Haunting Oriskany Battlefield – CNY Paranormal

From Lite987:  Haunting Oriskany Battlefield – CNY Paranormal


The month of August marks the anniversary of an event that has shaped our region’s history. On
August 6, 1777, the Battle of Oriskany took place, in what is now known as the town of Oriskany. This
battle was one of the bloodiest battles in the Revolutionary War, and not only effected the history of the
Central New York region, but also shaped our developing nation.

The Battle of Oriskany was started as an attempt to lay siege to British forces attacking Fort
Stanwix in nearby Rome NY. Patriot forces were led by General Herkimer. As they attempted to
intercept British soldiers, General Herkimer and his men were ambushed by enemy forces, as well as
Native Americans supporting the British soldiers. Trained to fight in open fields, the Battle of Oriskany
was fought in the middle of a forest, leading to guerilla warfare on the part of the attackers. While
General Herkimer and his men were not outnumbered, they were outclassed by the Native Americans
who were intimately familiar with the forests surrounding the battlefield. General Herkimer was
mortally wounded during this battle, and died soon after. Overall, Patriot forces lost 450 men, while the
British and Native Americans lost 150 men. This was not the decisive British victory the numbers appear
to be, because the Patriot forces at Fort Stanwix rallied and later attacked the British at their
encampment.
Because of the amount of fighting that took place soon after the battle, and with the sweltering
summer weather, most of the deceased soldiers were left on the field, denied a proper burial. In 1884, a
monument was erected on the site, providing these soldiers with the only headstone they would ever
receive. In 1962, the battlefield was named a Historic Site, and is now a state park.
To approach the battlefield, it is a serene view, with open fields and wooded areas. Without
knowing the tragic history of this location, it appears to be a beautiful area to bring the family. But the
men killed in the long ago battle still roam the field. There have been reports of people seeing soldiers in
military costumes who proceed to disappear, hearing voices of men crying out. People have also
reported hearing the sounds of battle coming from the woods. On the battlefield, long-dead soldiers are
still reliving the war, and those who are there at the right time can experience this.
In October 2012, Ubisoft Games will be releasing the third game in their popular Assassin’s
Creed series. This installment will take place during the Revolutionary War, with one of the scenes in the
video game taking place during the Battle of Oriskany. This will allow modern gamers to discover more
about this influential battle in America’s history.

Oriskany Battlefield/Google Maps

 

Ghost Hunting – Health and Safety Issues

From Hollow Hill (a ghost hunting blog):  Ghost Hunting – Health and Safety Issues

Note: I’d prepared this article for the first week of December.  With today’s news, about the death of ghost researcher Sara Harris, I’ve decided to publish it early.
Her story wasn’t the first I’ve heard about ghost researchers contracting respiratory infections after investigations, but it is among the worst. Her widower, Shane Harris, has started the Sara Harris Foundation.  It will help to educate paranormal investigators about issues of health and safety, and provide masks and first aid kits to ghost hunting teams that can’t afford them.  Shane says, “I have 3M on board to donate masks as soon as I get the tax ID number. My Paypal account is under saraharrisfoundation@yahoo.com, if you can help our cause.”
In addition, a follow-up article at Paranormal Insider includes even more reasons for concern among ghost hunters.
My article barely brushes the surface of the problem, but — in the interest of getting this information to more people, immediately — I’ve decided to publish it early. (Also listen to my related podcast, published early.)

Among ghost hunters, I’ve been hearing some really scary stories.  They’re not about the ghosts.  They’re about health and safety issues.
This is especially important during the winter, when we’re often investigating indoor locations.  Energy-saving measures — such as doors and windows with weatherstripping, and storm doors and windows — mean less air circulation.  The air isn’t as healthy, especially when someone has “indoor allergies” or environmental sensitivities.

• Many researchers don’t take allergy medications before an investigation, especially if those medications might affect their alertness.  That can put them more at risk for respiratory distress.
• Sometimes, a client blames physical phenomena — like dizziness or depression in just one part of the home or business — on ghosts when the actual issue is something environmental, like allergies, off-gassing from new wall-t0-wall carpeting, or oil-based wall paint with high VOCs.  That’s going to affect some investigators on the scene, as well.
• Are you or team members allergic to pets?  Ask the site owner if he or she has animals in the home or business.  Since people often isolate their pets before an investigation team arrives, it’s a mistake to assume that there are no pets, just because you don’t see or hear them.

Allergies are the tip of the iceberg.
Basements and attics often present safety issues. In at least one case this year, an otherwise healthy investigator was hospitalized with a life-threatening respiratory complaint, after conducting research at a site with rodent droppings.

• Structural issues – Attic floorboards can be old and unable to support much weight.  Ask the owner before you venture up there.
• Dust in attics isn’t just an issue when you’re trying to take credible orb photos.  It’s also an allergen for many people.
• Basements are prone to mold and mildew.  Against cement or stone walls, the problems may not be obvious until someone starts wheezing.
• In cities and warm climates where cockroaches are a steady problem, remember that it’s not always the insects but their droppings that present the worst respiratory challenges for people with allergies.
• Histoplasmosis – Bat droppings can put you at risk. It’s not just “bats in the belfry,” but bats (and sometimes birds) in the attic and the basement.  Histoplasmosis can be a serious respiratory disease and a significant threat in some areas.  As it says at Bats and Rabies, “To be safe, avoid breathing dust in areas where there are animal droppings… wear a respirator that can guard against particles as small as two microns.“  Every researcher should have — at the very least — a few simple, paper masks in his or her ghost hunting kit. (However, not all blue medical masks protect at the level you need. Read the label!)
• If you’re exploring a haunted cave (such as the Bell Witch cave), a mask is an especially good idea, if you’re subject to respiratory issues.
• Investigating an abandoned hospital?  Some people worry about visiting old tuberculosis hospitals; they’re usually called sanitoriums.  Generally, TB can only be spread from human to human, and only when the contagious person has an active case of the disease.  However, some doctors are now saying that tuberculosis “is spread usually from person to person by breathing infected air during close contact.”  (Emphasis added.)  Should you wear a mask in dusty, abandoned hospitals?  Probably, but not because of TB.  At deserted sites, there’s a greater potential for disease-containing animal and insect droppings.

This isn’t a complete list of the risks involved in exploring old sites, especially those that haven’t been maintained, but it gives you the general idea.

Skip the scrubs, but consider the blue mask. Be safe, no matter where you investigate.

With recent reports of ghost investigators becoming ill with life-threatening respiratory issues — and with the death of Sara Harris — we all need to be more aware of the dusty places we visit when we’re looking for ghosts.
You’re probably going to be in the dark, anyway.  Why not wear a mask if there are any reasons to be concerned?
A ten-cent paper mask can help protect your health, reduce your chances of an allergic reaction or asthma,  and — in extreme cases — might save your life.  Get a box for yourself, or your team, and carry some masks with you, no matter where you’re investigating.
Depending on your health concerns, and the environments where you’re researching, stronger protection may be necessary if biological hazards are a very real issue.
However, for the casual researcher visiting sites that may contain irritants, allergens, and significant dust, the basic mask is one that protects you from 2-micron size particles or smaller.  Inexpensive surgical masks are the simplest option, but be sure to read the labels.


Read more at http://hollowhill.com/ghost-hunting-health-and-safety-issues

 

Ghost Hunting and Tourism

From Youth Voices:  Ghost Hunting and Tourism

Particularly around Halloween, companies use , what are believed to be, haunted sites as a form of tourism. This is especially popular in towns such as Salem, where nineteen women were hanged after being accused of being witches.
Some hotels you can stay in advertise to be haunted.
For example, a hotel in Vermont holds a legend that says during winter storms, the ghost of Boots Berry, who saved a girl stuck on the inn's roof before falling to his death during a snowstorm, can be heard tap dancing on the hotel's third floor. While some think of such “ghost hunts” and “ghost haunts” as simple fun and a little spooky, some people really do believe that ghosts as well as ghost hunting are real.
For example, Ross Allison, a professional ghost hunter, has done investigations all over the country. When asked what his most memorable ghost hunt was he said, "St. Louis University, site of The Exorcist case, stands out. Five minutes into the investigation, all the equipment went off at the same time. We asked, 'Whose room are we in?' and received and EVP saying, 'it's mine' and some words I won't repeat. Another time we heard pounding on a door and recorded, 'Let me out.'" Allison also stated that, "Most countries believe in ghosts...European countries don't need or want proof. They believe in ghosts. They feel unwanted communication with ghosts is disrespectful.”
So should tourism companies advertise something that is taken so seriously by some as simply spooky fun?

Friends get help searching for Everett YMCA ghost

From Seattle PI:  Friends get help searching for Everett YMCA ghost

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — The stories have been told for years.
An unknown voice heard over a speaker before music is turned on during an exercise class. A punching bag swinging when no one is near it. Doors banging shut.
Everett YMCA staff and patrons often blame a ghost they call "George" for these and other strange occurrences that have no clear explanations.
For the past year, Jacob Nix, 12, Santana Ortiz, 14, and Timothy Wood, 12, listened closely to these stories and pushed to learn more.
The friends, members of the YMCA, researched history books about the area at the Everett Library.
One book they scoured for clues was "The First 100 Years: An Illustrated History of The YMCA of Snohomish County." They interviewed the book's author, historian Larry O'Donnell.
Through their research the boys found out that a fire on March 30, 1920, destroyed much of the original 1901 YMCA building, at 2720 Rockefeller Ave. That matched with unconfirmed stories of a man, possibly a janitor, who helped children escape the blaze but who never made it out of the burning building.
"We're curious and we thought we may not learn any more if we were to do it ourselves," Jacob said. "We should at least find somebody who is professional about this and have nifty things to help them as well."
They sent an email to Seattle Paranormal Incidence Research and Investigation Team, or SPIRIT, and asked that a group come visit the Everett YMCA. Lynnwood residents and founders of SPIRIT, Gene and Danielle Rathbun, their 15-year-old son, Anthony, and four others started the free investigation Saturday night after the YMCA closed for the evening. The SPIRIT team was joined by the boys, Catherine Rasnack, YMCA teen coordinator, and Desiree Boss, a YMCA teen center assistant.
About 10:30 p.m., armed with cameras, recorders, electromagnetic detectors, and walkie-talkies as their connection to others at "base camp" in the teen center conference room, a small team went on a ghost hunt through the weight rooms.
Santana set a small detector on the floor and watched for a light to flash on.
"If something comes by it and touches it, or if an energy field passes through it's supposed to go red," said Brett Kemnitz, a SPIRIT investigator from Renton.
He and Boss asked questions to try to get a response from "George" or any other ghosts.
"I've heard stories that you've dropped weights before," Boss said. "If you could, do it for us now. We're here and we're listening."
Groups of two or three people also rotated throughout the 1920s gym, and walked the halls of "Ghost Town," a condemned portion of the original brick building that in once served as a hostel. The teams used recorders and video cameras as they tested for any evidence of paranormal energy or activity. Those who stayed in the conference room watched video feeds from cameras set up in eight different locations.
Several people who were watching the video feed said they saw a punching bag in the gym move when no one was around it.
"It was noticeable on the camera," Santana said. "I'm really excited. I hope they find something (in the footage)."
The ghost hunt was fun even though he didn't see or hear anything that was creepy or bizarre, Timothy added. For him, the best part of the investigation was getting to go into Ghost Town several times.
This investigation was different from others SPIRIT has done because younger people were involved, Danielle Rathbun said.
"We don't normally involve anyone under the age of 16 but because Jacob contacted us and it was his group who did their own mini-investigation we included them and included our own son," she said.
The official investigation lasted from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. The group plans to review the video and recordings from that entire time to look for any abnormalities. That process will take about a month, Rathbun said. SPIRIT will probably plan another investigation in order to cover more ground at the Everett YMCA.
That's good news for Jacob, who said he is interested in going on another ghost hunt someday, even though parts of this one were a bit scary.
"I'd call people fools if they weren't afraid of doing this stuff," he said. "We are afraid of what we don't know and we know as much about (the) paranormal and (the) supernatural as Benjamin Franklin had on electricity at his time. We still have a lot to learn."

 

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Discovery Channel Hunts for Wild West Treasures on "Ghost Town Gold"

From the Futon Critic:  Discovery Channel Hunts for Wild West Treasures on "Ghost Town Gold

-- New Six-Part Series Premieres on Discovery Channel November 15 at 10 PM ET/PT --
(New York, NY) - Putting the boom back in boomtown, Discovery Channel's new series GHOST TOWN GOLD follows two modern day explorers, Brit Eaton and Scott Glaves, as they track down priceless treasures of the Old West. From 19th century denim jeans to Wild West weaponry, railroad relics to cowboy collectibles, Brit and Scott are always on the prowl to turn what looks like rusty junk into everybody's favorite collectible - cash. GHOST TOWN GOLD premieres on Discovery Channel Thursday, November 15 at 10 PM ET/PT.
Part history buffs, part pickers, Brit and Scott visit old ghost towns, abandoned mining camps and industrial graveyards in search of treasured ruins from the Wild West. Whether it's diving into a well that once hid prohibition-era moonshine or digging through dusty debris at a dilapidated ranch, Brit and Scott's passion for history and the thrill of the hunt, drive them to these old boom-then-bust towns where there's an endless supply of relics to find, explore and hopefully sell. Brit and Scott have each been collecting and selling western memorabilia for over a decade and combined have over 25 years of experience. Today, Brit's warehouse in Durango, Colorado holds more than 1-million artifacts including thousand-dollar whiskey bottles, old west revolvers and one-of-a-kind hand forged branding irons, to name a few. The demand for these iconic items that capture the true spirit of the Old West is insatiable and every object featured in GHOST TOWN GOLD has its own unique story to tell. Following Discovery Channel's premiere of GHOST TOWN GOLD on Thursday, November 15 at 10 PM ET/PT, an encore airing of the series will premiere on Destination America beginning Tuesday, January 1 at 10 PM ET/PT.
GHOST TOWN GOLD is produced by JWM Productions for Destination America. For JWM, Bill Morgan and Jason Williams are executive producers. Brit Eaton is an executive producer and Pamela Deutsch is executive producer for Discovery Channel and Destination America.
About Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 100.8 million U.S. homes, can be seen in 210 countries and territories, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com.
About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.8 billion cumulative subscribers in 209 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity through 149 worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science and Investigation Discovery, as well as U.S. joint venture networks OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The Hub and 3net, the first 24-hour 3D network. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools and owns and operates a diversified portfolio of digital media services, including Revision3. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.
About JWM Productions:
JWM Productions specializes in innovative, immersive and character-driven films and storytelling. Their work has been featured on PBS, History, Discovery, TLC, NBC, CBS, TBS, TNT, CNN and by more than 85 international broadcasters. Started in 1996 by two multiple Emmy Award-winning filmmakers, Jason Williams and Bill Morgan, JWM has produced more than 300 hours of high quality, thought-provoking programming. Today, JWM ranks among the world's leading independent producers of factual entertainment.To learn more, please visit our website at http://www.jwmprods.com.

Palestine, TX: Local group offering "Christmas ghost hunts"

From Palestine herald:  Local group offering "Christmas ghost hunts"

PALESTINE — The group, Haunted Little Town Walking Tours, will offer “Christmas Ghost Hunts” at the old Anderson County Jail in Palestine starting this Friday.

The group offered tours in October prior to Halloween, but this event is planned to be a little different — offering ghost-hunting tools for attendees to use and allowing more time for exploring.

“We are opening this weekend and will continue through Dec. 29 on every Friday and Saturday,” Haunted Little Town Walking Tours event coordinator Jeremy Janz said. “We will be open from 6 to 10 p.m., and on every hour, we will be cycling in a new tour group. We will split them in four groups and give them different ghost-hunting tools to use.”

Those participating in tours will have the chance to do EVPs, use black lights, digital photo, video, an EMF detector (measures electromagnetic fields) and view pre-recorded video surveillance of ‘ghost’ monitoring at the jail.

“They will be doing a ghost hunt with an EMF detector this time where they will be finding letters to identify Christmas spirits they are trying to find,” Janz said of the scavenger-hunt-type search.

The jail was recently investigated by the Sonshine Paranormal Investigators of Fort Worth, but results are still pending.

“I know for sure — because I was there and heard them myself — that we got some good EVPs during the investigation,” Janz said.

According to historical information provided, the oldest structure known at the current jail site was a log cabin owned by a widow named Ann White whom took care of the widowed Dr. E.J. DeBard. The next home was owned by Jasper Starr, newspaper editor of “The Wonder.” Nearby was the Lonestar Saloon next door. In the 1880s, a jail was built in the location with a clock tower donated by Palestine pioneer George Wright. In the 1930s, the current three-story Art Deco jail was built. The jail closed in 1988, but was used for another decade as a juvenile detention center and later for storage. The county sold the historic structure in July to Tyler resident Michael Collins, who has allowed the Haunted Little Town Walking Tours group to continue the tours.

“For a $15 flat rate, we are providing all the tools they are going to need, give them a chance to explore this historic old county jail in a controlled environment and offer a possibly rewarding experience of finding or identifying something interesting,” Janz said. “We got a lot of positive feedback from our other tours. We had a lot of people who shared stories of family members who worked at the jail. Whether it was nostalgic or history or just people having fun doing the ‘ghost hunting,’ people really seemed to enjoy going through the jail.”

The “Christmas Ghost Hunts” will be more family-friendly than the Halloween tours.

“For the ‘Christmas Ghost Hunts,’ children can come in and have a great time without worrying about making a mistake,” Janz said. “We want children to be able to enjoy the experience as well.”

————

The “Christmas Ghost Hunts” will be offered at 6 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. every Friday and Saturday from now through Dec. 29. The old jail is located near the Anderson County Courthouse Square. For more details and tickets for the “Christmas Ghost Hunts,” call Janz at 951-552-3578, visit www.hauntedlittletown.com or visit the Haunted Little Town on Facebook. Reservations in advance are encouraged.



PCT Cross Promotion

As a cross promotion with the Palestine Community Theatre (whose production of  “A Christmas Carol” production opens Dec. 7 at the Texas Theater) those participating in the “Christmas Ghost Hunts” on the weekend of Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at the old jail will have the opportunity to use ghost hunting tools to find the following ghosts: Jacob Marley, Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Future, Janz said.



Documentary in Works

This holiday season, the public is invited to be a part of Haunted Little Town’s documentary film and paranormal investigations.

“Haunted Little Town was created to showcase the magical history and abundant paranormal activity of Palestine, Texas. Paranormal investigations are a critical element of this inspiring story,” Janz said. “Please contact us to share your story, experiences and schedule an investigation.”

For more information, call Janz at 951-552-3578.