Written By Susan Fair
I have always been fascinated by ghost stories. In the past eight years, encouraged by Ghost Hunters and other paranormal TV shows, a whole new generation has descended upon haunted battlefields, spooky attics, and deserted insane asylums. I realized that I could explore the world of ghost hunting with “kindred spirits.” So I decided to keep a journal.
Since writing the journal, I have sidelined myself from ghost hunting. But I have discovered that spook pursuit is rather like being in the Mafia: Once you are in, there is no getting out. Barely a day goes by that I do not find a a report of an EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) in my inbox.
During my year of living paranormally, I hunted ghosts with police officers, PhDs., air traffic controllers, lawyers, IT people, teachers, postal workers, people on disability, kids and dogs. I met some truly nice folks; some who want confirmation that the dearly departed “live on” and others who just want to help them move on.
But I imagine that if the spirits really are there they must be quite bewildered by what they see: ghost hunters with matching tee shirts advertising their paranormal groups, strange equipment dangling from their necks, shedding dead batteries and tiny energy drink bottles, calling out questions to empty spaces. I imagine wraiths shaking their heads at us, nudging one another, and saying in dismay “They’re baaaack!”
Ghost Hunting Conference – Gettysburg, Summer 2008
Took part in an after-hours investigation of the Jennie Wade House. One of the conference speakers, whose gimmick was to “act out” historic events in order to provoke ghosts into action, had me stand at the table where poor Jennie had been kneading dough when she was killed by a stray bullet.
He directed me to pretend to be shot, then fall to the ground “dead.” As someone who likes to be inconspicuous, I found this “interesting” but did not evoke any spirits.
Speaker was nice enough to take a photo of me lying “dead” on the floor, which I suppose could be used by an underachieving hit-man at some later date. Later that night, the same speaker invited me to “come with him and he’ll show me where the real ghosts are.” Quickly learned this is the ghost-hunting equivalent of, “Hey baby, come here often?”
Evidence caught: 0: Paranormal experiences: 0. Embarrassment level: moderate.
Gettysburg, August 2008
Arranged to go ghost hunting with someone I met at the convention the month before. Despite barely knowing each other, spent from 8:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. “investigating.”
Reviewed the evidence later and discovered a voice on my recorder which said in clear, pleasant, sing-song tones, “I see you!”
Evidence caught: One awesome EVP. Paranormal experiences: 0. Embarrassment level: low.
Civil War BattleField Maryland, September 2008
7 p.m. Met a paranormal group – an online hook-up – in the parking lot of the visitor center at well known battlefield.
In the spirit, I assume, of fundraising, the park was selling “overnights” on the battlefield to paranormal groups. A park ranger met us and accompanied us on our adventure, which was scheduled to go from 7 p.m. until 3 a.m.
Took picture of the ranger good-naturedly snapping a photo of the team leader’s car, which had a large ghost hunting logo plastered on the driver’s side door.
Interesting group. Learned that one member routinely paid the way for another member, who was disabled and down on his luck.
Group leader a combination of aging hippy and down-home hillbilly. Seemed eccentric but pleasant.
By 3:10 a.m., the nice ranger’s patience with us ran out, probably at the exact time he was supposed to be heading home to get some sleep but instead found himself stuck waiting for dilatory ghost hunters to re-emerge from the battlefield.
The group leader was the holdup. Said he had been shot by phantom muskets, was in pain and having difficulty making it back to the parking area. Was cold and wet (did not plan ahead for walking through damp cornfields and wound up with soggy sneakers). Leader finally staggered into parking lot. No visible wounds. Last I heard, the battlefield was no longer offering overnights to ghost hunters.
Evidence caught: 0. Paranormal experiences: 0. Embarrassment level: Severe
Fort MiFFlin, Philadelphia PA, Fall 2008
Same group as the last investigation – I had already paid for the overnight at Mifflin, a revolutionary era fort in Philadelphia, before meeting the group, and, lured by the alleged haunted awesomeness of the location, decided to go through with the trip.
1 a.m. Worked with two other investigators “talking” to a spirit via a pendulum, a stone swinging at the bottom of a string. Was rather windy but no one seemed concerned that the breeze could account for the movement of the pendulum, which gamely confirmed that yes, there was a little girl’s ghost there, and yes, she did have a cute little dog.
2:15 a.m. Along with several other members of the group, observed a door open and close by itself. Cool!
4 a.m. Inside a 200-year-old guard house with some of the investigators, trying to communicate with the dead. Felt something brush against me as I slumped slightly backward (was beyond tired, despite a five-hour energy drink and multiple “energy mints”) and decided to turn around and shine my flashlight to check out the surface I was touching. (Earlier in the night I had seen the largest spider I have ever encountered and was a little wary).
On turning around was startled to discover there was nothing behind me. What had pressed against my back then? Could it have been an overly friendly, long deceased guard? Then again, it was 4 a.mÉ.
Evidence caught: 0. Paranormal experiences: 2. Embarrassment level: guarded (embarrassing behavior engaged in, but there was not really anyone around to see it).
Gettysburg, Early Fall 2008
Met up with a random team of ghost hunters, a group that could only be described as “eclectic.” One of the investigators, a young fireman with his girlfriend in tow, left early. Emailed him later, asked what he thought of the group and if he had to leave early because his girlfriend got scared. He said he did leave because his girlfriend was scared – but it wasn’t ghosts she was scared of, it was the other investigators.
Gettysburg, Late Fall 2008
Spent 15 minutes in Spangler’s Spring Meadow with a group of ghost hunters trying to help a psychic, who tagged along uninvited, find her lost pendulum.
This was a new group, another internet blind date of sorts, and they were a lot of fun, except for the psychic, who kept crying because she was “picking up” the pain of the soldiers.
Finally, as we went to leave, the psychic accidentally stepped into a muddy ditch and promptly sank up to her thighs in mud. She emergeed dirty and dripping and the rest of the group broke into uncontrollable laughter.
“If she’s psychic, how come she didn’t know that mud was there?” jeered one of the group, a 20-something computer programmer. Left the psychic at the meadow without telling her where our next stop was. Ran into her later in the evening and she glared at us; never spoke to any of us again.
Evidence: 0. Paranormal experiences: 0. Embarrassment level: elevated.
Ghost Hunting Conference, Gettysburg, Early Spring 2009
Huge three-day event.
Day 1: Only “spirits” in evidence so far were those being carted in by attendees in brown paper bags; this included my own contribution of a bottle of Lemoncello.
Day 2: Spotted a friend giving an impromptu ghost hunting lesson to a couple who seemed out of place. They were 50-somethings, well dressed, and looked as if they had taken a wrong turn on their way to a wine-tasting event. They appeared to be having the time of their lives, though, laughing and nudging one another.
“What’s the deal with them?” I asked when they left. Was told the couple recently lost their 16 year old son. “But they seem so happyÉ” The friend explained that the couple believed they received communication from the boy from the other side, hence their newfound interest in, and apparent gratitude for, the paranormal.
Day 3: The Exorcist’s Revenge: Listened to a speaker, an exorcist, do a presentation. He was talking about Satanism and announced that human sacrifice is “not all that unusual.”
“I’d like to think it’s a little unusual,” I stage-whispered to the person sitting next to me, who pretended not to hear me. Moments later, my cell phone, which I swear I ALWAYS keep on “silent” when I’m out, rang, breaking the silence of the rapt audience. My ringtone? The theme from “The Exorcist.”
Embarrassment level: Severe
Antietam: Late Spring 2009
Took a ghost hunting friend with me to Antietam for his first tour of the battlefield. Since I had decided not to investigate on battlefields anymore (that’s another story in itself), I waited some distance away while he “did EVPs” inside an outbuilding in a somewhat isolated area of the park.
A female hiker wandered by and I saw her pause in front of the building, from which my unseen friend, trying to connect with long gone soldiers, was calling out, “Officer! Sir! Do you need help?” Feigned obliviousness and fiddled with my camera. The hiker moved on quickly.
Occurred to me then that perhaps some paranormal encounters can be attributed to people unknowingly stumbling upon ghost hunters in the act of investigatingÉ
Mount Airy, Maryland: Summer 2009
I had dozed off in front of the TV after a long night of watching paranormal shows. Something startled me awake, and that was when I saw it – a figure materializing before me. Within moments it had taken the shape of a large, portly man.
He was wearing a Ghostbusters tee-shirt – a big favorite among ghost hunters. “Do I know you?” I asked, thinking in my grogginess that some goofball had followed me home from an investigation.
I held up my remote control and pressed a random button and to my surprise, the apparition disappeared.
“Whew!” I breathed, relieved. To get my mind off the strange encounter, I began changing channels. I stopped at a special on Bigfoot that was playing on the Discovery Channel.
“Cool!” I said. “I’ll bet I could find people to go on a Bigfoot hunting expedition This could be a lot of fun! I think I’ll keep a journal…”
