Do Not Fear The Unknown

Due to an escalation in activity at the Mississippi Belle Restaurant, an investigation was scheduled between the Owners and HPT. The escalation began almost immediately after the joint investigation with IPRA. One impromptu investigation was conducted and an equipment drop was also scheduled. Neither of these two visits by the team were able to adequately provide enough insight into the cause for the escalation. One theory HPT had was due to the increased amount of energy generated the night of the joint investigation may have empowered the entities significantly or may have empowered an entity the team was not yet aware of.

The HPT Leadership members discussed what would be the best course of action to alleviate the increased activity and return the level to that previous to the joint investigation. The Leadership team felt that the offering of some form of gift to some of the entities believed to remain there would be one good course of action. Another would be for Leadership Team members to offer apologies to entities believed to remain in the Dining room, Wine Cellar, Basement area and Boiler room. Juli suggested offering white roses as a sign of peace to the entities which was adopted as a good idea by the team members. It was also agreed upon that under no circumstances would any provocation be allowed on the investigation. It was agreed that members should conduct themselves passively for this investigation, with the assumption that something or someone was there and that we were not going to force a response from any entity. It was also agreed that Juli and Andrea place the gifts ahead of other team members arrival and to attempt to ascertain the overall feelings or impressions of any entity that may be present.

Juli reported back to Judy and Tim during equipment set-up that the feelings she was able to obtain were as follows...

- The female entity in the dining room was very upset over the escalation and felt as though she had no control over it

- The female entity in the wine cellar was very distraught and almost inconsolable

- There appeared to be a stronger male presence in the dining room, much more significant then previously detected

- Both her and Andrea felt upon entering the building an overwhelming chaotic feeling and a great deal of anxiety

During the briefing, all team members were again reminded that under no circumstances were any investigators to engage in any provocation investigational tactics at all. No information Juli and Andrea relayed to Tim was disseminated to any other members of the team.

It should be noted that this investigation was completely contrary to the approach HPT has taken in the past. Typically the team will go into a location with the intent of gathering evidence, attempting to bolster response from any entities that may remain there and draw a conclusion after all reports and evidence are submitted and complied. On this occasion, HPT went into the location with the assumption that there were entities present and that the primary goal was to de-escalate the increase in activity.

As reported during the evidence reveal on Friday May 2nd by the Owners Hope and Bill and other employees, activity has dropped considerably since HPT's investigation. There were no more reported incidents of chairs moving, candles lighting and the overall atmosphere appears to be more at ease. It was also reported that employees who felt as though they were constantly being watched while at the location has also been diminished.

Upon hearing the activity has dropped off to minimal after the March 29th investigation, HPT have deemed their plan a success.

Please read the full investigation report below.

Thanks,

HPT

 

Time: 2130 - 0200

Location: Mississippi Belle Restaurant, 101 E 2nd St, (under the bridge) Hastings MN.

Overcast Sky, Temperature 32 degrees, and Light wind, Waning Crescent Moon

Members Participating: Judy, Juli, Erin, Rich, Josh, Andrea, Kevin, and Tim

Background:

This investigation was necessitated due to escalation in the amount and type of activity. Prior to this investigation, HPT was called in one evening on an impromptu investigation and also for an equipment drop approximately 1 week later. Concerns from the clients included chairs moving at closing time, place settings which were altered with silverware being placed in a cross fashion on the tables, candles that appeared to ignite themselves and a faucet in the women’s restroom that turns on by itself. While there is still no malicious intent felt towards anyone, it was mutually decided by both the clients and HPT that another investigation should be conduct with a sole purpose of ascertaining the reason for the increase in activity and, through use of sensitive team members, alleviating the increased activity.

Prior to the investigation, the Leadership members met and discussed how best to alleviate the increased activity. It was speculated that the increased amount of energy from the last investigation may have empowered some entities within the location, and left others weakened. It was agreed that a form of a peace or good-will offering and a non-provocational investigative approach might be best. It was agreed that Juli and Andrea would go to different areas within the location and place flowers as a good will gesture. This was accomplished prior to the arrival of the team. Juli and Andrea met Tim and Judy outside the location and reported that two female entities were detected by both investigators and characterized as being very upset. Another, more dominant female in the dining room was angered by the increased activity throughout the location. Both Juli and Andrea got an overall feeling that the entities who were offered the gifts seemed receptive to the gesture with the exception of one entity that appeared to have grown stronger, that being the entity in the dish room.

During equipment set-up, Hope relayed a story to the team about an incident in the basement where a light went off on it’s own. She went to check it and turned it back on. Upon walking away, the light cycled from on to off an additional three times. After this, she retrieved what she went down to the area for, left, and has not been back down there since.

Structure and Location:

The building appears to be constructed of bricks, consists of two stories with the entire first floor and a section of the second floor dedicated to the business. There are also apartments on the upper floor of the building. The building is situated next to the Highway 61-river bridge and appears to share a common wall with another business. There is an electrical substation located behind the building and also high-voltage power lines nearby. This proximity to the substation and power lines may account for some of the extremely high EMF readings, but more research should be done to confirm this. Traffic on the bridge can be heard within the building especially large trucks or vehicles with loud exhaust.

Investigation:

The team began arriving about 2130 hours and immediately began setting up equipment. This was the first time the team had employed DVR and IR cameras, so extra time was allotted for the set up. An IR camera was placed in the boiler room, the wine cellar, and another on a shelf separating the dining room and bar room aimed at the dining room area. Audio recorders were also carried by at least one member of each team, and additional recorders were placed in the dining room and loft area in an apartment on the top floor. After a review of the Investigation Plan, which Erin drew up, the team separated and went off to their respective designated areas. Judy and Rich were slated to begin the investigation in the boiler room; Erin, Andrea and Kevin were designated to begin in the wine cellar. Josh would roam between the teams documenting with a video camera and Juli and Tim would monitor the DVR. Shortly after departing for his assignment, Josh returned and reported that he had a severe headache and was feeling ill. It should be noted that prior to arrival, Josh was not experiencing either of these symptoms. Both Juli and Andrea reported an uneasy feeling also when entering the location. Shortly after reporting these symptoms, Josh departed for home for the evening. Tim them took over the role vacated by Josh.

After approximately 40 minutes, Erin’s team returned to the dining room area. They reported that while in the area, Andrea attempted to use the dowsing rods but after only a few minutes stopped due to a feeling she got that the entity seemed to becoming more agitated. She then read a poem that Rich had obtained that was written during the mid 1800’s. After another short time of asking for responses or signs from the entity, the team departed. The other team members returned to the dining room area and changed assignments and team members. Erin and Judy went to the apartments, and Rich, Andrea and Kevin took up positions in the dining room area.

Tim then called on the radio to find where Erin and Judy were and took the video camera up to the apartment areas to document. Tim met up with Judy and Erin in the loft apartment area. The team members made their way through the loft area moving around the various rooms and calling in an attempt to solicit a response. After approximately 15 minutes, the team members made their way out of the loft area and proceeded to apartment “A”. Team members then made their way through apartment “A” stopping in the kitchen and bedroom to call for a short time. After an additional 15 minutes in this area, team members again moved towards the loft apartment and swept it again. They then returned to the dining room area for reassignment.

Basement – Hallway Area:

Judy and Tim then went down towards the basement hallway in the dry storage area and began calling. Within a few minutes, Judy asked that Tim turn on the flashlight because she felt like something had touched her. Tim turned on the flashlight and no cause for the sensation was found. As soon as Tim turned off the light, the entity again touched Judy on the arm. The team members again resumed calling to try and get a response from the entity. Tim then asked Judy if he had seen a light flash off to his right, Judy then stated that she saw the same thing. The investigators watched down the hallway for a while and determined that the flash was a reflection of light from the stairway area. Tim then moved past Judy more towards the door at the end of the aisle. After a short period of Tim, Judy again asked Tim to turn on the flashlight. She stated that the light she saw this time appeared to be coming from around the corner by some shelving.

Judy then stated that she was not getting any feeling of ill intent in this area, but more of a laid back approach. Tim then asked Judy if she moved or heard something move off to his right, she stated she did not more, nor hear what time heard. Tim then asked Judy if she was getting any feelings from the area, she replied that things were very calm.

Judy then asked a question about a Heidi and if the entity in the area knew of a Heidi. Judy then immediately replied that she had just heard a male reply “Yes”. Both team members then continued asking questions pertaining to “Heidi”. Whether she was a friend, just someone he knew, or his wife. Judy then asked if she was his daughter, Tim again asked if Heidi was his wife. Suddenly, both investigators heard a loud noise like a door being slammed shut. Both investigators left the area and went back up to the dining area to seem if anyone was in the kitchen at the time of the noise. Hope replied that both her and Bill were just in there and did open and close a cooler door. Juli then reported to Tim that Andrea, who was sitting next to her, felt what she described as an electrical current going through her hand when she waved it over the seat cushion in the booth next to the DVR. She also stated that it felt like something tugged on her hair and that there was now a cold spot a few inches above the cushion. Juli then moved over to see if she could also feel the cold spot. As soon as she placed her hand where Andrea’s was, the cold spot seemed to move off to her left towards the kitchen area. She also asked Erin to take a picture in the general area that the cold spot moved to. Andrea also reported that she was having problems with her camera. Tim then asked Andrea if she would like to back down to the hallway area, she agreed to accompany Tim down there.

As soon as the team members got back into the area, they began calling again. Tim told the entity who was now with him. Andrea then asked the entity if she liked the flower they left. Tim again began asking about Heidi. After a short time, Andrea reported that down the hallway near the stairwell she saw a small point of light. Tim replied that he also saw the same thing. The team again tried calling and Tim asked Andrea if she just exhaled loudly, she stated she had not. Tim then stated he heard what sounded like a breath right along side him. Andrea also stated that she heard the same thing. Andrea then tried to speak to the entity and again both investigators heard a noise. The team members again resumed calling and asking if the entity could touch one of them. After a while Andrea asked if the entity was touching her face, there was no response to her inquiry. Andrea and Tim remained in the area for a short time longer and then went back up into the dining room to meet up with the other team members. Tim then picked up the video camera and accompanied Kevin, Erin and Andrea to the boiler room area.

Boiler Room:

When the team initially entered the boiler room, Erin took up a position on the left side area of the room. Kevin took up a position near the center of the room initially and then moved to the right side. Tim moved from the doorway to the left side of the room by the boiler and Andrea stayed near the doorway. Erin attempted calling to see if she could get a response from any entity in the area. Andrea reported that she felt a slight breeze that seemed to appear and then dissipate. Kevin then began looking at the windows on the right side of the room and found one did appear to have a slight draft occasionally coming from it, explaining the cold spot Andrea occasionally felt. Soon after this incident, Andrea reported that she got a smell similar to men’s cologne. She went to both Tim and Kevin to see if either of them was wearing cologne of the same fragrance. Neither one was wearing anything similar in odor. Her and Kevin then began looking at a couple of paintbrushes lying on some old chairs. Kevin picked them up and smelled them to see if the odor could have been generated from them. The brushes did not appear to have any odor and the source of the smell could not be located. Tim then departed the area and went back up to the dining room to speak to Hope, Bill and Juli by the DVR. Shortly after, the team concluded the investigation and packed up.

 

Supplemental Reports:
Supplemental Report - Juli	Supplemental Report - Erin	Supplemental Report - Judy
Supplemental Report - Kevin	Supplemental Report - Rich	Supplemental Report - Andrea

 

Occurrences or Experiences:

 Investigators again saw shadows moving in the basement area
 Two team members reported the sensation of being touched in the basement
 One investigator reported feeling a tapping on her recorder in the wine cellar
 Numerous EVP’s were recorded
 Video of orb activity was obtained
 Investigators viewed light anomalies while in the basement area
 Sensitive team members again detected the presence of numerous entities within the structure

Conclusion...

When first contacted, the location had a significant increase in paranormal activity that could not be explained through conventional methods. Instead of an investigative approach HPT adopted a passive, complacent approach in an attempt to decrease activity. Items were offered and placed in areas where it was believe entities were located that may have been responsible for the escalation. While overall, entities previously encountered appeared to be more distraught, confused and disturbed, one entity was detected to have increased in power as reported by sensitive team members. This entity is the one believed to remain in the dish room. The HPT Leadership team discussed that if activity does not return to a level where employee comfort level is returned, it may be necessary to remove this entity.

After the investigation, employees were asked to note the change in activity and the overall “feeling” of the location. Tim returned to the location the following day and did speak to employees, one of which is usually the first on site each day. This individual reported that there were chairs moved upon his arrival to which Tim stated that there were investigators stationed in that area and in those chairs which resulted in them being moved. The employee also informed Tim that overall the atmosphere did not seem as tense as it had in the recent past.

It is recommended that the location and HPT remain in communication and reports of escalated or new activity be reported immediately. Sensitive team members may perform another investigation to better gage activity, and determine if it may be necessary to remove one entity from the location.

HPT maintains that this location is the site of varied, unexplained phenomena for which the only reasonable conclusion can be that it is haunted.

Click on the EVP's to Listen...
Bsmt (Laugh)- Tim-D	Dining Rm (Female unknown)- Tim-D	Dining Rm (Male unknown)- Tim-D
Dining Rm (Male-a shock)- Tim-D	Dining Rm (no more)- Tim-D

*We are now adding the name of the team member who carried the device that picked up the EVP*

Investigation Photos...

 

 

Videos...