Our Gettysburg Adventure

Our trip started off with 5 of us (Kelly, Kathie, Donna, Mindy and Phil) meeting in 2 cars at Wawa at 6am (ugh!) on Saturday. We got gassed up and snacks and drinks and away we go!

When we got to Gettysburg, our first stop was at the Visitor Center, grabbed some maps and made a game plan. It was still pretty early (around 9am) and it was chilly and overcast so it wasn’t too busy yet. We went to Devil’s Den to look around, maybe use a little bit of equipment and see if we get any “feelings.” Phil did comment how he remembered it looking a lot bigger, but then, he was a lot smaller last time he was there. LOL

We hit a few other battlefield landmarks and met a reenactor who also happens to have a ghost team! It’s great to make contacts with other groups! You never know when you might need help from another team and often we’re contacted for ghost hunts that are just too far for us to do. It’s good to have referral options.

The Jennie Wade house was one we definitely wanted to hit for a tour, so that was our next stop after checking out the battlefield. Kelly was able to get an awesome picture through the bullet hole of the door! Phil’s fancy camera couldn’t focus on it right, but Kelly’s cell camera could! Who needs that fancy high priced equipment? LOL The tour was interesting and informative, but very full! It was a pretty small house with small rooms and probably about 20 in the tour, so it was crowded and not exactly ideal circumstances for ghost hunting our way, which was fine. We still had a good time, definitely had some heavy feelings that we were able to validate with each other later that they happened in the same rooms!

After stopping for some lunch that we had packed (which we ate in the car because it was still really chilly and we didn’t want to freeze our tushies off on picnic tables) we went to the International Museum of Spiritual Investigations. Again, we made some great contacts with fellow investigators, discussed donating our evidence for them to share with the public, checked out the beautiful building and all the interesting paranormal items and photos they had on display and Phil was thrilled when we agreed to purchase a laser grid for the team. Phil just loves new toys! We also found out that apparently the bathroom is the most active room in the building and the ghosts there are potty mouths!

The next couple of hours included checking out the Farnsworth House, doing some shopping (important things like scrapbooking and wine tasting), made more PAPA contacts and checking out some other reported haunted locations around town. One of which, was a patch in an alley that supposedly covered the stream that used to run through town and the report is that kids will feel hands grabbing their ankles when they ride their bikes over the area. We couldn’t find anyone that heard that story before and didn’t know where that story came from….yet. (We also didn’t feel anything grabbing us when we walked over it.)

We went to dinner at The Pub & Restaurant, which was amazing! It was busy, so we were waiting about ½ hour, but it was worth it! We saw one of Phil’s “new friends” of the day while we were there and he recommended the crab soup. I’m not a fan of soup, but Phil gave me a taste and it was wonderful! We all ate until we were stuffed. The food, service and everything was great! Strongly recommend you go there to eat if you visit Gettysburg!

Unfortunately, Phil had to leave to head home because he had plans early Sunday morning and after he left, the rest of us made plans to go on the Black Cat ghost tour. We had over an hour to kill and it already was a long day and we were tired so we just hung out in the car, chatting, joking and laughing so hard it hurt! What were we laughing at? I don’t remember! It probably wasn’t anything that funny, but you know how it gets when you start giggling, then everything is funny! We did determine that Donna should not have sugar and caffeine and she had 2 ½ large glasses of soda! Boy, was our quiet little Donna wound up!

We were parked by the small part of the stream that is still above ground and overheard a story that helped us to understand where the claim of hands grabbing kids on bikes might have come from. Apparently, during the war, that location (where the stream was) was a safe place to leave wounded soldiers, but unfortunately, there were heavy downpours which made the stream rise, many wounded either drowned or got pulled downstream and some even got stuck in the mill in another part of town. How horrible! Perhaps, the hands grabbing people are from those poor soldiers trying not to drown!

At our Black Cat tour, it was really chilly and occasionally would start to drizzle, but luckily it did stop after only a couple minutes. Our tour guide was “Dr. Phil” and he was great! Extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the war and ghost hunting. At one point during the tour, we were standing near a cemetery and a black cat walked out of the cemetery, down the sidewalk and into a bush. Considering we were doing the “Black Cat” tour, it made us all chuckle! Coincidence??? I’m not going to give away any of the tour, but, again, if you have the opportunity to do a tour with “Dr. Phil” I do recommend it!

By now it was about 11pm on Saturday night, and we were exhausted since we’ve been on the go for 17 hours now! We headed to the hotel (Best Western) and all crashed pretty much when our heads hit the pillows! Got up (all of us sore and still tired) early Sunday, so we could all get showers, get breakfast, have a quick mini-meeting and get back to town to do some more shopping. We got back to Gettysburg around noon (we were all moving pretty slowly this day…lol) and planned on an afternoon of shopping! We did stop for lunch at Hunt’s Battlefield Fries & Cafe, and again is a place we will recommend! Cheesesteaks and fries to split-YUM! We realized when we were ready to head back to the car around 3:30 that we hadn’t even gone one block! So many shops and things to check out, we barely made a dent! So, our final stop had to be for ice cream at Mr. G’s Ice Cream Parlor (another contact made) and one final recommendation for this place too!

And on the long ride home, had some more giggling moments, especially times when we couldn’t understand each other with the windows down or when Donna’s watch alarm kept going off (she didn’t know why or how to turn it off) and Kelly threatened to throw it out the window. We made it home safe and sound (although a little sore and tired.) Our trip out there was mostly planned as a bonding experience for the team and for some fun, but turned out to be a great networking experience! We look forward to our next adventure there!

~Mindy

 

{ 0 comments }

So you want to be a ghosthunter…

Many people have asked recently about joining PAPA. We’re thrilled that there is so much interest out there, unfortunately we have to limit membership to approximately 10. Have you ever heard the saying “too many cooks in the kitchen”? Even if we are in a large building, we would have no more than 2 teams with no more than 4 members on a team, otherwise we’re tripping over each other.

Recently, we had a couple openings in the group due to some members moving away (and we miss them terribly.) We have a few people that have applications with us that are now on a waiting list. We add people to the waiting list as a first come, first serve basis WHEN WE RECEIVE THE APPLICATION. Until we receive the application, they are not added to the waiting list.

After an application is received and reviewed by the team, the applicant may be invited to meet the team, sort of like an interview, to make sure everyone is in agreement.

Considering most of the team has been around since almost the beginning (2008), don’t expect openings often. Many people have decided to begin their own group instead of waiting for openings from us (or other groups.) We started our group because we could not find another ghost hunting team with open membership. It was either don’t ghost hunt at all or create our own, so that’s what we did. We encourage and will give tips and suggestions to anyone who chooses to do that. There is no competition in our eyes. There are more than enough “ghosts” to go around. If we all work together, perhaps we will some day finally be able to confirm exactly what’s going on on the “other side.”

If someone is still interested in filling out an application and being put on the waiting list, certainly contact us and we’ll get an application to you. Please, please, please make sure this is something you can absolutely commit to. When we do have openings, we need people who can meet all of the commitments. There is a lot more work, time and energy put into this than most people realize (or more than what they show in a 1 hour episode on tv.) Be aware of what you may be getting yourself into.

The time commitments would be for approximately 1-2 hunts per month at most (probably 5 or 6 hours overnight each) then reviewing evidence, another 5-10 hours depending how much we have to review-we try to split it up evenly as much as possible. We usually have around 5 videos, 6+ audio recorders and photographs. Also approx 1-2 meetings a month (2-3 hours in an evening.)

Again, we always thank you all for your excitement and continued support of PAPA!

~Mindy

{ 0 comments }

Case Management

Time is precious. Don't waste ours...

During the time we’ve been operating, The Pa Paranormal Society has had a number of cases where we had to question the motivation of the clients we were serving. Our experiences may help you as you approach investigations as a new team or as a potential client. Most people contact us looking to solve problems or answer questions on noises or occurrences. Other times we are brought in to ‘prove’ that paranormal activities are happening.

Those are the ones that make us wonder. Who needs proof and why do they need it? Generally someone who just wants to ‘set the record straight’ isn’t looking for publicity. There aren’t stories on their websites or blogs giving details of actual unexplained events. Sometimes these could be totally legitimate, but other times it’s just a warning flag.

Investigating teams need to go into any situation with a skeptical nature. If everyone on the team (or anyone on the team for that matter) is looking for proof and evidence of the paranormal and the unknown, chances are, you are going to find it. But will what you find stand up to someone who is looking to pick things apart? That’s the rub. But it’s a good rub really.

{ 0 comments }

Paranormal Training and Licensing: Excuse Me Sir, Is that an Unlicensed Nuclear Accelerator on Your Back

Stand Back.

Stand Back.

In the old hit movie Ghostbusters, the team ultimately got shut down for their usage of unlicensed nuclear devices. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need to license nuclear devices because people would police themselves and be responsible. In our world, there is a definite need to track nuclear devices of all sorts. We wouldn’t want people inappropriately trapping innocent ectoplasm, now would we?

Seriously though, the subject of having some sort of certificate has come up in some paranormal circles and well it should, but what would that mean and really, how could you set standards and implement it? After a lifetime of interest and a few years of conducting investigations, I have come to the conclusion that there can be no real standards for what we do, unless they are ethical standards.

A skeptic, a medium and a psychic walk into a supposedly haunted house. The psychic says, “This place has a lot of energy.” The medium says, “I can hear the voices from the past.” The skeptic keys his walkie talkie and says, “Turn off the microwave antennae and the radio and lets get down to business.”

I mean seriously, there are probably as many approaches to doing investigations as there are teams doing them. We met with a local writer, well known chap with a newspaper column and all that, and we got along famously. He nodded as we explained our equipment and our code of conduct and praised our professionalism. “But”, he said, “at the end of the day, you really just need to put all that stuff away and trust your gut feelings.” That doesn’t get you any displayable proof.

We’ve all had the investigations where various members of the group say things like the hair on their neck stood up in a certain area, or they felt a coldness pass over them, but unless the measurements are captured somehow what do you have? Some teams are satisfied with reporting their personal experiences at a property and some home and business owners are content with that, but others want ‘proof.’

Pa Paranormal tries to take both routes with their investigations. We use most of the latest scientific gadgetry and hand-held cameras to try to capture evidence, and we also go with our gut feelings, but in the end, it’s just our methodology, not a paranormal manifesto. We have a checklist that we take new team members through, so they get some training before they are on investigations, and we never send inexperienced people out on their own. When it all gets down to it, I think that’s all we can do. A certificate or a license might be great, as a concept, but in reality it is reputation that stands the real test of time.

{ 0 comments }

Paranormal Investigations and The Integrity Factor: Team Training and the Client Factor

During the time we’ve been operating, The Pa Paranormal Society has had a number of cases where we had to question the motivation of the clients we were serving. Our experiences may help you as you approach investigations as a new team or as a potential client. Most people contact us looking to solve problems or answer questions on noises or occurrences. Other times we are brought in to ‘prove’ that paranormal activities are happening.

Rob, Media Relations

Rob, Media Relations

Those are the ones that make us wonder. Who needs proof and why do they need it? Generally someone who just wants to ‘set the record straight’ isn’t looking for publicity. There aren’t stories on their websites or blogs giving details of actual unexplained events. Sometimes these could be totally legitimate, but other times it’s just a warning flag.

Investigating teams need to go into any situation with a skeptical nature. If everyone on the team (or anyone on the team for that matter) is looking for proof and evidence of the paranormal and the unknown, chances are, you are going to find it. But will what you find stand up to someone who is looking to pick things apart? That’s the rub. But it’s a good rub really.

Some investigation units out there are not looking to uncover the truth, they are looking for fame or notoriety and, when coupled with a client who is looking for the same thing, that’s trouble. It just makes everyone doing investigations look bad. In all honesty, we would all like to find that one bit of evidence that proves conclusively that the paranormal is real and that we are visited by spirits or something ‘from another dimension’ inhabits a given space. Guilty. But we have to be objective and part of that is in client evaluation. What is the motivation? What chance is there that they are purposefully contaminating evidence for whatever reason? Are they looking to be profiled on a television show for publicity or are they just trying to find answers?

You have to approach every case with the mind set that the client is legitimate and that what they are presenting is actual and real. If you come into each case with integrity and assume that the client also is honest and sincere you have the best chance of a good interaction and cooperation. People can tell if you are coming at it in any other way. But, and this is a big but, you always have to keep in mind that there could be motivating factors on the other side. Stay honest and true to your methods and always be polite and courteous during a reveal. If there are any potential shenanigans going on, you have to assume the client is also being played, and keep things at a professional level. Your reputation and theirs is on the line.

{ 3 comments }

Psychics, Mediums and Bears, Oh My!

There has been some discussion regarding the use of psychics, mediums, “sensitives” or any other sort of non-technical scientific type of ‘equipment.’ (Pardon the term, all you psychics, but if you are really psychic, you already know I mean it in the kindest way.)

First off, what do these terms really mean? Are they well defined or are they as varied as the people who wear them? A psychic is a person who can glean information through extrasensory perception (commonly referred to as ESP.) This information can be as specific as names, dates, times, places and that sort of thing. If the person doesn’t get specifics, then generally speaking that person would be known as a “sensitive.” Sensitives are folks who get feelings or intuitions rather than the specific information already mentioned.

To give an example, a psychic might perceive that a spirit visiting an area is named Mary and she died during a great sickness or a plague whereas a sensitive might go into an area and get a deep feeling of pain or suffering, but not names or specific information about what’s causing it. A sensitive might just have the hair raise on the back of their necks or queasiness in their stomachs when they sense something.

On the other extreme is the medium, who not only can get specific information, they can also communicate to some degree. Our team has had a medium who communicated with spirits and helped them to “pass to the other side.” We don’t generally bring someone like that along on investigations, but we have an option if the client requests that sort of thing. Since we would really like to capture evidence of spirits, having someone ‘pass’ them is sort of counter-intuitive to the process, but can give a grieving loved one relief.

So there are the three types. One is like a temperature gage, one is like a radio receiver and one is like a two-way radio. That’s oversimplification, and the most reliable mediums seem to be hit or miss.

In our experience we prefer not having anyone doing any sort of spirit communication, whether as a psychic or a medium. They take away from our advertised services, which consist of scientific-based investigations. The other disadvantage to using someone with ESP is they tend to lead an investigation, intentionally or not, and you may miss things that they didn’t pick up on. Which brings up the final point.

Is their ability legitimate? Without someone to confirm known names or situations, there is no way to determine that. If the psychic says a person’s name is Tony, who can dispute it? If they say concentrate on that room and no unusual EMF levels come up and no EVP’s are heard, what do you have? A team who was influenced by someone who may or may not have any abilities.

We all have some minor ‘psychic’ abilities, whether you call it intuition or being sensitive, and we should use our instincts to guide us. Trust your inner feelings and follow the course of action that feels right to you.


{ 4 comments }