Past Cases
Below is a partial listing of our cases. We have permission from some of these clients to post certain levels of information. Some clients do not want any information posted and we are committed to protecting their privacy. Our clients' desires in this area always take precedence!
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2010 Cases
APC2010.01- Croghan Free Library, Croghan, NY
The building that houses the Croghan Library was originally an opera house, built by T.B. Basselin in 1884. The opera house was always a multi-use place. Community activities of all types took place within its walls, including operas, plays, dance balls, festivals, dinners, and recognition ceremonies. Basketball games were even played here! When the building became the library, the ceiling was lowered. The stage and the wings are still present, and the wings are full of the graffiti of past participants in drama presentations. The basement of the building is currently occupied by a photographer. The basement also once held a jail cell that was used as a "drunk tank" on occasion. The building has a rich, varied history. Research by TNPS revealed no evidence of any tragedy or sudden death associated with the building.
TNPS investigated the Croghan Library on January 16, 2010. Five investigators were present, along with a librarian. We set up four static night vision cameras: one at the back of the library, facing the stage; two at the front corners of the library, facing the back; and one at stage right, covering the stage. We used four digital recorders: one in the back of the building, one on a table in the center of the building, one on the stage, and one that traveled with us as we investigated. We circulated around the building, taking pictures and video and trying to get any presence in the building to interact with us. We discovered that EMF levels in the building elevate when the furnace blower comes on. This elevation is especially extreme in the area stage left, near the fuse box. When the blower turns on, EMF levels can be 25-30 times the norm in this area. Normal EMF usually runs from 0.0 to 0.6 milligauss, or mG. When the furnace blower comes on, someone standing near the fusebox is getting exposed to an EMF of up to 26 mG. Certain people are affected by high EMF levels. In some people, high levels of EMF can cause a feeling of paranoia, or creepiness- a feeling one is being watched. One of the library employees confirmed that this was the exact area of the library that made her feel uneasy. We investigated until after midnight, and took over 1600 pictures. At one point, we sang and played the piano in an attempt to get any entities that might be present to interact with us. We did not have any personal experiences in the Croghan Library.
Upon analysis, the photographic, audio, and video evidence gathered in the Croghan Library yielded no evidence of paranormal activity whatsoever in the building. We would like to thank the Croghan Library for allowing us to conduct this investigation. It was a privilege to investigate a building so rich in history. Every case is a learning experience for us, and this one was no exception.
APC2010.02- Lowville, NY (private case)
APC2010.03- Lowville, NY (private case-permission to post information has been granted)
APC2010.04- Constableville, NY, Constable Hall (permission to post has been granted)
APC2010.05- Monroe Hall, SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo NY
On March 13, 2010, TNPS investigated Monroe Hall on the SUNY Geneseo campus in Geneseo, NY. We initiated this investigation in an attempt to get to the bottom of stories that have been circulating about this dorm for many years. We were not the first paranormal investigators to visit Monroe Hall. In January of 1985, Ed and Lorraine Warren, famous for their role in publicizing the "Amityville Horror" case, visited the dorm after a lecture at the College Union. While in the B-basement section, Lorraine claimed to see a male, in "institutional clothing" , who had died from a blow to the head. Many people took Lorraine's reference to "institutional clothing" to be a reference to the German POW camp, which once stood on the corner of Lower Court Street and Route 63. Research by TNPS using both American and German records has concluded that no German POWs died while confined at the Geneseo camps. The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle did an article at the time on the Warren's visit. This article also mentions a professor at the college, who stated then that he had "occasionally conducted experiments in Monroe Dorm...on extrasensory perception, tarot cards, seances, and the like." TNPS contacted the professor, who stated that he had done many "experiments" with the Ouija board in the basement of Monroe, between 1970 and 1972, and had been teaching students how to use it. He admitted, near the end of a lengthy phone interview, that his "experimenting could have brought some of it (paranormal activity) on. We were indulging in stuff we knew nothing about." The reported paranormal activity in Monroe Hall appears to begin around the time of the professor's experiments. Interviews with former students and others familiar with Monroe indicate that reports extend from the early-mid 70's, all the way to the present. Interestingly, many of the reported incidents are consistent across decades. The first report, from the early 70's, was from a student in the 1-A-2 section who claimed to have seen a ghostly man, woman, and child at the foot of his bed. He ran out of the room, terrified, and would not even return to the room for his belongings. Other reports of paranormal incidents in Monroe over the years include:
- Objects flying off desks or dressers
- Heavy mirrors falling off walls
- Noises of footsteps and doors opening and closing when no one is there
- Noises in the A-section laundry room
- Dryer doors moving on their own in the B-laundry room
- Knocks on doors when no one is around
- Both large and small objects moving on their own
- Pictures refusing to stay on walls, no matter what is used to hang them
- Blinds rustling in rooms when windows are closed and heat is off
- Sightings of odd shadows and possible apparitions
Most of the reported activity has taken place in the basement, although some has been reported on the first floor. Very little activity has been reported on the top two floors of the dorm.
In 2004, Susan Smitten published a book entitled "Ghost Stories of New York State." This book includes a story of Monroe Hall. According to the story, a seance was held in Monroe Hall which revealed that the ghost was a six-year-old boy, also named Eric, who died when playing in the foundation while the building was being constructed. This version of the "Eric" tale is the one that has gone viral on the internet. Virtually every "comprehensive" list of paranormal phenomena in New York State includes the tale of "playful" Eric. TNPS investigated this story by reviewing both the weekly Livingston County Leader and the Democrat and Chronicle for the time period of January 1960 until the dorm's dedication by Governor Rockefeller in 1962. No evidence whatsoever was found to substantiate the story of six-year old Eric's tragic death. TNPS also contacted the Geneseo historian, David Parish, to determine what, if anything, previously occupied the land where Monroe Hall is today. Mr. Parish indicated that the land was part of the vast Wadsworth estate, and was used only for agriculture, pastureland, or left fallow, until it was acquired by the College.
So, on March 13, 2010, TNPS came to Geneseo to attempt to separate the rumors from fact. Nine investigators from TNPS were present. This number included a guest investigator and the medium who works with us on certain cases, Danyelle Barrett. We also had with us the Resident Directors of Monroe, Livingston, and Onondaga residence halls. We divided up into four investigative teams. Three teams were out in the building at all times, each assigned to separate floors, while the fourth team stayed in the lounge on the first floor "at command" and monitored the 4-camera DVR system. We ran this DVR system during the entire investigation. Two cameras covered the entire A-section basement hallway; one covered the A-section laundry room; the final camera covered the B-section laundry room. We did three shifts of roughly 90 minutes each, and then traded places within the building. We used six digital recorders during the investigation. We took over 2200 pictures as we investigated and tried to get any presence in the building to interact with us. We also used a digital infrared Sony Handycam and captured approximately 160 minutes of footage.
Several team members had personal experiences during this investigation. Some people smelled lilacs. This smell could not be traced to its source. It was not a scent worn by any investigators, and it was not emanating from student rooms. Many investigators heard noises that could not be traced to a specific source. Investigators in the A-laundry room were inside the room when they heard someone rattling the door, trying to get in. Of course, when they opened the door, no one was there. We got many anomalous K-2 spikes that could not be traced to any source. One investigator briefly saw a shadow figure on the second floor of the dorm, near the junction of A and B sections. We investigated for approximately 5 hours and left Monroe Hall after 1:00 AM.
We were lucky enough to capture photographic, audio, and video evidence of possible paranormal activity during our investigation. One photo shows a misty but clear face on a cement pole in the 1-A lounge. We have posted the photo below.
Our digital recorders captured quite a few EVPs, or electronic voice phenomena. We have verified that these voices are not the stray voices of investigators. The voices are both male and female. One sounds like a child imitating an adult. Some of these EVPs are direct answers to questions, or comments on what is being said, indicating an "intelligent" haunt, in which entities can interact with humans and demonstrate awareness of their surroundings. At other points, the voices have no real connection to what is being said, and could be indicative of a residual haunt, in which the entities do not interact with humans and don't seem to have an awareness of their surroundings. Our recorders also captured a very unusual "space noise" at different times and in different areas of Monroe. This noise was never heard or commented on by investigators, but is clearly audible on the recordings. We have ruled out recorder malfunction as the source of the noise, as it was picked up by three different brands of digital recorders. We have never heard a noise like this before, and currently have no hypothesis for what this noise could be.
Our video camera captured the aforementioned incident in the A-laundry room, when it appeared someone was rattling the door to get into the laundry room. The rattling door can clearly be heard. This rattling door was not caused by a change in the heating unit in the laundry room; it stayed on the same setting the entire time the incident was occurring. What makes this clip even more interesting is when the investigator with the video camera opens the door to the hallway. She gets random K-2 hits in the hallway just in front of the door, even though no source of EMF was nearby. We tried to recreate this incident, but the door did not rattle for the rest of the evening.
During the course of the investigation, we discovered that Monroe Hall is closing after the 2009-2010 year is complete. Over the next three years, it will be completely gutted, reconfigured, and rebuilt on the current site. It will be extremely interesting, from a scientific point of view, to see if any paranormal reports emerge about Monroe once it is rebuilt. We would like to thank SUNY Geneseo for their trust in us. We greatly appreciated the opportunity to investigate Monroe Hall and get to the bottom of some of the unfounded rumors surrounding this case!
This is the "face in the lounge" picture. To download the full picture, click here. You'll have to zoom in on the face.
EVP #2:
This EVP sounds as if a child is echoing an investigator. The investigator says, "Do you think we should just let them be?" and just after this, a child's voice can be heard saying "...bee bee..."
EVP #3:
In this one, our repeated requests to 'tell us your name' appear to have received a clear answer.
EVP #4:
This noise occurred all over Monroe Hall. Sometimes it coincided with people talking; other times it did not. We have no explanation for this noise at the current time.
Headphones give the best listening experience when listening to EVPs.
APC2010.06- Fort Stanwix, National Monument, Rome, NY
We investigated Fort Stanwix in Rome, NY on August 18, 2010. Six members of T.N.P.S. were present. We ran a 4-camera static infrared digital video recorder during the investigation. One camera covered much of the interior of the Jensen Building; one camera covered the Southwest Bombproof/Siege Hospital; one camera covered the Commandant's Quarters; and a fourth camera covered the Missionary Room. We also had eight digital voice recorders continuously running at various locations around the Fort. We investigated for about four and a half hours. We took over 1200 pictures as we moved around the Fort, attempting to get any entities that might be present to interact with us. We also used a digital infrared handycam and captured approximately 150 minutes of footage. Several investigators had personal experiences during the investigation. Two team members repeatedly saw a moving shadow on the opposite side of the parade grounds from Gregg before sunset. Investigators reported feelings of sadness and "not being alone" in Jensen.
No photographic or video evidence of paranormal activity was obtained at Fort Stanwix. Our audio recorders captured several EVPs, or electronic voice phenomena. These were recorded in the Siege Hospital, Jensen, and on the parade grounds. All of these voices sound male. It is difficult to determine at this point whether these EVPs represent a "residual" or an "intelligent" haunt. While two of them could be construed as possibly being related to the investigation or responding to investigator comments, the ambiguity of the EVPs leaves room for the possibility that these comments are random and, therefore, residual in nature. We have ruled out the voices of investigators and voices outside the Fort as sources for these EVPs by using correlation between the various digital voice recorders. Stray voices speaking in a normal tone of voice out on the street are not audible within the Fort, due to the distance. Most of the time, the voices of investigators inside the Fort were not even audible on our recorders, unless someone was 50-75 feet from a given recorder. We also believe, after conferring with the knowledgeable and experienced employees and re-enactors at the Fort, that we were able to capture a sample of the flute or fife music that has been reported at the Fort over the years.
We would like to express our appreciation to Mike Kusch, the great people at Fort Stanwix, and the National Park Service for their trust in us. It was a true privilege to investigate such an amazing historic location! This initial investigation was one of the keys to the success of the Paranormal Encampment Weekend, which was held on October 16-17, 2010. We will be posting results from the Encampment Weekend in the near future. In the meantime, we have posted a few EVPs from our initial investigation below. As always, headphones give the best listening experience for EVPs.
"David"
We are unsure whether this is in reference to our investigator of the same name, or a possible reference to David Jones, who was the fife-player for the 3rd Regiment during the 1777 Siege of the Fort.
"Stoning me!"
Despite intensive research, we could find no record of any stoning occurring in or near the Fort. Several executions occurred there, but these sentences were generally carried out by hanging.
EVP #3:
-Flute Music-
Many past reports of paranormal activity from Fort Stanwix include claims of flute or fife music with no discernible source. After conferring with employees and re-enactors at Fort Stanwix who have many years of experience and knowledge, we are convinced that our Missionary Room recorder captured a snippet of this phenomenon.
APC2010.07- Lowville, NY (private case)
APC2010.08- Oswego Area, NY (private case)
APC2010.09- Croghan, NY (private case)
APC2010.10- Beaver Falls, NY (private case)
APC2010.11- Lowville, NY (private case)
APC2010.12- Lowville, NY (private case)
APC2010.13- Lewis County, NY (private case)
APC2010.14- Fort Stanwix 75th Anniversary Paranormal Encampment, Rome, NY.
The Northern Paranormal Society (TNPS) investigated Fort Stanwix in Rome, NY on October 16-17, 2010. Five members of TNPS were present. This investigation was the culminating activity of the Fort Stanwix Paranormal Encampment. Approximately 40 individuals remained with us after the seminars and initial investigation reveal to participate in this investigation. As we did during the initial investigation, we ran our 4-camera static infrared DVR system and placed 8 recorders around the Fort- 4 at various static locations, and 4 that traveled with our four teams. We split up into 4 teams. Each team was composed of at least one TNPS member and 8-10 members of the public who stayed overnight with us in the Fort. The four teams each took one of the four sides of the Fort and began investigating, moving clockwise around the Fort. After approximately three hours, all teams had made a complete circuit and had the opportunity to investigate all open buildings. Several people had paranormal experiences during the investigation. One team repeatedly saw a shadow blocking out the light coming in from under a door, even though there was absolutely no one outside anywhere nearby who would be casting a shadow. People heard tapping, and flute music. One investigator saw a tall, misty white figure enter the parade grounds from the Sally Port, walk hurriedly across the parade grounds, and disappear as it neared the Gregg Building.
No photographic evidence was obtained during this investigation of Fort Stanwix. Our audio recorders captured several odd noises and EVPs, or electronic voice phenomena. These noises and voices were captured in the Siege Hospital, in Jensen, and in the Commandant's Quarters. The noises and voices recorded during this investigation appear to be residual in nature. The most striking are a woman saying "good night" in a strange voice in the Hospital, and the apparent noise of a horse, also obtained in the Hospital. We have ruled out investigator noise and sounds coming from outside the Fort as sources of these EVPs and noises by using correlation between the various digital voice recorders. We would like to thank Mike Kusch, Bill Sawyer, all the other great people at Fort Stanwix, and everyone who came out to make the Paranormal Encampment at Fort Stanwix such a great success! Below are the two amazing EVPs for your listening pleasure. Headphones are best!
APC2010.15- Watertown, NY (private case)
APC2010.16-Glenfield, NY (private case)
APC2010.18-Greystone Manor, Martinburg, NY (public reveal & fundraiser)
APC2010.19-Lowville Free Library, Lowville, NY (public investigation & fundraiser)
APC2010.20-Watertown Area, NY (private case)
APC2010.21-Lowville, NY (private case)