taken place.
Brent has now lived there for four years, and documents the ‘terrifying’ and ‘beautiful’ moments he experiences there on his YouTube channel, which boasts 1.69 million subscribers.
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His aim was to breathe some new air into the town that appeared to be derelict, filled with empty houses, cabins and shacks.
In a YouTube video to his fans announcing the release of his new book about life in the town, Brent said: “I have been living up in this town for the past four years straight, trying to just bring it to life.
“I captured a lot of that in videos like this, I showed the good times, the heartbreak, the history I have uncovered, the people I have met, the projects we have done, the adventures I have gone on, and hopefully a little bit about all of that has changed me.”
The decision to take the plunge and go ahead with this massive purchase came during the outbreak of the pandemic in 2019.
He and his friend Jon ‘sunk’ their savings and got to work.
He formerly lived in Austin, Texas, but the town he currently resides in is now just three hours away from Los Angeles.
In the video, he added: “Sometimes it’s beautiful and amazing, sometimes it’s terrifying and the scariest thing I’ve ever done.
“I grew up in the flatlands of Florida, so this is all new territory for me. Admittedly, prior to buying Cerro Gordo, I was a firm non-believer in ghosts.”
But one encounter on the eerie premises was enough to change all of that.
One day whilst renovating a shack and turning it into a writers’ retreat or studio, he encountered what he would describe as his first ghost.
He said he saw some curtains opening and closing with a little face looking out in a bunkhouse.
The kitchen light was also on.
He was told that some contractors had been staying in the house, but upon speaking to the caretaker the next morning, he found out the contractors had left two weeks before.
He proceeded to add a padlock onto the door of the bunkhouse, but when he returned the kitchen light had appeared back on.
His new book, Ghost Town Living: Mining for Purpose and Chasing Dreams at the Edge of Death Valley focuses on the significance of the town once upon a time, long before this new burst of eerie fame.