Location:The
Candle Shoppe of the
Poconos, Swiftwater, PA - Monroe
County
InvestigationDate and Duration:
May
30th,
2009 Arrive 7:30pm / Depart 2:45am
Location
Status:
This
is a three story commercial property with a full basement built in
the 1800’s and currently occupied by the Candle Shoppe of the
Poconos for retail. Although the location has had connections to
several historical events, the most significant may be for its use as
a biological research laboratory from 1901 to 1908 where medical
studies were performed on monkeys in search for curers to certain
disease. The monkeys were infected with disease and later decapitated
so brain and spinal cord analysis could be done. The monkeys were
then buried on the property. The building was later sold and operated
as an antiques store for many years and finally as the Candle Shoppe.
Reported
Activity:
Since
moving into the building a few years ago, the clients and their
employees have reported hearing what sounds like monkey chatter and
other strange noises in the basement and first floors. They have also
heard what sounded like several monkeys running through the first
floor. The sound of a ball being bounced has been heard on the first
floor coming from above on the second floor. A growling animal sound
has been heard on the second floor near a closet that contains part
of the building’s chimney. A sense of uneasiness is felt in
the
basement, parts of the first and second floors and witnesses have
described it as a feeling that they were not alone. Two psychics that
visited the store advised the owner not to open the third floor for
retail. The third floor is currently closed up and the owners are
hesitant to go there. The clients strongly feel that there is still
some type of animal presence at this location, notably monkeys and
even the prior owners of the building did not want to dismantle the
original monkey cages that are in the basement to this day in fear
that it would upset the monkeys.
Equipment:
DVR System
with four IR cameras
IR
Boosters (4)
Digital
Cameras (4)
Digital Voice Recorders (6)
External
Microphones (2)
EMF gauge (4)
Camcorders
w/night shot (3)
Flashlights
Motion
Sensor (2)
Thermometer
(1)
Investigators
Present:
Mark
Lauren
Chris
Tim
Bob
Hawk
Location
Weather: Clear
- Daytime Temp: Low 70’s Geomagnetic
Field: Quiet Solar
X-Rays: Normal PWO:
High
Technical
Notes:
-
Nearby vehicle traffic has been taken into
consideration during the
review.
-
High voltage power lines running near the front
of the building along
street.
-
RF interference on walkie-talkies inside the
building.
AUDIO and EVP
(Electronic Voice Phenomenon):
VR1 - Digital Voice Recorder:
(Stationary in 1st floor rear room) No
physical evidence captured on this device at the time of the
investigation.
VR2 - Digital Voice
Recorder: (Mobile with investigators) No physical
evidence captured on this device at the time of the investigation.
VR3 - Digital Voice
Recorder: (Stationary in 2nd floor “Halloween
Room”)
No physical evidence captured on this device at the time of the
investigation.
VR4
- Digital Voice Recorder:(Stationary
on 3rd floor main room) This
device captured what sounds like an animal scurrying across the floor
at 9:48 PM. The DVR camera viewing this area did not show any
movement in the room at this time. No signs of a large rodent or bird
presence was found. The sound begins 3 seconds into the clip.
VR5
- Digital Voice Recorder: (Stationary in 1st
floor checkout counter
area) No physical evidence captured on this device at the time of the
investigation.
VR6
- Digital Voice Recorder: (Stationary in
basement - monkey cage room)
No physical evidence captured on this device at the time of the
investigation.
VIDEO:
DVR
Cam1 -
(Viewing 1st
floor entire back room) No physical evidence captured on this device
at the time of the investigation. DVR
Cam2 -
(Viewing 1st
floor front two rooms and stairs) No physical evidence captured on
this device at the time of the investigation. DVR
Cam3 -
(Viewing 3rd
floor main room) No physical evidence captured on this device at the
time of the investigation.
DVR
Cam4 -
(Viewing basement - monkey cages) No physical evidence captured on
this device at the time of the investigation.
Camcorder
#1 – (Mobile
with investigators)No
physical evidence captured on this device at the time of the
investigation.
Camcorder
#2 –(Mobile
with investigators)No
physical evidence captured on this device at the time of the
investigation.
Camcorder
#3 –(Mobile
with investigators)No
physical evidence captured on this device at the time of the
investigation.
Photographs:
No
photos of evidential value were discovered.
EMF (Electro
Magnetic Field):
Standard
baseline readings were taken throughout the building with expected
spikes near electrical appliances. A large amount of elevated
EMF’S
were measured in various areas throughout the building on every
floor. The high amount of active electrical devices in the building,
old wiring and high voltage power lines near the front of the
building are believed to be the cause of the EMF readings.
No
EMF spikes that would indicate the presence of paranormal activity
were detected during the time spent in the building. The elevated
fields that were discovered may certainly cause the sensation that a
person was not alone or being watched. High fields present at a
location can also cause a general feeling of uneasiness to those
people who are sensitive to these fields.
Investigator
Feelings / Experiences: Lauren
-
Nothing to report
Mark
- Nothing to report
Chris
- Nothing to report
Tim
- When Tim entered the main room of the 3rd floor,
he saw what appeared to be a small shadow near the rear side
of the building move across the room very quickly. The cause of the
shadow could not be established.
Tim
and Hawk
- Later in the basement room (12:20AM) where the monkeys
were
physically
examined, Tim and Hawk witnessed a window begin to vigorously shake.
It lasted for several seconds then stopped. Natural causes, such as
heavy traffic or furnace startup were ruled out. The vibrating lasted
far longer than it took traffic to pass this location. The cause is
still undetermined at this time. A short time after, Hawk began to
get a cold sensation on his left arm that moved up to his shoulder.
Tim verified the temperature differential. The cold spot lasted a few
minutes and quickly dissipated.
Bob
- While Bob and Lauren were in the “Halloween
Room” on the 2nd floor,
Bob felt something vibrating on his right hip as if his cell
phone was going off. When he reached for the cell phone, he realized
it was not on him at the time. No explanation for the vibrating
sensation could be found. Later, on the first floor near the check
out counter, Bob felt as if someone stepped on his foot. Upon
checking with Tim who was standing close to Bob, Tim stated he did
not step on Bob’s foot and again, no cause could be
identified for
the sensation.
Here is what Tim had to say about his personal experience.
Here is what Hawk had to say about his personal experience.
Conclusion:
During
the several hours spent at the Candle Shoppe of the Poconos,
investigators had a few unexplainable personal experiences that
occurred. The feeling of being touched, cold spots, a moving shadow
and a window shaking included a few of the experiences. Investigators
were able to measure constant high EMF’S in many areas of the
building on each floor which could be a contributing factor to the
uneasy feelings some people are having along with the feeling that
they are not alone. No logical explanations could be found for the
noises that the clients have reported such as monkey chatter or
several monkeys running across the floor but an unknown sound, much
like an animal scurrying across the floor, was captured on the 3rd floor.
Although
a few strange occurrences did occur, no documented proof of a
haunting or spirit activity was obtained on this particular
investigation but enough personal experiences coupled with constant
high EMF’S throughout the building (thought to act as
“fuel”
for paranormal activity) gives sufficient cause to conduct a follow
up investigation at a future date.