Paranormal Challenges 2015

Hey everyone!  I had enough responses on Facebook to go through with piecing together some type of monthly Paranormal Challenge!  If you missed that post, the basic idea is this:  Each month I'll post a different challenge and an example of how I completed that task.  If you choose to participate, you have an entire month to complete the challenge, then post your results, thoughts, etc. in the appropriate Facebook thread. 

These challenges are meant to be short, fun activities designed to get us thinking about and researching the paranormal investigation field.  They are meant to help us practice our investigation skills and hopefully become better investigators, no matter what our current level of expertise. 

Throughout the month, I'll be posting  articles and information that will be related to the challenge and perhaps will give you some inspiration and some ideas on how to complete it. This information will also help explain why this particular topic and challenge are important to paranormal research. You won't need any special equipment or skills to complete these challenges, and there really won't be too many (if ANY) set rules---do as many of the challenges as you like and complete them anyway you see fit---creative thinking is another vital skill for investigators, after all.  I'll be posting more information about each challenge, both here and on Facebook each month and if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas for future challenges, please let me know. 

As of right now, there are no prizes, but if we get enough people interested I'll definitely see what I can do about sending out some small gifts, or at least certificates saying you've completed the challenges! Here's a quick run-down of the challenges I've come up with---subject to change.

Paranormal Challenges 2015/2016:

June:  Observational Listening
For this first exercise, I'm going to have you sit and observe for a set length of time, probably somewhere between 5-10 minutes.  I want you to simply LISTEN. Write down EVERY little sound you hear! This exercise is designed to help you practice your observational listening skills, identify background sounds, and practice documenting, all skills used during EVP sessions.  More info to come!

July:  Make Your Own Ghost Photo
Use whatever means you want to 'create' your own ghost photo, then let us know how you did it! This challenge is to share our knowledge about the many, many false positives and downright hoaxes that can be mistaken for a paranormal photo.  Feel free to use apps, Photoshop, long exposure times, etc. If you don't have access to camera equipment, feel free to find and post an example you've found online---just be sure to give credit where credit is due!

August: Preserving the Past
This month I want you to interview someone, preferably older than you, about a paranormal experience they had, or their thoughts about a local haunted location.  If you'd like, you can videotape or audio record the interview.  Throughout the month, I'll be posting a few interview questions that you might want to use. This challenge isn't meant to analyze or debunk these claims, but rather to practice interviewing skills, finding the right questions to ask during the interview, and of course, preserving oral history for future generations.

September: Investigation Critique
Pick a documentary or television show that features a paranormal investigation team or individual investigators investigating a haunting.  Write THREE positives about what you're seeing.  Now write THREE things you would have changed or done differently. Only constructive criticism, please.

October:  Field Trip Time!
I know October is a VERY, VERY busy month for many in the paranormal community, but if you get the chance, I want to use this month to do a little field trip. I want you to visit your local historical society, genealogy library, state archives, county courthouse, etc....any place where historical research can be conducted.  You don't actually have to research anything if you don't want...but I want you to be able to locate your local sources for historical information and familiarize yourself with the resources available therein.  If you are unable to get out to complete this task, see if you can find any completely awesome sources for information ONLINE.

November: Get Educated!
There are a LOT of FREE courses/classes out there that can be of benefit to the paranormal investigator, both in your community and online.  I want you to find and share at least one course that you personally feel is of value.  Some places to look might be edX, Coursera, Open2Study, etc.  Bonus points if you actually sign up and take the course!

December: Random Acts of Paranormal Kindness
December is a time where people start becoming really aware and interested in community service and helping those less fortunate.  I'll be posting some ideas how you as an individual, as a family, or as a team can add a paranormal twist to your community service, be it on a large scale, or simply through small, everyday things you can do to brighten someone's day. 

January: Paranormal Book Club
I want you to read ANY non-fiction book of your choosing dealing with some aspect of the paranormal or paranormal research.  Give us a brief synopsis of the book and whether or not you recommend it.  If possible, try to get some of your friends/colleagues to read the same book and organize some type of book club-type discussion.

February: Ghost Apps
There are a lot of different apps out there geared toward the paranormal investigator...many of which, unfortunately are actually 'for entertainment use only.' But, there are some decent apps that a paranormal researcher may find useful.  Find and research at least one paranormal-related app.  Feel free to download it and try it out for yourself, especially if its FREE!  Let us know what you find out---could it be potentially useful in paranormal investigation, or is it simply a toy?

*Again, there will be more information about each of these topics when they're presented at the beginning of each month.  Hopefully after the first one is posted and everyone gets a feel for how the setup will go, it'll make more sense and go smoothly.  I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with for these projects! Thank you so much to everyone who has expressed an interest!*

Weird Art Wednesday: Patricia Piccinini

If you've been anywhere on the internet in the past ten years, chances are you've seen this photo (or a version of it) used to illustrate any number of hoaxes, including those about Russian/Nazi animal-human hybrid experiments, a new form of cryptozoological creature, and my favorite---the result of a Muslim girl choosing to listen to pop music over reading her Qur'an and being transformed by an angry Allah. You can even choose this image from the menu of one of the many ghost app programs to insert into your own photographs. 

So, most sane people realize that there is nothing 'paranormal' about this creature, although it will still pop up from time to time on paranormal Facebook pages, with someone gullible enough to try passing it off as 'real' and plenty of opinions backing it up.  But, if its not really the product of a vengeful God or even of bestiality...what the heck IS IT?

It's a sculpture by artist Patricia Piccinini!  It is part of a larger installation known as The Leather Landscape (2003), which was exhibited in "We Are Family" at the Venice Biennal. Piccinini is known for her strange, often almost grotesque-looking humanoid sculptures that represent a simple, yet at the same time, complex relationship between humans, animals, and the ethical questions of medical technology.  Made from silicon, polyurethane, human hair, etc., these creatures aren't meant to represent something ugly, nor despised...which is unfortunately what many of her creations have been used to illustrate in so many different hoaxes.

Links:
The Multi-Species Salon
Biennale 2003
Piccinini's Website

The Clothespin Grave

It's Tuesday...so let's make it a Tombstone Tuesday!  Instead of the usual 'ghost story' or haunted location, let's just take a look at a VERY interesting symbol of one Vermont man's lasting legacy!

W. Jack Crowell was born on August 6, 1924.  He made his career in the clothespin industry; in fact, he owned the National Clothespin Factory of Montpelier, Vermont. The National Clothespin Factory opened in 1906 and continued manufacturing wooden clothespins until 2009, making it the LAST American company to do so. 

Apparently, Jack really loved his job, because when he died on October 20, 1996 his family erected in his honor a giant clothespin tombstone!  It is said that original plans for the tombstone were to include an actual spring so that children visiting the grave could play on the marker, just like a see-saw!  Although there is unfortunately no playing on the tombstone allowed, many people still flock to the Middlesex Center Cemetery each year to view the unusual tombstone. 

Vermont Deadline

Eiffel Tower Ghost

The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France was constructed as the entrance gate to the 1889 World's Fair.  Built by Gustave Eiffel, this Iron Lady stands 1063 feet above the city and has become one of the most famous landmarks in the world.  However, it almost ended up in the scrap pile.  Built as a temporary structure for the fair, plans were made to tear the tower down, but in 1909 a group of citizens realized its importance as a radiotelegraph tower and convinced the city to keep it. The Iron Lady went on to play a key role in communications during the First World War.

Today, over 700 million people visit the tower annually to sightsee and dine in the on-site restaurant.  Unfortunately, some come for a different reason.  To date, approximately 400 people have committed suicide at the Eiffel Tower.  Behind poisoning and hanging, jumping off the iconic landmark is the third most popular way to off yourself in France.  The first suicide on record, however, actually WAS a hanging.  A 23 year old man hanged himself from one of the beams on July 15th, 1898.  There have also been some rather strange accidents, including the death of Franz Reichelt, who on February 4th, 1912 stepped off the tower wearing a strange, homemade parachute.  The chute obviously failed and the stunt was captured on film.  Since the 1960s, added safety measures have been implemented in an effort to curb the appeal of suicides.  Modern security fences, cameras, and safety netting have drastically lowered the suicide rate, but an occasional determined soul still slips through, including a young female student in 2009 and a British man in 2012.

With the reputation of being one of the most appealing suicide spots in all of Europe, if not the world, its no wonder that the Eiffel Tower has picked up a reputation for being haunted.  However, the ghost of the Eiffel Tower has nothing to do with suicide!

As legend goes, a young couple met one evening at their favorite romantic spot atop the tower.  The gentleman had come to propose---the young lady had come to end the relationship.  Enraged at being dumped, the man either pushed or threw the young woman off the side of the tower to her death.  To this day, visitors to the spot can hear the girl giggling, then the giggling turning to an argumentative plea, then finally to screams as her grisly death is trapped in time to repeat itself over and over.

*If a trip to Paris isn't in your near future, you can always visit Ohio's Kings Island amusement park!  It's replica Eiffel Tower is haunted by a ghost dubbed Tower Johnny!*

Paris 365 Days
Eiffel Tower Facts

Ghosts of the Portsmouth, Ohio Public Library

From Spongefan

The main branch of the Portsmouth, Ohio Public Library may be one of the most beautiful libraries in the tri-state...and it may also be one of the most haunted.

The current library, which sits on Gallia Street in downtown Portsmouth, was built in the early 1900s.  In 1902, local resident Henry Lorberg appealed to philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to donate toward the building of a new library facility for the area.  A $50,000 donation by Carnegie that year resulted in the beautiful building of today, which opened on February 1, 1906.  It was built in the classic Carnegie style by the architectural firm of Richards, McCarty and and Bulford.  In order to keep up with the demand of the growing needs of the community, additions were constructed in 1971 and 1995. A massive genealogy and local history section make this stunning library a wonderful place for the paranormal researcher to conduct historic research, and one could spend hours poring over all the resources the library has to offer. As an added bonus, one might also actually encounter a ghost while visiting!

According to local legends, the library is haunted by two different ghosts.  The first is a woman named Grace.  History isn't clear as to whether Grace was an employee or patron of the library, but the story goes that she fell of the library balcony and was killed.  This section is now closed to the public, but Grace's ghost has still been seen wandering the area.  The second ghost to call the library home is a homeless man who frequented the library before HIS death, and possibly even died there in recent history.  His ghost can be seen wandering among the stacks.

Both Grace and the homeless gentleman seem to prefer the original 1906 section of the building, avoiding the newer wings.  Together they seem to be responsible for any number of strange activity which goes on there, particularly turning lights on and off and stacking books in strange ways.

Wikipedia
Forgotten Ohio
Library Homepage

The Phantom Hitchhiker of Baraboo, Wisconsin

Source

BaraBOO, (emphasis on the BOO is mine) Wisconsin is a strange place filled with many supernatural tales, but the one that caught my attention is the Phantom Hitchhiker of Highway 12.  I just can't resist a good phantom hitchhiker story!

Highway 12 dates back to at least 1917 when it was known as WIS 12.  With the 1926 US highway system in place, the road kept the same numerical designation and basically the same path.  In 1993, the section of highway through Wisconsin was named the Iron Brigade Memorial Highway in honor of a Civil War Union unit from the area.

But its another type of soldier that the stretch of Highway 12 through Baraboo in Sauk County is noted for...

For years, drivers have reported a man wearing what appears to be a green army jacket from the 1960s and blue jeans walking down the road.  In most reports, this man is said to have a dark beard, and long, greasy black hair.  Drivers will pass him, not paying too much attention to the scraggly man, but then are overwhelmed when after traveling for about a mile down the road, they see the SAME guy, still walking down the side of the highway.  How could this man have gotten ahead of them so quickly when no other cars have gone by?  Some brave souls have attempted to give the man a ride, but find that he vanishes from sight before he reaches their car.

This particular section of highway has undergone some changes and upgrades in the past year, with more scheduled for the coming years, yet that doesn't seem to have deterred the phantom hitchhiker from making his presence know.  The Baraboo Tours Facebook page reported that a sighting was reported on November 7, 2011 by a truck driver.  The driver spotted the man about 9:45 pm near Ski-Hi Road.  He was spotted again by the S-curve near Skillet Creek.

Another witness shared HIS story, in which he gave an excellent physical description of the man, and pointed out that he saw the man for the first time near the airport on the east side of the road and again near the S curve between the cemetery and the trailer park. Although many have tried to find the phantom hitchhiker, no one has yet been able to explain who he is or why he is haunting this particular stretch of road.

Eyewitness Account of a Man Believed to be the Phantom Hitchhiker
Investigation by Unexplained Research
Baraboo Tours Facebook
Wisconsin is Strange, but Baraboo is Bizarre!

Three Ghostesses

Inspiration for my blog comes from a variety of places, some of which probably wouldn't normally strike you as a source for ghostly fodder. For example, today's blog is just a simple little poem.  It's an old English nursery rhyme that I found included in my son's book, A Treasury of Mother Goose, illustrated by Hilda Offen.  The poem itself is credited to an anonymous author, but there are plenty of wonderful illustrations for it out there! I chose the one to your left as my personal favorite.

THREE GHOSTESSES

Three little ghostesses,
Sitting on postesses,
Eating buttered toastesses,
Greasing their fistesses,
Up to their wristesses.
Oh, what beastesses
To make such feastesses!