Mississippi Valley Paranormal

On June 26th, 2010 the group returned to one of our most active
investigations in Rock Island Illinois.
Skellington Manor, otherwise known as the Rock Island Masonic Temple was
built in the late 1800s and was home to many area masons.  The temple was
built as a way to join outer lying factions to one central location.  Since
Free Masonry has been deemed a secret society, it is unknown as to what
these masons did here.  The investigation started with a short tour given
by one of the owners.   We then met in the ionic hall to assign teams and
ready our equipment.   While in the Ionic hall, terry was looking at some
old books that were on a shelf, some of them dating back to 1848.  He had
set his recorder on the shelf and began asking if whatever may be in the
room minded if he looked at the books.  Shortly after asking that, his
recorder battery was drained to nothing.  He said that he had brand new
batteries in the recorder, so this was noted.  Upon further review, no EVP
was caught at this time.  Terry then decided to tell us a little about Free
Masonry as his ex-wives parents once belonged to the society.   While he was doing
this, a knocking sound was heard, and a brief cold spot was felt in the
corner near the old fireplace.  The building was not air conditioned so
this was peculiar to find this cold spot.  Nothing more happened at this
time.
We then divided into two teams.  Team 1 was Steve, Terry, and Chris
with Chris as team leader.  Team 2 was Bob, Paul, and Andrea led by Bob.
Team 1 went to the basement and team 2 went to the second floor.  While
investigating the basement, Chris was looking at some old books that were
in an old locker known to be a hot spot for activity.  While he was looking
at the books and speaking aloud to whatever may be there, a loud gurgling
sound was heard and an orb was caught on video.  The gurgling sound was
found to be coming from a floor drain and the orb turned out to be a fly.
Terry claimed that he had started to feel strange, and somewhat cold while
in the basement so Steve decided to take over with an EVP session.  While
asking various questions nothing strange seemed to happen until a question
was asked about a specific Masonic officer.  Terry asked if this officer
was present, and an EVP response was caught.  Terry and Chris then decided
to go into another room in the basement while Steve decided to stay and do
a little isolation experiment.  While alone in the room, Steve started to
do some minor provoking.  While doing this a loud bang was heard.  Chris
Immediately contacted Bob on the second floor via radio.  Bob said that
they had heard the sound too, but were unable to figure out where it came
from.  It sounded like someone banging on a pipe.  Steve continued the
provocation by telling whatever was there to come and get him.  Right after
this was said, a faint laugh was heard by Terry and Chris.  Later in review
it was found that a male laugh or chuckle was caught on audio.
On the second floor Team 2 reported nothing strange except the loud
bang.  Outer doors were left open due to the building not having air
conditioning.  This created a lot of noise contamination which made
investigating difficult.  Team 1 then went to the second basement, and Team
2 went to the third floor.  While in the second basement an EVP session was
held with little results.  Team  2 had the same on the third floor.  Teams
were then switched up.  Team 1 was now Bob, Terry, and Steve on the third
floor, and Chris, Paul, and Andrea on the second floor.  While on the third
floor, we noticed that there was quite a commotion outside with the police.
We heard police sirens for about an hour which made things very difficult
so all we did was sit and monitor the IR camera that was pointed down the
hallway.  Again things were quiet as far as activity goes.  We then decided
to all join together and hit the most active floor in previous
investigations, the 4th floor.  This floor of the building was dedicated to
the Eastern Star and Rainbow ladies auxiliaries.  While on the 4th floor an
EVP session was held.  Immediately after questions were asked we all heard
what sounded like a chair sliding across the floor.  We could not determine
what moved or where the sound came from.  It was very loud, and the sound
was caught on audio.  Nothing else was experienced after that, so the group
decided to wrap.  Even though the building was inactive this time, we still
believe there is paranormal activity happening within the building.  We
believe that the activity was brought out by the construction of the
haunted house that the owners host every year, and the recent remodeling of
other areas of the building.  EVP evidence and pictures to follow.

AUDIO:

female voice and footsteps second floor skellington(2)

sliding sound third floor skellington

skellington basement response to chris

In most paranormal investigations, investigators conduct what is
called an EVP session.  These are conducted in hopes to receive a vocal,
visual, or audible response from whatever may be lurking there.  There are
a few rules when conducting a session that every good investigator should
follow.  1.  Keep your questions short and to the point.  2.  Allow 15 to
20 seconds between questions to allow for response.  3.  Note any and all
sounds heard by "tagging."  Tagging is making a vocal note of any sound
heard by the investigator.  When going over audio, if you come across a
voice, whisper, or sound that was not tagged, you can note it as possible
paranormal.  4.  Try to keep your questions on an interpersonal level.
Remember that you are speaking to what once was a person, who doesn't know
you or why you are there.  5.  Try to refrain from provoking at all costs.
You never know what or whom you are dealing with.  Provocation is only used
when absolutely no signs of activity have been noticed the whole night.
Some investigators believe that provocation is the only way to get results.
But think about it from the other side of this.  If you were a ghost,
would you want to cooperate with anyone demanding things of you or trying
to anger you?  Provocation can also be dangerous if dealing with a
malevolent or demonic entity as I found out on our Clinton investigation.
6.  Try to refrain from coughing, sneezing or clearing your throat during
an EVP session.  If you have a cough that is difficult to control it is
best not to participate in the session.  7.  Try to eliminate any and all
outside contamination, by allowing other investigators or clients to know
that you are conducting a session and to be silent at all times during.  8.
Allow only one person to ask questions during the session, this way it
eliminates any confusion and keeps the conversation between the
investigator and the ghost.  9.  Most importantly, use your senses.  Your
sense of hearing, sight, smell, taste, touch, and even intuition.  You
never know what you might miss if you close yourself off to these things.
10.  Think outside the box, don't ask the same questions over and over.
Whatever you may be talking to might become bored.  Use historical
references, talk about the weather, maybe talk about an event that happened
at the time when the spirit was alive.  If you follow these 10 simple
rules, you should be able to conduct a picture perfect EVP session.  Happy
Hunting!!!

 One of the strangest, yet unproven, phenomenon that occurs in the
world of the paranormal is object attachment.  It is believed that people
can attach their residual energy to a favorite object such as a chair,
desk, table, etc...  There have been cases out there where people have
experienced paranormal activity shortly after purchasing an antique.  In
most cases this activity is residual, but in some, intelligent hauntings
followed.  An example of this could be someone purchases what they think is
an antique vase, they get it to their home, and suddenly paranormal
activity starts happening in thier home.  What they have actually purchased
was an urn.  People have been known to sell urns to consignment and antique
shops after the contents have been emptied.  Museums can also be places
where activity occurs due to object attachment.  In an episode of Ghost
Hunters, TAPS visits a museum that had an exhibit containing artifacts from
the Titanic.  Since the exhibit went up, the museum had been experiencing
all kinds of strange occurrences.  It was concluded by TAPS that they
believed the artifacts may contain the residual energy of the souls who
perished on the ship.  So the next time you think of purchasing an antique,
consider the fact that you may be bringing a ghost into your home.

Written by Steve

Many reports of paranormal activity can be sourced to a flowing river or stream.  What does flowing water and the paranormal have in common?  In many river beds and streams are minerals such as limestone, quartz, and iron pyrite (aka. fools gold.)  These are very good storers of electromagnetic energy.  When you add flowing water to the mix, it becomes a battery.  The water acts as a conductor that brings forth the natural EMF stored in the minerals and emits it unto it’s surroundings.  And as we know, EMF is the key source of energy that is consumed by a ghost in order to exist and manefest.  The Mississippi, being the largest river in the united states, is a great example of this effect.  Many locations along this river have reported paranormal activity.  One of the most famous is the Myrtles Plantation.  In some Native American lore, water is the gateway in which the spirit enters and leaves this world.  They believed that flowing waters created a vortex, or a portal in which spirits can enter, both good and evil.  So the next time you are near a river or stream, think to yourself, there could be a ghost nearby.

written by: Stephen Danielsen

Many times we have received requests for investigations where people report activity in their home that was not apparent until they started a renovation project.  What do renovations and the paranormal have in common?  Well, you are changing the physical surroundings of a spirit that may be dormant.  By doing this you spark it’s curiosity and sometimes anger it.  Like some people, some spirits resist change.  Also the energy expelled from doing the work is enough to awaken residual energies that had otherwise fizzled out.  The activity can range from bumps and bangs, voices, shadows, apparitions, to being physically pushed or hit.  So the next time you do a project on your home and start experiencing strange things, you may have awaken a ghost.

Written by: Stephen Danielsen

A question often asked of paranormal investigators is, “Can a ghost follow you home.”  The answer to this question is, yes.  A ghost can follow you if it feels some sort of connection to you.  In some cases, ghosts are despirate.  They will latch themselves onto anyone they feel might be able to help them.  One thing.  As an investigator, I would caution others to never ask inviting questions.  Examples:  “How can I help you?” “Do you need help?” “Follow me.”  By doing this you are inviting an otherwise despirate ghost to you, because it now thinks you can help it.  A demonic spirit attaches itself to a specific person, so therefore wherever that person goes, the entity goes as well.  Demonics are one of many spirits capable of following you.  So be warned!  If you don’t like the idea of ghosts following you around, stay away from inviting questions, the occult, or attempting to make some kind of personal connection with a spirit.

Written by: Stephen Danielsen

On Feb. 6th ,  2010 a team that consisted of  4 MVP investigators paid a
revisit to a davenport home we affectionately call “the house of
clocks.”  Investigators included Becky, Bob, Jordan, and Steve.  Upon
arriving we had gone over the client’s journal  of events which she was
asked to keep.  The client said that the home had been fairly quiet since
our last visit except for still seeing the grey mist in the bedroom, and
hearing some bumps and bangs once in a while.  After the clients left, we
gathered up our gear and set off to the bedroom, a considered hot spot from
our last investigation.  Many questions were asked with what seemed like a
few bumps and knocks in response.  We did note that many of the  mechanical
clocks in the home do make a slight thump before they chime, also the
furnace ducts make thumping noises from expanding and contracting.  What
was strange is some of the knocks came in response to questioning.
     Many of the knocks were heard by Jordan who was sitting in the
adjacent bathroom which is right off the bedroom.  She claimed that they
were coming from within the walls.  This could have been water piping, but
no water was running at the time.  Jordan also claimed to have felt cold
breezes in the bathroom as well which were later debunked as air moving
through the skylight.  Steve claimed to have seen some shadow activity
toward the closet and  bedroom door, but was not caught on video.  After
completing our EVP session in the bedroom, we had decided to take a break
and change batteries.  Steve had left his digital recorder running in the
bedroom alone.  Bob decided to go back into the bedroom alone to place a
recorder in there as well.  While placing the recorder somewhere near the
dresser, a loud and clear EVP was caught on Steve’s recorder.  We believe
the EVP says “Don’t touch that!!!”  This was the only EVP caught that
night.  What is strange about it is the voice sounds similar to an EVP
caught on our first investigation of the home.  That EVP was not included
in the first report, due to further analysis, but has been included in this
report for comparison.   We then regrouped and investigated the living
room, kitchen, and sun porch areas of the home.  Steve noticed that some of
his audio had strangely been deleted, could have been a malfunction with
the recorder.  Bob also reported having lost audio, which makes this even
stranger.
     We concluded our investigation and packed up around 10:00pm.  In
analysis we found that we did not catch any of the residual voices that
were found on the first investigation.  A couple of strange pictures still
being  questioned by the group are included.  No real video evidence to
speak of.  What we have included is that there may be a presence still in
the home of what we believe to be an elderly man.  How he got there still
remains a mystery being the fact that the condos are only about 7or 8 years
old.  This presence seems to show intelligence due to it’s response to
questions, and to Bob’s actions that night.  We don’t believe him to be
malevolent in nature, nor do we believe he poses any threat at this time to
the home owners.  He may be merely confused.  Due to lack of activity and
further evidence we cannot say for sure that the home is haunted, only that
there could be an intelligent presence in the home.  Due to this
possibility the case status remains open.

AUDIO

angry whisper at bob clock house bedroom
knockandpop
unknown mine enhanced
unknownyea cold (2)
angry whisper at bob clock house bedroompart2

PHOTO

*Photos do not claim to be proof of paranormal activity and are
posted purely for entertainment.


Zoom H2 in action