Date: Thursday April 2nd, 1998
Time: Arrived on location at 6:30 p.m.. The investigation was underway at 7:15 p.m. and ended at 8:45 p.m..
Location: The Betsy Ross House at 239 Arch St. in Olde City Philadelphia.
Equipment: Canon 35mm auto focus/auto flash camera (strapless); 400 speed Kodak Gold film; 8mm video camera; Thermal scanner with digital read-out; E.L.F.-Zone EMF meter; Compact mini recording device.
Weather: Outside it was clear with a mild breeze. The temperature was roughly 68* F for the entire investigation. There was no rain or fog. Inside the temperature was a constant 83* F.
History: Aside from the normal history of the Betsy Ross House comes a paranormal history as well. Some deaths are associated with the actual house and the attached gift shop:
House -- A former owner/director of the Betsy Ross House died as the result of a stroke in a third floor room where he lived. I was also informed of a psychic who was brought into the house. She reported seeing Betsy sitting at the end of her bed weeping.
Gift Shop -- Years ago, in the basement of the gift shop, a former security guard shot a co-worker and left him for dead. The co-worker was found in the early morning hours of the following day and was rushed to a local hospital. I was told he ultimately died of his wounds.
There have been several reports of unexplained "voices" being heard in the basement. Some examples are; whispers heard from the room where the shooting took place. Upon entering the room the whispers would stop; one early morning the director was there alone to open the building and, as he opened a door in the basement, he heard someone say "pardon", as if to excuse oneself.
Courtyard -- It should be noted that Betsy Ross and her late husband are buried in the courtyard of the Betsy Ross House.
Those Present: Lew & Sharon G., Rachel G., Andrea G., Kenny & Donna B., Tom H., Art H. (BRH Director) and Ray (friend of Art).
Report: Our investigation began at 7:15 inside the Betsy Ross gift shop. Our investigation team was guided through, room by room, by the director and another. Several members, myself included, had a strange feeling about a loft area in the gift shop. This area is currently being used for storage. Although no cold spots were detected with my thermal scanner, photos were taken of the loft. Tom H. did manage to capture some anomalous activity with his digital camera.
Next, the group moved downstairs to the basement where voices and whispering has been heard previously. Once again, nothing was detected with the thermal scanner and photos were taken. One anomaly was captured with Tom's digital camera. No EMF's were detected by any members as I recall. Due to the history of voices in this location, I elected to leave my mini-recorder in this spot.
The courtyard was our next stop as well as an alley next to the Betsy Ross House. Outside, the general temperature read by the thermal scanner was 68*F. In the alley next to the house I was able to detect a cold spot that registered as low as 23*F. Photos were taken by all members at that time. A few random pics were taken throughout the courtyard, especially around the grave of Betsy Ross and her late husband. Many images captured with the digital camera showed orbs of light.
We then entered the cellar of the house itself. It was here that many EMF's were detected. Most, but not all, EMF's were proven to be natural phenomena. Photos were taken throughout the house by all members present. On the upper floors, some EMF's were detected that could not be identified as having an electrical source. No cold spots were detected within the house by the thermal scanner. Many members left their audio recorders in Betsy Ross' bedroom where she was reportedly seen by a psychic. Several orbs were revealed on Tom's digital camera at various locations throughout the house. After thoroughly investigating the house, we moved back to the courtyard.
It was in the courtyard that we used up the rest of our film. Tom, again managed to capture anomalous images on his digital camera. The cold spot that was detected earlier in the alley next to the house was no longer there. Moving back into the gift shop to retrieve my recorder from the cellar, we then discussed our findings with the director. Audio recordings would need to be listened to and films processed for further information.
Impression: The evidence gathered during the investigation, coupled with the employee reports of strange voices and whispering, would lead me to believe that the Betsy Ross House is indeed experiencing paranormal activity. Audio recordings revealed nothing at this time. Maybe in the future, we will be permitted to perform a follow-up investigation to reinforce our initial findings. It is my firm belief that we can capture an EVP on tape.
Lew Gerew -- PGHA
President