Nicholas A. McGirr's Blog
February 1, 2024
Ghost Hunting Apps
I often get asked about the apps designed for ghost hunting. Of course, I test them in real haunted locations. Some have shown success, others not so much. With that said, that doesn’t necessarily mean that an app that I’ve never had any success with does not have validity. It simply means that the app wasn’t successful during the time of the experiment. The same can be said about physical devices designed for ghost hunting as well.
I keep a few apps handy in my phone. These are apps that I’ve had the most success with. Ghost hunting is an experimental science which requires not just dedication, but discipline to the craft of trying similar experiments over and over again to see results or find the lack of them.
I would also like to point out that I, unlike other investigators, will not use one single device/application at a time. I live for the thrill of validating in real time with full conversation or cause and effect of multiple devices signaling simultaneously. With that said, please do not rely on a singular phone application to validate paranormal activity. Use them in conjunction with a physical device for clearer communication and results of each paranormal experiment.
Let’s dive into the types of apps designed for ghost hunting. Please note that I am not an affiliate for any of the apps mentioned in this article. There may be appraisals for apps that Stories in the Cemetery finds productive when in the paranormal field, but in no way, was I compensated for my opinions featured here.
EMF DetectorsWe’ve all seen the famous K-II EMF Meters on our favorite paranormal TV shows. Although I use the K-II as a secondary EMF Meter, I may also use EMF phone apps as well.
Your phone can detect electromagnetic fields that it does not produce, much like the REM feature of the Mel Meter. I have tested a number of these apps with electronics around my home and find that they are pretty accurate in their readings. I kept “True EMF Meter” on my phone just as a backup.
One thing of note about the phone applications for EMF: They measure in units of Tesla versus most physical devices, like a K-II Meter and Mel Meter, which measure in milligauss. I tend to use multiple EMF meter models to validate readings. This can be difficult to do if they are using two different units of measure. So, either learn the conversion, or the difference in the readings for validation if your secondary EMF meter is a phone app.
To help out with that the conversion is quite simple: one unit of tesla is equivalent to 10 milligauss.
Word Generator AppsBy far, one of my favorite styles of apps to use during an investigation is not just because I’m a wordsmith/writer and love communication, but it allows our spirit world to give us communication in a much easier way. In comparison to a physical spirit box, paranormal investigators believe that the white noise created by AM/FM radio frequencies give spirits the opportunity to use that white noise as a medium to use their own voice to communicate. With a digital word generator app, this allows our hauntings to simply choose a word in the app’s database to communicate.
What I found is that most of the apps that have this feature of a word database are predetermined by a small number of words.
There are over 170,000 words in the English language. There is no true determination of how many words are in the English language, but there are over 170,000 entries of usable words in the Oxford English Dictionary. Most of the word generator apps provide about 500-2,000 terms and phrases in their database. This seems a bit broken down to tropes, cliches and “spooky terminology” that we commonly hear in our paranormal entertainment. However…
I found an app with a much larger data of the standard 500-2000 terms. “Ghost Hunting Tools” paid version has over 9000 terms in the database. Some of these terms are very general and vague terms and to be honest, I think that’s what I like the most about the app. It shows that it’s not just pre-programmed to give us all a jump scare during our investigations.
The other feature of these apps you need to look out for is a save feature, and/or timestamps of when the terms occurred. What this does is allows investigators to align the terms from the app with what may have been heard on a physical ITC device such as a spirit box.
Camera Filter AppsAs easy on the wallet as these types of apps may seem versus the cost of physical cameras, nothing beats a camera that is designed with specific photographic lenses like infrared, night vision, thermal, etc.
Camera filter apps are fun and can definitely give a curious investigator a different perspective of a haunted space, but after working with specifically designed physical cameras, nothing else compares.
Feel free to experiment with camera filter apps, but our recommendation is to run your experiments with physical equipment like a FLIR thermal imaging camera, or an infrared camera.
Spirit Box AppsMuch like Word Generator Apps, using a spirit box app can limit an investigation in relation to how many phrases or terms will actually be heard. Even then, it is questionable as to how many of these “sweeps” are pre-recorded or pre-determined to say different phrases intended to give us all that spooky jump scare.
One app that I use to complement a physical spirit box, because let’s face it, nothing compares to an actual spirit box radio frequency sweeper, is the Paranormal Hauntings app by Brian Holloway.
Paranormal Darkness by Brian Holloway.This app works with a reverse effect of words being said in reverse, therefore giving off that eerie sound, but when a word or phrase comes through in forward motion, it stands out and is usually very clear. I tested this app with multiple locations and found that very specific phrases to the location were discovered. There were instances, during the testing of this app, that the terms heard didn’t even make sense in real time, whereas I had to research the terms later and they provided a very specific detail about the spirit’s life or lifetime.
Again, I’ll point out that I’m not an advocate or affiliate for any of these apps, I’m simply sharing my opinion through this blog and podcast.
Reminder to not use these apps as a singular device for verified evidence. Use them in conjunction with one another and experiment with different device combinations.
SLS App by Ghost TubeWe’ve all seen the “stick man” camera that is created with an old XBox 360 Kinect camera with the wires and battery packs attached on our favorite paranormal programs. As remarkable as the thought process is about this technology and adapting it to ghost hunting, I had my doubts about an app that claimed to do what the very complicated and sophisticated wiring we saw on TV.
Just like the Kinect 360 camera meant for body movement recognition, this camera sprays out infrared lighting that we as humans cannot see with our own eyes. The camera then determines the distance of this lighting to create an avatar, in your video game, or in our case, as a stick figure for ghost hunting. Hence the acronym, SLS, which stands for Structured Light Sensor.
The SLS App by Ghost Tube works using your mobile device’s camera. After researching this app before trying in the field, we followed the developer’s advice for optimum performance by using Apple’s LiDar technology. I purchased an iPad with the LiDar Technology and began testing the sensitivity of the app.
Currently, the sensitivity is set to about 40%. This allows my guests on the Interactive Ghost Hunting Experience to see humanoid formations from actual humans as well as debunking other anomalies that may be caused by trees, and any other object that may be in front of another object.
When I’m spot checking this video for my ghost hunting guests, and I find an anomaly that I cannot predetermine the outline of a physical world object, I take a screenshot and then brighten the screenshot and look for outlines of buildings, other people, nature and any other object that may be manipulating the camera’s sensors. If the brightened screenshot doesn’t prove to create an outline of a physical world object, then that holds great potential for anomalous event.
One other observation that I find helpful with this app is the face or head of the anomaly. If a human is in frame on the camera, the “stick man” will have three points for the head or face. This is due to the contours of our faces having two eyes and a nose. I look for these same points on anomalies that have potential to be true paranormal events.
The SEER App by Ghost Tube
And last, but certainly not least, I’ve been testing the SEER app for quite a few months now and testing the results. This is a visual stimulation experiment intended to accompany and complement a sensory deprivation experiment, otherwise known as the Estes Method or Spirit Box session.
For the safety of my ghost hunting guests on the Interactive Ghost Hunting Experience merely looking for entertainment versus hardcore ghost hunters, I have separated this experiment among two guests instead of using all stimuli providing and deprivation going to one person.
The SEER app uses EMF signals and translates them into images using artificial intelligence. It’s a fascinating experiment and with my measurements and studying the results, I find that this experiment can be up to 40-45% accurate to the haunted space.
There have been experiments that did not create any imagery and others have created up to twelve images in a ten minute timeframe. In other words, each experiment is completely unpredictable.
I want to also note that I have seen over 400 images generated by this app experiment so far, and have yet to see two identical images. Some have similar traits to others, but never has there been an identical twin image created.
In summaryApps are a great addition to your paranormal tool arsenal. However, I will never recommend relying on apps and one app alone to conduct a full paranormal investigation. A well-rounded ghost hunter will use physical pieces of equipment like cameras, EMF Meters and spirit boxes as well as apps to complement the physical equipment.
Stories in the Cemetery uses a conglomerate of both physical devices along with today’s technology of phone apps. We believe that by using modern technology it helps to move the paranormal field closer to fully understanding what happens to us in the afterlife. I am in the business of studying results to learn about the paranormal which we don’t fully understand yet as a species.
My hope is that this episode and blog post will pique your curiosity about today’s tech and steer your focus not on just the singular capture of paranormal evidence. It’s time we start checking the checker and looking at our paranormal toolkit as a whole, not as a singular event from a singular piece of equipment whether a physical or digital tool.
So, use the apps. Test them. Study the results when compared to a physical device’s results. Stories in the Cemetery believes that paranormal events have to be experienced. You don’t need to take my word for it on what works and what doesn’t. Use the apps and see the results for yourself. Word of caution is that you’ll have to do the research on your findings. It’s hard work, but fascinating when you discover that your full investigation was successful by discovering more information about paranormal activity and not just having a real time singular paranormal event.
In other words, do your hard work the justice of researching your findings by recording as much media as you can. You’ll not only find your research to be fruitful, but you’ll also gain a better understanding of your haunted space as well as the findings. Thank you for allowing me to pique your curiosity with this article. Check out the Stories in the Cemetery podcast episode that accompanies this post below.
More than a blogThis article has an accompanying podcast episode. This is episode #48 of the podcast. Click the Spotify logo below to listen:
Apps and references used to create this articleApps listed:
True EMF Meter, developer unknownGhost Hunting Tools, by WeaselParanormal Hauntings, by Brian HollowayParanormal Darkness, (image), by Brian HollowaySLS, by GhostTubeSEER, by GhostTubeReferences
(n.d.). Oxford English Dictionary (OED). Retrieved February 1, 2024, from https://www.oed.com/(n.d.). GhostTube Official Website. Retrieved February 1, 2024, from https://ghosttube.com/Strieber, W. (n.d.). Kindred Spirits. Travel Channel. Retrieved February 1, 2024, from https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/kindred-spirits
December 24, 2023
Zoom H4n Pro Multi-Channel Recorder
For the past six weeks, I’ve been experimenting with the Zoom H4n Pro Recorder on the Interactive Ghost Hunting Experience with my ghost hunting guests.
At first listen, to myself and to my guests, this recorder is nothing short of an amazing experience. I’ve even heard some listeners saying that we, as humans, should have this capability of hearing. I provide a set of over the ear headphones to use along with this recorder so there is truly only one listener at a time.
The purpose of this purchase to the Stories in the Cemetery toolkit was to capture true EVPs in a more delicate and accurate fashion. And since I’ve begun these experiments, I’ve had three instances that were unexplainable only to the tune of a true disembodied voice.
The PitfallsThe Recorded Files are MassiveThe experiments started with a full recording of the two and a half hour adventure that I host nightly. This was a mistake. The files for these recordings are massive and take a while to not only load the device, but also to upload to this website for my guests to listen to later.
I also want to be able to study these recordings and a two and a half hour recording would put a delay on my response time to get my guests their data report from their investigation with me. So, I decided to only use the Zoom H4n Pro with one location for a period of 8-10 minutes at a time. Not only will this allow me to listen to the entire recording, but it added a nice feature to the ghost hunting adventure, rather than a full time job for the guest.
AccessoriesThis next recognition isn’t necessarily a pitfall as it was a learning curve. But one that we would’ve liked to have known ahead of time. We’ve realized that a small breeze can ruin a full recording. The Interactive Ghost Hunting Experience takes place outdoors. So a windscreen, called a “dead kitten” was needed to save the recordings. I chose a rather large windscreen to make sure it was lined with a hard foam on top of the faux fur on the outside.
A small nuisance, but our paranormal toolkit is pretty packed, so trying to find an arrangement to fit this large windscreen in the bag took a little bit of tetris-work, but we use it to store our two SBox spirit boxes in considering we keep the Zoom recorder in it’s hardened case for protection while moving about the city.
Battery UsageAnother pitfall of this device is in its battery usage. It requires two AA batteries. For Stories in the Cemetery this was not an issue since all devices in our toolkit get rechargeable batteries changed on a daily basis, so adding enough batteries to our charging station wasn’t an issue. Note that Stories in the Cemetery has double the amount of batteries required for each device so we have those that are in the devices being used and the same amount being charged for the next investigation. I can see how using AA batteries would be an issue for the occasional ghost hunter, or even the musician for whom this device was designed.
The CelebrationsI’ll reiterate that the first experience with this device was amazing. The clarity, The noises we don’t we don’t always pay attention to or count as background, The sound of a car motor as it speeds past you, church bells as the clapper hits the inside of the common sound of Charleston. It’s all immersive. And you’ll have no idea how immersive it is until you experience it for yourself.
As I attempted to tell the story of a Murder Mystery, (a new tale for our route), a solid “help help” was heard in the background of my voice. The streets of Charleston were completely empty.
A second celebratory find was whispering as my team and I were walking to our next location. The listener commented on the whispering after they occurred but failed to tell me about them in real time. So these whispers were caught in real time and in the review of the recording without knowledge of them.
And third, as I told the history of Henry Timrod and his death by tuberculosis and coughing up blood on his final page written (what a way to go for a writer, by the way), there were “coughs” heard from the Zoom H4n Pro recording both in real time and during the review.
I need your helpMy inspiration for this post is to reach out to other paranormal investigators who have used this recorder successfully. I’m listing the settings I have of my recorder for comparison to yours.
Leave a comment below of your settings of a successful EVP session with your recorder so that I may continue to learn about this recorder and capture more successful EVPs with my guests. You can also email me at storiesinthecemetery@gmail.com . Just put “ZOOM” as your subject line.
We need to learn from each other, so I hope to hear from you all!
And for those that have not used this recorder, be sure to look me up next time you’re in Charleston, SC. We do some crazy stuff on these experiences and our reviews speak volumes to the experience.
The Settings for our Zoom H4n Pro Recorder are as follows:
Lo cutMic = OffInput = OffComp/LimiterMic = comp2Input = comp2Monitor = offone/two link = offLevel Auto = offMono mix = offMS Matrix = off (since the one/two link is off)Phantom = offPlug-in = offRecording Settings
Rec Format =MP3 320Auto RecordOffStart Level = -24dBStop Level = -24dBAuto Stop = offPre Rec = offJuly 21, 2023
The Estes Method: a quick study for the validity of this technique
We here at Stories in the Cemetery are fortunate enough that our business keeps us investigating every single evening possible. With that said, we are constantly innovating and thinking of new ways to add to the Interactive Ghost Hunting Experience and experiment with new methods and technologies in the paranormal field.
Enter The Estes Method.
If you haven’t heard about this experiment (which, if you’re here, you more than likely have), allow me to explain this very briefly.
There is a receiver of messages through a spirit box who is blindfolded and uses noise canceling headphones to have a multi-sensory deprivation for needs of focusing their listening skills to the spirit box.
The interviewer then asks questions unbeknownst to the receiver, to the spirit in question of haunting a said space.
A minimum of two investigators are needed for this experiment to work properly. Items needed: a spirit box (we prefer the SBox Ghost Scanner by Ghost Stop since it records your sessions), a blindfold, and noise canceling headphones.
Of course, there are innovations to this simple setup and they will be discussed as we move through this article.
The purpose of this article is to not only introduce you to the method (that’s been done before, check the resources below), but to use this experiment as part of our nightly investigations and show you the results of how we measure results and add it to our SITC Scoring System for our upcoming 2024 Paranormal Investigation Workbook.
We’ve added this method to our nightly Interactive Ghost Hunting Experience for our guest ghost hunters to train how to listen to a spirit box and then have an ESTES Method session for our final location.
The conditions that we use for reference of this study:
Yes, yes, yes, this will be another post using numbers and ratios to analyze the data. How else are we going to move this field along in the right direction?
Using the three tier system listed above, we put all the investigations that underwent an Estes Method and calculated the averages to see if this method truly works.
The three tier system is based on the terms/phrases said during the session only and though there may be outside occurrences such as other spirit boxes running with a receiver that knows the background of the haunting and personal experiences that may be relevant to the haunting, these were not accounted for in the three tier scoring system. We counted those as separate points in the SITC Scoring System towards the overall score of the investigation.
The following calculations are from the months of March through June of 2023 with a grand total of 61 investigations that had an Estes Method performed.
There were a total of 180 points accumulated using the three tier system of 0 points, 5 points and 10 points. When averaged out, this gives the overall score of 2.95 points per investigation. If we look at this 2.95 on the scale of 0-10 (given the three tier system), this shows that the Estes Method falls in between the Unsuccessful to Slightly Successful rating.
Doesn’t sound too promising, but let’s look at the brighter side of this. That’s a 1 out of 3 chance that any success will come out of one of these sessions. The articles researched showed that there are plenty of skeptics around this method and with these kinds of averages, they seem to be justified. However…
Stories in the Cemetery sees anywhere from 40-60 curious ghost seekers per week on average for the Interactive Ghost Hunting Experiences. They are curious because they, like you, watch the television shows, follow paranormal social media channels and so forth. I’ll take the one out of three chance that a successful session will occur because for Stories in the Cemetery, that means two successful sessions per week on average.
What we teach these curious ghost seekers is that ghost hunting is never black and white and messages aren’t always in yes/no answers. In fact, this article should prove to you that Stories in the Cemetery isn’t in the Hollywood business of glorifying and fabricating fears for the sake of an audience. We’re honest not only with our guests, but also to ourselves and our studies. So, in our curious minds, a 33.33% chance of a success in an Estes Method session is going to be worth the shot and well, let’s face it, the Estes Method is just fun to participate in and even watch how it unfolds.
Innovating an innovational methodWe couldn’t very well have a new style and/or method to attempt without someone trying to amend it with an additional approach.
Ghost Tube, the creators of apps like SLS, Vox and the Original Ghost Tube, have come up with a new approach to the Estes Method and well, we just had to try it.
Ghost Tube’s new app, SEER, is taking advantage of not only this new method in ghost hunting, but also the latest technologies of Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality. Here’s how it works:
Using the magnetometer in your cell phone, the app will generate AI Imagery in a VR setting to be watched and created through Ghost Tube’s VR Headset. Just slide your phone in the headset and slap on the normal gear for an Estes Session: noise-canceling headphones and a spirit box. The images will be generated before your eyes. What’s more is that you can save the images after your session to show the other participants in the session.
Stories in the Cemetery has added the VR headset to the Estes sessions of the Interactive Ghost Hunting Experiences but with one small twist. We don’t just gear up one ghost seeker. We separate them. One Seer, One Listener. Both the Seer and Listener are deprived of the history of the location while the other ghost hunters in the group are briefed before the session. This keeps everything in a controlled environment.
In just a short time, we found this to be a fantastic addition to the Estes Method sessions. The images created in sessions from June 20-July 2 (we’re still testing methods), there were 38 images created with 16 of those being relevant to the haunted space. That’s 42%, an even better ratio than that of the Estes Listening sessions of 33.33%.
In short, we’re still monitoring the numbers and experimenting with questions to ask during these sessions. Make no mistake, both of these methods, whether combined or separated, are just fun and creepy to experiment with. By hosting these sessions, I watch the expressions of the observing ghost hunters when we have a full connection and that’s why we do what we do. Ghost hunting will never be black and white, but Stories in the Cemetery will continue to try and make sense of experiments and how we approach them so there can be tangible, measurable results instead of just watching television hosts looking for the next jump scare for their audience.
We invite you to our Interactive Ghost Hunting Experience, it’s not TV, and we’ll show you how we’re constantly experimenting looking for answers while making connections not only to the spirits of Charleston, but we’ve seen where our ghost seekers are having personal experiences from lost loved ones. Spirit activity is never guaranteed, but we can guarantee an unforgettable experience overall.
As this ghost hunting method evolves (and we’re positive it will), we’ll continue to monitor and make any changes to the Paranormal Investigation Workbook year after year after we’ve had the opportunity to experiment with the method, measure it and come to have a better understanding of why these methods may or may not assist in finding truths behind paranormal happenings.
Below you’ll find the ESTES Session from our June 23, 2023 investigation. This session had a second ghost hunter using the SEER App headset. You can find the images below the video. Pay attention to the instructions given before the session.
ReferencesGhost Stop. (n.d.). GhostStop Ghost Hunting Equipment – SBox Ghost Scanner Spirit Box. Ghost Stop. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://www.ghoststop.com/sbox-ghost-box-recorder/
Ghost Tube. (2023, June 22).…………／＞. YouTube. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://ghosttube.com/products/ghosttube-seer
Hallozween. (n.d.). The Estes Method. Hallozween. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://www.hallozween.com.au/the-estes-method/
Penny. (2020, January 15). The Estes Method with Penny Griffiths-Morgan. Haunted Houses. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://www.haunted-houses.co.uk/the-estes-method-with-penny-griffiths-morgan/
Pfeifle, T. (2019, February 20). Estes Method — Astonishing Legends. Astonishing Legends. Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://astonishinglegends.com/astonishing-legends/2019/2/16/estes-method
Swope, M., & Navarro, M. (2023, March 29). “Hellier” Investigator Connor J. Randall Discusses The Stanley Hotel and Co-Creating the Estes Method [Interview]. Bloody Disgusting! Retrieved July 18, 2023, from https://bloody-disgusting.com/interviews/3756516/hellier-investigator-connor-j-randall-discusses-the-stanley-hotel-and-co-creating-the-estes-method-interview/
PodcastThis article has a podcast episode on Stories in the Cemetery. It is episode 44, subscribe on Spotify.
https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/U3M5YKgExBbJuly 2, 2023
Effects of the Moon on Paranormal Activity: A Full Study of 110 Investigations
The moon has long fascinated humans and we’ve come up with some pretty crazy theories about it’s effect not just on us, but also our planet. But what true effect does it have on the supernatural and paranormal world? The superstitions created and believed by so many have often fascinated me when it comes to the moon. And after studying hundreds of paranormal investigations and the moon phases, it’s time we put some of these superstitions to the test using raw data from the SITC Scoring System data.
The SITC Scoring System uses the evidence of paranormal investigations to rate and rank investigations against others. We created this system to allow our guest ghost hunters on the Interactive Ghost Hunting Experience to know validly that their investigation efforts were fruitful or lacking. Ghosts are not on our payroll, we wish they were. So, it was paramount for us to show this to our guests.
There are two main goals for the study provided at the end of this article. First, to prove or debunk the possibility of full moons having an affect on paranormal activity. And second, to predict the most paranormally active dates based on data provided. What you’ll find in this study may be surprising and we will list our predictions for the most active dates for the rest of this year, 2023, so you can test this for yourself during your own paranormal investigations.
Let’s get into some of the belief systems/superstitions that are involving the moon. This next portion should be of no surprise, dear reader, due to the popularity of how long the moon has been observed as a being all by itself.
SuperstitionsTo get the “supernatural” superstition out of the way so we can get to the paranormal, we cannot mention the moon without automatically thinking of werewolves. This monster story has been retold hundreds, if not thousands, of times where a man can become a werewolf at the peak of the full moon. Debunking a monster story such as this with our technology today labels this just as I did previously as a monster story. To put this one to bed, the myth is that the werewolf transformation occurs during the peak of a full moon. To be blunt and bold to end the myth, a full moon does not always peak in the middle of the night, so what do werewolves do when the moon peaks at noon? Enough said, let’s move on.
Moving on, the word “lunacy” stems from the lunar cycles of the moon. There are multiple accounts where lunatics come out at a full moon including more modern tales of community service workers such as firefighters, paramedics and hospital workers believe that when they have a busier night than usual, it is caused by the full moon’s effect on humans. Although, this may have some bearing, since there is no verifiable study on this, it cannot be discounted that doctors and hospitals in our history would chain up or lock up mentally unstable patients during a full moon as well.
I would love to work with a community service team for a month to gauge the moon phases and the amount of services provided during the different phases to measure the results. You’ll see by the end of this article, that this is the exact method we used when gauging the most active paranormal investigations during which phase.
Granted, I could write an entire article on just superstitions of the moon, but decided to keep it short to get to the sole purpose of this study.
Let’s cover moon phases, so we’re all speaking the same language here.
Moon Phase TermsFull Moon: This one is obviously the focus of this study: Moon is 100% visible.
New Moon: We cannot see any of the moon’s surface. 0%
Waning: Moon’s surface visibility is getting smaller.
Waxing: Moon’s surface visibility is getting larger.
Gibbous:Moon’s surface visibility is greater than 50%.
Crescent: Moon’s surface visibility is less than 50%
First Quarter: Moon’s visibility is exactly 50% after a New Moon.
Last Quarter: Moon’s visibility is exactly 50% after a Full Moon.
The terms Waning and Waxing are then combined with Gibbous and Crescent to give us the full eight phases of the moon. See the graphic below from the NASA website to see all phases of the moon in action.
Perigee and ApogeeThese moon terms came into play as we began to study the data from our Interactive Ghost Hunting Experiences and wondered if the proximity of the moon to the earth affected the outcome of our most active investigations.
The orbit of the moon around the earth is not a perfect circle, it’s oblong in shape and we wondered if this proximity of the oblong shape would reflect in our data. Here are the terms you’ll need to know when we cover the study:
Perigee: the point of orbit of the moon closest to the earth.
Apogee: the point of orbit of the moon farthest from the earth.
Diagram from Oxford Learner’s DictionaryIn other words, if the moon is closer to the earth, will that show a spike in paranormal activity? Let’s find out by diving into the data from our paranormal investigations.
Our Study: Conditions
As if this article wasn’t nerdy enough, we’re going to really dive into the study by using percentages, charts and spreadsheets to display our results.
The following study is based from the SITC Scoring System we use on our Interactive Ghost Hunting Experiences over a period of 7 months with 110 investigations. All data includes the weather conditions, moon phase, moon percentage along with the SITC Scoring System score. Dates are from October 1, 2022 through April 30, 2023: a full seven months worth of data.
The following stats are from the full 110 investigation listScore Range: 15-70
Temperatures: 32-76 Fahrenheit
Weather Conditions used: Clear, Mostly Clear, Partly Cloudy, Cloudy, with Rain and Wind used as secondary conditions.
Averages from the study of all 110 investigations:Scores: 35.67
Temperature: 60.48 Fahrenheit
Conditions:Clear 49%
Mostly Clear 7%
Partly Cloudy 19%
Cloudy 25%
Our SITC Scoring System is based primarily from investigations averaging two hours in length, findings in real time along with spot checks of data recorded. You can read more about our revolutionary scoring system and use it for your own teams in our new Paranormal Investigation Workbook.
Now that you know how we conducted this study, you may be wondering if other factors may have contributed such as psychics/mediums and/or skeptics contributing to a lack of data. Though those may be factors, they cannot be measured and therefore were not used in this study.
Top 50% of the 110 investigations (Total of 55)For the base of this study, there were five investigations done under Full Moons. Only two of the investigations made it to the top 50% of investigation scores. Only one of the full moon investigations made the top 25%. And none of them made it to the top 10 highest investigation scores.
Because full moons are believed to create a higher activity in the paranormal for a number of theories, we found it very exciting that the theory can be debunked with actual data.
Now that we have that debunked, let’s talk about which moon phases are affiliated with the highest paranormal activity based on the SITC Scoring System. We’ve organized each spreadsheet below by moon phase and not from highest score to the lowest. Highest to lowest scores were organized first, then broken down by moon phase.
Here are the top 50% of the 110 investigations studied organized by moon phase.
Of the 110 investigations, the following percentage of moon phases came into the top 50% of highest scores:
Full Moons: 40%New Moons: 50%First Quarter: 0%Last Quarter: 100%Of the 50% of investigations studied, here is the breakdown from the chart above:
Full Moons: 4%Last Quarters: 4%New Moons: 4%Waning Crescent: 22%Waning Gibbous: 22%Waxing Crescent: 20%Waxing Gibbous: 25%Broken down a broader view:
Wanings 44%Waxings: 44%Crescents: 42%Gibbous: 48%Here are the averages from the Top 50% of the original 110 investigations. Notice that that Full Moon falls right in the middle of this set of averages.
Based on this data, it is safe to assume that a New Moon and a Waning Crescent Moon have the potential for the best paranormal activity. Let’s look at the next set of data to make sure.
Top 25% of the 110 Investigations (Total of 27)
Of the 110 investigations, the following percentage of moon phases came into the top 25% of highest scores:
Full Moons: 20%New Moons: 25%First Quarter: 0%Last Quarter: 50%Of the 25% of investigations studied, here is the breakdown from the chart above:
Full Moons: 4%Last Quarters: 4%New Moons: 4%Waning Crescent: 26%Waning Gibbous: 33%Waxing Crescent: 15%Waxing Gibbous: 15%Broken down to a broader viewpoint:
Wanings: 60%Waxings: 30%Crescents: 41%Gibbous: 48%Here are the averages from the Top 25% of the original 110 investigations. Our friend, the Full Moon is still in the middle of the pack.
Based on this set of data by narrowing it down even further, it might be speculated that a New Moon and Waning Crescent Moon are still in the lead. Remember that these moon phases are the exact opposite of a Full Moon.
Let’s break it down one more time before we look into the proximity of the moon based on orbit and the data taken from the 110 investigations studied.
Top 10 of the 110 Investigations
Of the 110 investigations, the following percentage of moon phases came into the top 10 of highest scores:
Full Moons: 0%New Moons: 25%First Quarter: 0%Last Quarter: 50%Of the 10 investigations studied, here is the breakdown from the chart above:
Full Moons: 0%Last Quarters: 10%New Moons: 10%Waning Crescent: 30%Waning Gibbous: 20%Waxing Crescent: 10%Waxing Gibbous: 20%Broken down even further:
Wanings: 50%Waxings: 30%Crescents: 40%Gibbous: 40%Here are the averages from the Top 10 of the original 110 investigations.
For this last set of data, it could be said that a Waning Crescent Moon phase brings the most activity.
To summarize the three charts, we have two different moon phases that are said to have the best paranormal activity. At first glance, it looked to appear that a Waxing Gibbous Moon might take over based on the amount of investigations in the Top 50% of those studied. But then we started scratching our heads and wondering about not just the sheer amount of investigations that made it into each list, but the average SITC Scoring System Score for each of the lunar phases based on each list.
Surprised, but not surprised, to discover that based on the averages of our SITC Scoring System that each list clearly shows the leading moon phase based on these scores was not a Full Moon. These scores were being recorded before this study was even a thought process, so rest assured the scores were not based on the moon phase at the time and will remain so moving forward for the next studies to take place.
We’d also like to point out that another chart has been started for the entire 2023 calendar year to be looked at, studied and analyzed for a new blog/podcast in January/February of next year. This post is a preamble of what is to come of our paranormal studies and to study how to study the moon phases and well, let’s face it any other raw data we can get our hands on.
Even after this study disproving that a Full Moon creates the best paranormal activity, there is one thing for certain: The moon, no matter what phase, provides a mystique to our investigations. And you can quote us on that.
After scratching our heads even more and staring at these types of percentages and trying to interpret the data, another theory entered. Proximity.
Top DistancesRecap on these terms:
Perigee is closest to the earth. Apogee is farthest from the earth. Here’s the diagram again for quick reference:
If you notice on the left hand column of each charts above, you’ll notice A’s and P’s and a possible digit next to the letter.
For this study we dove into the dates of when the moon was at it’s closest and farthest from the earth and marked the charts above within a three day timeframe. A (-) symbol after a letter indicates before and a (+) symbol indicates that many days after the letter indication.
Here’s the synopsis from each chart above:
Top 50% of investigations:
ProximityScore # of InvestigationsAverage ScoreClose (P)5351148.63Far (A)243640.5Top 25% of Investigations:
ProximityScore # of InvestigationsAverage ScoreClose (P)424853Far (A)90245Top 10 Investigations:
ProximityScore # of InvestigationsAverage ScoreClose (P)191363.67Far (A)000Alright, that’ll be enough charts for now.
From the proximity charts above, we have a clear indication that there is a better chance of higher paranormal activity during a perigee point of orbit; or rather, when the moon is closest to the earth.
Correlating this newfound information back to the charts at the beginning of this section, we can assume that the chart’s interpretation of a Waning Crescent Moon brings the highest chance for paranormal activity when the moon’s orbit is in a perigee point. Yes, all these charts and explaining them brought us to this one assumption. Let’s restate it again so you can easily find it in this article:
The best possible chance of a higher paranormal activity investigation is during a Waning Crescent Moon in correlation with the moon’s perigee orbit.
SummarySo, now that it is fully debunked that a full moon brings more paranormal activity, I can honestly say that I was pretty surprised by the data. Discovering that a Waning Crescent Moon has the best possibility when combined with a close proximity of the moon to the earth was not what we were expecting.
This study still raised even further questions that we don’t yet know about. Can we now predict when the best night will be for an investigation? We’re going to try with the remainder of the year and if holds true, we’ll do another round of predictions for all of 2024. It’ll be like a Paranormal Almanac, if you will.
What other factors may contribute to higher paranormal activity? Well, that’s our next study we’re working on: K-indexing. Perhaps we’ve been looking at the wrong element all along. Only the study will tell the results.
Predictions for Most Active Dates in 2023 by MonthThese are Predictions for when we believe the highest amount of paranormal activity will occur based on the study and case brought to you in this article.
June 11, 2023
July 10, 2023
August 9, 2023
September 13, 2023
October 13, 2023
November 12, 2023
December 9, 2023
December 10, 2023
ReferencesAstro Backyard. (2018, July 30). ? Astro Backyard. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://astrobackyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Moon-Phases-web.jpg
Kher, A. (n.d.). Lunar Perigee and Apogee – Moon. Time and Date. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/lunar-perigee-apogee.html
Lantern Ghost Tours. (2021, January 6). What is the supernatural significance of the full moon? Lantern Ghost Tours. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://www.lanternghosttours.com/post/what-is-the-supernatural-significance-of-the-full-moon
Moon Connection. (n.d.). Moon Phases / Lunar Phases Explained. MoonConnection.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://www.moonconnection.com/moon_phases.phtml
NASA. (2021, August 5). Tides – Moon: NASA Science. Moon. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://moon.nasa.gov/resources/444/tides/
National Library of Medicine. (2018, July 30). ? ? – YouTube. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://doi.org/10.1503%2Fcmaj.051119
Other Worldly Oracle. (2018, August 3). Why the Full Moon Increases Paranormal Activity. the Otherworldly Oracle. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://otherworldlyoracle.com/full-moon-increases-paranormal-activity/Walker, J. (n.d.). Lunar Perigee and Apogee Calculator. Fourmilab. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/pacalc.html
April 11, 2023
Paranormal Investigation Workbook: 2024 Edition
With added Estes Method Scoring into our unique SITC Scoring System.
Welcome to the 2nd Edition of our Paranormal Investigation Workbook. This is NOT a journal for recording your findings. This workbook provides formulas for configuring not just the legitimacy of your haunted space, but measures the results for an overall score of HOW haunted your space is.
This edition adds Estes Method Sessions and any visual aids used during your session into the SITC Scoring System. We found that by adding this scoring into the SITC Scoring System that it provides genuine insight and adds to the overall result of your investigation.
We’ve updated the worksheet count to twenty worksheets as well. This allows paranormal teams to analyze even those investigations that didn’t feel warranted in real time. In essence, even your least haunted spaces could teach us more about the afterlife.
This year’s price point is also lower than last year’s edition! The 2024 edition is debuting at just $19.99 and the 2023 edition has been lowered to a back-issue price of $14.99. Click this link to be taken to amazon!
Paranormal Investigation Workbook: 2023 EditionIntroducing the SITC Scoring System!
A workbook to log all your findings, studies and discoveries of your paranormal investigations.
Introducing the SITC Scoring System to rate each investigation and see how active it actually was compared to other investigations.
This workbook also allows you to become part of a paranormal library with other investigators using the identical SITC Scoring System. This allows all of us paranormal investigators to learn, study and become part of a community where we can ask each other legitimate questions instead of relying on television shows to reveal vague results from new studies.
Using this workbook alone will give you a better understanding of your investigations and insight into the results from each of your devices in your toolkit in an organized, easy to follow workbook.
Paranormal Investigation Workbook: Introducing the SITC Scoring System 2023 Edition $14.99 Buy product
Paranormal Investigation Workbook: 2023 Edition
Introducing the SITC Scoring System!
A workbook to log all your findings, studies and discoveries of your paranormal investigations.
Introducing the SITC Scoring System to rate each investigation and see how active it actually was compared to other investigations.
This workbook also allows you to become part of a paranormal library with other investigators using the identical SITC Scoring System. This allows all of us paranormal investigators to learn, study and become part of a community where we can ask each other legitimate questions instead of relying on television shows to reveal vague results from new studies.
Using this workbook alone will give you a better understanding of your investigations and insight into the results from each of your devices in your toolkit in an organized, easy to follow workbook.
Paranormal Investigation Workbook: Introducing the SITC Scoring System 2023 Edition $29.99 Buy product
June 28, 2022
Lodge Alley and The Stone Tape Theory
Being a paranormal investigator doesn’t make it easy to explain why locations have claimed hauntings. If you’ve been following Stories in the Cemetery for any period of time, you may realize that we don’t always explore the common “haunted” areas/locations that you see on television or hear about on the internet. We love diving into any area that has shown a raised emotion from any time period, not just death and despair.
For us, it’s the history that brings ghost hunting and investigating through valid research that brings this craft to life; literally. But how does history show us, literally, how it is existing in some places more than others? There’s a very complicated answer to this, yet simple in theory, that can explain it’s complexity simply because we cannot fully understand it based on the limits of our senses.
The Stone Tape Theory
The StonesSince the 19th century, scientists with different expertise have been studying different variations of place memory; a realm of emotions, spoken words, or raised emotion outside of the living senses of mankind. Sounds far-fetched, but don’t all theories have an illogical thought process before they are proven? It’s how we learn, how we grow to understand, and how we explore what is currently outstretched beyond our belief.
There are three types of stone that are said to have the properties that can contain paranormal activity that cannot be explained. Although we won’t go into the very scientific, nerdy components of these stones, they need to be named: Quartz, Magnetite, and Limestone. These three types of stones hold properties that are claimants of supernatural ability.
Quartz, when cut a specific way, generates an electrical charge. This is exciting for paranormal enthusiasts based on the generic term “energy” that is thrown around so often.
Pink QuartzMagnetite, also exciting, because this is a magnet and let’s face it, one of our favorite tools to use in the field are electromagnetic field meters. These measure any electromagnetic field from wiring, buildings, cell phones and any other man-made object that generates a signaled charge. Magnets have been used in the paranormal field and have done some unusual activities for decades. Just think of spinning compasses as pilots fly through the Bermuda Triangle.
MagnetiteLastly, limestone. Probably one of the most common terms used when explaining paranormal activity Limestone truly doesn’t have any properties about it that state (scientifically, at least) why paranormal occurrences happen when this stone is present. In other words, it’s unexplainable based on our current understanding of the stone.
LimestonePlace MemoryBut what exactly is the Stone Tape Theory and how do the forementioned stones attribute to it? Let’s dive in.
The Stone Tape Theory deals with “place memory” directly. This is the idea that the raised emotions of a location can be recorded by substances (like stone) of the natural earth. You might be thinking that there are other theories where other man made objects are also haunted, but we’re dealing strictly with natural elements for this study.
The memory being recorded into the natural element at hand, particularly those forementioned above, is then said to replay over and over again, as if in a loop. The replay is then able to be accessed through that of electronic devices such as video cameras, EVP audio recordings and the like.
Residual HauntingsThe term “residual haunting” is often associated with the Stone Tape Theory and for good reason. The technical definition of a residual haunting is the replay of a specific event in time that has been absorbed by the space. The space can be of a multitude of materials including man made objects, like a piece of furniture, or natural elements, like stone that makes up a building.
It can be theorized that Residual Hauntings and Place Memory are tied to the Stone Tape Theory giving us a reality beyond our comprehension. Leaving imprints of raised emotion behind inside natural elements raises more questions that our human senses may not be handle fully on their own. This is where scientific equipment can not just help us understand, but begs to be evolved and help us fully comprehend our true relation to the earth and what happens beyond the grave.
Residual Hauntings often play at specific intervals like at the same time of day, month or year based on the emotion of the event. Think of a bride who may have passed on her wedding day, but only haunts the space on her anniversary.
While investigating a space, and in terms of investigating, I mean more of going through the data and looking at the research of the space as a whole, think of all the data collected and look for patterns. Are there certain times of your real time investigation that were more active with EMF spikes, EVP or anomalies in video recordings? Do these time frames match with the research/interviews of eye-witness accounts?
If yes, to either of the questions above, then it is time to investigate the space again in a controlled timeline. Compare the notes from the first investigation and then make a decision if you are dealing with a residual haunting and/or the Stone Tape Theory.
Lodge Alley in Charleston, South CarolinaOften, it can be easier to explain the scientific methods of a paranormal investigation with an actual location. Welcome to Lodge Alley in downtown Charleston, South Carolina.
I tour my ghost hunting guests through this specific alley on a nightly basis on the Interactive Ghost Hunting Experiences. I’ve been told by those in the tourism industry that this location is boring, doesn’t hold much history and can be a downer for a ghost tour. Well, well, well, this isn’t a normal style of ghost tour, now is it? I also completely disagree that this location doesn’t hold much history.
Lodge Alley, Charleston, SCBasic History of the AlleyDating back to at least 1739, this alley was used as a passageway to get to the wharves on the outer edge of the Charleston peninsula. It was originally named as Simmons Alley and changed to Lodge Alley when the Freemasons built one of the first Masonic Lodges in this location in 1773.
What I found through research was that after the Freemasons built their Lodge here, residents of Charleston had homes in this alley. Using the full roster of names of those that once resided here, I began to see a pattern.
The names “Benjamin” and “John” began to show themselves every 6-7 weeks during the Interactive Ghost Hunting Experiences. Granted, there are four different Johns that lived in this location during a 60 year time span, but the name Johnson would also come through just as often as the first names mentioned prior.
In 1801, there lived a Benjamin Hopkins and John Johnson inside of Lodge Alley. Every once in a great while, the name “Jane” will come through on a spirit box as well. The same year of 1801, when Benjamin and John were recorded residing here, there also lived a Jane Moderen. Folks, that’s three out of five people that lived here in 1801. I do not find it coincidental to be receiving these names regularly inside the alley.
Thorough research brought no results as to what happened in this alley during the year 1801, but I cannot deny the fact that the same names keep appearing over again in a loop.
More DataThe weeks leading up to this report, I’ve been having my guests place a Mel Meter directly on the bricks of the alley. The results have been inconsistent from less than 1mG (milligauss) up to 11.7mG. The Belgian Blocks that make up this alley are made of granite, or so we’re assuming. Scientifically, there’s no reason why these Belgian Blocks should emit any EMF spikes whatsoever given the properties of the stone granite.
However, it cannot be denied that granite is a natural stone and they’ve been laid inside the alley since at least 1739. But there’s more…
CesiumOn June 14th’s Interactive Ghost Hunting Experience, a term showed up on the Ghost Hunting Tools word list (this is an app we use with 36,000 terms/phrases in it’s dictionary, instead of an Ovilus) that I’ve never seen on the list before or even heard of for that matter. That term was “Cesium”.
Cesium Cesium is a metal that is used in cell phones and GPS units. It is considered the most electropositive metal on earth.
What I found about this metal is that it can be found in granite deposits around the earth. Sounding a bit familiar? It should, because the Belgian Blocks that make up Lodge Alley are made of granite. However, when reviewing the archaeological document for the chemical compounds found in Lodge Alley in 1983, Cesium is lacking from the report.
With the unstable and inconsistent EMF readings from Lodge Alley, it is indiscernible as to whether Cesium might actually be the cause for the high readings found in this alley and if it can be connected to the loop of names found in the Stone Tape Theory attached to the location. I would like to think that it is possible, as would any thorough paranormal investigator, but this term discovered on the app from that investigation leaves more questions than answers.
Continued ResearchAs I continue to tour my guests through this alley, the Stone Tape Theory will be tested repeatedly looking for EMF spikes within the loop and the EVP names that come through on spirit boxes. But the question remains if we are dealing merely with a residual haunting from an emotional event or if this is a product of the Stone Tape Theory. Because of the lack of information for the timeline in which the names being produced are from, it can only speculated that we are dealing with a recorded “place memory” on a loop, and not a residual haunting from a heightened set of emotions.
I’m going to urge you to dive into the resources used to build this post. For paranormal enthusiasts, this is a simple theory with complexity built into it. I’m hoping this post inspired you to dive into your own past investigations and revisit your spaces. Only through controlled environments as researchers will we ever grow to understand the phenomenon outside of our own senses. Continue to test and do not take the easy answers, the simplest answers require complex thinking and continued study.
I’ve provided the resources used to dive into this theory below so that you can begin diving into the theory for yourself. The resources are separated by topics of this post.
I would love to hear your thoughts on The Stone Tape Theory and if you’ve had encounters with it. Use the Meet the Team tab above to reach out directly.
References for The Stone Tape TheoryBos, P. B. (n.d.). The Stone Tape Theory. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from Haunted Walk: https://hauntedwalk.com/news/the-stone-tape-theory/
Danielson, L. (n.d.). Using GIS to Analyze Relationships to Explore Paranormal Occurrences in the. Retrieved from http://gis.smumn.edu/GradProjects/DanielsonL.pdf
Lucia. (2020, March 9). How Does It Work?: The Stone Tape Theory, Residual Hauntings and the Deep Influence of Memory and Emotion. Retrieved from Ghost in the Machine: https://theghostinmymachine.com/2020/03/09/how-does-it-work-the-stone-tape-theory-residual-hauntings-and-the-deep-influence-of-memory-and-emotion/
ParaPedia. (n.d.). Theory behind Limestone Quartz and Magnetite. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from ParaPedia: http://www.panicd.com/encyclopedia/theory-behind-limestone-quartz-and-magnetite.html
Potter, C. (2004, October 14). Were Pittsburgh’s original finished roads and streets paved with cobblestone, Belgian block or some other type of brick? Retrieved from Pittsburgh City Paper: https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/were-pittsburghs-original-finished-roads-and-streets-paved-with-cobblestone-belgian-block-or-some-other-type-of-brick/Content?oid=1336413
References for Lodge AlleySC Picture Project. (2022). Lodge Alley. Retrieved from SC Picture Project: https://www.scpictureproject.org/charleston-county/lodge-alley.html
Zierden, M., Calhoun, J., & Paysinger, E. (1983). Archaeological Investigation at Lodge Alley. Charleston, South Carolina. Retrieved from https://www.charlestonmuseum.org/assets/pdf/ArchaeologyReports/Lodge%20Alley%201983%20-%20AC%205.pdf
References for CesiumFoist, L. (n.d.). What is Cesium Used for in Everyday Life? Retrieved June 22, 2022, from Study.com: https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-cesium-used-for-in-everyday-life.html
Nelson, R. (n.d.). Cesium FAQ. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from Rochester: https://www.cs.rochester.edu/users/faculty/nelson/cesium/cesium_faq.html
U.S. Geological Survey. (2018, June 14). Mineral Resource of the Month: Cesium. Retrieved from Earth Magazine: https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/mineral-resource-month-cesium/
November 21, 2021
Types of Hauntings
This month, Amy and I dove into six different types of paranormal hauntings: Orbs, Apparitions & Ectoplasmic Entities, Intelligent, Residual, Malevolent and Poltergeists. On the podcast episode that accompanies this blog post, we asked some of the deeper questions about how to classify each case that we come across. Does one type of haunting trump another if there are different samples from more than one type? Some of these types blur the line between each one, what characteristic determines the pinpointed title of each type?
Let’s dive in.
ORBSAs generic a term “energy” can be when discussing the paranormal, it can be difficult to explain orbs without using this term. Essentially, the thought process of ghosts, spirits, or other paranormal entities is the energy of what was once inside a human body. When this “energy” is caught on film and photographs, , they are described as balls of energy since they are spherical in shape.
According to The Element Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Hauntings, an orb is described as coming from an unknown origin and cannot be seen with the naked eye, and not to be confused with “ghost lights” which are an eye-witness account.
Not Just DustIn old abandoned houses, warehouses or any other structure that’s been left for dead (pun intended), it can be difficult to decipher which pieces of video or film are just highlighting dust particles floating through the air. In our experience, we have found that actual orbs also hold characteristics of color, movement or point of origin. Let’s break it down a bit further:
Color: If you missed my study on the color formation of orbs, feel free to go back and revisit. The point here is that dust is not going to show in colors of the rainbow. Dust will more than likely be transparent and absent of any variation of the rainbow. In other words, brown, beige or white will need further analysis but are more than likely just those pesky dust particles getting in the way of your investigation.
Movement: This characteristic will show an orb moving as if it were intelligent. To debunk any insect flying through your camera frame, be skeptic about any fast moving “white lights” that show one direction. The definitive characteristic of a moving orb is not only the direction it’s moving, but also any changes in pattern. Does it seem to move with the wind? Does the orb seem to follow your camera? Is it too fast and small to clarify any detail of the orb? These are all questions you should be asking when analyzing any movement from objects in your videos. As for photographs, I recommend zooming in on the orb and studying the detail. Does it have a solid edging? Are there amoeba-like structures in the center? Are you hoping to see a face in the center? These are are all questions I look into when someone sends me their photo to analyze. Although there are no definitive qualities to every single orb analysis, these questions should still be considered.
Point of Origin: The point of origin of an orb also defines whether you’re looking at dust or not. If an anomaly simply appears or disappears within the frame of your video, this has great potential to be substantial evidence of an orb. Of course, further analysis, like frame by frame visuals, will help you determine what you’re actually looking at.
APPARITIONS & ECTOPLASMIC ENTITIESApparitionsApparition has a very simplistic definition: to appear. Anything that “appears” before you can be considered an apparition. In the paranormal field, this has more of a narrowed definition of anything that appears before you that cannot be explained. These apparitions can manifest in photographs, video, or real time witness with the naked eye. Apparitions still have some debunking factors that should be analyzed especially in photographs and video.
We’ve seen photos sent in by my tour guests and along with clients of alleged haunted locations that after deeper analysis can be debunked by angles of light sources and observing the entire photo. Others cannot be fully explained, and therefore, by default, are labeled as paranormal.
Photo taken by Mrs. Andrews in Queensland, Australia, circa 1946-47Slimer?As for Ectoplasmic Entities, neither Amy nor myself have ever experienced anything that falls into this category.
We usually think of the very popular and hilarious film’s sidekick, Slimer, when the term “ectoplasm” is brought up. Who doesn’t love to hear Bill Murray claim that he’s been slimed while lying on a hotel floor?
But a deeper look into what ectoplasm is holds a much different definition. During a peak of paranormal interest, when it wasn’t so taboo to discuss afterlife topics, charlatans and claimed psychics/mediums also claimed to be able to reproduce a slimy cloth-like substance from orifices of their own body. Mediums have the ability to converse with our loved ones and those in the afterlife. If they have the ability to channel, meaning allowing an entity to use their body in order to communicate, this ectoplasm can then be produced.
Dr. S. Notzing Experiment photo showing ectoplasm leaving a psychic/medium. A documentary on Netflix called Surviving Death, shows a medium retreat where the lead medium has claims of channeling specific spirits with the possibility of producing ectoplasm during these events. The skepticism comes into play when the filmmakers disclaim that no cameras are allowed into the séance room as this event allegedly occurs. I invite you to watch this series and make a judgment for yourself. As for Amy and I, we need proof of ectoplasm being produced with a full analysis of the material before a belief system can be made.
INTELLIGENT SPIRITSIntelligent Hauntings fall more of a characteristic type of quality versus just a visual experience like the examples in orbs.
Intelligent hauntings can be easily classified as receiving direct responses from an entity. Think of this as more of an adjective for a paranormal experience versus a “type” all on its own. This can be used to describe most of the types listed in this post.
The direct responses can be visual, auditory, and/or emotional. Let’s get some explanations of each.
Visual: In the event, you are testing for paranormal activity, this can be seeing an inanimate object move, lights move on an EMF meter, a REM pod or motion sensor indicate motion after requesting such a response. There’s usually no mistaking this type of response if you can recreate it more than once.
Auditory: This response can be in the form of disembodied EVPs (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) on voice recordings, EVPs from spirit boxes, which can or can’t be from radio chatter, or simple requests without using paranormal equipment like knocking or tapping sounds heard upon request. Some may speculate that footsteps heard would also fall into this category, but we’ll talk more about that later.
Emotional: On this month’s podcast episode, Amy and I discussed raised emotions arousing paranormal activity. Placing emotional reactions under the intelligent entity category is telling of the personality of the entity in question. If asking very generic cliched questions like “show us a sign”, an emotional reaction of feeling cold, goosebumps, dizziness, headaches, or nausea can also be that generic “sign” you asked for. By feeling these things personally, there’s usually not any medical equipment on a paranormal investigation, but perhaps there should be to measure these reactions to determine if these “signs” are intelligent or just a bodily reaction to EMF activity.
RESIDUAL SPIRITSThis can be one of the most interesting topics for paranormal investigators. A residual haunting is caused by a raised emotion of an event of the past. This raised emotion can be something traumatic or blissful.
The best way to explain a residual haunting is to think of a recorded movie being played over and over, and the paranormal activity documented like a sound, or an EVP is caught at the same part of the movie over and over.
For example, Lodge Alley, here in Charleston, gives me the same names on spirit boxes every six to seven weeks. These two names, Benjamin, and John, are the names of two residents who lived in this alley in the year 1801. For clarification, I’ll occasionally get John’s last name (Johnson, yes, his name was John Johnson), or another name, Jane. These three names, Benjamin, John and Jane, are three out of five people that lived here in this timeframe. The fact that it’s at intervals of six to seven weeks tells me this is a six to seven weeklong movie being played, and I’m catching just the beginning of it in EVP format. During the times I’ve received these names, my guests of the tour will also claim to hear children’s laughter or the word “children”. I do not find this to be coincidence in any way.
This leads us to the Stone Tape Theory. This theory suggests that earthly materials like rocks and limestone can hold onto the memories of the past. Lodge Alley is paved with Belgian Block, or solid granite bricks. These are purely earthly material and are original bricks to the alley, dating back to 1739. So, why bring this up?
The Belgian Blocks of Lodge Alley. Photo taken by tour guest of Stories in the Cemetery: An Interactive Ghost Hunting ExperienceMy theory is that the Belgian Blocks are holding onto the memories of the residents of the alley, particularly those in 1801, and me and my guests are hearing pieces of those memories on our spirit boxes.
Also, consider when investigating, that residual hauntings are not intelligent spirits and will not react to your questions. You are simply a bystander witnessing the past firsthand.
MALEVOLENT ENTITIESThis is a category that neither Amy nor myself has encountered on a first-hand basis. I would like to bring attention to the stigma that usually falls into the field of the paranormal.
We, as paranormal investigators, are usually put into a category of looking for dark entities, summoning demons, and having no religious values of life. Let me debunk this for you.
Paranormal investigators, like myself, have a curiosity for questions we cannot answer. If we can shed light on the answers about the afterlife, then that’s the excitement, not that a demonic entity scratched us in a dark room after a TV show host ordered us to be in a room by ourselves.
Granted, if you have had an encounter with what you think is a malevolent, we’re not discounting your perception. Just ask yourself a few questions when you think this happens. Have I been harmed in any way? (to the point of hospitalization?) Did I receive messages that were harmful or offensive? Was this just a way for a spirit to communicate?
On the Stories in the Cemetery Interactive Ghost Hunting Experience, I take guests to the Pinckney Mansion site on a nightly basis. This is usually a hotbed of activity that my guest ghost hunters can witness firsthand. One night, I discovered a disembodied EVP that said “Just Leave Us Alone” on a recordable spirit box. I didn’t take this as an offensive or malevolent spirit. The next night, before I met with my guests, I visited the Pinckney Mansion site and said my peace with whomever left the message. Since then, I haven’t heard any other disembodied voices, but I haven’t had any other ill will messages either.
“Just Leave Us Alone” disembodied EVP caught on March 7, 2021POLTERGEISTSLast, but definitely not least, are poltergeists. This clarification is where the deeper questions were raised between Amy and I with wanting a full explanation of how to classify a haunting as an actual poltergeist. We looked into the Enfield Poltergeist case, but first let’s take a look at the definition.
The term poltergeist comes from a German translation meaning “noisy ghost”. This comes from spirits moving furniture, tapping, knocking, or anything noisy to be noticed. This classification could also be considered an intelligent spirit.
The other characteristics of a poltergeist include a time frame. It is said that poltergeist activity usually only lasts a few months. However, the Enfield Case lasted 18 months.
It is also said that poltergeists are attached to a person’s emotional state of being. In fact, it is more often found when a teenage girl going through puberty or raised hormonal levels is in the home. Other emotional states could be any dramatic experience including depression, or someone just down on their luck in life. The gist is that a poltergeist is feeding off the heightened emotions of an individual.
The Enfield Case itself involved moving of furniture, channeling through a young girl, knocking, levitation, and just raising havoc through the family’s home. C’mon, if you’re reading this, you’ve seen the film, Conjuring 2. Though a fictitious telling of this case, all fiction comes from some truth, take it from a fiction writer.
Below is a YouTube video we found of some rare footage from the lead investigator from the Enfield Case.
The Enfield case can be said that it held a malevolent spirit, an intelligent spirit and the channeling bit had me in a spin on how the classification of this case ended on a Poltergeist title. There’s no rulebook to the field of the paranormal, only speculation after reviewing documented events. If the Enfield Case was classified as a Poltergeist, then so be it.
SUMMARYThe overall look into these six different types of hauntings has taught Amy and I that we need to dive deeper into our investigations. We hope that this research has aided you in your investigations and inspires you to look further into the history of your evidence and learn the “why” behind your investigations.
This post and accompanying podcast episode are just touching the surface of the types of paranormal activity. Our intention here was to give you, dear readers and listeners, an opportunity to acquire another piece into your arsenal of paranormal knowledge. What was discussed here comes from the many sources below along with our own experiences in the field of paranormal research. As always in the paranormal field, this will be a developing article that may be updated in the future as new research comes to light.
PODCAST EPISODE 41https://anchor.fm/s/7e1312c/podcast/rssRESOURCES USED TO CREATE THIS BLOG AND PODCAST EPISODEBos, B. A. (n.d.). The Stone Tape Theory. Retrieved November 21, 2021, from Haunted Walk: https://hauntedwalk.com/news/the-stone-tape-theory/
Cheung, T. (2006). The Element Encyclopedia of Ghosts & Hauntings. Hammersmith: Harper Element.
Ghost Circle. (n.d.). Photoplasm Energy. Retrieved from Ghost Circle: https://www.ghostcircle.com/photoplasm-energy/
Grant, J. (2015). Spooky Science: Debunking the Pseudoscience of the Afterlife. New York: Sterling.
Graves, Z. (2011). Ghosts: The Complete Guide to the Supernatural. New York: Chartwell Books.
Haunted Orange County. (2019, November 15). Types of Hauntings. Retrieved from Haunted Orange County: https://hauntedoc.com/types-of-hauntings/
Reitman, I. (Director). (1984). Ghostbusters [Motion Picture].
SC PIcture Project. (n.d.). Lodge Alley. Retrieved from SC Picture Project: https://www.scpictureproject.org/charleston-county/lodge-alley.html
Stern, R. (Director). (2021). Surviving Death [Motion Picture].
The Conversation. (n.d.). Eight Things You Need to know about Poltergeists: Just in time for Halloween. Retrieved November 21, 2021, from The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/eight-things-you-need-to-know-about-poltergeists-just-in-time-for-halloween-85690
The Enfield Poltergeist RARE BBC FOOTAGE. (2012, February 4). YouTube Video. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OY8CAVNAnA&t=767s
Wagner, S. (2019, January 11). 3 Famous Poltergeist Cases that Will Creep You Out. Retrieved from Live About: https://www.liveabout.com/poltergeists-three-famous-cases-2595934
Wagner, S. (2019, August 20). Best Real Ghost Pictures Ever Taken. Retrieved from Live About: https://www.liveabout.com/best-ghost-pictures-ever-taken-4126828
Wan, J. (Director). (2016). The Conjuring 2 [Motion Picture].
Wiseman, R. (2011). Paranormality: Why we see what isn’t there. London: Pan Macmillan.
Wordnik. (n.d.). Apparition. Retrieved from Wordnik: https://www.wordnik.com/words/apparition
October 29, 2021
St. Augustine Lighthouse; St. Augustine, Florida
Let me first say thanks to you for being patient for this blog post. It’s been well over a year since I last published the Jennie Wade House in Gettysburg, PA post.
For the opportunity to not only visit the St. Augustine Lighthouse, but the opportunity to run some of my equipment, I’d like to thank two podcasts: Hillbilly Horror Stories and History Goes Bump who hosted this ticketed event. It was an honor to meet all the hosts from these shows since these are podcasts that I not only look to for inspiration, but also for podcasting tips and tricks.
So, let’s get into the nitty gritty, shall we? For the accompanying podcast episode, Amy Smart, our new co-host, did the research and history portion of the show and I’m providing her well-taken notes below for the history portion of this investigation. Her notes couldn’t give any better citation and explanation of the vast amount of history of the St. Augustine Lighthouse.
I would also like to add that for evidence and history segments working in unison to prove the paranormal activity of one specific unrested spirit is damn near impossible for this location. As you’ll see by Amy’s notes, there is an extended history to this site due to the age. Please use the “History” section below as points of reference as you dive into the location for yourself.
Amy’s History Notes1ST KEEPERS—HEAD KEEPERS JUAN ANTONIO ANDREU (1824-1849) JOHN CARRERAS (1849-1853) ROBERT MICKLER (1853-1854)JOSEPH J. ANDREU (1854-1859)*** FELL TO HIS DEATH PAINTING THE OUTSIDE OF THE LIGHTHOUSE***MARIA DE LOS DOLORES MESTRE (MASTER) (1859-1862) *WIFE OF JOSEPH, SHE TOOK OVER AS KEEPER AFTER HUSBAND JOSEPH ANDREU DIED**SILADONIA PELLICIER (1867-1873). ? 5 YRS W/NO ONE ? (IN 1862 THE LIGHT WAS DARKENED DURING THE CIVIL WAR) WILLIAM RUSSELL (1873-1875)WILLIAM HARN (1875-1889). ENLISTED IN THE ARMY IN 1854 AT THE AGE OF 19. A FEW YEARS LATER, AS A PRIVATE, HE WAS SENT TO FORT MOULTRIE HERE IN SC. HE WAS LATER TRANSFERRED TO FORT SUMTER WHERE HE WAS DURING THE CONFEDERATE BOMBARDMENT AND THE CIVIL WAR BEGAN. HARN ALSO SERVED IN THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG AND BATTLE OF RAPPAHANNOCK STATION, VA. IN AUGUST OF 1865, HE AND HIS WIFE MOVED TO CHARLESTON SC WHERE HE LIVED AS A MERCHANT UNTIL 1869, HE THEN SERVED AS LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER IN CHARLESTON FROM OCTOBER 1871-75. HE WAS THEN TRANSFERRED TO BE THE PRINCIPLE KEEPER OF ST. AUGUSTINE LIGHTHOUSE ON ANASTASIA ISLAND UNTIL HIS DEATH OF CONSUMPTION MAY 31, 1889. WHILE IN CHARLESTON, WILLIAM MET A YOUNG WOMAN FROM MAINE NAMED KATE SKILLEN. HER FATHER WAS JAMES, AN ORDINANCE SERGEANT AT CASTLE PINCKNEY, IN THE CHARLESTON HARBOR.LIGHTHOUSE DETAILSMATERIAL: BRICK (1ST WAS MADE FROM WOOD)
HEIGHT: 1ST TOWER WAS 52 FEET, 2ND 165 FEET
MARKINGS/PATTERN: BLACK/WHITE SPIRAL BANDS W/RED
LANTERN CHARACTERISTICS: 3 MINUTE FIXED FLASH; IN 1936 CHANGED TO 30 SECOND FLASH
ORIGINAL LENS: FIRST ORDER FRESNEL, 1874
HISTORICAL TIMELINE(TAKEN FROM UNITED STATES COAST GUARD-RESEARCHED AND WRITTEN BY DIANE HACKNEY)1824-OLD SPANISH WATCHTOWER BECAME THE FIRST LIGHTHOUSE IN FLORIDA1867-THE FIRST LIGHTHOUSE WAS RELIT AFTER THE CIVIL WAR. DURING THE WAR, CONFEDERATE SUPPORTERS REMOVED THE FRESNEL LENSE AND HID IT.1871-CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW LIGHTHOUSE WAS STARTEDOCTOBER 14 1874-OLD LIGHTHOUSE WAS LIT FOR THE LAST TIMEOCTOBER 15, 1874-NEW LIGHTHOUSE WAS LIT FOR THE FIRST TIME. LARD OIL WAS USED AS THE FUEL TO LIGHT THE LIGHTHOUSE.1878-OLD LIGHTHOUSE CRASHED INTO THE SEA1885- KEROSENE REPLACED LARD TO FUEL THE LIGHTHOUSE1907-INDOOR PLUMBING WAS ADDED1925-ELECTRIC LIGHTS WERE INSTALLED IN THE KEEPERS QUARTERS1955-THE LIGHTHOUSE WAS AUTOMATED AND THE LAST KEEPER RETIRED 1960-THE KEEPERS HOUSE WAS DECLARED SURPLUS PROPERTY AND WAS PUT UP FOR SALE. THE QUARTERS WERE BOARDED UP AND LEFT NEGLECTED1970: WHILE NEGOTIATIONS WERE UNDERWAY, THE HOUSE FELL VICTIM TO ARSON.1981-THE HOUSE WAS PLACED ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES2002-THE IS AN OFFICIAL, PRIVATELY OWNED, ACTIVE AID TO NAVIGATION. THE ST AUGUSTINE LIGHTHOUSE & MUSEUM OWNS AND MAINTAINS THE LIGHT STATION“GHOST STORIES”THE MOST POPULAR IS THE TRUE STORY OF THE TRAGEDY OF HEZEKIAH H. PITTIE, SUPERINTENDENT OF LIGHTHOUSE CONSTRUCTION 1871-74.ON JULY 10, 1873, DURING CONSTRUCTION OF THE TOWER, THE FOREMAN’S CHILDREN PLAYING ON A SUPPLY CART THAT RAN ON THE TRACKS TO WHERE MODERN SALT IS NOW. WHEN THE CART HIT THE GATE, THE CHILDREN WERE TRAPPED UNTIL A WORKER WAS ABLE TO LIFT THE CART. THE 2 YOUNGEST CHILDREN, EDWARD AND CARRIE PITTIE SURVIVED. THE 2 OLDEST ELIZA AND MARY DROWN. THERE WAS A 3RD GIRL, UNNAMED. SHE WAS AFRICAN AMERICAN BUT HER NAME WAS NOT SHARED BECAUSE AT THAT TIME, THEY DID NOT SEE ANY SIGNIFICANCE OF MENTIONING HER DUE TO HER SKIN COLOR. SHE WAS 10 YEARS OLD. GUESTS HAVE SAID THEY HAVE SEEN THE FIGURE OF A LITTLE GIRL IN A BLUE DRESS ON THE GROUNDS. MARY WAS BELIEVED TO BE WEARING A BLUE DRESS THe DAY SHE DROWNED. ALTHOUGH NOT A GHOST HUNTER HIMSELF, MATT HLADIK, A 21 YR OLD TOUR GUIDE, HAS SEEN MANY STRANGE THINGS AT THE LIGHTHOUSE COMPLEX….A SHADOWY FIGURE IN THE TOWER, A HAND COMING THROUGH THE TOWER DOOR AND FURNITURE MOVING AROUND ON ITS OWN.HE HAS ALSO HAD ARM HAIRS PLUCKED FROM HIM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE KEEPERS HOUSE. ALSO HAD HIS ANKLE GRABBED WHILE DOING A TOUR ONE NIGHT. IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT ELIZA HAS A CRUSH ON HIM. AT THE TIME HE STARTED GIVING TOURS, HE WAS 16, ELIZA WAS 15 WHEN SHE PASSED. HE FEELS HER AROUND HIM 9 OUT OF TEN NIGHTS. AS IF SHE IS FOLLOWING HIM AROUND.STAFF HAS ALSO REPORTED LOCKING THE DOOR AT BOTH TOP AND BOTTOM OF LIGHTHOUSE AT NIGHT AS THEY LEAVE, WHEN THEY REPORT BACK TO WORK THE NEXT DAY, THE DOOR AT THE TOP WILL BE UNLOCKED AND OPEN, EVEN THOUGH THE BOTTOM DOOR REMAINED LOCKED THE WHOLE TIME.STAFF HAS ALSO REPORTED HAVING ITEMS GO MISSING ONLY TO SHOW UP LATER IN A DIFFERENT LOCATION.GUESTS AND STAFF HAVE WITNESSED FURNITURE IN THE KEEPERS QUARTERS MOVING ON ITS OWN.THE BASEMENT OF KEEPERS QUARTERS IS WELL KNOWN FOR CLASSIC EVP’S. ONE GUEST USED HIS PHONE TO RECORD. NOT LONG AFTER STARTING TO RECORD, HIS PHONE SHUT OFF. HE ASKED, “DID YOU TURN MY PHONE OFF?” ANOTHER GUESTS THAT WAS RECORDING PICKED UP A “YESSS” IMMEDIATELY AFTER HE ASKED THAT QUESTION.ALSO IN THE KEEPERS QUARTERS. GUESTS HAVE REPORTED A DROP IN TEMPERATURE, COLD SPOTS, AND AT THE SAME TIME HAVE SEEN A TALL SHADOW FIGURE OF A MAN. WHEN THE SHADOW FIGURE DISAPPEARS, TEMPS GO BACK TO NORMAL.EYE WITNESSES HAVE ALSO SEEN MYSTERIOUS WET FOOTPRINTS IN THE BASEMENT OF KEEPERS QUARTERS, ONLY TO DISAPPEAR MOMENTS LATER. THESE COULD BE THE FOOTPRINTS OF THE GIRLS THAT DROWN OR COULD IT BE THAT OF A MAN REPORTED HANGING AROUND THE WATER CISTERN? ACCORDING TO “GHOST DOCTOR” (A GHOST BEHAVIORIST) TV SHOW (EPISODE 1), DARK OF THE MOON TOUR GUIDE, MATT, FOOTPRINTS HAVE ALSO BEEN SEEN ON THE FIRST FLOOR OF KEEPERS QUARTERS. SMALL FOOTPRINTS, THOSE OF A CHILD, WERE SPOTTED AT WHAT USED TO BE THE BOTTOM OF THE STAIRS. (THE QUARTERS WERE ORIGINALLY A DUPLEX, HEAD KEEPER AND ASSISTANT). 2 FOOTPRINTS WERE SEEN AND WHERE THE THIRD STEP WOULD HAVE BEEN WAS THE FIRST STEP OF THE STAIRS THAT USED TO BE THERE. STAFF TRIED TO WIPE AWAY THE FOOTPRINTS AND THEY WOULD NOT COME UP BUT FINALLY DISAPPEARED SEVERAL WEEKS LATER. AMID THEIR INVESTIGATION, THEY USED MULTIPLE METHODS. K2’S, FLASHLIGHT METHOD (ASK YES OR NO QUESTIONS, OR INSTRUCT SPIRITS TO “TURN LIGHT ON IF …, OFF IF…” THEY USE THE ENERGY FROM THE BATTERIES TO ANSWER. USING2K2METERS,ONEFOR“YES”,THEOTHERFOR“NO”. IT WAS DETERMINED THEY WERE SPEAKING TO ELIZA AFTER ASKING APPROPRIATE QUESTIONS.PARANORMAL FAMETHE FIRST VISIT FROM TAPS (THE ATLANTIC PARANORMAL SOCIETY, WHICH MY TEAM IS A MEMBER OF) GHOST HUNTERS IN 2005 HELPED PUT THE LIGHTHOUSE ON THE MAP FOR THIS INDUSTRY ON THE SYFY CHANNEL. THEY RETURNED IN 2008 AND AGAIN 2019. SHOW “GHOST HUNTERS” MAIN STARS JASON HAWES AND GRANT WILSON DUBBED THE LIGHTHOUSE “THE MONA LISA OF PARANORMAL SITES”. THEY PHOTOGRAPHED A SHADOW FIGURE LOOKING OVER THE RAILING, GOT NUMEROUS EVP’S.ALSO NOTED BY SPYGLASS TOURS, 105 HEADSTONES BUT OVER 1,000 BODIES ARE BURIED IN CEMETERY ON SITE. MOSTLY CIVIL WAR HEROES.DESPITE BEING SMOKE FREE, THE ODOR OF CIGAR SMOKE HAS BEEN REPORTED BY STAFF AND LOCALS. MANY REFER TO THIS COMING FORM ‘THE MAN”. A TALL SHADOWY FIGURE THAT HAS BEN SPOTTED LOOKING DOWN OVER THE RAILING OF THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE. HE IS OFTEN SEEN IN A BLUE JACKET AND MARINERS CAP. SOME BELIEVE, WITH HIS SLIM, TALL STATURE, IT IS WILLIAM RUSSELL. AN EARLIER KEEPER FROM THE 1850’S. OTHERS CLAIM IT IS JOSEPH ANDREU WHO FELL TO HIS DEATH WHILE PAINTING THE OUTSIDE OF THE STRUCTURE IN 1859. IT IS ALSO BELIEVED TO BE THAT OF PETER RASMUSSEN. HE ENJOYED THE FINER THINGS IN LIFE AND MADE SURE BATHTUBS AND CLOSETS WERE ADDED TO THE KEEPERS HOUSE WHERE HE ENJOYED SMOKING CIGARS.STAFF AND LOCALS ALSO CLAIM HEARING LAUGHTER FLOATING ACROSS THE GROUNDS FROM THE KEEPERS HOUSE, TO THE TOP OF THE TOWER. BELIEVED TO BE THAT OF ELIZA AND MARY PITTIE, THE DAUGHTERS OF HEZEKIAH PITTIE WHO WAS DOING CONSTRUCTION ON THE STRUCTURE.THE MOST UNNERVING INCIDENT, THE WOMAN ON THE CAT WALK. BELIEVED TO BE THAT OF MARIA MESTRE DE LOS DOLORES. SHE WAS THE FIRST FEMALE TO BE APPOINTED TO THE US COAST GUARD. HER HUSBAND, JOSEPH ANDREU IS THE ONE THAT FELL TO IS DEATH WHILE PAINTING THE STRUCTURE. SHE WAS LEFT TO TAKE HER HUSBANDS POSITION AS LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER AND THE FIRST SPANISH- AMERICAN WOMAN TO BE APPOINTED.SHE CAN BE FOUND, ON OCCASION, LEANING OVER THE RAILING, IMAGINING WHAT THOSE LAST FEW SECONDS OF JOSEPH’S LIFE MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE.THESE STORIES AND MORE CAN BE HEARD ON THE DARK OF THE MOON TOURS IN ST. AUGUSTINE.The Evidence and Data recorded on September 17, 2021To provide you with the easiest way to follow this data, I’m providing it the same way I do for my ghost hunting tour guests: media first, markers and explanations after. Yes, my tour guests receive all recorded data back from their walking tours in Charleston. Shameless plug: An Interactive Ghost Hunting Experience.
Regular AudioThis regular Audio is the entire investigation’s audio pieces. Upon my review, I found the following possible EVPs (Electronic Voice Phenomenon):
7:13 “yeah” This is during a conversation between Jerry and I.28:20 “yes”28:32 (another whisper)I would love to hear back from you about what you think. Leave comments at the bottom of this page.
SBox Faraday RecordingThis recording is genuine static created by GhostStop’s SBox Spirit Box inside of a Faraday Wallet. If you’re unfamiliar with this method of spirit box recording, the premise is simple. The wallet provides a metallic-like lining to prevent actual radio frequencies (RF) from coming through. In other words, you won’t find any radio chatter in recordings like this.
The SBox has a capability to record even on mute, so this device stayed in my bag during the investigation and allowed me to listen to the recording later without interfering with running other devices.
Unfortunately, I found no EVPs in this recording and would love to hear back from you with your findings in the comments below.
Thermal Imaging VideoIn this thermal imaging video, you’ll see a blue dot moving around the screen. This is giving us the coldest location in the frame at that moment.
While watching the young lady in the beginning of the video, you’ll notice slight temperature difference around her hand and right arm.12:50 On the left hand side of this frame, you’ll notice a cold spot on the arm and shoulder of person sitting on the floor. 16:33 From the center crosshairs to the coldest spot, temperature difference from 89.2° to 71.5°, a 17.7° difference.33:14 From the center crosshairs to the coldest spot, temperature difference 77° to 69°, an 8° difference.Full Spectrum Lighting VideoThe full spectrum lighting video is intended to produce light we cannot see with our own eyes in attempt to catch something on video that we normally wouldn’t be able to see. Unfortunately, this method also includes revealing how much dust is in an area. However, there are quite a few instances that I found that are indeed unexplainable.
0:01 Quite a bit of dust kicking around as we all settled into the base of the lighthouse.5:41 Orb. Center to left, it starts in the young lady’s shoulder area. I will also point out that this same young lady showed me bruises from both her right hand and shoulder the following day. 7:09 Orb. On right hand.11:26 EMF activity on K-II Meter of 10-15mG (milligaus)12:15 EMF activity on K-II Meter of 15mG continuously.19:18 SLS camera operator from podcast Astonishing Legends notices something next to the scuba diver mannequin in the room.20:57 EMF spike of 30+mG on the EMF function of the Mel Meter.EMF SpikeWhile in the Lighthouse Keeper’s House, I had a spike on the EMF function of the Mel Meter that I’ve never seen before or since that investigation. The EMF spiked at 198mG, errored out, and so I left the room and came back in where the same reading of 198mG displayed briefly and then zero’d itself out.
To give you the magnitude of this reading, a K-II Meter maxes out at 25mG with a solid red reading on the lights. A microwave running on full power will emanate about 160-170mG. The 198mG reading from that night is astronomical.
ESTES MethodTo fully understand this odd, new method of spirit box method, I invite you to read this article by Astonishing Legends. It’s phenomenal and gives you a full definition of how to operate the method for yourself.
To give you a basic gist, you need at least two people. Person 1 wears a set of earbuds and a set of noise canceling earmuffs to take out any possibility of hearing Person 2. Person 1 plugs into a spirit box of choice and sets the settings to the speed and direction of sweep of their choice. Person 1 is now enacting as a channel to answer any questions asked by Person 2 to possibly hold a full conversation. A blindfold is highly recommended but not a requirement.
During my experiment for the first time with this method, a few terms all tied together based on this passage I found from “The Book Lover’s Guide to Florida” by Kevin McCarthy:
Taken from “The Book Lover’s Guide to Florida” by Kevin McCarthy, page 79.First, notice the 1927 Pulitzer Prize reference. The numbers “twenty” and “seven” were repeated during my ESTES Method session.
The name “Rick” was said several times among many listeners of the ESTES Method sessions. This paragraph is about Richard Wright and Paul Green. The name “Green” was also repeated during my session.
Overall Summary/AnalysisIt is undeniable the amount of evidence of paranormal activity that occurs at this location. Between professionals and famed paranormal investigators using this space as almost a guaranteed night of paranormal evidence to study and analyze, I still can’t place my finger as to the why a surplus of activity happens here. Is it the sheer amount of history we researchers are able to dig up? Is it because the amount of actual activity that occurred here? Or is it something else unbeknownst to us living folk?
The evidence discovered during this investigation brought about a new light to who/what may be haunting the St. Augustine Lighthouse grounds: “Rick” or a “Mr. Green”. Are they additions or have they been there all along? We may never find out for certain.
As the paranormal field of technology and methods around that technology advances, it will be interesting what else we can learn from these guaranteed readings of insanely high EMF spikes and spirit box methods.
As for now, with the amount of haunting claims of the St. Augustine Lighthouse, I am dubbing this a near impossible feat to discover exactly “who” brings these hauntings and why. I am, however, satisfied to have caught these small tokens of evidence to add to my arsenal of experiences. It was a pleasure to work alongside podcast hosts for Hillbilly Horror Stories, History Goes Bump and Astonishing Legends. Thank you for including Stories in the Cemetery on this very memorable experience.
Podcast EpisodeThe accompanying podcast episode for this post is Episode 40: The St. Augustine Lighthouse.
https://anchor.fm/storiesinthecemeteryReferences Used to Create this Post and Accompanying Podcast EpisodeAstonishing Legends. “ESTES Method.” 28 February 2019. Astonishing Legends. https://www.astonishinglegends.com/astonishing-legends/2019/2/16/estes-method. 28 October 2021.
Ghost Doctor TV Show Full Episode 1: LONGEST SPIRIT INTERACTION! St. Augustine Lighthouse – hunters. Perf. Chris Bores. 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Mmd2_MVjKc.
Ghost Hunters (TV Series). Perf. Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson. 2008. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2676520/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt.
Hackney, Diane. “East Coast Lighthouses.” 2017-21. United States Lighthouses. http://unitedstateslighthouses.com/explore-us-lighthouses/east-coast-region/36-st-augustine-lighthouse.html. 28 October 2021.
McCarthy, Kevin. The Book Lover’s Guide to Florida. Pineapple Press, 1992. https://www.amazon.com/Book-Lovers-Guide-Florida/dp/1561640212/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=.
St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum. Explore Our History. n.d. https://www.staugustinelighthouse.org/get-involved/about-mission-uvp/history/. 28 October 2021.
Visit St. Augustine. “A Haunting Tour of the Lighthouse.” n.d. Visit St. Augustine. https://www.visitstaugustine.com/article/haunting-tour-lighthouse. 28 October 2021.
September 17, 2020
The Jennie Wade House, Gettysburg, PA
It should be of no surprise to anyone that I wanted to visit Gettysburg, PA. It is said to be the most haunted city in all of America and my data collected from the Jennie Wade House at 548 Baltimore Street proves that the spirits that haunt the city are all over.
Jennie Wade’s Brief Story
I took the suggestion from staff in the Jennie Wade Museum Gift Shop for a few books. One them being “Jennie Wade of Gettysburg” by Cindy L. Small, I found it a quick, detailed account of what happened that fateful day for Jennie and some of the contacts she had.
For starters, let’s start with her name. Jennie was a nickname that derived from Ginnie which derived from Virginia. And Virginia was her middle name with her first being Mary. Interesting enough, her nickname provides us with a bit of her personality and gives the museum a bit more flare. The name Jennie sounds and looks a bit more wholesome than Virginia, and endearing and comforting to Union soldiers is exactly what she was. I’m an onlooker for people’s actions, and Jennie’s actions tell me she had a kind soul and big heart.
“Ghost Adventures” interview Zak Bagans with Joe Svehla, manager of the Jennie Wade House.
Although she could’ve avoided and ignored the constant door knocking from Union soldiers for food and water, she instead gave them what she could in fresh baked bread and pails of water. When she ran out and was preparing more yeast, she would tell the soldiers when they could expect their next meal. Bringing pails of water to these soldiers was a risk all on its own as she took the pails of water out to them, a brave act indeed with the wages of war nearby.
[image error]The table where Jennie was preparing breakfast when she was shot. Photo by April McGirr
Jennie was only 20 years old in 1863 showing enough courage to help take care of family and serve soldiers in their time of need.
Ironically enough, the house in which Jennie was shot and killed wasn’t even her own. Her sister, Georgia, had a baby a few days prior and their mother was already helping to tend to the baby at Georgia’s home. Jennie and her brothers joined them soon after the battle began. The Jennie Wade House is named after Jennie, but it was her sister’s home.
Jennie was preparing yeast when a Confederate soldier missed his target and the bullet went through two doors to strike Jennie in the back forcing its way to her heart, killing her instantly.
I also want to point out that the house was what we know as a duplex: Georgia and her family on one side and the McClain family on the other. The McClains, Mr. John Isaac McClain and Mrs. Catherine McClain had four children.
[image error]Enlarged hole by Union soldiers so they could move Jennie’s body and her family safely to the McClain side of the home. Photo by April McGirr
Upstairs, there is an opening in the wall that was broadened by Union soldiers. The original hole in the wall was caused by an artillery shell that passed through the roof and into the wall the day before Jennie was shot. Through this enlarged opening, Jennie’s body was carried through to get to the other side of the home (the McClain side) and then down to the basement.
There are plenty more details that go into this story, like an alleged lover/fiance and a message that was never delivered to Jennie. If these details were partial to my investigation here, I would certainly lay them out for you. However, nothing of consequence in my investigation told me anything about this fiance or any message detail.
I urge you to read Small’s book before conducting your own investigation and/or just visiting the museum. “Jennie Wade of Gettysburg”
Other Investigations of the Jennie Wade House
I am sure there are countless investigations of the Jennie Wade House, but popularity of TV shows such as Ghost Adventures and Ghost Labs have documented their findings. Such claims that accompany those of the popular television documentaries are that of orbs floating, people getting touched, a full apparition of a boy, and countless EVP’s.
Joe Svehla, manager of the Jennie Wade Museum tells his tale of a haunting.
My Investigation of the Jennie Wade House
Much like my investigation of the Flight 93 Memorial near Shanksville, PA, I used the same equipment:
Thermal imaging camera in my side cargo pocket.SBox Ghost Scanner by GhostStop on silent.Digital spirit box on my cell phone. K-II EMF Meter
Word of note: The thermal imaging video taken inside the actual home has been lost. Upon review directly after our departure, I did happen to capture a very cold figure crouching in the upstairs bedrooms by the wall opening.
[image error]The bed in the basement of the Jennie Wade House where she was kept until the battle of Gettysburg was over. Photo by April McGirr
As always, when reviewing the SBox Ghost Scanner file, I write down everything I hear with a timestamp. You can find the entire audio and my list of findings below. But I do want to point out the terms heard that make the most sense.
00:23 “Killed me”02:10 (disembodied)02:13 (disembodied)03:13 “I want”03:16 “to talk to your kids”06:22 “the Nation”07:25 “Nancy”08:29 “Central”09:31 “Open one”13:42 “Who is that?”17:22 (odd sounds)22:42 “I hear you”
Most of these terms are pretty obvious, but I want to focus on two in particular: “Nancy” and “Central”.
Nancy Weikart ran a boarding house in the “heart” (or central) of downtown Gettysburg. The following article tells of another gunshot wound from Amos Whetstone. He ended up on the porch of Weikart where his wound was bandaged. At the wrong place during this battle, I find that it’s no coincidence that “Nancy” and “Central” were clues for me to dive into this Gettysburg Battle story as well. “Remembering Gettysburg”
From the Digital Spirit Box
The following list is from the digital spirit box used on my cell phone.
08/19/2020 – 17:32: CHILDREN (.49) Another reference to kids, see marker 03:16 from SBox above.
08/19/2020 – 17:34: RESULT (.48)
08/19/2020 – 17:36: RECALL (.47)
08/19/2020 – 17:37: GRACE (.47)
08/19/2020 – 17:39: POLICY (.46)
08/19/2020 – 17:39: MR (.53)
08/19/2020 – 17:39: BARN (.54)
08/19/2020 – 17:40: CLUSTER (.49)
08/19/2020 – 17:42: BOIL (.46)
08/19/2020 – 17:44: BLOW (.47)
08/19/2020 – 17:46: DIAGNOSIS (.46)
08/19/2020 – 17:46: RECESSION (.59)
08/19/2020 – 17:48: ASLEEP (.48) I was near the bed in the McClain bedroom where I also had strong EMF spikes.
08/19/2020 – 17:50: SOLSTICE (.47)
08/19/2020 – 17:50: DIVINE (.53)
08/19/2020 – 17:51: LET ME OUT (.51) Near the opening in the wall.
08/19/2020 – 17:53: POLITICAL (.47)
08/19/2020 – 17:54: CELEBRATION (.55) “Political” & “Celebration” could be one phrase describing the battle.
08/19/2020 – 17:56: HAIR (.46) There are accounts from tour guides that there are hair tugs while in the Jennie Wade House.
08/19/2020 – 17:57: ANNOUNCEMENT (.46)
08/19/2020 – 18:00: NATURAL (.45)
08/19/2020 – 18:01: BEFORE (.45)
I also took a thermal imaging video while I was in the gift shop of the museum, but found no abnormalities in the video.
[image error][image error]The family had to go upstairs through the wall opening, then downstairs through the McClain home, only to risk going outside to the basement doors to move Jennie’s body. Photos by April McGirr.
Moving forward, I plan on giving you, the reader the entire audio files of data to verify my findings. In the event you hear/see something that was not notated, please feel free to email me your findings/interpretations to storiesinthecemetery@gmail.com, and put the case in the subject line. I will be more than happy to correct or add any of the evidence.
Here is the full SBox Ghost Scanner Audio for your review with my full findings below it.
00:08 “Today”00:23 “Killed Me”00:38 “the condition”01:26 “twenty percent”01:37 “the body”01:42 “admit”02:10 (disembodied)02:13 (disembodied)02:28 “let me start it”02:42 “I want”02:44 “it was when”03:06 “what I knew”03:13 “I want”03:16 “to talk to your kids”04:05 “let me show”04:21 “feel like”06:22 “the Nation”07:25 “Nancy”08:29 “central”09:00 “here”09:31 “open one”10:04 “already”12:11 “I saw”12:39 “ready ID”13:11 “Justine”13:42 “Who is that?”14:17 “walk on”14:49 “Don’t”15:17 “let us”16:19 “recognize”17:11 “tell you”17:22 (odd sounds)22:02 “behind you”22:42 “I hear you”
More Than a Blog
If you’d like to check out the podcast episode for this post, you can listen below. This will be Episode 38 of the Stories in the Cemetery podcast.
E38: The Jennie Wade House, Gettysburg, PA
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Stories in the Cemetery
Head over to http://www.nicholasmcgirr.com to view the blog post with bonus sections.
References used for this podcast episode:
Find A Grave. (n.d.). Jennie Wade. Retrieved from Find a Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1064/jennie-wade
Joe’s Ghost. (2011). Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/1-3govRv8nE
Serfass, D. R. (2014, June 27). Remembering Gettysburg. Retrieved from Time News Online: https://www.tnonline.com/20140627/rem...
Small, C. L. (2018). Jennie Wade of Gettysburg. Gettysburg: Gettysburg Publishing.
Svehla, J. (2010, September 17). Ghost Adventures. (Z. Bagan, Interviewer) Retrieved from https://youtu.be/vq3R_x_moCs
The Jennie Wade House Museum. (n.d.). The Jennie Wade House Self-Guided Tour Pamphlet. The Jennie Wade House.
Women Behind These Walls. (n.d.). Women Behind These Walls Pamphlet. Retrieved from YWCA Gettysburg: https://www.ywcagettysburg.org/wp-con...
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Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/storiesinthecemetery/message
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/storiesinthecemetery/support
E38: The Jennie Wade House, Gettysburg, PA
31:37
E37: The Flight 93 National Memorial
53:20
E36: The SBox Ghost Scanner by Ghost Stop
32:33
E35: Homage to Vincent Price
19:16
E34: Three books to study Cartomancy
23:35
You can also take a ghost hunting tour with me if you are ever in the Charleston, SC area. My guests use my tools: thermal imaging camera, spirit boxes, laser grids and more. What’s even better is you get the data back the next morning for your review. To learn more, head over www.charlestoncavaliertours.com for details. (Ticket pricing may vary depending on season).
References Used for This Blog Post and Podcast Episode
This is a very short list of references only to verify data taken while visiting the Jennie Wade House. I encourage you to further investigate with the plentiful resources that can be found both online and in print.
Find A Grave. (n.d.). Jennie Wade. Retrieved from Find a Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1064/jennie-wadeJoe’s Ghost. (2011). Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/1-3govRv8nESerfass, D. R. (2014, June 27). Remembering Gettysburg. Retrieved from Time News Online: https://www.tnonline.com/20140627/remembering-gettysburg/Small, C. L. (2018). Jennie Wade of Gettysburg. Gettysburg: Gettysburg Publishing.Svehla, J. (2010, September 17). Ghost Adventures. (Z. Bagan, Interviewer) Retrieved from https://youtu.be/vq3R_x_moCsThe Jennie Wade House Museum. (n.d.). The Jennie Wade House Self-Guided Tour Pamphlet. The Jennie Wade House.Women Behind These Walls. (n.d.). Women Behind These Walls Pamphlet. Retrieved from YWCA Gettysburg: https://www.ywcagettysburg.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/WBTW-brochure-2015.pdf
