Ghosts in the Museum: Redux

Three paranormal societies have recently investigated the Ypsilanti Museum and basement Archives for ghosts. One society never turned in a report. The second turned in a report detailed here. This third, the Huron River Paranormal Society, turned in the most credible and exhaustive April 3, 2009 report, transcribed below. Their three-page report is reproduced at left; you can click on each of the three pages to read their original report.

Huron River Paranormal Society
Case Report
Date: April 3rd, 2009
Location: Ypsilanti Historical Society

Time frame for investigation:
Pre readings were taken at approximately 6 p.m. The equipment began to run at 8 p.m. and ran until midnight.

Investigators present:
Anna, Chad, Joe, Ashley, Jake, (guest and observer from YHS, James Mann)

Equipment used:
--Electromagnetic field detector (EMF detector)
--Kii meter (also detects EMFs of greater amplitude)
--Infrared thermometer
--2 video cameras
--Digital audio recorder

Pre readings:
The pre readings showed that the building has a very high base EMF reading. High exposure to EMFs can cause anything from paranoia to skin irritation to nausea. These fields seemed to be naturally caused by the wiring in the house. Our recommendation if someone feels uneasy would be to have the person step outside for a few minutes and then come back. They are most likely feeling the effects of electromagnetic hypersensitivity.

Another observation made was that sound travels quite well in the building. Loud banging noises on the second floor can be heard clearly in the basement.

Personal experiences:
Several cold spots were felt in the building, and often by multiple people. Because other members of the team were able to confirm these cold spots, it lends more credibility to the experience. Many of these spots were felt in the "dress room" on the second floor. A few were also observed in the basement. Each of these experiences could not be attributed to natural causes such as drafts.

Investigators Jake, Joe, and Ashley were sitting in the basement on the south side of the building. Jake witnessed a shadow move near the steps and the sink. About ten seconds later, Ashley witnessed a similar shadow that she described as a figure that seemed to be wearing a dress. Both were very animate about what they saw, although Joe argued that his own shadow may have been the cause of one of the two experiences.

Toward the end of the night, Anna went upstairs with Chad and just before entering the "Spinning Room" she felt a tug on the collar of her track jacket and heard a brushing sound on the fabric as it happened. She tried to move her hair and do whatever she could to recreate what it felt like, but couldn't.

Evidence gathered:
Several pieces of evidence were recorded during the investigation. On digital audio, three clips stood out. Theses are located on the CD we have included. The first clip sounds like a groan of some sort. When compared to other sounds such as cars or motorcycles passing, it did not line up. This was caught in the nursery.

The second audio clip was captured in the dress room. While Anna and Ashley were in the room, Anna witnessed the light on the digital audio recorder become blocked out. This clip of what sounds like either a series of breaths or laughing was caught at the same time.

The third clip was captured on the second floor at the top of the east staircase. Jake, Ashley, and Joe were investigating this area. You can clearly hear Joe's voice, when a second male voice seems to say "help me." This second voice does not belong to anyone else in the building at the time.

There were also two video clips caught. These are both on the included DVD. The first clip is in the basement. Joe, Chad, and James were using the Kii meter to try to communicate with any spirits that were down there. The Kii has a series of lights and measures EMFs. By asking the spirit to manipulate the fields and having the meter light up twice for yes and once for no, many investigators believe direct communication can occur. In this clip, we asked the questions regarding the identity of the spirit. We got hits on the letter B as the first letter of the spirit's name, and on the name Burns as a potential last name.

The final video clip was also taken in the basement. This is in the room on the south side of the building. While trying to accomplish the same success as earlier in the night with the Kii, Anna, Chad, and James were asking questions. For a six minute period of time, an unidentifiable red light appeared on camera, but not to our naked eye. This light hovered around the Kii meter and seemed at times to respond to our requests. Attempts to debunk the light were attempted and no natural cause was found for the light.


Final Conclusion:

It is the opinion of HRPS that there is some sort of paranormal activity in the Ypsilanti Historical Society's building. Although some experiences can be attributed to natural causes, there was a decent amount of evidence gathered to conclude that there is validity to many paranormal experiences in the building. We cannot identify how many spirits are in the home, but we seem to have found at least one, which seems to be intelligent. It is also of the opinion of the HRPS that the spirit or spirits mean no harm to anyone in the building, and should not be feared.