This portion of our website was designed to answer some of the many questions that are regularly asked about our organization. We certainly hope that we have answered your question(s) within this page. This section will continue to develop as we recognize patterns and frequency of similar inquiries.

 


Why would someone contact your organization?
          Most often, we are contacted by individuals who believe they may be experiencing either spirit phenomena, natural causes producing a similar effect, or suffering from an overactive imagination. Unsure or curious as to what exactly is responsible, they contact the PGHA. Most people say to us over the phone; "I'm either crazy, or I have a ghost."

Do you charge money for investigations?
          No. The PGHA has never engaged in charging money for conducting an investigation. We pride ourselves on providing a free service to our clients.

Do you accept donations?
          The PGHA has never solicited or accepted monetary or equipment donations in exchange for counseling or investigations. We find this practice to be against better judgment and highly unethical.
 
How active is the PGHA?
          By choice, the PGHA now conducts two scheduled investigations per month.

Why do you limit the number of investigations you conduct?
          Not concerning ourselves with quantity has permitted us the necessary time to properly research and evaluate investigation results and evidence. Quality has always been our main focus. Experience has taught us that there is much more that can be learned from one thorough investigation rather than from one hundred shoddy ones. Additionally, this allows us vacancies for "emergent" cases.

What do you consider to be an "emergent" case?
          Occasionally, we will receive a call from a panic-stricken individual who believes they are experiencing paranormal phenomena. The fear factor in clients is not unfamiliar to us and is especially evident in females. Each case we have handled has yielded that the fear someone may initially experience from such an event is deeply rooted in some form of misunderstanding/misinterpreting the situation at hand and/or an exaggerated fear of the unknown. Strong commitment to our clients has prompted the PGHA to address seemingly dire situations with swiftness. We feel that an investigation and immediate counseling is warranted and emergent cases always take precedence.

Why does it seem to take so long for you to post investigation results to your website?
          All investigation results are closely analyzed in order to rule out false-positives. When all avenues of natural cause have been eliminated as having been responsible for an anomaly, we then correlate the results with existing theories of spirit phenomena. It is only after this time-consuming process that we feel evidence should be presented.

Have you ever made a mistake?
          I openly admit that with all our efforts, we are still only human. The fact is that mistakes must be made in order to learn from them and to develop further investigation techniques and evidence critiques. However, although mistakes are necessary for advancement, we are not a mistake-prone organization. Also as important is the fact that, in the event of a photographic/audio/video mishap, we will post them to the website for all to learn from. It is not within our better judgment to withhold such material. Sweeping such material under the rug as though it never happened would also breach the open honesty on which we have prided this organization.
           
  
How many members are in the PGHA?
          There are eleven investigators currently active within our organization. Each of our current members have been with us since the very beginning.

How can I become a member?
          Be sure to visit our membership section regularly to see if a position has become available. If we are seeking additional members, be sure to fill out the application form. Having sent us your application, you may or may not be called upon for an interview. Many factors determine whether or not we summon you for an interview. Those factors will change each time membership becomes available.

Why have you charged money for seminars?
          Seminars are our only means of generating sufficient funds in order to purchase new and advanced equipment. They also provide us with the opportunity to give back to the community. I'll explain: Much of the money earned from a seminar goes directly to the institution where the seminar is being held. Most of these locations are non-profit, historical sites in desperate need of restoration and improvement. Such locations are known to have high maintenance costs as well. The PGHA has always been passionate about the preservation of historical landmarks and is committed to contribute to their preservation.

Do you offer free seminars?
          Yes we do. Thanks to the Philadelphia Free Public Libraries, we are able to provide several free seminars per year to the public.

Have you given free seminars at places other than libraries?
          Yes. The PGHA has given free seminars at local colleges and schools throughout the Philadelphia area.

Did you write the books "Philadelphia Ghost Stories" and "Bucks County Ghost Stories"?
          No. Each of those books were written by Charles J. Adams III and researched in conjunction with David Seibold and the Philadelphia Ghost Hunters Alliance. Many of the haunted locations illustrated in each of those books were investigated by our organization prior to the books ever being written. Much information about locations in the books has come directly from our investigations there.

Is this your full-time job?
          No. Our research is by no means a source of income for any of us. On the contrary, our research comes as an out-of-pocket expense which requires each and every one of us to be employed elsewhere. It is our day jobs that provide us with the means to purchase film, tapes, batteries and other items needed to continue in our research. However, time-wise, it is very frequent that active members dedicate 30-40 hours per week to our cause.

What is the basis for your forming the PGHA?
          To us, it is not a question whether spirits do exist. Rather, it is the question of why do they exist and can we accurately document their existence. Simply because our personal experiences have shown us that spirits are real, we cannot assume that they can be documented with modern equipment. More importantly, we are hear to alleviate the fears of people who are experiencing some sort of phenomena and very well may be frightened of it. 

Are you skeptics or believers?
          Truthfully, the answer is that we are both. Although we believe that there is an existence beyond life as we know it today, we must always be skeptical of investigation results and extremely critical as to how we obtain them. One of our prime directives is to seek the truth without knowingly/unknowingly fooling ourselves or others.  

Why haven't you included your member's full names on this website?
          As popular as the ghost topic is amongst the public, it is as equally unpopular, or frowned upon. This holds especially true within the professional atmospheres that current PGHA members work in and are dependent upon for income and security. I think that anyone having experienced paranormal phenomena, and who has tried to relate their story to others, will quickly identify with what I am saying. Also, just as we respect the privacy of our clients, we equally respect that of our members. However, it should be made known that member's last names are given to clients upon request at investigations.

Do you post every investigation you conduct to this website?
          No. Most of our investigations reveal a natural source as being responsible for seemingly supernatural events. Thus far, we have mostly posted positive cases to this website. Also, in many instances, our clients wish to remain out of the public's view. With total respect for their privacy, we will not post any results from an investigation without the consent of the client. Should we obtain consent for posting results, and unless stated otherwise by the client, names and addresses are still withheld from public view in observance of privacy issues.

When was the PGHA founded?
          After long debate, Sharon and I cofounded the PGHA in September of 1997.

So, is that also when you started ghost research?
          Our inquiry for answers about spirit phenomena and the unknown was sparked from personal experiences in early childhood. Since then the topic has fascinated us resulting in research from the time of early adulthood. That research ultimately resulted in the formation of the PGHA.

Do you allow non-members to join you on investigations?
          No, we do not. The reason for this is quite simple and very ethical, a responsibility to our clients. It has always been our goal to provide clients with only experienced investigators who are proven more than capable to conduct a thorough and complete investigation. Also, it is not conducive to incorporate outsiders into what needs to be a controlled environment for investigation.

Will having my home investigated make my paranormal activity worse?
          Spirit activity at any location can increase/diminish at any time. Our evaluation of previously investigated locations has left no indication that an investigation has resulted in increased/diminished activity. Most often, documented activity remains the same and, over time, subsides to infrequency, sporadic events or non-existence.

Does the PGHA use psychics in their organization?
          No, and for specific reason. The PGHA has always been scientific-minded in everything that we do. Within the scientific community, psychic abilities and spirit phenomena are both deemed as X-factors. Although for both there is good argument in support of, as well as against, neither is proven beyond doubt to exist. From a scientific standpoint, it cannot be proven/disproven that one X-factor exists based on evidence of another X-factor. However, the PGHA has always remained openminded about the existence of psychic abilities and neutral of their validity, therefore we cannot and will not confirm or deny them.

Do you only investigate in the Philadelphia area?
          Although our name suggests that we are exclusive to Philadelphia, our geographic coverage includes all of New Jersey, Delaware and Eastern Pennsylvania.

Do you only investigate known haunted locations?
          No. Although the PGHA has conducted investigations of known haunted locations such as Fort Mifflin, the Logan Inn, the General Wayne Inn, etc., not all of our investigation locations have had a haunted reputation. It should be noted that known haunted locations always seem to make their way onto this website for the simple fact that we almost always obtain documentation. Such results only confirm the legitimacy of the claims of activity and documentations that have been made over time. In cases of private residences, where we are called upon to investigate, we have labelled those as suspected locations. In the event of places such as cemeteries being investigated, we are merely inquiring about spirit activity and most often have no prior knowledge of any activity having been documented there.  

If I have my home investigated, will the results appear on your website?
          Only if we have your consent to do so. All information pertaining to investigations on this website have been posted with the clients consent.

Have you ever called upon the media to cover any PGHA activities?
          The PGHA has never contacted the media, nor have we issued press releases or any other materials alerting the media to our presence.

Have you ever been paid for ANY of your media appearances (i.e., TV, Radio, Newspapers, etc.)?
          No. The PGHA has never been offered, nor would we accept money for any media appearance. We accommodate media inquiry for the sole purpose of providing educational information to our website viewers and interested parties. All PGHA media appearances have been cataloged on this website for public inquiry, information and research into our organization.

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