Many ghost hunters are looking for something different… any new, haunted site with a good, creepy feeling to it. They want to explore haunted places that everyone else hasn’t visited, yet. It’s not difficult to find unreported and under reported hauntings, if you start with history.

At least half of all reported hauntings may be the product of residual energy, sometimes called an ‘imprint’.

That is, the site remains charged with energy that lingers from an event that took place there. Generally, it’s an event that involved strong emotions, and sometimes violence.

We usually find elevated EMF readings in these locations. We almost always get more orb photos there, too.

At Hollow Hill, we generally call these ‘residual energy hauntings’ or ‘residual energy imprints’ but different ghost hunters use various terms for this.

(In brief, a residual energy haunting may not have a ghost, but it definitely provides strong psychic impressions and an eerie feeling.)

So, where does this lead us as ghost hunters, looking for new sites to investigate?

It’s simple: We work with history, and determine locations where repeated acts of violence and strong emotions may have happened.

Kinds of sites with residual energy

Battle sites such as Gettysburg are an easy choice. They’re also enormously popular. Since many of us prefer to conduct research without an audience, we often avoid the most well known hauntings.

Hospitals are a sure thing, but if the building’s in use, it can be difficult to access. If the site is closed, trespassing becomes an issue. So, we generally look elsewhere.

Jails, ‘hanging trees’, and old courtrooms can contain residual energy. Inns and other buildings used by smugglers and pirates are also rich with energy imprints.

Sites of multiple murders or violence are smart choices for ghost research. For example, the Lizzie Borden House–now a B&B–remains very haunted.

The more history that a site has, the more likely you’ll find at least one incident that may have left some residual energy. An investigation is the only way to find out if it’s enough to call a haunting.

Weird residual energy

The police are among of our best resources for information about weird residual energy hauntings. If the police receive repeated calls to certain locations–especially when they find nothing to report–that can identify a haunted site with residual energy. If you know a police officer, ask him or her for recommendations.

Follow your ‘gut instinct’ to find sites with residual energy. You can train yourself to be more sensitive to this if you pay attention to your emotions as you run routine errands.

For example, many dentists’ offices store considerable anxiety-related energy. Churches can hold grief from funerals, joy from weddings, and a general sense of reverence. Cemeteries often store energy, too.

The emotional content of some artwork goes beyond its visual impact, especially if it’s an intensely personal work of art. Visit some art galleries and see what happens when you walk towards–and then away from–extremely expressive art. This can be an excellent way to train your sense of subtle emotional energy.

Once you increase your ability to recognize emotions stored in the environment, it will be easier for you to identify haunted sites that have residual energy, too.

Start with local history

Visit your town’s historical society, or see if your library has books about local history.

Locate the oldest buildings, and those that are in the historical register. They probably have the kind of history that can provide residual energy.

Then, investigate, especially checking for EMF and orbs in photos. If you’re psychic or have a medium on your team, that can help.

We always check ‘famous haunts’ when we visit an area. However, we often get better results when we start with local history, and look for patterns of events that are likely to produce hauntings.

When you combine your sensitivity to residual energy and your knowledge of a site’s history, you will probably find many unreported haunted sites in your own town.

In addition, many sites with residual energy are also frequented by ghosts. Visit those sites repeatedly; once the ghosts become comfortable with you, they may manifest.