Ghost Rider Investigations

On November 29'th, 2008, I walked into the Wolfe Manor gathering. having arrived after a 200 mile drive to Fresno at the hotel where TAPS and Ghost Hunters International was featured along with other interesting groups and speakers. It was well worth the drive and a treat after a year of building up GRI as an investigating organization.

Mark and Debby Constantino were amazing presenters and their slide show on EVPs and methods to improve captures was very enlightening.

I was especially taken with the notion of bringing gifts to locations where spirits might be and, in fact, had done so on November 27'th, two days prior to this event, and had great results with it.

In my own case, I took pumpkins to a local cemetery to give back a little something to the locals interred there and the EVPs that were picked up were mostly "thank yous". It was nice to learn I was on the right track. After all, it's one thing to hear spirits, another to interact with them in profitable and enjoyable ways and being nice and doing something for them was something I was gravitating to always. I found the TAPS and GHI team presenters to be almost shy and reserved. One supposes that they see a lot and I took note of Barry Fitzgerald's comments about "balance" as a way to get people to see other parts of life and not only  the paranormal. It is good advice and living for other things and passions that provide an counterweight to the constant exposure to the afterlife that many of us engage in u is indeed a good idea. I took time off after this experience of hunting at Wolfe Manor to do just that and it helped a lot.

Their Q&A session was funny and informative at the same time. Rob Demarest had a sense of humor not displayed on the show and we heard a lot of funny stories and I asked them each what their favorite episodes were. I asked Barry about the Irish countryside case and he did acknowledge that the face that he saw did spook him. I did wonder about the three little figures that had walked behind the TAPS investigators and he didn't know if they had checked for footprints later since he had already left before that happened. They struck me as just as perplexed by the paranormal as we regular investigators and still having a sense of wonder about it all, despite the attention and glitz of the cameras and all.

If anything can be said of TAPS and GHI's personnel, I'd say they are very nice folks, riding an interesting wave and who find themselves bemused at it all. One can only hope that when the wave passes it's crest, that these people will be there for a long time to share wisdom and experiences over time with those who will remain in this work. I for one think that they will do that.

The investigation was amazing. I arrived at 9pm, parked outside of Wolfe Manor and began an experience I won't forget. For one, once you get into the place, you FEEL things around you. It is flat out spooky and despite the sheer numbers of people, there was little comfort in this. Barry found out I was a sensitive and placed me in the middle of the floor in the kitchen and I was shocked at the horrific feelings that came in when I opened myself a bit to the place. It was such that I, a grown man, wanted to cry at the shameful things that happened in this place. I knew right then that I would be picking up evidence in abundance and I was glad when my time reading in the kitchen ended. I won't being doing that again on my next visit in January 2009.

Working with Barry, we used a Paranormal Puck device to get a sentence repeated back after asking a question. Mine was in regard to asking what the locals expected to get with regard to records kept at the Manor. The response was something to do with "feet" and when we looked around, a pair of foot molds was sitting on the fireplace mantle. Coincidence? Perhaps.

As for EMF fields, there were plenty. My first real experience with the K-II meter and it went crazy down in the cellar of Wolfe Manor. Mark and Debby Constantino were doing EVP work with us there and I sat in the back with the meter and my audio recorders running, The K-II kept going off at random intervals and yet another identical meter next to mine did not. I found that somewhat reassuring since it might have been possible to use RF fields to stimulate EMF readings falsely, but this case was different and I think the results genuine.

The first floor fireplace had a constant EMF reading and later, around 2:30am, absolutely no reading. Since the house has no power, I am left with no explanation as to what this could mean.

EVPs are still in analysis, but there were some rather hateful ones directed at me in Mary's Room on the second floor. One said "You I hate! Out!" and there are more coming. I have loaded these in the case gallery and the link is at the end of this article. There is another which contains the sounds of a man wailing that was absolutely disturbing. I included a second copy of it in the case file because I picked up a distant repeat of the same wailing noise seconds later and it can clearly be heard. I have no doubts that Wolfe Manor is haunted on the basis of this single evening's investigation. More to be posted later as evidence analysis completes.

Ami Brunni was interesting to work with in the attic area. She and a number of other investigators were trying new technologies in the form of toning audio receivers that normally are used for telephone and communications circuit work. A video of that session is going to be posted soon in the case gallery and you'll see what was happening. Very unusual and a learning experience that taught me that one needs to try new ideas and technologies on their own rather than wait to be told what to buy next... I'm tossing over a new idea for a fresh approach in a new area of research as a result of this and will be posting about this in 2009 when I get some results in from my little idea.

TAPS and GRI are really great to hunt with and it's a rare treat to step outside and see what the rest of the field is doing and thinking. I came home excited at the possibilities and armed with fresh knowledge as well as interesting evidence. I'll be going back to Wolfe Manor in January and look forward to getting more evidence recorded there. Until next time!

Tomcat

• Case/evidence folder link