The mission of the Greater Maryland Paranormal Society (GMPS), founder Bill Hartley explains, is to “research and investigate the paranormal using practices and methods that are scientific in nature. We also seek to promote increased understanding of paranormal activity within our group and the public at large.” Since 2006, GMPS has been investigating reports of paranormal activity, primarily in private residences but also in some well-known historic locations. The group has an excellent reputation and has attracted a considerable amount of media attention and one of their investigations was even featured in an episode of “Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal” on the A&E Network.
Hartley, a Civil War re-enactor, re-enactes as his great great great grandfather 1st Sgt Jonas Hartsell of the 57th North Carolina and has witnessed his share of paranormal phenomena. He grew up in a haunted house in Baltimore, MD and, as a re-enactor; he experienced an odd occurrence during an event at Virginia’s Cedar Creek battlefield. Hartley saw what was once his securely-tied tent quickly untied several times in succession, even after he made an extra effort to secure it tightly. He was camped in a somewhat isolated area and no one else was nearby who could have been the culprit. Many Civil War re-enactors report similar strange experiences on battlefields where, apparently, the spirits of those who fought and died in that tragic conflict often still linger. A full account of this and many more of his experiences with the paranormal from childhood to the present day will be in Hartley’s upcoming book titled “I’m Not Crazy But…”, expected to be released in the winter of 2011/12.
Investigation at Snow Hill
In 2010, Hartley’s team was invited to investigate Snow Hill Manor. Snow Hill Manor was originally built in 1755 by Samuel Snowden on 500 acres that he received as a wedding gift from his father. In 1764, the house was destroyed by fire and was rebuilt around 1798. Snow Hill Manor is a 2 1/2-story brick plantation house of late Georgian style now that is located on 15 acres of land in Laurel, Maryland and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1974. Over the years, there have been many reports of paranormal activity there and several staff members have experienced odd phenomena.
During a public ghost hunt, GMPS captured several EVPs and this fascinating photo. “Of course, we can never be 100% certain that it’s paranormal,” Hartley explains. “I’d like to think that it is, but we all know that our imaginations can play tricks on us. Our brains seem to be hard-wired to see images and patterns where none may exist.”
During the investigation, Bill went around the Manor taking full spectrum photos. When this photo was reviewed, the shape of a woman appeared in the window. According to Hartley, the area where the photo was taken isn’t original to Snow Hill Manor. It’s actually a modern kitchen that was a fairly recent addition. Snow Hill has four hearths in the basement, but the actual kitchen that served the Manor would have been in a separate building. “I checked and re-checked everything to try to explain this photo,” Bill says. “I measured the dimensions and figured out that, if it was the reflection of someone outside, he or she would have had to be about ten feet tall. But I’m not claiming it’s definitely paranormal. I simply present it and ask people to make up their own minds and comments are welcome.”
For more on the Greater Maryland Paranormal Society, please check them out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Gmps.Bill.Hartley and https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002443025606 and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/gmp_society.
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