Chasing Shadows

Ghost Hunting Evidence Reporting

2012-03-04T17:01:00.000-08:00

When it comes to investigating the paranormal, historical research, technology and even conducting the investigation are only a small portion of the actual work. The most significant portion of work in paranormal investigating is the actual evaluation of the evidence and presenting it to the client.

Evidence analysis typically takes hours or even days depending on the amount of video footage, audio and photos that were taken during the course of the paranormal investigation. A simple example of this would be a basic investigation that utilizes 6 static cameras, 4 hand-held cameras, 4 voice recorders and 2 still cameras. If the investigation takes 8 hours, then that can equal 80 hours of video, 32 hours of audio and several hundred photos just for a one night investigation. The analysis of this data can take three people up to 12 hours to review or more.

The burdensome task of conveying these results to the client can be accomplished in a simple presentation but if you’re attempting to convey the validity of your work, a couple of digital files and what the client remembers of what you told them does not help.

Typically a client expects copies of any evidence that you obtain and some explanation for the results of your investigation. The extensive results need to be explained in some fashion that can be interpreted by other investigators that follow in your footsteps because at its heart, science is about replicating tests to duplicate results. If another investigator cannot duplicate your tests then your results are inherently flawed.

This is why many professional teams present their evidence in the form of a written report that can be easily interpreted by the client or other investigators. The elements of these reports vary widely but include three primary areas; the team experiences, media evidence and survey.

When the Shadow Chasers were first created it was a matter of anthropological research combined with environmental survey methods, so it was only natural to present data to the client in the form of an environmental survey report with an anthropological summary of the investigation.

This approach was fine for a number of years, it provided perfectly accurate information that any investigator could follow after our investigation. It was also presented in a professional scientific manner that demonstrated our level of professionalism in the field. Unfortunately, most clients were only interested in a summary and the evidence. Worse still, few clients could interpret the scientific jargon and presentation. It also took us a number of days to compile the data into the report and some reports were in excess of 9 pages.

It was apparent that our reporting process was flawed and needed to be changed to something that the client was interested in and could understand. It needed to be simplified.

After some discussion and retooling, the reports that we presented to the client needed to have 3 primary aspects; a summary of the results, a discussion of the site and investigation methods and a summary of the evidence found in each of the categories: Experiences, Photo, Video and Audio. We allowed the summary of methods and protocol to be shortened into a simple summary that could point back to other documents rather than be forced into the report and used abbreviated summaries for each of the smaller sections. The reports were compressed to exactly what the client was looking for and nothing more but still had all of the scientific data referenced so that it could be validated.

Reporting and evidence presentation are a fundamental requirement for paranormal research in order to establish credibility and validity. It’s not only about how you conduct the investigation it’s about what the client needs and what they will have as an example of your work.

New Ghost Hunting Technology

2012-02-24T11:18:00.000-08:00

I originally started formally investigating the paranormal back in 2001/2002 as the result of an anthropology fieldwork course. When I was first starting out it was a matter of anthropology, claims of the paranormal were just folkloric accounts. All I needed was a cassette recorder to document the accounts and access to a computer to transcribe the interview for the records. Investigations were simple and the purpose was clear, document the folklore to preserve these legends.

Late 2002-2003 investigations took on another aspect, understanding why people believed in these stories. Adding environmental survey technology and even psychology to investigations became the norm. Environmental survey tech was needed to authenticate claims, was there something in the environment that was causing behavioral changes or was there objective evidence to be found?

Since that time, investigations became a combination of authentication technology and documentation technology. At first it was magnetometers and hardline CTS cameras but things were still in question. Investigations were laborious and the technology was only adding to the problem. To assure that the client was receiving the best possible results we had to keep appraised of new technology that could help and adopt whatever was best for our work.

Today paranormal investigation technology still falls into one of three primary categories/roles; Documentation, Authentication and Communication/Experimental.

The best possible technology for any paranormal investigation or ghost hunt currently available includes:

Documentation

Sony HDD Nightshot Camcorders for portability and extended-life batteries with slow-shot & tripods for static cams. These make setting up a quick effort and are far more adaptable than hardline or wireless CTS camera systems.

Zoom H1/H3 Audio Recorders for clarity of audio and sophistication of playback capabilities.

Authentication

Magnitec 263 Tri-field AC Electromagnetic Radiation meter. This EMF meter is the most accurate providing peak axis and RMS averaging with adjustable backlit display.

Archos 5 IMT This tablet is easily adaptable becoming an EMF meter, oscilloscope, RF analyzer or anything else that could be necessary depending on the accessories available.

Communication/Experimental

PX Ovilus from Digital Dowsing. The device takes in environmental energies and outputs the results as audible translations such as phonetics or samples from the internal dictionary.

New Ghost Hunting Technology

While these are the best possible technology for ghost hunting right now it doesn't meant that there aren't new innovations in the works. Through our experience we have found many questionable technology sources and a few very strong, reliable sources. Amazon and eBay are very strong places for finding technology if you know what you are looking for but these are not the newest tech nor the most innovative. The best technology outfitters that we have found include LessEMF, Digital Dowsing, Paranologies and Ghoststop.

One innovation in camera technology is the new Looxcie LX2 camcorder. This is an ear-worn 5-10hr camcorder that utilizes Bluetooth technology to pair with a smartphone or tablet. The Looxcie is designed to record at standard resolution for a set period of time or the most innovative feature; record on a continuous loop at lower quality and saving short clips as the record button is pressed. While not an IR camera it makes an excellent POV cam with wireless capabilities so it can be viewed from 15-20ft away.

Digital Dowsing and founder Bill Chapel are widely know for his creative innovations in ghost hunting technology. Digital Dowsing has a wide array of innovative and brilliant technology with both soft-science and legitimate science for paranormal authentication.

Some of the most brilliant technologies that have recently been developed include the Thermasound, a device that scans a room for sonar and thermal variations logging multiple data points that can later be reviewed; The Visual Ovilus, basically an IR camera with a built-in ovilus that displays the words on the video; the ES Probe, a device that translates audio impulses into electromagnetic impulses; the SEM detectors, an E-detector that reacts to bio-electric, DC, AC and static fields.

Ghoststop has become a large ghost hunting outfitter and is not only responsible for all of the basic investigative tools but they have also started producing a few new devices including a new long-life laser net for more accurate measurements and an experimental spirit touch device that is similar in design to the SEM detectors built by Digital Dowsing.

This new technology is not entirely innovative but they do have improvements on basic equipment and a wide array drawing on the most practical and widely used ghost hunting technology by amateur investigators.

The most innovative new technology that we have seen is actually coming from custom designers that have extensive experience with electronics and ghost hunting. Groups like Moditronic that modify cameras and produce Full Spectrum Cameras (or para-spectrum) that video and photo UV and IR, or produce devices like the Paracorder, a static detector and EM pump. Other individuals manufacture Geophones, EM pumps and IR illuminators to help with authentication or documentation of phenomena.

One group that is producing the most innovative new paranormal technology is Paranologies. A group out of Texas that is producing the most creative and professional technology to fill the gaps in current ghost hunting technology with devices like 180 illuminators (UV, IR) that light up a full room; Parascope, a simple energy detectors (like digital dowsing); Para-Pyramid that provides sonar detection; more sophisticated geophones; integrated dvr 180 cameras and by-far the most brilliant piece of technology the Tri-Field Audio-Visual Recorder, a device that films 4 different angles at once with two independent channel omni-directional microphones.

In the past, paranormal research equipment has been developed in laboratories for university researchers. As ghost hunting became a mainstream past-time, the last decade has seen more innovation in authentication, documentation and communication technology than any other point in research history. One can only wonder what the next advancements will be.

Haunted Investigation of the USS Salem

2011-11-03T18:34:00.000-07:00

On August 19th, the Shadow Chasers teamed up with several affiliate members to investigate the USS Salem in Quincy, Massachusetts.
While we have been in service since 2002, we have never been ones to target prestige locations, and in-fact we have had nearly 90% of all of our cases come to us, this was to be our second 'Paranormal Road Trip.' The site was notoriously haunted and well within driving distance. The team unanimously decided it would be worth our time and an investment to investigate one of America's most notoriously haunted locations.

History: Ordered by the US Navy on 14 June, 1943, USS Salem (CA 139) was laid down on 4 July, 1945 at the Bethlehem Steel Company's Quincy Yard in Quincy, MA and launched on 25 March, 1947. She was commissioned at the Boston Navy Yard on 14 May, 1949.

USS Salem served a distinguished 10 year career as flagship of the US Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean and the Second Fleet in the Atlantic. During her career she served as host to such notables as the US Ambassador to Spain, John D. Lodge; the Honorable Thomas S. Gates, Undersecretary of the Navy; Admiral Arleigh A. Burke, USN, Chief of Naval Operations; the Shah of Iran; the President of Lebanon and the King and Queen of Greece.
Although Salem never fired her mighty guns in anger, her very presence served as a stimulus for peace during those troubled times that came to be called the Cold War. She served as a Lady of Diplomacy, rather than as a means of exerting brute force.

After four months of local operations, Salem sailed for Guantanamo Bay on 24 January 1953 for training. Returning to Boston on 27 February, she sailed for the Mediterranean on 17 April and again relieved Newport News as flagship. Her fourth deployment was marked by Exercise "Weldfest" and by emergency relief work after the 1953 Ionian Earthquake which devastated the Ionian Islands. Salem was the first American ship to arrive on the scene, and provided relief supplies and assistance from 13 August until her own stocks ran low four days later. Relieved by Des Moines as flagship on 9 October, she returned to Boston on 24 October and entered the shipyard for overhaul.
USS Salem was decommissioned on 30 January, 1959 and joined the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.In

October 1994, Salem was returned to her birthplace in Quincy, Massachusetts where she is now a museum ship as part of the United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum. Salem also houses the USS Newport News Museum, The US Navy Cruiser Sailors Association Museum, and the US Navy Seals Exhibit room.

Planning Phase: In most investigations you contact the proprietor and work with them to set up an ideal investigation date. The USS Salem was quite a bit different. One of our Twitter friends sent out a flyer about investigations on the ship. After inquiring, she started relaying information between our requests and the actual paranormal teams responsible for the preservation of the ship. After some discussion we were invited to spend the entire night on the ship for a private investigation.

Despite a few miss-communications we eventually managed to establish a time and date for the 19th at 6PM-7AM. A few days before hand we verified the time and date with our contact. The primary team's director was not able to respond but our contact assured us that everything was taken care of for our investigation. We were told that we could arrive at any time and our contact would be on-hand after 5:30.

Road Trip: We set out from Utica at noon and met up with our team member Sean for lunch. Continuing on from there we discussed the history of the location and all of the reported activity from the site. Investigations by Ghost Hunters and all of the teams that discussed the USS Salem from the History Channel to the Syfy Channel all claimed extensive history and activity on the site. We arrived in Quincy, MA at just before 5PM. Since we were were in unfamiliar territory on the docks we decided to check in with the ship first. Unfortunately, we decided to stop at what we assumed were the offices for the Salem. This led to a parking issue with the MBTA parking fees and their confusing directions for the parking lot.

After dealing with the confusing parking lot rules to avoid getting our cars towed, we headed up the gangplank and buzzed the ship at the security gate. We were promptly met by our contacts who informed us that we were more than welcome aboard and we could either order to the ship or go and grab dinner before the investigation. We were also informed that the ship had it's own parking lot that was exempt from the MBTA hassle. We opted to go out and grab dinner and go over our plans for the investigation based on our new information. Taking our ques from our investigation at Rolling Hills we decided that it would be best to forego any supplies and just head back to the ship.

On Site: We arrived almost an hour early and met with our contacts who offered to assist us with bringing our gear up to the ship. After several trips from our cars to the ship we managed to get all of our gear on deck. Our contacts brought us down into the forward wardroom to give us the initial overview and the waivers for the investigation.

We reviewed the procedures, safety protocols and the hazards of navigating the ship.

Once the overview was out of the way, our contacts took us on a walk-through of the ship explaining all of the related stories and areas of the ship that we would have access to throughout our investigation. We were informed that the 'Butter Room' where the bodies were originally stored during the relief efforts for the Ionian disaster would be off limits due to hazards. We would be limited from investigating the anchor room, the sub-decks, engineering and the bridge (depending on the weather). Aside from the few restrictions we were granted access to the entire ship. Our contacts informed us that they would only have the 3-4 members on-hand throughout the night and for the most part they would stay out of sight. The ship was wired with a number of IR surveillance cameras that they could use to monitor most of the ship. As a result, they could stay out of our investigation and make sure that everyone was safe throughout the investigation.

Reviewing the activity for the ship, our contacts tell us about the activity in the anchor room where staff and visitors have reported seeing a figure walk the corridors and where Jason and Grant experienced the most of their activity when Ghost Hunters investigated the ship in 2009. The wardroom was reported to have shadow apparitions passing through the room, the dentist's office, infirmary and lower ops rooms (now museum rooms) had reports of apparitions and the sounds of the crew tending to their duties. We were admitted into the building and had to fill out the requisite waivers for the investigation. Our base would be the Forward Wardroom but there were also reports of apparitions passing through the starboard hatches. Once more, the host team offered to help us set up and move gear into position if we needed it. From initially setting foot on board to having all of our equipment in place, including their tour took a little more than two hours. We had 9 cameras in place on extended batteries. We placed cameras in the forward anchor room corridor, forward ward room facing the requisite hatches, port corridor facing down the length of the ship to the stern, another in the starboard corridor near the galley, another in the stern crew quarters on the starboard side, another in the starboard wardroom, another in the port prep-room/museum, another in the port crew quarters and two more cameras place at the stern.

Investigation: We opened our investigation by dividing into two teams. Kate and Courtinie started on the weather deck while Sean, Josh and Phil started on the lowest deck in what used to be the Navy Seals prep area. The investigation was fairly straight forward except for audio. There was a mysterious deck call though the intercom system periodically. We contacted our hosts and they managed to silence the museum trapping so that we could have clean audio. Unfortunately, due to the Salem's position in the harbor, the traffic passing over the bridge outside was so loud that even three decks below the weather deck we could hear the traffic. Slowly the teams searched each deck noting EM and ES anomalies and after several hours the teams re-grouped in the forward wardroom. Even with all of the equipment in place and a consistent survey strategy the investigation of the ship was an immense task. We had yet to have any experiences or capture anything significant. One of our hosts stopped in to let us know that we would have access to the bridge later in the evening and a few additional areas of the ship.

After some discussion we decided to investigate in parallel with one team in the starboard corridor and another in the port corridor surveying deck-by-deck. Initially leaving the forward wardroom Sean and Josh glimpsed a shadow figure down the port corridor at the stern of the ship. Several team members witnessed the figure but we were unable to capture it on video. We investigated throughout the galley, crew quarters, medical bay and starboard wardroom. In the galley room we managed to capture some activity, some interactions with the equipment and even captured several EVPs. After a couple of hours our team needed to regroup and grab some additional batteries as well as some additional equipment before proceeding but when we returned to the Forward Wardroom we asked our hosts if they had any snacks or drinks on-hand, they responded that we could send a couple team members out to grab some supplies if we wanted. This was the complete opposite of Rolling Hills.

Continuing our investigation after the resupply, we were able to document a number of audible phenomena that sounded like footsteps and voices that were coming crew quarters and galley near the stern. Our investigation was interrupted during a resupply as our hosts asked us to stay below decks because of a disturbance outside the ship. Several drunken men were outside in the parking lot throwing things at the ship.

After the incident we were invited to climb up to the bridge and the signal deck. We were able to investigate the captain's cabin, bridge and various other rooms. We received some responses on our equipment from the captain's cabin but little recorded activity. Returning to the wardroom, our hosts interceded again inviting us to investigate one of the closed sections of the ship. The Combat Information Center. This time all of our team and our hosts guided us into the CIC to investigate. Once everyone was in the CIC everyone heard the sounds of men running on the upper decks and hatches closing. This alerted our hosts as no one else was on board. from rooms while we were in them. As everyone climbed to the upper decks the sounds receded and no one could identify the source.

We regrouped and investigated a number of additional rooms that were now available to us including another converted museum room with an old diving suit. A few EVPs were caught from the diving suit room but activity seemed to be declining. Heading to the stern of the ship we managed to capture a number of interactions with the flashlight and voice recorders. The most significant response was when we placed the PX across the room and asked for a response. The PX responded with several names and reactions to our questions but when we asked for a more significant response the device was shoved from its position and almost thrown to the deck. We retreated back to the wardroom and retrieved some much needed caffeine and equipment while we discussed the next phase.

After deliberation we decided to perform another full sweep of the stern galley and rear weather deck but this time we did not capture any more additional EVPs. We decided to focus on the crew quarters where we had also captured activity previously. As we entered the room we caught a shadow figure moving through the starboard hatch. We were unable to capture any additional activity and most of our cameras were full with more than 9hours of video on each not counting the additional handhelds were were using.

The Wrap Up: Our investigation of USS Salem concluded watching a very stunning sunrise on the weather deck. We packed our equipment, headed out to the cars and were invited back to investigate whenever we could come out again. The Shadow Chasers investigation of the USS Salem was certainly an adventure. We captured a number of audible phenomena on multiple audio recorders and video. We captured a few interesting photographs and had a number of experiences. Would we want to go back and investigate the Salem? The definitive answer is Absolutely.

The USS Salem was an impressive site to investigate and the host team was great to work with on an investigation. Even though Ghost Hunters had limited experiences and little evidence from their investigation our results showed the site was haunted.

Early Morning in Salem waiting on the Coffee shop to open.

The USS Salem is known for its history and more recently for its paranormal activity. The ship is a historic site with a long legacy and although it was never in combat, it has quite a bit of truth to the accounts. Experiencing the ship is definitely a unique experience and quite limited opportunity. The close of this particular Paranormal Road Trip brought us from Quincy and the USS Salem up to the town of Salem. Unfortunately we arrived in town almost two hours before anything in Salem opened.

USS Friendship in Salem Harbor

Remsen Stone Meeting House Investigation

2011-10-27T21:09:00.000-07:00

The Remsen Stone Meeting House was initially a church built by early Welsh settlers to the Remsen Area. At the time when the Stone Meeting House was built, it was one of a multitude of Welsh churches. Now, it is one of four remaining Welsh churches.

source: Flickr. The Captain @ Vertiblog

Currently, the Stone Meeting House is home to the Remsen-Steuben Historical Society. The building is home to one of the largest Welsh history collections in the United States, and still has many of the original furnishings from when it was a church, including the wooden pews, the alter, and a pump organ.

The Shadow Chasers initially investigated the Stone Meeting House as part of a series of public investigations in conjunction with Townsquare Media. Despite the large amount of people in the building, there were multiple reports of curious events reported both nights the Meeting House was investigated.

The first night, multiple photographs were taken of ectoplasm on the grounds of the Stone Meeting House. One of the photos, pictured below, appears to take the form of a man wearing an old-fashioned outfit.

taken by Lindsay Pallas

Evidence also reported during the first investigation were high EMF readings that seemed to appear and then be gone soon after.

The second investigation took place the following week. Again, there was a large amount of people, but reports were still made of activity experienced. One such experience took place in front of the entire group. One investigator was wielding the 'Ghost Meter', a piece of equipment that lets out a loud beeping noise when near high energy. At one spot adjacent to the road the meter repeatedly went off. Because the investigator was near street-lights, those had to be ruled out. After much investigating, it was demonstrated that the meter only went off in a six foot high by two foot square area, roughly the size of a person. If the meter was moved towards the street light, the readings would die off. Moving the meter toward nearby power lines also indicated that the meter was not picking them up.

At the same time the meter was going off, a member of the Shadow Chasers, Courtinie Forbes, was using the Full-Spectrum camera, taking pictures of the general area the readings were coming from. When reviewing the pictures, there was a series of 6 pictures taken of the same area, but with a glowing section of the picture that moves in location from each picture, with the only source of light ( a streetlight) remaining consistently stationary.

Another interesting observation made at the Stone Meeting House involved the collection of Bibles housed in the second floor collection room. When an EMF meter was held up to the books in that room, the Bibles gave off a measurable level of EMF compared to the other books, even when there was no reason for them to be doing so. Paper does not hold an electrical charge, so there should be no reason for the Bibles to give those readings. Could this be a demonstration of the effect that belief has on the environment?

The Stone Meeting House is a building that has a diverse history. From its early years as a church created by Welsh settlers to bring a little bit of their old country into their new home, to its current use as the home of the Historical Society, the Stone Meeting House is a place to go to learn about history. If you're lucky, you may learn that history from a firsthand source.

Capitol Theater Paranormal Investigation

2011-10-21T05:49:00.000-07:00

Through all of the paranormal investigations and reportedly haunted locations spread throughout Central New York one of the most interesting and stylish hauntings in the Mohawk Valley is the depression era Capitol Theater in Rome, NY.

Conceived by Michael and Joseph Kallet in 1926, the property at 216-224 West Dominick Street was purchased and the new theater was announced in December of 1926 but the theater was not confirmed until March of 1927 when construction began.

In 1939 the theater received its Art Deco facelift but in 1974 the theater was closed as a ‘first-run’ movie house and shifted to theatrical productions and classic movies.

Originally planned for a Thanksgiving opening in 1928, a Pennsylvania steel strike delayed construction and prevented the theater from opening until December. Completed, the theater was designed as the premiere movie house in Rome with seating for 2,500, a Möller theater organ in the orchestra pit and two projectors designed for ‘talking pictures.”

While there have been few tragic events over the last 83 years of operation, there have been a number of paranormal occurrences reported. The first reports date back more than thirty years to accounts of a ghostly figure in the balcony and phantom organ music despite the lack of a working organ until its repair in 2003.

Witnesses report the shadow figure of a man, which is believed to be a former projectionist. Others feel that it is the spirit of a performer that haunts the balcony and stage. There are also reports of a ghostly cat that stalks the theater. Organ music, whispered conversations, opening doors and even the sounds of plays have been experienced by those at the theater late at night.

In the spring of 2010, the Shadow Chasers investigated the Rome Capitol Theater to document accounts of the hauntings at the site. The investigation started as the theater was closing up after the Saturday night movie.

The team divided into two teams to investigate the main auditorium sweeping for any anomalies. The primary anomalies were revealed as high EM from the aisle lighting from the seats. One peculiarity was a heightened EM field in the air above the ground floor seats.

Phil and Josh proceeded to investigate the dressing rooms under the stage while Kate and Courtinie moved to the concessions area to the second floor offices behind the balcony. While in the dressing room area Phil and Josh heard voices that they were able to record on camera. At the same time Kate and Courtinie heard voices coming from the stage area without any personnel visible.

Continuing the investigation into the maintenance tunnels Josh and Phil encountered a high energy field that drained all of the power from all of their electronics. As they started out of the tunnels to retrieve additional equipment they witnessed a ghostly cat that vanished into the prop-shop.

Kate and Courtinie were able to communicate with a spirit in the balcony through the use of a PX. The investigation concluded with the capture of a number of anomalous photos and EVPs.

A Ghostly Figure on the Left Stairs

In the spring of 2011 the team was requested back to conduct a ghost hunting training session for a number of individuals. This time the team divided into four separate teams of trainees. Kate and Courtinie led their teams to the balcony and the second floor offices while Josh led his team into the dressing room Phil was on the stage demonstrating the Full Spectrum(Para-Spectrum) Camera to his team when he snapped a burst series of the main auditorium. A phantom figure appeared on the left staircase in one of the three shots while there were no individuals on the stairs at the time.

One of the trainees had the vivitar nightvision camera and was consistently taking pictures. Approximately a few moments after the Full Spectrum camera captured the phantom figure the trainee captured another phantom figure on the stairs to the balcony with no people in the frame.

The most startling event of the evening was actually at the conclusion to the night. Phil and his team were talking with the administrator of the Theatre on the second floor when everyone glimpsed a figure go into the front offices and slam the door. The administrator responded "Did you just see someone shut that door?" The nods from everyone in the group sent the administrator racing downstairs to come in through the front entrance to the second floor offices. When the administrator returned he had to unlock the door that everyone had witnessed a figure open and close. The administrator informed us that there was no plausible way for someone to open and close the door let-alone get out of the building without anyone noticing.

The hauntings of the Rome Capitol Theatre have proven that they are more than legends and rumors from the history of the location. Even with a large number of people on-site, the paranormal activity
in the theatre remains very active.

Haunted Farnam Mansion Investigation

2011-10-13T05:57:00.000-07:00

Farnam Mansion

The brick Italianate Victorian mansion that is now the Collinwood Inn was built sometime between 1865 and 1870 for Stephen H. Farnam, a successful business owner, President of the National State Bank, and President of the Glenwood Cemetery Association. He was also one of the organizers and first directors of the Oneida Gas Light Company and served on its board of directors until his death. Stephen H. Farnam, who was for many years a well-known and highly esteemed citizen of Oneida, died in his home on November 17, 1897. According to his obituary, the cause of death was apoplexy. His funeral took place from the Farnam Mansion and his body was interred in Oneida's Glenwood Cemetery, which is known for having some of the grandest and most unusual tombstones in Upstate New York.*

Over the years the mansion has been home to a number of people from many different walks of life. In the early 1900s it was owned by a locally famous woman by the name of Mary Dyer Jackson. An early activist in the women's suffrage movement, she was the first woman to circulate a petition in Central New York for the women's suffrage cause. She also founded the Progress Club in 1889 and became a charter member of the Madison County Historical Society in 1898.*

The next owner of the house was Dr. Robert L. Crockett, who specialized in ailments of the eyes, ears, nose and throat. Dr. Crockett was Mayor of Oneida from 1916-1917 before leaving to serve in World War I. An amateur botanist, the good doctor had a laboratory in the basement of the mansion, and it was there that he suffered a fatal heart attack on May 27, 1946. His widow sold the mansion to Dr. Chancellor Whiting in 1952, who in turn sold it to another doctor ten years later. Dr. William Hummer, the last doctor to own the mansion, died in his bedroom. The cause of death was colon cancer. His death came almost two years after the death of his wife. Her lifeless body was found in one of the small parlors on the mansion's first floor, which is currently used as a bedroom.*

Not surprisingly, some guests of the Collinwood Inn have reported strange unexplained phenomena while staying there, ranging from phantom cats in their rooms to lights turning on and off by themselves. Other people have witnessed apparitions, shadow figures, ghostly voices, and strange sounds and sensations. Many who have experienced these things are convinced that the spirits of those who have died in the Farnam Mansion have never left the house.*

The Shadow Chasers investigated the Farnam Mansion on-behalf of the proprietors Gerri and Brian. While they were curious what the team would actually be able to document they were certain that we would be able to capture something.

While the Farnam Mansion had a very interesting history the team had to approach the site objectively. Gerri and Brian gave a guided tour of the mansion explaining in great detail all of the history that they had uncovered about the site. The unique aspect that we discerned from the proprietors was that while the theme of the mansion had been shifted to emulate the Dark Shadows TV show from the late 1960s, the entirety of the mansion had been painstakingly restored to its relatively original condition with antique furniture.

Second Floor Hallway Anomaly

Attic Anomalies

The investigation of the Farnam Mansion started off rather interestingly. As the team split up and set about establishing the baseline data for the site, Josh and Phil remained on the first floor while everyone else proceeded to the basement. Before they could even establish a baseline they witnessed a shadow figure dart along the exterior wall in the front parlor and activate the lamp in the room. When they moved to investigate they heard footsteps and voices coming from the room directly above them on the second floor. Investigating these phenomena confirmed that there was no possible source.

During the investigation on the second floor we caught a light anomaly that darted around the corner of a doorway and footsteps from the attic. While investigating the attic we witnessed shadow figures moving at the periphery of the attic, catching a number orb phenomena.

After meeting with the rest of the team on the second floor, we proceeded to test the ITC equipment and were promptly shocked by the results on the stairs. The PX device responded with highly accurate information regarding a female spirit and the surrounding antiques in the house.

Shifting to investigating the basement we were able to communicate with a spirit through ITC equipment, the spirit was dubbed 'Fred' and gave intelligent responses on the PX and through the voice recorders. After a thirty-minute conversation with the spirit through the electronics we slowly began wrapping up the investigation. It was clear before we even began putting away the equipment that the Farnam Mansion was haunted and the spirits were very happy to communicate.

Working with the Farnam Mansion the Shadow Chasers put together the first ever Night of Shadows to help educate the public about ghost hunting and the history of the site. The night was even more active than the investigation as participants were able to experience the footsteps, phantom voices and shadow apparitions first hand. At midnight the proprietors conducted a Victorian Seance in the front Seance Room with everyone in the room. The activity in the mansion increased to the point of heavy footsteps pacing the halls and even the apparition of a cat appearing.

While the Farnam Mansion, the Collinwood Inn has an extensive amount of activity it's very apparent that the spirits are very friendly and like hanging out with the guests. Since the first investigation, proprietors Gerri and Brian have become very adept investigators and strong affiliates for the team.

*More Evidence Highlights
*Historical Research and text by Collinwood Inn Proprietors Gerri and Brian

Haunted Erie Canal Village Investigation

2011-10-04T18:55:00.000-07:00

Tavern

In the early 1800s, travel was difficult in New York State. There was a lack of natural rivers that lent themselves to water travel, and the condition of the roads at that time was poor. Travel was a long, grueling process, and commerce in New York State suffered for it.

In 1817, ground was broken on an innovative new way of travel in New York State. The Erie Canal was being constructed, a giant man-made river spanning from Albany to Buffalo, revitalizing commerce in the state, and making transportation easier.

General Store

School House

Erie Canal Village was built on the site of the initial stretch of the Erie Canal, and is a living history museum designed to demonstrate what life was like prior to the Erie Canal, and demonstrating the prosperity that increased trade brought to the central New York area.

Victorian Era Home

Erie Canal Village is made up of buildings obtained from throughout central New York. There is a small one-room schoolhouse to demonstrate what the educational system was like in the 1800s, a church, and a general store. There is also a tavern located on the property, which serves as a good example of the local meeting spot and resting place for weary travelers from the Canal. Erie Canal Village not only focuses on the lifestyle of residents in canal-side homes, but they also have a museum dedicated to various forms of wagons, an old cheese factory, as well as a railroad station.

The homes located at Erie Canal Village showcase various eras during the time of the Erie Canal. One home dates to just before the creation of the Erie Canal. It is a small home, with few luxuries, demonstrating the simplicity created by the difficulty of travel and trading. The second home dates to the beginning of the Erie Canal, when trading was starting to become easier. The home is larger and better furnished. The final home on the site is a large Victorian Home. While currently being renovated, this home demonstrates the luxuries that the Erie Canal brought to the central New York region.

Not to be forgotten is the site of Fort Bull. In use during the French and Indian War, it was the site of a horrible massacre imparted by French soldiers moving south from Canada. A monument stands in the location of Fort Bull in memory of the lost soldiers.

The Shadow Chasers began their investigation with the tavern. After completing a walkthrough we were drawn back to the building after seeing a shadow moving in one of the windows. We would obtain EVPs and odd EMF readings during our investigation of the building. After the tavern, we moved on to the train station, with no results, and then to the barn holding the wagon collection, the Carriage Museum. There we obtained several EVPs, and observed oddly moving shadows.

Continuing forward to the school house we witnessed a strange blue light near the Victorian home, but disappeared when approached and could not identify a source of the anomaly. Resuming our investigation of the school house, we were able to audibly hear phantom knocks and captured additional EVPs in the building. Finishing with the school house the team progressed to the church ....

No results were obtained in the church, but high EMF was measured when we investigated the site of Fort Bull. We investigated the remaining buildings with minimal activity observed, until we reached the general store, the last stop of the evening. There we measured high EMF and strange equipment activity, as well as EVPs, and flashlight and PX responses in answer to questions asked by investigators.

Videos from Erie Canal Village

Come investigate Erie Canal Village with the Shadow Chasers on October 7 and 8!
Attend a talk at Erie Canal Village on October 6 starting at 7!
Contact us for ticket information!

Paranormal Investigations 101

2011-09-25T06:47:00.000-07:00

Paranormal Investigations have their roots in the early days of the Spiritualism Movement of the 1800's. During the period fraudulent psychics and spirit photographers were as common as dentists and doctors of the time. The result led to professional detectives, escape artists and researchers to attempt to identify and expose these frauds. Professionals such a Harry Houdini, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and even Thomas Edison dedicated significant amount of time to discrediting fraudulent psychics and reported paranormal activity.

Today, thanks in-part to Ghost Hunters, paranormal investigations have become a popular hobby for those seeking a bit of adventure. While professional researchers have dedicated a significant amount of their lives earning degrees in related fields and generating academic journals based on their studies. There is a clear distinction between the professional who has dedicated years of their life and the amateur that has an interest in capturing evidence of the paranormal or simply experiencing the phenomena.

There are actually three different approaches to conduct paranormal investigations; analyst, intuitive and documentarian. Each approach carries a different connotation in research circles but each also has a different goal.

The Analyst

The Paranormal Analyst approach to investigations is by-far the most common method taken by would-be ghost hunters. The analyst uses scientific equipment to evaluate the environment and any paranormal phenomena. The analyst approach uses the scientific method and a methodical approach to every investigation. TV shows that employ this method include the likes of Ghost Hunters and Ghost Lab.

The Analyst utilizes equipment like EMF Meters, CCTS Cameras, Environmental Quality Meters among other technology to document every aspect of the environment so that they can capture any anomalies.

The Analyst Method:

Conduct Witness Interviews
Establish Baseline Data (Initial Survey of Site)
Correlate Witness Accounts with Baseline Data
Investigation of Site with Survey Equipment
Correlate Survey Results with Phenomena Captured on Documentary Equipment
Evaluate Results for False Positives
Present Findings along with Possible Causes

Goal - Provide Scientifically Authenticated Objective Evidence

The Intuitive

The Paranormal Intuitive approach to investigations is the oldest methods taken by would-be ghost hunters. The Intuitive relies on subjective impressions of the site, otherwise called 'psychic intuitive' approach. The intuitive uses their own impressions, experiences and emotional responses to the environment. Sometimes the intuitive may use a basic EMF meter or digital still camera to support their investigation. TV shows that employ this method include the new show The Dead Files.

Intuitive Method:

Conduct Witness Interviews
Investigation of Site
Present Findings

Goal - Identify the Spirits of the Location and Provide the Reasons Why

The Documentarian

The Documentarian approach to investigations is another longstanding method that has been co-opted for researching the paranormal. The Documentarian relies on professional documentation equipment; cameras, camcorders and audio field recorders in an attempt to document paranormal phenomena.This documentarian uses standard journalism practices and sometimes utilizes specialized equipment or experimental technology to provoke a paranormal response that can be documented. TV shows that employ this method include primarily Ghost Adventures.

Documentarian Method:

Conduct Witness Interviews
Review Site History with Witnesses
Investigation of Site
Present Findings

Goal - Capture Paranormal Phenomena on Audio, Video or Digital Stills

Each method can be utilized as the sole means of research however, many researchers utilize a mixture of these techniques throughout their investigations. This can be complimentary but only so much as the researchers have mastered their default methods and technology.

What makes up a paranormal investigator?

2011-08-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

Photo found here

It’s a dark night under a clear sky. The moon is full, and hovers over the old, crumbling building. Even though it’s been empty for years, a small white light appears in one window high above. A black shape flits across another, and a scream can be heard dying in the night. This is what paranormal investigators seek, spending countless hours sitting in dark rooms, recording audio, filming and using other technology to measure and detect, waiting patiently for something to happen. But how does someone become interested in investigating? How does someone get the initial urge to look for ghosts? If you pose this question to the paranormal community, odds are there will be many different answers. Some have been searching for years, while others are relatively new to the field. With the birth of paranormal reality tv in the last decade, there has been a surge in popularity and a garnered general interest in the paranormal.

Investigating can be a hobby for some, or even a serious career for others. Some go solo, while others form teams with varying numbers. There are no real accreditations, as explained in a previous post on this blog, so this makes it accessible to everyone. However, with no formal professional expectations or limitations set, it can also be easily tarnished or abused. 

Because it is a past time that can be enjoyed by the young or old year-round, it is relatable, attainable. Most people have been subjected to a ghost story, myth, or legend, at some point in their lives, whether it’s through a friend or family member, or at a campfire tale. Ghosts have purportedly been around for centuries. Even the ancients, Homer, and Virgil, were telling ghost stories, as part of tradition. The stories themselves could be based on a truth, embellished, and long spun out of control, or may be used to incite fear and respect for a location. 

Photo found here

People are inherently curious about what happens to us after we die, and this is how ghost stories have become a part of our culture, a part of who we are. This brings about the desire to find answers to the mysteries, and real, tangible evidence to refute the claims or prove them. Some people say they are interested, but never act on it, whereas others will leave their homes, armed with various technical equipment, and spend hours logging data and jotting down personal experiences to analyze later. The people who become investigators have a passion for it, and are drawn to have their own experiences and search for answers. It is an unending quest for the one’s who investigate, yet one that is redeeming and fulfilling. 

The paranormal community has a kind of black and white dynamic. There are people who adamantly believe in ghosts, and there are people who are more on the skeptic side, who may approach aspects to try and debunk them. 

Many want to bring respect to the community, but there’s always someone who will resort to devious claims in order to gain attention. From faking evidence, to committing various types of fraud, these are the one’s who can pull the paranormal community down into the depths of doubt and non-credibility. To the skeptics, our work is foolish and unnecessary, and we work hard to establish a sense of professionalism and respect for us, for the field, and for others like us. It only takes one bad example to tarnish many reputations and it’s incredibly hard to regain the respect.

That being said, I feel that most of us are out there, spending our nights diligently looking for answers, sacrificing our time and sleep because we truly love it. The few who are nefarious, while they can’t be avoided, can be counteracted. Perseverance will show that our work is legitimate and worthy of respect. 

If you are a paranormal investigator, what made you want to do it? If you’re not, do you remember the first time you heard a ghost story? Please share your answers with us below in the comments.

Ghosts of Rolling Hills Asylum Investigation

2011-07-04T12:10:00.000-07:00

Rolling Hills Asylum - East Bethany, NY

On May 21st the Shadow Chasers teamed up with several affiliate members to investigate the Rolling Hills Asylum in East Bethany, New York.

While we have been in service since 2002, we have never been ones to target prestige locations, and in-fact we have had nearly 90% of all of our cases come to us, this was to be our second 'Paranormal Road Trip.' The site was notoriously haunted and well within driving distance. The team unanimously decided it would be worth our time and an investment to investigate one of America's most notoriously haunted locations.

History: Originally, a carriage house and tavern servicing stage coaches stood there from 1790 until December 1826, when it was sold to Genesse county. The carriage house still stands on the property today. The tavern serviced travelers from Batavia, NY to Warsaw, NY traveling along what is now known as US Route 20. At that point, the facility took in paupers, unwed mothers, the insane, and orphans.

By the early 1950s, the facility served only as a nursing home, where it was then closed by 1972; stepping aside for a new facility in Batavia, NY.

After which, the building stood empty until 1992, when it was re-opened as Carriage Village, a mall of unique shops. Since then it has transformed into a paranormal investigation hot spot and has been operating public and private ghost hunting tours, paranormal investigations, historical tours and even special events.

Planning Phase: In most investigations you contact the proprietor and work with them to set up an ideal investigation date. One look at the Rolling Hills Asylum website and we were a little dubious about the credibility of the site. We proceeded to plan the investigation assuming that site was attempting to blend with cliches that are so prevalent in the paranormal community. We contacted the proprietor regarding a date and were quickly lost in confusion. The proprietor had established different names for the investigation types and had confused the names as well. This did not bode well. After some delayed conversations and re-directs to their website calendar we established a date and locked in our investigation.

From the RHA website:

Plan to arrive 15 minutes early.

This affords you enough time to park your vehicles,

gather all your equipment, and be in line with your Valid ID and Payment Confirmation

The faster we are able to check you in, the quicker you will begin the tour, and the sooner you will be able to investigate. There will always be at least two RHA™ representatives in the buildings at all times.

Time and date were established for the 21st at 9PM-5AM. A few days before hand the proprietor contacted us via email saying that there were still openings and if we wanted she could set it up. We had to inform her that we had already established a date and paid. She responded by saying that she still had openings on that date if we were still interested. We responded again and finally believed we had everything straightened out. She informed us that we need to make sure we were there 15min before 9PM with our receipt.

Road Trip: We set out from Utica at 3PM and met up with our first affiliate member, Vivian in Syracuse. Continuing on from there we discussed the history of the location and all of the reported activity from the site. Investigations by Ghost Adventures, Ghost Hunters and all of the shows that discussed Rolling Hills Asylum from the History Channel to the Travel Channel all claimed extensive history and activity on the site. We arrived in Batavia, NY at just before 6PM. Since we were less than 30min from Rolling Hills it seemed like a good time to stop for dinner. After dinner we stopped to pick up some sodas and snacks for the investigation. We double checked the website making sure we were on schedule. According to the site we still had an hour and a half before we had to be at the site but we assumed it would be okay to arrive early. Then we received a call from our other affiliate who was already on-site. The proprietor said that if we were not there in 15 minutes we would not be allowed in the building.

On Site: Fortunately we arrived with time to spare. On-site the proprietor snapped at us for 'not filling out the online form for each for each of us.' (There was only one form if you were purchasing for a team) We showed the proprietor our information along with the current website information. Her response was "She doesn't need t to be told what's on the site. She's the one that put it there and we were wrong.' This really didn't bode well at all. The proprietor also informed everyone that no outside food or drink would be allowed on the premises. We were admitted into the building and had to fill out the requisite waivers for the investigation. Our base would be the 'Green Room' where everyone's equipment would be left and where we could grab coffee. The proprietor then took everyone on a tour of the building describing the history and the activity at the various locations throughout the structure. This was not allowed to be filmed or photographed, the proprietor recounted a number of inaccurate facts about the site and led everyone through a series of 'staged' rooms. Most consisted of furniture found at the local dump and were accessorized with countless Halloween decorations. Fake cockroaches, bats and rats. The tour lasted more than 2 hours after which the proprietor essentially turned everyone loose to investigate. No coordination, no oversight, just 'go do something.' The only restrictions were, no bright flashlights, no 2-way radios and no trips to the bathroom(port-a-potty) without escort.

The 'Green Room.'

Investigation: We opened our investigation by dividing into two teams. Kate, Courtinie and Vivian started in the basement area while Josh, Sean and Phil started on the first floor. The investigation was fairly straight forward except for audio. Every time we would attempt and EVP or even investigate the odd room we would receive audio contamination from one of the Rolling Hills staff elsewhere in the building. Worst still was rounding the odd corner and almost running into one of the Rolling Hills staff that were standing in the shadows just chatting with each other. After an hour the two teams met up and actually focused on the 'Boiler Room.' Together we started to document interactions and even captured a moving mist on the Full Spectrum camera but once again our EVP session was sabotaged by the volunteer staff chatting elsewhere in the building.

Initial Walk-through Video

Due to the size of the structure the team was able to keep somewhat localized after the basement and all work on a single floor together. We investigated throughout the basement, morgue and laundry room. In the Laundry room we managed to capture some activity, some interactions with the equipment and even captured several EVPs. After a couple of hours our team needed to regroup and grab some additional batteries as well as some additional equipment before proceeding but when we returned to the 'Green Room' we found the doors locked and no one around. We were forced to make due for almost 2 hours before we could get to our equipment.

Continuing our investigation in the East Wing, we were able to document countless audible phenomena that sounded like footsteps and dragging desks that were coming from rooms while we were in them. One of the most curious reported phenomena was from the lounge at the end of the floor where the proprietor had explained that a spirit would stand in-front of one of the door windows while the doors were closed. An unknown psychic had informed her that the spirit was 'Jack' and he was aggressive. Initial impressions were that it was a optical illusion caused by stereoscopic vision. Utilizing a Laser Net from the lounge against the windows with Josh and Phil in the lounge we were able to rule out paranormal phenomena as the cause for the shadow window. The audible phenomena from the surrounding rooms including footsteps in the hallway were quite amazing. As we re-grouped we headed back for our equipment and found it locked yet again.

We headed to the third floor where we began our investigation of the 'Ruthless Nurse' but found yet more volunteer staff and they actually slammed the door closed on us to prevent us from investigating the nurse's room. Despite the countless reports of activity from the location, we really did not find any anomalous readings or activity from the third floor. The PX did respond to questions in one of the rooms but there was no real activity. We retreated back to the 'Green Room' and retrieved some much needed coffee and equipment while we discussed the next phase.

After deliberation we returned to the second floor wing where we had documented the noises but this time we did not capture any more additional EVPs. We decided to focus on the Boiler Room where we had also captured activity previously. As we entered the room we caught the roiling black mist on the Full Spectrum camera again. Once more our EVP session was interrupted by the volunteer staff talking elsewhere but we did start to receive responses on our PX that coincided with static spikes on the SAII.

The Wrap Up: Our investigation of Rolling Hills Asylum concluded without further incident. We packed our equipment, headed out to the cars and were promptly locked from the building. The Shadow Chasers investigation of Rolling Hills Asylum was certainly an adventure. We capture a number of audible phenomena on both audio recorders and video. We captured a few interesting photographs and had a number of experiences. Would we want to go back and investigate Rolling Hills Asylum again? The definitive answer is No.

4:30 AM Rolling Hills Asylum Wrap-Up

Between the staged rooms, the fraudulent facts and the general attitude of proprietor Rolling Hills does indeed have some ghostly activity but nowhere near the legendary accounts. Even Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures captured limited evidence from the location. The proprietor has embellished many accounts, deceived investigators and currently claims that she has a 'team' that investigates the site regularly. When asked how they investigate the proprietor responded by saying they use a 'Franks Box (Spirit Box) and a K2 meter. These are two of the most questionable devices at an investigator's disposal today. The largest offense though has to do with the attitude towards her clients and the horrifically inaccurate history that she recounts to investigators. Question the Genesse County Historical Society if you want to know the true history of the location.
Rolling Hills Asylum is known for it's haunted activity, its' legends and has become a mecca for paranormal investigators but it is more subject to marketing and very monetary motives than most locations. Experiencing a prestige location is definitely a unique experience but Rolling Hills was not worth the hassle or price of admission. From Salem, Massachusetts to Gettysburg Pennsylvania there are countless historic sites that have turned to the paranormal and respect their clients. Rolling Hills is not one of them. The proprietor and subsequently the site, are what our friend at Haunt Jaunts has dubbed a Paranormal Poser.

Note: Our friend at Para-X Radio informed us that one of the hosts was set to conduct a live broadcast from Rolling Hills recently and when they were less than an hour from the site the proprietor informed them that they would need to pay her for the use of the site that night. They have tens-of-thousands of listeners and had this planned with the proprietor months in advance. Still the proprietor told them that they needed to pay. Para-X said No and turned around.

Haunted Herkimer Investigations

2011-06-21T05:24:00.000-07:00

While Herkimer was established in the early 1700s some events have established the “Historic Four Corners” as one of the most haunted regions in the Mohawk Valley. The Four Corners are a series of buildings built at approximately the same time and consist of Suiter Building Museum, Herkimer County Jail, Herkimer County Courthouse, and the Herkimer Reformed Church.

In the 1880s Roxalana Druce brutally murdered her husband after his abuse became too much. She was incarcerated at the Herkimer Jail, tried at the Old Herkimer Courthouse and hung. Her rocking chair is now one of the featured exhibition pieces at the Suiter Building. Museum. In 1907 Chester Gillette was placed on trial for the murder of Grace Brown, incarcerated at the jail, tried at the courthouse and sentenced to death in Auburn. These are just a few of events that have tied the buildings together over the years.

While there are countless legends about the hauntings of the Herkimer Jail there are more actual reports of ghostly activity from the surrounding four corners buildings associated with Druce and Gillette trials ranging from Chester Gillette’s Attorney wandering the halls of the courthouse to Roxalana’s rocking chair rocking by itself. When there is an event significant enough to cause a haunting it does not mean that it is restricted to the site. Historical events can affect entire regions.

Recently, the Shadow Chasers investigated the Eckler, Suiter and Courthouse buildings on-behalf of the Herkimer Historical Society. While the historical society was uncertain of any results that would be obtained from the Eckler and especially the Suiter building, since it was never a residence, they were surprised by the results.

While the Suiter Building was never a residence it was an active doctors office and it was where autopsies were performed for cases that were going to trial next door at the courthouse. The doctor's testimony was imperative to the Herkimer Court especially in the Roxalana Druce and Chester Gillette trials. The results from this investigation included a number of EVPs that could be associated with the trials as well as one of a small child that reacted to one of the static cameras.

The Herkimer Courthouse was a paramount case with legends of apparitions that stalked the courtroom re-enacting the Grace Brown murder committed by Chester Gillette. While the courthouse is still in-use by the Herkimer County Sheriffs Department, the accounts of haunting activity still abounds. Personal Accounts from deputies and court-workers include seeing the apparition of Chester Gillette's attorney walking the halls, moving objects, phantom footsteps and even the sounds of a trial replaying in the courtroom.

During the investigation we managed to capture a fleeting figure in a photo but more importantly in addition to a number of EVPs of voices and even what sound like the sounds of a trial we managed to capture the reported shadow apparition in the courtroom that walks from chamber doors to the judges' bench before turning back and quickly 'folding down and away.'

The Shadow Chasers are working with Herkimer Historical to raise money for the preservation of these historic sites and give others a chance to see what they can capture at these sites.

June 24-25 7PM
Join the Shadow Chasers and Herkimer Historical for an investigation of the Herkimer Courthouse, Eckler and Suiter Buildings.

Use the latest equipment and see what you can catch!
Tickets are $25 limit 30 People
Contact Herkimer Historical for Tickets
(315) 866-6413
herkimerhistory@yahoo.comWeb Site: www. rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nyhchs/

What does it take?

2011-05-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

The number one question we are always asked when we are giving a presentation or interview is always; "How do you become a ghost hunter?"

In truth, for each of our team we have our own personal reasons that drive us to do the work but the deeper question is how does one learn to be a paranormal investigator. The first words that roll out of anyone's mouth are "There is no such thing as a certified paranormal investigator." Then you take one look around the web for teams in your region. You find dozens of ghost hunters claiming to offer "certification" through a paid training course with the team in the field or even find "T.A.P.S. Certified Family" logos tagged to their pages.

If there is no such thing as a certified investigator then why are so many teams clamoring for approval? Why are they selling certification? What does it take to become a legitimate paranormal investigator?

Fallacy #1

The very first fallacy to address is that there are no professional or certified investigators. Anyone attempting to argue this as fact has not done their homework. Even worse, they have forgotten the legitimate researchers who have been in the field for decades.

Parapsychologist Dr. Loyd Auerbach

Professionals Investigating The Paranormal:

Parapsychologists - These individuals are licensed psychologists with PhDs. Most are Professors working for or researching for highly respected Universities including the likes of Princeton, Duke and even Edinburgh.
Anthropologists - These individuals are professionals tasked with recording oral traditions and studying the dynamics of cultures. In order to practice in the public sphere and work with human subjects these individuals are required to obtain university ethics certifications.
Psychologists/Sociologists - These individuals are professionals tasked with studying individual or social behavior. In order to practice in the public sphere and work with human subjects these individuals are required to obtain university ethics certifications. Most psychologists are required to be licensed.
Environmental Survey Technicians - These individuals are scientists with specializations ranging from geophysics to meteorology. All are scientists that are trained in environmental analysis.

While Parapsychologists are the only true professional 'paranormal investigator,' the methods used by these other professionals more than qualify them for any paranormal investigation. If you remove the paranormal from the equation all of these professionals would be licensed or certified experts that could be called upon.
However, when you add the paranormal to the equation you can no longer have an expert. But you do have a professional expert in a given methodology. Try telling a licensed parapsychologist or Environmental Geologist that they are not experts at what they are doing.

Fallacy #2

The second most common fallacy is that it takes years of training to be a paranormal investigator. While any of the professionals that I mentioned previously have spent years if not a good portion of their lives dedicated to the studies of a particular field to be an amateur paranormal investigator it only takes a modicum of training, a lot of resources and dedication to become a ghost hunter.

There are only a few things you need:

Know the Scientific Method:
1. Define the question
2. Gather information and resources (observe)
3. Form hypothesis
4. Perform experiment and collect data
5. Analyze data
6. Interpret data and draw conclusions that serve as a starting point for new hypothesis
7. Publish results
8. Retest (frequently done by other scientists)
Know Occam's Razor ~ is a principle that generally recommends selecting the competing hypothesis that makes the fewest new assumptions, when the hypotheses are equal in other respects.
BE OBJECTIVE ~ An investigator and a scientist are objective. If you set out with the mind to prove or disprove/"Debunk" then you inherently introduce bias into the research.
Absorb as much on the subject as possible~ Read, TV does not teach you principles or methods. The more you read the more resources you have and you'll have a better perspective to judge both your own and other's work.
Work with others in your chosen area, meet with and work with as many teams in the area as you can. See how each team works, learn their methods, learn their perspectives.

So how did you become a ghost hunter? Were you a professional that added a new direction for your research? Are you an amateur enthusiast just starting out?

Ethics, Protocol & Procedure...

2011-03-29T06:05:00.000-07:00

   There are many recently founded paranormal research organizations. A long term interest in the paranormal, supernatural or occult mixed with the popularity of paranormal shows today has given rise to a great many amateur investigative teams. While the majority of new investigators rely on TV for their standards of behavior and methods it is important to note that TV tends to edit out the 'boring' parts. Just as well we have encountered many teams that have questionable ethics a lack of real protocol and dubious procedures. Not all investigators chose this route but the lack of any formal training or any official guidelines leave the investigators with nothing to judge their 'standards' by except what they see or can cut and paste on the web.
    Ethics should be the first staple of any investigation team. These are not only the guidelines for behavior at an investigation but also statements of expectations for the investigators. We have seen amateur investigators go public with private case evidence before even reporting it to the client, we have encountered teams that trespass on private property without hesitation, we have had teams 'help' one client only to shift the problems to another and refuse to accept responsibility, we have heard teams slander another team to clients.
    Now ethics should not include some random assortment of 'investigators should not take photos while driving....' This is not an ethic this is an expectation from founders. If you would like to understand what a professional code of ethics looks like I suggest examining our summarized code on our ethics page. All researchers should be expected to sign a waiver agreeing to this code of ethics and the founder(s) are responsible for assuring others are held to it.
    Protocol is another area in which we have seen many failures with investigators. Similar to ethics, protocol is a professional guide stating an investigator's foundation for their research. Again, this is not some quick 'how we work' cut and past guide. Professional research protocols state your purpose for the research, the origins of the research, your methods used in the research and detailed explanations of what the investigator(s) goal is. Once again, take a look at professional protocols on here.
   Procedure is another area we find that a great many teams are lacking. We have seen many investigators that just don't know what to do. They want to be 'Ghost Hunters' so badly they don't care what it takes to get there. We have seen investigators time and again have mis-aligned priorities. These investigators commonly put their own goals ahead of even the most common standards of research. The first thing the team ever invests in is something to promote group cohesion. Spending all of their funding on t-shirts, car magnets, banners, signs and all manner of promotional items to 'get their name out there.'
    This is not an issue with a team that is well-established, but if the team is recently founded and only has a couple of cameras and one surveying instrument between them it becomes a severe issue of credibility. All of the funding that was funneled into promotions could have been used to purchase more equipment to increase options in their methods. Teams that are well-established have gotten their name out there for their work, not because of their marketing ability.
   The question is, would you prefer a group of amateurs to investigate YOUR home with nothing but cameras and uniform t-shirts or would you prefer a team with extensive research capabilities, equipment and knowledge? Any amateur team can fall into either category.

In reality any amateur ghost hunting team can hold to professional Ethics, Protocols and Procedures. The problem is most investigators do not have anything to compare their standards to except for what is out on the web. If an investigator is just starting out it is our belief that they should aim for the highest standards. If they are out for a thrill or a club it shows in their standards. If they want to be a professional look to their standards....

What are 'Orbs' in Spirit Photography or Videography?

2011-03-17T05:11:00.000-07:00

Time and again we hear of things called 'Orbs' being given as photographic evidence of paranormal activity or being dismissed as anything other than dust. While there are many possibilities in photography and videography I think it's necessary re-analyze these phenomena.

    Visually, 'Orb' phenomena have a variety of possibilities that are far from paranormal. Orbs are described as perfectly circular artifacts that appear in photos or on video. These can be a variety of colors, angular or even distorted in some fashion. All of these 'orbs' are simple artifacts in some sense and on video these tend to drift or move through the area. These can be photographic errors, weather, dust or can actually be paranormal in origin.

    Photographic errors: Relying on digital cameras has created a rise in 'Orbs phenomena.' All digital cameras and camcorders have a processor called a 'Charged Couple Device' or CCD chip this processor takes what the lens sees and turns it into an electrical impression that can be displayed as the image/video. Under low-lighting conditions without specific modifications (IR, UV, Flash etc) the CCD will fail to process portions of the image creating blank spots in the image/video. These look just like it sounds, completely blank portions of the image usually in large circles.

    Environmental: Weather like rain, snow or even fog can create 'Orbs' on your images and video. These may have a look of intelligence or direction thanks in part to things like wind or even breathing. These can be easily recognized by the distorted nature of the particulate. Under close examination none of these will appear as perfect circles or have the specific attributes of paranormal.
   Dust will have the same attributes as weather including distortion. The unique attributes to dust are that it tends to appear in clusters, each 'orb' is semi-transparent and usually brown or grey in color.

Paranormal: These 'orb phenomena' appear as perfectly circular blobs of light usually blue/white or red/white in color. These can also range from nearly transparent to entirely opaque. The closer these are to transparent the more detail you will be able to see in the nucleus that usually consists of a kaleidoscope pattern. The most defining feature is there is perfect 'halo' around the individual orb of one solid color. Ex. A white orb will have a perfectly blue ring around it.
   Now these can show distortion as well due to motion (low shutter speed) but close examination will show all of the traits described.

    Concepts: A paranormal 'Orb' has been hypothesized to be a ghost-it is believed that since a sphere is the most efficient form of energy usage ghosts compress their energy into this shape to move/linger. Another hypothesis has 'orbs' as a sign of ghostly or paranormal activity.

   Through testing we have established that these paranormal 'orb phenomena' are actually static electricity/Ionized Air that are found near paranormal phenomena. These are essentially 'spin-off' from ghostly entities. The color/opaqueness of the orb is determined by the voltage of the orb. Higher voltage results in more defined 'orbs'.

Further testing along these lines has also demonstrated to us that when an orb is captured in motion if you turn back to the source/direction it came from you will actually capture the apparition/source.

The Psychology of Ghosts

2011-02-17T09:18:00.000-08:00

Everywhere we look, we are surrounded by people that say that ghosts are scary. Hollywood makes a fortune off of scaring people with ghosts. They are murderous and vengeance ridden, chasing after half-naked teenagers with axes, or dragging sleeping people out of their beds. For what purpose? Generally the storyline, the motivation isn't important. The main thing is that there is a ghost, and it is terrifying.

   To be completely honest, this is a perception that everyone has, Heck, that's something that we even struggle with. It's sometimes scary to be alone in a room, and have the lights suddenly turn off, or to hear someone speak when you're the only one around. Or to walk down a hallway, and have someone grab onto your hand, or poke you in the side, or tug your hair. That is an absolutely terrifying experience.

   But why don't we run? It's a question we hear often when we give talks. Someone will raise their hand, and ask what was the scariest thing that happened to us. We'll tell the story of the time we were out in the woods, at a remote cemetery, and a dark shadow began banging at the car as we drove off. Or when we got there, and it hid in the woods, growling at us. Inevitably, someone asks us why we didn't run. And the answer to that is simple.

   Ghosts are like us. With a few rare exceptions, when a location is haunted, it isn't haunted by a monster. It isn't haunted by the angry spirit of a man wielding an axe. It's haunted by someone who once was a mother, or a child, but someone who was loved and cherished, and it's hard to be scared of that. Lots of people will report seeing the spirit of a loved one, and feeling comforted and safe. When you see a spirit, it may not be the spirit of someone you loved, but it is the spirit of someone who was loved.

When someone dies, and becomes a ghost, all they lose is their physical body. If they were kind and caring in real life, it's no different in death. Sure, just like all people aren't good people, there are some spirits who aren't all that nice. But just like among the living those people are rare, they are just as rare among the dead. The problem that occurs is that spirits are limited in how they are able to communicate, so it becomes easy to interpret an expression of interest on their part as an expression of aggression. Sometimes the effect of their actions isn't the intended one. They may mean to touch your arm, but what happens is they grab it hard enough to leave bruises. They aren't intending to hurt you, it just happens accidentally.

   So next time you're in a place that's haunted, and the lights turn off, don't think of it as the axe-wielding psycho-spirit making it easier to kill you. Or if you hear someone whispering in your ear, don't assume that what you are hearing are threats instead of words or encouragement. And if you're walking down a hallway, and you feel like something's holding your hand, maybe it's the spirit of a small child, looking for the love they had in life. And if you start to think of it that way, maybe next time you won't be so scared.

Spirit Photography and Spirit Videography

2011-02-01T04:53:00.000-08:00

Now I'm not about to give you a huge history lesson here on Spirit Photography and Spirit Videography but some backstory is needed here, so bear with me.
     Spirit Photography originated with the popularity of the camera and cameras became popular at a time when the spiritualism movement was beginning to take off, so it was only natural that photographers wanted to use them to 'capture' ghosts. At it's core Spirit Photography was the act of capturing a 'spirit' in a photograph and in many instances photographers saw the opportunity to cash in on the public's lack of understanding and created fraudulent 'Spirit Photographs'. These original photos usually consisted of having a person or object move through the photo while it was taken, or in some very lackluster methods, tacking other photos into the developing print and passing it off to the customer as the spirits of their family, even if the image looked more like Abraham Lincoln than Uncle John.
     While fraudulent 'Spirit Photos' were becoming popular, a number of skeptics decided to examine these, and took it upon themselves to learn everything about photograpy just to explain how these photos could be produced. These investigators included the likes of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and even Harry Houdini. These first skeptics that took this route are now regarded as the first true paranormal investgators simply becaus they refused to accept these 'phenomena' at face value, and had questions.

     The next step in true spirit photography did not come until cameras were more portable and equipment could be used to authenticate any suspicious phographs. While there were many gradual developments in Spirit Photography it was not until the late 1960s- mid-1970s that Spirit Photography found a new milestone. Scientists and skeptics were using a variety of environmental equipment to identify the 'causes' of paranormal phenomena and, of course, ghosts. Through their work they required cameras, now including video, to document their work. Through legitimate scientific methods they managed to actually capture ghosts and other paranormal phenomena on film, and in a few rare instances on video.

     So this leads us to where we are now with Spirit Photography and Spirit Videography. The most important piece of equipment that an investigator can have is a camera. Everyone wants to capture a ghost in photos and even more so when it comes to video, yet the public still remains unknowing of how cameras work. This leaves us with the 50,000+ photos on the web and 8,000+ videos on Youtube of 'Ghostly Activity' that look very suspicious to everyone. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of legitimate videos and photos mixed in, but it really hurts everyone when there are faked videos or even clumsy photos that are subject to poor conditions. Now I'm not about to rant about incompetent investigators or fame hungry individuals but I am going to go over a few points regarding how Spirit Photography and Videography come together.

    Primarily, the point of taking a camera on an investigation is NOT to capture ghosts, orbs, or any other form of paranormal activity. The point of cameras in an investigation is to document the investigation and any anomalies that your equipment happen to locate. More often than not you'll be photographing and filming empty space rather than anything supernatural. Capturing paranormal activity is the by-product of documenting the entire investigation and site. Your equipment indicates an anomaly so you attempt to doccument the anomaly by shooting photos video and even audio. Always keep landmarks in your documentation, for photos make sure you shoot so that you can gauge where the anomaly is in the environment if you're reviewing the documentation later, for video same goes keep wide angle shots so you're focused on the environment, audio documentation works the same. Starting each recording with investigators x and y here in location A and such n such time. Remember the point is for authentication and documentation of anomalies it won't do you any good to have an awesome photo with your keys in it or an EVP with a passing car in the background.

     Spirit Photography is currently sub-divided into digital and film, and phenomena are categorized into 'orb' spirit and mist. Each type of photography has its benefits and faults, while each category can be somewhat tricky.

     Digital spirit photography is the most questionable, as it is the format that is most easily manipulated. Another issue with digital is the fact that even now digital cameras can fall prey to user error. Digital cameras have a CCD (Charged Couple Device) that transmits the image through the lens into a digital image on the electroplate in the circuits. The image formed is the one that you can then view on the screen of the camera. The issue is that under certain conditions, mostly low light, the CCD can produce error in the image because the lighting was not sufficient. This results in 'spots' on the image. Low lighting is when most paranormal photographs are taken. This processing error can account for close to 50% of all orb photos. Digital is quicker, cheaper, and some newer cameras (or modified ones) will allow you to take Infrared photos.

     Film spirit photography is more reliable because of the film 'hardcopy' produced, but is also prey to user error. In this medium, you have to worry about properly loading film and making sure the film is good. Then you still have to worry about development errors. A plus is that you can branch out into thermal photography using Infrared film, and I've found that most apparitions appear on film over digital. Film takes in more spectrums of light, so it's possible that film is closer to the right light range for ghosts and paranormal activity.

     The categories for photograph classification are a little unique. The most common category is an 'orb', and while many will phtograph orbs of dust, debris and other artifacts, there are also real paranormal 'orb' photographs. These are NOT spirits, ghosts or anything else of that nature. A real orb is actually a photograph of Ionized Air. While these are not ghosts, they are indicators of paranormal activity. Think of these as 'spin off' from ghosts and such. Our research has found that if you capture an orb heading left in your image, for example, if you were to turn right and take another picture, you have a good chance of catching a picture of something slightly more substantial, or at least the tail end of one. Orbs are perfectly circular with a slightly opaque outer edge, and are self luminescent, the brighness indicating voltage level. Ball lightning is the extreme form of these phenomena. A quick test to see if the orb you find in your photo is dust or something a bit more paranormal is to walk around, trying to stir up any residual dust. Take a photo, and compare the two.

The next category is self explanatory. Capturing a spirit on film is just as it sounds; it's the image of an apparition. These photos can show anything from ghostly dogs to people to gravestones. Do NOT go looking in glass or patterns in the environment for the ghost. That method equates to nothing more than seeing shapes in clouds. Any apparition you catch will be fairly visible and stand out from the image.

     The final category are mists. Breath, cigarette smoke and moisture account for the majority of these paranormal phenomena, but like orbs, there are real images as well. Just like orbs, mists consist of ionized air. In fact, you're likely to capture a picture of a mist soon after you've photograped a genuine orb. Some mists appear to be made up of tons of small orbs. Essentially you're looking at an apparition without defined shape. These are easy to recognize if you look close, they look just like a normal grey-white mist or fog but they have defined edges. If it has sharp edges when it should be just a cloud then you've found one.

     Our final topic here is Spirit Videography, the act of filming paranormal activity or spitis. The catch is that video cameras have always utilized a CCD processor even when recording to tape. As a result, these behave a lot like digital cameras. With a wide variety of recording options it's hard to know where to begin finding the right cameras. It's important to choose a camcorder that has high quality night vision optics, and can provide a good quality hard copy.

     If you're using the camera properly, you will document anything you come across. Most phenomena show up as shadows moving separate from the environment. Additionally, stationary cameras provide more perspectives on the site, and free up your hands. Remember, the point is to document the investigation, but the by-product is capturing the paranormal...

1800 Followers!

2011-01-08T09:39:00.000-08:00

So, today, we finally reached 1800 followers on Facebook! That is a huge milestone for us, as it seems that we are getting those followers in an organic manner. I guess that shows that we are doing something right with the content that we are providing. And I'm sure giving away free equipment also helps. At least you guys are earning it, right?

ElectroSensor

Tonight, we are going to be giving away an ElectroSensor. This is the device pictured. It is fairly useful and accurate when investigating the paranormal, and is handily pocket-sized, which comes in handy when carrying around a lot of different pieces of equipment during an investigation. Overall, it is a good starter meter, and we're looking forward to giving it away to a lucky fan and supporter!

As it's the first week of 2011, it's natural to look back on the year behind us, and the Shadow Chasers can't help but marvel at how much things have changed for us in the past year. We've started working with some wonderful people at Town Square Media, who have helped us reach a much broader audience, which has helped us to meet some wonderful people, investigate some truly haunted locations, and help history all at the same time. We are definitely very lucky people.

We are also lucky to have so many people follow us and support us. It makes us happy to log into Facebook and see that people are commenting on our posts, and are reacting to what we're saying. We're so appreciative of everyone who supports us, and we're hoping that we're showing that appreciation by giving away this meter, and the other meters that we have given away before Christmas. We only wish that we could give all 1800 of you meters. But that would be waaay too expensive. So instead we give you thanks!

Haunted History Project

2010-10-25T17:56:00.000-07:00

Rome Historical Society on Kickoff Night

The Shadow Chasers have partnered with Town Square Media for an amazing opportunity. Together with Town Square Media (Lite 98.7, Big Frog 104, Oldiez 96 and WIBX 950) we have put together a project to help raise money and draw attention to historic sites. While we worked with Jefferson County Historical (Christine) in the past and WPBS TV for the last two years and these were outstanding opportunities this genuinely feels like the direction the Shadow Chasers should be heading in. Not only are the Shadow Chasers participating in the community but now we're actually drawing attention to and helping historic sites. All of us have some background in history, archaeology or museum studies and this is our first real push to blend both our interests and help our communities at the same time.

Rome Historical Society
submitted by Peter Naughton

Our Kick off lecture/seminar at the Capitol Theater went phenomenally well. We actually got 82 people to participate and join us on Thursday. We also sold out 2 nights during intermission.

First Investigation Rome Historical Society - This was the first time ever anyone had ever investigated the building. The director was very accommodating and even showed us a variety of secret passages, hidden access ways and more. We had a decent size turnout and everyone was really invested in the work tracking anomalies, exploring and even managed a bunch of great photos.

Remsen Stone Meeting House the second investigation of the project was actually oversold with almost 30 people in attendance. While there was a strange portion of people that actually just sat in the pews and took photos the more adventurous people joined Phil and Josh outside where the Old Carriage House grounds were. While out there a number of people actually caught an amazing mist/apparition.

Mist apparition with face caught by Lindsay Palla.

While the this weekend was phenomenal in terms of turn out we can't wait to see what this Halloween weekend brings. Stephen Wagner from About.com Paranormal will be joining us on Friday at the Rome Historical Society then again on Sunday(Halloween) at the Capitol Theater. We can't wait to see what attendees catch this weekend!

First Post!

2010-09-11T13:32:00.000-07:00

So, this is the first post at the Shadow Chasers blog. Ideally, this will be a place where we will post interesting news stories, information on the latest ghost hunting technologies and theories, as well as keeping people up to date on what we're doing.

Today we're at the Utica Psychic Fair, where we gave a talk on who we are and what we do, which went well. What I love most about being at Psychic Fairs, and being around people who are interested in the paranormal is all the different opinions that people have.

The Shadow Chasers have theories about the paranormal, and about how we interact with spirits and the metaphysical world, but it seems that everyone else has their own theories as well. We are approached by so many people who have different ideas from ours, it's hard to not evolve our theories afterwards.

The big differences are definitely between religions. It seems like there are common understandings with the paranormal, such as surrounding yourself with a white light, or how to communicate with spirits, but they are definitely put through the filter of religion. Some people attribute the white light to our spirit guides, and others attribute it to god. Some talk of the afterlife, while other talk of heaven. It's the same thing with different terms. I feel like the Shadow Chasers are the same way. We can talk of energy readings, and attribute values to it, but it still boils down to the same thing, no matter what terms you give to it. There are intelligent beings that surround us, that we can't see, and there is some place that we go after it is no longer our time on earth. What we decide to call it is just a matter of semantics.