Location:Old Mill Village Musium - New
Milford, PA - Susquehanna County
InvestigationDate
and Duration:
September
7, 2012 6:00 PM – 11:30 PM
Location
Status:
Seasonal
Public Museum and State Historical Site currently open on weekends.
Reported
Activity:
Activity
has been reported over many years at this location, such as
apparition of a little girl in the field between the school house and
the gallery, a man in beige coveralls was witnessed in several areas
on the grounds, a woman with a candle was seen through the window of
the old gift shop, a woman observed through the window of the school
house and a man in the doctors area of the main museum building.
Other claims include visitors being touched inside the school house,
technical problems with battery powered devices; such as cameras with
fresh batteries going dead, cameras shutting off when someone is
trying to take a picture and anomalies showing up on film. During the
yearly ghost walk tours in October of last year,(2007) tour guides
reported leaving the school house with an inside book cabinet secured
only to return a while later with another group to find the cabinet
door open and books pulled out. Previous investigations by the PPA
have produced evidence leaning towards a haunting at this location.
Equipment
Utilized:
Digital
Cameras (2)
Digital
Voice Recorders (9)
Dynamic
Microphones(4)
EMF
gauge (4)
Infrared
Camcorder(2)
Flashlights
Thermometer
(3)
Gravimeter
Light
Meter
Investigators
Present:
Mark
Nicole
Stan
Jim
Virginia
- Psychic Medium
Environmental Conditions: Geomagnetic
Field: Active Solar
X-Rays: Quiet Solar
Wind Speed: Unknown
Moon
Phase: 57% of Full – Waning Gibbous
Atmospheric Conditions:
Dry and warm, Clear
Technical
Notes:
- Nothing to Report
AUDIO
ANALYSIS: VR1- Digital
Voice Recorder:
Stationary in the school house with dynamic microphone VR2- Digital
Voice Recorder:
Stationary in the main gallery – medical area with dynamic
microphone VR3- Digital
Voice Recorder:
Stationary in the main gallery – hearse area with dynamic
microphone VR4- Digital
Voice Recorder:
Stationary in the Lodge with dynamic mic VR5- Digital
Voice Recorder: Mobile
with investigators VR6- Digital
Voice Recorder:
Mobile with investigators VR7- Digital
Voice Recorder:
Mobile with investigators
(walk-thru) VR8- Digital
Voice Recorder: Mobile
with investigators VR9- Digital
Voice Recorder:
Mobile with investigators
No
physical evidence captured on audio at the time of the investigation.
VIDEO
ANALYSIS: Camcorder
#1:Mobile
with investigators Camcorder
#2:Mobile
with investigators
No
physical evidence captured on video at the time of the investigation.
Photographs:
A
series of photographs in the school house produced a black mass-like
substance coming in the shot and moving throughout the schoolhouse to
various areas. The photographs were taken just after Virginia
remarked that she saw a woman standing by the window and Stan started
snapping pictures. Although the woman did not appear in the
pictures, a black mass type substance did. Out of more than 80
pictures taken during this investigation with this particular camera,
this was the only time this anomaly occurred. The camera used at
this time will not take a photo until the flash is fully charged
ruling out a partial flash discharge as the cause. There were no
sources of lighting in this building behind the photographer and
shadow play was not a factor. Various attempts to reproduce the
event failed to produce the same affect. The pictures were taken at
approximately10:10PM. Below is the sequence of pictures taken.
EMF
(Electro-Magnetic Field):
Standard
baseline readings were taken throughout the home with expected spikes
near electrical sources. During
a baseline sweep of the open field area near the covered bridge, Stan
detected momentary, high EMF spikes. There are no electrical sources
in this area and the source is unknown at this time. While doing a
baseline sweep for EMF's in the main gallery, Jim detected high
spikes on a dental chair near the medical items and also on a froe
hand tool. No sources of EMF or any magnetic components could be
located on these items. Later sweeps revealed no EMF's at all. The
cause is undetermined.
Investigator
Feelings / Personal Experiences: Mark: While investigating in the
school house, Mark began with over 200
minutes remaining on the battery of his camcorder. Within 30 minutes
of entering the schoolhouse, the recorder shut off with a completely
dead battery.
Stan:
When Stan was investigating in the Lodge, his flashlight kept dimming
down very low until he left the building. The batteries that were in
his flashlight were new and this event did not happen anywhere else
in the Village.
Nicole:
Nothing to report
Jim:
Nothing to report
Virginia: Refer
to Psychic Impressions
Psychic
Impressions:
As
Virginia drove up to the Village, the first thing she notice was a
male spirit wearing light colored overalls leaning against a red
barn. Virginia stopped to talk to the male spirit. Virginia felt his
name was William/Bill. William was not trapped but loved to hang
around the village. Virginia felt William was a caretaker of this
place in life and spirit.
Virginia
felt there were many levels and timelines of spirits at this
location. These are the spirits Virginia picked up on during the
initial walk through and investigation at the Old Mill Village.
Main
Gallery Museum:
Virginia picked up on a Doctor who loved to look inside a cabinet
that contained his medical instruments. Names of other spirits that
Virginia felt walked around the museum included: Eli, Howard, Park,
Snyder, Dr. George, Dr. John, Craft, Moses, and Tingle, Abigail,
Mary, Beth, and Frances.
The
Mill Ruins:
Virginia felt there was a male spirit named “John Bell” hanging
around the ruins. Virginia received that John Bell was
involved/connected with the Mill in some manner. Virginia also felt
that there were two slaves that worked the Mill that were present in
this area.
The
Barbershop/Photography Building:
Virginia picked up a male spirit named “Seth” and every time Seth
came near Virginia, she could smell gun powder/flash powder. Virginia
also picked up a male spirit named “Robert” who loves to
hang out with Seth in this building.
The
Candy Store:
Virginia felt this building to be very busy with Spirit including a
spirit of a little boy that runs around the back of the store. Virginia
also felt a female spirit present in this area.
The
Lodge:
Virginia felt the spirit of a male moving around the building wearing
a cowboy hat. Virginia felt this spirit moves between the first and
second floors and likes to look out of the second floor window.
Virginia believed he was the caretaker and cook and liked to drink
and roll is own cigarettes. Virginia also picked up on a female
spirit named “Caroline”, who she believes, likes to look out of
the window on the left side from inside looking out. This is also
where the little boy spirit from the candy store loves to hang
around. Virginia felt his name is “Benjamin”.
The
field between the barn and the school house:
Virginia picked up on a little girl spirit who she felt loves to pick
flowers and run around the grounds between the schoolhouse and the
main gallery. Virginia did not feel the little girl spirit was
attached to or there because of the school at all.
The
Grove Schoolhouse:
When Virginia first walked into the schoolhouse, she immediately felt
the spirit of a female teacher wearing a long blue dress staring at
her. Virginia felt this teacher was not happy with people coming into
the school. Every time Virginia tried to gather psychic information
about the school or who was in the school, this teacher would stop
the information from coming in. Virginia picked up on some sort of
violence with a male teacher and just when she started getting more
information, the female teacher stopped the male teacher from talking
to her. Virginia felt this female spirit liked to look out the
windows on the right near the black board. Virginia felt this female
teacher also taught Sunday School, liked everything in order,
including having books out and around. Virginia also picked up the
spirit of a little girl who sat in the front of the class crying and
asking Virginia why was the teacher is always picking on her. The
name Virginia was getting on this female teacher was “Emma” or
“Eunice”. Virginia felt this teacher is very protective of the
school and it's reputation and taught with a firm hand.
Some
names once associated with the schoolhouse that Virginia picked up
included: Alice, Amelia, Elizabeth, Mary, and Sophia. Adams, Bisbe,
Briggs, Blake, Edward, Sweet, Peck, Howard, Summers and Peter. Virginia
also picked up something to do with Valentine.
Conclusion:
As
with past investigations at this location, electrical anomalies
occurred during the investigation on this particular date. Events
such as battery drain and interference with electric devices were
present along with several prominent EMF spikes that were encountered
in areas with no electrical or magnetic sources. No known causes
could be identified. Several photos were taken in the school house
with a black fog like substance appearing in several of the photos
immediately after Virginia related she observed a woman standing by
the rear window. Attempts to recreate the anomaly failed. The events
encountered during this investigation was consistent with events
encountered on previous visits and paranormal activity appears to be
continuing throughout the Village.
Metaphysically,
Virginia picked up on many spirits around the Old Mill Village,
including a lot of American Indian spirits. Virginia felt spirits of
many Civil War soldiers walking the grounds due to the yearly
reenactment of Civil War battles drawing them there. Virginia
believes there is also a residual haunting present with the daily
lives of people in these buildings being repeated over and over.
Virginia also felt that the spirit of “George”, the original
owner of the Village and property was present and loves to check in
from time to time.