Ghost hunters asked to investigate haunted housing development

Staircase Ghost of National Museum by Rev. Ralph Hardy

R.I.P. was asked to investigate a supposedly haunted townhouse development in Virginia after our client and several of her neighbors noticed a dark, shadowy figure moving through the walls, strange noises, and objects being moved. At least one family had already moved out after experiencing similar activities.

Museum Ghost
The photograph here is the Staircase Ghost of the National Museum in Greenwich, England, and is part of a collection of famous ghost photos. During our investigation, we were not fortunate enough to capture anything like this on film, but the hooded figure on the stairs shown here is somewhat similar to the description our client provided. Rev. Ralph Hardy, a retired clergyman from White Rock, British Columbia, took this now famous photograph in 1966. He intended merely to photograph the beautiful staircase in the Queen's House section of the National Museum. Upon development, however, the photo revealed a shrouded figure climbing the stairs, seeming to hold the railing with both hands. Experts, including some from Kodak, who examined the original negative concluded that no tampering had occurred. It has been said that shadowy figures have been seen on occasion in the vicinity of the staircase, and unexplained footsteps have also been heard.

Researching the Location
The first step in our investigation was to ask Lisa to do some research on the development and on the land itself. One of the challenges paranormal investigators face in Virginia is that nearly every part of our state is steeped in history. We may not have the thousands of years that European researchers have to contend with, but our past boasts more than its share of wars and violent death. Virginia, in particular, was crisscrossed by rival armies many times during both the Revolutionary War and, especially, the Civil War. Those events left a rich heritage of paranormal activities and legends and we wondered if some traumatic event from another time may have resulted in a "residual" haunting.

Types of Hauntings
Paranormal investigators have to distinguish between types of hauntings, with the two most common being "residual" and "intelligent." The theory is that a residual haunting can result from any type of strong emotion that somehow embeds itself into the atmosphere and plays out over and over again. There seems to be some evidence that the geology of a location, particularly its proxmity to limestone and/or quartz, can increase the possibility of encountering residuals. A residual is often compared to a tape running in an endless loop. It has no awareness and no ability to interact with living beings who may be able to perceive the event. An intelligent haunting, on the other hand, is considered to be a disembodied entity, either the spirit of someone who has died or another type of astral entity, that generally is aware of its surroundings and often attempts to communicate with the living.

Research Results
Lisa's research uncovered no significant battles or violent episodes associated with this area. Of course, even an "insignificant" event that results in loss of life is significant to the individuals involved and all such events do not necessarily find their way into public records. In addition, this land was occupied by numerous Native American tribes far back before its written history began.

The Investigation
We arrived at approximately 9:00 pm and began interviews with our client, her neighbor, and another resident of the complex. Our client and her neighbor had both witnessed a shadowy figure in the upstairs hall who seemed to move effortlessly through the walls separating the two houses. This figure was described as "meanacing" and even evil. Other residents often experienced an uneasy feeling and caught glimpses of dark figures. The neighbor reported that a guest in her house had been pushed from behind on the stairs. Although the activities reported were not as overtly threatening as those we had encountered at another hostile haunting, they were enough to cause concern among the residents and we were hoping to capture some evidence that might help to explain what was causing these experiences.

We set up the DVR cameras to focus on our client's staircase and upstairs hallway, second bedroom, living room, and in the backyard. Our client had also reported shadow people crossing the living room and, on occasion, in the backyard. We set up a separate video camera in the master bedroom and another video camera was trained on the neighbor's upstairs hallway and stairs.

We began the "active" part of the investigation with baseline temperature and EMF readings, followed by EVP sessions. During a recent discussion with a fellow paranormal investigator who has over 30 years of experience in this field, she advised us to begin our investigations with EVP sessions, prior to taking any photographs. Her theory is that any entities that may be present could be disturbed by the camera flashes; in fact, she has several EVPs in which one entity can be heard warning another that "there's a camera." Using this method, she has been able to capture many more EVPs than she did previously; in fact, she asks questions and records for about ten minutes and then plays back the session with the goal of initiating a dialogue. This method has worked well for her. In some investigations, she has collected over 50 EVPs that demonstrate intelligent responses to questions and provide needed information. R.I.P. is currently testing out this method and I'll periodically report our results on this blog. Our first EVP session at our client's house and at the neighbor's home did not capture any EVPs. Once we had completed our initial EVP sessions, we took extensive photographs of every room in each location. No significant anomalies were found in temperature, EMF readings, or in the photographs. The video is still being reviewed.

Personal Experiences
At one point, as Jim, Lisa, and Celeste were listening to the playback of their EVP session in the neighbor's house, a low frequency sound permeated the house for approximately three seconds and everyone heard it, including the cat. The origin of the sound remains unknown at this time.

Rene, R.I.P.'s Sensitive, reported the presence of three entities in our client's home. He perceived them as Native American "guardians" of the land. Rene reported that, although they are aware of our client and the other residents, they are not particularly interested in them and they do not intend to frighten anyone. However, they are tied to the land itself and intend to remain.

Our client's neighbor had reported feeling uneasy in her second bedroom so Rene and I went up there to conduct an additional EVP session. We were surprised to find that the feeling in the second bedroom was actually very peaceful and soothing. Rene and I both sensed an entity present; Rene was touched by the male spirit and I felt chills as the spirit stood in front of me. Rene got the name "Samuel" and we both felt that he was a kind of guardian angel for the family living there. Rene was able to give an extremely accurate message to the neighbor regarding her health issues (without knowing that she HAD any health issues) and he was also able to answer other questions she had been wondering about - without being asked. Specifically, without saying anything to anyone, the neighbor had wondered if the "clearing" she and her sister performed earlier had been successful. Again, without any prior knowledge that a clearing had taken place and without her asking him the question, Rene was able to assure her that her prior efforts had been successful and that her prayers were heard. The unfriendly entity had been removed from her home and there was no reason to fear the "guardian" spirit that now occupied her home.

Conclusion
The evidence is still being reviewed but, other than personal experiences, no anomalies have been discovered. There seems to be some activity for those who are sensitive enough to be able to perceive it, but the entities do not appear to be harmful. Look for updates on this blog if any additional evidence is found.