Thursday, October 28, 2010

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Be VERY careful out there

Thought I would post this as a warning to those that might chance upon this blog whose interests in the paranormal have moved them from books and TV to actual investigation. This link is a link to an article from Charlotte NC that tells of a tragic accident during a ghost hunt that took an investigator's life and injured others. If anything this serves as a reminder to take every precaution you can before going out on an investigation. These places we go can be VERY dangerous and that danger multiplies in the dark. So please be very careful.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Some Ear learnin'

I don't know if it's just me but I find myself not much interested in a lot of the ghost shows as of late. Call it an aversion to perceived sell outs, call it weary with interpersonal drama being more important than the phenomena they are after or call it just plain boring TV, either way it's slowly becoming not my cup 'o tea. Happily though I have found some outlets to slake my curiosity in the subject of the paranormal.

First off from author Jeff Balanger and Co.: 30oddminutes.com
Aside from whatever reasons we have for studding the paranormal be they intellectual curiosity or something from more spiritual place this stuff is fun. Luckily the guys at 30 Odd Minutes think so too.

Second, Spooky Southcoast: Spookysouthcoast.com
Lots of good stuff here, an extensive back log of shows to listen to helmed by some healthy skeptics.

Finally Darkness Radio: darknessradio.com
These guys are a 5 days a week show, 1hour per show, so lots of stuff. Entertaining shows from ufos, bigfoot, ghosts, etc. they cover a lot of ground.

So go out there and get a more encompassing view of the paranormal. I will warn you though this may lead to book readin'.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Tales from the P.E.R.V.S. - Andy's story

So who am I and why do I like to go groping around in the dark for answers?
By day, I manage the Lotus Domino messaging infrastructure for a Northeast Ohio company and am a blogger.  I'm also a husband, Dad and geek. Several years ago, I would have thought that doing something like this would be nuts.  I used to be a complete skeptic when it came to the whole world of the paranormal.  At least when it came to ghosts.  I was more into the whole "bigfoot" thing, but that's another story.
My turn towards the paranormal really began with trips to Gettysburg, PA.  My wife Denise and I took our kids to Gettysburg for a family vacation and while there visited the Cashtown Inn.  The inn served as a headquarters for the Confederate Army as they made their march towards history 10 miles up the road.  Presently, the Cashtown Inn is a bed and breakfast that has a restaurant that serves lunch, dinner and stories.  We had gone out for lunch and while there it was a very slow day, so we were the only ones eating.  The bartender told us stories of the place and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  After lunch was over, Denise took our daughter to the bathroom and I took our son out to the truck  While I was standing next to the car having a cigarette, I was shocked to hear footsteps walking across the porch that wrapped around the building.  I turned and saw no one there.  The footsteps sounded like heeled boots walking across the wood.  Very loud, very clear.  Unmistakable.  Not two seconds later, Denise comes running around the corner looking at me and in unison with each other we asked, "Did you hear that!?"  We were sure what we had both heard from different areas of the building.  But it wasn't until our next visit to Gettysburg to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary that things got even weirder.
Since we didn't have the kids with us on our anniversary get away, we decided to take advantage of the more "adult" ghost stories that are told in the basement of the Farnsworth House in Gettysburg.  Now, I was still pretty skeptical about the whole ghost thing at this point, but this night changed it for me completely.  Denise and I purchased our tickets and went down into the cellar.  It had been pretty warm that day for late April so we were dressed light, myself wearing shorts.  The story teller was about half way through telling of the history of the house and that history surrounding it when I started to feel something weird going on.  At first, the hairs on my leg felt as if they were standing up.  Then it felt as though a hand had placed itself on my exposed knee and was squeezing it repeatedly.  I looked down at my knee but could not see anything, but I was feeling it.  Meanwhile, Denise was also having the sensations that someone was playing with her long hair. So that's when I was sold. 
Not long after that, the Ghost Hunters show started on TV and that further fueled the paranormal flames.  Then we learned of a local women, Sheri Brake, and her business Haunted Heartland Tours.  Haunted Heartland Tours is a unique business that gives tours based both on history and paranormal activity.  Denise, myself and our friends took a couple of the tours with Sheri.  It was about then that we decided why not start our own paranormal group?  So while sitting around one night playing our favorite card game, Phase 10, the idea of the Ohio P.E.R.V.S was born.  And the rest, is history.

Friday, April 23, 2010

What does a paranormal fanboy do in New England?

Why, visit the TAPS headquarters, of course!  While in Boston on training for the day job, I headed down to Warwick, RI to visit some friends of mine.  While I was there, they took me to TAPS and of course, I had to get a picture.  That's right, you can call me a fanboy.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Tales from the P.E.R.V.S.!


Stay tuned dear readers as we begin a journey together. Over the next couple of weeks, members of the Ohio P.E.R.V.S. have been invited tell their stories.   Stories about their experiences.  Stories about what they believe. Stories about themselves.
So stick around and  check back often. Get to know us.  We're really nice people.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Investigation Report 121909 - Medina Coffee Shop

On Saturday, December 19, 2009, the OhioPERVS had the opportunity to investigate a coffee shop in Medina, Ohio. The team was investigating claims that several entities frequent the establishment, both on the main floor and in the basement.  Team members participating in the investigation were Andy and Denise Donaldson, Craig and Mandi Worrell, and Eric and Jen Williams.

History
A coffee shop in historic downtown Medina, this building has served as a variety of businesses over the years including an ice cream shop. Of particular interest is the discovery that across the street once sat the American Hotel, also known as the American House, where some sources speculate many of the spirits may have resided at one time.
One story in particular that came up during  research was of a lady named Patricia, an aggressive spirit that may have ties to the cafe and the hotel. The team then went to the county library to do research where we found the following.
After several hours of research through the Gazette's microfiche, from the 1870's on, the only Patricia we were able to find was in the early 1940's, a 6 year old girl named Patricia that had been struck by a car driven by a 16 year old boy, on the corner by the cafe.

Investigation
The PERVS were invited by area psychic Elizabeth Howell to participate in a joint investigation with other psychics who were focused on the traditional spiritual investigation, while we were there to investigate from a more empirical standpoint. Full access was granted to us for the investigation.
Team members Eric and Jennifer Williams participated in a pendulum session with psychics Elizabeth Howell, Laurel Williams, and Sherry  Cool. The session revealed that several spirits were allegedly present, including
"Jim", "Patricia", another "Patricia", "Sandra", "Tom", "George".
After the session, the team had exlusive access to the basement, where there have been reports of employees being watched, touched, and even pushed.  Other claims include feelings of vertigo near the staircase, and flashes of unexplained lights, and objects being moved. One claim in particular states that one employee had been down in the basement and said, "I don't believe in ghosts." and a box moved right in front of him.
The team investigated for 5 hours, using a variety of techniques and tools, including EMF meters, K2 meters, temperature gauge, digital audio recorders, and video recorders.

Evidence
Video evidence: Out of 10+ hours of video, the only thing we captured was an anomaly of the camcorder going in and out of focus, with no one in the room, which could be attributed to camera fluctuations.
Audio evidence: We did manage to capture several pieces of interesting audio.
  • First, while investigators Craig and Eric were conducting an EVP session, they were addressing the entity of the child. The question was asked, "What do you want for Christmas?", and in the background you can here what sounds to be a child. Click here to listen.
  • Next, while the team was discussing other things, the digital recorders remained running in the room and caught what seems to be something very near the device making a moaning sound.  Click here to listen.
  • Later, while investigators Jen and Denise were in the back part of the basement, they were discussing an aroma that had come into the room, and in the distance it sounds as though a child was calling out.  This also was audible for the two as they thought it was investigator Mandi looking for them, when it was not.  Click here to listen
  • During that same period of time, what sounds like a laugh was also recorded on our recorder.  Click here to listen.
  • Another interesting recording was captured by our records.  While no one was talking, a subtle "hello" seems to have been captured.  Click here to listen.
  • Finally, what we feel is our strongest EVP captured during our investigation occured while several of us were talking, the voice of an adult male is captured in between our voices.  We feel that it is saying something about "watching you".  You be the judge.  Click here to listen.

Personal Experiences:
During the course of our time at the coffee shop, several of the team had experiences that were not easily explained away.
  • Denise reported feeling her hair tugged while standing in the middle of the back part of the basement.  Nothing was hanging from the ceiling nor was she near anything else that could have snagged her hair.  At this time, Denise was monitoring a high EMF reading in the area.  After the incident of her hair being pulled, the level of EMF activity dropped completely off.
  • At that same time, Jen and Andy both witnessed what appeared to be the silhouette of the upper torso of a person, including the head and shoulders, move from a corner of the room to a doorway and then disappear. 
  • Jen also had an experience of an illuminated ball of energy, also known as an orb, dart around a corner near the floor at a high rate of speed.  She reported that it appeared brownish-orange in color.  Normally, we dismiss orbs caught in photographs, but this was something she witnessed personally.
  • During an investigation session, Eric had felt as though something had wrapped arms around him as though being hugged.  He experienced cold chills and a tingling across his shoulders, chest and arms.  Craig then used a temperature gauge to record that the surface temperature of the effected area was 10 degrees colder then any other part of Eric's body.
Other findings:
  • Throughout our entire time in the basement, high levels of EMF activity were recorded through the area.  At times, we experienced high, steady levels that would suddenly drop away.  It is believed that EMF activity is commonly associated with the paranormal activity, but at the same time, it is also theorized that high EMF fields can cause disorientation and sickness.  Those that may be sensitive to EMF sickness may describe experiences that are similar to paranormal activity.  EMF fields can be generated by any sort of electric technology.  Unshielded power lines, cell signals and any number of non-paranormal everyday devices can generate these fields.  During our debunking of this, we found only one main line coming out of a breaker box that lead into other areas of the basement.  We found that the EMF fields were separate from known generators of EMF.  Also of note was a well that had been filled in with bricks and dirt was also giving off a low base of EMF.  Nothing could be found in the immediate vicinity to explain this anomaly.
  • One area of particular interest was the staircase. There have been reports of employees being 'pulled' backwards down the stairs. As team members reported being unbalanced going up and down the stairs all night, Craig used a digital bubble level to measure the pitch of each step, and found on the average, a 4 degree pitch forward going downward towards the railing. This pitch was not constant and not on every step, some steps would be level, which may lead a person to have their balance thrown off.
  • Investigation of the upper level of the coffee shop was unremarkable, due in part to noise from the street. The team believes that another investigation that focuses more on the upper level is necessary for conclusion.
  • The team also hopes that a follow-up investigation could be conducted in the future, with the heating unit being turned off to cut out a lot of the 'white noise' that was hard to hear above.
Conclusions:
Results of the investigation suggest the possibility of paranormal activity beyond mere personal experiences.  It is the opinion of the Ohio PERVS that this cafe bears further investigation to validate our findings.  We would very much enjoy the opportunity to return in the spring for a follow-up investigation.

The PERVS would like to thanks the owners of the coffee shop, and psychics Elizabeth Howell and Laurel Williams for the opportunity to investigate.