Investigation 9. Esterbrook Cemetary

This article is from myspace.com/wisconsinhunters blog
Date: May 9th 2009
Team Members:

• Branden Kennedy
• Corbet Franzen
• Mike Grahl
• Dani Marquard
• Mike Toshner

Location: Fond du lac, Wisconsin
Equipment used:

• Digital Camera
• Digital Voice Recorder

Time Arrived: 01:30 a.m
Time Departed 03:00 a.m
Results: This investigation was a bit different than anything we'd ever done before. We went there in an attempt to make contact with a departed family member of a team member, not to prove weather or not the location was haunted. No verdict can be reached from an investigation of this sort as to weather or not Esterbrook Cemetery is haunted or not because that was not the purpose of the investigation.
But for all investigative purposes I'd call it a success based on personal experiences alone. Having 2 teams in different areas, we both heard sounds/voices that coincided with the others. Also Nick and myself (Branden) were able to see what we believe to be Shadow People on two different occasions, but in the same area (though, it could have been a shadow from a living source, and shouldn't be credited fully). The voices consisted of wailing cries varying in length from a short sob to a full on wail lasting for about 2-3 seconds. All of the investigators heard these periodically throughout the night. The only way to disprove this as something paranormal is to say that it was an animal, because one investigator reported hearing an owl earlier in the night. The grand finale happened right as we were leaving, when I distinctly heard a female voice from my left say the name "Danielle." No one else heard this, and the recorder was off.
But, as I stated before I would call our investigation a success. The team member who suggested we go here was happy with the way the investigation went, and we enjoyed ourselves during the experience, so that’s really all that matters.
Video evidence has yet to be gone over and results will be posted soon.

Paranormal phenomena of the Philadelphia Zoo

This article was found on http://www.helium.com

It was written by Shannon Farlouis

Created on: January 13, 2012 Last Updated: January 14, 2012

The Philidelphia Zoo is known to be one of America's oldest zoos. This zoo was built on an Indian burial ground. The oldest building on the site is called the Solitude. This building has a long history that dates back to 1784. The basement of this building has an old tunnel. The Treehouse is another building that has kid exhibits. There are two more buildings at this zoo and they are just office spaces and the buildings are the Shelley and the Penrose. Investigators who have used audio technology have recorded voices and footsteps in these buildings. Many investigators also claim they have felt cold spots, seen lights turning on and off, and apparitions.

In the tunnel area, voices and music were heard. One investigator was using an athermal camera to record events and it was knocked over by an unseen force. This happened on the stairwell that lead to the attic. The investigation team did have EVPs as evidence that there were spirits. Many workers at this zoo state that they have seen spirits that hang in and around the zoo pretty often. The attic of Solitude House has things that move around on their own. One zoo board member admitted to seeing a strange, misty figure in the tunnel that is under Solitude House. The workers at the zoo continue to report many weird happenings. The Philadelphia Zoo opened the gates for the first time in 1874. This zoo is now a Philadelphia landmark that has over 1.1 million visitors per year that come to see over 1300 animals. Some of these animals are rare and endangered species that roam the grounds. If you ask any of the staff that work at this zoo if it is haunted, then you will get a definite yes.

The investigation team arrived to help the staff better understand the zoo hauntings. When staff are giving tours to visitors, they claim that they often see a woman in a long dress standing at the top of the staircase. The tunnel that use to lead to under the house is now closed off. Orbs are often in pictures that are taken. These orbs have been seen in the room that the tunnel leads to in the house. The tunnel was built so during the cold winter months the owner did not have to go outside in the cold to feed the animals.

How your emotions affect your paranormal investigations

This article was found on http://www.helium.com

It was written by Jennifer Shipp

Created on: July 21, 2009 Last Updated: July 27, 2009

Paranormal activity has not been officially indoctrinated into science yet. Because studies into the paranormal have not yielded consistent, replicable results (paranormal events are, by nature, unpredictable, after all), paranormal investigation has not been given the same scientific status as physics or geology in the world of science. But, if there is ever to be any hope for paranormal investigations to gain credibility among the general public and among scientists , it is imperative that investigators put the scientific method into practice to the greatest extent possible in their investigations. As such, emotion must be quelled during paranormal investigations.

On television, paranormal investigators are primarily entertainers. Producers choose people for television shows based much on their personality and their ability to produce drama within the show's format. And ghost hunters or paranormal investigators on TV work in groups to produce interesting social dynamics that are worth tuning in to watch each week. Often, these shows can and do arguably record paranormal activities within the context of a real-life social drama. But the fact is, these television shows include an emotional element in their paranormal investigations that lead the study of the paranormal further and further away from science. The emotions that come out during paranormal investigations on TV often obscure the events themselves. And some would argue that emotional outbursts may even fuel so-called paranormal events.

Paranormal researchers are typically not willing to accept occult theories about the paranormal. Typically they are also unwilling to be constrained by the scientific method. Which, again, leaves them to work only in the realm of entertainment. A paranormal investigator who dabbles even superficially in occult lore knows that emotions can affect all sorts of unexplainable phenomena. People in primitive societies ritualistically will work themselves into different emotional states in order to achieve certain spiritual and material goals and effects. In psychology, we know that transference or the feelings that are transmitted from client to therapist can have important effects on the progress of treatment. Emotions drive social relationships of all kinds that take place right under our noses, every day, at work, at school, at home . To the extent that paranormal investigators are seeking to study paranormal events that often appear to involve a human or human-esque consciousness, it is rather daft to assume that our emotions, as investigators will not cause an important, if not dramatic, shift of events during an investigation.

As one who primarily studies folklore as it concerns the paranormal and new trends in paranormal phenomena in various communities throughout the United States , I find that the way people describe what they've heard or what they've seen or experienced or heard about other people experiencing is often strongly affected by the overall tenor of the community's acceptance of the paranormal. The way a person describes their personal opinions or experiences of the paranormal is even more strongly affected by the social dynamic that surrounds their storytelling in real time. If they are surrounded by people who are mostly against the idea of the paranormal, the storyteller will usually be very quiet and succinct as they tell their tale. In contrast, if the storyteller happens to be surrounded by one or more supporters or people who have heard similar stories or had similar experiences, the tales told will become more wild, harder to believe, and seemingly more subject to the imagination of the storyteller.

On location, investigators are subject to the same phenomenon described above. By going into a supposedly haunted location with a group of believers or people who will automatically believe the investigator if they have a personal or recordable experience, investigators are skewing their own results. Indeed, the fact of having someone support a personal experience can seriously affect the investigators own memory of the personal experience, making it difficult for the investigator to think about the event objectively at all.

And yet, there are stories, that I've found that have features that suggest that they are true stories of actual paranormal events. For example, experiencing a paranormal event that took place while a person was on location for some reason other than to investigate paranormal events, lends credibility to a tale. The mere desire for a paranormal event to occur can activate selective perception such that every sound or shadow moving seems to be a paranormal event to the one who is seeking to experience a paranormal event.

Scientists are required to create null hypotheses in their scientific experiments and seek to disprove their hypotheses. By creating a null hypothesis, the scientist is theoretically inclined to be more objective in their experimental endeavors. But paranormal investigators are not required to set out to not find paranormal activity, per se at haunted locations. Some paranormal investigators do try to debunk paranormal activities, using the null hypothesis as their starting block during investigations, but often, the null hypothesis and debunking enthusiasm will wax and wane for television ghost hunters and for ghost hunters who are unskilled in the use of scientific methods. This waxing and waning of debunking activities and enthusiasm has to do with an ebb and flow of emotion on the part of the paranormal investigator. Unfortunately, this ebb and flow and wax and wane destroys in many ways the credibility, reliability, and validity of the scientific endeavor to collect information about that which is paranormal. When emotion becomes involved in an investigation, we are no longer studying the paranormal, we are studying psychology.

And so, in summary, although it is difficult to pin down precisely the way that emotion effect paranormal investigations, it is fairly easy to say generally that is does have an impact on the results of an investigation. It would be nearly impossible to remove all emotion, as an investigator, from a paranormal investigation. Indeed, removing emotion from a paranormal investigation would require us to remove humans from paranormal investigations altogether. Rather, paranormal investigators must learn how to control emotion as a variable in paranormal investigations. They must acknowledge that emotion is a variable and seek to control it or control for it or both in order to produce the most rock solid evidence possible for scientists and for the general public to observe.

Investigating paranormal phenomena Part 2

This article was found on http://www.helium.com

It was written by Judy Merrill

Created on: October 30, 2010

From a scientific point of view, the paranormal organizations are the first front on which the paranormal can and maybe needs to be investigated. The weights and measures with recording devices serves to show that something is certainly in the atmosphere. What that is can often be dismissed and/or understood by the weights and measures.

Remaining respectful to whatever the causes may be of the disturbance is one of the important factors of a good investigation. If it is something stuck in the material energies, then challenging or yelling at it will not make it go away. If anything it may just raise its ire and you may have a poltergeist on your hands.

We are all aware of underground water that causes some disturbances on the surface. And as the earth is made up of plates that fit together to form the solid ground, some people are sensitive to their shifts and movements. These are the most common of events that are often mistaken for paranormal activity. Knowing the ground area is often as important as the actual disturbance.

The unseen world is a mass of energies. Some of those energies can be measured on a recorder and some are too fine to be measured and recorded. Some of the energies that accumulate from the use and/or abuse of the ground itself, can be negative or positive.

The reason they are most often negative is that a disaster to human life has been the cause of the disturbance. Around a place of a famous battle or event many negative energies accumulate. Unfortunately history is written on our negatives not our positive events.

From a spirit point of view, a medium will not investigate the area first. Maybe that can come later as proof of their findings. What they are seeking to do is to identify if there is a spirit cause to the disturbances. A medium will want to know that all physical, material causes are eliminated before assuming it to be spirit input.

When we consider that there are as many spirit who find their way into the light as that remain around the earth plane, it is actually surprising there is not more activity of spirit presence around people, places, things. Perhaps it is just that we are not living in the spirit enough to actually know the spirit is around.

Investigating paranormal phenomena

This article was found on http://www.helium.com

It was written by Jacob Woods

Created on: October 08, 2010

It is a common and very appropriate belief that investigating the paranormal is a waste of time and energy. The reason this is so is because the field is not approached in such a way that it adds any value to the human purpose other than some entertainment. The area of paranormal investigation is approached unscientifically and generally for entertainment purposes that attract a profit. However if those working in the area were to approach the subject in which they study spirits systematically through science, they may find some interesting activity that may enlighten its viewers as to what happens when we die.

It would not be a surprise to see on the Discovery Channel a documentary on the process of death or something similar. But what is striking on the Discovery Channel is the show A Haunting. More and more on television there are these genres in which cross-sectionalize their boundaries. For example Ice Road Truckers on the History Channel and Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel. It would be more appropriate if these shows appeared on proper channels like science fiction ones. But the reason why this occurs is because these channels need to be drawing viewer traffic so they can stay on air and make more profit off from advertisements. In essence they are trying to find more entertaining shows that appeal to a broader audience. What better to do this than a show on ghosts, ghouls, and psychics who read minds.

Now that there is a reason to why there are so many entertaining paranormal shows with these seemingly scientific paranormal investigator groups “studying” the bizarre; what makes these people phony? Simply put, they don't follow the scientific method in which they make a hypothesis based on past knowledge, they don't test it systematically accounting for variables, they do allow their emotions to impede their ability to approach the field unbiasedly, and they get a paycheck to entertain as compared to find true discoveries.

In order for any true scientific discovery to take place in the field of paranormal research, the scientific method needs to be put in place. Short stories do not count as scientific. However what would count as scientific would be comparing a spirit neutral cemetery to a cemetery that has been reported to have lots of spiritual activity. In order to account for variables the cemeteries would have to be the same in size or at least close. Or another possibility for this would be that a small cemetery is compared to a large cemetery. The hypothesis being that a larger cemetery, because of its size, would contain more paranormal activity. Only once someone approaches life after death with this approach and captures consistently similar results can anyone believe or claim the existence of ghosts as compared to just coincidence, poor judgment, and pure entertainment.

Ethical standards for paranormal investigations Part 2

This article was found on http://www.helium.com

It was written by C. Ann Cunningham

Created on: January 11, 2012

In any part of life, you have to deal with people. You should always strive to be the kind of person you yourself would like to deal with in any given situation, someone who is going to be honest, scrupulous and ethical. In personal experience, nowhere is that more necessary than the role of a paranormal investigator.

Dealing with the public can be difficult in itself in an ordinary situation. With the higher stress level of someone who believes themselves to be the recipient of a haunting or paranormal activity, it is imperative that you and the others that are involved make no allegations that will make the situation worse. Don't tout yourself as being a ghost buster of the type from the movie starring Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis. You cannot cross laser beams and suck up ghosts, and pretending or willfully declaring that you can could be hazardous to a potentially fragile mind already disturbed by the goings-on.

Do not proclaim yourself or any member of your group to have "mystical powers" or to be able to use any form of perception that you do not actually have. By all means, if you are one of those that is sensitive to fluctuations in EMF fields, learn to use that to your advantage. If you have a member who is a proven psychic or clairvoyant, then absolutely, utilize those abilities. But do not go around claiming to be a Ghost Whisperer or go into a trance while proclaiming yourself a medium and scare the bejesus out of someone by filling them with falsehoods about their home's history.

It is truly unethical as well to make a confidentiality agreement with someone and then break it, by going and telling others that you conducted a paranormal investigation at a private residence and then spilling the beans about location, persons involved, and personal opinion about the alleged activities. If you are sworn to protect someone's privacy, then keep the information to yourself and make sure that your entire group also signs a confidentiality waiver.

If you do not have an experience in a place, don't make things up to make yourself or your paranormal investigation team look good , either. No one likes to be lied to, and if it comes out that you lied on one investigation, it can call into question everything that happened on every other investigation you have done or will do. That is not the sort of reputation you want to garner for yourself or those that you work with.

If someone is a skeptic, be they a member of your investigation group or someone that is involved with the situation in another way, do not draw them into an argument about what is happening and make them feel small or stupid by using words that are meant to antagonize. Remember, everyone has a right to their own opinion. If their skepticism is of such a magnitude that you cannot possibly deal with them in the course of the investigation, then by all means, find someone else that you can deal directly with, or assign someone who has a different temperament than you to take the forefront of the investigation.

Whatever you do, do not ever call someone at a site names or ridicule them. Some people truly invent occurrences just to gain attention for themselves, and those people can be dangerous. If anything ever feels wrong about a paranormal investigation, then don't do it.

Lastly, there are some groups that use Ouija boards, tarot cards, pendulums and other magical devices on investigations. If you like these methods, then make sure you are knowledgeable about their use and that you do not let a circus attitude take over the investigation. It is your reputation on the line, after all, and even if you are doing something unconventional such as hunting for the paranormal, the least you can do is act like a true professional and keep basic business ethics in mind.

What it means to be a paranormal investigator

This article was found on http://www.helium.com

It was written by Helium01

Created on: October 19, 2010

Have you ever wondered what a Paranormal Investigator is and what they do? A Paranormal Investigator is a person who gets together a team of ghost hunters and researches whether or not there is a haunting going on in various places that people claim to be haunted.

What equipment do Paranormal Investigators use?

Even you could do this, however, it is something that you really have to believe in. They have special equipment that they use, and it includes video cameras with both day and night vision , as well as special digital recorders which they use in capturing EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena); they also use EVP meters, and some Paranormal Investigators even use dowsing rods.

After setting up all the equipment, they make sure that there are no lights and they do their work in total darkness - only using the lights off of their equipment; that way they get no interference from any electricity as it is a known fact to all paranormal investigators that if there is a true haunting, their equipment would register it as it would register electricity.

What is the significance of “electricity” in Paranormal Investigation?

You are probably thinking to yourself: “Why electricity?” The answer to that is simple . If there was a true haunting at the location, the entity would register like electricity because they are feeding off your equipment and letting the investigator basically know that it’s trying to make contact.

When a paranormal phenomenon seeks to make contact, that is what makes the job a success getting the proof that there is actually a haunting and that when it comes to this, a Paranormal Investigator can get the proof of paranormal activity and advise the person who contacted them on it.

What are the pitfalls in a Paranormal Investigator’s work?

Don't get it wrong - not every job is a success and not every haunting that is submitted to a team of Paranormal Investigators has been real. The reason for that is because some people take paranormal activity as a joke to get some form of advertisement to their place or business, and this would certainly get any paranormal researcher very upset for they truly believe in what they do and don't like people who take advantage or make a joke out of their dedicated work.

Also notable is the fact that Paranormal Investigators and researchers in that nature do not get paid for what they do; they themselves pay for it. Which means that they find ways to make money to keep their equipment up to date and to keep it running right; else if they didn't do that then they wouldn't get such good results.

With Paranormal Investigators, just like it is with any other kind of investigator, solid findings mean greater reliability . What’s more, the better the results the better the researcher, and hence, the better the proof.

Why investigating paranormal activities can be fun Part 2

This article was found on http://www.helium.com

It was written by Tom Stewart

Created on: November 06, 2009 Last Updated: November 07, 2009

Investigating the paranormal can have some aspects of fun. Some of the more exciting parts would include exploring the history of interesting places in your area, the friendships and closeness you develop with your fellow investigators, and of course there is the actual discovery of paranormal activities. But if you ask any experienced paranormal investigator, you'll likely be told that investigating the paranormal is usually a boring and tedious activity and not nearly as fun as the television shows make it appear.

If you're someone who loves doing research and learning about history then you will find this area of paranormal investigation exciting. But for most people, spending hours upon hours researching old books and newspapers in libraries and searching through property histories and ancestry records can be quite boring. But it is an essential part of paranormal investigation for many reasons. Before you can go into a reportedly haunted location you must first have an idea of what you might be dealing with. You must first uncover the history of the location and learn of any activities, tragedies, or deaths that may have occurred there. Sometimes the discovery of this information can be exciting, like a thrilling book based on a true story. But other times it can be mundane and uninteresting. Another necessary part of research is to find out the condition of the property and whether it is safe to enter; another important aspect of paranormal investigation.

Safety is your number one concern when being a paranormal investigator. And safety usually means - boring. It is unwise to just sneak into a cemetery or abandoned building without first considering your safety. First and foremost you should never enter a place without permission. Checking with the owners of a property will not only prevent you from getting into trouble for trespassing but will also help you be informed as to how safe an area is. As it turns out, spirits and ghosts cannot hurt you. Only you can hurt you. So you need to know if the areas you're entering are safe for walking, breathing, and investigating. Some of the information you need to know to be safe is: Are the floors and stairs are safe to walk on? Is there is any dangerous asbestos or dust particles in the building that you might unknowingly inhale? If investigating outdoors you need to know if there are any dangerous animals in the vicinity, or even worse, any dangerous humans who might be lurking and looking to cause trouble.

You should also never investigate alone. By working with two or more teammates you can watch out for each other and help each other if anything dangerous should happen. It will of course be more fun if you are working with someone who is a friend as you try to discover the unknown. But some other safety precautions you should take into consideration are making sure you tell someone where you are going and how you long you plan to be there. And make sure you have the proper equipment and that it is in working condition.

Another not so fun part of paranormal investigation is the equipment. Some of the more modern instruments used like K-II meters and infra-red cameras can be quite expensive. Of course your own five senses are the most important pieces of equipment needed when investigating. But you should never go out into a dark location without basic equipment like flashlights and cameras. Before heading out you need to make sure that all of your equipment is working properly with fresh batteries. There's nothing worse than being caught in a dark location and your flashlight dies on you. Always bring extra batteries and be prepared to use them as it is believed that spirits will sometimes drain your batteries for the energy they need to manifest. Naturally, if you get hurt on your investigation it will most certainly not be fun. So be sure you dress properly as well. Where comfortable rugged shoes, long pants, long sleeves, and warm clothing if you are outside. Weather can play a big factor in your investigations, so be prepared for anything from cold to rain or even snow in some places. Also make sure you take into consideration things like insects, snakes, and spiders. These creatures thrive in the places you'll be exploring so be prepared to meet them up-close, and be dressed properly to avoid being bitten.

For the most part paranormal investigation requires a scientific approach for the best chance at success. It involves setting up lots of equipment like cameras, microphones, computers, and hundreds of feet of cable in most cases. It can take several hours to set up everything before beginning an investigation. This is why it's a good idea to have a team of investigators with you, and to know what you're doing. Once you have finally set up all of your surveillance equipment, you can then begin to explore some areas on a personal level. This is where most investigators will begin conducting Electronic Magnetic Field (EMF) sweeps to help better find areas of distortion and possible locations for paranormal activity. It is also another long and boring procedure. Once this has been completed most investigators will choose a logical location to do what is called an Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) session. This usually involves an hour or more of sitting in the dark talking to spirits that you aren't sure are there or even exist. You'll continue to ask questions hoping that you will receive some sort of audible response on your digital voice recorder or handheld video camera. Contradictory to the television shows, it's very rare that you'll record a response on your recorder, but when it does happen it is very exciting.

The most boring part, but best chance for excitement, is during your evidence review. After you have conducted an extensive investigation of a haunted location you must then spend hours upon hours reviewing the audio, video, and photographic evidence you have gathered. You can't take any shortcuts during this procedure or you might miss some of the most compelling evidence of your investigation. So if you recorded 6 hours of video, you must sit and intently watch all 6 hours of this video. And the same goes for the hundreds of photographs taken and hours of audio recorded. However, for the most part this is where the fun part begins. Occasionally you will catch some strange voices or unexpected sounds on the audio. Even more rare but not unlikely you might see something strange on your videos. When this does happen it is very exciting because it's quite possible you found evidence of a spirit making contact.

There will also be some very rare occasions that while investigation you'll witness an object move, a door close, or even be touched. But again it is very, very rare and for some it's more frightening than fun. People, who try to become paranormal investigators, because it looks like a thrill on TV, are quickly disappointed with how boring and unexciting it really is. The television shows do portray it as being exciting and thrilling, but they usually leave out the boring parts like the historic research, the safety precautions, the equipment maintenance and set-up, the hours spent talking to the dark, and the many hours of evidence review. Television shows are looking to entertain the viewer and earn ratings. So they cleverly edit out the mostly boring parts. And in some cases they actually embellish or, dare I say, manufacture evidence which is considered paranormal when, if they had shown the whole story, would easily be seen as something normal. So if you are prepared to endure the many boring hours involved in paranormal investigation, then you may just get lucky and capture proof of a ghost or spirit, and that truly is the most fun part.

Why investigating paranormal activities can be fun

This article was found on http://www.helium.com

It was written by Brian Henderson

Created on: February 20, 2007 Last Updated: May 11, 2007

If there ever was a hobby that I thought was so cool, it would have to be paranormal investigations. I live for finding places that are reportedly haunted. Sometimes I will buy books to see if there are haunted houses close to where I live. Then I take some time to do historical research to see what if anything thing I can dig up on the location to explain what is happening. After that, I then pick a day to go there with my equipment and then try hard as I can to document any or all activity.

With historical research , not all the time will you find what you are looking for. I had a place where a lot of the historical documents had been destroyed. Which in some ways can hinder the investigation. But all you can really do is keep going and hope for the best. For this location, it was more or less left up to urban legend as well as speculation. I don't think I will ever be able to get to the truth.

Then the fun of taking equipment to a location can prove to be a matter of chance. Usually you take things like a camcorder, digital camera, camera, tape recorder, note pads, etc. Sometimes doing stuff in a particular order can be a pain. Not to mention having to write down a lot of what you do. Trust me, it doesn't take long to fill up a 3 subject notebook. This is where most of the science comes into play. The location I have mentioned, I have been there at least 5 times. Several times strange things happened before I even had the chance to get out my equipment.

I had gathered a lot of stuff over these visits. Spirits caught on film. Audio recordings of voices and sounds that should not be there. Most people would be scared by this especially when they know the stories of what happened here. For me, it would take a lot to scare me. Going to places like this, you have to get a grip on your fear. I guess in a way you have to turn off your emotions and do what you have to in order to investigate properly. You would be surprised at how certain things can influence your investigations.

Investigating places for paranormal activity isn't too hard to do. You just have to do things in the right way so that no one can dispute your claims. It never hurts to learn from ghost hunting societies. But there in that, you have to be careful with who you choose to contact. There are some that are very shady. Once you find a reputable one, you will learn a lot on how to do things right. I have talked to a few in my time. Just remember to have fun and not take things seriously. But at same time, be dedicated to looking at all angled before making a judgment. So go out, have fun and don't be afraid.

Understanding Electromagnetic Field (EMF) exposure Part 2

This article was found on http://www.helium.com

It was written by Omar Salvador

Created on: February 24, 2011

The Buzz About Electromagnetic Fields Continues

None of us has ever seen, heard, or, at the very least, felt electromagnetic fields. But wherever electric current runs, we can be sure electromagnetic fields are present. Not a few people have expressed concern about the possible dangers these fields pose to human health. Researchers, in turn, continue to study on whether or not there are sufficient grounds to link electromagnetic fields with certain diseases.

Once an electric piece of equipment is turned on, the current running through it generates a magnetic field that envelops the device. Since it isn't possible to block the field, it can penetrate the body , especially when one is standing close to a switched-on or running device.

Substations and power lines generate exactly the same type of electromagnetic fields. This is why many people fear that no one is safe from the ever-present, and possibly health-endangering, electromagnetic fields - they are almost everywhere.

Much of the research efforts have been concentrated on electromagnetic fields that are generated by alternating current. These include those that come from home appliances, office equipment, and power lines. Near the source, some electromagnetic fields present in homes and workplaces may be unusually strong. But as one moves away from the source, the fields' power quickly decreases. Weak electric currents are produced in the body once it is exposed to electromagnetic fields.

All the talks surrounding electromagnetic fields seem to center on the possible link between exposure to these fields and certain diseases. To this day, however, science still has to sufficiently and satisfactorily explain how these fields might cause such diseases. Besides this, many of the studies conducted on electromagnetic fields turned out negative for links to any illness or health disorder. In one particular study, in fact, it was found that living near power lines did not increase the risk of cancer as some people suspect.

Still, experts are divided; there are those who insist there's a definite connection between exposure to electromagnetic fields and certain diseases or disorders, including leukemia, adult cancer, birth and developmental defects, behavioral disorders, and even Alzheimer's disease. Some even look down on electromagnetic fields as a possible human carcinogen. The low-level energy emitted from functioning cellular phones is also a form of electromagnetic field. This, too, is suspected of being a possible cause of brain cancer.

With such a disparity on views and opinions, there is an obvious need to do more research and come up with more solid evidence to put a closure to the long-raging debate. In the meantime, people can try to lessen their exposure to electromagnetic fields by taking some steps, beginning with their minimizing the use of electrical devices that are known to emit high levels of electromagnetic fields. These include photocopiers, vacuum cleaners, some power tools, microwave ovens, blenders, hair dryers , and shavers.

Keep a good distance between your electrical bedside devices and your head. Lastly, whenever possible, use a laptop computer rather than a desktop model that makes use of a monitor. And while using a monitor, make sure that you sit as far away from it as possible.

Tips for debunking a drop in temperature during a paranormal investigation

This article was found on http://www.helium.com

It was written by C. Ann Cunningham

Created on: November 17, 2009

You are on a paranormal investigation. You and your teammates are moving slowly around, asking the entities that are reported to be there to make themselves known to you, to knock on something, to move something, to show themselves. Mysteriously, a moment later, you feel a cold spot, an area that feels colder than the rest of the room. Excitedly, you announce the cold spot to your fellow investigators...but what do you do next?

The first thing that should be done is to verify the cold spot by taking a temperature reading of the area. Then you proceed to start looking for anything that might be producing that patch of cold air other than an entity from the beyond. The easiest way to do verify this is with an infrared thermometer, equipped with a laser for pinpoint accuracy, or with a camera that digitally reads the temperature of whatever it is pointing at.

Check nearby windows to see if any are open, even a crack. An errant cool breeze could have come in a small opening and not moved the blinds or curtains. If no nearby windows are actually open, check for drafts around the edge of the window frame. If that does not pan out, start checking the floors and walls for vents that might be blowing central air into the room. Also, if there is a fireplace in the room, check to ensure it is not cool air blowing down the chimney from outside.

I know it may sound ridiculous to go to that extent over a cold spot when you want to be checking for EVPs and EMF spikes, but if you are a paranormal investigator, then part of your job should be to try to debunk events as they happen. If you have checked all the possible causes of a cold spot and nothing seems to fit, then you may be experiencing a true attempt at manifestation.

There is no reason why checking for the possible causes needs to interfere with the investigation, either. If you have already had several events happen that you cannot find a cause for, then by all means, continue the investigation as if you are experiencing true paranormal activity. Doing a temperature sweep of an area needn't take up much time at all. Five minutes should be sufficient time to check temperature readings, and you can easily move on to the next part of your investigation.

Last day of The First Ward School House Fund Raiser 9-14-2012

Thanks to the event held by the W.I.P.S. Team who own The First Ward School House, I had the chance to meet the Booth Brothers, and have now had the chance to become friends via Facebook, with Ben Hansen from SYFY Channel's TV Show "Fact Or Faked".

During our Investigation on 9-14-2012, the Booth Brothers were at the School House, filming. They are making another one of their famous and popular DVD's about the School. :-( sadly I did not get in any of the film, at least not that I am aware of. But I was there at the exact time they were there filming, so that's good enough for me :-)

An interview with Christopher Booth will be airing on Storytime on October 6th, on SEPIA RVP Radio, and an interview with Ben will be airing in December 2012 or Janurary 2013.

The W.I.P.S. Team invite other paranormal teams to come investigate the School House. For a fee of $50.00 per person, you can spend from dusk till dawn investigating every floor of the school house.

Please note that money collected from the fund raiser and from the investigation fees, go towards repairing the School House; as Justin (Lead Investigator of W.I.P.S.) and his wife & Children live in the School house. And when they bought it, it was in very very rough shape.

If your team is interested in seeing what you can find at the School, call them @ 1-(847)-867-6037 or email them @ relativelyhaunted@live.com (Please in your email put in the subject line "Requesting investigation of School House).

I can tell you from personal experience that Justin and his entire family are wonderful people, who are very kind & generous.

Pictures from the First Ward School House Fright Night Fund Raiser

9-13-2012

Me & The Booth Brothers

To see a larger copy, go to my Facebook Page. I also have an autographed copy of this same photo which I will get scanned in and uploaded A.S.A.P.

9-14-2012

The First Ward School House, in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.

Picture One

This picture was taken during a protection ceremony, before our investigation of the School began. Notice on the upper left corner, behind the woman is a large mist, and then next to her (between her and the man) is a face.

Picture 2

In this picture, which was taken in what was once the 3rd Grade Classroom, notice the Orbs going from floor to ceiling in front of the photo. In an attempt to debunk that it was perhaps a reflection off of the picture frame, please refer to picture 3.

Picture 3

In this photo, an investigator set up a laser grid, and as you can see, to gentlemen stood in front of the painting. But if you look closely, the Orbs from Picture too (see above photo) are still there, appearing in front of the men.

Picture 4

Please notice in this picture, which was taken in what was once the Kindergarden Classroom, on the left side of the photo you see a shadow that resembles a child, wearing a hat, that is is like bending backward.

Also notice on the right, just in front of the flowers, if you look carefully, you can see what looks like a little face, like a little child or doll laying it's head on the table, while the rest of it's body hangs off the edge of the table.

Final Picture

In this picture, also taken in what was once the Kindergarden Classroom; if you look towards the upper left corner you can see the outline of a face, with what to me, appears to have "fang" like teeth in the mouth area.

To see a larger copies of all of these investigation photos, please go to my Facebook Page.

Also be on the look out for E.V.P.'s captured during our investigation at the school house.

Ghost Hunting Tutorial: Before The Hunt

A this article came from ghosthunting.com

1. Arrive, collect local records and in-person testimonies
2. Walk the location and take all preliminary measurements
3. Review, plan, and prepare for the hunt (who what where)

Gather On-site Testimonies and Relevant Records

Once you've arrived at the location, your first step will be to continue gathering any other information that requires your local presence. This first and foremost includes meeting with eyewitnesses and hearing their accounts firsthand. If you are gathering evidence for a professional presentation, production, or just for documentation purposes, then you will want to bring one of your video cameras, voice recorders, and a notepad with you while interviewing the eyewitnesses. This will provide a lot of valuable information which you can go back and review afterwards for identifying commonalities between different witnesses and coo-berating it with your own evidence from the investigation.

Your other onsite information gathering will likely consist of visiting local courthouses and libraries for records of who has lived previously at the residence. You may want to look for key pieces of information such as names, the time period in which they lived at the location, or if it was a major traumatic event, finding out what exactly happened, where, and to whom. This information will all be helpful in determining what to investigate and which tools to use.

Walk the Location

Prior to conducting your real hunt, you should walk through the location to become familiar with the surroundings. Most ghost hunters choose to hunt in the dark, so it helps to get familiar with the area while it is still light out so you'll have a better idea of where you're going while trying to navigate in the dark. While walking the location you should gather preliminary measurements on such instruments as your infrared thermometers, geiger counters, and all other equipment. When not actively hunting or seeking evidence of the paranormal, you can help to eliminate natural or environmental causes that may cloud real, noteworthy events later on during your actual hunt. This is especially helpful with the infrared thermometers as there may be walls or objects by heating or cooling ducts that are routinely different in temperature when the air kicks on, as a result. Geiger counters may also record radioactive material if radon or other elements might be active below the foundation. Also important to take preliminary measurements of are any and all electromagnetic fields with your EMF equipment. Remember that unless you are using an EMF detector that blocks out AC currents, you are likely to get readings from the electromagnetic fields of electronics or other equipment that might already exist at the location or which may be wired into the framework of the structure. Conducting this preliminary walk-through and gathering measurements should be an essential part of all thorough and objective ghost hunting investigations.

Plan The Hunt

Now that you have everything you need, gathered all possible information from others, and are familiar with the environment and all potential natural causes for interesting measurements, it comes time to plan the actual hunt. Most ghost hunters prefer to conduct their hunting expeditions late in the night. A widely held belief is that spirit activity is most heightened around 3AM. If you've ever seen an episode of Paranormal State, you'll note that they call this period "dead time". It is also when they routinely conduct their own hunts. Regardless of when you decide to do your hunt though, be sure to plan who from your team will do what and where they will be. Your walkie talkies will come in handy for keeping tabs on what's going on from everyone's point of view. You'll want to set up all your equipment in the appropriate rooms. This includes fixed monitoring devices like motion sensors, infrared cameras, as well as all the gear that will need to be hooked up to record the information. Any handheld devices such as Geiger counters, EMF detectors, handheld cameras and, digital voice recorders will all be part of the equipment you will actively be using to hunt with first-hand. You should plan what questions you want to ask aloud if trying to actively engage in getting EVP responses, as well as any other activities which might bring about a response during the hunt.

Investigation 1. Fond du Lac Conservation Center A.K.A School Farm

This article is from myspace.com/wisconsinhunters blog
Date: Spring 2008
Team Members:

• Branden Kennedy
• Corbet Franzen
• Mike Toshner
• Dani Marquard
• Mike Grahl

Location: Highway 23 near Rosendale, WI
Equipment used:

• Digital Camera
• Video Camera
• Digital Voice Recorder

Results: This is actually our second investigation of this location, the audio of the first was interrupted constantly by wind, as a thunderstorm whipped up in the middle of our investigation. So we went back the following week to conduct another investigation.
The personal experiences throughout the night were astounding. Nearly everyone experienced something. Mike Grahl experienced a pain in his chest that he could not explain. Mike Toshner and Dani both heard stone being moved around as if being piled on top of each other. And Corbet took a picture of what could possibly have been "ecto-mist." Also, while near the grave of a young girl, Dani heard the laugh of a girl in her ear.
Photos taken here had some orbs in them, and possibly ecto-mist, nothing turned up on video, but the voice recorder was the most surprising. Two crystal clear voices unlike any of the team members appeared on the recordings. One while Mike Toshner was doing an EVP session, a voice responded to him asking "is anyone here?" The voice replied "thanks for coming over here." The second voice was recorded by Branden on accident.
The recorder was on while the team was discussing what they would do next and a loud female voice was recorded saying "Don't toy with me!" or "Don't go away!" the voice sounded distraught and was much louder than any of the recorded voices of the team members.
Verdict: Judging by both personal experiences and evidence taken, we believe the School Farm Cemetery to be Haunted.

Ghost Hunting Tutorial: Preparing For A Hunt

A this article came from ghosthunting.com

Before going on a ghost hunt you will want to go through a lot of planning. Although ghost hunts can follow any kind of structure, the most basic and preliminary steps have been outlined for you below.

1. Find a location
2. Do Preliminary Research
3. Gather the Equipment & Plan

Finding A Location

Finding a location for a ghost hunting expedition usually comes about in one of two ways. First, you may actively choose to investigate a location that you yourself have selected. Or second, this could be the result of someone else contacting you to help investigate unexplained phenomena. More than likely, for beginners you will be finding your own locations to investigate. Although ghosts may be able to reveal themselves anywhere, they typically seem to be identified with locations of either great trauma or significance to the discarnate soul. Anywhere there was a major trauma such as hospitals, torture chambers, and abandoned prisons, are likely places to discover souls that might still be attached to whatever major trauma they experienced while living. It is theorized that major and especially unexpected and hate-oriented events that may have resulted in the death of an individual can be extremely hard for some souls to let go of. They may still be drawn to the area where they passed on from, or any other area that is significant to them as it relates to their physical life. This could also include places like a person's home, their favorite retreat, or possibly in the cemetery where they were buried.

The other way of finding locations, people coming to you for assistance, will likely only happen after you or your paranormal investigative team have established some level of expertise and credibility. Keep in mind that when dealing with these kinds of locations, your primary intention should be that of assisting the person or persons who may be afflicted by these hauntings. This often involves cleansing the location and using a priest or some other object or method that has been identified by society as something believed to be of love, healing, and purification, basically things associated with God. More information is available about this in the follow-up section of this tutorial.

Doing Your Preliminary Research

Once you've identified a location, the first part of your investigation will be to gather preliminary research. This includes things like online articles, newspaper clippings, and especially important are gathering witness testimonies from either the people who live at the location or have claimed to experience ghostly encounters there. These don't have to be thorough or in-depth yet, especially if you need to travel a great distance to the location. This should be just enough to get a basic idea on what kinds of phenomena are routinely being experienced at the location. It will also help you with the next stage of preparation phase in your hunt.

Gather The Equipment and Come Up with A Plan

After identifying a location, and collecting preliminary information, you can start the actual planning process of what equipment and supplies you will need to bring. Ghost hunting equipment could consist of nothing more than the basic supplies such as flashlights, walkie talkies, and a digital camera or audio recording device. For many novice hunters, you may only wish to begin hunting with what you already have. However there are plenty of higher tech gadgets that can allow you to view much more of the environment than just your naked eye can see on its own. Devices such as infrared cameras have been especially helpful in documenting and gathering evidence of alleged hauntings. If you don't already have all the gear you need, TheGhostHunterStore.com has a great selection of ghost hunting equipment. Lastly, in addition to your equipment, you will want to bring whatever other tools might be helpful from the previous research phase such as notes, articles, and maps.

No Trespassing

Article from CPS Paranormal

Every paranormal investigator finds that perfect location, but is restricted from entering the property to do an investigation because they have not gotten permission from the property owners to perform an investigation.

Some inexperienced Ghost hunters will ignore that law, and enter the property to perform the investigation. The unlawful way has given these law breakers a sudden extra boost of Adrenalin.

Warning, this is not the appropriate way to perform a ghost investigation, and could land you with a hefty fine, and even behind bars. Not only will there be legal consequences, there will be a fall out. If you are serious about ghost hunting, then entering property illegally will only lesson your and your groups creditability.

Nothing will damage you attempt of establishing a respect paranormal investigation team, then having your names in the local court releases. Stay away from entering properties illegally.

I am aware of how hard it can be to get permission to perform investigations in private properties, including Cemeteries. This is especially true during your early stages of Ghost Hunting.

Just like in the business world, you must prove yourself in order to get the respect and the investigation of private property, but that is not to say that it is impossible.

If you have located a rumored haunting, then the best way to do the investigation appropriately is to contact the owners of the property. Don't do this until you have done a little pre-research of the rumored haunting. You can perform research of the any property through county records or a library, through old newspaper clippings.

Once you have established a history file, and have the listed rumors of a haunting on paper, you are then prepared to confront the owners of the property to ask for permission to conduct an investigation.

Being prepared and equipped with earlier research may impress the property owner, and maybe, the owners absumption will be removed from a skeptic point of view, just enough to allow you to perform the investigation.

Granted, you will run into owners that want nothing to do with it, and for liability reasons will not allow you to enter the property. In this case, you should have a release of liability contract ready to show the owner, that you will release all liability of you and your group when performing an investigation. Meaning, if you get hurt, the property owner will not and cannot be held responsible for the accident. (This type of contract should always be included in your paperwork.)

Some owners do not want any type of publicity, and will express so. Which is why you should have a confidential contract. This will give your permission to publish any results publicly, or keep all evidence, the location, and the owners information private from public view. Meaning, you may do the investigation, but the results, the location, and the personal information gathered, will only be viewable by you and your group and not released to the public. You should always have this contract in your paperwork. This will keep you away from any legal allegations.

No matter how hard you try, you may not get permission from some property owners. Give them a business card of your group, just in case the owner changes his or her mind, and move on. The investigation will not begin until, you have gained full permission to do so.

You may also find that you may run into owners, who would be extremely excited to have you perform the investigation on their property. Thanks to the new breed of paranormal investigation shows on television, more and more owners are finding out the benefits for having their property declared, well, haunted.....

You may find that some property owners are aware of their properties hauntings, but will refrain from allowing you to investigate the property because they may be scared of what the entities will do if they allow you to intrude on their territory. Some people may feel that leaving things be, well is the best coarse of action.

Two ways to go with this, either respect their wishes and move on. Or educate them on your investigation tactics, and how you can help them rid of these entities, or live at peace, knowing they are their. (Only perform this if you know specialists, or know what you are doing.)

Always remember, you are working hard to gain credentials, and blowing them with one trespassing offense can ruin any one's Ghost hunting profession...

Always ask for permission

Investigation of a house in Stevens Point, done by the SPPI.

Investigation done by the SPPI

Click HERE to hear 2 EVP's captured during the investigation.
Tomahawk, WI

We were notified of a house that had some strange activity going on an hours drive north of Stevens Point. The family’s young daughter, had been seeing dark figures in her younger brothers room. She had asked her mother if they were gonna keep watching her brother as he slept. She described them as a man and 2 young boys, completely black with no faces. The boys were wearing hats similar to baseball caps worn backwards. She would see them occasionally in her brother’s room or the hallway.

Earlier this year, the son started seeing something in his room that scared him. He would run from his room into his mothers arms. He called this thing "Jack Jack". He wasn't sleeping through the night in his bed, so this thing was possibly the culprit. He saw him in his room and the hall outside his room.

During the investigation, we found nothing with our EMF detector. We set up our night shot video camera, used a tape recorder to see if we could find anything. The children were present so I didn't want to let them know what we were doing. While they were in one room I went into the little boy’s bedroom and shut the door. I stood in the middle of the room, with my tape recorder going asking questions. I had a terrible feeling come over me, an overwhelming feeling of fear. I thought about this child feeling this and knew that something had to be done. After finishing my recordings, I took Holy Water and went through every room of the house, commanding any spirits that might be there to leave and not return in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. This isn't the first time I had done this.

The next day I received a call from the mother of the children, she told me that her son had come up to her and was very happy. He told her that he wasn't scared anymore and that "Jack Jack" was gone and wasn't coming back. I asked her if he said how he knew that and she replied 'no'. In the next few days he did mention this a couple more times, saying that "Jack Jack" went Home, and that he was with his mommy now.

There has been no more talk of "Jack Jack" and he has not been frightened of anything in his bedroom.

Haunted lighthouse? Sherwood Point, Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin

This article is from the www.examiner.com

May 31, 11:41 PM by Cheri Esperon

Others may write about it, but Northern Alliance of Paranormal Investigators are the only paranormal investigative team ever authorized by the US Coast Guard to investigate this location.

History: Built in 1883 the lighthouse stands atop a cliff nestled in the woods in Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin. The following year, Minnie Hesh came from New York to visit her uncle, Lighthouse Keeper Henry Stanley. She stayed on and eventually married William Cochems in 1889. William acted as assistant keeper in the lighthouse until the death of Henry Stanley in 1895. At that time William was named first keeper, in 1889 Minnie was officially named as assistant keeper and joined the ranks of the few women to ever be lighthouse keepers in the US.

William and Minnie lived happily on the bluff, raising their children and tending the light until August 17, 1828. While rising from bed, Minnie collapsed and passed away. William lovingly erected a birdbath in memorial of Minnie, which still stands on the property.

After Minnie's death, William tended the lighthouse alone until he retired until 1933. Conrad Stram assumed the position of keeper and maintained Sherwood point until 1945. The US Coast Guard maintained the lighthouse until 1983 when Sherwood Point, the last manned lighthouse on Lake Michigan became automated. The lighthouse is still property of the US Coast Guard and is now used as a morale retreat for members.

Claims: Numerous vacationing Coast Guard members and their families have claimed to have been visited by a ghost while staying at Sherwood Point. Claims include hearing walking on stairs, voices and mysterious cleaning such as dishes being put away and beds being made. In the bedroom in which Minnie passed away, numerous people claim that the bed will be left unmade, only to be found neatly made later. Another claim stated the kitchen table had been set for breakfast sometime during the night. Perhaps Minnie is still tending her beloved lighthouse.

The Investigation: We were invited to spend the weekend at Sherwood Point lighthouse on the 80th anniversary of Minnie's death. The team was comprised of myself, Joe, Jeni, Mike, Chelle, Chelle's husband Big Joe, My husband, Rick and former member Rachel. We had planned to spend the first night experiencing the site and reading the volumes of journals left by past visitors that detailed their paranormal experiences. We did set up one audio recorder but no other investigative equipment.

The following morning before we set out to conduct research at the local library, we listened to parts of the audio. Within 10 minutes of the recording a female laugh could be heard when the building had been empty. About 20 minutes later you hear, Mike & I discussing the computer while alone in the kitchen. A female voice was recorded, the tone was almost irritated or mocking, and it sounded like blah blah blah-blah blah, as if she was tired of hearing "tech-talk". We plugged the audio recorder into the computer to further analyze the audio and watched in utter horror when "reformatting" appeared on the screen and the audio recordings were erased. No audio was captured during the following night's investigation.

After conducting our research and paying our respects at Minnie & Williams Graves, we returned to the lighthouse to set up for the actual investigation.

The investigation plan was to send two very different teams, with two very different personality styles into the lighthouse while the other remained in the garage about 200 feet from the house. The first team, comprised of Jeni, Chelle and Rachel with Big Joe video taping, was much more softer in personality, speech and demeanor. Team two; Joe, Mike & I, again accompanied by Big Joe had a much different personality style, much bolder, stronger and less "polite." Several digital audio recorders, night vision cameras and video recorders were placed throughout the building. The Coast Guard had provided us with a thermal camera which was used in addition to EMF detectors, digital cameras and IR temp guns. As we set up for the investigation, we were treated to a rapidly forming thunderstorm that was amazing to watch. Black clouds quickly rolled in, the temperature dropped and within 30 minutes we were bathed in darkness.

The actual investigation was uneventful, after the investigation as team members headed off to try to sleep despite the sticky humid weather. I went to bed alone in the bedroom Minnie had passed away in, while her husband remained outside to cool off. Several times during the night she awoke to what she thought was husband entering the room, however when she opened her eyes, she was alone. At about 4am in the morning, the house was awoken by the sound of her bedroom door slamming open with such force it put a dent in the wall.

We placed a video camera in the room pointed at the door and settled down to go back to sleep. Several more times I thought she heard footsteps in the room and was anxious to review the video the next morning. However when she went to watch the tape, the first 20 minutes were completely blank. The remaining video only recorded a still door and the snores of the sleeping household.

Conclusion of investigation: While we did have some personal experiences and can't discount the stories left behind by visiting military personnel, we collected no concrete evidence of a haunting at Sherwood Point. The ceiling fan in the master bedroom does make sounds that may be interpreted by a sleepy mind a voices or footsteps. In addition tourists and looky-loos tend to wonder onto the property at odd hours to photograph the lighthouse, and generally are not quiet about their arrival. Footsteps and voices might be attributed to these visitors. The building is old and sound carries strangely through it. Team members upstairs heard the door bang while Jeni & Joe and Mike slept soundly in the rooms right next door.

The lighthouse is surrounded by woods on 3 sides and lake on the fourth. Animals may also be responsible for some of the sounds heard and mistaken for a ghost by other visitors.

A return trip to Sherwood is planned by some members in August of 2009. They will continue to try to collect evidence that the lighthouse is haunted, and try to make contact with the ghosts that remain at Sherwood Point Lighthouse.

The Treasure Chest, Plainfield, Wisconsin

This case report comes from Wisconsin Paranormal

• Location: Plainfield, WI
• Date: 01.31.09
• Time: 9:00pm - 3:15am
• Weather: 32.9/Clear (Outdoors) & 44.6-61.5 (Indoors)
• Investigation Type: Indoor/Business/Residential
• Investigators: Jay, Katie, Allen, Paul, Maddie, Laura, Perry, Amy, Ashley & Jackie
• Classification: Public

Details: WPI was contacted via website email by the client requesting help with unexplainable activity. Client claims included, but are not limited to: footsteps, knocking on doors, pounding, doors opening/closing, sound of a woman’s voice, an apparition and lights turning on by themselves. The client wanted validity in their claims and do not necessarily feel threatened.

Findings: The first experience WPI had occurred during set-up when the cash register, which was off, printed the date on the receipt and turned back off. There is a possibility that this was caused by lead investigator Allen who was examining possible live wires in the basement. We also captured unexplainable shadow formations on two photographs taken in the basement of adjacent property. Both photographs share the same shadow on the right side, where the other also includes a shadow on the left side. Please visit the Photo & Video Evidence page and see photograph exhibits: Plainfield Bldg. B Basement Photo 01 - 1 shadow and Plainfield Bldg. B Basement Photo 02 - 2 shadows.

Upon trying to recreate the anomalies, we could not find a way to recreate these same shadows by any means with the same equipment.

Allen and Ashley, while investigating the apartment of the Treasure Chest, captured an EVP. Allen asks a question in regards to the man having died in the room and there is a faint “Yeah” in response to his question. Please visit the EVP page to hear EVP exhibit Treasure Chest Bedroom EVP 01.

Allen found EMF readings in excess of 15.0 coming from a coax-cable in the ceiling above Lona’s bed. A situation such as this may cause headaches, uneasiness, feelings of being watched, mild hallucinations; et al. WPI believes the cable in question requires better grounding to reduce these EMF levels. Otherwise temperatures appeared normal and did not fluctuate within rooms. We did find the basement of the adjacent property was home to several bats; however there have been no claims pertaining to this property.

We also noted the vast amount of religious artifacts and materials spread about the apartment of the tenants residing in the adjacent property. This may be due to their cultural and religious beliefs and not due to possible paranormal activity.

Conclusion: WPI believes there could be something paranormal based upon some of the claims where we were not able to find natural, reasonable explanations for these claims. The only exception would be with the high EMF readings explained above, which would not only cause the noted side effects, but could also lead to Electrical Hypersensitivity (EH). Despite the EVP and photographs we cannot say that the Treasure Chest and adjacent property are haunted, as the evidence overall is inconclusive.

The Treasure Chest ~ Plainfield, WI 01.31.09

Investigators: Jay, Katie, Allen, Paul, Maddie, Laura, Ashley, Perry, Amy & Jackie

The following are unexplainable shadow formations on two photographs taken in the basement of adjacent property. Both photographs share the same shadow on the right side, where the second also includes a shadow on the left side. Upon trying to recreate the anomalies, we could not find a way to recreate these same shadows by any means with the same equipment.