Not Really a Spectator Sport

A while ago we did an investigation at a private residence on Capitol Hill. A "subtle" haunting. Shadows, an apparition of a little girl, not active at all. We go in for the prelim, and it's as if the owner's decided to throw a get-together: "Hey, come see the ghosthunters!" Um, OK, I'd understand one person to watch your back just in case, but a party? We did our work anyway, because after all, what else could we do? The biggest problem came when it was time to do an EVP. Super-sensitive flat miked analog setup, as well as a digital recorder. For the most part, everyone stayed downstairs, but once we listened to those EVP's playback you would've thought they were right there upstairs with us. Horrible quality because all the noise just went right upstairs.

I'm just not too big on there being extra people present besides the principals.

National Park Service

Living in the D.C. area, almost everywhere is a historical site, which is often maintained by the National Park Service.

Historical sites and ghosts seem to go hand-in-hand between the familiarity of it with their often unchanged, restored interiors and exteriors, and the long history of the site itself. As the NPS maintains many sites such as Hampton Mansion in Townson, MD and the Old Stone House in Georgetown, they do not have a stance on the hauntings and ghosts within them. As their public affairs rep once told me: "It's not considered scientific, so I suppose it is that we don't believe in them. I got a blank look when I asked that question. I suppose we don't have one!" I think it has a lot to do with it being a government entity. Anyone have any insight into this?

9 to 5

Oh, hey, jerk-a** Post photographer? There's a reason my colleague asked not to have her photo taken and put in the paper that time, OK? If she didn't give you her last name, what made you think she wanted her face published?

Most ghosthunters have full-time jobs. Some of us, like me, don't care if our jobs know because it's OK. In my case, you can Google me and my ghosthunting history runs long, so I'm already screwed that way, lol. As for some other ghosthunters I know, they don't want to be on camera, use their last names or for their jobs to know at all because their jobs do care. I'm all for that because when it really comes down to it, ghosthunting doesn't pay and that 9 to 5 does.

Kids Aren't Stupid, You Know...

Recently, I attended a birthday party for a friend. Other guests knew I was a ghosthunter and it was no big deal. One of the other guest's daughter's was a bright 12-year old who asked me (when I was talking about a location) if there were ghosts there. Without missing a beat I said, "Yes. There were." She just said "Wow" and her mother's face blanched slightly. And that was that. I wondered for a minute afterwards if I should've thought about it before telling her that, but I think that the girl appreciated my being truthful with her. What was I going to do? Lie? I didn't want to do that.

Years ago I did a lecture on haunted D.C. and ghosts and a co-worker brought her 10-year old son, who told me afterwards how much he enjoyed it. I really enjoyed hearing that. A lot of times, kids are the main ones having interactions with ghosts and their genuine feelings and concerns are dismissed or disregarded by the adults in their lives. Kids and teens like to know that they aren't seeing things too, much in the same way that adults do. I've had so many parents express to me the experiences their children have had and sometimes they--like their kids--need that reassurance too. That whole "You/they are not crazy" thing.

I know parents want to shield and protect their kids. That's absolutely understandable. I would too. Sometimes, though, they can take more than you think they can.

Room for Everybody

Sure, you've got bad groups and researchers in this field like anything else, but there are enough good ones that you can weed those out.

One thing I've noticed about the paranormal community is how nice everyone that I've met has been (so far). Enthused, excited, and hyped about what they do. I have always felt that there's room for more groups and researchers. That way info can be shared and eventually we'll have answers.

OK, Enough Already

You know, I've been sitting back reading some stuff out there and in the end, you're just not going to win. Sure, you've got some real hacks and craptacular crackpots out there trust me, but that's with anything. I think that with ghosts and ghost hunting, the very subject matter itself is so up for debate that it's like a field day for crazies on both sides sometimes. Of course, some would say the same thing about me for even venturing to say that "Yeah, this s--t is for real." All I know is what I've experienced first-hand. It's all I can go by. I'm no nutso. I'm no crackpot. Your average Jane. Pretty darn sane and "normal"...

Sorry for the vent. Just how I'm feeling about it all today.

The Theory & Science of Ghosts

There's so much to talk about regarding the science of ghosts themselves, so trust me, it will probably be something I will constantly address. Here are some of the biggest theories:

1. Composition (ex.: that they are composed of or use electromagnetic energy)
2. Time/Space
3. Holographic theory
4. the Mind

Here's a pretty good article in GHOST Magazine about it.

Dang Demon Cat

It's been a month since the last post? Sorry everyone...

Living in Washington, D.C. you usually hear the same ghost stories over and over again. It's like a bored tour guide: "Here you have the Capitol. It is haunted by politicians and Demon Cat. Here, you have the White House. It is haunted by presidents and their wives." Always the same ones.

I like hearing about the ones that everybody and their momma doesn't know about already. I'd like to know if there are any stories from upper SE and near PG County: Anacostia, Congress Heights, Bolling AFB, Suitland, Laurel. How about Northwest DC in Shaw and Logan or Dupont Circle? More MD suburbs: Gaithersburg, Wheaton, etc.? If anyone knows any D.C.-Metro area stories that they want to share that aren't "run of the mill", drop me a line.

I'd love to hear from you...

Kinda Funny Story

Well, here's a story for ya:

The recent John Brown House investigation was overnight in the hills near Harper's Ferry, WV. Those who know me know that I'm very much a city girl and have never been camping in my life. Really. I was up to it though. I came ready with my sleeping bag, etc. Had a tent pitched for me and everything. I had on extra layers of clothes--fleece, long johns, even gloves, but as the night went on the temperature dropped and dropped. We're talking in the low 30s, when it should've been at least the 50s for Spring. I...do...not...like...to...be...cold.

So, I was given a choice: Stay outside in the freezing cold tent or sleep inside the haunted house where I had just heard heavy footsteps walking above me in a very empty room a few hours before. Hmm...haunted house? Freezing cold? Haunted house? Freezing cold?

I took the house.

Resting Places

While I'm sure there are some ghosts who hang around cemeteries, they aren't really a personal interest of mine. I guess I just don't see a reason for them to necessarily be there. What's the connection? Why would they be attached to their resting place instead of the people from their lives or a place they once were? I just don't know, but I have heard of people having experiences while in them, seeing ones in passing, and other stories, so I will not totally discredit the possibility. Feel free to share your stories if you've had experiences.

Could be wrong, but I'm not for hanging around in them. This is coming from someone who used to play in one as a child and learned how to drive in a large one here in town. My father's rationale?

"Well, better there than on the main road. It's not like you can kill anyone since they're already dead."

Much Love to the Skeptics Out There

I love skeptics.

Really.

I wasn't a huge X-Files fan (gasp!), but I admired Scully's conviction as a skeptical scientist that everything was explainable. She could've been bitten by a chupacabra while having a conversation with Bigfoot in an alien spaceship and still would've been able to explain it all away.

I know that's an extreme example, but I think skeptics are a good thing. I mean, someone has to be the voice of reason, the control opinion to the unexplainable. As a ghost hunter, you encounter some pretty unusual things, but also things that often really are the knocking of pipes, the rustling of leaves, the sound a ceramic pot makes from the vibrations of the floorboards, drafts--you name it. Using your own inner skeptic helps to keep you on your toes thinking. Not everything is paranormal...

...yet not everything isn't either.

Trespassing

Don't.

Simple as that.

If it looks like private property, assume it is and don't go into it. Not to sound preachy, but getting checked out by the cops is not my idea of a great investigation.

Ghosts & the 5 Senses

Well, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a ghost is "a disembodied soul; especially : the soul of a dead person believed to be an inhabitant of the unseen world or to appear to the living in bodily likeness."

It's that whole "bodily likeness" part that gets people so excited. Everyone wants to see one, not realizing there are others ways they can be experienced. Yes, I know this isn't very scientific, but they can be a sensory experience. The thing is to consider these experiences in addition to your data.

Here are my top 5:

1. Touch: Yes, some folks have reported being touched. It doesn't seem to be an uncommon experience. I know of times where it has felt like the touch of a solid person, and I also know of it feeling as if you've stepped into static: all prickles and tingles around you.
2. Smell: One reason not to wear fragranced products while on investigation is that sometimes they--ghosts--can be smelled. Cigar smoke, flowers, perfume, gunpowder--all of these things have been reported before.
3. Feel: Whether by temperature (sudden temperature drop, or the opposite--warmth), or that funny "thick" feeling some people get where they can become woozy or short of breath.
4. Hearing: Footsteps, voices, and other unusual sounds that are not being naturally caused.
5. Sight: Shadows, balls of light, sudden "mists" that are not fog, full or partial apparitions

Apparitions are rare things. You're more likely to have 1-4, or variations of 5 happen instead. If you go into this hoping for your stereotypical ghost, you're going to be one disappointed person.

Ghosthunting 101

Let me preface this by saying that you do not have to believe in ghosts, just the possibility of them. That's what I believe that ghosthunters and other paranormal researchers are trying to discover for certain.

I'll go more into theories, equipment and techniques in the future, but here's the basic gist of what we do. This is DCMAG's process: We hear about a possible haunting or are contacted by a client. It's assessed as to how valid it is and a preliminary walk through and interview are arranged. If it's deemed worthy of further investigation we go back again with equipment. We might even visit one or two times more. We analyze the data and follow-up with the client with our findings. Ta. Da.

What are you looking for? Anything out of the ordinary, as well as ordinary things that can create the look of something being extraordinary. You can't be quick to declare everything as being paranormal. You have to apply scientific thought and methodologies to your work, although I think that it should be more of a blend of scientific method and taking into account those unexplained things that go down during investigations.

Ghost Theater: Movie Reviews

Every Sunday, you'll get a movie review--from a ghosthunter's viewpoint.

What am I looking for? Ghosthunting references, equipment, how the ghosts are portrayed, etc.

Respect What You Can't See

People often ask me if ghosts can hurt you. I've heard reports of that happening before, but it's absolutely not the norm. To be honest? I'm more afraid of the living folks.

Once I was with a ghost group that told a story about a former member who taunted the ghosts at Gettysburg and promptly got shoved by one. I don't know how true that is, but it illustrates a basic common sense thing to me: You've got to have respect for something that can see you, but you can't see them. Hmm...if there's something there, who would have the advantage? You? I think not, so why take your chances.

When we investigated Leap Castle, ranked as #1 Most Haunted in Ireland (and that's saying something), we had some team members from a local Irish group along. While taking pics in the famous Bloody Chapel, one of them said, "Pose sexy for me." If that's not disrespectful, I don't know what is. We were really taken aback by their lack of professionalism. An investigation's not the time to play with the ghosts. Hey, if you don't give a rat's ass about yourself, at least take into consideration the folks who still have to be there when you're gone.

No, We Don't Catch Them, Dang It!

I'll admit that I loved the first Ghostbusters movie (the 2nd one sucked). I'll also admit that real ghosthunting is nothing like the movie. There are no proton packs, no ambulance w/sirens, no storage facility, no non-stop excitement. The reality is that there's a lot of boring downtime, monitoring equipment, and more often than not--no results.

I think a lot of people get into this expecting the holy grail of ghosthunting--full-bodied apparitions left and right. Nope. You're lucky if you get a temperature drop sometimes. Don't get me wrong...I have definitely seen, heard, felt and smelled some unusual, unexplained things, but the average hunt can be really uneventful. If you're in this for instant thrills, ghosthunting might not be for you. You have to love it to be outside in the cold at a location for hours on end.

And no, we DON'T catch them! You'd be surprised how often I'm asked that.

Orb-tastic

People make a really big deal about orbs. Layfolk, I'm talking about those circular/spherical globules and balls that show up in photos.

To be honest and sorry to play the skeptic, but I'm ambivalent about most orb photos mainly because they're so open to debate. I mean, whether it's a 35mm film or digicam, so many things can affect them: dust, moisture, bugs, etc. And to me, digicams pick all of those things up even more. You have to be really careful about looking at orb photos and saying "Ghost!" because it--more likely than not--isn't.

Now...how do you know when it isn't? Hard to say. It's like porn: you just "know it when you see it." If you could actually see that it wasn't a bug and dust wasn't on your lens or all stirred up, it moved in a different way than dust or bugs then... No, really. You have to examine the negative and take into account your film and photography conditions. For a digicam, it's more up in the air because it is what it is. See why orb photos make me think twice about them? Too many X factors involved. Shouldn't stop you from taking pics though. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most enthusiastic person when it comes to taking ghost photos sometimes.

I dunno. Give me a good "mist" or shadow or holy grail--apparition--photo anyday. I'm just not feeling orb photos right now. If anyone has any better criteria, hey, I'm open. Let me know.

Beginnings

I was raised in a family where ghosts aren't considered unusual. When I was about 7 or 8 I was at my family's country home--one of those places where there's a winding long road and you can account for everyone who's down there with you. I was walking across the lawn to my uncle's cottage across the way and a man was standing there at the end of the path looking at me. I didn't know who he was and wondered how he got there. He looked at me. I looked at him. Then I looked away and he was gone. I ran to my grandmother and told her and my great-aunt. I found out it had been my great-great grandfather who died when they were teens. I have fictionalized this account in my writing works before, but it did happen and is part of my family's lore now.

This initial sighting is what triggered my interest as an adult. When I was able to have a free website in 1999, I thought ghosts and hauntings of the D.C. area would be a fun topic to write about and found info through books and other early ghosting sites like the Int'l Ghost Hunters Society . As I learned more and more, I found that my own theories differed from IGHS, and that's OK. You should think about the info presented and form your own opinions. I then joined the Ghost Hunters of Baltimore where I learned a lot from them about investigations. I enjoyed myself, but they became less active as time went on and I wanted to be closer to home. I lone wolfed it for about three years, so when I had the opportunity to become involved in DCMAG I gladly did so.

You've got to love ghosting to do this, and I do love it.

History & Hauntings

History isn't rote memorizations of dates and events--it is about people's lives at a particular point in time. Why is this important to a ghost hunter? You need to be able to separate fact from legend and history can give you that insight. You're looking for clues that will help you in understanding what may/may not have happened there. As DCMAG's Historian, I've found that my history background comes in handy.

Look at the architecture and location. Is it original? Renovated? On a major route? What style is it? Colonial? Victorian? Brand new? How was it constructed? These are major clues to help determine a time period. Even a brand-new home could have a haunting if something happened on the land itself. Most locations have changed hands at least once--even if it's within the same family. Sometimes you need to dig a little deeper. Check articles, deeds, wills, city and phone directories, maps, and surveys if you have to. These can give you a better idea of owners, the land, and events that may have occurred there. Sometimes the owners have a wealth of information, and other times might involve a little sleuthing on your part: whether online, at your local library, city organization, or historical society.

Sometimes you go into a location knowing some of its history already. Your job is to determine what's what and where things may have happened. Sometimes you will hit a dead end. It happens.