The Pioneer and Military Memorial Park was visited by some of the top paranormal investigators in the Phoenix area on January 23, 2010. The group of 28 ghost hunters carried in bags of ghost detecting equipment, cameras, and recording devices into the historic Smurthwaite House which stands on the cemetery property.
The Smurthwaite House was built in 1897 for Captain Trustrim Connell and his wife Anne. It was last owned by the Smurthwaite Family and deeded to the City of Phoenix in 1982. The City of Phoenix and volunteers of the Pioneers’ Cemetery Association care and preserve this lovely Victorian mansion. The elderly Connells died in their home when it sat on 7th Street. Could their ghosts still haunt the two story house?
The Pioneer and Military Memorial Park is actually made up of 7 different cemeteries. The first known official cemetery in Phoenix was located between Madison and Jackson Streets and bounded on the west by 7th Avenue. By 1884, dissatisfaction with the condition of the early cemetery led to the Masons, Odd Fellows, and Knights of Pythias purchase of the current location for laying out a cemetery. This location was considered far away from town and would create no problems as the city was developing east and west. The condition of the cemetery deteriorated as had the first cemetery, and about 1914 the city forbade fourth burials at the side. Many families removed their dead and relocated them in nearby cemeteries such as Greenwood. 
The first order of the evening was to clean the cemetery in preparation of the Open House to be held Saturday January 30, 2010. Everyone donned gloves and carried trash pickers and bags as they combed the desert landscaped cemetery for garbage that blew in from recent storms. Their reward was a warm sloppy Joe and chili buffet served with all the ‘unnecessary’ trimmings.
After dinner, they grabbed cameras and their flashlights as Debe Branning led the group on a sunset historic tour of the cemetery. They visited the graves of several of the early settlers of Phoenix. Some were very influential members of the community and others lived life a bit on the dark side, or met horrifying deaths. The cemetery holds two Historical Walking Tours each year where costumed characters portray eight of the pioneers buried there. The next historical walk will be held on March 28, 2010.
Next, Debe gathered the guests together and decided to take them out of their comfort zone for a little while. She separated them away from their teams, spouses, partners, and friends and rearranged them into a new temporary team. The next exercise was to give them a sample of The Amazing Cemetery Crawl 5 coming up on April 10, 2010, and to test their problem solving psychic abilities. Each of the six teams were given a riddle poem describing a tombstone standing in the cemetery and were sent out to locate, photograph, and present their findings to Debe who was waiting patiently near the fountain. This exercise also brought new friends together and enforced UNITY—the theme Arizona paranormal investigators are striving for in 2010. 
The next two hours the ghost hunters were left to explore the cemetery on their own. It was a chance to try new equipment, learn new investigating techniques, and perhaps communicate with that particular tombstone that drew them to it. Some chose to learn how to dowse in a cemetery, while others used many variations of EMF meters. The K-ll meter was very popular with the group of investigators. Many of the spirit seekers were recording EVP with digital recording devices and countless photos were taken throughout the night.
The last activity of the night was held in the warmth of the Smurthwaite House parlor. We formed a circle, placed recording devices on the floor, and turned off the lights. A controlled 30 minute EVP session was led by Susie Dwyer of API. Everyone added their own questions in hopes of an audio response when recorders are played back. Several people had personal experiences of being touched, hearing faint voices, footsteps from the second floor, and seeing shadows. Results of this investigation are being analyzed. I cannot say if the Smurthwaite house is haunted or not, but there is an abundance of energy from the past felt throughout the complex. 
The MVD Ghostchasers would like to thank the teams of Ghosts of Arizona, Arizona Paranormal Investigations, and International Community for Paranormal Investigations & Research for sending members of their teams to participate in this workshop.
We would also like to thank the Pioneers’ Cemetery Association for allowing this workshop on the historic cemetery grounds. There will be an OPEN HOUSE at the Cemetery on JANUARY 30, 2010 from 10AM to 3PM. This event is FREE.
Pioneer & Military Memorial Park
14th Avenue and Jefferson Street
Phoenix, AZ 85007
For more information: www.mvdghostchasers.com
Debe Branning nazanaza@aol.com
All photos courtesy of Debe Branning and the Spirit Workshop crew
Comments