Investigation...
Field Investigation: March 27th, 2010
Time: 1900 - 2200
Location: A Private Residence in Hastings MN
Geomagnetic and Solar conditions: Geomagnetic Field - Quiet, Solar Activity - Normal
Moon: Waxing Gibbous
Hastings Paranormal Team Members Participating: Juli, Andrea Mark and Tim
Background Information:
HPT was contact via e-mail in early March 2010 by the female resident of the home. She stated that they did believe that there was an “entity” which was reported in the home by the former owners. She stated that over the winter their “guest” was not very active. As of recently, the activity has been increasing. She stated that the previous owner described much more activity, however it was relayed that the previous owner also had children in the home. After exchanging e-mails with Judy, HPT set a date to perform an initial interview to better gage what activity may be occurring within the home.
Judy and Tim went to the home on March 15 th to conduct the initial interview. After meeting with the homeowners, Judy went into the upstairs bedroom area to “see” if she could detect the presence of any entities. Tim remained with the homeowners to conduct the interview. As with any initial interview, Tim asked permission to tape the interview for review later. Both the residence granted their permission for the recording.
During the interview it was revealed that the home was built about 1885. The previous residents had disclosed that they believed that there was at least once entity within the home while they resided there. Shortly after moving in, one of the residents was approached by a neighbor who asked him if he had “met up with the ghost?”
Activity reported during the interview ranged from one resident seeing a shadow figure move from the front door through the dining area and into the kitchen. The residents also reported the sound of footsteps on the upper floor hallway. A significant temperature disparity was also reported in the adjacent bedroom. The male resident stated that furnace grate was closed off and showed Tim a box covering the furnace grate and also stated that the curtains were always closed in the room. Both Tim and Judy did notice a significant temperature difference between this room and the remainder of the upstairs area. The female resident reported she had experienced a feeling of being watched at night shortly after going to bed. Both residence seemed accepting of the fact that their could indeed be paranormal activity occurring within the home, but the females concern was an uncomfortable feeling she frequently got when trying to go to sleep.
Judy also reported that when she ascended the stairs, she got to the fourth step and had to stop and retreat back down the stairs due to the presence of a significant amount of the energy she encountered there.
At the conclusion of the interview, it was recommended that HPT come in and conduct an investigation in an attempt to add validity to past reports of paranormal activity and try to ascertain “who” may still be in the home, why they remained there and provide some answers to the clients.
During the meeting, the female client offered Tim a folder of historical research that she had collected. Tim requested to not be provided the folder or any information contained within it until after the investigation. Tim also stated that he was familiar with the resident and at least one of the residents.
He did not inform Judy of this information, and kept it sequestered from other team members until after the investigation was completed.
After having an opportunity to review the forms, the residents agreed to an investigation and a date of Saturday, March 27 th was agreed upon. The investigation was to be conducted from approximately 1930 to 2200, with the team leaving audio and video recording equipment to run over night.
Investigation:
The team assembled at the residence at approximately 1900 hours and immediately went inside to begin equipment set up. Command was set up in the kitchen area where the DVR was set up to monitor infrared cameras placed in the master bedroom, an adjacent bedroom and the upstairs hallway. Juli reported to Tim in confidence that immediately after entering the home, Juli heard a voice say, “Be careful.” It was for this reason that she recommended that the team perform a “protection ritual” to help insure all investigator would remain safe throughout the investigation. After the team members went over an investigation plan that Tim drew up, all members participated in the protection ritual before departing for their first rotation assignments. During the first rotation, Rich was assigned to DVR monitoring, Mark would provide video documentation, and Juli and Tim would investigate the master bedroom and hallway. During the investigation plan overview, Rich informed the team that when he arrived inside the home, he was leaning up against the door and felt someone gently push on his shoulder which he took as “Shut the door buddy, you’re leaving the heat out.” While phenomenon of this type had not been reported, the team felt it was a significant and unusual incident.
Just prior to the beginning of the first rotation, Mark and Tim walked through the investigation areas with Tim providing narration on the history of the location, a brief overview of the types of activity experienced within the home and a walk through of the investigation areas.
After the walk through, Mark and Tim went back downstairs to assemble with Juli and begin the investigation back in the master bedroom. Juli proceeded to the far side of the bed; Mark took up a position against the wall by the doorway while Tim performed a quick sweep of the room with Juli’s duo EMF/Temperature meter. He found that the ambient temperature of the room to be about 72.2 degrees and a baseline EMF reading of 0.02. Tim then began calling in an attempt to contact any “entity” that may be around. He had just begun calling when Juli stated that her ears were ringing. He then asked if there was anyone who liked to come into the room and “visit” the female resident.
Juli then told Tim not to ask or say anymore…she said there was a female presence that did come into this room, but was not here right now. She said she was very attracted to the female homeowner by was not here right now. Tim then asked if she could describe the woman. Juli said blonde or white hair, longish, fairly tall for a woman of her time and light colored eyes. She also had a long nose and also looks to be of Nordic descent. Tim then tried to get a gauge for what Juli meant by tall, he asked 5’6”, 5’7”? Juli said yes, depending on the era in which she lived.
She also sense she would be a very tall woman for her time. Tim asked if she once resided there or had a stake in the house. Juli replied it is not necessarily the house the way it looks now, but the house the way it looked before, but she did reside on this property. Tim then asked as home or a boarding house? Juli replied a very small structure. Tim then asked for clarity, a store, a novelty or gift shop, a neighborhood grocery…Juli said that it was feeling more like a small, general store. Tim then asked if there was a relationship to anything else in this structure, or if she was detecting anything else in the home. Juli replied no, just the female who comes in visitation. She said she stays pretty close to the property, but does not stay within the house. Tim then asked if Juli was getting a sense of what her demeanor was? Juli stated she was a very hard worker, she was friendly enough to do business with the customers, but was a no nonsense kind of person. He then asked if she could pick a time or an era in which she lived? Late 19 th Century, early 20 th Century? She said late 19 th, early 20 th century. She also had a male partner, but she said she did not always see him; it was like she was the backbone of the partnership or business. Tim then asked if she could see if one was around longer? Juli said the woman was around longer. He then asked if he saw any children, either those that died early or those that grew up and moved out. Juli said it was like the woman drew a cover over that page and would not allow her to see that. She guessed that there might have been a child, maybe two. She did see a child that helped out with that home or business but it may have just been someone who lived in the area too. He then asked if she passed away in this residence. Juli said she got a sense that she either passed away in this residence or very close to it. Tim then asked for a timeframe. She said she was getting a sense that this general store had outlived it’s usefulness, there was more stores cropping up…It was a this time the Tim informed Juli and Mark that something just grabbed his leg at the ankle. He stated that he felt his pants move in and close around the back of his ankle.
Juli added that it was around this time that she just lost the will to live and felt she was no longer useful, and did not feel that her business was just not useful anymore. She then stated that she felt as if something was standing behind her, she could feel energy on her back. It was almost like the team invited something by talking about it. Tim then asked if Juli could pick up on what her name could have been? Juli said it had an “I” sound in it. Tim then asked first name or last name. Juli said first name she thought, but was not sure. Tim then informed Juli he knew what was there before, but did not and would not disclose to Juli what he knew until after the investigation. He did tell Juli that she was just about spot on in what she had informed the team of. Tim then asked if from the team talking about her, if she was around them now? Juli said she was edging closer, but does not like to be the center of attention. It was almost like she was waiting around to be useful again. She does not like to leave this area because it meant so much to her, like she was a pillar of the community, she was of value to this community and when she lost that, she lost the will to live and gave up.
Tim then asked if by her being here, she was watching over the female…Juli immediately stated that she was now in the room with the team members, just behind Juli. She said she feels a connection with the female resident because she looks a little like her…Tim then said he was starting to feel kind of cold. He then turned the thermometer back on. His initial reading was 73 degrees and steady. Juli went on to say that the entity did feel close to the female resident, almost like a kinship. Tim then asked Juli if it would be all right if he addressed the entity. Juli replied, “Yes”. Tim began the questioning by asking if she; the entity remembered him, or his dad? Juli said she was cocking her head as if trying to remember. Tim then stated his father’s first name. Juli replied no. Tim stated he did not frequent the store a lot, but every couple of months. He then described his dad, and then asked if she remembered his grandmother and recited her name. Juli stated that when Tim said the first name of his grandmother, she perked up. He also recited the last name of his grandmother from her second marriage. Juli said the entity did recognize the last name from her second marriage. He then provided some information about his paternal grandparents, his grandmother’s history and also some additional information about other members of his family.
Tim then did say his remembered her, sitting in her chair downstairs…Juli said the entity then grinned. Tim then asked if she was starting to remember him. Juli replied that there were just so many children, but that she did remember Tim’s grandmother. She also said that she might remember Tim’s father, but that…Rich then called on the radio to ask where everyone was. Rich then stated that there was a lot of orb activity on camera one. Tim then replied that that was where the investigators were. Juli went on to add that there was a lot going on for the entity and she did not take a lot of time to get to know the personal lives of those who frequented the store. She said there was a lot that went in one ear and out the other because she did not want to get too involved with others. Juli then stated that the entity was very happy with Tim talking about those she knew and who were important in her life. Tim then thanked the entity and again how he remembered how when he walked into the store how she always greeted everyone with “Hello, how are you doing?” Asking the children, “ Are you here with your Mom/Dad tonight?”
Tim then asked Juli if she could ask the entity if it would be all right to ask her some questions? Juli replied she is not sure. Tim then went on to state that it will not be personal, or private, but that they, the team were there because at times she makes the female homeowner uneasy. Tim also stated that he knows she did not mean to do that, because he knew her and that it was not her intent to do so. But at times the homeowner did feel uneasy about her presence, and that they were there to find out more for the homeowners. Tim stated he could remember that whenever he did come into the store, she was always happy. He went on stated that he knew she was a proud business owner, that if there was anything the team could do for her they would certainly try.
Juli then asked if she could interrupt at this point and addressed the entity. Juli then stated that the homeowner like her, was a private person, but also wanted a little more private space, and she asked if the homeowner could have that. Tim then asked if she could respond or show herself in any way. At this point, Tim turned on a red headlamp and Juli began using her dowsing rods as an avenue for communication, the rods immediately crossed. Juli said that she was just so pleased to be acknowledged. Tim then asked if he could start with the letter “A” and continue until he got to the first letter of her name and cross the rods. Tim the recited the letters up to “C”, the rods crossed. Tim then asked for the rods to uncross. He then asked if her first name was Catherine. Juli reiterated the question and asked for the rods to cross. The rods crossed…Tim asked if she could uncross the rods, which they did. He then asked if she was known by another name, and if so to please cross the rods. The rods crossed, and again Tim asked for her to uncross the rods, they uncrossed. He then asked if people knew her by her middle name or another name and if people knew her by the name Marie? The rods immediately crossed. Tim then thanked “Marie” and asked if he could call her that? Juli said she smiled and nodded. Juli then stated that it was a pleasure to meet her.
Tim then asked if Marie liked what the homeowners had done to the place? The rods immediately crossed. He asked that they be uncrossed. Tim then described some of the changes that current homeowners had made and if she liked them, and to please cross the rods. Juli replied that she said she does not dislike them, but just misses her own home. Tim then asked if someone else visits the home, a male, also and to please cross the rods. The rods did not cross. Tim asked if there was something the team could do for her while then were here. The rods wavered, but did not cross. Juli stated that she felt Marie wanted to apologize with the homeowner for scaring her, and that was not her intent. She just felt a kinship to her and wanted to express this to her, and that she just likes her. Tim then stated that the team would pass that on to the homeowner.
Juli then stated that she, Marie seemed like she was looking for someone or missed someone, a man in her life, and if that was the case to please cross the rods. The rods crossed. Tim then asked they be opened up. Tim asked if it was her husband she missed, the rods again crossed. He asked they be opened again. Juli also thanked her.
Tim asked if she wanted to remain there, in the home for a while? Juli said she was undecided, but missed her husband and family members, but was not yet ready to cross over. Tim stated that the team understood. He then placed the EMF/Thermometer on the bed and asked if she could make the numbers move a bit. Juli then asked Tim to move the device closer to the nightstand on the side of the bed because Marie felt more comfortable there. Tim moved the device closer to the area identified by Juli. Juli then asked if Marie could make the numbers on the bottom of the display screen, the temperature, move down or decrease? Tim then asked if she could put her hand on it or over it? He then asked Juli, who had a better vantage point of the screen what the thermometer was doing. She said it was fluctuating between 73.1 and 73.2. She then stated that Marie was not going break it to which Tim added that it was not going to hurt her. He also explained that it was just something to help the team prove she was there and to help the team communicate with them. He also added that if she did not want to do this, that was fine also and the team understood. Tim again asked what the temperature was; Juli said it was at 73.7, so the temperature was going up. Tim then proclaimed that it was a standard bed, not a waterbed or anything like that.
Juli then stated that when Marie first came into the room, that the room felt chilly to her, and to please put her hands in the same place as the thermometer in an attempt to make it go down. Juli then started laughing and said Marie said it sounded like a “dog and pony show.” The team members all laughed at this statement. Juli then asked Tim how he was at feeling energy? Tim stated that he was not as talented as Juli. She then asked if Tim could put his hand next to her, Juli and feel anything, he could not. He then asked Juli and permission from Marie if he could switch spots with her? Juli stated “Sure, why not.” They changed positions with Tim standing by the nightstand next to the bed. Tim then began waving his hand and asked if Marie was where his hand was? Juli asked that he move closer to the nightstand. He then replied that when he waved his hand, it was like a slight breeze where his hand was, but there was no breeze back by the wall. Juli explained that was Marie’s energy he felt. He again asked if she remembered him? Juli said that Marie said she thinks she remembered Tim’s dad. He then asked if she was happy the team was there, knew she was here and were talking to her, and to please let the team know somehow, tap on something, to let the team know she was there. Juli then added that she could also speak into the team’s audio recorders, but that the team would not hear her right now, but later if there was something she wanted to say. Tim said that they were a lot like the old phonographs in a way. He again asked if she could move something, tap on something…and that he knew she was a really neat person and did not want her to make a mess or anything. She could also touch his arm or touch his hand.
Juli stated that Tim had very fond memories of her as a child and just wanted to connect with her again. The team remained silent for about 3 minutes hoping some sign would be shown. After this, Tim asked if she wanted the team members to leave? Juli asked if she was arthritic, as she got older. He stated he believed so, that he remembered her, sitting in her chair…he then stated that he though he saw something pass by him on his left side. Tim did state that he believed that she did have some trouble getting around. Juli stated that she was seeing that her hands were kind of gnarled up, like someone with arthritis. Juli also stated that Marie was starting to tire. Tim stated that he liked talking to people that he knew as a child because that made him feel good, and asked if she wanted the team to leave. Juli stated that she said that would be fine. The team thanked Marie and departed the room for the hallway area.
Once in the hallway, Juli said she, Marie, liked seeing the kids and asked if she liked giving out little pieces of candy, to which Tim replied, “Yes.” Tim then stated the immediately after walking in to the hallway; the EMF detected registered a 12.0 and then suddenly dropped off.
Tim asked Juli if there was a male entity that walked the hallway or was in the hallway. Juli stated she felt the residual energy of a male that walked the hallway, but that he was not there right now. She said that the male was not related to Marie but someone that either lived there or frequented the area. It was not an intelligent haunting. Tim then asked if this was residual, if it could be something that walked the hallway, Juli replied yes. He then asked again if it was someone who built the home, or lived in it? Again she replied yes, but that it was hard for her to retrace the exact circumstance as to who it is or who it could be. She did describe the entity as a large man with a beard that paces. She reiterated that it was residual. He then asked that if he would be noisy to which Juli replied if he were noisy then, he would be noisy now. Tim asked if he was a big, lumbering man, to which Juli stated “Boots.” She then demonstrated how she believes he walked with his shoulders hunched over while walking. She said he was a manual labor sort of person, farmed, etc. He then asked if Juli thought he passed away her, Juli replied yes. He then asked if this entity predated Marie, she stated that he did. Tim again asked if he build this home or if it was a smaller structure. Juli replied that it was a smaller structure.
Tim again stated that the EMF detector was fluctuating a lot again, but that the temperature was stable. Juli stated that she picked that up a lot too, where the EMF would fluctuate and then stabilize. Tim then checked the time; found that the vigil time allotted was over so the investigators went back downstairs for a break and to break into other teams.
When the team got back down to where Rich was on the DVR, he asked him if he had seen anything on the DVR. Rich stated that there was a lot of orb activity on camera three when the team was in the hallway. He also stated that he stopped logging activity on camera one because there was some much orb activity that he could not be sure if it was actual activity or dust or something like that causing it. He said it was constant in the master bedroom until about the halfway point of the vigil, and then it decreased significantly. Juli surmised that it could have been the energy flowing back into the room and collecting there. Rich then informed the team that one of the homeowners stated that there was a creek that ran under the property. Tim then informed the team that there were springs in the area that would empty into a local area. Rich then stated that in the presence of something like this, it could be a significant conduit for activity.
Rich then asked if he could go outside for a break and take some outdoor photos, but not of the address or anything that would identify the property. Tim stated that would be fine and that the team was going to take a break anyhow. After a short break, Tim took up position on the DVR while Juli, Mark and Rich went out to the back yard to investigate reports of activity that may have occurred out there. Tim then did some documentation into why the team was in the back yard, and noted no significant orb activity on the DVR cameras. After approximately ten minutes outside, Juli, Mark and Rich came back in. Since the team was running short on time, Tim suggested that the three continue to investigate upstairs and the stairwell.
Rich again went over some of the orb activity that he viewed while watching the DVR. He stated that there were orbs that appeared to come out of the southeast bedroom and travel down the hall. Tim suggested that the team go into that one even though it was not identified as a place of interest to see if they could detect anything there. The team continued the investigation of the upstairs area for about 25-30 minutes. While on DVR duty, Tim placed a call to Judy to arrange a time for the equipment pickup in the morning. After investigating the upstairs bedrooms, the team headed back down stopping on the stairs for a short time. Juli took up a position on the fourth step where she got some unusual EMF readings. Nowhere else on the stairs would the EMF detector move at all, but on the fourth step from the bottom, the EMF detector would slowly but steadily rise for no apparent reason. Rich then came over to Tim to inform him what the team members were experiencing.
Rich then reported that they checked in the living room on the other side and did find a Wide Screen TV along with other electronics, but were not getting any readings other then on the fourth step. Tim went over to the area where Juli was sitting and showed him her findings also. Rich then asked if the homeowners had said anything about the staircase. Tim replied no, but that when Judy was there, she got to the fourth step and had to stop for a few moments before going up any farther. Juli also stated that she got “something” in her head that said, “Watch out, the fourth step is broken.” He then asked if there were any temperature fluctuations, both Juli and Rich stated there were none.
Juli then asked if she thought the team was done, to which Tim replied that he was going to let the team members call it if they thought they had investigated everything thoroughly and had whatever evidence they needed. Tim asked if Juli and the team members would like to take one more walk through since it was about 2130. Juli then demonstrated to Tim how the fourth step anomaly would make the EMF detector react. Tim then looked around the corner and did see a large flat panel TV and asked if there was a home theater system there also. The homeowner said there was not. Tim explained to the homeowner they were trying to detect why the meter was still acting so unusually. The male resident then took Tim around to a closet that was under the stairs for him to see if there was anything that would cause it, there was not. Tim then went back to spoke quietly to Juli about what she thought could cause it. Juli surmised that it could be a residual signature possibly of an accident that occurred there sometime in the past.
Tim then asked the homeowners if there were any blueprints or plans on the layout of the step, they both stated no. The female resident said that there used to be a big cable under the stairs, but during the renovation it was removed. Tim then asked Rich if he would watch the DVR while they went back upstairs. It was then decided that the team would to a local establishment after the investigation where Tim would reveal what he knew about the location to the others. Juli then shared with Tim and Mark that she thought maybe the water under the area could be part of the reason for the activity around the home, in that it could cause problems for those who lived there. She stated that when she got into the backyard, she got an image of someone repairing a wagon. She also said she got images of people working, people taking care of things, and it was very, very busy. She also stated she went to a far corner of the back yard and also could see the neighbors. She said she thought there was a whole lot of residual activity ebbing because of the high water table. Tim then asked if Juli could pick up on the male’s name that she saw outside and also in the hallway. She said all she could pick up was that he was a big guy, possibly Irish or European, his wife was a little plump, and had a son, probably pre teenaged with him. Again she reiterated that it was just residual. Tim then asked if this were the case, if someone could just seen shadows in the back yard, to which Juli replied they would and possibly have stuff move.
The team members then moved back downstairs and packed up all the equipment with the exception of the DVR cameras on the upstairs area throughout the night. Juli and Tim then reassured the homeowners that the team did not find anything bad within the home. He also added that they could expect a slight elevation in activity for a short time after the team left, not be alarmed that this is normal. Juli also offered that there is something that does occur that frightens them to call the team immediately.
After packing up any unneeded equipment, Tim put a static recorder on the bed in the master bedroom; time stamped it as 2200, closed the door and went back downstairs. The team departed the residence shortly after.
| Supplemental Reports: | ||
Occurrences or Experiences:
- One team member reported being touched on the shoulder immediately after walking into the home
- One team member reported being touched or grabbed once on the ankle and again on the forearm
- Several EVP’s were obtained
- Infrared Camera footage showed orb and mist activity in one bedroom
- Two Sensitive team members noted a significant “energy” on one particular step on the staircase
- One unexplained light anomaly occurred in two successive pictures taken by one investigator
Conclusion...
HPT was provided access to the location on March 27 th 2010 to conduct an investigation to determine the possible cause behind one resident’s uncomfortable feeling, that of being watched at night in one of the bedrooms in the home. The residents also reported seeing a shadow figure on one occasion and the sound of footsteps in the upstairs hallway.
During the investigation, one sensitive team member identified a female presence in the master bedroom that she believed entered the room in “visitation” due to a kinship she felt with the female resident. This “entity” was believed to be a former home/business owner of the structure who was not grounded there. The team held a vigil utilizing Low light and Infrared cameras, digital audio recorders and dowsing rods to try and determine the identity of this entity. During this vigil one investigator reported having clothing move and a sensation of being touched on at least one occasion and the feeling of being touched on the arm. Information gathered during the vigil did add validity to the extent that it could be concluded that it was a former resident.
Some EVP’s obtained on the audio recorders appearing to be both male and female. One notable video anomaly also occurred on Infrared Camera in the master bedroom prior to the investigation beginning. When investigating reports of footsteps on the upper floor, one sensitive team member identified a male as possibly being the cause of this phenomenon. She stated that it did not appear to be an interactive haunting and possibly was more residual in nature. The team also investigated reports of a temperature disparity in one of the bedrooms where the clients reported it was usually much warmer then other portions of the upstairs even though the furnace grate was blocked off, curtains closed and the door to the room closed. The team was not able to determine any reasonable explanation for this anomaly. The team also investigated reports of activity in the back yard of the residence. One sensitive team member did detect the presence of a significant amount of energy in the back yard. Also revealed by the residents was the possible location of a creek or fresh water spring on or near the property. It was surmised that the amount of limestone deposits and high water table at this time of year could contribute to activity reported in the past. Both the water and limestone have been reported as conduits and/or serving as a “battery” for activity. This may also be a contributing factor for the amount of activity within the home.
It is theorized that since the house has undergone a dramatic restoration, this could also be a contributing catalyst for the activity reported and experienced by the residents and team. At no time did any investigator feel threatened, or detect the presence of a negative energy or entity. What energy that was detected either appeared to be residual, or that of a positive, concerned nature. The team was able to collect audio and video evidence for which no reasonable explanation could be found.
It is concluded that the residence does appear to have some unexplained, possibly paranormal activity occurring within it. However, even though evidence was collected to support this conclusion, there was not enough tangible data collected to label the location as haunted. It is recommended that the residents document any new or escalating activity and report it to HPT immediately, especially if the residents begin to feel uncomfortable with the type and/or amount of activity
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