From Daily Tribune: Hunt ghosts at the Historic Holly Hotel
By David Grocki
The Historic Holly Hotel has gained a reputation as one of the most haunted places in Michigan. During the month of October, the hotel has a tradition of convening seances and ghost hunts.
HOLLY — The Historic Holly Hotel has the reputation of being one of the most haunted buildings not only in Michigan, but the entire nation.
Strange things have been observed by staff and patrons alike, from aromas of no origin to eerie noises to full-blown apparitions.
Many paranormal groups, independent ghost hunters and psychics have visited the hotel over the years, encountering occurrences that cannot be explained by conventional science.
Norman Gauthier, a famous parapsychologist professor, once declared the hotel to be “loaded with spirits.”
“I never believed in it until I decided to work here, and it’s one of those things that you have no choice of not believing. There’s just too much activity,” said Alex Cripps, a Holly Hotel employee, in an article published last October.
“It’s just too frequent to just pass it off as something else and act like it’s nothing,” he said.
Built in 1891, the building is no longer a hotel, but a converted restaurant, banquet hall and comedy club that offers a wide selection of dishes, tea times and Sunday brunches.
Originally called the Hirst Hotel after its original proprietor, John Hirst, the hotel has a colorfully sordid history. Situated near crossing railroad lines, nearby Martha Street was filled with bars and saloons, fast becoming a venue for drunken brawls so frequent that locals renamed Martha Street “Battle Alley,” and the nickname stuck.
In addition to this unsavory fact, the hotel experienced tragedy when a fire consumed the three-story, Queen Anne-style building in January 1913. The hotel burned again exactly 65 years later to the day and hour.
The Historic Holly Hotel now has a tradition of convening seances and ghost hunts in the month of October. Michigan Paranormal Research Association Director Samantha Harris hosted a ghost hunt at the Holly Hotel Saturday with laser thermometers, digital recorders, dowsing rods and EMF readers.
Common ghostly manifestations in the hotel include an aroma of cigars and antique perfume, disembodied voices, apparitions of John Hirst and Nora Kane, a former hostess and musician of the hotel, as well as other phenomena, including the ghosts of a little girl, a dog and a Native American.
A psychic medium will be present at the hotel on Wednesday and remain through Halloween night to conduct seances to attempt contact with the building’s resident ghosts. Each seance will vary due to the time it may or may not take to contact the spirits, but generally lasts an hour.
If you go
The Historic Holly Hotel is at 110 Battle Alley St. in downtown Holly. Call (248) 634-5208 or visit www.hollyhotel.com for more information about this month’s events.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
EPI conduct Ghost Hunt at Joanna Furnace
From Berksmont News: EPI conduct Ghost Hunt at Joanna Furnace
By Brett Swailes
for Journal Register News Service
(photo by Brett Swailes) The EPI team conducts 'Ghost Hunts' throughout the region.
View and purchase photos
On Saturday night, October 15, a group of professionals quietly conducted what some might call a ghost hunt - a paranormal investigation - at historic Joanna Furnace. They came armed with a diverse array of electronic sensors, motion and sound detectors, and cameras and computers. After a lengthy setup the team of volunteers positioned themselves hundreds of feet distant from the detection gear. Each of the individuals present that night settled in to observe the stream of raw data and a split screen monitor showing each of the observed areas.
Extreme Paranormal Investigations, or EPI, is the group that performed this study and furnished the required equipment. Nevertheless, the same question is always waiting – what is the basis that compels people with this urge to do what they do?
Brian Joad, the founder of EPI, furnished the answer: he wanted to see if this could be a manifestation of life after death. After the deaths of his aunt and uncle, Joad, a network consultant and professional videographer, developed an interest in paranormal activity. He said that he was influenced by the writings of David Rountree, the author of Paranormal Technology. The EPI approach is one that uses scientific methods together with the investigation of locations, and it seems to produce results.
EPI has already completed audits of sites that are usually historically significant (places where significant events and many people were involved). This volunteer group has recently performed investigations at the Seven Stars Inn, Mid-Atlantic Air Museum, the Rail Road Masters House, Waynebrook Inn, and the Downingtown Opera House. Joad is an immense history buff, of course, and a member of several historical societies.
From six in the evening until four the next morning, all while maintaining a silent vigil, they made their routine entries in the logs and waited. It is in those quiet places, when cloaked in darkness, and after hour upon hour of heightened awareness and painstaking waiting—that the reverie can be punctuated suddenly and without warning by moments of strong activity and yes, even terror. Even among the experts, or so they say…
Joanna Furnace was chosen for investigation because it served as a station on the Underground Railroad. Its role as part of the Underground Railroad was kept a close secret to avoid any interruptions in the ironmaking activities from the federal government or slave chasers. Keeping this secret was especially problematic in the aftermath of the 1857 Dred Scott Decision—the ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that made slaves the legal property of their owners, as the proximity of the Mason-Dixon Line made Pennsylvania a frequent stop for the agents of the southern slave owners.
Joad said that African-Americans regularly congregated at the Mount Frisbey AME church, which was located between the Hopewell and Joanna Furnaces. He suggested that perhaps a narrow road that cut through the woods was used as part of the conduit leading to the Joanna stop.
The other EPI team members on that night at the furnace were: Sandra Dee - who works as a professional ballroom dance instructor and is originally of Harlingen, Texas; Joe - an EMT in both Elverson and Exeter and an Lieutenant at the West Bradford Fire Company in his spare time; and Phil – a retired auto mechanic who has been interested in the paranormal for quite some time.
What did they observe at Joanna Furnace on October 15? While Brian said that there was “nothing substantial” on that night, he added that all the data had not yet been verified. During an infrared search in the woods, however, they discovered an old, overgrown wagon road. Was it part of the Underground Railroad? Perhaps, but only long-dead stationmaster Henry Segner could have verified that fact. EPI’s final conclusions in the Joanna study will be published within two weeks.
Thanks for this article are owed to the folks at the Hay Creek Valley Historical Association (In 1979 Bethlehem Steel transferred title to the lands to the Hay Creek group), and to Sue Fellman Jacobs - the author of History of Joanna Furnace 1791-1999: History of a Berks County, PA, Charcoal Iron Furnace. Continued...
* 1
* 2
* See Full Story
Reader Comments »
View reader comments (0) » Comment on this story »
For information on EPI, their methods of investigation, and upcoming hunts, visit the group online at www.extremeparanormalinvestigators.com. For more information on Joanna Furnace visit www.haycreek.org/joanna_furnace.htm
* 1
* 2
* See Full Story
Reader Comments »
View reader comments (0) » Comment on this story »
* 1
* 2
* 3
* See Full Story
Reader Comments »
View reader comments (0) » Comment on this story »
* 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* See Full Story
Reader Comments »
View reader comments (0) » Comment on this story »
On Saturday night, October 15, a group of professionals quietly conducted what some might call a ghost hunt - a paranormal investigation - at historic Joanna Furnace. They came armed with a diverse array of electronic sensors, motion and sound detectors, and cameras and computers. After a lengthy setup the team of volunteers positioned themselves hundreds of feet distant from the detection gear. Each of the individuals present that night settled in to observe the stream of raw data and a split screen monitor showing each of the observed areas.
Extreme Paranormal Investigations, or EPI, is the group that performed this study and furnished the required equipment. Nevertheless, the same question is always waiting – what is the basis that compels people with this urge to do what they do?
Brian Joad, the founder of EPI, furnished the answer: he wanted to see if this could be a manifestation of life after death. After the deaths of his aunt and uncle, Joad, a network consultant and professional videographer, developed an interest in paranormal activity. He said that he was influenced by the writings of David Rountree, the author of Paranormal Technology. The EPI approach is one that uses scientific methods together with the investigation of locations, and it seems to produce results.
EPI has already completed audits of sites that are usually historically significant (places where significant events and many people were involved). This volunteer group has recently performed investigations at the Seven Stars Inn, Mid-Atlantic Air Museum, the Rail Road Masters House, Waynebrook Inn, and the Downingtown Opera House. Joad is an immense history buff, of course, and a member of several historical societies.
From six in the evening until four the next morning, all while maintaining a silent vigil, they made their routine entries in the logs and waited. It is in those quiet places, when cloaked in darkness, and after hour upon hour of heightened awareness and painstaking waiting—that the reverie can be punctuated suddenly and without warning by moments of strong activity and yes, even terror. Even among the experts, or so they say…
Joanna Furnace was chosen for investigation because it served as a station on the Underground Railroad. Its role as part of the Underground Railroad was kept a close secret to avoid any interruptions in the ironmaking activities from the federal government or slave chasers. Keeping this secret was especially problematic in the aftermath of the 1857 Dred Scott Decision—the ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that made slaves the legal property of their owners, as the proximity of the Mason-Dixon Line made Pennsylvania a frequent stop for the agents of the southern slave owners.
Joad said that African-Americans regularly congregated at the Mount Frisbey AME church, which was located between the Hopewell and Joanna Furnaces. He suggested that perhaps a narrow road that cut through the woods was used as part of the conduit leading to the Joanna stop.
The other EPI team members on that night at the furnace were: Sandra Dee - who works as a professional ballroom dance instructor and is originally of Harlingen, Texas; Joe - an EMT in both Elverson and Exeter and an Lieutenant at the West Bradford Fire Company in his spare time; and Phil – a retired auto mechanic who has been interested in the paranormal for quite some time.
What did they observe at Joanna Furnace on October 15? While Brian said that there was “nothing substantial” on that night, he added that all the data had not yet been verified. During an infrared search in the woods, however, they discovered an old, overgrown wagon road. Was it part of the Underground Railroad? Perhaps, but only long-dead stationmaster Henry Segner could have verified that fact. EPI’s final conclusions in the Joanna study will be published within two weeks.
Thanks for this article are owed to the folks at the Hay Creek Valley Historical Association (In 1979 Bethlehem Steel transferred title to the lands to the Hay Creek group), and to Sue Fellman Jacobs - the author of History of Joanna Furnace 1791-1999: History of a Berks County, PA, Charcoal Iron Furnace.
For information on EPI, their methods of investigation, and upcoming hunts, visit the group online at www.extremeparanormalinvestigators.com. For more information on Joanna Furnace visit www.haycreek.org/joanna_furnace.htm
By Brett Swailes
for Journal Register News Service
(photo by Brett Swailes) The EPI team conducts 'Ghost Hunts' throughout the region.
View and purchase photos
On Saturday night, October 15, a group of professionals quietly conducted what some might call a ghost hunt - a paranormal investigation - at historic Joanna Furnace. They came armed with a diverse array of electronic sensors, motion and sound detectors, and cameras and computers. After a lengthy setup the team of volunteers positioned themselves hundreds of feet distant from the detection gear. Each of the individuals present that night settled in to observe the stream of raw data and a split screen monitor showing each of the observed areas.
Extreme Paranormal Investigations, or EPI, is the group that performed this study and furnished the required equipment. Nevertheless, the same question is always waiting – what is the basis that compels people with this urge to do what they do?
Brian Joad, the founder of EPI, furnished the answer: he wanted to see if this could be a manifestation of life after death. After the deaths of his aunt and uncle, Joad, a network consultant and professional videographer, developed an interest in paranormal activity. He said that he was influenced by the writings of David Rountree, the author of Paranormal Technology. The EPI approach is one that uses scientific methods together with the investigation of locations, and it seems to produce results.
EPI has already completed audits of sites that are usually historically significant (places where significant events and many people were involved). This volunteer group has recently performed investigations at the Seven Stars Inn, Mid-Atlantic Air Museum, the Rail Road Masters House, Waynebrook Inn, and the Downingtown Opera House. Joad is an immense history buff, of course, and a member of several historical societies.
From six in the evening until four the next morning, all while maintaining a silent vigil, they made their routine entries in the logs and waited. It is in those quiet places, when cloaked in darkness, and after hour upon hour of heightened awareness and painstaking waiting—that the reverie can be punctuated suddenly and without warning by moments of strong activity and yes, even terror. Even among the experts, or so they say…
Joanna Furnace was chosen for investigation because it served as a station on the Underground Railroad. Its role as part of the Underground Railroad was kept a close secret to avoid any interruptions in the ironmaking activities from the federal government or slave chasers. Keeping this secret was especially problematic in the aftermath of the 1857 Dred Scott Decision—the ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that made slaves the legal property of their owners, as the proximity of the Mason-Dixon Line made Pennsylvania a frequent stop for the agents of the southern slave owners.
Joad said that African-Americans regularly congregated at the Mount Frisbey AME church, which was located between the Hopewell and Joanna Furnaces. He suggested that perhaps a narrow road that cut through the woods was used as part of the conduit leading to the Joanna stop.
The other EPI team members on that night at the furnace were: Sandra Dee - who works as a professional ballroom dance instructor and is originally of Harlingen, Texas; Joe - an EMT in both Elverson and Exeter and an Lieutenant at the West Bradford Fire Company in his spare time; and Phil – a retired auto mechanic who has been interested in the paranormal for quite some time.
What did they observe at Joanna Furnace on October 15? While Brian said that there was “nothing substantial” on that night, he added that all the data had not yet been verified. During an infrared search in the woods, however, they discovered an old, overgrown wagon road. Was it part of the Underground Railroad? Perhaps, but only long-dead stationmaster Henry Segner could have verified that fact. EPI’s final conclusions in the Joanna study will be published within two weeks.
Thanks for this article are owed to the folks at the Hay Creek Valley Historical Association (In 1979 Bethlehem Steel transferred title to the lands to the Hay Creek group), and to Sue Fellman Jacobs - the author of History of Joanna Furnace 1791-1999: History of a Berks County, PA, Charcoal Iron Furnace. Continued...
* 1
* 2
* See Full Story
Reader Comments »
View reader comments (0) » Comment on this story »
For information on EPI, their methods of investigation, and upcoming hunts, visit the group online at www.extremeparanormalinvestigators.com. For more information on Joanna Furnace visit www.haycreek.org/joanna_furnace.htm
* 1
* 2
* See Full Story
Reader Comments »
View reader comments (0) » Comment on this story »
* 1
* 2
* 3
* See Full Story
Reader Comments »
View reader comments (0) » Comment on this story »
* 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* See Full Story
Reader Comments »
View reader comments (0) » Comment on this story »
On Saturday night, October 15, a group of professionals quietly conducted what some might call a ghost hunt - a paranormal investigation - at historic Joanna Furnace. They came armed with a diverse array of electronic sensors, motion and sound detectors, and cameras and computers. After a lengthy setup the team of volunteers positioned themselves hundreds of feet distant from the detection gear. Each of the individuals present that night settled in to observe the stream of raw data and a split screen monitor showing each of the observed areas.
Extreme Paranormal Investigations, or EPI, is the group that performed this study and furnished the required equipment. Nevertheless, the same question is always waiting – what is the basis that compels people with this urge to do what they do?
Brian Joad, the founder of EPI, furnished the answer: he wanted to see if this could be a manifestation of life after death. After the deaths of his aunt and uncle, Joad, a network consultant and professional videographer, developed an interest in paranormal activity. He said that he was influenced by the writings of David Rountree, the author of Paranormal Technology. The EPI approach is one that uses scientific methods together with the investigation of locations, and it seems to produce results.
EPI has already completed audits of sites that are usually historically significant (places where significant events and many people were involved). This volunteer group has recently performed investigations at the Seven Stars Inn, Mid-Atlantic Air Museum, the Rail Road Masters House, Waynebrook Inn, and the Downingtown Opera House. Joad is an immense history buff, of course, and a member of several historical societies.
From six in the evening until four the next morning, all while maintaining a silent vigil, they made their routine entries in the logs and waited. It is in those quiet places, when cloaked in darkness, and after hour upon hour of heightened awareness and painstaking waiting—that the reverie can be punctuated suddenly and without warning by moments of strong activity and yes, even terror. Even among the experts, or so they say…
Joanna Furnace was chosen for investigation because it served as a station on the Underground Railroad. Its role as part of the Underground Railroad was kept a close secret to avoid any interruptions in the ironmaking activities from the federal government or slave chasers. Keeping this secret was especially problematic in the aftermath of the 1857 Dred Scott Decision—the ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that made slaves the legal property of their owners, as the proximity of the Mason-Dixon Line made Pennsylvania a frequent stop for the agents of the southern slave owners.
Joad said that African-Americans regularly congregated at the Mount Frisbey AME church, which was located between the Hopewell and Joanna Furnaces. He suggested that perhaps a narrow road that cut through the woods was used as part of the conduit leading to the Joanna stop.
The other EPI team members on that night at the furnace were: Sandra Dee - who works as a professional ballroom dance instructor and is originally of Harlingen, Texas; Joe - an EMT in both Elverson and Exeter and an Lieutenant at the West Bradford Fire Company in his spare time; and Phil – a retired auto mechanic who has been interested in the paranormal for quite some time.
What did they observe at Joanna Furnace on October 15? While Brian said that there was “nothing substantial” on that night, he added that all the data had not yet been verified. During an infrared search in the woods, however, they discovered an old, overgrown wagon road. Was it part of the Underground Railroad? Perhaps, but only long-dead stationmaster Henry Segner could have verified that fact. EPI’s final conclusions in the Joanna study will be published within two weeks.
Thanks for this article are owed to the folks at the Hay Creek Valley Historical Association (In 1979 Bethlehem Steel transferred title to the lands to the Hay Creek group), and to Sue Fellman Jacobs - the author of History of Joanna Furnace 1791-1999: History of a Berks County, PA, Charcoal Iron Furnace.
For information on EPI, their methods of investigation, and upcoming hunts, visit the group online at www.extremeparanormalinvestigators.com. For more information on Joanna Furnace visit www.haycreek.org/joanna_furnace.htm
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Leesburg, VA: Leesburg Ghost Tours Explain the Seemingly Unexplainable
From Leesburg Patch: Leesburg Ghost Tours Explain the Seemingly Unexplainable
Unique for their scientific approach to the paranormal, Leesburg ghost tours run Friday and Saturday nights now through Oct. 31.
Around October when the witches decorate our doorsteps and ghosts and goblins haunt our windowpanes, our minds turn to the super-natural. Then it is only natural that we wonder- are ghosts real?
Ghost tours have long capitalized on our mortal curiosity; however the Leesburg Ghost tours has the distinction of being started by a scientist and a skeptic.
In 1992, Joe Holbert wanted local fork-lore stories for the Loudoun Museum, when instead he received personal accounts of encounters with ghosts and spiritual entities.
Cynical, he investigated and disproved several cases, but he could not disprove 100 or so in which multiple individuals experienced unexplained sights, sounds, smells or objects moving on their own.
This led Holbert to find the Virginia Scientific Research Association (VSRA) to investigate paranormal phenomenon. What he came to find there, went on to inspire other paranormal investigators and even the television show, Ghost Hunters.
Holbert passed away a few years ago, but the VSRA continues to host ghost tours in Leesburg. Autumn tours run on Friday and Saturday nights at 9 pm, leaving from the Georgetown Café and Bakery on 19 South King Street, and extending until October 21, Halloween Night.
However, this is not the usual tour. It is not meant to scare you, as much as educate you on the latest theory on supernatural sightings.
That does not mean that sightings are debunked. On the contrary, they are explained; and participants are even tested to see if they are likely to trigger a supernatural occurrence.
The tour culminates at the county courthouse on Market Street, where tourist can touch a potent energy field. Hauntings at the courthouse are attributed to a slave named Mercer, who was quartered there.
According to the ghost tour guides, JoAnn Manriquez and Elaine Maxon, traumatic experiences can cause ghostly behavior. Less frequently, ghosts are really visiting spirits appearing in the flesh.
“While at first I hadn’t had any paranormal experience at all, on the tours I’ve smelt and heard things, I have no explanation for,” said Maxon.
However, she assured Saturday's group that the tour would not be frightening. “Once you understand what is going on [with paranormal activity]," Maxon said. "You won’t be afraid.”
Like other ghost tours, the Leesburg tour provides historical information as well as stories of ghost sightings, supported by references to historical events where applicable.
Besides the regular ghost tours, Keeler Hunt, who works for the VSRA, gives her own more scientific based tours; and while tours run on the weekend, people can request a special small group tours as well.
More information on Leesburg Ghost Tours and the Virginia Scientific Research Association can be found on their website: http://vsra.yolasite.com/
Unique for their scientific approach to the paranormal, Leesburg ghost tours run Friday and Saturday nights now through Oct. 31.
Around October when the witches decorate our doorsteps and ghosts and goblins haunt our windowpanes, our minds turn to the super-natural. Then it is only natural that we wonder- are ghosts real?
Ghost tours have long capitalized on our mortal curiosity; however the Leesburg Ghost tours has the distinction of being started by a scientist and a skeptic.
In 1992, Joe Holbert wanted local fork-lore stories for the Loudoun Museum, when instead he received personal accounts of encounters with ghosts and spiritual entities.
Cynical, he investigated and disproved several cases, but he could not disprove 100 or so in which multiple individuals experienced unexplained sights, sounds, smells or objects moving on their own.
This led Holbert to find the Virginia Scientific Research Association (VSRA) to investigate paranormal phenomenon. What he came to find there, went on to inspire other paranormal investigators and even the television show, Ghost Hunters.
Holbert passed away a few years ago, but the VSRA continues to host ghost tours in Leesburg. Autumn tours run on Friday and Saturday nights at 9 pm, leaving from the Georgetown Café and Bakery on 19 South King Street, and extending until October 21, Halloween Night.
However, this is not the usual tour. It is not meant to scare you, as much as educate you on the latest theory on supernatural sightings.
That does not mean that sightings are debunked. On the contrary, they are explained; and participants are even tested to see if they are likely to trigger a supernatural occurrence.
The tour culminates at the county courthouse on Market Street, where tourist can touch a potent energy field. Hauntings at the courthouse are attributed to a slave named Mercer, who was quartered there.
According to the ghost tour guides, JoAnn Manriquez and Elaine Maxon, traumatic experiences can cause ghostly behavior. Less frequently, ghosts are really visiting spirits appearing in the flesh.
“While at first I hadn’t had any paranormal experience at all, on the tours I’ve smelt and heard things, I have no explanation for,” said Maxon.
However, she assured Saturday's group that the tour would not be frightening. “Once you understand what is going on [with paranormal activity]," Maxon said. "You won’t be afraid.”
Like other ghost tours, the Leesburg tour provides historical information as well as stories of ghost sightings, supported by references to historical events where applicable.
Besides the regular ghost tours, Keeler Hunt, who works for the VSRA, gives her own more scientific based tours; and while tours run on the weekend, people can request a special small group tours as well.
More information on Leesburg Ghost Tours and the Virginia Scientific Research Association can be found on their website: http://vsra.yolasite.com/
Monday, October 17, 2011
26 October, Wheatfield, NY: Niagara-Wheatfield Town Hall: Haunted?
From Metro WNY: Niagara-Wheatfield Town Hall: Haunted?
Have you ever wondered what goes bump in the night? Locally-renowned ghost hunter Steven Richards did, after a close encounter of some kind at town hall in Niagara, where he works as supervisor.
He had some friends stay overnight to see if anything would happen. At 5 a.m., all the candles blew out simultaneously and they ran away. Since then, Richards joined forces with two other ghost enthusiasts, James Kramp and Diane Tallarico, to form Dark Starr Paranormal Research Society.
“We spend a lot of time exploring odd and creepy places,” Richards said. “The most fascinating thing I have ever experienced was being pulled on while on a ghost hunt and nearly knocked over. Also, there have been a lot of EVPs [electronic voice phenomenon] that we have picked up.”
Richards will be speaking about his experiences at a lecture from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 26 at Niagara Wheatfield High School. People who attend the workshop will have a chance to sign up for a guided field trip with Richards.
“Our field trips will consist of taking a larger group of people and breaking them into smaller groups, where one of our instructors will take each smaller group on a real ghost hunt to a place where we have already been and know is haunted,” Richards said.
This lecture fills up quickly, so anyone interested should visit www.nwcsd.k12.ny.us and click under Adult Education or call the Adult Education Office at 215-3109.
Have you ever wondered what goes bump in the night? Locally-renowned ghost hunter Steven Richards did, after a close encounter of some kind at town hall in Niagara, where he works as supervisor.
He had some friends stay overnight to see if anything would happen. At 5 a.m., all the candles blew out simultaneously and they ran away. Since then, Richards joined forces with two other ghost enthusiasts, James Kramp and Diane Tallarico, to form Dark Starr Paranormal Research Society.
“We spend a lot of time exploring odd and creepy places,” Richards said. “The most fascinating thing I have ever experienced was being pulled on while on a ghost hunt and nearly knocked over. Also, there have been a lot of EVPs [electronic voice phenomenon] that we have picked up.”
Richards will be speaking about his experiences at a lecture from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 26 at Niagara Wheatfield High School. People who attend the workshop will have a chance to sign up for a guided field trip with Richards.
“Our field trips will consist of taking a larger group of people and breaking them into smaller groups, where one of our instructors will take each smaller group on a real ghost hunt to a place where we have already been and know is haunted,” Richards said.
This lecture fills up quickly, so anyone interested should visit www.nwcsd.k12.ny.us and click under Adult Education or call the Adult Education Office at 215-3109.
28 Oct, LIttleton, CO: Ghosts and Ghosts Hunting
From Out Littleton News: Littleton Calendar. Oct. 28, 2011
Ghosts and Ghost Hunting.
Littleton based Spirit Paranormal Investigations presents an exciting and informative presentation about ghosts and ghost hunting at 7 p.m. Oct. 28 at Bemis Public Libray. From 7-8:30 p.m., SpiritPI investigators will share their ghost hunting tools and techniques. This presentation is free and no registration is needed. For those brave enough to stick around after the presentation, you can sign up for an actual ghost hunt with SpiritPI investigators, and search together for evidence of real ghosts at the haunted Bemis Library. The library ghost hunt will take place from 8:30-10 p.m. The cost of the library ghost hunt is $10 per person. Call 303-795-3961.
Ghosts and Ghost Hunting.
Littleton based Spirit Paranormal Investigations presents an exciting and informative presentation about ghosts and ghost hunting at 7 p.m. Oct. 28 at Bemis Public Libray. From 7-8:30 p.m., SpiritPI investigators will share their ghost hunting tools and techniques. This presentation is free and no registration is needed. For those brave enough to stick around after the presentation, you can sign up for an actual ghost hunt with SpiritPI investigators, and search together for evidence of real ghosts at the haunted Bemis Library. The library ghost hunt will take place from 8:30-10 p.m. The cost of the library ghost hunt is $10 per person. Call 303-795-3961.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Scotland: Beware Edinburgh Horror Tours
From Scotsman.com: The phantom ghost tour: Punters bemused as tour guides fail to materialise
Anyone who books a spooky ghost tour can expect some scary surprises.
But many who have gone for an eerie excursion with Edinburgh Horror Tours claim to have been left truly horrified – having waited for a guide who never turned up.
Of the seven reviews left for the firm on the website Trip Advisor, five complained that the host did not appear.
The Edinburgh Horror Tours website claims its tours – Gallows to Grave and Ghost Hunt – run every day of the year, with the exception of a few dates in the festive season.
The firm is promoted on the VisitScotland website.
Nearby tour company Mercat Tours has been compensating bewildered customers by offering them free places.
Head of development Kathleen Brogan described the firm’s conduct as an “embarrassment to Edinburgh”.
She said: “So far we’ve had around 20 customers come to us wondering what’s been going on. And this company is featured on the VisitScotland website.”
Her concerns led her to hold a meeting with the city council and to make a complaint to VisitScotland.
Graham Birse, managing director of Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, backed Ms Brogan’s calls for greater regulation.
He said: “If this is the case, VisitScotland should remove them from the Quality Assurance Scheme.
“Poor operators are harmful to the visitor experience and to Edinburgh.”
It is believed Edinburgh Horror Tours began operating in April.
On Trip Advisor one contributor, who booked a tour in August, complained: “Absolutely appalling! We booked online, turned up ten minutes before the tour started and nobody came!” Another said: “We turned up at about 8.40pm for their 9pm tour. After over half an hour of waiting, we called the number on their poster – this was about 9.10pm – and no one answered.”
When the Evening News attempted to contact the Edinburgh Horror Tours through its two telephone numbers, they were not recognised – and we received no reply to our e-mail.
Although the website still offers details of the tours – advising that customers can pay the guide on the night – the facility to pay in advance is no longer available.
It is unclear whether the company has stopped operating.
The city council confirmed that a licence for outside 180 High Street, operated by Steven Owen, expires in June next year.
A VisitScotland spokes- person said: “VisitScotland has received one complaint on this company from Mercat Tours and we advised them to speak to Edinburgh Council about the issue.”
The spokesperson did not respond when asked whether they would now consider removing the page promoting the Edinburgh Horror Tours from the VisitScotland website.
A spokesman for the council said: “We have no complaints being processed in respect of any of the licensed walking tour operators.
“If a complaint was made it would most likely be passed to the police and some cases to the council’s Services for Communities Department for investigation.”
Anyone who books a spooky ghost tour can expect some scary surprises.
But many who have gone for an eerie excursion with Edinburgh Horror Tours claim to have been left truly horrified – having waited for a guide who never turned up.
Of the seven reviews left for the firm on the website Trip Advisor, five complained that the host did not appear.
The Edinburgh Horror Tours website claims its tours – Gallows to Grave and Ghost Hunt – run every day of the year, with the exception of a few dates in the festive season.
The firm is promoted on the VisitScotland website.
Nearby tour company Mercat Tours has been compensating bewildered customers by offering them free places.
Head of development Kathleen Brogan described the firm’s conduct as an “embarrassment to Edinburgh”.
She said: “So far we’ve had around 20 customers come to us wondering what’s been going on. And this company is featured on the VisitScotland website.”
Her concerns led her to hold a meeting with the city council and to make a complaint to VisitScotland.
Graham Birse, managing director of Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, backed Ms Brogan’s calls for greater regulation.
He said: “If this is the case, VisitScotland should remove them from the Quality Assurance Scheme.
“Poor operators are harmful to the visitor experience and to Edinburgh.”
It is believed Edinburgh Horror Tours began operating in April.
On Trip Advisor one contributor, who booked a tour in August, complained: “Absolutely appalling! We booked online, turned up ten minutes before the tour started and nobody came!” Another said: “We turned up at about 8.40pm for their 9pm tour. After over half an hour of waiting, we called the number on their poster – this was about 9.10pm – and no one answered.”
When the Evening News attempted to contact the Edinburgh Horror Tours through its two telephone numbers, they were not recognised – and we received no reply to our e-mail.
Although the website still offers details of the tours – advising that customers can pay the guide on the night – the facility to pay in advance is no longer available.
It is unclear whether the company has stopped operating.
The city council confirmed that a licence for outside 180 High Street, operated by Steven Owen, expires in June next year.
A VisitScotland spokes- person said: “VisitScotland has received one complaint on this company from Mercat Tours and we advised them to speak to Edinburgh Council about the issue.”
The spokesperson did not respond when asked whether they would now consider removing the page promoting the Edinburgh Horror Tours from the VisitScotland website.
A spokesman for the council said: “We have no complaints being processed in respect of any of the licensed walking tour operators.
“If a complaint was made it would most likely be passed to the police and some cases to the council’s Services for Communities Department for investigation.”
Hampton Roads, VA: The Maritime Museum’s Ghostly Sights
October 20th-23rd and October 27th-30th
From B Channel News: The Maritime Museum’s Ghostly Sights
The best way to go looking for ghosts is to join a group who knows what they are doing. The Maritime Museum of British Columbia will be hosting two different tours during the Halloween season, one will tell the tale and the other will try to find the spirits said to be still lurking here. “I think the experience is more on how receptive people are to it,” said MaryAnne Dieno, Events Coordinator for the Museum, “In my own, I don't know if it's just because I know the history of this building. I'm always nervous, always on edge.” Some people are more sensitive than others when it comes to trying to find proof, but for paranormal investigators and journalists, to come out with a story to tell is what everyone else wants to hear. The best chills from a good ghost story are those that can be personally experienced, especially in the Maritime Museum, reputed to have many ghosts within its hallowed interior. The Museum played host to three previous ghost hunts in the past two years, and some of the experiences previous attendees have felt were emotional. Those tales are also what television shows like Ghost Hunters, Most Haunted, My Ghost Story and Creepy Canada like to grab on to. Without the story, why should people watch? By day, most venues operate as per normal, but at night, some of these locales are willing to let paranormal investigators look around past midnight looking for evidence of the other side. The only times when a location is not willing to let detectives wander around at night is because of insurance issues. “As a tourist place, you have to be really careful in who knows the venue as a haunted place and who doesn't know, “ said Dieno, “If you have an investigation in the evening, we can answer to that market without affecting the daytime market, and that's the attraction for the tourists.” These day tourists or nighttime investigators can choose what they like to explore. In a venue like the Maritime Museum, it was a courthouse in the late 19th century, where life assurance was often challenged. The accused were convicted of capital offenses. To those who were guilty, they were hanged in Bastion Square. Tom Paterson, a historian, writer and journalist said that he’s visited the old building before it became a museum, prodded around the structure and learned about most of its history through independent research.
“Murder and death are the ultimate forms of human drama,” said Paterson, “If there's ever such a thing as a ghost, they have to be here by default." But Paterson is also a storyteller. He uses history as his choice of genre to tell his tale. The Ghost Tours will feature museum staff talking about the history of the artefacts and the ghosts said to be connected to them. Some of their own personal experiences may also get related as all three floors are explored. When he was present in the past Ghost Hunts at the Maritime Museum, he was there to observe the people, watch the procedure, see the protocol being used, and make notes. He gets his own reward from that, and reports about it.
In the Maritime Museum's coming Ghost Hunt before and after Halloween, attendees have a chance to participate in an actual investigation. This will be led by Dawn Kirkham, a paranormal investigator from Liverpool with many years of experience to share. She is also a medium, a person who can sense and communicate with the spirits from the other side. That can be important since an investigation doesn’t always have to be about evidence gathering. “For me it is also about helping them, like telling their story or helping them to move on,” said Kirkham. This medium defines ghosts as a memory, a recording, and spirits are sentient. They know people are there and they may want to communicate. Sometimes that voice is captured by video cameras or on an audio recording. Kirkham contracted PARAVI, a local paranormal investigation group led by Susanne Gilby, to provide the technical assistance of handling all recording devices for the night. They will show attendees how the equipment is used and what their procedures are. But in what is seen with the third eye or captured on tape, are they ghosts? “I don't think you can do a proper well rounded investigation without using both,” said Gilby, “Especially when considering we don't know if paranormal activity can be detected with any scientific equipment.” The doubt is simply because in all of recorded history, there is very little evidence that everyone can proclaim as 100% proof positive. In the courtroom of the Maritime Museum, where plenty of emotions have been expressed during the trials that happened there, the impressions that have been left behind can still be felt today. And some people consider that to be the most haunted room in the entire museum. “When there is powerful emotion—happy or sad—it leaves an energetic footprint which can be experienced,” said Kirkham. The feelings one may get while sitting in this courtroom can range from a simple feeling of being watched to an outright emotional outburst.
As for why that is happening, that has yet to be fully explained. “People will always have their own perceptions and beliefs,” noted Gilby. “I believe anything which helps educate the public and open their eyes to other potential ideas is always good.” The Ghostly Tours October 20th-23rd and October 27th-30th, starting 6pm. Cost: $13 Maritime Museum's Ghost Hunt Oct 28th and November 5th, 10pm-3am. Limited Seats available, 30 per night. Cost:$55 To reserve a spot to either, please call: 250-385-4222
From B Channel News: The Maritime Museum’s Ghostly Sights
The best way to go looking for ghosts is to join a group who knows what they are doing. The Maritime Museum of British Columbia will be hosting two different tours during the Halloween season, one will tell the tale and the other will try to find the spirits said to be still lurking here. “I think the experience is more on how receptive people are to it,” said MaryAnne Dieno, Events Coordinator for the Museum, “In my own, I don't know if it's just because I know the history of this building. I'm always nervous, always on edge.” Some people are more sensitive than others when it comes to trying to find proof, but for paranormal investigators and journalists, to come out with a story to tell is what everyone else wants to hear. The best chills from a good ghost story are those that can be personally experienced, especially in the Maritime Museum, reputed to have many ghosts within its hallowed interior. The Museum played host to three previous ghost hunts in the past two years, and some of the experiences previous attendees have felt were emotional. Those tales are also what television shows like Ghost Hunters, Most Haunted, My Ghost Story and Creepy Canada like to grab on to. Without the story, why should people watch? By day, most venues operate as per normal, but at night, some of these locales are willing to let paranormal investigators look around past midnight looking for evidence of the other side. The only times when a location is not willing to let detectives wander around at night is because of insurance issues. “As a tourist place, you have to be really careful in who knows the venue as a haunted place and who doesn't know, “ said Dieno, “If you have an investigation in the evening, we can answer to that market without affecting the daytime market, and that's the attraction for the tourists.” These day tourists or nighttime investigators can choose what they like to explore. In a venue like the Maritime Museum, it was a courthouse in the late 19th century, where life assurance was often challenged. The accused were convicted of capital offenses. To those who were guilty, they were hanged in Bastion Square. Tom Paterson, a historian, writer and journalist said that he’s visited the old building before it became a museum, prodded around the structure and learned about most of its history through independent research.
“Murder and death are the ultimate forms of human drama,” said Paterson, “If there's ever such a thing as a ghost, they have to be here by default." But Paterson is also a storyteller. He uses history as his choice of genre to tell his tale. The Ghost Tours will feature museum staff talking about the history of the artefacts and the ghosts said to be connected to them. Some of their own personal experiences may also get related as all three floors are explored. When he was present in the past Ghost Hunts at the Maritime Museum, he was there to observe the people, watch the procedure, see the protocol being used, and make notes. He gets his own reward from that, and reports about it.
In the Maritime Museum's coming Ghost Hunt before and after Halloween, attendees have a chance to participate in an actual investigation. This will be led by Dawn Kirkham, a paranormal investigator from Liverpool with many years of experience to share. She is also a medium, a person who can sense and communicate with the spirits from the other side. That can be important since an investigation doesn’t always have to be about evidence gathering. “For me it is also about helping them, like telling their story or helping them to move on,” said Kirkham. This medium defines ghosts as a memory, a recording, and spirits are sentient. They know people are there and they may want to communicate. Sometimes that voice is captured by video cameras or on an audio recording. Kirkham contracted PARAVI, a local paranormal investigation group led by Susanne Gilby, to provide the technical assistance of handling all recording devices for the night. They will show attendees how the equipment is used and what their procedures are. But in what is seen with the third eye or captured on tape, are they ghosts? “I don't think you can do a proper well rounded investigation without using both,” said Gilby, “Especially when considering we don't know if paranormal activity can be detected with any scientific equipment.” The doubt is simply because in all of recorded history, there is very little evidence that everyone can proclaim as 100% proof positive. In the courtroom of the Maritime Museum, where plenty of emotions have been expressed during the trials that happened there, the impressions that have been left behind can still be felt today. And some people consider that to be the most haunted room in the entire museum. “When there is powerful emotion—happy or sad—it leaves an energetic footprint which can be experienced,” said Kirkham. The feelings one may get while sitting in this courtroom can range from a simple feeling of being watched to an outright emotional outburst.
As for why that is happening, that has yet to be fully explained. “People will always have their own perceptions and beliefs,” noted Gilby. “I believe anything which helps educate the public and open their eyes to other potential ideas is always good.” The Ghostly Tours October 20th-23rd and October 27th-30th, starting 6pm. Cost: $13 Maritime Museum's Ghost Hunt Oct 28th and November 5th, 10pm-3am. Limited Seats available, 30 per night. Cost:$55 To reserve a spot to either, please call: 250-385-4222
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)