Being part of a paranormal team seems like a fun, if not odd hobby for some people to have. Most get involved after watching one of the many television shows devoted to showing you the scarier side of the paranormal.
However as quickly as some get involved they lose interest when they find out that in reality ghost hunting isn't all that fun. In fact at times it can be a methodical drag. Especially when most places you visit aren't full of slamming doors or flying two by fours.
For many, the hours you spend are usually in quiet unassuming buildings or cemeteries full of sticks and bugs. For those looking for a quick scare it is an instant turn off but for those devoted few, hunting is all about the science and the research.
Recently we have been given permission to copy a local ghost hunting teams report log about a night they spent at the May-Stringer house located in Brooksville, Florida.
Date: 11/19/2011
Time: 9:00pm
Temperature: 74-76°
Climate: Inside Air Conditioned
Atmosphere: Quiet, Still
Researchers: Denise, Gary, Nya
House History: The house was owned by two doctors. The first was John May. He purchased the house and surrounding land in 1855 and lived there until his death in 1858. His wife Marena continued to live in the home and eventually remarried. Her daughter Jessie May passed away from an unknown illness and not long after that Marena passed away in the home during childbirth. Both Jessie May and her mother are buried in the front yard.
Not long after the house was sold to Dr. Sheldon Stringer. Dr. Stringer added an addition downstairs and began treating patients in the house. At one point he used the home as a sanatorium for treating small pox and yellow fever patients. After a few years the Stringers moved on, the reason is unknown and the house stayed empty. In 1877 a fire in town destroyed all the records of the home including the documents of ownership. Many years later it became the Hernando Historical Museum and is known as the May-Stringer house. It is currently recognized by the National Registry as a historic landmark.
Reported Activity by Docent Bonnie Le Tourneau
1. Volunteers who work there report strange occurrences throughout the house with special notice being brought to the attic and the spirit they call Mr. Nasty. Bonnie reported being slapped by Mr. Nasty and feeling threatened. She said at times she would smell a pungent odor as though someone with really bad b.o. was standing nearby. After being attacked several times she no longer goes into the attic.
2. Bonnie reported that in Jessie Mays room no one is allowed to touch or remove the dolls in the crib. She said this was done once when they needed to repair the crib. The reaction was so violent that the next day when they went into the room after opening the crib had been dismantled.
3. A man is seen standing in the upstairs window or on the second story balcony next to the door of the communications room in the early hours of the morning. Reports of this have come from many of the townspeople as well as the sheriffs deputies that patrol the area. Saying it wasn't uncommon for newer officers to stop and walk the perimeter check to see if the place had been broken into.
4. Those who have worked in the house believe that some of the spirits that reside there were brought in with some of the items that have been donated.
Research Plan:
We had no real plan for set up however on Bonnie's indication that the attic and Jessie Mays room where a couple of the more active hot spots we chose to place video camera's in those two rooms. We wanted to do evp abandonment sessions in as many rooms as possible. We abandoned our digital voice recorders in the infirmary, the military room, the kitchen, the area just outside the attic near the stairwell and in the schoolroom. The purpose for our doing this is to record random areas throughout the location in an attempt to pick up evp's or residual noises. We also had hand-helds with us at all times.
Our staring point was the attic where we spent thirty five minutes of group time and decided that each woman of the group, Nya & Denise, would come up independently and spend time by themselves in the attic. From there we broke up and went our separate ways throughout the house.
We each spent individual time in just about every room in the house. Gary reported being drawn to the school room. Stating, "it had a quiet feel" to it. Nya spread her time out as evenly as she could throughout the night but spent the most time in the attic, infirmary, and Jessie Mays room. She stated that there was "no particular reason" she spent most of her time in these two rooms. She was just trying to capture the moment. Denise wandered throughout the house but spent the majority of her time in Jessie Mays room and the communications room. Stating, she found these two rooms "curious".
Midway through the night all three went outside to do a thorough investigation of the grounds. Nothing out of the ordinary caught anyone's attention.
Experiments:
- Gary - none
- Nya - none
- Denise - Had an idea while in the communications room. She would show off and explain the latest communications technology, her android cell phone. She did the same in Jessie Mays room because the two rooms adjoin. Her thought wound around the fact that those in the house, especially that room in particular would have no idea what today's technology was like and may be interested in learning. She felt an appropriate place to do so was in the communications room.
Researcher Notes:
- Nya - hearing a harmonica "playing softly" while she was sitting alone in Jessie Mays room, strange knocks and movement sounds in the attic, and a "creepy" sensation while in the infirmary.
- Gary - noises and a "sighing" sound in the schoolroom and the odd feeling like he was being watched while in the military room.
- Denise - feeling like her leg was being pressed on in Jessie Mays room while she was sitting on the bed, she said "it felt as if someone was leaning against it. Sort of like a little kid would do if you were showing it something." She also reported a strange breeze that seemed to follow her around the attic. Noting all windows closed but could not discount drafts, it is an old house and she was in the attic.
Findings: 3 pics and 2 evp's
- One EVP is of a rotary phone accompanied by a mans voice answering, "Hello". This was picked up in the communications room while Denise was explaining todays technology and her cell phone.
- One EVP was captured in the attic. It is an echo of someone yelling "come back". Nya spent the most time in the attic so we can only assume the yell was for her.
- Two pictures captured outside of the house at the onset of the of the investigation by Nya. The pictures where captured using a Sony 10 megapixel camera on manual settings. Both were taken as part of a set while Nya readjusted her camera. In picture MS011a a pink mist is scene above the bushes to the left of the house. No working sprinkler was active at the moment. In picture MS011b the woman on the porch has same pink hue as mist, is none of researchers in group, is not docent Bonnie.
- Third picture MS011c was captured inside the house by Denise using her three megapixel cellphone camera. Door shows reflection of three figured standing in the room. What looks to be a little girl, and two unknowns.
Follow Up:
Docent Bonnie (the museums curator) was contacted and asked a few questions regarding the house.
This was the original email:
Hi Bonnie,
Not sure if you remember me, my name is Denise from Tarpon Paranormal. We visited in
November and I sent you a couple of pics we took as well as a few evps we picked up.
We are doing some research and I have a question regarding the picture of the woman on the porch. Was the house moved to it’s current location. And if yes, do you have any idea what was there before.
I have been doing some research with the thought that the woman/anomaly on the porch was possibly someone who had been struck by a car or in a car accident. I ask because in the pic to the far left is what looks to be headlights. We have a slew of pics from that side of the porch and cannot figure out how headlights would be on the porch like that due to the hedges. Hence the reason for the question.
She looks to be someone who either worked in a restaurant (because she appears to wearing a uniform of sorts) or could be Victorian in nature. I have handed the pic around to a handful of people who have been quite perplexed.
Could you shed any light on this pic, has anyone ever had pics of this woman? Do you perchance know anything about her?
Thanks
Her reply:
Hi There!
To answer your first question, the house has always been at that location. It was originally only 4 rooms, the other 10 rooms were added after 1880.
The light you see is one of the spots at the front of the house (security).
As for the image, this isn't the first time she has been seen there. One of our new volunteers saw her in a complete form at noon on her first day of working at the museum! I believe she is Marena May, mistress of the plantation in the earliest days (1856-1870).
Her husband, John built the original house and died right after. She ran the plantation by herself until 1866, when she was remarried to Frank Saxon. If you think the lady is of a later time, it would probably be Betty Stringer, daughter of Dr. Stringer who added the 10 rooms to the house. She lived there from childhood until 1949 when she sold the house out of the family. She was quite old by then. She would be the second strongest female entity in the house. I hope this answers all of your questions.
Please let me know if you need additional info.
Thanks,
Bonnie
Note: The author of this is a founding member of the group whose log you have just read. She took a moment to ask the other members why they do what they do they responses varied. For all it is a mission in a way, to validate experiences they have had at one point in time or another by capturing something people have whispered about in corners for centuries.
To know or see more check out www.tarponpi.com
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