Ghost Hunting Conference in Port Gamble

[image error] This weekend my teenage son and I attended the first annual Ghost Conference put on by the town of Port Gamble. Located on the Olympic Peninsula on the way to Forks, Port Gamble is a company-owned town, established in the 1850s to serve the mill workers. With its tree-lined streets, white picket fences, and old-fashioned shops, it's been designated a National Historic Landmark and is very "active," making it a popular destination for paranormal investigators.

The weekend began with a ghost walk through the streets and our host told us stories about the various buildings and houses. Residents have reported lights being turned off or on, items moved, strange sounds, etc.

[image error]Port Gamble churchSaturday was filled with workshops and lectures, including tools used in ghost-hunting, the parapsychology of ghost-hunting (given by college instructor Neil McNeil), and a discussion of paranormal in folklore around the world. Author Gregg Olson talked about his book Starvation Heights, an actual sanitarium in Kitsap County around the turn of the century where at least forty people died from starvation which was touted as a remedy for many ailments. Local Seattle icon, Ivar Haglund of Ivar's Acres of Clams was treated there as a boy, and his mother was one of the victims. Paranormal investigator Darren Thompson from WSPIR (Washington State Paranormal Investigative Research) conducted an investigation of the premises and reported his findings. In an audio recording taken in the woods where the sanitarium was located (it burned in a fire years ago), we clearly heard a voice saying, "Help us."

[image error]Port Gamble cemeteryAfter dinner, we reconvened for several of our own self-guided investigations, equipped with cameras and listening devices. My group explored the cemetery, old church, and the Walker-Ames mansion. In the church, a woman reported feeling a tapping on her shoulder during an EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) session led by Dave from Silent Voices. My son felt someone tap his back in the attic of the mansion where the children used to play (we found this out afterwards). A friend took a very unusual self-portrait at the mansion with an unexplained line of light that looked like a cord in front of her face, but upon further investigation, no cord existed.

[image error]Walker-Ames mansionThe Walker-Ames mansion looks a little like Norman Bates' house in Psycho, don't you think? Can you believe we were inside that place just before midnight? We saw all the equipment used by OPPS (Olympic Peninsula Paranormal Society) who showed us how everything works. We then explored all four floors, from the damp and claustrophobic basement to the attic located at the top of a narrow, rickety staircase. 
[image error]Walker-Ames mansionThis picture with the crows was taken right outside the Walker-Ames mansion the day after our investigation. Don't crows flying overhead mean something ominous?

[image error]Former hospitalThis happy-looking blue building is actually the old hospital. People have reported feelings of oppression and heaviness inside. A friend who visited the shop located inside couldn't stay for long because the feeling she got from the place really bothered her.

Although I'm fascinated by all things paranormal (ghosts, vampires, werewolves, aliens), I'm not sure I'm convinced that ghosts really do exist. However, that being said, I'll definitely attend the ghost conference next year.
[image error]The road to ForksAnd finally, if you continue west through Port Gamble, you'll eventually come to Forks. And we all know what you'll find there.