Mississippi Valley Paranormal

Make sure and check out this site to find out more about our friends at Skellington Manor and their 2nd annual Monster Costume Ball! We will be attending and will be providing information on our group.

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/event.php?eid=145947035434221

SKELLINGTON MANOR REVISITED!!

Steve — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:31:33 +0000

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

MISSISSIPI VALLEY PARANORMAL AT EAST MOLINE LIBRARY

Becky — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:18:34 +0000

On August 28th, at 7:00 pm, MVP will be returning to the East Moline Library. The group held a presentation and public investigation on July 17th

and it was a big success. Some surprising results from the investigation will be revealed when the group returns on August 28th for

a reveal, new presentation and another public investigation. If you would like to be a part of the fun, please contact Tami at the library at

309-755-9614

Private Home Muscatine Iowa #5

Becky — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:12:44 +0000

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

A new video by Bob

Becky — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:46:28 +0000

Bob has created a new video for MVP and it can be viewed on the mvp youtube link. Check it out! Thanks so much Bob, for your hard work!

Conducting a Proper EVP Session

Steve — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 14:49:11 +0000

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!!!

Grand Opera House Dubuque, Iowa Investigation #2

Paul — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:30:03 +0000

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.

Private Home Investigation Illinois City, Illinois

Becky — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:59:24 +0000

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.

Lions Club Muscatine Presentation

Becky — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:20:12 +0000

Team members Becky Conner, Steve Danielsen, and Bob Brading did a fantastic job representing the group at a presentation for the Muscatine Iowa Lions Club on April 15, 2010. Becky was contacted by George, a homeowner in Muscatine that MVP has investigated for 4 times in the past. He is a member of the Lions Club and wanted MVP to do a presentation for his group.

The presentation started with Becky making introductions and giving a brief history of MVP. Next Steve demonstrated some of the equipment that we use in our investigations to try to collect scientific evidence of the paranormal. Bob had created a 3 page handout that consisted of a flyer on the front page that had our website, youtube address, and contact information, and a multiple choice quiz of pararnormal terms on the second and third pages. Bob made a cd of 19 of our best EVPs from various investigations and Steve played that while Becky explained where each was from and what we believed was being said or heard. The presentation ended with a question and answer period and we had good audience participation for that.

We enjoyed ourselves and believe that the audience obtained a better understanding of our group and the paranormal in general.