Tenney Gate House is a fascinating haunt.

On April 4th, I (Fiona Broome) investigated Tenney  Gate House with  John Zaffis, Tom Lynch, members of the Essex County Ghost Project,  Gavin Cromwell and other paranormal investigators.

We worked in teams, and at the end of the evening, we compared notes.  Many of our paranormal encounters matched in terms of locations, activity and psychic perceptions.

WHAT WE FOUND

On the top floor of Tenney Gate House, several of us felt a choking sensation or pain around the neck and throat.  We later learned that there’s a story about a death by hanging — probably a suicide — in the top floor’s turret area.

However, there were throat-related illnesses in the house as well.  So, the rumored suicide isn’t the only (or most reliable) explanation for what we experienced.

On the second floor, we detected energy around the former bedroom and in the room that adjoins it.  In addition, Gavin’s and John’s teams perceived energy in the large room that is used for meetings and receptions.  (My team didn’t investigate that room.)

On the first floor, all three teams reported energy around the parlour.  John’s and Gavin’s teams reported the name, Maude (or Maud).  I’d perceived a single woman who was unstable and thought of herself as “an old maid.”

Note: I’ve identified a servant, Maud Thompson, in George Tenney’s home.  George was Charles’ brother, and lived within a few blocks of Tenney Gate House.

Since the census was recorded at ten-year intervals, it’s possible that Maud also worked (and even lived) at Tenney Gate House.  At the very least, it’s likely that she worked there during parties.  Single at age 29 in 1910, she would think of herself as unmarriageable.

To me, this is a likely match, but I can’t be certain.  I have reason to believe that Maud may not be a ghost at Tenney Gate House.

We also felt uncomfortable with the large doll that rested on the sofa in the parlour.

In the basement, my team detected significant activity with dowsing rods, but — due to wiring, pipes, a refrigerator and a fuse box that can cause high EMF levels — we discounted our readings.

Psychically, one researcher identified energy in the corner of one room, and I confirmed that.  However, we didn’t focus on psychic energy due to the likely influence of EMF in the basement.

The other teams sensed a tragedy with a little boy on or near the stairs.

Up at the Grey Court site, some of us saw figures playing hide-and-seek (or something like it) among the trees.  We felt peace among the ruins of the home.  And, we detected troubling and violent energy in the nearby woods.

WHAT MY TEAM ENCOUNTERED

My team worked with dowsing rods and K II (EMF) meters as well as EVP recorders, and I shared some psychic observations.

In the former bedroom on the second floor — noted for odd light effects near a tall, narrow mirror — my team encountered several anomalies.

• We detected intermittent high EMF near the smoke detector, but a check of the detector itself showed no increased EMF, even when the light was flashing.
• Lesser intermittent EMF spikes — and consistent dowsing rod activity — occurred near the mirror.
• EMF (K II meter) activity seemed to halt completely when one investigator addressed the spirits.
• The K II meter surged when I asked if the spirits wanted us to turn off the lights.  This was tested repeatedly, turning the lights on and off.  Every time we turned the lights back on, the spirits indicated that they wanted them off instead.
• The meter also surged — wildly and repeatedly — when I asked if the spirits were alive and living in a parallel world, alongside ours.  That’s very intriguing.

CONCLUSIONS

Tenney Gate House and the Grey Court site seem to be active.  Generally, it’s residual energy providing very stylish insights into history.

There may be one or more active (grounded) spirits at the site.  They include a woman in the parlour area and energy around one former second floor bedroom.

This was a fascinating evening, made even better by wonderful researchers — skeptics and believers alike — attending the event.

The original Hollow Hill announcement:

April 4th – If you like spooky places and you’re interested in ghosts, join Fiona Broome at the Tenney Gate House (and the Grey Court Castle ruins) in Methuen (MA) on April 4th.

This investigation will be open to the public, and it’s likely to be an unforgettable evening.

This will be a full-scale investigation. If you’re attending… well, it won’t be for people who are easily frightened.

It’s okay if you’re a beginner. The event will include hands-on instruction (and tools such as EMF meters) so you can participate in the investigation.

The event is hosted by the Essex County Ghost Project.

The celebrity guests — including John Zaffis, Fiona Broome  and Gavin Cromwell — will also be talking about the paranormal world.

John Zaffis was involved in the events that inspired the March 2009 movie, “The Haunting in Connecticut.” He’ll explain what really happened during that frightening investigation… and it will probably raise goosebumps.

(We regularly refer demon cases to John; he’s among the best experts in that field.)

Related news stories

Big-name ghost hunters descend on Merrimack Valley (Eagle Tribune)

“Well-known paranormal investigator Fiona Broome will join the tour of Haverhill graveyards that date back centuries, as well as the walk of the Tenney property in Methuen.”

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