Investigations

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

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Private Home Muscatine Iowa #5

by Becky on Jul.26, 2010, under Investigations

MVP returned to this Muscatine location for the 5th time. This was one of the more active cases we’ve had leaving us all scratching our heads a bit (and of course planning for our return investigation). EMF levels at times were a lot higher than normal and seemed to dissipate and return for no apparent reason, Wiring being a culprit for a majority of the EMF it still could not explain a lot of the activity we experienced and we believe merits further investigation to accurately pinpoint the exact source. Team members present were Jordan, Stephanie, Andrea, Chris, Paul, and Bob. During our time there Chris and Stephanie lead the group as we toured the house with tenants and we set up IR cameras and audio recording devices in some of the hotspots throughout the home. Chris with Cell sensor(EMF detector) Paul and myself took the first session in the upstairs kitchenette and were delighted to have what appeared to be responses to some of our questions using the cell sensor as a communication media. We mounted an infrared night vision camera in the main kitchen area part of the night where dishes had been reported to have been moved and dumped but had no luck in capturing anything there. We switched groups during the night to give everyone a chance to investigate, new member Andrea of Dubuque IA, Stephanie and Jordan were the second group to investigate the upstairs area with similar results. Reports so far have lead some to believe that an older male spirit may perhaps be responsible for some of the activity but that has yet to be proven. Several pictures (that are posted here) were also taken during the night that yielded some interesting results as well. It is our belief that this case needs to be looked into further and a return investigation planned, special thanks to George for inviting us to investigate its always a pleasure to return to Muscatine also known to some as “Pearl button” capital of the world. This case brought about some unexpected events that I think deserve a mention also .It was brought to our attention by a fan Kathy at “Culvers” in Davenport IA that more people are following our site and becoming fans of Mississippi Valley Paranormal and we would just like to welcome all of you who take an interest in our work and take a second to just say “Thank you”.

Personal experiences:

Stephanie- The EMF detector was set on the line between the kitchen and hallway and was sitting there dead for a good 5 minutes or so (since we arrived upstairs). I asked it several questions with no results. When I specifically asked if “it” wanted us to leave the EMF detector went off with about three to four beeps then went silent again. It remained silent for the 30 seconds or so it took for us to leave the upstairs in accordance. Later in the evening, myself and other team members asked it to come near the detector, in which it would start going off. Then I asked it to back away from it and the detector stopped. This happened three or four times with everyone on the team as a witness.

Photos are for entertainment only and do not make claims of paranormal activity.

EVP youtube video

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Grand Opera House Dubuque, Iowa Investigation #2

by Paul on Apr.28, 2010, under Investigations

The Grand Opera House
April 16th, 2010 Investigation
GENERAL INFORMATION
• Theater Manager: Paul Hemmer
• Address: 135 W 8th Street, Dubuque, Iowa 52001
• Telephone: Business Office (563) 588-4356 Fax (563) 588-3497 Box Office (563) 588-1305

History (Copied from http://www.thegrandoperahouse.com/aboutus/index.cfm)
Written and researched by Paul Hemmer (2006)
Dubuque’s historic Grand Opera House is the oldest and most “grand” of more than 16 legitimate theaters which served the community prior to 1900. Theater historians say between 1839 and 1890 Dubuque saw more “big” shows than any other city of comparable size in the United States. Dubuque was on “the biggest circuit” that brought the most famous names in 19th century show business, including the greatest American and European stars.
On August 14, 1890 the opening night audience thrilled to a professional touring company production of Bizet’s “Carmen” with a cast of 65 plus full orchestra. For more than 3 decades tri-state audiences thrilled to shows starring many of the most famous in theater including Al Jolson, George M. Cohan, Ethel Barrymore, Lillian Russell, Sarah Bernhardt and a young Henry Fonda.
National touring companies brought the best of the era to the Grand including a legendary production of “Ben Hur” that featured live horses and chariots on a treadmill. A sandstorm was staged for “The Garden of Allah”. The Boston Opera Company came for a week and produced a different opera every night. Legendary pianist Ignace Paderewski thrilled audiences and John Phillip Sousa’s US Marine Band was a major hit.
Touring minstrel shows were always popular, but newspaper reviews and playbills of the day reveal a wide variety of attractions including the legendary “Cherry Sisters” (Effie, Addie and Essie) a notorious trio billed as “The World’s Worst Act”. Their appearance in Mid-May of 1893 filled the theater with mostly male patrons who came to boo, hiss and throw things at the performers. Although theater management placed 7 security officers throughout the auditorium things got out of control when a wash boiler was passed into the balcony from the alley and then hurled onto the stage. Present day audiences who don’t like a performance are considerably more polite. In the early 1900’s the building next to the Grand on the east side (toward Iowa St) was home to The Grand Opera House Cafe and Grille.
During this era, the auditorium included a 2nd balcony and four large theater boxes that created a seating capacity of 1,100.
The Grand installed a “fly-in” screen in 1915 and began showing silent films with piano or small orchestral accompaniment. During the next 13 years movie revenue soared and live theater receipts diminished. When “Ladies of the Jury” closed March 14, 1928 the first era of live theater was over. From opening night to 1928 The Grand hosted more than 2,600 live performances.
In 1930 the theater was “stripped to the frame” and rebuilt as a movie house. The 2nd balcony and four glamorous box seats were removed leaving just 681 of the original 1,100 seats. The orchestra pit was covered over and the semi-circular stage front flattened. The “fly space” for sets above the stage was shut off. A massive air ventilation system filled the rehearsal rooms below the stage. Two large fireproof projection rooms replaced the 2nd floor dressing rooms and hall area that had served the upper balcony. A screen and sound equipment were installed, The Grand Opera House became The Grand Theater and a new era had begun. After 1930 theatrics of another kind continued, however, as live wrestling matches were also presented on stage.
For the next 50 years Dubuque enjoyed the best of Hollywood from the same stage where the greats of live theater once performed. Although popcorn is considered a staple of movie theater “food”, it wasn’t sold at The Grand until 1947 when a new concession stand was added to the lobby.
In 2001 The Grand was named to the National Register of Historic Places. Its architectural style is Richardsonian Romanesque which was becoming stylish at the end of the 18th century. The style is named for Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Copley Square, Boston, Massachusetts. The Grand original architect was Willoughby J. Edbrooke, who supervised design of the U.S. Treasury as well as the old US Post Office in Washington, D.C. and the original Ellis Island Buildings. The facade consists of St. Louis brick facing with Bayfield red sandstone trim. Other Dubuque buildings imitating the style include the nearby Security Building at 8th & Main, Stout House at 11th & Locust, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church at 12th & Main, Mt. Carmel Motherhouse overlooking the Mississippi on South Grandview, and The Dubuque Brewing and Malting Bldg. at 30th & Jackson.
As 21st century audiences relax and enjoy productions in this beautifully renovated theater, the heritage and traditions of past generations of actors, musicians, choreographers, costumers, stage hands, set designers and managers will live on.

Mississippi Valley Paranormal conducted their first investigation of the Grand Opera house originally in 2009 and wished to return for a second investigation due the activity found at the time.
The following Members attended this investigation :
Becky Conner
Bob Brading
Stephanie Adams
Paul Doyle
Bryce Carlson
Steve Danielsen
Jordan Johnson
Chris Fleshood
We had several guest investigators accompanied by regular members
Marlana Doyle
Terry Enright
Andrea Calkins
Amanda LeVan
Krista Fleshood
All members met at the Grand Opera House at approximately 6:00PM and we were greeted by Keith from the Grand Opera House who showed us the facility and then left the building leaving the team alone in the building.
The team was equipped with a assortment of Digital voice recorders, cameras (Digital, Film, Infrared, video, still) Various cell and EMF meters, a Thermal Imaging Camera without image recording (On loan from Sandry Fire Supply)
The Grand Opera House is currently being fitted with an elevator and each floor had construction debris and dust, the majority of the floors had plastic covering to protect the carpets
The building was laid out as follows:
Basement dressing rooms and prop storage
Main Floor containing the stage and auditorium seating
Balcony area with office space
Projector and rehearsal floor (being used as general contractor area)
Rehearsal floor
Attic Storage area (Storage of wardrobe)
Due to the number of Guest Investigators present a mini workshop was conducted by Steve in the main seating area as others in the team discussed equipment setup and placement.
The investigation started with all members present in the main seating area and balcony as the lights were turned off and music from the opera Carmen was played in hopes that music would trigger responses.
After this first session the team members were separated into 2 teams of 6 people and assigned to different floors in attempt to reduce cross noise contamination and switched out on a rotating basis
The remainder of this document references personal experiences and evidence captured by individual team members
Steve:
My personal experiences include, hearing a loud bang when questioning in
the basement later found to be what we thought was a toilet stall door.
Hearing a loud bang on the wall and feeling the counter get pushed into my
back when in the sewing room in the basement. Having my flashlight pulled
from my back pocket when in the basement hallway, losing battery on both my
video camera and illuminator light while asking for sign of presence in the
basement hallway. The basement seemed very active that night.

Steph:
In the basement, I heard what sounded like a woman’s voice make a brief
yelling sound with my own ears. I heard what to me sounded like a toilet
flushing on the floor above me followed by a loud slamming noise which
sounded like a door. No one was upstairs to do this and no one else could
have done it in the basement. After testing the theory out from one of the
bathrooms in the basement, it sounded the same. On the fifth floor, while
standing in the same spot as Jordan had earlier, I felt my legs being
pushed when asked and only when specifically asked. It is a like a weight
forcing your legs forward.

Terry:
I saw what looked like a reddish light on the wall in one basement room.
Outside we heard a woman’s voice. I heard a woman scream a few times, at
least 3. I thought the air got misty or something when we were on the
balcony and it got cold.
Jordan:
My experiences were similar to Stephanie’s, The door slamming while we were
in the basement, I was also touched at the same time while Steve was
experiencing battery drains on his camera. I was pushed in the
attic after provoking the supposed female spirit, this only occurring when asked
and felt like my center of gravity was shifted, this happened three times on
command.

Bryce:

In the theatre, I didn’t experience anything. In the basement prop room, we all heard the sound of a toilet flushing
and the slam of a stall door. We were able to recreate it; however the
other teams swear that no one used the restroom. In the dressing room
area, we heard a squeaking noise that couldn’t be explained.

Later on in the basement after team switched, I was walking by the
sewing room door and heard something shuffle behind it, scaring the crap
out of me. Steve, Jordan and myself then entered the room and were
sitting when something hit the wall with enough force to shake the table
that Steve was leaning on. We were unable to recreate it, as the room on
the other side was the prop room and couldn’t get back far enough to
recreate it.

In the attic, I noticed that Bob’s camera kept going out of focus as it
filmed towards the end of the room. When I went down there with Jordan’s
sister, we both saw a small orb of light go from one end of the ceiling
by the stairs towards us and disappear.
Paul:
I went upstairs with Bob as the training session was being conducted and as
I took pictures my camera went dead in the attic area …no bleed down or
warning, it just shut off (It had a set of fresh batteries before the night
started) . I have owned this camera for several years and have never had
that happened before and it didn’t happen again when more batteries were
placed in it and lasted the remainder of the night.

When we started off my Daughter and I were on the stage near the right wing
with the Thermal Imaging, I kept getting a cold feeling on and off but I am
not sure if it was a ventilation unit cycling or not.
On several occasions I kept seeing something in my peripheral vision near
the door leading to the basement again Right Wing but was never able to see
it clearly.
Heard creaking above us in the staging area on a couple of occasions but
again easily explained away with ropes holding weight settling in there
sheaves.

One thing I could not explain was in the back of the theatre (West end
near the electrical switch and sponsor board)) entrance doorways I
definitely saw a human shape silhouette in the thermal imaging framed in
the door way but walked out and I never saw it again in the other doorways
or on the stairs. I called out asking if anyone was in that area but a head
count I did with the thermal showed everyone where they had been both
upstairs in the balcony and spread out through the lower bowl. The shape
moved so quickly I couldn’t get a temperature reading on it but it was
clearly defined by a lower temperature color.

We then went to the office area where we set up a control experiment with a
paperclip on paper with a inked outline. I snapped pictures of the clip
before the session and after the session and did not detect any movement.
As we were in the office many of us did hear a noise outside the doorway
that sounded like a step on the plastic covered carpet but did not see
anyone in that area.

In the upper balcony I saw nothing unusual but my daughter told me that she
saw something in the seating below us that looked like a slight shadow
change but did not repeat.

A trip to the basement next and I did not experience anything unusual at
that time.

As we took a break in the box office lobby I went downstairs to use the
men’s rest room and I was alone when I entered the bathroom I walked in to a
lit room with the furthest most urinal near the stall flushing as I
entered. The water ran for about 30 seconds and shut off normally I
played around with the automatic flushing valve ( Proximity switch
actuated) and could not find anything unusual….I was a bit spooked during
this and didn’t feel that way again for the rest of the evening.

I didn’t have any experiences as we investigated the upper floors

In the attic my daughter was sitting on the floor near the middle of the
room in the main aisle…as Jordan and Stephanie
were provoking and experiencing the loss of balance at the end of the
building I saw my daughter in the thermal reaching behind her and pulling
at her shirt she then told me that she felt like something was poking her
and she thought her shirt was snagged on something but there was nothing
close to her back from my viewpoint.

AUDIO

PHOTOS

VIDEOS

thump

unexplained squeak in attic This audio was captured by Bob when the camera was left on the 5th floor. Listen for the unexplained squeaking noise.

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Private Home Investigation Illinois City, Illinois

by Becky on Apr.26, 2010, under Investigations

Mississippi Valley Paranormal was contacted by Jim, the homeowner of a home in Illinois City, regarding activity in his home.
The following are some of the claims of activity:
This place has been haunted for a long time there were incidents during my grandparents time but the recent events have continued on for the last 25 years. The serious haunting began with night visits to the bedrooms with heavy breathing and the room turning so cold you would have thought you could see your breath, that progressed to the bed being pushed down and waking you from a sound sleep, then to being shoved or poked. This went on for some time then it finally slowed to today only an occasional event maybe every 6 months. We have a dog that is occasionally bothered and will jump up and bark at it or sometimes you can see her looking as if she sees something. Drawers have been pulled open in front of a room full of people, pictures slammed down, lights being turned on or off, toilets flushing, clothes dryer being turned on.
The most current events are as follows you will hear conversations as if you can almost understand them but not quite, keys missing for 2 months then turning up in the middle of the living room floor. This week a pile of change on the counter was there at 4 AM but missing at 8 AM with no one in the house. The serious events with in the last few months have happened in the garage with myself and brother in the garage about to close it up after a projec. We heard a loud meow from the attic and thought it was a cat that had gotten in I went up to shoo it out and was calling it. The noise got really loud came up to me then went past to the other end of the attic. There was no cat up there I told my brother and came down. After I got down a popcorn tin was thrown from the attic and hit me, I threw it back and told it this is my garage. This last month my brother went to the garage when he turned his back to leave he heard a noise, turned and the drawers on the big tool box were open he went and closed them before he got to the door they were opened
again. He caught a glimpse of an old man walking past the door then
disappeared. My sister saw someone standing behind her as she looked at her reflection in the window. She moved to see if it was a fluke but only her reflection moved when she looked behind her no one was there.

A team consisting of Becky, Bryce, Steve, Jordan, Paul, and Bob started the investigation with Bob and Steve setting up video equipment. A voice recorder was set in the basement next to some Native American artifacts. We then conducted an EVP session in the dining room/ kitchen area. During that time, we all experienced seeing the lazer light beam going out twice, with no explanation for it and no reoccurence of it at any other time.

The members split up with Jordan and Becky staying in the house, Bryce and Steve in the garage, and Bob and Paul in the wooded area. During the night, the members switched teams and did a thorough investigation of the home and grounds. All members experienced unexplained noises.

Becky and Bryce both reported hearing conversations through their headphones, but nothing was caught on any dvr. When Becky was sitting in the recliner, in the living room, it felt like something pushed on the back of the recliner. She also reported smelling the scent of flowers while sitting at the dining room table. Later during the night, Bob reported a floral scent, as well, and was not aware of Beckys earlier report of it. Bryce reported that in the Garage he heard the sound of something hollow being hit (a storage drum possibly), movement of the attic ladder, and 2 meows from a cat that was unseen and not captured on audio. In the woods he heard the sound of a branch breaking, but this could have been an animal.

The team concluded the investigation after 3 hours.

The following unexplained audio was captured:

AUDIO
deep voice cleaned

very faint whisper garage

PHOTOS

DVR set next to Native American artifacts

View of the basement with mist

Same view of the basement without the mist.

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March 2010 Investigation Private Home Davenport, Iowa

by Becky on Apr.05, 2010, under Investigations

In March 2010, Mississippi Valley conducted two investigations at the home of Kelly in Davenport. Kelly had contacted us for validation for a presence she felt was in the home. Kelly thought of this woman as Helen and she was believed to be a past owner of the home. Kelly experienced lights, radio, and tv going off and on, and at one time felt she had been grabbed around the ankle, while walking up the stairs. She told of painting at the house and as she went to turn off the light in the entry, the extension pole crashed to the floor in the kitchen. She also reported experiencing a really heavy feeling. Like that feeling that someone is watching you, but really heavy.
MVP conducted the first investigation with members Becky, Stephanie, Steve, Bob, Bryce, Sally, and Paul being present. Because of possible contamination of evidence, a second investigation was scheduled for the following week. This investigation consisted of Becky, Bob, Steve, and Diana.

Personal Experiences from both investigations

Becky- In the right bedroom, we all heard a very loud noise after I asked for anything there to go closer to the emf to make it go off. I thought I saw a shadow out of the corner of my eye, out in the hallway. Steve, Stephanie, and I all heard an unexplained noise out in the hallway. Stephanie and I both saw a very bright light flash on the lower part of the bedroom wall, right above the mopboard. I thought I saw a dark shadow pass in front of Steve. It seemed to block him out for a second, to the point where I could not see his light colored hat.

Bob- The only experience I had was seeing what looked like something going past the door frame at the top of the stairs on the second floor, I’m still not sure what it was, like the edge of something medium to light/brown only a few inches of it as it went past the door frame,I stopped at the top of the stairs and called out to see if anyone was upstairs and there wasn’t….?

Stephanie- I did see the small bright orb of light go across the wall once in the main bedroom upstairs collaborating Becky and Steve’s claims.

Steve- I did see the little balls of light in the main bedroom, and had something pulling my hair in the basement. The hair pulling has yet to be determined being the fact there were several cobwebs hanging from the ceiling.

Steve- 2nd investigation: We were in the middle of a direct K2 conversation with something that was there in the house, when suddenly I lost all control. I felt a cold sensation ride up my back, then out of nowhere I felt an overwhelming sadness that overtook me. When asked what was wrong I abruptly answered “I don’t know.” It was as if something took over my body and my emotions for what seemed to me like minutes, in reality it was like 5 seconds. I had an experience similar to what a psychic medium would have. I cannot explain it much more than this. All I know is I will never forget the experience as long as I live.

Diana- As for personal experiences the only thing I can say that I witnessed was the direct K2 conversation that we had going on. Which was awesome and I really do believe that Kelly has something there…….. I finally got through audio this weekend and I did have something weird happen, even though I didn’t catch anything tangible on my audio, I noticed when I went to listen to it, the last half or at least the last 1/4 of it didn’t record anything at all…….even though it says it recorded 3 hours of audio I bet there was only about 2 hours total that I listened to and it showed a full battery and my DVR isn’t full by any means it should have had plenty of room on it. But the last hour I left it up in the bathroom by itself while Steve and bob went up to the attic and Becky, me and Kelly went downstairs. Then Steve and Bob came back down to try to recreate the K2 session from earlier and that whole thing should have been on my audio and it wasn’t. Another thing I thought was weird is the fact I remember specifically when I went up there to get it while we were packing it up I remember seeing the red light on it and turning it off… so why didn’t I get anything?
AUDIO

click

die

diana light this is the audio of Diana seeing the pinpoints of light that Bob captured on film.

female laughing kelly’s house

voice 2 kelly’s home

voice 3 kelly’s house

female voice calling out

PHOTO

*Photos and video do not claim to be proof of the paranormal

Green and Blue pinpoints of light we were seeing

Green light enhanced

Blue light enhanced

Green and Blue lights circled

VIDEO

white orb

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Bellevue Indian Mounds

by Paul on Apr.03, 2010, under Investigations

On a spur of the moment I called Bob up and asked if he wanted to take a small road trip to Bellevue and take a visit to the Indian Mounds at the state park. Needless to say I was picking him up about a half hour later and we were heading north and arrived at the bluff top park just before sunset.

We did a session of EVP and lots of pics as we walked along the path next to the mounds and tried to spark a reaction to our visit there. We stayed for just over a hour and it was good and dark with a bit of fog rolling in when we packed up and left back to Clinton.

I didn’t find anything on my camera or Voice Recorder but I do know that Bob captured what appeared to be a orb picture in a place that wasn’t condusive to reflections i.e..dark woods with nothing reflective to be seen by either of us. Ill let Bob show and discuss what he found when he gets a chance to get it posted.

Skellington Manor Investigation

by Becky on Nov.25, 2009, under Investigations

On January 30, 2010, at 6:30 pm MVP was given the chance to perform an investigation at Skellington Manor, the former Masonic Temple in Rock Island, IL.

We met with Kimmy a friend of Mike and Penni Steen, whom are owners of Skellington Manor. Kim took members of the team through the building and showed them the different floors and told of reports of activity. Members split up into 2 teams. Team 1 was Diana, Jordan, and Becky and team 2 was Bob, Steve, and Stephanie. Team 1 stayed on the main floor while team 2 went to the 4th floor. Throughout the night, teams alternated floors and tried to hit all of the reported activity spots.The following are personal experiences that were reported by team members.

Steve writes this: Stephanie, Bob, our escort, and myself were in the process of investigating the 4th floor of Skellington manor. This floor has been considered a hot spot by the client. There were many animatronic horror displays left from the Halloween haunted house that the manor holds every year. We were doing an EVP session, and I had my IR camcorder pointed down a narrow hallway that was used by staff to get from room to room. I could see the wall at the end of the hallway, then all of a sudden a shadow slipped in from left to right, blocking out the end of the hallway. I panned my camera back and forth a little to make sure I just didn’t move the camera from it’s original position. I could see nothing, it was totally blocked out. I mentioned to the group that I could not see the end of the hallway anymore, then the camera refocused and cleared to reveal the wall again. I said to the group that I could see again, and BOOM! Something hit the camera, jolting it sideways. Of course I was excited about what just happened, and a little uneasy. Did whatever hit my camera hit it out of anger, or by accident in passing? I tend to think it was the latter, because nothing felt or seemed malevolent the whole night. All I knew is something that I could not see hit my camera. There was nothing there to bump the camera against, and I was holding the thing as still as possible. I was able to catch the shadow, and the sound of the hit on video and audio. Later that night, we had finished the investigation and had started to break down. ,I along with Stephanie, Jordan and Bob returned to the 4th floor to get Bob’s camera. We were standing in the same area where the event with my camera took place, when I looked over Stephanie’s shoulder to see a dark shadow that was shaped like the head and shoulders of a person move through the room behind her. The room in question was what we called the meat locker. It was a room in which body bags hung from the haunted house along with some fake body parts on the wall. Whatever I saw blocked out the body parts on the wall as it strolled by. I did not mention anything right away as I thought it may have been a trick of the eyes, when Stephanie mentioned seconds after I saw this, that she had felt something brush by her, hitting her hand along the way. We looked into the room to notice one of the fake body bags swinging slightly back and forth, as if something had brushed it walking by. We unfortunately did not have any equipment with us at this time, so it just became a personal experience. These are two experiences I will never forget. I honestly believe there is something to this place.

Diana writes, as for personal experiences, I can’t say that I had any except for Jordan and I possibly seeing a shadow down the end of the hall when we were in the locker room on the 4th floor.

Steph wrote, My personal experiences…

I heard some noises in response to our questions around the time in which Steve saw some distortion in his camera and before it was hit. I felt there was more than one entity around us at that time. The two guys there thought they heard what sounded like a wind chime but I did not hear it. When we went into the other room a curtain that our guide said had been closed earlier during our walk-thru was now open. There had been no one up there between those times. Towards the end of the night while me, Stephen, Bob, and Jordan were tearing down Bob’s equipment, I was speaking to the group about various horror movies and just basic conversation when I suddenly thought I saw something move very close to me in the corner of my eye. I also felt a breeze and a sensation that something had just passed me very close and very quickly. I whipped my head around to look in the direction in which it was going but saw nothing. I was standing in the doorway between the execution room and body bag room. I felt that whatever it was went from the execution room and around me into the body bag room.

Beckys report of personal experiences included unexplained noises and a possible shadow across the wall in the locker room. The group had a fantastic time investigating this historic building and trying to validate the existing claims of activity.

The following are photos that were taken at Skellington Manor. Photos do not claim to be paranormal.

PHOTOS

Old Lockers

Unexplained glow by the Chucky room.

Something manifesting next to Becky??

Check out the circled areas

Preparing to investigate

Jordan and Diana meet one of the residents

Visitation time for Steve and Stephanie

Bob and some friends

Steve and Jordan

AUDIO

I won’t tell anyone your secret

sound of something hittling my camera 4th floor

UnexplainedVoice

Whisper

VIDEO

steve (2)

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Davenport Home Investigation #2

by Steve on Nov.24, 2009, under Investigations

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

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Davenport, Iowa Home December 12, 2009

by Becky on Nov.23, 2009, under Investigations

MVP was contacted, in November, by the daughter of a woman that had been experiencing unexplained activity in her home. This woman had enough of the activity and now wanted answers.

A phone interview was conducted with the homeowner and the following activity was reported from the daughter and her mother:

They have lived in the house, located in Davenport for five years. She was in their bathroom and a cat picture (that hangs above the cat box) was fine. She turned away for a minute or so to do whatever, looked back and the picture was covered in sticky stuff and ash. Her husband even asked what happened to it. She said that things happen every day but nothing as tragic as being pushed (she had to go to physical therapy three times a week after that as she was pushed hard into a wall), cats dying, health problems, etc. The biggest nuisance are things coming up missing and then resurfacing a few days later. She has seen a ‘mist’ toward the ceiling at night in the bedroom. Things come up missing, especially her jewerly. She told me about her watch that always comes up missing. She will go to get it, it’s not there and then it will resurface a few days later in the spot where she had been looking. She had the same experience with a ring. She went to go get it, not there and a few days later there it was right on top of the jewerly box. Stuff has moved on it’s own. Jars in the pantry will fall off even though the jars are not close to the edge. Last Easter she knew she put egg dye in the kitchen, couldn’t find it until she went into the bathroom and there it was and she had not been in the bathroom previously. A heavy clock managed to fall off a table one night and shattered (too heavy for a cat to knock off). There was black ash stuff in the hall bathroom all over the walls. One time she went to take clothes out of the washer and cardboard was in there with the clothes! She said it was like someone had put a cardboard box in the washer. She cleaned it out and threw it away in the garage. The next night after getting home from dinner, dried cardboard was all over the house. The next time she washed, there were quite a few paper clips in with the clothes. Not long ago, she wasn’t able to open a door, the handle just wouldn’t turn. The computer always stops working as well as television problems when the husband is out of town. She was pushed across the room, almost pushed down a flight of stairs and felt something push her when she was on a ladder. She said the last strange thing that happened was some garland disappeared from the fireplace area (it was hanging over the fireplace). She found it about 5 feet away wrapped up.

On December 12th, MVP arrived at the home to conduct the investigation. A walk through took place and equipment was brought in. The team of Becky, Bryce, Bob, Jordan, Stephanie, Steve, and Sarah left to get supper and then returned to set up equipment and begin the investigation. Control experiments were set up, with a watch and ring being set on a piece of paper and outlined to monitor any movement that might happen. Cat toys had been brought by several members to see if they could illicit any responses, since the homeowner feels that what is there does not like cats. Members split up into two teams with team 1 being Steve, Bob, and Jordan that started their investigation in the homeowners bedroom, and team 2 being Becky, Sarah, and Steph that started their investigation in the kitchen area. Bryce remained stationary monitoring the camera that was set up in the bedroom, to catch any possible movement of objects, mists, or shadows.

The team in the kitchen proceeded to do an EVP session. During that time Becky reported seeing shadows numerous times. All 3 members heard an unexplained noise that sounded like a whisper and also heard a knock.

The team in the bedroom conducted an EVP session as well. During their session, there were numerous reports of shadows, EMF going off, cold spots, unexplained sounds, heavy feelings, and breaks in the lazer beam. This is Bobs account of what he experienced: While sitting on a chair in the bathroom, adjacent to the master bedroom, my EMF detector picked up a very high magnetic field that seemed to be of a circular pattern and focused around the area where I was sitting. The EMF meter was too far from any electrical outlets to register the residential power and no other electronic devices were in my possesion at the time. After about 2-3 minutes the EMF meter decreased down to zero and did not pick up any more readings in that area-nor could I find any readings in that area at all. Also a number of knocks were heard in the presence of the home owners daughter prior to equipment setup and investigation. Jordan reported a heavy feeling several times and also noted the area getting dark and then lighter.

After about 40 minutes the teams switched rooms and continued their investigation.

The members decided to stay together for the next part of the investigation and all went to the lower level to conduct their investigation. During this time, the motion detector seemed to light up several times, with no known reason for it.

The investigation concluded with the members conducting a short EVP session in the living room area. The teams reported very few personal experiences.

The following audio is being submitted as EVPs that we could not explain.

Audio

six knocks dav home enhanced

that’s freaky I love it enhanced- Bob reacting to the EMF spike