Has anyone caught the new episodes of Paranormal State? I was able to see a few that I had DVR’d and I was not very impressed. It really seemed to lack any sort of substance. One episode promptly called for the arrival of Lorraine Warren and presumably a priest to perform an exorcism. There wasn’t much in the form of evidence requiring such an action, as far as I could tell. The show was over dramatic and at some points, condescending.

I don’t believe this reflects the Paranormal Research Society’s ability to investigate. Most of what I’ve seen and read about them leads me to believe they are professional and capable paranormal investigators. Rather, I think the producers made a decision to steer the show in a direction that distinguishes it from Ghost Hunters. This isn’t an endorsement of Ghost Hunters either, but I find Ghost Hunters more entertaining and palatable than Paranormal State. This is show biz. The producers and advertisers determine the direction of the program. I could be completely wrong in my assessment, though I do think their show will alienate other paranormal investigators. My criticism is strictly constructive, as I do hope sincerely, that the Paranormal Research Society is successful in their endeavors.

More Reviews:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/17/arts/television/17genz.html

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117935605.html?categoryid=32&cs=1

These reviews, while lamenting Paranormal State, blast the genre across the board. The reviewers, typical of media elites, hold our field in contempt. They’re too enlightened and brilliant to believe in God or ghosts.

Haunted homestead of revolutionary war hero Nathan Hale.

For those who slept through history class, Nathan Hale was the American spy that was caught in New York by the British military. About to be hanged, Nathan Hale was quoted as saying “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” Nathan Hale was a Connecticut native, Yale graduate, and school teacher before volunteering for the Continental Army. Once enlisted, Nathan Hale took on a particularly unpopular and difficult job as a spy.

Deacon Hale, Nathan Hale’s father, has reportedly been seen peering out of one of the windows of the home.

Yesterday we arrived in Gettysburg and immediately jumped into ghost hunting by meeting up with a local group Gettysburgghosts.net.  I was hoping to broadcast live from our locations, but unfortunately that wasn’t possible.  The battlefields also close now at 7 pm, so we were limited in that regard.  Jamie and her husband Bill took us to Sach’s Bridge.  The story goes that while the Confederates were using Sach’s Bridge a route of retreat, they hanged three of their own soldiers from the bridge for desertion.  Apparently, Sach’s Bridge is a hot bed, judging from the amount the ghost hunters that were also at the site.  I’ve never seen an area so swarmed with ghost hunters before.  Ghost hunting has really risen in popularity here in Gettysburg over the years!

I’m still sorting through photos, which you can see here.

A special thanks to Jamie and Bill for spending time with two complete strangers and showing us around town!  They were extremely hospitable , knowledgeable and a pleasure to ghost hunt with.  Bill is a Gettysburg Battle Encyclopedia!

*Update:  Streaming video test complete.  I couldn’t get audio to work, but we’re on the right track.  You can view the video here: http://ustream.tv/Ghosthound/videos/zvjrC4qhS2GTcahVFXvbXA

The next test is coming soon.  The video streamed well.  Once I get audio going, we’ll be in business!

We’re testing our live video broadcast tonight. I’ll attempt to stream live for a few minutes from a cemetery allegedly haunted by a “witch” that was hanged in the mid-1600s. Open thread. Post your comments and let us know what you think!
Conditions:

66 degrees

Solar X-Rays: Normal

Geomagnetic Field: Quiet

Moonphase: Waxing Gibbous, 87% Full

Humidity: 79%

I can’t seem to get Ustream.tv to embed so follow this link:

http://ustream.tv/channel/ghosthoundcom-tv

With all of the focus on Salem, MA, we sometimes neglect Connecticut’s own witchcraft past. Witch trials were prolific during the 1600s here in Connecticut, even before the persecution came to a head in 1692. There are some great ghost stories relating to Connecticut’s “witches” including those of Stratford’s Goody Basset and Monroe’s Hannah Cranna. I look forward to providing more research into these two ladies, and maybe even an investigation or two.

With Halloween fast approaching, many of us will be heading up to Salem, MA to join the annual festivites.  If you have never been to Salem on Halloween it is worth experiencing at least once in your life.  Salem’s Haunted Happenings outlines a month long tribute to Salem’s historical past culminating on October 31st as a giant block party.  The streets are packed with costumed visitors, vendors, street performers, bands and drunkards. 

If you are planning a Salem trip, I reccomend arriving a day or two in adavance of Halloween.  This will allow you to see the sites without the long lines and shoulder to shoulder crowds.  A few tips:

1) The haunted houses and exhibits are ok, but not the best.  If you are going to any of these exhibits buy a triple pass that will allow you to see them all at a discounted rate.

2)Eat cheap.  The resteraunts around the holidays are geared toward serving large numbers of people, so quality suffers.  Save your money and buy food from one of the street vendors, unless you really need to sit down.  Salem Beer Works is an exception, especially if you like microbrews.  Definitely swing by the Boston Hot Dog Company.

3)Some of the best attractions are the reenactments and short plays.  Check out the Old Town Hall, they have a Witch Trial reenactment that is entertaining and interactive.

4) The trolley tour is insightful and inexpensive.  It can also serve as a taxi.  If you buy your ticket early enough you can get off and on at any of the trolley stops.

5) If you like live music the local bars usually have good talent leading up to Halloween.  Drinks, however, will be expensive.

Last year there were news reports that Boston gang members were heading into Salem on Halloween night to cause trouble.  They like the large crowds because it provides cover.  The Salem Police arrested a large number of them getting off the train at the Salem Train Station.  Be aware that a large crowd of drunk party goers on Halloween night presents some safety concerns.

All in all, it is a great time.  Leading up to Halloween you can enjoy history, shopping, festivites and costume balls all within walking distance of the town center. 

http://www.hauntedhappenings.com

While reading through my usual array of bogs, I came across a service called Ustream that will allow us to stream live video from remote locations.  This could be a great new feature of Ghosthound as I explore the possibility of doing live ghosthunting broadcasts on location.  I’ve been looking at this approach for years and it appears the technology is available to do this relatively inexpensively.  I’ll keep everyone posted.  As I work out the bugs you can expect a few test broadcasts in the coming days.

We’ve been attempting to get an investigation in for the past few weeks. Unfortunately, the work schedule hasn’t permitted an evening at Gay City. However, I did finally get a chance to hike around the park and take some pictures. This site is of the same quality as Bara Hack and Dudleytown.

A few hundred yards from the mill site is an old house foundation. It seems that the occupants had a very short walk to work in the morning.

More information can be found here: http://www.curbstone.org/index.cfm?webpage=108

I wonder how much truth exists in the lore of Gay City’s murderous past? Remember, legends generally begin with some facet of truth. It will be interesting to see what haunting evidence we can find. Stay Tuned.

James Randi, professional skeptic. Any paranormal investigator should approach the subject of ghosts with a large degree of skepticism. We know that belief in the paranormal requires a great deal of faith. While we use scientific devices and measurements to test theories and ideas, we are fully aware that the field remains unscientific. Which means, we will never proves to James Randi the existence of ghosts. That’s fine. Ghosthound.com is not about proving anything to anyone. We know there are many things that science cannot explain. Can a scientist explain how the universe began? They cannot, yet we know it exists. Some people blindly believe in Global Warming, yet the scientific community is largely split on the issue. No one can say for sure. At last, does anyone actually know if margarine is bad for us? Everyday we here of a new study that contradicts the last study, that contradicts the study before that.
I put my faith in God, because I know science does not and will not ever have all of the answers.