Library ghosts have always intrigued me. Imagine loving your job so much, you deny yourself a trip to Heaven and go back to work instead. It happens more than you might imagine. Visit any old library and ask the head librarian if they have a ghost, and you might be surprised by the answer. Librarians are a dedicated group of people.
Such is the case with the Poseyville Carnegie Public Library.
Their first library was established in 1898 and was located in a section of an old opera house. It housed just over 400 books.
In 1903, the growing library was moved to a room in the town hall, but it still wasn’t sufficient. George Waters, a local banker, wrote to Andrew Carnegie, hoping for help in building a more permanent location.
Andrew Carnegie was better known for his steel empire, but he also had a soft spot for libraries. For forty-six years, from 1883-1929, he provided grant funds to build 2,500 libraries nationwide.
Eager for a bigger library, Waters waited for as long as possible, but when he didn’t receive a response from the Carnegie Corporation, he instigated a meeting with the tycoon. His efforts eventually paid off. The town received a $5,500 grant, doled out in three installments. The final $500 was provided at a later date to pay for library furniture.
Land was donated by Leroy Williams, and soon, a small Neo-Classical Revival building was constructed on the site. After its dedication in 1905, the library was filled with nearly a thousand books. By the end of the year, nearly three-hundred people had borrowed books from the new library. The Poseyville Carnegie Public Library was the smallest of the Carnegie Libraries until 2000, when the library was expanded into the lot next door to provide a children’s room.
The lot next door was once the site of a boarding house. Some say it had a rather ill repute. One person I spoke with referred to it as a house of prostitution. Regardless of what it was, the land, once again, played a larger role in the haunting.
Stories about the library’s hauntings have endured for decades. Surprisingly, one of their primary ghosts isn’t actually a librarian.
In February of 2020, Library Director, Heather Morlan, was sitting at the library’s information desk when she noticed someone coming through the front door on their security monitor.
She recognized the woman as Linda Reising, their Board of Directors president, but she was surprised to see a young boy tagging along behind her.
The boy appeared to be around ten years-old and was wearing an old-fashioned blue jacket with the hood pulled up over his head. Heather jumped up, excited to see a child coming into the library. As she made her way around the desk, armed with candy and stickers, she didn’t see the boy.
“Where’s the boy?” she asked.
“What boy?” Linda asked, looking around her, wondering what Heather was talking about.
“I swear I saw a boy come through the door with you,” she said and then described him. Remembering she saw it on the library’s security camera, she ran back to the monitor to rewind the footage. To her astonishment, the boy had vanished. The screen was fuzzy in the places where he had been.
When Heather told her what she saw, Linda was visually startled. She had just returned from a trip to Oklahoma and had visited the grave of her father’s younger brother. The boy died at a young age from asthma. Could it be the same boy? Did he follow her from the cemetery?
Linda showed Heather a photo of the boy and the similarities were remarkable. It looked like the same boy, but what he did next made them wonder. Instead of following Linda back home, he remained at the library.
Silver Nelson, who has been employed at the library since 2019, has also witnessed him on the monitor.
“One day, a woman came in, and there was a little boy with her. When she got inside, the boy disappeared,” she said. “He likes to come in with families.” Nearly everyone who works at the library has seen him from time to time, but the only place he’s been spotted is near the front door.
There is another resident ghost that won’t surprise most people. The Poseyville Carnegie Library also has a librarian ghost. While no one is absolutely certain about her identity, they are pretty sure it’s Miss Carol.
Miss Carol was a legend in Poseyville. She was the head librarian for 45 years until she retired in 1997. Heather grew up in Poseyville and has fond memories of her.
“She walked around town with her pocketbook, hat and gloves. She had electricity at her house, but no indoor plumbing. She heated her house with an old wood burning stove that she also cooked on, and she chopped her own wood. She never drove. Her brother drove her into town and then brought her home every night,” she told me.
Miss Carol was a true throwback to the elegance of the 1940s. She always dressed professionally, with a formal flare, wearing stylish hats and gloves when she went out in public. Her prim and proper mannerisms were also conveyed in the way she managed the library.
Before the addition was added, the library was divided into two sections. When you came into the entryway, there was a room to the right that housed adult books and a room to the left with children’s books.
“She wouldn’t ever let me into the right side. She’d only let me into the left side where the children’s books were,” Heather told me, smiling. As a Sunday school teacher, she was protective of her younger patrons.
After she retired in 1997, the library felt different. Everyone was so used to seeing Miss Carol sitting in her chair in the entryway behind the library counter; it seemed strange to see someone else in that spot.
Miss Carol retired to her small house on the outskirts of town and enjoyed her retirement. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long.
Miss Carol’s life came to a tragic end on May 5, 2004. She was at home, chopping wood for her wood stove when a drifter, looking for items to steal, walked through her unlocked front door. Miss Carol must have heard the commotion and walked through the back door, surprising him.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
The intruder grabbed an axe that was propped up against the wall beside the door and violently attacked her until she was dead.
The man was apprehended quickly and arrested. Due to a plea agreement, he was sentenced to 75 years in prison for the death of the seventy-nine year-old librarian, something that didn’t sit well with the town.
Her death hit the town hard and still resonates to this day.
“Miss Carol was loved by everyone in town,” Heather told me. “She never had an unkind word for anyone.”
Soon after her death, her house was bulldozed, leaving nothing more than a long gravel lane. Life moved on, as it always does. The library continued to function, with new employees replacing those who left, but Miss Carol’s stamp is still firmly on the library she loved so well.
The new children’s room is named in her honor, and a photo of her sits beside the doorway for all to see. And if her memory isn’t enough, her presence is also frequently felt. Some feel that Miss Carol still lingers at the library.
Sometimes when they’re working, the librarians will hear books shuffling on the shelf as though someone is walking down the row straightening them. Silver told me that when she’s working alone, sometimes books will get knocked off a cart that sits in the entranceway.
“I just go pick up the book and put it somewhere else. I just figured Miss Carol didn’t want it there,” she said.
In years past, a rocking chair that Miss Carol used to sit in during story hour for the youngsters would begin rocking on its own accord. Patrons and employees witnessed it countless times.
The basement of the library also seems to be a paranormal hotspot. Heather was down there looking through boxes and heard the distinct sound of someone in the other room.
Someone was shifting boxes and moving them around, despite the fact that all the lights were off. She was spooked by the noises and didn’t walk into the other room to look. When she went back upstairs, she asked Silver if there was anyone else in the building, and she confirmed her suspicions. No one else was in the building, at least not anyone living. Others have experienced similar things, making the basement a creepy spot.
They also sometimes smell pipe smoke. The old part of the library sits on land that was once owned by a veterinarian. They tore his house down to build the library. And not surprising to anyone, he frequently smoked a pipe.
While we had investigated the library before, we’d never investigated it with a public group. On October 11, 2025, we did just that. As is customary for our events, we divided into three groups and rotated them through three locations inside the library: the main library room, the children’s room and the basement.
The Library Room
I led the group in the Library Room, using a spirit box. My choice for the investigation was actually a phone app called the Ghost Tube Vox. I’ve never been fond of phone apps, but I’ve gotten really good results from this one.
During our first session, we began to learn more about the ghosts who haunt the building. It started immediately as we introduced ourselves. Someone said, “You sound good.”
The library staff have had issues with the timers on the lights. Someone keeps turning them completely off. When we asked, “Who messes with the lights?” we were told, “Need it to work.” Perhaps he wasn’t happy with the way the system was configured.
I was starting to get a complex early on. I asked them if they’d seen my book, Haunted Posey County and was told “It’s going to rot away.” Thanks ghosts!
They apparently weren’t done bashing me. When someone asked how long they’d been there, someone told them, “It’s never been Joni.” Okay, then….
If that wasn’t enough, one of them felt the need to truly creep us out by telling us he was coming up to us.
We asked about the boy who has been seen and was told he was ten years old.
As is common, we often hear something come through the spirit box that isn’t accurate. When I told the group we still had time, we thought we heard “Eight.” And ironically, it was eight o’clock. Upon review, it didn’t say eight. It said something that wasn’t comprehendible. But we did get another response in connection with the time. A female voice told us “We stillhave time.” I asked what we had time to do and was told, “Bury the clock.”
Our second session was largely comprised of library board of director members and librarians. If anybody could get the library ghosts to communicate with us, it would be them.
When we asked for their names, we were told “Cold.” I’ve always wondered if they feel temperature and this gave us some comfirmation.
We got a lot of names during this session. When someone asked his name, a male voice told us, “Israel.”
When asked to tell us something about himself, he said, “Awesome. He can speak!”
I love when we get an intelligent conversation going. A female asked if we were still with her. When we told her we were still there, a male voice told us, “That’s good.”
They were a friendly group of ghosts. One told us, “Ken says hi!”
We’d been asking all night how long they’ve been there, but didn’t get a response until much later. This male told us, “I’ve been here a long time. Help you.”
Linda asked if they liked having so many people in the library. She didn’t get a direct answer, but we did get a name. “George,” he told us.
When we confirmed this, he told us ‘Yeah.”
Probably the most surprising communication we got was a “Happy Birthday!” Turns out, one of our guests had a birthday the day before.
Our third and final session was interesting once again. We got our first responses as we were introducing ourselves.
Bekka is an animal lover and asked if they had any ghost animals there. They laughed and told her, “We got a zoo.”
This group learned about a man named Robert in the basement session. He asked if we were speaking to him and another man told us, “He’s security.”
Bekka seemed to get a lot of responses during this session. She asked if they ever came back to the library and a male voice questioned her, “This house?”
When asked if they lived there when it was a house, a female voice asked, “With a baby?”
Bekka complimented them on their beautiful plants, but was told “That’s a lot of money.”
Piper asked if it was interesting for them to have so many people in there at once. A voice told her it was “packed.”
Sometimes the resident spirits tell us things without a question. In this case, they informed us they were “eating supper.”
Our final responses were a bit heart-wrenching. They told us it was “never ending.”
When asked what was never ending, they told us, “Our lives.”
The Basement
As usual, Traci held court in the basement, utilizing the Estes Method. This experiment uses a Spirit Box, which is a modified radio that scans rapidly through the channels. Ghosts can speak through the white noise. Typically, investigators use these alone and listen to the responses generated from their questions. In this experiment, we connect a listener directly to the Spirit Box with headphones. They can’t hear the questions asked of them, and because they keep their eyes closed for the duration of the session, they also can’t see if anyone is speaking.
This process eliminates false answers. The listener has no idea what questions were asked, so they can’t attempt to interpret the response. They only know what they hear and they speak their responses aloud. We’ve found that some listeners actually go into a trance-like channeling state and pick up far more than other people. Thus was the Case with Ashley.
Ashley began attending our paranormal events as a guest. It didn’t take us long to realize that she was phenomenal at the Estes Method. Ashley is a psychic medium and can tune into the other side. When she dons the headphones for the Estes Method, she literally opens a door for us to learn more about the haunting. We brought her on as a team member in 2024 and began bringing her to our investigations to demonstrate the experiment, but to also give us better insight.
First Session
Traci’s first session was largely comprised of the library’s board of directors. They knew a lot of inside information and were able to ask great questions.
Q: How long did you live in Poseyville – I worked here. I worked here as a long time as a librarian.
Ashley: Why are you here? – We are here to visit you.
Ashley: I don’t quite understand, but that’s okay.
Ashley: Do you see me here? – no, we don’t see here.
Ashley: My last name is Lamar. I’m sorry I didn’t say earlier.
Ashley: I’m 79.
Ashley: It’s nice to have you here.
Ashley: Why is Joni not down here? Why is she upstairs? – She’s working with a different group.
Q; Do you remember walking to the post office with your white gloves and cute hat? – Stop that.
Ashley: Did you guys look through all the books upstairs? – yes
Q: What was your favorite section in the library? – There’s a few.
Ashley: I miss working here.
Ashley: I liked staying here.
Q: Do you remember a boy names Jim Reising who used to come here? – Yes
Ashley: Did you say your name is Traci? – I’ve been here before with Joni. Do you remember me? – Yes
Ashley: I’m buried here in the cemetery here. Maybe you can come visit.
Ashley: They dedicated this library to me at one point. It was kind of nice. I was here.
Ashley: I don’t think I’m very good at this. – You’re doing very well.
Ashley: This was quite a surprise. I guess that’s what she said.
Q: Miss Carol, it’s Tina Craft. Do you remember me? Yes.
Ashley: All I cared about was working here. They take good care of it now. I’m proud of them.
There’s a lot of people upstairs.
Q: Were you married? No response to this or whether she had children.
Ashley: There’s a child upstairs in the children’s room. I hope you get to meet him. His name is Timothy.
Q: How old is Timothy? – I don’t understand. I come here daily.
Q: Does Timothy come here every day? I really don’t understand how to answer your questions.
At that point, they pulled Ashley out of the session. She reported that it was beginning to feel a little heavy. She knew who she was talking to. She said she knew Carol didn’t want to answer some of the questions.
The next person took over the role of listening, but she didn’t have any luck. Traci took over as listener.
Traci: Hey. I see you. I know. (Traci said it was a male)
Q: Can you tell us your name? Traci: I’ve been here a long time.
Q: Who is that? This is Ashley. Traci: I know her.
Traci: Well, will you look at that?
Traci: Go. Outside. Go on.
Traci: Fix it. What do we need to fix? The lights.
Q: Are you the one messing with the timer? Traci: I don’t want it.
Q: Is this Timothy? Traci: Robert.
Q: What can you tell us about yourself? Traci: I’m down here.
Traci: I feel something. Alive.
Traci: It’s going to be okay.
Traci: I’ll come to you whenever I want.
Traci: The basement. He waits here. I did see you here before.
Traci: I can’t go. Q: Where can’t you go?
Traci: Get Joni. Q: Okay, we can let Joni know. She’s upstairs though.
Traci was leaning forward and then said, “She has her butt out.” That caused Traci to straighten up and the group laughed. Traci said she heard mostly a male, but a female would pop in on occasion. At one point she said, “You’re creepy,” in response to the male.
Traci said at one point, something touched her on her stomach. It was so pronounced, she thought someone in the group had touched her.
Ashley: Carol’s here’s too. Well, of course. Here I am.
Ashley: What is your name?
Bekka: My name is Bekka.
Ashley: It’s a small group compared to last.
Ashley: Carol is here and she wants to talk.
Ashley: I tried to tell the last group that the library is my favorite place. I hope you like it too.
Ashley: The noises are me. (they were hearing noises in the other rooms)
Ashley: That was the little boy touching her. (referring to Traci’s last session)
Ashley: He was found guilty?
Q: Who was found guilty? Ashley: Herbert was found guilty.
Q: What did he do? Ashley: Carol’s gone because of him.
Ashley: I’m here to the left of her. The left of Ashley. That’s where I am.
Ashley: Head pain. She’s feeling head pane.
Ashley: Where do we go from here?
Q: Am I talking to Carol? Ashley: I’m here.
Ashley heard a scream in the headphones.
Ashley: I feel like what happened is making her sad. She feels the pain.
Ashley: Ax. There was an ax.
Ashley: Quiet and you’ll hear me.
Ashley: What she’s feeling is heavy. It is.
Traci pulled Ashley out of the session. She said it was very heavy. Joseph was the next listener.
Joseph: You.
Q: Is Carol still here? Joseph: He’s here.
Q: Is it Timothy or Robert? Joseph: Left. Footsteps.
Q: Who am I speaking with? Joseph: Crossing over. Footsteps. Do it.
Q: Is Carol still here? Joseph: Like. Like. What are you doing?
Joseph: I said now. Spoke.
Q: Who are you? Joseph: Oh my. Two. Woman.
Q” Which two women? Joseph: Stomach’s growling.
Joseph: His hand’s out. Are you standing next to him?
Joseph: Porch. Q: Did you like sitting on your porch? Joseph: They are on a porch? He is.
Q: Who is he? Joseph: Trophy.
Joseph: Go. Q: Is there somewhere we should go?
Q: Where are you? Joseph: I’m right here.
Joseph: Let them. Q: Let them what?
Joseph: Behind the door. Whoops!
Q: Are you not supposed to talk about the door? Joseph: Of course.
Joseph: That sound. Comes from over there.
Joseph: Can I walk over to the door? (the door was moving as this was happening).
Joseph: Head pain. Again. Trauma.
Q: Did something happen? Joseph: Let them.
Joseph: Force. Thing. Bring it. Off. Table. Right.
Q: What color shirt am I wearing? Joseph: I don’t know.
Joseph: Off. Him. Crying.
Joseph: Who’s crying? I appreciate it. Help.
Q: How can we help you? Joseph: I’m not going over there. Thank you.
Joseph: See you there. Golf cart.
Q: Is Timothy still here? Joseph: Tobacco use.
Q: Who smoked? Joseph: Smells. Thank you.
Joseph: Spa. Bleeding. Ooof! Calling. Bleeding.
Traci pulled him out because he seemed to be getting agitated. He said he felt shaking and something kept touching his arm.
They put Piper in as a listener.
Q: Do you remember anyone’s name? Piper: Do you?
Piper: Do it. Over there. Not your mother.
Piper: No, you’re not my mother.
Piper: You and I.
Q: Can you let everyone else know who this is? Piper: It’s all.
Q: What’s all? Piper: Revolution. This.
She reported hearing a thumping noise.
Piper: Time. Of course. Already. Going. Electric. And I.
Q: Did you move? Piper: Me. Sutton. It’s. Oh. Nine years old.
The group was hearing whispering behind them (it wasn’t caught on the recorder).
Q: Is there anything you’d like to tell this group? Piper: Eleven years old.
The door opened upstairs as Jason came down.
Piper: He’s here. Ten. Sorry. Sudden. Shaking. It happens up. All. I drift. More than ever.
Q: Are you always here with living people? Piper: Maybe.
They pulled her out. She could almost feel someone standing in front of her.
Bekka really wanted to try it, even though they only had a minute or two.
Q: Who is this?
Q: Who is whispering? Bekka: Me. I am. Two.
Q: Are there two of them? Bekka: You are right here.
Q: We’re still here, but we’re getting ready to leave. Bekka: Sip. Washington. It’s regular. Wednesday.
Q: Is something happening on Wednesday? Bekka: Dreams. Of me.
The K2 was going off on the table.
Q: Are you touching the thing on the table? Bekka: Married.
Bekka: Hardcore. Don’t freak out.
Can you make it light up again? (it lit up)
Both K2s started lighting up, but they needed to end the session. They pulled her out and went to break.
Third Session
Ashley was the first listener. She told them there was a deep, creepy voice that said, “I’m here.”
Ashley: Robert. It’s Robert again.
Q: We’re glad you’re back. Can you tell them about yourself?
Ashley: There’s quite a few of you. Bigger than the last group.
Ashley: That’s mine.
Q: What’s yours?
Ashley: Carol’s here.
Ashley: This is more peaceful than home.
Ashley: Help.
Q: Did you work here?
Q: I’m here. Can you find me?
Q: Where are you at, Carol? Ashley: I touched that last session. That thing on the table.
Ashley: I’ll try to touch it again. I’m around here.
Q: Have you been here for long? Ashley: You got me!
She said she was feeling a lot of back, head pain.
Ashley: That’s what happened to me.
Ashley: Sounds like someone is running.
Ashley: I’m near her. I have been all night.
Q: Who are you near? Ashley: Near Ashley.
Ashley: Here. I’m here. Hallway.
Ashley: That was me. I touched her.
Traci: You can’t touch Ashley. Ashley: It’s okay.
Ashley: I’m here.
She said it sounded like something heavy was dropped on the floor.
Ashley: She feels my head pain.
Ashley: The library is peaceful to me. I don’t want to go home.
Q: Where is home? Ashley: I was opening the door. The door to the right. Watch it.
Traci explained that the door had been opening all night. Ashley: That’s me.
Ashley: Fuck off.
Traci: That wasn’t nice. Don’t talk to them like that.
Q: Carol, is Robert your brother?
Ashley: I was whispering earlier. She heard me.
Ashley: I was upstairs. I followed her upstairs (their dowsing rod session heard whispering)
Ashley: Straight up.
Q: Are you picking up some lingo from the youngsters here? Ashley: Maybe
Ashley: Cross over.
Ashley: Did you enjoy your job here?
Ashley: She was just a girl. Are you talking about a girl?
Ashley: I’m feeling head pain again. (several others felt the same thing)
Ashley: I don’t know. Herbert. That’s who did it.
Q: What’s your favorite book, Carol? Ashley: I don’t know.
Q: How long have you been here? Ashley: Find me.
Ashley: That was me. Why are you recording?
Traci: So we can listen to it later and put your story together.
Ashley: You recorded me lighting up the light? Traci: Yes, we were.
Ashley: I’ll try to do it again. Do you like the library?
Traci: Yes, we do!
Ashley: What was that? Her head really hurts.
Q: I’m so sorry to hear that.
Ashley: Oh man!
Q: Can you touch the meter on the table? Ashley: Slow down.
Q: How old are you? Ashley: Ashley seemed really sad. I don’t know how to help her.
Traci: She’ll be okay. She just feels bad for you.
Ashley: I don’t know.
Q: Is Robert still here? Ashley: Help me.
Q: Who needs help?
Ashley: Sounds like two people arguing back and forth. Go. You’re a dumb woman. Yeah, there’s quite a few of them.
Q: Is there anything we can do about the head pain for you? Ashley: I’m over here. Come towards the door.
Traci walked over. Ashley: I’m here. Look alive.
Traci: Can you move something for me? Ashley: Head pain is all she feels.
Traci pulled her out of the session. She seemed to be getting agitated. Michelle went under.
Michelle: How come?
Traci: Because Ashley needed a break, so Michelle is going to give it a try.
Q: Is Robert still here?
Michelle: Tell me more.
Michelle said she was getting a really bad head pain.
Traci: You’re not allowed to touch Michelle. Michelle: Yeah.
Michelle: I’m here.
Michelle came out on her own. She said she felt like someone hit her on the head and she could taste blood in her mouth.
They put Peyton in as a listener.
Peyton: Come on.
Q: Who am I talking to? Peyton: What are you doing?
Q: You can touch the meter on the table. Peyton: You can. Don’t
Peyton: I changed it.
Q: Who’s with us? Carol. Matt
Q: Does Matt know Carol?
Peyton: Don’t
Q: Is there anything you want to tell us about Matt? Peyton: When Robert visits.
Q: What do you want us to know about him?
Peyton: Crazy. I hope that you know.
Peyton: It’s you.
Q: What about me? Peyton: You’re dirty
Ashley: Okay. Why do you think that?
Peyton: Get back.
Q: Are we talking to Matt or Robert?
Peyton: Dodge.
Peyton: And people.
Q: What do you want us to know? Peyton: In the backyard.
Q: What about the backyard? Peyton: Getting through.
Peyton: Carol, what do you want us to know?
Peyton: I don’t want it. I don’t want it. I don’t want it.
Q: What do you not want?
Peyton: Hey there. To the back room.
Q: What’s back there? Peyton: He’s young. You can do it. You (talking to Traci)
There was another thud back in that room.
Peyton: Glad you picked me.
Traci pulled Peyton out and put Heather in.
She had pressure and physical anxiety during the session.
Heather: Do it. Get back.
Q: Do you not want Ashley by the door?
Heather: Help you.
Q: We’d like to know more about your story.
Heather: Run.
Q: How long were you a librarian?
Heather: Help you.
Q: What do you want to help us with? Heather: I like her.
Q: Can you tell us about your head pain? Heather: Help.
Heather: Yard.
Traci told her that we would bring flowers to her grave and she said, “Carol.”
Children’s Room
Whistling Rick led a dowsing rod session in the Children’s Room, but due to technical difficulties on Rick’s part, no audio was recorded.
Conclusion
All in all, we learned a lot about the resident souls who linger at the Poseyville Carnegie Public Library. We spoke with Miss Carol. learned that the little boy’s name is Timothy and discovered who is messing with the lights (Robert). We’d like to thank Heather Morlan and the entire library staff for allowing us to do this investigation.
As always, thank you to my amazing team for making everything go so flawless.
When a representative from TESMEN asked us if we’d like to test out their Hound-200 EMF detector, we jumped at the chance. While we don’t typically use EMF detectors on our Haunted New Harmony Ghost Walks, we do use them during our paranormal investigations.
We had the opportunity to test it out during an investigation at a local radio station. I’m not necessarily the techy person on our team, so I handed it over to Rachel Decker. Over the years I’ve known her, she’s not only been adept at understanding and using various equipment, she often makes her own devices. I felt she would be the perfect person to try it.
The TESMAN Hound 200 EMF Detector has several modes of operation. You can use it to detect radiofrequency fields, as well as electric and magnetic fields. It also has an electromagnetic radiation sensor.
Our first use for the detector was to do a walk-through of the building prior to the investigation to get a baseline reading. We want to single out strong electrical sources that might cause false positive readings during an investigation. If it is an explainable source of energy, we don’t want to be confused during an investigation in thinking it’s a paranormal experience.
I found this helpful to rule out areas with a high electromagnetic field (EMF). I once investigated a restaurant where the kitchen staff and the servers were always fighting and felt as though something was watching them. High EMF fields can often create a sense of unease in people. It can also make them agitated and paranoid. If they are forced to endure high EMF for a long period of time, it can lead to serious health issues, so it’s important to find them. It didn’t take me long to learn that the machines that sent the orders from the servers to the kitchen were faulty. They were putting out such high levels of EMF, the detector I was using overloaded. I couldn’t even get a clear reading. I passed this information off to the restaurant manager. The devices were replaced and the issue stopped. If I had the Hound-200 at that time, I could have gotten a proper reading.
As we started our radio station investigation, I found something peculiar happening. As a medium, I can feel when a ghost comes into the room. Curious, I asked Rachel to hand me the Hound-200. I found it interesting that the device spiked when the ghost came closer. I wasn’t certain if the detector was picking up on the ghost or if the ghost was manipulating the machine. I asked if they could cause the RF level to climb and was astonished when it did. I only had this happen in one area of the building, but it was enough to intrigue me.
I liked the fact that the Hound-200 also has an alarm feature to allow for audio alerts of fluctuations for all the modes. This allows us to focus on the investigation, but still be alerted when there’s a spike in the energy fields.
We will be testing this out further during our November 2nd investigation of the Old Mews Building in New Harmony, Indiana. I want to thank TESMAN for giving us the opportunity to experiment with this powerful, yet affordable device.
We were excited to investigate Germania Maennechor. It was everything we were hoping for in an investigation. The building was large and the ghosts were plenty.
I don’t think anyone can appreciate how many moving parts there are in an investigation. It starts with staffing the event, setting it up, communicating with the hosts on what we require and then finally, selling tickets. No matter how carefully an event is planned, hiccups occur and we had our fair share. We had three staff members call out sick and discovered that one of the rooms didn’t have air conditioning shortly after we arrived. But, we pivoted and figured it out. As we were checking guests in, we realized we were missing 20 people, only to find them waiting patiently at the front door instead of coming through the back, which they didn’t know about. So, I’ll start out by apologizing to anyone who had to wait for us to find you.
The building itself is magnificent. It was built in 1913 for members of the German community to meet and enjoy the blessings of song. Over the years, the facility has become a meeting place for people in the area and hosts their annual Volksfest event every August, featuring great German food and entertainment.
We broke into five groups and investigated six rooms in the building.
Singing Room – Investigator: Joni Mayhan
First Session – Blue Group
My first session caused a bit of a panic for me. I was using the Ghosttube Vox app, which I’ve had amazing luck with in the past, but it simply refused to say a word. We went to Plan B and used an SB-11 Spirit Box, loaned to us by a great couple who attended the event, but it also refused to spit out a single word. This was perplexing to me because we did a test investigation and the Vox talked non-stop in that room. We then went to Plan C and pulled out the dowsing rods. I’m still not certain what went wrong and why they wouldn’t talk to us, but everything worked perfectly during the second session.
I had everyone introduce themselves and then I asked the first question.
“Is there anyone here who would like to talk to us?” I asked and the rods told me “No.” We all laughed and I noted that it was going to be a very long night if that continued. Undaunted, I continued and finally started getting reluctant responses.
There were several males there
There were also females in the room
Two of my guests had lost a family member seven years ago and began attempting to reach out to him. He was a long time member of the facility.
Chris was there with them.
He planned to come to Volksfest and be a part of the festivities.
Bobby is with him.
He misses his daughter.
He’s at peace.
I took the rods again and asked them to point to where they were standing in the room. The rods pointed in the corner behind me to my left and then again across the room to the left. Paula, who was the group leader for the Blue Group, came back with a spirit box, but it wasn’t talking to me. We continued with the dowsing rods
They said they would talk to us on the rods, but didn’t come through on the spirit boxes.
I walked out of the room with my Vox and it immediately began talking in the hallway, so I realized there was nothing wrong with my equipment. It was the room. I checked everything. I was connected to the Internet. The volume was fine. It said one thing to me: You don’t!
Second Session – Striped Group
The second session went much better than the first. We introduced ourselves and got started.
Rosemary asked if they were born and raised in Evansville and a voice said, “no.”
A guest asked if they need all of the people to be members to keep the place running and a voice agreed with him. “All,” he said.
Someone asked if they played with them and a voice said, “no.”
When I asked if they ever go sit at the bar and have drinks with their friends, a female told me, “Yes.”
We were getting responses to our questions, but they were difficult to understand. And then, all of a sudden, we got a clear response that made absolutely no sense. “Shipping lanes,” a male voice told us.
We thought we heard the word “boot” mentioned, so one of the guests followed up with it. “Someone mentioned something about a boot,” he started. A voice said, “Ed.”
He asked if they shipped boots and a male voice told him, “parkas.”
Bill comes in by himself on Sundays and does maintenance on the building. He always feels as though he’s not alone. He’s actually had several experiences in the building. He asked if they go to other areas and a male voice said, “Watching into me.”
He asked if they watch him on Sundays and a male voice with a British accent said, “What other option?”
Bill asked if they approve of what they’re doing at Germania and the same voice told him, “Be covered.” I’m not sure what that meant, but maybe it means something to them.
He asked if they were aware of the problems they had there. A female voice with another strong accent told him, “To all of you.”
He noted that things have been different since we came in and did our pre-investigation. Two Sundays ago, he was hearing strange sounds. He got up and checked the door, but nobody was there. Ten minutes later, he heard it again. Still nothing. So, he turned the music on so he wouldn’t hear anything. During the middle of his story, a deep male voice told him, “She warned you.”
I’m not sure what that meant. Was he talking about me warning him? I don’t recall warning him about anything, but maybe that’s how the ghosts took it.
Bill asked if he’s the one he’s aware of. A voice told him, “Too many.”
We thought we heard the name “Bob,” but after reviewing it, it sounded more like “Bug.” I asked Bill if he knew a Bob, so he asked, “Is there a Bob here, as in, you know what I mean?” A male voice said, “His season.” I don’t know if this makes any sense to Bill or not, but it was a pretty clear response.
Third Session – Yellow Group
Donna Mesker was in our third group. She was the one I spoke to when we decided to do an investigation and managed to get approvals. We’d barely gotten started when a male came through with some sage advice. “Let’s calm down,” he told us.
Donna told them she knew there were women there when she’s in the building working and wondered if there were also gentlemen watching. A female voice told her, “One.”
Adam Williams, who is a friend of mine from New Harmony, asked if Bob Fedrick was with them. Apparently, they talked to him in a previous session. A male voice told him, “You left something.”
I commented that we most definitely heard the name Bob in the previous session. Then, a male voice came through, as if clarifying. “Foreseen their own money,” he told us. This might make more sense to the Germania Maennechor people if they knew someone named Bob who passed.
There were a few responses that I completely got wrong. I thought I heard “who was in the will,” but it wasn’t even close. Donna asked if they worked on Main Street, and a man told her, “I did not.”
Adam asked if any of them worked for the Fendrich’s and a female told him, “It’s a school.” I couldn’t find a Fendrich school in Evansville, but it could have been someone who worked there.
A male voice said, “Fifty fourd,” and I made fun of it. I said, “That sounded like fifty fourd or fifty five. Are you from Boston?” The same male voice told me, “I’ve been drinking.” It made me laugh.
Someone asked if they were in any of the pictures on the wall and a male voice told him, “Brandon.” They got the name Brandon in their last session, so this could be relevant. Donna walked around with a flashlight, but she couldn’t find the name Brandon under any of the photos.
Donna asked what their main task was when they were there and we all thought we heard, “Fold the linen,” but it was something else. Slowed down, it sounded like forma lin, which makes no sense.
When Donna asked if they see what happens during the meetings there, a female told them, “The rule is to play.”
Donna asked if they saw what happened to her in the meeting room and a male said, “Five, Twenty, Twenty-four.” This sounds like a date. Wonder what happened on 5-20-24.
I was trying to figure out if the session was almost over and asked if it was almost nine o’clock. A male voice told me, “Got it.”
Someone asked if they could tell us where they were in the room. A male voice said what kind of sounds like, “I’ve been lost again.”
“Just reopen it,” a female voice told us. “What are we opening?” one of our guests asked. A male voice responded, “Bar.” This is interesting because I asked them to close the bar once the investigation started, which wasn’t overly popular with the members.
We had a few more responses that didn’t line up with the questions and then time ran out.
Fourth Session – Red Group
We started out strong. As soon as we introduced ourselves, I asked if they could tell us their names. A male voice immediately told us, “Billy.”
Seconds later a male voice said, “The people.” I’m not sure what he was referring to, but his message was loud and clear.
I asked if he liked us coming to visit us and he was equally unimpressed. “Undetermined,” he told me.
One of the guests asked how old he was, and he told her, “Fifty-seven.”
When asked if they wish they could leave, a voice came across the SB11 Spirit Box and said, “NO.”
One of them piped up and told us, “This is a joke!”
We didn’t catch a lot of what they said at the time. I had to isolate and slow some of it down, but this one was interesting. Lexie Hoehn, Traci’s niece, was taking photos for us during the night. As soon as she came in the room and started taking pictures, one of them commented on it. “Picture’s good!” he said with enthusiasm.
Other times, we thought we heard something that wasn’t actually what we thought we heard. But when I held up three fingers and asked them if they could tell me how many fingers, we got a clear response. “Three, two,” a male said. This was funny because I was holding up two fingers and my thumb. Someone in an earlier group said that’s how you show “3” in German, so I adopted his method. So, technically, I was holding up two fingers and a thumb.
A guest asked if he was happy. We all through we heard, “I was,” but it actually wasn’t anything clear. She followed up with, “What makes you unhappy?” A deep male voice told her, “God.”
One of the ghosts didn’t think highly of us. She told us we were a “total freak.” Or maybe she was totally freaked out by our investigation. I’m not sure what to make of it.
Fifth Session – Orange Group
We ran over by nearly 45 minutes, so we were eager to get started. As we were introducing ourselves, it sounded like someone else said their name. In review, it was just gibberish, but when we asked them to clarify, a male voice said, either “same” or “save.”
One of them volunteered some information. “Got our music,” she told us, which makes sense because we were in the singing room.
They were apparently getting tired of us being there. When a guest asked if they liked dessert, a man said, “Please stop.”
We got a couple of responses that were warbled. I told the group we were getting some responses that were hard to understand. A female told us, “I’m sorry.”
This didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, but I’m posting it because it’s so clear. Someone asked if he was speaking to his singer from upstairs and a male voice said, “Then you will do.”
For the fifth time that night, I held up three fingers and asked them if they could tell me how many fingers I was holding up. A male voice told me, “We’ll get along.”
We went a long period of time getting nonsensical answers until we finally got another valid hit. Someone asked their favorite pie and a man said, “Apple.”
We must have all been hungry, because we couldn’t seem to get off the topic of pie. When asked if he liked American apple pie, the male told them, “Peach.”
We were getting more odd responses that really weren’t words. I commented that I thought they were getting tired of us and a male voice (the same one we’d been hearing all night) said, “Good night.” I guess that was our answer.
Apple seemed to be a hot topic during this session. When we heard it regarding the pie question, we kept thinking we were hearing it again (we weren’t). Becca asked if pie was their favorite subject and a male said, “It’s a joke!”
We laughed and said that at least he has a good sense of humor when he did something incredible. He said it again! “It’s a joke!” This was pretty amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever had this happen in all my years of investigating.
We were getting towards the end of the session and were just kind of chatting amongst ourselves when a female gave us some important instructions. “It’s time to cook!” she stated quite emphatically.
That ended up being the last ghostly response for us for the night.
Men’s Kitchen – sessions led by Kathy Hoffman
We felt a lot of energy in the Men’s Kitchen and in the Back Bar Storage room. Neither room was large enough for a group, so we decided to split the group. Half of the group stayed in the Men’s Kitchen for 15 minutes and then went to the storage room for 15 minutes.
First Session – Striped Group
Kathy led groups with dowsing rods. She showed the group how to use the rods and then the group introduced themselves. Then, they were off and running.
No was there to talk to them (which is funny because someone told them they weren’t there)
She asked again and they finally said “yes”
The spirits have been there for a long time.
They were talking to a man.
He’s from the Evansville area.
He has lived there all his life.
He doesn’t have a wife.
He has one child.
There was more than one sprit in the room.
His ancestors weren’t members of the club.
He visits other parts of the building.
He was one of the original founding fathers.
He was an immigrant from Germany.
He likes being in the kitchen.
Second Half of the group
There were spirits there willing to talk to them.
They turned on the light (they had motion sensor lights in the room).
The spirit from the storage room followed them into the Men’s Kitchen.
They know who he is. He has family who were members.
They were talking to a male.
There were more than three spirits there.
There weren’t any women there (men’s kitchen, so it makes sense).
They are okay with women being in the men’s kitchen though.
They see the KII meter (EMF meter) on the table in front of them.
They can wave their hands over the meter.
They just waved their hand over the device.
They like the warmer temperatures.
They know his relatives who were members.
They visit him when he’s in the building.
They were there when the building was built in 1913.
They get tired after talking to us.
Second Session – Yellow Group
As soon as they introduced themselves, they got started.
There was a spirit there.
They had a female with them.
They recognize her from being there frequently.
The work she does there makes them proud.
They were talking to a cook.
They cooked for many years there.
It was her favorite room in the building.
They like it there.
They stay in that building all the time.
There was also a man in the room.
Just the two of them were in the room.
Bob was there with them (he was in their last session).
Bob wasn’t married.
Bob was an adult.
There was someone else in the room with Bob and the female.
They switched groups and the second group came in.
There was someone in the room with them.
There was a woman there.
She worked in the kitchen.
She had children.
She was married.
Her children were also there.
She likes staying in the building.
He knows Bob Fendrich.
He’s in the building.
Bob is in the room.
He wasn’t speaking with Bob.
They asked the rods to point to where they were and they pointed towards the microwave.
They confirmed they were by the microwave.
They were still talking to the woman who was there from the beginning.
She’s been there for more than 100 years.
She wasn’t born here.
She was born in Germany.
She can hear the birds outside.
One of them has been to Willard Library.
Third Session – Red Group – Technical difficulties – no audio was recorded during these sessions.
Fourth Session – Orange Group
After introducing themselves, they got started.
There was someone in the room with them
They were willing to share information with them.
They enjoy sharing information.
Their parents did not work in the building.
They had grandparents who worked in the building.
They played music.
They liked to dance to the music.
They liked to come in when they had the big parties.
They weren’t able to help their grandparents.
They were just watching in the background.
They were too young to help.
They got lots of good things to eat.
They snuck in and got seconds.
They asked where they were standing and they pointed towards the sinks.
They got stuck washing dishes.
They had to dry them too.
They had to help peel potatoes.
They were talking to a woman.
Her father belonged to Germania Maennerchor.
That’s why she came down there a lot.
She lived in the city.
She walked to Germania.
Her father worked during WWII
She missed her dad when he was in the war.
He was gone long periods of time.
Her dad came home from the war.
Her dad got to spend a little bit of time with her after the war.
Her dad took her fishing.
She played baseball with her dad.
Her dad was good at baseball.
She was good at baseball too.
She went to St. Anthony’s Catholic School.
Ann was there with them.
She was able to hear the music played in the kitchen.
Their session ended and the second group came in. After introducing themselves, they got started.
They were talking to someone who prepared meals.
They didn’t enjoy it.
They enjoyed spending time with other members of the club.
They sang in the choir.
They were talking to a man.
There was more than one person there.
It was the same person they were talking to in the other room.
They were standing over by the stoves.
His wife was with him.
His wife was standing by the refrigerator.
They cooked in the kitchen.
She wasn’t a good cook and neither was he.
He’s glad he married his wife.
The first group ran over the fifteen minute time, which caused the second group to be short.
Fifth Session – Blue Group
First group. After introducing themselves, they got started.
There was an auxiliary member there.
Her name was Dorothy.
She made the potato salad.
The choir sang at her holiday.
She’s going to be there to help make the potato salad.
She’s happy.
There’s a secret to making the potato salad.
She’s doing a good job with the catering for the auxiliary.
She was president of the auxiliary.
She liked Yvonne picking her up for the meetings.
She’s ready for Volksfest.
She used to make kraut-balls.
She doesn’t remember when he came and sang in her room.
She misses them.
She helped with bingo.
Dorothy is going on their bus trip with them.
Dorothy is going to fry bacon.
The second group introduced themselves and then got started.
They had a hard time getting any responses. They passed them around to other people, who also had a difficult time. They joked that the ghosts must have gone to bed. They didn’t get a single response. They said the same thing happened to them in the stockroom session.
Fest Hall Stage
Jason Nelson ran the investigations on the stage in Fest Hall. Jason and his wife got married there several months ago. I came to the wedding and realized how haunted the building was. Jason put me in touch with Donna Mesker, which resulted in this investigation.
Besides the investigation on the stage, Jason’s group was also doing breakout sessions. A group of three went to a very dark space behind the stage and conducted their own mini-investigations with pendulums.
First Session – Orange Group
Jason explained the spirit box session protocol. His group introduced themselves and they got started.
One of the guests started to ask a question but was interrupted. “My name is Kalea….” A soft male voice said, “trust.”
Becky told them, “We aren’t here to hurt you. We’re here to learn.” A male voice responded with, “What?”
Jason asked them if they liked the weddings, and a male voice said, “Sure.”
Someone asked them if they liked performing and a woman sang out. It might have been one of the funniest responses of the night.
Becca came back from the breakout group and said she heard footsteps behind her. She asked if they were behind her and the pendulum indicated that they were. As she was telling the group this, a voice came across the spirit box and said, “Go back!” I’m kind of glad she didn’t hear it at the time. He didn’t sound very friendly.
Becca asked if there were more than three people up there and a male voice said, “No.”
She then asked, “Who’s the best singer up here?” Before she could even finish her question, a female said, “It’s me.” I wonder if she’s the same one who sang to them.
Becca was truly on a roll. She asked, “What’s your favorite song?” and a male told her, “I’m dead.”
Someone asked “What is your favorite food that this place serves.” The same male voice told them, “The bacon.” I have to agree with him.
He followed up with another question. “Do you have a favorite drink?” The same male voice told him, “Blackwell.” I looked it up and Blackwell makes both wine and Jamaican Rum. It’s not necessarily a German drink, but it sounds good.
Someone asked if they liked spaetzle and a male voice said, “Happy birthday.”
When asked who was in the hallway, a male voice told them, “Barry.”
Becca asked, “What’s your favorite color?” It took a while, but we finally got an answer. “Purple,” someone answered.
Time was up and Jason moved onto his second session.
Second Session – Blue Group
I really hoped this group would have a positive experience after sitting through the tragedy that was my first session in the Singing Room. It took them a few questions before they finally got a response.
Someone commented on all the beautiful flags in the room and asked if they had a favorite. A female told them, “I think.”
Someone asked if they were a choir member and a male said, “Becca.” There was a Becky in the group. Is that her?
It sounds like we had a skeptic in the group. He asked a few validating questions and got insulted in the process. He asked if it was the year 2012, and the ghost in the room called him a scholar.
The ghosts might have provided information from a crime. The week before our investigation, someone broke into the building and stole copper pipes. Jason asked if they knew who stole the pipes and a male voice said, “It’s a cop.” This was stunning. Could the perpetrator have been dressed like a cop or security person? You know the ghosts saw it happen. This would be crazy if they helped find the thief.
Our skeptical guest asked another serious of questions that were somewhat nonsensical and got a response. He asked if there was a horse painted on the wall and a female said, “Pink?” as if in question.
As they closed out the session, the ghosts had one last thing to say. Someone asked if they had a good time and a male said, “That’s awful.” Apparently, they didn’t enjoy it as much as we did.
Third Session – Striped Group
Jason explained what they would be doing during the session. They introduced themselves and got started.
They went around most of the group without any clear responses, but then it was Bill’s turn. Bill spends a lot of time at Germania Maennerchor, especially on Sundays when he works on the building. In a previous session, he was told they watch him when he’s there. He didn’t get any clear answers when he asked if they watched him during Jason’s session, but he did get a clear answer when he asked about Carl. “Is Carl here?” he asked and a female with an accent told him, “Carl’s about.”
Someone asked if they’ve been there a long time and a male voice told her, “No.”
She followed up with another question that garnered an answer. “Do all the spirits in this building get along?” A female told her, “we can’t.”
They then got one of the creepiest responses of the night. They were in between questions when a voice said, “Now ask them!”
Jason asked if they were part of the choir and a woman told them, “That’s right.”
He followed up with another question, asking what they sang. A male voice told him, “Let’s rock!”
Someone asked how many people were in the stage area and a woman told them, “Eleven.”
They went around the group again, but didn’t get any responses until it was Bill’s turn again. “How many people are in the room now?” he asked. A female told him, “There’s six.”
They didn’t get any further responses.
Fourth Session – Yellow Group
Jason started off his session with a response. After explaining the session process, he asked how many spirits were there with them and a female voice said, “Ten.” It’s very faint, so you’ll have to listen closely or with headphones.
He’d been asking the ghosts if they liked warm beer or cold beer all evening and finally got a response. “Warm,” said the same lady with an accent that talked to his group earlier.
A guest asked if he saw them over by the window and a voice told him, “no.”
Someone asked if they could make a noise to let the group know they were there. Immediately afterwards, the recorder picked up two distinct thumps.
One of the guests said she heard something, but didn’t know what it was. This was answered with a louder thump.
Adam asked if Bob Fendrich was there. This is someone they talked to in another session. A male voice told him, “I’m driving!” and then another male said, “I’m Bob.”
They went around the room several times without getting a clear response. Finally, someone asked, “Do you speak German?” A male voice told her, “No.”
That ended up being their last response for the session.
Fifth Group – Red Group
After they introduced themselves, they got started on the session. They got a response right out of the gate with the first question. A guest told them, “I like chicken. Do you like chicken?” and a male voice told him, “yes.”
Unfortunately, the big air conditioning unit kicked on as soon as the session started. It makes audio review almost impossible since it drowns out a lot of the responses. They were getting slight responses, but they weren’t clear.
This group felt as though there was a little girl named Nina following them, so many of their questions were directed towards her.
They ended up just chatting for the rest of the session. I think the ghosts were getting tired. I know we were.
Women’s Kitchen –Investigator: Rick Schlegelmilch
First Session – Red Group
Rick would be using the Vox Spirit Box app, like I used in the Singing Room. He had everybody introduce themselves and then began explaining the process. As he was telling them how the session would go, a voice interrupted him and told him, “They’ve listened.” Apparently, they were ready to get the show on the road.
The first guest to ask a question asked how many people were sitting around the table with them. Before she could even finish asking her question, a male voice said, “A hundred and four.” I have to assume he was being sarcastic. That would be a lot of ghosts.
They got another random response and a guest said it didn’t sound American. A male voice told her, “If you think.”
She must have not heard the response, because she asked again. This time, another ghost answered her, “Thirty-eight.”
It was one of the guest’s turn, but he opted to pass his turn onto the next person. As soon as he said, “I’ll pass,” a ghost had some commentary about it. “And it’s a living,” he said. Is that what they call us? Livings?
Someone asked if they had children and a woman told them, “No.”
When asked what kind of work they did, a male voice told them, “Festival.”
In between questions, a woman had something to tell them. “Attempt on my life,” she said.
Rick had an equipment issue, so he switched to the SB-7 Spirit Box. A woman was asking if they had any issues with the 1937 flood, if it affected them personally. A male voice said, “Get off.”
If they got any other responses, I couldn’t hear them. The volume was very low. The session ended and the group went to break.
Second Session – Orange Group
They attempted a spirit box session, but didn’t get any clear response, so they began using the flashlight as a tool.
They enjoy having people come in and learn from them.
They would like to share their information.
Rick turned the spirit box back on. This time, they began getting responses. A woman asked if they had a large family and a male voice told her, “I want to leave with you.” Hopefully, that didn’t happen.
Someone began using dowsing rods and were getting quite a few responses while the spirit box played in the background.
The woman they were speaking to had a half dozen children.
Their family wasn’t there.
He worked at the shipyard during the war and worked as a welder.
They didn’t know her mom.
They worked on the ships while they were in the water.
They knew how the LSD ship broke away and floated out into the river. She noted that her mother was on the ship when it happened.
After getting that response, she said, “I’ve got goose bumps,” and a male voice responded with, “No thanks.”
He didn’t work on the tanks
Rick asked if he worked on the airplanes. The dowsing rods said “yes” at the same time he got a response on the spirit box. A male voice said, “You bet.
He wasn’t a riveter
He was a welder with the airplanes
Other family members worked with him
His father worked with him.
His children didn’t work with him.
A male guest asked if he was a member of Germania and a male voice said, “No.”
He was a welder for the building they were in.
He was injured which prevented him from being in the war.
It wasn’t due to a work injury.
He was born with the issue.
Third Session – Blue Group
Rick’s group started out with a spirit box session. It took almost five minutes to get a response, but it was a doozy. A guest asked if they had any pets and a man told them, “A snake.”
I feel sorry for the Blue Group. They just weren’t getting any results. Finally, after another four minutes, someone asked, “What room are we in?” and a man told him, “What we owe.” It wasn’t really an answer that fit the question, but it was the only one that was legible.
They started asking if they played cards in the Women’s Kitchen or if they counted money. Rick commented that “That got them talking,” and a woman said, “I’m not sure.”
One guest asked, “If you lost money in this room, did you get in trouble when you got home?” A female told him, “Stop,” and she sounded irritated.
One reason why this group might not have been getting as many responses as the other groups is because several of them kept asking validating questions to prove there were really ghosts there.
They were getting noises on the spirit box, but most of them were just blips and blurts from radio stations. Finally, someone told them, “Say orange if you don’t want to talk,” and a male voice said, “That one.” I don’t know why he didn’t just say orange, but his intent was clear.
The session ended and they moved onto their next group.
Fourth Session – Striped Group
After introducing themselves, they got started on a spirit box session. One guest asked how long they’ve been in the building. A male voice commented, “Man, it’s strong.” I’m not sure what he meant by that, but it was an interesting response.
In this group’s session in the Singing Room with me, one of the guests asked they what their favorite beer was. A male voice said, “Busch,” which struck us all as funny. He asked if his Busch Beer friend followed him into the Women’s Kitchen. A male voice immediately responded, “I’ve a come!”
The same guest asked if his “boot shipping” friend came with them. Upon review, I didn’t get the same information we thought we got at the time. We heard “shipping lanes” come through on the VOX. When asked what they shipped, we thought we heard the word “Boots” but that wasn’t the case. They actually said “parkas.” The response to the follow up question in this session was “Billy,” followed by another male voice who said, “Jim.”
Rick was attempting to move the session along, so he asked Rosemary if she’d like to ask any questions. A male voice piped up, “Welcome!” He was apparently happy to see her.
Rosemary asked them if they could move the cat ball that lights up when moved. A male voice found it, “Intriguing.”
A woman who returned from the break out session asked a few questions. She asked if they liked it when they cooked in the Women’s Kitchen. A male voice told her. “I don’t cook.”
When it was Bill’s turn to ask questions, he asked if they were there on Sundays. During his session in the Singing Room with me, they told him they watch him on Sundays. This time, he got two interesting responses. One voice said, “Typical,” which was followed by another voice that also said, “Typical.”
Bill then asked if there were more female than male spirits in the building. He got a really interesting answer. A man voice with an accent told him, “You’re a policeman.”
When Bill asked if Bob was there, a female told him, “He’s in the basement.” I was under the impression they didn’t have a basement, so I’m not sure what this meant.
When it was Rosemary’s turn, she attempted to get them to play with the cat ball on the table. When she asked if they would turn it on, it went on immediately. It continued to go off for another minute.
A guest asked if they were there during the steamboat era and a male said, “You bet.”
They asked quite a few more questions and really didn’t get any responses, but they did get something during a pause in questions. It’s faint, but clear. A male said, “They said it’ll come.” Another male responded to him and said, “Are you stupid?” It sounded like they were having a conversation.
That ended up being their last intelligent response.
Fifth Session – Yellow Group
Rick started his last session by explaining the process. After they introduced themselves, they got started. Often, as we get later into the night, the activity wears down. It’s as though the ghosts have retired for the evening. Either that, or we’ve worn them out.
They didn’t get their first intelligent response until nearly eight minutes into the session. A woman told them what I suspected. “It’s break time,” she told them.
They didn’t get another clear response until the thirteen minute mark. Someone asked what their name was and a man said, “Got rich for.” It’s not an intelligent response, but it was clear once it was slowed down. The group thought he said “Richard,” so they began directing questions towards him.
After a few more rounds, Rick gave up on the spirit box and began focusing on the cat ball. He asked them to make it flash its lights and it instantly began flashing. He remarked that he’s done 15-20 of these investigations and has never had it work that well.
They got it to come on several more times before it was the end of the session.
Rathskeller Sessions – Investigator: Traci Hoehn
Traci’s sessions were located in the Rathskeller. Here, guests got to experience sensory deprivation in combination with the spirit box, a technique known as the Estes Method. Using this method, one participant listens to the spirit box through a headset while blindfolded. They say what they hear come through while the rest of the group asks questions. The headphones and blindfold preclude interpreting anticipated answers by the listener. Although we were short a blindfold, all of the participants kept their eyes closed during the sessions, and they were set a few feet back from the group to avoid noise contamination as much as possible. You’ll see in the transcripts, some people seem to have more of an affinity for this method (or perhaps the ghosts just like talking to them more!). With the Rathskeller being one of the most active areas of the building, we were certainly excited to see how the ghosts would communicate with us here.
Each session opened with a brief explanation of the equipment. Once we got a volunteer set up listening to the spirit box, we introduced ourselves to the ghosts and got rolling. The goal is always to have a direct conversation with the ghosts that makes sense. We certainly achieved that goal at certain points in the evening! In the following transcripts, all responses from the Estes Method listener will be labeled as A while any questions from the group will be labeled Q.
Session One (Yellow Group):
Q: Can you tell us what your name is?
Is there anyone here who wants to talk with us?
A: Clothes
Q: Clothes? Do you see the clothes on the table (referring to the shirts for sale)? Is that what you see?
What kind of work did you do?
What is your first language?
A: Baby
Q: Are you young?
Are you the spirit of a young child?
Are your parents here, too?
Do you have a baby?
How old are you?
Are there more than two spirits in the room?
Did you cook when you worked here?
Is your name Samuel?
Where are you from originally?
Are you married?
Is anyone else from your family here?
What would you like to talk about?
At this point, we weren’t having a lot of success yet, so we switched volunteers and had a new listener.
Q: Are you shy? We know you’re in here. There are plenty of you in this building. We just want to talk to you. Were you a member of the club here?
A: One
Q: One, what?
A: No, three.
Q: There are three what?
A: Now.
Q: Are you three years old?
A: Three
Q: Do you like any of the toys we brought for you (there was a ball and a REM pod in the room for the ghosts to play with)?
Are you male? A boy?
A: Yeah.
Q: Have you played with balls before?
A: Yesterday. Night.
Q: Would you like to play again today with our pink ball?
A: Do you?
Q: Yes. I’ll play ball with you. You go first.
A: Patient.
Q: Ok. I can be patient.
A: I don’t know.
Q: Are there other kids who you play with?
A: Left. The middle.
Q: What’s in the middle?
A: Fendrich.
Q: Is that a name? (Here one of the guests notes that there is a Fendrich Golf Course in Evansville)
A: I’m happy.
Q: Is Fendrich someone in your family?
A: I’m trying.
Q: What are you trying to do?
A: It’s up.
Q: What’s up?
One of the pictures that are up? (Pictures of former members adorn the walls of the Rathskeller)
A: Relations. Relationship.
Q: Was that your dad?
Can you tell us the names of the other two who are here with you?
A: This time?
Q: Please.
A: Girl.
Q: Her name?
Thank you.
Are you friends with the girl with you?
A: They are. One.
Q: Are there two girls here, too?
A: Drugs.
Q: What do you call the Frau that is here?
She’s probably the staunch one, right?
A: Wait.
Q: Does she serve the food?
A: We are.
Q: Or was she a barmaid who served the drinks only?
A: Promise?
Q: Yes. Tell me.
Are there people in other parts of the building?
A: Speech.
Q: Do you want to give a speech?
A: Brandon.
Q: Is that your name?
Who is Brandon?
Can you see me?
A: I’m Bob.
Q: Hi. It’s nice to meet you, Bob. Do you remember any of our names?
Bob, how long have you been here?
Can you tell me who the president is?
A: No.
Q: Did you play any sports?
A: Nope.
Q: Are you ok?
What can we help you with?
Is this still Bob?
Is it Bob that’s asking for help?
A: Here we are.
You can.
Q: Do you like living here, in this building?
A: Butterfly. (After looking around the room, one guest had a butterfly on their clothing)
Q: Do you like her butterfly?
A: Hurry.
At this point, Traci saw the shadow of a tall man walk behind the bar and into the back room. None of the other participants saw him, but we all became much more vigilant. We used this opportunity to switch listeners once more.
Q: Do you always stay here, or do you leave the building?
A: I’ve been.
Q: Have you been walking around outside the building?
What is your favorite object in this room?
Do you know who was behind the bar just now?
A: Developing.
Q: Can you come forward and touch the machine (K2 meter)?
A: It’s between.
Q: Would you rather it be further away?
A: Your neighbors.
So, that’s it.
Q: Are you done talking?
A: What we bring you.
Q: Explain.
A: Forty-seven.
Q: What are you doing right now?
Did you or somebody you know work for the Fendrich Cigar Company?
A: Not picking up. An accessible way.
Q: We only have a couple of minutes left in this session. Is there anything you want to say to this group? Anything you want them to know?
A: Main Street. And they’re all the same.
Q: What’s all the same?
Do we need to go to Main Street? Give us an address on Main Street and we’d be tempted to go.
What do you call the Frau in this room?
The female spirit in here, what is her name?
Session 2 (Red Group):
A: Devil
Q: That’s a good start. (We then went around the circle to introduce ourselves)
A: Are you sure (said just as someone said their name)?
Q: Can you tell us what your name is?
How many people are in here with us?
A: A young one.
Q: A young one? What’s their name?
A: Nina.
Q: Well, hi, Nina! Nina, do you want to play?
There’s a ball on the floor, Nina. If you want to roll it across the floor, any of us would be glad to play with you.
A: Moving.
Q: What’s moving?
A: I saw it.
Q: What’d you see? Did you see the ball we’re talking about?
A: A person.
Q: Which person?
A: It’s open.
Q: What’s open?
A: It’s mine.
Q: What is?
You think that ball is yours?
Nina, can you share it with me?
Can I have it?
A: Attic.
Q: It’s in the attic?
Is it a toy?
A: Nope.
Q: Ok. Is it a book?
A: Myself.
Q: Are you by yourself?
A: Briefly.
Q: Were there other people here before?
A: Basement.
Mama.
Q: Is your Mama here?
A: Love. Let’s dance.
Q: Do you like to dance?
A: I agree.
Q: Do you have any siblings that you dance with?
What type of music do you like to dance to?
A: Danger.
Q: What kind of danger?
A: Enjoy.
Q: Do you enjoy dancing?
What do you like to do?
A: Good.
Q: How old are you?
Are you here with your family?
A: Help me.
Q: Are you stuck here?
A: English.
Q: Do you speak English? Can you understand us?
A: April.
Q: My birthday is in April. Is that your birthday?
A: Stand up.
Q: Do you want us to stand up?
As a group, we stood up.
A: Where is that?
Q: Did you lose something here?
We’re all standing.
A: Extra.
Q: Are you sitting in the extra chair?
A: American.
Survivor.
Q: Can we sit now? (With no response, we sat back down).
A: Damage.
Q: What’s damaged?
Is it something we can fix?
Are you standing over by this table of t-shirts, by any chance? (The guest felt a cold spot, while others thought she saw movement in that direction).
A: On the river.
Save them.
Q: Who are we going to save?
Are they on the river?
A: When they’re gone.
Q: When who’s gone?
A: Downtown.
Q: Downtown Evansville?
A: Help them.
Q: What can we do to help?
A: Sinking.
We switched listeners at this point.
A: Taking flight.
Q: Where are you going?
A: I don’t…
Nepal.
Q: Can I go?
Did you survive a disaster?
A: (Listener said she heard a bunch of gun, “like a war”)
Rock me, please.
Q: Are you a child?
A: It’s a baby. It’s a baby!
Help me, please.
Help me.
Q: How can we help you?
Where’s your mother?
A: You can just get back! (Listener identified this as a strong male voice)
Q: Are you in water?
A: Go away. (Lexi, our photographer, had just walked into the room. So, she went to another room for a bit.)
Q: Are you stuck?
A: You must be quiet.
Q: Why do we have to be quiet?
A: Sleeping.
Q: Is the baby sleeping?
A: Help.
Q: What do you need help with?
A: (The listener couldn’t make it out in full but heard that somebody was in the hospital).
Q: Who is in the hospital?
A: Twelve people.
Q: Are you talking about the disaster?
A: No.
Q: Are you referring to a war?
Why are there twelve people in the hospital?
A: There’s something here right now.
Q: Did something happen on the water?
A: Catch me.
Q: Is it a fire?
A: No!
Q: Something to do with water? Avalanche?
Did someone drown?
A: No!
Q: Was there a flood?
A: (Listener heard something in another language but didn’t recognize it)
Q: Are you a mother looking for her baby?
A: A long time ago.
Q: Did you lose a baby?
A: Shh. Yes.
Q: Were you around in the 1937 flood?
Are you giving birth?
Did you have a boy or a girl?
A: I don’t know.
Q: Did you give birth here in Evansville, Indiana?
A: Baby is.Indiana.
Q: Are you from Indiana?
A: Indianapolis.
Q: Why are you here?
A: You.
Q: Can you tell me what year it is?
Who is the president?
A: Calendar.
Q: Yeah, I want to know what the date is. Do you know? I can’t remember.
A: Indiana.
Q: We are in Indiana. You are right.
We switched listeners here.
A: My name is Rick.
Q: Hi, Rick. How are you today?
A: Shh.
Baby. Baby.
Your inability.
Music.
Q: What kind of music?
A: What’d you say?
Q: What kind of music?
A: And I never. Would you?
Q: Maybe?
A: No. Music.
Q: Can you move that ball right there?
A: An apple?
Q: It’s not an apple, it’s a ball.
A: Shh.
Loud music, and everyone’s certain.
Q: What kind of music?
A: Get her out!
Q: Do we need to save somebody?
A: Alive. Ball.
Q: Can you play with the ball?
A: Let’s push it.
Q: Ok. Let’s roll it. Can you roll it?
A: No. Up.
Q: Roll the ball to me.
A: L.A.S.
Frank.
Here I go.
Q: Where are you going?
A: We’re going to laugh.
Shh.
Q: We would love it if you’d move that ball.
A: Beach.
Q: You want to go to the beach?
Are you in California now?
A: Hand.
But first. More.
Q: Are you from Evansville?
A: Shh. I know.
Up. Right now.
Sherry.
Q: What is your name?
A: It’s whatever party.
Q: Is this Nina or someone else?
A: Shh.
Q: Are you a child?
A: (Heard a response in another language).
Q: Do you speak English?
A: Open.
Q: Open what?
The listener then clearly heard her name through the spirit box and decided she was done. Hearing your own name can be quite a startling experience!
Session Three (Orange Group):
Q: Can you tell us what your name is?
A: Anne.
Q: It’s nice to meet you, Anne.
Anne, is there anything that you want us to know?
A: Breathing.
Q: Were you a singer? Did you join the Damenchor here and sing?
A: At home.
Q: Did you sing at home?
Did you play any instruments?
A: Sorry.
Q: That’s ok.
Did you read music?
A: Thank you very much.
Q: You’re welcome.
(A guest reported feeling dizzy)
A: A.L.T. for birthdays.
Q: Do you work with children?
A: I can see.
Q: Do you teach children? (Another guest was getting goosebumps)
A: Radio.
Q: Did you work or volunteer here in this building?
Did you live here in the 1920s?
A: Got it.
Q: Are you here by yourself?
How long have you been here?
A: Eyes wide.
Q: How old are you?
A: Five.
Q: Were you married?
Did you get to dance here?
Did your dad put you on his feet and dance with you?
A: Somebody.
Prayer.
Q: Did you have a good time here?
Did your family speak German?
A: I need.
Q: What is it that you need? We’ll try to help you.
How many of you are here? In this room.
A: With.
Q: Are you with someone? Is there more than one of you here with us?
A: Danger.
Q: Are you a male or a female?
A: (Response in German, the listener doesn’t speak German so he couldn’t translate)
Q: Male or female (Asked in German)?
A: Bitte (German for ‘please’)
Q: Are you a small child (In German)?
A: I was really excited.
Q: Did you enjoy dancing down here?
A: Number one.
Q: If you’re number one, who is number two?
Can you teach us a song?
Can you tell us the words?
A: Bitte (German for ‘please’)
Q: Do you sing with your friends?
A: Did you know?
Q: I didn’t, that’s why I’m asking if you could teach us your song.
Did your grandma teach it to you?
A: People.
At this point, we switched listeners.
Q: What’s the name of your favorite song?
A: Touch it.
Q: Did you live in the city or the country?
A: All better.
Q: Did you visit the country?
A: No school.
Q: Was it summertime?
Did your mother read to you?
What was your favorite book?
A: Give me forever.
Q: Give me forever?
A: Looks right.
Q: Do you read often?
Did you have another hobby that you did frequently?
A: Rocking.
Q: In a rocking chair or in a swing?
A: Because God.
Q: He is our Rock.
Are you really religious?
A: No.
Look up.
Q: What am I supposed to be seeing?
Can you make any of these lights swing on the ceiling? That’d really be something.
Do you move things in here?
A: I just want to.
Q: You just want to make things move? I would, too, if I were you.
Is there anything you can move?
Can you tell me how many fingers I’m holding up, if you can see me?
A: Sorry.
Q: That’s ok.
A: Coffee. Not hot.
Q: Ok, I was looking at the coffee maker. Is that you walking by the coffee maker?
A: Father.
Q: Did your father drink a lot of coffee?
I keep seeing something move around the coffee maker, is that you?
A: I don’t know.
Riddle.
Hey.
Q: Do you want to tell me a riddle?
Do you know how to make coffee?
A: In the right.
Q: Do you like cookies?
A: Yes.
Q: Oh, I like cookies, too.
A: With the boys, all of it.
Q: Do you like cakes?
A: Left off.
Q: I like to dip my cookies. You can dip them in coffee. You can dip them in milk.
A: I see that.
Q: What did you see?
Do you like candy?
A: I can.
Q: What’s your favorite type of German food?
A: I’ve got to know.
Q: What do you have to know?
A: It’s much bolder.
Q: Do you not like me?
A: It will play you.
Q: Are you unhappy?
Earlier you said, look up. Did you want us to see the stained glass windows?
Do you like the swan?
A: Slow down.
It’s fraying.
Q: Do you like the castle?
Do you like the paintings on the wall?
A: I don’t want to say.
Q: Ok.
A: You’re playing.
Q: Do you like the Edelweiss, the flowers?
A: Aye.
Me.
Q: Are you five years old?
A: And?
Q: Or are you older?
A: You head.
A little more.
Q: Are you over 21?
Or are you retired?
A: Serious?
Q: Yes, I’m serious. I’m retired.
A: Military.
Q: You were in the military. Were you in WWII?
A: Showing.
Q: Can you tell me who is in charge here? Who is in charge in this building?
If I want to talk to the boss, who do I talk to?
A: Definite.
Q: There is a definite boss? I need to know who it is. Is it the lady that is seen down here sometimes?
A: Now, she’ll be filled.
Q: ‘Now, she’ll be filled’? That’s odd.
A: This is.
Q: I’m sure this is odd for you, talking to us like this. Not many people do talk to you like this.
A: Your friend. (At this point I should note that it is Traci asking the question, so we assume the ghost is talking about Joni or another investigator).
Q: My friend? Yeah, she talks to you like this, too.
A: One.
Q: Do you remember what my friend’s name is? We came here a couple of weeks ago. She is the boss, of our business anyway.
A: No, old.
Fifty.
Q: Are you fifty?
A: You, definitely.
Q: I’m not fifty. I’m getting there.
We’re going to wrap up, is there anything else you would like to say to us?
A: Raggedy.
Q: Are we looking raggedy?
Session Four (Blue Group):
Q: Can you tell us what your name is?
We were talking to several people earlier. Are any of you still with us?
A: Open
Q: What’s open?
A: Who’s talking?
Q: Who is talking to you? What’s their name?
Is your name Christopher?
How long have you been here?
Did you like being in the Rathskeller?
A: Oh, my god!
Q: Oh, my god, what?
Do you have a favorite drink at the bar?
What city are we in?
A: Louisville.
Q: Do you know what state we are in?
A: I don’t know.
Q: Do you know the city?
A: Great, great (unintelligible).
Q: Are you happy here?
A: I want out.
Q: What do you want out of?
A: I don’t know.
Q: Do you want out of here?
A: Maybe.
Q: Do you want us to leave with you?
A: Not this time.
Q: Are you happy that we’re here? (The guest was advised to tread lightly with this line of
questioning. We want to be as respectful to the ghosts as possible, so if they tell us to leave – we leave.)
A: The boys are.
It takes your breath away.
Q: What takes your breath away?
A: I don’t know.
Q: Were you born in Evansville?
A: It’s possible.
Q: Do you know where you were born?
A: France.
Q: Parlez-vous français? (translation: Do you speak French?)
A: Ok, I’m traveling.
Q: Can you say your name for us?
A: The gates are open.
Q: Open to what?
Did you ever live in Germany?
A: I already told you that!
Q: Did you ever dance upstairs here at Germania?
A: I can dance.
Q: Were you the best dancer?
Did you play a musical instrument?
A: Piano.
Q: What is your favorite color?
Were you a choir member?
A: I don’t know what it is.
Q: We’re going to ask a couple of more questions, then switch listeners. Is there anything else you want to say right now?
A: Wait and see.
Q: Ok, we’ll wait and see.
We switched out listeners and dove back in.
Q: We have someone new listening. Are you going to continue talking to us? We would enjoy it if you would. We’ve very much enjoyed our conversations tonight.
A: Back of the bar.
Q: Are you at the back of the bar? Are you who I saw earlier tonight?
A: Why?
Q: I’m just curious. I want to say ‘hi’ to you.
How long were you a member here?
Were you a bartender here?
Are you drinking beer?
Do you have a favorite German food?
Do you like when they have big events like weddings?
A: Do you have any questions?
Q: Am I standing or sitting?
A: Right.
Q: Am I wearing a watch?
Do you know what type of flowers are in the corner?
Do you know what instrument is in the corner?
A: Come on!
Q: Where are we going?
A: Back to the neighborhood.
Q: Which neighborhood?
A: Up the river.
Q: Which river?
Do you like this area?
A: Its property.
Q: What about this property do you like?
Do you have a favorite room in this property?
What’s your favorite place in the world?
Does pineapple go on pizza? In your opinion.
Could you move that ball?
A: Gets on the tour.
Q: For what?
Do you ever get tired of hanging out in this bar and want to go over to (unintelligible)’s
house?
A: Waiting on earth.
Q: Does he like ice cream?
A: I need directions from home.
Q: Where do you live at?
A: Up the river.
Q: Do you travel by boat?
A: I encourage you to go there.
Q: Would you rather have whiskey or beer?
A: They sure are.
Q: Do you like them both?
A: Trips.I love trips.
Q: Where all have you been?
Have you ever spent the night at the Hilltop Inn?
A: We got a new floor.
Q: Is it a wooden floor?
Is it a stone floor?
How old are you?
Do you have children?
A: No.
I require them for writing.
Q: What’s your favorite food?
What’s up the river? It seems like a recurring topic.
Are you from Louisville? Someone mentioned that town either this session or the last. Is
that where you are from?
A: I want to put that theory to the test.
Q: So do I!
So, is that where you are from?
What other theories do you want to test? I like testing theories.
Let’s test the theory of whether you can see me or not. How many fingers am I holding
up?
A: I saw my brother.
Q: What’s his name?
A: I’m serious!
Q: Ok, me, too! I want to know what your brother’s name is. I have brothers.Their names are
Nick and Ryan. Do you have any sisters?
A: We broke up.
Q: Did you live separately from your siblings?
A: I dance to the music.
Q: What kind of music?
A: I love music.
Q: What kind of music do you like?
Do you have a favorite type of music?
Session Five (Striped Group):
Q: Can you tell us what your name is?
Is there anyone here with us?
A: Yes, I’m here.
Q: Oh, I’m glad. Can you tell me what your name is?
Is your name Bob?
Are you happy to be in this room tonight?
A: Yes.
Q: Are you male?
Are you female?
How old are you?
A: Sixty-five.
Q: Do you watch us when we play?
A: I did.
Wait for days.
Q: Do you like to play with us?
What’s your name?
A: Eddie.
Q: Eddie, do you watch me on Sunday mornings?
A: It smells good.
Q: Is John with you? Or Karl?
Bobby or Randy?
How many are in the room with us right now?
A: Sunday.
Q: Yes, tomorrow is Sunday. Do you go to church?
Tomorrow is also Father’s Day. Do you have any children?
A: There’s a favorite.
Q: Have you lived here long?
Do you like the hot weather we’re having?
I would rather have it cooler, but it is summer. What’s your favorite time of the year?
When you said there is a favorite, does that mean you had a favorite child?
A: Son.
Q: Did you say your son? Is your son your favorite?
A: Yes.
Q: What’s his name?
Is he all grown up?
A: The best one.
Q: You really do have a favorite kid don’t you? Why is he the best?
Is he a member here?
We’re getting ready to switch listeners, is there anything you would like to say before we do?
The spirit box turned itself off right as we decided to switch listeners; Traci was able to turn it back on and functioned properly afterwards.
Q: Ok, we have a new listener if you want to talk to her. You can tell us whatever you want us to hear. We’re going to be wrapping up the night before too long, so there’s not a lot of opportunity tonight to tell us more. Is there something we need to know?
Do you like being here?
Do you like the Rathskeller?
A: Music playing.
Q: Do you like music?
A: Some.
Q: Do you like to play with us? Can you play with the ball?
A: (The listener said she could hear the piano playing)
Q: Can you play the piano?
Do you like the piano?
A: Whatever.
Q: So, do you play a lot of instruments?
A: (The listener commented, “Oh, all kinds of music coming out!” This hadn’t been happening to anyone else throughout the night.)
Q: Were you one of our founding fathers?
Were you an officer of Germania?
A: Yes.
Q: When I was listening, you mentioned something about a favorite son, is that correct?
A: Do you sing, too?
Yes, you sing, too.
He sings, too.
Q: (Traci explained that the listener might be hearing a conversation between two or more ghosts, which can happen sometimes during the Estes Method.)
Can you sing for us?
A: Playing. Playing for.
Q: Can you sing a few notes of your favorite song?
A: (Listener said she heard “all different kinds of music” again.)
Q: Were you a musician in the building?
Were you part of the Rathskeller band?
Do you ever go swimming in the Ohio River?
A: To keep it secret.
Q: Have you been in this building very long?
Do you go to bed early?
A: Up.
Q: Do you like to stay up?
A: For the fun of it.
(Listener heard “1907 or 1927 or something”)
June 20th.
Q: (As a group we discussed the dates of the 1937 flood, which was in January-February).
Do you remember the big flood in Evansville?
A: Let’s go.
Q: Where do you want to go?
A: I come here.
Q: Uh-huh. Yeah, you came here, but you don’t have to stay here. You could go. Or you could wander around the neighborhood and look at all the buildings. I’m sure it looks different than from when you were here. Where do you want to go?
A: Totally. It’s totally.
Q: It’s totally what?
We’re going to switch again. Is there anything else you would like to say?
A: More music.
We switched to our last listener of the night and hoped we hadn’t worn the ghosts out yet.
Q: We’re having our last listener of the night. Now that we’re wrapping up, remember all of those important things you want to say to somebody you can tell us now.
A: Hello.
Q: Hello. My name is Traci, what’s your name?
You don’t have to be scared.
Are there still kids here?
Can you hear what we’re asking? Do you understand what we’re asking?
We just want to understand. Can you give us some sort of indication that you know why
we’re here?
Are you at peace here in this building?
Are you content here?
Is there anything you’d like us to know?
Have you been to the Volksfest? They have really good food there?
Have you been to their Christmas dinner and play?
You mentioned something about June 20th. What’s so important about June 20th?
Eddie, are you still with us?
Traci reiterated that not everyone is able to do the Estes Method. She also pointed out that we may have worn the ghosts out for the night. It likely takes a lot of energy for them to communicate with us, and these ghosts haven’t had the experience of a full investigation before. With that in mind, we decided to let the ghosts go to bed for the night.
Overall, the Rathskeller proved to be a very haunted location in the building! The ghosts were talkative and definitely gave enough information to head down the research rabbit hole.
Conclusion
It was an interesting investigation and the first we’ve done at Germania Maennerchor. We definitely had some intelligent responses, but the best one of the night came from Jason’s second session (Blue Group) on the stage. Someone broke into the building and stole copper piping. He asked who did it and the ghosts told him, “It was a cop.” I would suggest that they look at anyone who dresses like a policeman. If the man worked security somewhere in town, it would make sense he wore his uniform when he broke in and stole the pipes to prevent anyone from questioning him being in the building. They probably couldn’t do a lot with the information, but it would give them more insight into the break in.
Thank you to Germania Maennerchor for hosting us and helping out with the event. Additional gratitude to my team for making it happen. We had a lot of issues at the beginning of the event, but everyone worked through them to provide the best possible experience for our guests. And thank you to our guests who joined us. We are working on two additional events right now, so stay tuned!
When the Ribeyre Gymnasium was gifted to the town of New Harmony by Alfred Ribeyre in 1924, the children of New Harmony were thrilled. Their old gymnasium was undersized to a point where children injured themselves during basketball games by running into the rough corners. The new gym had seating for 1200, hot showers, proper ventilation and an impressive basketball court. They barely had a chance to enjoy it before tragedy struck the area.
On March 18th, 1925 an F-5 tornado swept through three states and killed 695 people and injured over 2,000. The Tri-State Tornado is still on record as being the deadliest tornado in US History.
The town of Griffin, Indiana, took one of the hardest hits. This prosperous small town was taken by surprise by the tornado. Weather-wise farmers were out in their fields preparing for the year’s planting season when it rolled in, looking more like a cloud of dust than a tornado. The timing was disastrous, as well. School had just let out and a horse and carriage full of children were hit head on by the tornado. The horse and driver were killed instantly, as well as many of the children. One of the children who survived was a ten year-old boy who ran six miles to New Harmony to get help.
The dead and dying were brought to New Harmony. The dying were attended to on the brand new gymnasium floor, the same place where happy children played basketball, and the dead were placed in the basement, which acted as a temporary morgue. The building has been haunted every since.
People who attend to the building often feel watched. On more than one occasion, they’ve heard a crash from the kitchen, only to discover an ice scoop on the floor on the other side of the kitchen. People participating in yoga often heard the sounds of footsteps and giggling coming from the stage, and one man who came to fix the clock actually saw the ghostly children playing on the bleachers.
We’ve investigated this building five times in the past and have always come away with evidence of the haunting. We’ve recorded dozens of EVPs (Electronic Voice Phenomena) and have even had several strange experiences. During our last investigation, we saw and heard a man walk from the Annex building into the kitchen, whistling. Curious, I got up to look and found the kitchen completely empty.
I was encouraged to set up another investigation here by people who went to school in New Harmony and used the gymnasium as children. Several of them had been on previous investigations there, but were curious if anything had changed. I set up the event and it sold out within two weeks.
As a medium, I can tell you that the building has a presence. It’s hard to describe, but you basically know you aren’t alone. It’s the feeling you get when someone walks quietly into the room behind you. You feel them before you turn around and see them. In this case, you feel them, but cannot see them, which is an unsettling sensation.
We set up for the event earlier in the evening and, after a brief introduction, started the investigation. We divided into four groups and investigated four areas of the building: the Annex, the gymnasium floor, the stage and the basement.
The Annex
The Annex is a long narrow addition to the gymnasium, connected by open doorways. We’ve had several encounters there with the little boy ghost. He peeked out from the bathroom door. Rick Schlegelmilch (aka Whistling Rick) oversaw a dowsing rod session there.
First Group (Blue Group)
Whistling Rick had everyone introduce themselves and then gave them a demonstration on how to use the rods.
Then they got started. Here’s what they discovered:
There were more than one of them there.
There was someone there from Griffin.
There wasn’t a little boy with them.
There was a woman with them.
She worked at the school.
She worked there a long time.
She wasn’t by herself.
She was with other people.
The kids there wanted to play a game. (Ziggy put cat balls on the floor for them.)
There are many kids there.
Someone asked for the rods to point to where the ghosts were in the room. The rods said yes, but didn’t point.
She was standing in front of him.
She would like to communicate with them.
She visits other places in town.
There isn’t an airport in New Harmony (test question).
They hear Rick when he walks through town whistling.
She’s in the back of the room.
She can come to the front of the room.
She was a teacher there.
She helped take care of the building.
She was married and had kids.
The kid was playing with his own ball.
He was playing near them.
He plays with other kids too.
Second Group (Red Group)
As soon as they introduced themselves, they started the session.
No one from downstairs followed them upstairs.
Someone there wanted to talk to them.
They were talking to a male.
They were still talking to the maintenance man from the last session.
He worked there.
He has friends over there.
He played basketball there.
He wasn’t wearing pink shoes (test question).
He was close to them.
They were also speaking to a female.
She’s the female who has been seen in the bathroom.
Her name is Emily.
She was a teacher there.
She had children.
She’s never been to Illinois.
She still wants to talk.
She likes Otis Reading and would rather be sitting on the dock of the bay.
She likes Motown.
It isn’t daylight outside (test question.)
She can buy dowsing rods.
She likes spinach.
She’s talked to them before.
She once went to dances at the old Odd Fellows building (now Capers Emporium).
They heard a whistle, but it wasn’t caught on the recorder. Too many people were moving around in their chairs.
She can whistle again (but didn’t).
She used the tunnels under the streets.
She fished in the Wabash.
She doesn’t know what an airplane is.
Someone came up from downstairs.
The sky isn’t green (test question).
She can make a noise for them.
A female followed them from downstairs.
It was Anna.
Someone named Andy was with Anna.
It wasn’t the woman asking’s Andy.
Anna likes to play outside.
That was her peaking her head through the window.
Third Session (Yellow Group)
By this time, many of the groups had been to other areas of the building and had knowledge to build on. The dowsing rods gave them a chance to explore information they already uncovered.
Someone there was willing to speak with them.
The coach from the other room was there.
They were enjoying the investigation.
She asked for them to point to where they were in the room and they pointed towards Kathy.
They were under twenty years old.
They played in the gym.
It’s not light outside (test question).
Bob the coach was there.
He coached basketball.
He coached against Kathy’s dad.
They know who Jim is.
There was more than one person there.
There were children there.
Virginia was there.
She asked for the rods to point to where Virginia was and they pointed.
She can make the ball on the floor light up.
Virginia was under 21.
She was under 16.
It isn’t warm outside (test question).
She likes warm weather.
She’s planted a garden here in town before.
She had a pet.
She didn’t have a cat.
She visits the other buildings in town.
She knew the people at the Fretageot house.
New Harmony used to have a ferry boat that went across the Wabash.
New Harmony never had a professional sports team (test question).
The basketball coach was still there.
His name is Bob.
He coached boys’ basketball.
They won often.
He was married.
He had kids.
They know who wears the strong perfume at the firehouse. (They have a ghost there).
Her name is Marie or Maria.
She sometimes comes over to the gym. (Rick said he suddenly smelled perfume.)
Someone there peeks through the back windows.
They can light up the equipment on the floor (but didn’t).
They weren’t going to light them up though.
She asked the rods to point to where they were and they pointed straight ahead.
They used to teach school.
They taught the younger kids.
Fourth Session (Orange Group)
Rick’s last group had already had a lot of experiences. He asked them if they had a common thread throughout the night and they had. A female had been following them all night. They decided not to do a dowsing rod session and spent the half hour discussing the paranormal. They talked about everything from Ouija Boards to sleep paralysis.
Gymnasium Floor
First Group (Orange Group)
Rachel Decker led the investigation on the gymnasium floor. I’ve known Rachel for years and have investigated with her in several haunted hotspots. She has over twenty years of experience, which made her an excellent investigator for our investigation.
She started out by asking everyone to take a moment to focus on the word “communication,” and let them know that was why they were there. This moment of silence gave everyone a chance to center themselves and fully invest their attention on the investigation.
They were using a spirit box to communicate. The spirit box is a modified radio that scans rapidly through the channels, allowing the ghosts to speak through the white noise. When it works, it’s phenomenal. When it doesn’t work, it’s annoying. Rachel had mixed results during the night. At the time, they didn’t think they were getting anything, but they captured a lot. During audio review, I was astounded by the results.
Someone asked if they went to school there in the 80s and a warbled voice said, “We didn’t.”
When asked if they attended dances there, it sounds like someone said, “maybe.”
Rachel asked if they could tell her their name and a male voice said, “Steve.”
Then, without benefit of a question, a female told them, “I’m sick.”
When asked what their favorite food was, a male voice said, “cake.”
Someone asked how many spirits were there and a male voice told them, “a lot.”
They were asked if they had anything to say without asking a question and heard a very weird laugh.
And perhaps the eeriest response of all came a few minutes later. Someone asked if they personally know anyone sitting in the circle. A female voice said, “Rachel.”
Rachel actually heard them say her name and asked if they could tell her their name so she knew who she was talking to. A female voice responded with, “Try to think the thing.” While it makes no sense, it was a clear response.
As she was attempting to get a response, a voice came through and told her, “We’re pretty. We’ll match.” I’m not sure what that meant. Maybe the woman thought Rachel was pretty too?
Then, without a question, a female said, “This is not our music.” The spirit box Rachel was using looks like an old fashioned radio. Perhaps she was confused?
They discussed the session afterwards and all agreed they could hear voices coming through under the static. You couldn’t quite make out what they were saying, but you could hear them. Some of the responses they thought they heard weren’t actually what came through the box. One person thought she heard “Theresa,” several times. I didn’t hear it in the recording, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. As it turns out, one of the guests just lost a sister named Theresa, so it meant something to her.
Second Session (Yellow Group)
Rachel started out the second session similarly as she did the first and asked them to spend a few seconds focusing on communication. I think this is a great way to get started. It acts as a grounding mechanism, allowing everyone to become more present for the session.
She switched spirit boxes and tried her SB11. The SB11 is far quieter than the modified radio, but they also weren’t getting very many responses. After a few attempts, they finally got a response.
When asked, “Did you work here?” a soft voice told them, “I did.”
Rachel ended up switching back to the other spirit box after a few more questions went unanswered.
Someone asked if there were any children there and a male voice said, “You see what’s taken her?” I have no idea what it means, but it was one of the clearest responses all night.
Seconds later, the same male voice added another question. “Did she come?” he asked.
They went around the group several times without getting any responses until someone asked if they had friends here. A very faint male voice said, “sure.”
They ended up turning off the spirit box and then demonstrated an Estes Method session with her partner, Lisa Dickens. Lisa has been doing the Estes Method for years and has an interesting method. She hears far more than the spirit box provides. It throws her into a channeling session.
Q: Is there anyone who would like to speak?
A: Virginia.
Q: How old are you, Virginia?
A: Nine
Q: Are you from New Harmony? Were you born in New Harmony? Can you tell me anything about yourself? What’s your favorite color?
A: Green.
Q: Green is a great color. Did you ever play in this gymnasium?
A: No.
Q: You just like to come and hang out? Are you here alone?
A: Yes.
Q: You don’t have any friends or family close by? Is there anyone else around in this building?
A: Yes.
Q: Are they friendly with you?
A: Yes.
Q: That’s good. What do you do for fun?
A: Play with dolls.
Q: What kind of dolls?
A: Suzie Q.
Q: Do you make your own dresses for your doll? Can you tell me what color dress your doll wears?
A: Pink.
Q: So not your favorite color. Can you tell me your mom and dad’s name? Are you finding it hard to talk to us?
A: Yes.
Q: Is it making you tired? I appreciate you trying so hard. Do you have any questions for me? Is there anyone else here who would like to talk to us? There’s nothing here that will hurt you.
They didn’t get any further answers, so Rachel pulled Lisa out of the session. It was unusually quiet during this session. I wonder if the ghosts followed the first group to their next session.
They spent the rest of the session discussing paranormal topics. Rachel was asked if she’s seen anything paranormal and she has. She has seen things thrown across the room and saw a shadow figure at St. Albans.
Third Session (Red Group)
They started the third session the same way they started all the others with a moment of intentional thought. Rachel explained how the session was going to go and then they got started.
They really didn’t start off strong. They were getting a lot of radio blurps as the stations swept past. But then they finally got a hit. “Are you standing inside the circle,” someone asked. “Be out of it,” the same male voice from the previous session said.
It was Ashley’s time to ask questions. As a psychic medium, the ghosts tend to follow her from location to location. She asked, “What season are we in?” and a male said, “Got bacon?” The group didn’t hear it at the time. I wish they would have because it would have given them a good laugh. It wasn’t a direct response, but it was funny.
They had a lot of “non words” that almost sounded like responses, but after listening to them with headphones and an audio processing program, they weren’t what the group thought they were.
Several people thought the ghosts were in the balcony watching them. Ashley also mentioned it. They were seeing shadows move up there against the windows too.
“Are you having fun tonight?” someone asked. A male voice came through quickly and told them, “Nope.”
They finally closed down the spirit box session and moved onto an Estes Method with Lisa Dickens.
Q: Is Mike here?
Q: What about Victoria?
A: Yesterday.
Q: What happened yesterday?
A: I fell and skinned my knee.
Q: I hate to hear that. Were you playing outside?
A: Yes
Q: What kind of game were you playing?
A: Bye.
Q: Bye. Thanks for talking to us. Is there anyone else who’d like to talk to us?
Q: Is Anna here with us?
Q: Does Edward still want to talk?
Q: Do you like the snow? Are you still here?
Lisa noted that she was getting absolutely nothing. It was totally quiet, so they pulled her out of the session. It was surprising to them that the activity seemed to peter out after being so prevalent at the beginning of the night. Perhaps we wore them out?
Jason noted that they were seeing flickers of light behind several of the people. They spent the remainder of the session talking about the various equipment Rachel brought.
Fourth Session (Blue Group)
The fourth started like all the rest with a moment of concentration on the word “communication.” They started the spirit box session and asked several questions before they finally got a clear response. A female voice said, “Isaac.” This was the first time I heard the name all night, so I’m not sure what it referred to.
Then, without a question, a male voice said, “Ninety-two.”
They got a few short responses that kind of sounded like responses, but weren’t. I was about to give up on this session, thinking the ghosts had retreated when we got a clear statement. A little girl said, “My tummy hurt.” Was she from the tornado? Or somewhere else?
Rachel put a basketball on the floor and invited them to move it. It was a flat ball, so it didn’t move easily. Then, all of a sudden, the ball began moving all on its own. We know the ghosts at the gymnasium are capable of moving items because they are constantly tossing kitchen utensils around. This was pretty amazing.
They asked if they could move the ball and there was a quick “yep!” but they didn’t move it.
They were getting a lot of responses, mainly from the same two voices (a male and a female) but the responses were cut off. It was difficult to make out what they were saying, so I didn’t clip them.
It’s always interesting to me how some groups can experience far more activity than the others. I always say that the ghosts usually follow the strongest medium, but this wasn’t necessarily the case at the gymnasium. Ashley Morrow is one of the strongest mediums I’ve ever worked with and her session (the third one) was the quietest session of the evening. I guess they pick and choose who they talk to.
Stage
First Session (Yellow Group)
I held court on the stage. I’ve always been curious about this space because it is essentially the focal point of the gymnasium. Many plays and school programs happened here, giving it a lively energy. I wanted to see if this transferred into open communication.
I was excited to use a new piece of equipment. The Flux 2 is a triangular device. It has a red light on one side and a green light on the other. In reviews, you can ask questions and the ghosts in the room will answer by lighting up the light that corresponds with their answer. It works very similarly to the dowsing rods. If you ask yes and no questions, you should get a response. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. We asked several questions and nothing happened, so it was onto Plan B. I had a spirit box with me and we moved to it.
The highlight of my group session was the break-off groups. People would go in pairs up to the two small attics on either side of the stage to conduct their own sessions with a pendulum. The results were interesting.
One group talked to a man who was a coach there. He didn’t like the woman’s blue hair though.
As I was stressing out over my new piece of equipment not working, a male voice came through and said, “What’s wrong?” It was nice of him to ask. I just wish I heard it at the time.
Jeannie asked, “Where do you like to spend your time?” A male voice told her, “With people.” It was so clear, we all heard it.
Becca asked, “What’s your name,” and a male voice answered with, “Redman.”
She asked if they were married and a faint female voice told her, “No.”
During a lull in questions, a male voice came through and said, “It’s Bob.” This is interesting to me because several other groups picked up on a man named Bob who said he was a coach. Is he the same man the breakout group spoke to in the attic? (And just a sidenote, but what’s on Becca’s forehead? She wasn’t wearing a scarf. Something just appeared on her head.)
Someone asked if they lived nearby and the Flux 2 flashed red, which we took as “no.”
Second Session (Orange Group)
We started the session with a spirit box session. We went around the group and introduced ourselves as the first two people went to the attic for their breakout session.
I got a response pretty quickly. I held up three fingers over my head and asked them how many fingers I was holding up. A voice said, “two.” I told them that was incorrect and then a faint voice said, “three,” followed by a humorous moment when another male voice said, “twelve.” How many fingers does he think I have? I told him I’d have to borrow another person’s hand to make that work.
Sometimes we catch paranormal activity without knowing. In this case, as we were doing our session, the recorder caught the sound of someone crying out, “No! Please!” in the background, which was followed by a male’s voice, “Unbelievable,” he said. While we could hear the other group’s spirit box, this wasn’t something that happened in this group. I listened to all of their audio and it was fairly quiet for them during that session. Were we catching voices from the tornado victims who were treated on the gymnasium floor?
We kept hearing what sounded like the same male voice coming through. I noted it and was instantly corrected. “Not the same,” a female voice told me.
A strong female voice said, “People!” which was followed by a softer male voice saying the same thing. It almost sounded like they were surprised we were all there.
Shortly after that, a woman in our group asked, “If you don’t like the stage, what about the rooms upstairs?” A warbled female ghost again said, “People!” A male voice agreed with her. “That’s the problem.” Apparently, they weren’t keen on us being there. I kind of know how he feels about being in crowds of people.
Towards the end of the session, I realized I had a medium in my group. Rebecca was feeling a woman who kept drifting out from the kitchen. She said she was following her group.
I walked off the stage for a moment to talk to one of our volunteers. She told me that the ghosts in the basement were upset because one of the groups had brought up the tornado and it was impacting the basement session. We really hadn’t brought it up in any of my sessions, so I was confused where it was coming from. I later learned that neither Rachel or Rick’s groups talked about it either. The interesting part came as soon as I got onto the gym floor/ A very loud, very creepy voice came through the spirit box and said, “DOWN!” This was the first we’d heard from him the entire night and he didn’t sound happy. I have to wonder who he was and why he was so forceful.
Someone asked how many were there with them and a female voice said, “nine.”
We didn’t get anything relevant for the rest of the session.
Third Session (Blue Group)
My third session started off pretty quiet. We introduced ourselves and then began asking questions. We got a few blurps, but nothing was a relevant answer. Sometimes, I think they’re evaluating our group. My suspicions came with the first clear response. Ziggy asked if they could light up one of the devices and a male voice said, “Hoping you’re smart.”
Jimmy asked if they were going around to all the different groups and the same male voice we’d been hearing all evening said, “Just a break.”
Jason asked “What year do you think it is?” A male voice told him, “It’s twenty.” I’m not sure if that was 1920 or 2020. If it was 1920, it’s in the range of the tornado, which happened in 1925.
I recognized one of our guests as someone who came to our Artefakts investigation. I asked him if he was a medium and he kind of downplayed it, but the ghosts knew. Someone said, “Yes.”
I had to leave the group for a moment. A woman from our last group went down into the basement and couldn’t even join the group. As a medium, she saw all the bodies. She said they were on tables and on tarps on the floor. She also felt strongly that they didn’t want her down there. It was enough to make her cry, so she rushed back upstairs and found one of our volunteers. I offered to let her sit in my group, but she just wanted to hang out in the kitchen and catch her breath. After that session ended, she was much calmer and was able to resume the investigation with her group.
Jimmy asked if this was the male farmer they’d been talking to. The same male voice we’d been hearing all night told him, “I’m a joker.” This made total sense because most of his answers had a sarcastic flavor to them. The group thought he said, “Joe,” and spent the rest of the session directing questions to Joe.
The group thought they heard a man say, “Hi folks,” but it was actually something else. It kind of sounded like “Hi folkla.”
We had two groups who were there ghost hunting for the first time. As I was thanking them for making us their first time, a male voice spoke through my words saying, “a believer.”
There were several things spoken across the spirit box that I couldn’t quite make out. At one point, it sounded like a man said, “Think I bought his bluff,” but it wasn’t clear enough to mark as evidence.
Then, in between questions, a male voice told us, “That’s the clock.” It would have been really interesting if he said that before the clock chimed for the hour, but the timing just wasn’t there.
Several people decided to go up to the attic to do a pendulum session. I was telling them that three people could go, that there were three chairs, when a voice chimed in. “We’re going too,” she said. Interestingly enough, she had a foreign accent. I have no idea who this could be.
As one of the groups came back downstairs, they reported hearing someone come up the stairs while they were up there. They thought it was me, coming up to take pictures, but then nobody showed up. They even got up and looked down the staircase, only to find it empty.
We asked a few more questions but didn’t get any clear responses.
Fourth Session (Red Group)
The last session started off fairly slow. We were getting responses, but none of them were clear words. This was surprising to me because this group had Ashley Morrow in it. In past experiences, the ghosts of the building tend to follow her. I asked if they were following her again this time and got a very faint, “yes.”
I wondered out loud if we were wearing them out. I asked if it was their bedtime and a warbled voice said, “bed.”
I asked if they lived in New Harmony and a voice said, “Ashley.” Were they referring to our Ashley or another person by that name?
A group came down from upstairs and said they’d been talking to Anna, who they met in the basement. The other group came down from the other attic said they were talking to Anna too. They were also talking to Rose, who was giving him hot flashes and making him sick to his stomach.
One of the guys in the group asked if Rose followed him back downstairs from the attic and my Flux 2 finally reacted. It flashed red, which means “no.”
I asked Ashley what she was picking up on and she said she was feeling a young female, as well as a young male. A male voice came across the spirit box and said, “textbook message.” I’m not sure what he meant by that, but it was pretty clear.
It got really quiet during the end of the session. The responses were faint and difficult to interpret, making me wonder if they’d used up all their energy earlier in the evening.
The breakoff groups were getting a lot in their sessions, so the last session wasn’t a total loss. They were talking to an older female. Another group was talking to the young girl, Anna.
Basement
As usual, Traci Hoehn, who we affectionately refer to as our “cellar dweller,” held camp in the basement of the gymnasium, using the Estes Method. This paranormal experiment utilizes a spirit box connected directly to headphones. Participants also wear a blindfold, preventing them from seeing or hearing the others in the group. All they can hear are the sounds coming through the spirit box. As they hear something, they call it out. The others in the group will ask questions to the ghosts in the room to see if they respond through the participant. This experiment is interesting, because when the questions match the answers, we truly know we are talking to someone.
During one of the sessions, I picked up a strange sound in the background. It sounded like old time music. At first, I thought it was the sound of the spirit box from the stage, but after reviewing their audio from the same period, there was nothing to correlate.
First Session (Red Group)
After a brief introduction and history about the basement, Traci got started with the Estes Method. Ashley Morrow, who is a psychic medium, donned the headphones.
They introduced themselves to the ghosts in the room.
A: Hello
Q: Can you tell us your name?
A: Anna
Q: How old are you?
A: Six.
Q: What’s your favorite color? How tall are you?
A: I’m little.
Q: Hello, Anna. Do you live here in New Harmony? Do you go to school here?
A: School bus.
Q: Do you like flowers? Do you like to play games? What’s your bus driver’s name? Do you sit in the back or the front of the bus?
A: Storm.
Q: Are your friends here?
A: Yeah.
Q: Did you live in Griffin?
A: Yeah.
Q: Did you live near Black River?
A: I don’t know.
Q: How many people are here?
A: A lot.
Q: Do you get to play?
A: Yeah.
Q: What’s your favorite thing?
A: Hello.
Q: Is that still you, Anna?
A: No.
Q: What’s your name?
A: Mike
Q: Were you a student?
A: No.
Q: What did you do?
A: Work.
Q: What did you do for work? Mike, are you from New Harmony?
A: No.
Q: Where are you from? Did you grow up in Posey County? Mike, are you married?
A: Used to be.
Q: Did you have any kids? How old were your kids?
A: No kids.
Q: Did you have any pets, like a dog?
A: I don’t know.
Q: Do you like to go fishing?
A: Don’t feel.
Q: Do you have any pets?
They noted there was a cold spot right in front of them.
Q: Do you like to go hunting?
A: It’s sad here.
Q: What makes you happy? Do you have friends here? Is your wife here?
A: Speak.
Q: Do you want me to speak?
A: It’s not normal.
Q: What’s not normal? Us coming down here talking to you?
A: No one speaks to me.
Q: Well, we’re talking to you. Can you tell us more about yourself?
A: Edward.
Q: Are we speaking to someone else now?
A: I’m here.
Q: Hello. How are you? Do you not want to talk to us?
A: Figuring out what to say.
Q: You can say anything to me. My name is Becky.
A: Hello.
Q: What did you used to do? In New Harmony?
A: Close
Q: What did you teach? Were you the principal?
A: No.
Q: How long did you teach?
A: Not long.
Q: What did you like to do outside of work? Are you standing over by that radiator?
A: Yep.
Q: Do you want to come any closer or do you prefer to be over there?
A: I’ll try.
Q: Edward, there’s a box in the middle. If you want to touch it, it will light up. It won’t hurt you. Can you tell us what your last name is? Your family name?
A: I’m by here.
Q: Who are you beside? Do you remember her name?
A: She didn’t say.
Q: Is Anna still here?
A: Clapping,
Q: Is she clapping? Is she having fun?
Q: We’re going to switch people now.
A: Okay
Ashley said it got really sad. She felt overwhelming sadness. They applauded her for her amazing session.
Dustin took over the next session.
A: There you are.
Q: Who are you looking for?
A: Is this Anna?
Q: Yes.
Q: Hello, Anna. This is Ashley. How old are you?
A: Five…six.
A: Edge of group.
A: You can come in closer. You can even sit next to us.
A: I’m coming.
Q: Can you tell me what your last name is?
A: Five people.
Q: There’s five people here? Hi Anna. When’s your birthday? Do you have any brothers or sisters?
A: One.
Q: Was Edward one of your teachers?
A: Boy.
Q: What was your sibling’s name?
A: Anthony.
Q: Is Anthony down here?
A: Look.
Q: Look where?
A: There’s so many.
Q: So many what?
A: People.
Q: So many people down here?
A: Dark. They.
Q: They what, Anna?
A: Cold.
Q: Is everybody cold? Do you have on a pretty dress? Are there five people here?
A: Try to get it off. Red.
Q: What’s red?
A: People. Red. Red.
Dustin was getting visibly upset, so they pulled him out. He said it got very overwhelming. The entire group was amped up after both session. They had time for one more person.
Q: Who are we speaking with?
A: One of them.
Q: Can someone make the light turn on?
A: Maybe.
Q: What is your name? Who are we talking to?
A: Hi guys! Fun.
Q: Are you close to us?
A: Right here.
Q: Where at?
A: Skip.
Q: Is that your name or what you’re doing?
A: Holiday.
A: Bang. Loud sound.
Q: Do you see the green light? Can you touch it?
A: Yes.
Q: Can you touch it?
A: Shy.
Q: It won’t hurt you.
A: Today.
Q: What is today?
A: Monday.
Q: How old are you?
A: Upstairs. Upstairs.
Q: Are we supposed to go upstairs?
A: She. She.
Q: (Ashley) You can come with me.
A: Ivan.
Q: What makes you happy?
Q: We’re going to give you one more chance to say something. We’re going to take a break.
A: Have fun.
Q: We’ll be back.
A: Nice!
Second Session (Blue Group)
The second group went through the same introductions and instructions and then they were off and running. Jodi Helfrich was the first to do the Estes Method. They introduced themselves.
Q: Is anyone still down here with us?
A: Hi.
Q: Who am I talking to? Is this Anna? Is there more than one person down here?
A: Down.
Q: Did you stay down here for this new group? Did you stay down here during the tornado? Are you from Griffin?
A: Almost.
Q: Are you from a nearby town?
A: Yes.
Q: What’s your favorite kind of pie? What color is my shirt?
A: I see you
Q: What color is this?
A: No
Q: Are you from Mt Vernon?
A: The others
Q: Are you from New Harmony?
Q: Do you like pickles?
A: Maybe
Q: Do you like bread and butter pickles or dill?
Q: Is there just one spirit down here?
A: All
Q: Are there more than ten?
A: Yes
Q: Are there children? How many are down here? Do you like us being here? Do you like when people try to talk to you?
A: Maybe
Q: Do you leave the basement?
Q: What city or town are you from?
Q: Do you have friends down here with you?
A: Yes.
Q: Who are we speaking with?
A: Edward.
Traci interjected that Edward came through the last session too. He was a teacher.
Q: Edward, can you tell us your last name?
A: Worked.
Q: Where did you work?
Q: Did you work in town?
A: Some.
Q: Did you travel? Are you with anybody else?
A: Don’t know.
Q: Did they go upstairs? What’s your favorite color?
A: Get it.
Q: What do you want us to get?
A: Get it.
Q: Edward, what was your profession?
A: Yeah.
Q: Edward, can you touch one of these devices and make it light up?
A: Cars?
Q: If you touch one of these, it’ll light it up.
A: She said she just heard a whistle.
Q: What color is my hoodie?
A: Russell.
Q: Is that your last name or first name?
A: Last.
Q: Thank you. That was helpful.
Jodi came out and said she was hearing a low murmuring, but not through the headphones. It also sounded like it was in the room. She also kept getting touched. The next person took her place.
Q: Did Edward stay with us? Are you married, Edward? What year were you here, Edward? What color is my sweatshirt? You said ‘cars’ earlier. What does that mean?
They weren’t getting any responses. Traci noted that it’s much harder than it looks.
Q: Is there anyone down here who wants to talk? Do you like pizza? What’s your favorite food? Have you ever had a chocolate milkshake? Is your name Edward Russell? Are you still here?
A: She said she just heard a laugh
Q: Edward, are you laughing at us? What’s my name? What are these walls made of? Was there something down here that scared you?
She took off the headphones and said she heard things, but didn’t know what they were saying. The next person took her place.
Q: We have someone new listening. Is anyone still here who wants to chat with us? Is Edward still here? How about Mike?
A: Said man.
Q: So there’s a man here? Does he have a name? Do you remember any of our names?
A: Here.
Q: Yes. We’re here.
A: More.
Q: You want to talk to us more? Are you around the group? Are you towards the back or front of the basement? What year is it? What kind of car did you have?
A: She said she heard a scream.
Q: Are you from Griffin? Can you say hello?
A: Every.
Q: Edward, were you married?
A: 47.
Q: Is that your age? Or how long you were married?
A: She said she heard a whistle.
Q: How many fingers am I holding up? Did you ever eat French fries?
A: Together.
Q: Can you say anybody’s name in this group? How old are you? Are you married?
A: It’s I.
Q: Are you Edward? How old are you, Edward? Do you have kids? Are you trapped down here?
Q: We’re going to be wrapping up. Is there anything else you’d like for us to know?
No answer, so she stopped the session.
Third Session (Orange Group)
Traci started the session, like she has done with all of them by turning off the basement lights so everyone can appreciate what it was like for the person who was put in the basement alive after the tornado. This garnered several gasps and they were all thankful when she turned the lights back on.
They got started. Becca was the first to don the headphones.
Q: We are back to you to talk to you. (They went around the room to introduce themselves)
Q: Can you tell us what your name is? Are you a male? Are you a female?
A: Pretzel.
Q: How long have you been here?
A: Ha ha.
Q: Do you have family here?
A: I’m going to die.
Q: Was that you who just screamed?
A: Excuse me. I do.
Q: How old are you?
A: 18. Why? No.
Q: Do you have children? What’s your favorite dessert? Are you from New Harmony?
Q: So, you’re 18. Are you still in school?
A: She shushed Traci.
Q: What’s your job? Do you like to read? If so, what’s your favorite book?
A: Yes. I am.
Q: Where are you from? Any brothers or sisters?
A: Done.
Q: Did you go to school here in New Harmony?
A: Why?
Q: Just curious. Did you?
A: She said she felt very hot on her left side.
A: Are you ignoring me?
Q: Did you go to dances here? Are you okay now?
A: Offended. Don’t say that?
Q: Did you just try to sit in the chair next to me? (the chair started making a popping sound)
A: Yes.
A: Different.
Q: What did you do for a living? Can you tell me your name?
Q: Is there anyone else here besides the 18 year old? Is Anna still here?
A: Yeah.
Q: Can we talk to Anna?
A: Show mercy.
Q: We aren’t going to hurt any of you. We just want to talk to you. (Traci explained who Anna was). Does Anna want to talk to us?
Q: What year is it?
A: Slow down.
Q: Who was the president when you were alive? Do you have a best friend?
A: My favorite.
Q: What street did you grow up on? What do you do for fun?
A: Calm down.
Q: Does it bother you for us to talk to you?
A: I’m a woman.
Becca took off the headphones and said she felt hot the entire session. They put the next person into the session and were off and running.
Q: Do you have a friend, Anna?
A: Why do you ask?
Q: Just curious. (Traci noted they were very suspicious of their intentions)
Q: What year were you born? Were you married?
A: She shushed her.
Q: Is there something you want us to hear? Is that why you keep shushing us?
Q: Can you move anything in the basement?
A: Say it.
Q: What do you want me to say? Why don’t you say it?
A: Is there? And she shushed them again.
Q: Where are you from? Do you have siblings?
A: Yes.
Q: How many siblings do you have?
A: She shushed him.
Q: Were you close to your siblings? You said you were a woman. Can you tell us your name?
Q: Were you a librarian? Is there something we’re supposed to hear?
A: I’m not good. She shushed them again.
Q: Why do you think you aren’t good? Did you do something that you feel bad about?
A: A small cat.
Q: They started to ask about the cat, but she shushed them again.
Q: What are your sibling’s names? Did you go to school in New Harmony? What’s your favorite holiday? Would you like to ask us a question? What’s your kids’s names?
A: She shushed them again.
They brought her out of it. She talked about how she heard the shushing over and over again. They got the last person ready.
Q: All right. We have the next person, ready to talk to you. Are you going to talk to us? Do you remember any of our names?
Q: Can you tap the lady who’s listening on the shoulder? What should we talk about?
Q: Can you tell us your name? Do you still like pretzels?
Q: Did you live here long? Are you a teacher? (Traci noted they talked to a teacher named Edward in a previous session.)
Q: Who’s your favorite?
A: I don’t know.
Q: Did you have anything to do in your spare time? Is there a cat here? Did the cat catch the mouse behind me?
A: What?
Q: Yeah, there’s a mouse down here. Did the cat catch him?
Q: What’s your father’s name? Did you ever take the train from Griffin to New Harmony? Were you a science teacher here? Did you last name start with an H? If you’re a teacher, did you enjoy teaching?
A: I
Q: Can you tell us your name?
A: With us. Remember.
Q: Do you want us to remember you? Is there someone here you remember?
A: Barely. Wabash.
Q: Were they a student here?
A: Randall.
Q: What about Randall? Was Randall your friend?
A: Go away.
They ended the session.
Fourth Session (Yellow Group)
After a brief introduction they got started.
Q: Is there anyone who wants to speak with us?
A: Hi. Hey!
Q: Can you tell me what your name is?
A: Alex.
Q: Hi Alex! Nice to meet you.
A: No. Talk.
Q: How are you?
A: Baby.
Q: Do you have children?
A: She said she felt warm.
Q: Alex did you do sports here?
A: Offer.
Q: How old are you?
A: 18.
Q: Who are you here with? Have you ever been to the fire house?
A: Yes.
Q: When was your birthday?
A: Over.
Q: What’s your last name? What year were you at the firehouse?
A: Over.
Q: Were you here in the 1920s?
A: Baby.
Q: Were you born in the 1900s? Are you worried about a baby?
A: Yes.
Q: Why? Is it your baby?
A: Yes.
Q: Are they around?
A: Four or five?
Q: Are they in this building? How long have you been in this building?
A: Seven.
Q: Months, years, decades?
A: Several more.
Q: Decades?
A: More. Five.
Q: Do you go to other buildings in New Harmony?
A: More. More.
Q: Are the babies you’re worried about your brothers and sisters?
A: Fire.
Q: Did they get hurt in a fire?
A: Smoke.
Q: I’m sorry. Did you know Auburn Sanders who died in a fire in a restaurant in Griffin during the tornado?
A: Yes.
Q: Did several of your friends die in the tornado? (Traci diverted the conversation)
A: Burn.
Q: Did you have any hobbies? What did you do for fun?
A: Work.
Q: Did you like to work? Where did you work?
A: Over. There.
Q: Were you a farmer?
A: No.
Q: Where you a teacher?
A: No.
Q: Can you tell me what you did?
A: Coach.
Q: Are you the same coach we were talking to?
A: Bob.
Q: Do you like hanging out with us, Bob?
A: Players.
Q: How many players did you have on your team?
A: 12…no 13.
A: It’s mine.
Q: It’s your team?
A: Team.
Q: Was it a basketball team?
A: Yes. Here.
Q: You played here?
A: Yes. Yes.
Q: What else to you like to do for fun?
A: Never.
A: Play again.
Q: Do you know who Jim is?
A: No.
Q: Do you know anyone here?
A: Yes.
Q: Did you meet Virginia?
A: Yes.
Q: Is Virginia a sister?
A: No.
Q: Just a friend?
A: Now.
Q: Did your basketball team win all the time?
A: Never.
A: Table top.
Q: Were you here when they filmed League of their Own here?
A: Over. That’s last.
Q: What’s your favorite color?
A: That’s last.
Traci was explaining the movie and how that was the last time the gym was used as a gym.
A: Pictures. Pictures. Again.
A: Dark.
Traci pulled her out of it even though she was doing really great. She said she felt a little drained. Adam was the next to try it.
Q: Are we still talking to Coach Bob?
At that point, the recorder picked up on a short whistle. Nobody in the group reacted to it, which tells me they didn’t hear it.
Q: Is there anyone here who wants to talk to us?
A: Died.
Q: What is your name?
Q: Who died?
A: My family.
Q: Is this still Coach Bob?
A: I’m right here.
Q: Do you want to talk about your family?
A: I will.
Q: Do you want to?
A: Yes. You first.
Q: What were your parent’s names? What street did you grow up on?
A: Second.
Q: Awesome. What was the address?
A: Ten.
Q: Thank you. How long did you live there?
A: 18. Yeah.
Q: Did you have a big family? Were you married?
A: I wish.
Q: Did you have a lot of siblings? Bob, did you have a girlfriend?
A: I don’t know. Why?
Q: Because you said, “I wish,” when we asked if you were married. I think you would have been a lot of fun to know, Bob.
Q: What was one of your hobbies? Did you like to fish?
A: I don’t know.
Q: I was told a lot of people fished at the Wabash.
A: The bar. (maybe the sandbar?)
Q: Did you get to camp on the sandbar?
Q: Bob, you said you lived on second street. Can you tell me what town you lived in?
A: Yeah.
Q: Did you live in Poseyville?
A: Used to.
Q: What about New Harmony? Mt. Vernon? Griffin?
Q: What year did you coach here?
A: Tonight. Right here.
Q: You’re playing tonight. Right here?
A: Sorry. You too.
Q: Bob, do you know what month it is?
They heard a loud bang.
Q: Do you know what year it is?
A: It’s me (maybe making the sound?)
Q: Sorry Bob, but we’re going to be wrapping things up here. Is there anything you want to say? Thank you for talking with us.
A: More.
Q: Well, we’ll be back here next month.
A: No. Right now.
Q: What do you want me to ask you?
A: Thunder (everyone started walking overhead and it did sound like thunder)
Q: Is there anything else?
A: Stay here.
Q: We can’t stay here, so sorry. I have a dog to go home to. But thanks for talking to us.
A: Wait.
Q: Dog.
A: I have a dog. Do you have a dog? My dog’s name is Mimzy. We have to go, Bob.
She pulled him out of the session.
Conclusion
Overall, it was an interesting night. We captured more audio responses than I’ve ever gotten in the gymnasium before and quite a few people had personal experiences. Several people felt ghostly touches and others watched shadows moving in the balcony near the front windows.
I want to thank everyone for coming out, and I especially want to thank my team for making everything flow so smoothly. Thank you to my investigators: Traci Hoehn, Rich Schlegelmilch and Rachel Decker. Additional gratitude to my group leaders: Jason Nelson, Kathy Hoffman, David “Ziggy” Zickefoose and Tina Moore.
Additional thanks to our photographer, Lexie Hoehn, pictured below with her Aunt Traci.
When I was six years-old, my life was perfect. I lived with my family in a small rustic cabin that was nestled beside a picturesque pond.
Behind the cabin was a hundred acres of untouched woodlands, filled to the brim with singing birds and wild rabbits that often nibbled the clover at the edge of our yard. I had a swing set in the backyard, where I learned to mimic the Bobwhite Quail, and a big collie dog named Sam who followed me everywhere I went. Best of all though, I had easy access to my adoring grandparents.
Nanny and Poppy lived in a house across the pond from us, separated by a long narrow dam that served as a gateway to all that was good and safe in the world. Crossing the dam was like moving into another world, one where I was the princess of the castle.
Nanny would drop everything to sit on the floor and play with me, while Poppy often took me for long walks through the woods, sharing his love of nature.
There were a myriad of paths in the woods behind our house. I can remember tipping my head up to look at the sunshine that parted through the high branches of the trees as the blue jays scolded us for disturbing their sanctuary.
As we walked, Poppy told me stories about Big Lake, which was hidden in the center of the woods and how people would flock to the lake to swim during the humid Indiana summers. He showed me a massive old oak tree that was carved with faded initials of people who probably weren’t even still alive. When I asked him to carve my initials into the tree, he refused.
“You don’t want to be one of the crowd. Let’s start your own tree,” he told me and carved my initials on another tree.
When I was with them, I felt cherished and safe. The feeling was warm and intoxicating, something I’ve never felt since. I never dreamed that it would all go away so quickly.
Even as a small child, I knew that Nanny had a bad heart. She had scarlet fever when she was younger, something that damaged her heart beyond repair. One night, she went to bed and simply never woke up again. Nanny died at the age of 53, just one year older than I am right now.
While her death wasn’t unexpected, it still left a gaping hole in all our lives. It probably hit me the hardest. No longer could I race across the dam to spend the day playing with her. Walking into her house felt empty and sad.
Several nights after her death, I had a dream that I will never forget. In the dream, my mother and I went to her house to clean out her closet. My mother wanted to donate her clothing to a charity and sort through her belongings to collect a few remembrances.
The details in my dream were so crisp, it was difficult to comprehend that it wasn’t actually happening. As we came through the door, I could feel the warmth of the heat on my face and could smell the familiar scent of her house. Nanny’s small dog Skipper greeted us with sniffs and tail wagging, smelling vaguely of flea powder as her nails clicked on the tile floor. I looked up at my mother beside me. She was distracted and short tempered. Her dark hair was held back beneath an old yellow handkerchief that was tied at the nape of her neck and her face was puffy and red from crying.
As we came through the doorway, I was astounded to find Nanny sitting on the couch. My mother walked right past her and headed to her bedroom, something I found incomprehensible.
Was it possible that my mother couldn’t see Nanny?
I raced to the couch and wrapped my arms around my grandmother’s neck.
“Nanny! Nanny! I thought you were dead!” I cried, tears rushing down my cheeks.
She pulled me away and looked lovingly into my eyes and said something that will remain with me for the rest of my life.
“I did die, Joni,” she said. “But I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to you.” She told me she loved me and then I woke up from the dream, my pillow wet with tears.
I’ve come to understand that loved ones often remain with us throughout our lives, offering comfort and reassurance when we need it the most, but I wouldn’t understand this until I was much older.
The next time I felt Nanny was when I was eighteen years-old.
I was a rebellious teenager, so it came as no surprise to anyone that I decided to buck the system and take a year off of school after graduating from high school. Many of my friends were going away to college, but I was restless to get my life started. I was bored with school and wanted a break before diving into college.
I moved out of my parent’s home the day after I graduated from high school and was eager to get going on my future. I had my eye on an apartment across town and needed a job to pay the bills.
The first interview on my list went well. It wasn’t a job I saw myself doing for the rest of my life, but it would bring in enough money to give me the freedom I so desperately yearned for.
As I was racing home, I pushed past the speed limit, loving the way the wind poured through the windows. My beloved car was a machine made for speed. When I stepped on the accelerator, it responded like a race horse released from the chute. Without warning, Nanny’s face appeared in my mind and screamed, “Slow down!” in my mind.
The encounter was so startling, I found myself responding to her words. I slammed my foot on the brake and brought my speed down. As soon as I reached the lower speed, my front tire blew out.
I coasted to the side of the road, my mind numb.
I might have only been eighteen years-old, but I knew enough about cars to know how powerful that moment was. If my tire had blown out while I was driving 70 miles per hour, I probably would have flipped the car and might not have survived the accident.
“Thank you, Nanny,” I whispered, feeling my heart pound heavily in my chest.
Since that time, I’ve felt Nanny with me more frequently. Sometimes I hear her voice, mixed in with my own internal dialogue.
If I’m sitting in front of my computer when I should be getting ready to leave for class, her voice is the one that prompts me to get in the shower. If I’m driving too fast, she tells me to slow down.
It took me years to understand that what I was hearing wasn’t my own chatter. Nanny has been with me in more ways than one.
Just days ago, I found myself in a panic as I drove with an empty gas tank, looking for a gas station.
“You will make it. It’s going to be okay.” I heard the voice in my head as clearly as though it were whispered in my ear. Moments later, I coasted into the gas station, mere miles away from running out of gas.
Most people base their expectations by what they see on television and in the movies. In those heightened examples, the loved one appears fully formed and stands in front of the grieving relative to pass along a message or offer comfort. Real life is seldom so clear.
A sign could be as subtle as a certain song coming on the radio when you’re thinking about that person. It could be a bright red cardinal landing on a tree branch outside your window. It could even be an unexpected phone call from a friend, asking you to join her for coffee. Sometimes the signs are even more elusive.
I believe that Nanny jumped in my mind to warn me about my impending tire blow-out in a way that would capture my full attention, but she’s given me other signs that are much harder to attribute to her.
There was a time when I was dating and was torn between two men. As I drove to work one day thinking about it, I heard a voice in my head that said, “Neither one of those men will be in your life.”
It startled me on two accounts. Firstly, I’m a hopeless romantic who can’t get out of her own way. It would never occur to me that I wouldn’t end up with one of those men. Secondly, was the word usage. Neither one of those men will be in YOUR life. Surely, if the thought was coming from my own internal dialogue I would have thought MY instead of YOUR, right?
Nanny has come to me other times as well, offering comforting words and nudging me when I needed to be nudged. I didn’t realize it was her voice because I was only six years old when she died. I didn’t know her well enough to recognize her personality.
Once I suspected it was Nanny, I asked my mother about my grandmother. “Was Nanny the kind of person who would lovingly nag you to do something you were supposed to do?” I asked her. In many ways, I probably didn’t need to even ask. My mother, who was Nanny’s daughter, often said the same things to me when I was younger.
“Joni! You need to leave or you’re going to be late for school!” was something I heard hundreds, if not thousands of times. She probably learned that behavior from her own mother.
My mother was quick to confirm it. Yes. Nanny was motherly and was an adept parent. It probably drove her crazy that I was sitting at my computer, mindlessly scrolling through Facebook when there were dirty dishes in the sink, an unmade bed and fifteen minutes left before I needed to leave the house. In her day, life was different. There weren’t as many mindless distractions, and people tended to be more diligent about their responsibilities. Watching me goof off probably didn’t sit well with her.
While I was close with Poppy too, I don’t feel him near me as often. I can only recall one instance where I feel he was with me and it’s something I’ve often reduced down to circumstance.
I was seventeen years old and was driving home from my boyfriend’s house. Several of his friends knew of a road that was thought to be haunted, so we checked it out. While we were there, we saw a strange mist appear at the end of the road, something that freaked us out more than a little. My boyfriend and I couldn’t get in our cars fast enough. My car was parked at his parent’s house, so I left soon after we got there. With the thought of ghosts in my mind, I drove home, still feeling the chill from our experience.
The drive from his house to mine took me down a long dark highway. As I drove, I kept looking towards the side of the road for the same sort of mist I saw on the haunted road. Several times, I even thought I saw something in my backseat. I turned the dome light on and whipped around in my seat, nearly sending myself sailing off the road. After the third time of this, I saw a pair of headlights in my rear view mirror.
I narrowed my eyes at them, not remembering seeing a car behind me before that. I’d been on the highway for nearly fifteen minutes without seeing another car. Instead of feeling anxious, worried that someone was following me, I felt a sense of comfort instead. It almost felt as though someone was escorting me home.
As I drove, I played around with my speed to see if the person was really following me or not. I would speed up and the car behind me would speed up. When I slowed down, so did the car. After a while, I just finally settled in for the drive. As soon as I reached the town limits and the bright lights greeted me, the car turned down a side street. I nearly gasped as I watched it in my rear view mirror. It was a caramel colored El Camino, the same exact car Poppy used to drive.
I’ll never know for sure if it was Poppy or not, but it doesn’t matter. All that matters is the fact that it made me feel safe and removed a lot of the anxiety I was feeling. If it wasn’t a phantom car, maybe Poppy had encouraged the person driving the El Camino to follow behind me. It’s hard to say. Either way, I’d like to remember it as a sign of his love for me.
A lot of what I experienced in these instances is what led me to begin studying the paranormal. I knew there was more to death than a funeral and some wonderful memories. Proof came to me more times than I could discount.
Sometimes, you have to throw skepticism out the window and listen to your heart instead.
This was an excerpt from Joni’s book, Signs of Spirits. To read more, click HERE
