Date: Thursday October 23 1997 - Friday October 24 1997
Time: We started at 11:45 p.m. and finished at 2:45 a.m.
Location: A home on Edmund St. in the Tacony section of N.E. Phila.
Equipment: Camera -- Cannon Snappy A.F. ( auto focus) with no strap. Film -- Kodak gold with 400 speed film. Thermometer -- Radio Shack Temperature Alert With digital alarm. Records highest, lowest and present temps. Fast & normal settings to detect change in the temp. EMF meter -- ELF-Zone electro-magnetic field detector. 10-40,000hz. An audio recording device was also used for this investigation.
Weather: We were inside the house the whole time and the thermostat was set on 74*. It was a nice comfortable temperature.
History: This house has a long history of unexplained events:
1. Objects have been known to disappear from one location only to re-appear in another.
2. Voices have been heard throughout the house as well as rappings on walls.
3. Apparitions have been seen on more than one occasion by several different family members, at times, simultaneously.
4. A family dog has been known to bark at "nothing", on occasion.
5. Visitors have commented of hearing whistling of which no origin was found.
6. Televisions and appliances have been reported to turn on and off themselves.
Those Present: Rachel & Bob G., Lew & Sharon G..
Report: When we arrived at this location, no one was home. Since the owners were acquaintances of ours, they entrusted us with the key and went away for a few days. The thermostat was set at 64* which made it a bit chilly in the home at first. I turned it up to 74* for the investigation.
It was decided that 2 groups of 2 people would be a wise choice for this investigation. Throughout the investigation, several EMF's were detected at different locations. Upon returning to those locations after some undetermined amount of time, the EMF's had either moved or were no longer there. The majority of the EMF's were detected in the first floor living room. Others were detected in upstairs closets. In both cases, electrical sources were ruled out as a possible false measurement.
As we, Bob and I, reached the basement, the other group was on the second floor. Although we had no detections with any of our devices, we had a most unusual experience. A light, at the other end of the basement, had gone out. Many people would pass this off as coincidence. My experience as a ghost hunter tells me otherwise. Coincidence does not happen at almost every investigation. We have had too many experiences that could be deemed coincidence. Due to the frequency of such events, I have come to understand that something more calculating is responsible for these "coincidences".
I approached the light with the EMF meter to attempt obtaining a reading. As I got close to the light (an inch or two), it went back on. There still were no EMF's or cold spots detected. Further inspection with the detector revealed nothing. We then moved into a basement workshop at the front of the house. Some EMF's were detected which were ruled as electrical sources. Then, the same light went out again. Another attempt to detect an EMF from the light was futile. I then checked to make sure the bulb was not loose in the socket. Finding the light secure, it came back on. There have been no problems with this light prior to the investigation. Bob and I then moved to the first floor.
The other group was sitting in the hallway atop the second floor stairs. We had come to find that while we were having our experience with the light in the basement, they had been hearing voices from the master bedroom. When the voices ceased, there were a few distinct bangs on the wall that separated that particular bedroom from the bathroom. Bob and I went to listen from the hall as well and heard nothing. The other group was downstairs at that time.
Photographs were taken throughout the investigation on all floors.
We decided to wrap up the event and go home. After we were home for the night, I remembered that I did not put the thermostat back down to 64* before we left. I told Sharon to remind me to return to the house to fix the thermostat before anyone came home. The next day I did just that. When I got to the house and went in, all was normal (or so I thought). Somehow, the thermostat was put back to 64*. I called Sharon with the news and went home.
After the weekend, we returned to the house to collect the mail for our friends. Almost instinctively, my son went to the closed basement door. He opened the door and said "look at that mess". Sharon and I exchanged glances and went to inspect. Many items from atop a platform in the cellar were scattered on the floor. "Coincidentally", they were scattered directly beneath the light that kept going out the night of the investigation. No one had access to the house but us all weekend and we hadn't been there since I went to check the thermostat on friday.
Impression: Having had several experiences myself in this house prior to the investigation, there is no doubt it has paranormal activity. I have been fortunate enough to see apparitions and belongings disappear, only to reappear elsewhere. This investigation has only reinforced my beliefs that this house is haunted. A future investigation is pending.
Lew G.
PGHA President