Our scouting mission was nearly torpedoed by rain in the Sierras. We got off to a late start, but kept up with the planned visiting list and visited the following sites (The actual case notes are later in this article for why we went to the spots):- Shingle Springs cemetery - From the 1800s - A potential haunt -Actually, we couldn't get in! There is a private gated community blocking access. We wrote an email to the association to see if we can visit the cemetery later in the month. - update 10/4/08 - We did get in. It turned out to be accessible, but hard to find. A very small cemetery, but beautiful and it looks like a local boy scout troop is maintaining it. This is truly a nice-feeling place and we conducted some EVP work there. Photos to be posted later.
- Shingle Springs - Green Valley Road - Rumored to have haunted road with horses galloping on it - We drove up the road with no idea where the actual haunt was. The spot that seemed most likely based on feelings only was a section near Mulberry drive, but this is only a guess. A check with one of the investigators from another group who has had some familiarity with this area will confirm or disprove our guess.
- Shingle Springs La Casa Drive - Native American haunt - This site was nicely open to access and the community seems nice enough. Two areas seem of interest with regard to parking away from the main homes and an investigation might well be conducted there late at night with EVPs and perhaps a video unit if the police are notified and aware you would be going in to do this. The evidence for a haunt is a scant and anonymous report that shows up on multiple ghost site haunt lists. It could be that this is entirely bogus and thus needs to be confirmed. We may drive out again to try to contact homeowners there to confirm or deny the entire story.
- Diamond Springs Hotel - Active haunt investigated by many groups - Big parking lot and open back area. Possible to investigate with a possibly friendly owner who may let a group go in. Some people have seen a figure in the back of the hotel and it looks like it is possible to park or sit outside to the side of the hotel to view this area. It would be neat to try an EVP recorder in the back porch of the building and see what one could pick up. Update 10/4 - I visited the restaurant and had breakfast there. There is a sense of something odd about the place and the menu spoke of the happy ghosts upstairs. I didn't speak with the help there and will be emailing the owners to see about a training investigation there.
- El Dorado House Cemetery in Shingle Springs - In a business park - There is a grave there and it looks like the developers may or may not know of it and may not care about it. Our investigation showed a lot of trash and development encroachment in the area where this grave may lie. Advantages of investigating are that the site is that it is far from normal evening activity. One would need to have at least two investigators to properly work the site. Good for using EVP gear and infrared cameras for an evening investigation. Lesson learned here is to take latest photos from our source and to also bring a GPS receiver to mark the coordinates once found. We would also share this location with those interested in preserving the site.
- Fair Play Cemetery - A truly out of the way place and a beautiful place to rest. I really liked the feeling there and it was a truly friendly place.
About the sites we visited:- Shingle Springs Cemetery: The railroad came to Shingle Springs in 1865 and, when that occurred, the population increased significantly. The area was settled in 1849 and had several road houses before the railroad.The Planter’s House cemetery had been used prior to that time. With the increase of newcomers, the need for a larger cemetery arose.
- The Shingle Springs Cemetery was founded in 1864 and was in continuous use from 1865 to 1970. The earliest recorded burial occurred in 1864, but the earliest burial with a headstone was in 1867. In 1950, the cemetery was deeded to El Dorado County from the Barrett Family.
- The Cemetery encompasses approximately 0.57 acres with 94 plots shown on the map through Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR).
- Shingle Springs - Green Valley Road - From Michelle Stump's investigation: As we left Placerville and headed over to Georgetown. Michele relates to me that she once was a 911 Operator for the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department. She told me that at Green Valley Road by Shingle Springs, there were 6 ghostly horses galloping along the road and the sheriff was called out, when he arrived the horses disappeared. The story of the ghostly horses has been told before by other witnesses.
- Shingle Springs - La Casa Drive: Based on an anonymous submission that has been repeatedly printed and copied on many sites but there seems to be no record of anyone looking this over. The text reads: "There is a strange mist that hovers at times, no matter the climate (no hot-springs present). Sounds of Native American drumming can be heard late at night or early in the morning (there are grinding stones in the area). My neighbor personally saw what looked like a ghostly form of a mountain lion enter the mist, and what looked to be the ghostly form of a Native American Warrior exit on the opposite side of the mist." - We'll visit this site again within a week and talk with the homeowners to validate the claimed haunt and debunk it if it is a false story.
-
EL DORADO HOUSE CEMETERY (aka: Bentley-Parmeter family plot)
Business Drive, south of Durock Road, Shingle Springs; now on a commercial business lot within Barnett Business Park; cemetery dates to Nov. 1850 with the death of co-owner of this road house, George Richardson; later owner, Ellen Bentley, buried her daughter and son-in-law there in the early 1860's after the son-in-law murdered the daughter and committed suicide; last documented burial occurred circa 1905-1910; one grave believed to have been relocated to Sacramento's East Lawn Cemetery (Serena B. Bullard, possibly daughter of Ellen Bentley); lot currently for sale and construction may be forthcoming. (Our investigation results: It is unknown when the text quoted was written, but we do note the area has had very recent construction and may have had the cemetery destroyed already).
Equipment Used
- Nikon D-80.
- Sony digital recorder
- Extech EMF meter
ConclusionsWe think that it makes sense to visit the Diamond Springs Hotel Restaurant and speak to the owners about a possible investigation with cameras and EVP recording session. There is also a building down the road from the hotel that is a boarded up building from the 1800s. We will be looking into who owns the building and has access to it to see about a possible investigation.
The Shingle Springs cemetery is open to investigate who controls access to it. We have sent an email to the owners and will wait to see if it is possible to visit the site in-person.
We want to try to do an EVP evening investigation of the El Dorado House cemetery if we can locate it. And we would love to mark it's coordinates as mentioned earlier in order to help preserve it for posterity.
- http://www.strangeusa.com/ViewLocation.aspx?locationid=1064 for La Casa drive info.