Hollow Hill

Psychics – The Research Debate

Psychics - the Research Debate Should psychics learn a site’s history ahead of time, or not? That seems to be an issue.

I think it’s important to know the history—and admit to it—but I may be different since I’ve been aware of my psychic abilities since childhood.

Sure, it’s impressive when you think that a psychic couldn’t have known what he or she “senses,”… but are you sure that the psychic wasn’t fed the information ahead of time?

This question was raised when a Most Haunted UK staff member set a trap for another cast member. In my opinion, the issue wasn’t as simple – or as damning – as it may have seemed in the media.

And, to be honest, I thought it was poor form to try to embarrass the psychic in front of a global audience.

There were many other ways to explain what happened in the Most Haunted case, and the choices weren’t binary. That is, I don’t think the only two explanations were “fraud” (on one side) and “envious researcher” (on the other).

Perhaps I’m biased. My instincts always suggested that Most Haunted (UK) featured genuine research. Even after the supposed exposé, I still think the show was authentic, within the scope of a show edited for entertainment purposes. And frankly, I like Yvette Fielding’s willingness to be honest about what she experiences.

(In this article, except for specific TV references, I’m talking about psychics in general. If it seems that I’m describing someone someone in particular, I’m not.)

Here’s how I see it, as a psychic… with apologies to those who may be offended.

Can’t you tell the difference?

Let’s discuss a similar topic. If I see a travel show on TV and later visit that location, I may feel a mild sensation of deja vu.

However, I never confuse my memories of the show with what I’m experiencing during my visit. For me, first-person experiences are totally different from what I’ve learned from prior sources.

During my visit, I’ll say things such as, “Oh, this isn’t anything like it looked on TV.” Or, “This is the exact same angle they showed in the TV coverage.”

Likewise, I don’t mix up psychic messages and my historical studies.

If anything, I’ll say, “Oh, the history books missed something important.” Or, “This gives me wonderful insights into the history I’ve studied.”

If someone is a genuine and experienced psychic, I’m not sure why they’d confuse their sources. But, as I said, I’ve been considered psychic since my earliest childhood. I’ve never doubted my “sixth sense,” thanks to a supportive mother who quickly recognized that I wasn’t making it up.

For me, the distinction between things I learn internally (through psychic channels) and those provided to me through normal research… those two are completely different. They’re like apples and oranges.

When a psychic gets it “wrong”

This subject becomes important when a psychic seems to make a huge mistake.

For example, if the psychic declares that an incident took place at one location… and it actually took place on the other side of town.

Or, if the psychic uses a name that’s fictional, or later revealed to be part of an earlier hoax.

That can look pretty bad.

However, like the unfortunate Most Haunted UK incident around 2005, it’s important to examine every side of the problem.

In my opinion, it’s simplest to do at least some research into the site’s history. This will help you get a context and understand what’s known and what’s controversial about that history.

Otherwise, if the psychic claims no prior knowledge of the area’s history, how can he or she answer questions of credibility? If he or she has never heard or seen anything about the history – difficult, at most locations, as there are always some visual clues – the psychic’s replies can sound made-up, or even silly.

If someone is a fraud – or faking it for an audience – there’s no place to hide.

On the other hand, if the psychic is up-front about his or her earlier studies (or coaching), the possible responses could be:

“I may be sensing energy from someone who felt burdened by what happened somewhere else. He or she brought that energy back to this location.”
“The energy from that event across town was so intense, it’s affected the entire area.”
“The history books got it wrong, or they overlooked what also happened here. With my additional information, maybe we can clear this up.”
Or – if the psychic is honest – “My accuracy isn’t 100%. This is one of those times when I misinterpreted the energy.”

However, those responses are most credible if the psychic has already established his or her integrity by honestly admitting prior study or coaching if there was any.

When a psychic seems “too right”

Psychics have different talents. Some provide great readings. Others are excellent healers. Some – like me – seem to sense past events and their emotional content. The variations are endless.

Psychics also have different skill levels. Those with greater accuracy may have a stronger natural gift or more practice.

However, when a psychic medium gets it “too right” at a location, it’s fair to raise an eyebrow.

clue-magnifier Critical thinking skills are important, even when – or especially when – the psychic is charming and likable.

When we like someone, we want to believe that they’re honest. That bias may reduce our critical thinking skills.

Look at how the psychic conducts him or herself. Psychics talk differently than people who are faking it, or fooling themselves into thinking that they’re connecting with the other side.

We often look different from our usual appearance, as well. The trance state may be evident.

Of course, the waters become murky when the psychic speaks mostly from a genuine spiritual connection… but “supplements” that with information that he or she was given ahead of time.

That’s very clever, and it can be difficult to detect that mix. Even other psychics can be fooled. (It’s happened to me, to my chagrin.)

If the psychic rattles off items that could be memorized – exact dates, for example – there’s even more reason to question what’s going on.

A quick online search will reveal how readily the psychic – or his or her coach – could have found that information and memorized it ahead of time.

(Of course, doubt will be removed if it later turns out that the date or other information is incorrect and has been widely misreported.)

Why raise this issue now?

I don’t want to sound like a raving skeptic. As a psychic and paranormal investigator, I’m very conscious of our vulnerabilities. It’s hard enough to prove to our detractors that we’re detecting or contacting ghostly energy.

Unfortunately, with the popularity – and income potential – of ghost-related events, I’m seeing more (and better) frauds enter this field. That hurts all of us.

To put it bluntly, if you need a demonologist, who would you trust: Someone like John Zaffis, who’s been in this field for years and provided help free of charge?

Or, would you hire someone with a great team tee-shirt who’s been in the field for a couple of months (no matter what his or her claims) and is clearly focused on fame, fortune, or both?

The telepathy question

Evidence supporting telepathy is far stronger than evidence for ghosts and hauntings.

Many psychics are telepathic. We can’t rely on that ability, but it needs to be acknowledged in discussions like this.

There is always the possibility that the psychic is actually reading the mind of someone in the group, such as a historian or someone who read about the site before the event.

If the psychic has a “silent coach” in the audience – someone who is very aware of his or her importance to the psychic – that coach may have studied the site’s history in detail.

The problem is, as psychics, the information either comes from an external source (a ghost, spirit, or through ESP) or an internal source (our own memories or studies).

It can be difficult to discern more than that. For many psychics, a ghost is as “alive” as the historian giving the tour.

Can preparations help?

I believe that historical research can prevent that problem, though it doesn’t entirely eliminate it.

Ancient book When I have a frame of reference, such as my own historical research, I know how and where that information is coming from. This is in sharp contrast with information I receive from external sources, such as residual energy impressions or a ghostly encounter.

If something is a “shade of gray” (no pun intended) – meaning different in character than prior knowledge but different from intense residual energy – I’ll suspect that I’m picking it up telepathically from someone in the audience.

Personally, I’m more likely to lean in a skeptical direction… but that’s my personal choice. Others may differ.

It’s all about integrity and credibility

In lieu of clear, scientific evidence, our most important credential in this field is integrity.

Without that, it’s just a show… it’s entertainment.

There’s nothing wrong with putting on a good show. I enjoy melodramatic “ghost tours” as much as anyone else, but they’re so over-the-top that I never confuse them with an actual ghost encounter.

Credibility comes into question when a psychic knows a site’s history but pretends that he or she doesn’t.

All it takes is one glaring mistake, and the psychic’s reputation is in tatters, and that damage ripples into the community.

In most (but not all) cases, I do know the site’s history ahead of time. When I don’t, I tell people.

That’s not just a point of credibility. It also explains why my impressions may not be as clear or as rapid when I don’t know the history. I may need time to scan my impressions and fit them into the context of a time period or event.

I’m a better psychic when I already know the time period to focus on, or the history of the location.

(It’s like someone saying, “Oh, look at that car!” It’s always easier and faster to spot the car if you know its color, vintage, or at least what makes it interesting. In a similar manner, I more readily connect with ghostly energy when I know the time period or history that it resonates with.)

While I appreciate that some psychics feel that not knowing history gives them more credibility, I counter that missing knowledge can be a liability. At the very least, the investigation can take far longer.

I want to make use of every tool within my reach, to provide in-depth information at every haunted site.

Besides impressing the audience and “proving” myself as a psychic… is there some reason why I shouldn’t learn a site’s history before an investigation?

Recommended reading:

Discover Your Psychic Type

question-75 What are your thoughts on how much a psychic should know ahead of time? Share your opinions in the comment form, below.

Spalding Inn Ghosts, Whitefield, NH (2009 Report)

Ghosts of the Spalding Inn The Spalding Inn in Whitefield, New Hampshire is the kind of location that every ghost hunter dreams of.

For several years, the hotel was owned by ghost hunters Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson (famous for TAPS and the Ghost Hunters TV show) and their families.

Since we’ve been friends for many years, I’ve spent happy days and nights at that hotel.

Parts of the Spalding Inn were – and possibly still are – delightfully haunted.

During my informal visits, I concluded that the Spalding is similar to Louisiana’s Myrtles Plantation… but perhaps differently haunted.

Similar to the Myrtles Plantation, the Spalding Inn seems to transform after dark.

The carriage house at the Spalding Inn

From my investigations, the Spalding Inn’s most active area is the carriage house, shown in the photo at left.

It’s not heated, so that part of the hotel is opened seasonally.

Each guest room in that building has its own odd energy.

Upstairs may be more haunted than the ground floor. Room 17 is especially active, but Rooms 15 and 16 are also interesting for ghost hunters.

(I detected intense male energy in Room 16, and later discovered that my uncle and his wife had stayed in that room in 1978. So, I might have been hypersensitive to his residual energy.)

Even when the building is empty, apparitions and odd shadow figures have been seen in the upstairs windows… in broad daylight.

After seeing the shadowy figure of a woman in one of the carriage house windows, I commented that all I could see clearly were the pearls in her necklace. They seemed to catch the light, though the rest of the figure was a vague shadow. I later learned that a former owner of the Spalding Inn – who may haunt Room 17 – always wore pearls.

To encounter something paranormal, spend the night in the carriage house. The rooms are very comfortable, and vintage decor adds to their charm. Each room is “en suite” (has its own bathroom) and offers a view of the hotel, the surrounding mountains, or both.

If you stay in the carriage house, be sure to ask about the haunted telephone and the ghostly message that seems lost between the worlds.

The main building

If the carriage house isn’t open, or if all of its rooms are full, you can still encounter spirits in the Spalding Inn’s main building.

Several (but not all) guest rooms are haunted. One of them is Room 33 where other guests have described eerie activity that woke them up.

I’ve spent the night there and enjoyed the room. Perhaps it was the clean, mountain air or the luxurious bed, but I slept very soundly and woke refreshed in the morning.

In fact, Room 33 is my favorite, since it’s far from any noise around the lobby and it adjoins a sitting area with its own ghostly energy.

The sitting area

At the west end of the main building you’ll find a group of comfortable chairs, and windows on three sides.

Spend some time sitting there, quietly, after dark. Watch the corridor that leads to it. Several of us noted visual anomalies. One was similar to the distortions above pavement on a hot day, or the mostly-invisible creature in the Predator movies.

It’s an unusual phenomenon. I’ve seen it before, in just a few locations such as the upstairs hallway at Brennan’s restaurant in New Orleans’ French Quarter.

Ghosts… and faeries?

While most of the paranormal energy at the Spalding Inn seems to be residual, some of what I encountered may not be ghostly.

In the first floor corridor of the main building – where the sleeping rooms are – I saw an odd, hunched figure moving slowly across the floor. It reminded me of Caliban, a character in Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest.

It was there… and then it wasn’t. It didn’t look like a ghost.

I’ve discussed this with a few other paranormal researchers, some of whom have been to the Spalding Inn. They agree that I may have seen one of the traditional faeries; they’re larger entities (and sometimes very dark beings) recorded in early folklore and legends.

It’s too early to say if the Spalding Inn is a good location for studying fae entities and ghosts, but that may explain some of the unusual energy at the hotel.

A bonus

If you’re interested in – or at least amused by – a wide range of paranormal mysteries, be sure to stop at Exit 33 (off Route 93) on your way to or from the Spalding Inn.

Fill your gas tank or buy some munchies at the Irving gas station and convenience store, close to Route 93.

While you’re there, visit their rest room.

You’ll see one of the most impressive displays of information about America’s first documented alien abduction, the Betty and Barney Hill story. Apparently, the abduction took place just a few hundred yards from the gas station.

So, when you stay at the Spalding Inn, don’t just look for ghosts… look for spaceships, too.

In general, the Spalding Inn is a wonderful hotel whether you’re there for a good night’s sleep… or a “good scare.”

UPDATE: Since it’s under new ownership, the hotel’s name may change. If it does, ask anyone in Whitefield; they’re sure to know what you’re talking about, and how to get to the hotel.

Ghost Hunters TV Show – Fake?

“Is Ghost Hunters TV show a fake?” “Are the Ghost Hunters fake?” “Did TAPS fake their Halloween 2008 show?”

Starting the first of November, 2008, the emails poured in. Each of them asked me questions like those.

I was going to ignore them, but similar emails continued to flood my inbox.

So, here’s my answer, as of 2008:

I’ve looked at the Ghost Hunters TV show footage on YouTube and studied it frame-by-frame. I also listened closely to the audio, where a voice clearly says, “You’re not supposed to be here.”

Here’s my analysis.

“YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE”

That voice is alarmingly clear. During my own ghost hunts, I’ve never heard anything that audibly crisp or like someone was right there, saying it.

Then again, I rarely hear things audibly when I’m conducting research. I rarely capture any EVP, either.

Audio is not one of my strongest areas.

However, Jason and Grant have documented increasingly clear EVPs during their research.

In my experience, this seems to be a skill — perhaps related to rapport with the spirits — and most ghost researchers improve as they investigate a variety of sites.

So, while this was a very unusual and audible voice, I think it’s possible in a profoundly haunted setting… and that’s what they chose for their Halloween 2008 show.

Also, at Jason’s MySpace blog, he pointed out that the voice was so clear, he asked if someone had said anything.

(If anything irks me about Jason, it’s that he tends to be aggressively skeptical. This show was no exception.)

Likewise, it looked to me as if Grant was asking the producers if they were in the wrong location… if they weren’t actually supposed to be where they were at that moment.

So, I don’t think that Jason, Grant, or the TAPS team faked the voice. I also trust the integrity of the SciFi channel.

There are other natural explanations, but I don’t think that Jason, Grant, or the SciFi channel set this up.

GRANT’S JACKET PULLED

The second controversial moment was the tug on Grant’s jacket… if it was that.

If you watch the video, frame by frame, you’ll see that the collar moves oddly just before Grant stumbles backward.

However, the fishing line explanation doesn’t work. I’d expect to see the line highlighted by the cameras, or a shadow on the wall when the cameras moved in. It’s possible to do that on a recorded show and use CGI to cover it.

However, on a live show, the production company couldn’t take that chance.

Here’s a bigger problem with the fishing line explanation: Grant’s jacket was open at the neck. If line had pulled on his jacket enough to throw him off balance, it would have jerked the neck opening of the jacket as it pulled him backwards, slightly choking him.

In my opinion, Grant perceived it as just his jacket, but he was actually forced backward by something else. The only visual manifestation — besides Grant stumbling — was the movement at the collar a split second before he stepped backward.

I can’t explain what happened. I have no idea, and can’t even guess.

Strange things occur in haunted places. That’s one reason we keep investigating them: We’re looking for explanations, but we often leave with more (and new) questions than answers.

The jacket tug baffles me.

NOT ENOUGH REACTION?

Several people have claimed that Grant’s body language, tone of voice, or other cues “give away” that he was faking it.

That’s not very good evidence of a hoax.

Anyone who has been on real ghost hunts knows that we get used to odd things happening. The “usual” anomalies stop surprising us after a while. (This may be another reason why the manifestations become increasingly dramatic around experienced ghost hunters.)

But, if you’ve been with me on ghost hunts that turn dramatic — for example, with doors slamming repeatedly, or windows opening and closing on their own — you’ve seen me sigh and mutter, “I wish they wouldn’t do that. It’s really annoying.”

Things that scare other people don’t even surprise experienced ghost hunters, after we’ve encountered the phenomena enough times.

So, it’s a mistake to judge the authenticity of phenomena because an experienced ghost hunter doesn’t seem startled enough.

We just don’t startle as easily as someone with less ghost-hunting experience.

Grant’s reaction (or lack of it) doesn’t prove anything.

A MATTER OF INTEGRITY

Jason and Grant are my friends. I’ve spent a lot of time with them. We’ve chatted over breakfasts, lunches, dinners, events, and parties. We used to exchange emails when something was of mutual concern.

In general, Grant is very honest. Usually, he looks you straight in the eye when he talks with you.

But I have to qualify that because I feel that Grant deliberately misled me during one conversation.

It was not an outright lie. It was personal and had nothing to do with ghost hunting. It was about a part of the country where we’d both lived briefly and how he described why he was there… what he was doing.

A year or so later, when the truth became obvious, I asked him about it. So far, he hasn’t replied.

No, I never expected a detailed explanation. I just wanted him to admit he’d misled me, so I could say, “Sure, I get it. Just don’t do that again, okay?”

We haven’t spoken since then, which makes me sad because I admire him tremendously as a researcher and as a talented artist.

But, in terms of ghost hunting, I have no reason to question Grant’s integrity.

I like Jason, but he can seem an almost incorrigible skeptic. If anything, he’s likely to trivialize evidence that the rest of us point to as proof of a haunting.

It seems absurd to think that he’d be part of a hoax. That’d be completely out of character. During an investigation – in real life – he’s the first person to be skeptical and often the loudest.

Sure, Jason has a very dry wit, but he would never compromise his own integrity as a ghost hunter, the integrity of the TAPS team, or the integrity of the Ghost Hunters TV show. That’s not his style.

If you’ve met him in person or listened to him talk at any conference, you know that he’s honest.

If the show’s production company said, “We want you to fake this,” Jason would reply, “I’d quit rather than do that.”

And, he would.

On the show, I can’t think of any reason for Grant and Jason to compromise their integrity. None whatsoever.

DID IT HAPPEN?

It’s true. Some very odd things seemed to happen during the Ghost Hunters TV show on Halloween 2008.

Could they have been faked?

Yes, the voice might have come from a very well-hidden microphone. But — if that voice was part of a hoax — I’m confident that Jason, Grant, and the SciFi channel weren’t aware of it.

I wasn’t there to know what direction the voice came from, and what it was like. All I can evaluate is what I saw on the Ghost Hunters TV show… and frankly, that’s not enough information for me to judge.

I’ve said it often: It’s a mistake to judge what is (and isn’t) a real haunting, a real ghost photo, or a real EVP unless you were there.

The incident with Grant’s jacket is another issue altogether. It couldn’t have been faked without Grant’s knowledge.

All in all, I trust Jason and Grant. They say that they didn’t fake anything on the show, and I believe them.

But I’m also aware that many people like a “good scare” on Halloween, and starting the very next morning, they want to assure themselves that the whole thing wasn’t real and that scary things don’t wait for them in the darkness.

I think they’re the loudest detractors of the Halloween 2008 Ghost Hunters TV show.

I have nothing to prove, one way or the other. In my opinion, that TV series did not show any evidence of a hoax.

Portsmouth, NH – Ghosts of South Street Cemetery

Many ghost hunters know a few haunted locations that consistently provide ghostly phenomena.

One of the largest and most haunted cemeteries in Portsmouth, NH fits that description.

South Street cemetery isn’t the official name of the location, but it’s what most people call it. This lovely, slightly eerie cemetery is at the intersection of South Street and Sagamore Avenue, not far from downtown Portsmouth, NH.

Until recently, I hadn’t researched the cemetery very much. I simply knew the “hot spots” where we usually photograph ghostly anomalies, and where ghost hunters’ dowsing rods detect the strongest paranormal energy.

(NOTE: I no longer recommend using divination tools of any kind, including dowsing rods, except to identify underground streams that might produce infrasound.)

THE CEMETERY’S ‘HOT SPOTS’

We always visit the graves just outside the cemetery walls. Several headstones have been stolen from those sites since my previous visit. That’s so sad. However, the raised mounds remain, and they tend to be very good for ghostly phenomena including elevated EMF levels, apparitions and the murmuring sounds of nearby ghosts.

Note: If you visit graves at the wooded perimeter of South Street cemetery, especially at dusk, be sure to go with a group. Though the police have done a good job of patrolling the area, the woods were sometimes a temporary shelter for homeless people in past years.

Women should be especially cautious near the woods and at the graves just outside the cemetery walls. There seems to be an unpleasant male entity (ghost) there.

We also pause at one of the crypts, at a couple of locations that students usually describe as “eerie” or “creepy”, and at the smaller entrance on the far side of the cemetery.

The actual history of the cemetery has provided some good reasons why its apparent ghostly “hot spots” are so hot.

For example, our ghost hunting classes generally meet at the main entrance to the cemetery. It’s near one of the highest points on the north side of the cemetery. We almost always sense something odd — but also sacred — when we start our ghost investigations there.

Research reveals that the elevated spot is where a gallows stood in the 1700s… a site with some lurid history.

The earliest gallows was a “hanging tree” where two early executions included Penelope Henry and Sarah Simpson, “turned off the back of a cart” in 1739. (That expression meant that — after standing on a cart positioned beneath the gallows — the cart pulled away, leaving them hanging.)

From my experience, most sites of “hanging trees” tend to be haunted. People report paranormal activity at or near (within a half block) of the site.

THE UNJUST DEATH OF RUTH BLAY

One of the most gruesome stories is the hanging of Ruth Blay, a 25-year-old schoolteacher. She was convicted of concealing the death of a newborn, later found to be stillborn.

According to the charges, Ms. Blay had buried the infant beneath loose floorboards in her schoolroom. The corpse — wrapped in a cloak — was discovered by 5-year-old Betsey Pettengill and some of her friends.

Ruth Blay was immediately “apprehended” by a man named Isaac Brown, who was paid ten pounds (approximately $2000 in 2008 dollars) for his services.

The young schoolteacher’s trial was rushed, and the sentence was harsh, but the people of Portsmouth defended the popular schoolteacher. Numerous briefs were filed with the British court, requesting a reprieve for Ms. Blay.

Just one chance remained for her pardon on December 30st, 1768, the day that her execution was scheduled, but the sheriff decided not to wait. In fact, he changed the time of her hanging to an hour earlier than planned, so he wouldn’t be late for dinner that evening.

It was not a popular move. An angry mob gathered near the gallows.

Likewise, Ruth Blay did not go quietly to her death. (Note: When I see this in a history, it’s another good reason to look for a ghost.)

According to the legends recorded by journalist C. W. Brewster in the mid-1800s…

“…as Ruth was carried through the streets, her shrieks filled the air. She was dressed in silk, and was driven under the gallows in a cart.”

The crowd shouted angrily as High Sheriff Thomas Packer hastily positioned the cart beneath the gallows. He looped the noose around Ruth’s neck and then — with a brusque command to the horses — drove the cart away, leaving the young woman’s body swinging from the rope. Sheriff Packer did not stop to look back. Instead, he drove the cart to arrive home in time for his meal. He was apparently unaware that — as he drove away — a rider had arrived at the gallows with an urgent letter.

A stay of execution had been issued by the Royal Governor of New Hampshire, but it arrived minutes after Ms. Blay’s death. If Packer hadn’t changed the execution hour, Ruth Blay would have lived.

Outraged, a mob marched to the sheriff’s house. There, they hung an effigy of Packer, and placed beneath it a sign that said,

“Am I to lose my dinner
This woman for to hang?
Come draw away the cart, my boys-
Don’t stop to say amen.”

Then, the crowd carried the effigy through the streets to be sure that every citizen knew of Packer’s cruelty, and finally — according to some versions of the story — burned the effigy in front of his home.

Ruth Blay was buried in an unmarked grave about 300 feet north of the small pond near the middle of South Street cemetery. That’s the location where we usually record the greatest number of ghostly anomalies in our photos. It’s also where people first notice that their cameras aren’t working correctly.

(Those cameras are usually fine after people leave the cemetery. This kind of problem is normal in profoundly haunted settings.)

According to legend, two gravestones glow with spectral light, near Ms. Blay’s burial spot. We’ve noticed quite a few glowing stones in that vicinity, and they drew comments during our class on Saturday, 13 Sep 2008.

Ruth Blay’s ghost may haunt the site of her death and burial. Her spirit — and perhaps the baby’s — has also been reported at the site of the schoolhouse, around 94 Main Avenue in south Hampton, NH.

Note: According to state records, Sheriff Packer was responsible for executing the only three women ever hung in New Hampshire.

Similar to Ruth Blay, the other two women — hung on December 27, 1739 (almost exactly 29 years before Ms. Blay’s death) — were convicted of “feloniously concealing the death of infant bastard child.”

The house where the sheriff lived (and ate his dinners on time) was at the northeast corner of State and Court Streets in Portsmouth. His house became Col. Brewster’s Tavern, which George Washington stayed at for four nights.

In 1813, the house burned to the ground and was replaced by the Treadwell Jenness House, built in 1818. According to some, that location is haunted.

Sheriff Packer was still in office on June 22nd, 1771, when he died. Some claim that he was buried in — and haunts — Portsmouth’s North Cemetery. It’s possible that he does. However, the North Cemetery gravestone of Thomas Packer (d. 1793) is for one the sheriff’s two sons.

Ruth Blay isn’t the only spirit with a good reason to haunt South Street cemetery. Two famous murder victims are also interred at the cemetery.

SMUTTYNOSE MURDER VICTIMS

Orb at South Street Cemetery

On the night of March 6th, 1873, Norwegian immigrants Karen and Anethe Christensen were murdered on Smuttynose Island in the Isles of Shoals. Both women were strangled, and one had been assaulted with an ax. A third woman had been attacked with them, and she identified the murderer as a German immigrant, Louis Wagner.

According to trial evidence, Wagner had rowed out to the island, committed his evil deeds, and then rowed back to the mainland. He was captured in Boston, but until his hanging in 1875, Wagner maintained that he was innocent.

Since then, many people have speculated about what really happened on the night of the murder. One of the most famous stories supporting Wagner’s innocence is the best-selling novel, The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve.

Though Wagner was buried in Maine, the graves of the murder victims are in the Harmony Grove section of South Street cemetery.

We haven’t investigated their graves yet, but recommend them to other ghost hunters in the Portsmouth area. When questions linger after a murder, we often find reports of paranormal activity around the graves.

HISTORY OF PORTSMOUTH’S SOUTH STREET CEMETERY

South Street cemetery is actually at least five cemeteries: Cotton Burial Ground (1671), Elmwood Cemetery, Proprietors’ Burial Ground (1831), and Harmony Grove (1847), and Sagamore Cemetery (1871).

The first record for Cotton Burial Ground appeared in June 1671:

“It was agreed with Goodman William Cotton to fence the town’s land that lyeth by Goodman Skates, for a trayning place, to cutt down all the trees and bushes and to clear the same from said ground by the first of April next, and for his soe doeing he and his heirs shall have the above feeding and use thereof as a pasture only, for twenty years–and the said land shall still remayne for a trayning field and to bury dead in.”

(The military training field may explain why Sean, one September 2008 student, saw ghostly soldiers marching at the eastern end of the cemetery.)

In the 1850s, after a fire at South Street church, several graves were moved to Proprietors’ Burial Ground, including the 1761 graves of Samuel and Margaret Haven, children of Rev. Samuel Haven.

(When any grave is moved, we quite often note odd, sometimes ghostly energy around the body’s new location.)

In addition, the Cutts-Penhallow family cemetery was moved in 1875 from Green Street to a grove of trees near the center of the South Street property. Many visitors to the South Street cemetery comment on this peculiar, dark section of the cemetery. We’re not sure if it’s haunted, but it’s certainly creepy at dusk.

SUMMARY

Portsmouth’s South Street cemetery is an ideal location for ghost hunting. It offers a wide range of paranormal phenomena in a convenient seacoast location about 10 minutes from US 95.

According to the sign at the main entrance, the cemetery closes at 6:30 p.m.

The police patrol the area regularly. During one of our September 2008 classes, we were stopped by the police. We explained that we were there to take photos. One student’s backpack was inspected, before we could continue the class. (It was only 5 p.m., so I’m not sure why we drew attention.)

However, the cemetery is a popular park for bicyclists, joggers, people walking their dogs, and ghost enthusiasts. We recommend it for research; the stories in this article barely scratch the surface of the tales that could suggest ghosts.

Wear shoes suited to walking; the cemetery is huge. Also bring bug spray and a spare camera. Most of us had camera problems at some point during the evening, and a backup camera was useful.

If you’re hoping to take some good “ghost photos” or encounter other ghostly phenomena, visit Portsmouth’s South Street cemetery.

In addition, if you park in the small lot at Little Harbor Road, be sure to notice the energy as you enter the cemetery. (It’s a slightly wooded entry, sometimes overgrown with vines and branches. Many ghost hunters comment on unique phenomena there.)

References

Among Old New England Inns, by Mary Caroline Crawford, p. 303

Brewster’s Rambles #59, SeacoastNH.com

Haunted Portsmouth, by Roxie J. Zwicker

An Old Town by the Sea, by Thomas Bailey Aldrich

Portsmouth Cemeteries, by Glenn A. Knobloc, p. 73

Provincial and State Papers of New Hampshire, p. 206

Re: More info on Ruth Blay, by samanthabalsavage1

Smuttynose 101 – A Quick Murder Study, SeacoastNH.com

The Tragic Story of Ruth Blay, SeacoastNH.com

Washington’s walk about city put a stir in the crowd, by Amie Plummer, Fosters.com

Edinburgh’s Ghosts – 2. The First Ghost (Vault Tour)

Who was the ghostly “child number three?” Read about this lingering mystery, and ghosts beneath the streets of Edinburgh, Scotland.

(This is Fiona’s summary, continued from Edinburgh Ghosts, Part One)

First ghost encounter – The mother with “child number three”

The first room was reached by a stairway from the street level. The room had little lighting, part of the “atmosphere” created for the tour.

On one wall, I saw a fireplace. It had been the center of life in that room, as it seemed to hold considerable “psychic” energy. I knew it had been a rather smoky fireplace because the lingering image was so clear.

In front of the fireplace, I “saw” a woman, in a shabby linen-like gown and a soiled, austere cap of what seemed to be coarse white linen. From her clothing, I’d guess that she lived in the early 17th century, but I could be wrong.

I knew she’d been highborn, and her father was probably a doctor. She’d married someone far beneath her, and was living in relative squalor. It embarrassed her.

She was too proud to ask her family for help yet, and they were equally uncomfortable dealing with the situation.

The woman’s husband had been a fascinating and exciting man (in a mercurial way) when they’d met, but now he was quite mad. He slept on the hard floor, fearing “vapours” which he thought were poisoning him. In his madness, he believed that his wife planned to have an affair with a neighbor. The husband continued to work for awhile, but eventually lost his job and left his wife and children.

I don’t know if he died or just deserted them.

The family had at least four children.

Who was Child #3?

There was a baby in this room, and an older boy whom I call “Child #3.” The mother felt guilty about neglecting the baby, but her focus was on Child #3.

She was convinced that he had a future.

For some reason – and this is why I have the sense that her father was a doctor – she insisted upon holding Child #3 up to a small window, to let the light shine on his face. In an otherwise dark existence, this was often his only exposure to sunlight, especially in the winter.

I know that she and her children stayed in this underground dwelling for awhile after she was deserted by her husband. Then they moved away. I know that, after living underground, she became obsessed with light and warmth for her family. When her family lived in this room, she spent most of her time near the fireplace.

I think that the woman swallowed her pride and–with her children–returned to her father’s home.

I have the sense that Child #3 grew up to become someone who’s in the history books. Perhaps he was a politician. I think his family history will be noted in biographies. He can be identified.

Also in the room, to the left I “saw” a closet or some niche in the wall. It was where the woman kept a secret. It was a “good” secret, but something she wanted concealed while she lived there. Perhaps she hid money from her husband.

On the other side of the room, I sense a closet or niche that had something very bad about it. It may have been a damp area, and/or something with a horrid odor. The woman was alarmed by that, but not overwhelmingly afraid. She tried to keep that closet (or niche) closed up.

This story continues in Edinburgh vault tours – two ghosts

Wilton, NH – Vale End and Pukwudgies

On 17 June 2008, I was on the Ghost Chronicles International radio show as Ron Kolek‘s co-host. Our guest was Christopher Balzano, the founder and lead investigator of Massachusetts Paranormal Crossroads. The topic was Pukwudgies.

During our conversation, I summarized our encounters with something similar at Vale End Cemetery in Wilton, New Hampshire. I’m still deeply affected by those experiences, and I rarely even try to discuss them. However, I have written about those events. My story begins at Vale End – possible demons.

Our investigator’s 1999 death may have been a coincidence. However, because the circumstances were so unique and never explained to our satisfaction — and with this additional information about Pukwidgies — it’s even more important to avoid Vale End Cemetery.

On a more positive note, Ron Kolek, UK psychic David Wells (from the popular show, “Most Haunted”), Welsh psychic entertainer Gavin Cromwell, and I will be among the psychics and investigators leading the Haunted Lighthouses Tour organized by Jeremy D’Entremont on August 7th, 2008.

It will be a full day of weird and true ghost stories, and some eerie and unforgettable experiences in several of New England’s most haunted lighthouses.