One of my favorite things about being a journalist is the variety of experiences I am able to partake in which I never would otherwise; such as playing basketball against the Bengals, interviewing celebrities, like Craig Ferguson, and most recently, being part of a ghost investigation.
On Saturday night I tagged along with the Midnight Shadows Paranormal Society (MSPS) as they investigated the old “Crane House” in downtown Tipp City, now home to the Newsome RE/MAX real estate operation. Legend has it, this three story building still contains the spirit of Matilda (Mattie) Crane, who resided in the house from 1916, until her death in 1968. Details of Mattie letting her presence be known are documented in the book Ghosts, Too: The Supernatural in Ordinary Lives, by Joanne Duke Gamblee.
I went in with an open mind, unsure of what to expect and whether or not I truly believe in ghosts. One thing I am sure of is that MSPS is very thorough in their investigations, and have a great knowledge of the subject. I trust the MSPS because they don’t charge for their investigations. They spend their own money and time on the investigations, and they get nothing out of it but validation of their own beliefs. It’s not a game to them; they wouldn’t stay up all night and pretend to be making findings just for their amusement.
Upon entering the residence, I felt as if I had stepped on to the set of the Matrix movies, as lasers were shot across the rooms. It was just a small amount of the equipment used by the MSPS. Wires were spread everywhere, attached to several different voice recorders, an entire DVR system, and other tools.
There were five members of the MSPS present; Dershem and his wife, Lori, Dave & Heather Lewis, and Tonya Rittenhouse. They separated into groups of men and women, telling me the spirits sometimes respond differently to each gender (some things never change). I first joined the women and we went up to the third floor. I expected just a lot of sitting around, waiting for a door to slam or something, but the MSPS never rests. They constantly walk around to check their K2 meters, motion sensors, and no contact thermometers, while also snapping pictures in hopes of catching something that can’t be seen by the human eye. Questions were also asked of Mattie in an effort to illicit a response, but she wasn’t responsive.
It made me wonder what Mattie must have been thinking, if she was indeed present. It’s the claim of the MSPS that the body energy formed by doing so many investigations leads the spirits to communicate with them; that a level of trust exists which isn’t evident with typical people.
I then joined the guys and we went out to investigate the Carriage House, as well as an abandoned house that’s also part of the property. The guys had a PX box, which from what I can tell, detects spirit or environmental sounds and electronically gives them a voice, selected from an internal 2,000-word dictionary. A very fascinating device that I could hardly pull my ears from. However, I’m not going to reveal any details of what we heard until the findings of the investigation are complete, which will be in three to six weeks.
While I personally did not witness any big, bone chilling occurrences to wholeheartedly convince me of Mattie’s presence in the house, I did become a believer in the possibility that such spirits exist.
The investigation lasted throughout the night (I didn’t get home till 4 a.m.), and the scariest part of it all was thinking about having to wake up the next day.
It was an experience that I’ll never forget and would certainly try again. It opened my mind to what may really be around us.
More about MSPS can be found at their website www.midnightshadowsparanormalsociety.com, and they are on My Space, Facebook and Twitter.
