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Have you seen a ghost at your high school, university, or college?  Witnessed paranormal activity in your dorm, or locker room?

If so, you could be featured on the SciFi channel, and have the opportunity to tell your story to a live TV audience.  This opportunity applies to both current and former students – as well as parents and faculty.

Mike Fortino, Casting Director at Gotham Casting in New York City recently contacted me about a TV opportunity for some of my readers.  More details are below…

Currently Casting Students, Alumni and School Staff Who Have Had Haunted Campus Experiences

Is your school is haunted?  The SciFi cable TV network is seeking high school and college age students, as well as alumni and school staff, who have come face-to-face with paranormal activity on their campuses.  If you have witnessed a first hand experience with ghosts, hauntings or other unexplained phenomena in your classrooms…in your dorm…in locker rooms or on athletic fields…or anywhere else at the school…we may want to tell your story and recreate it on TV.  We are interested in hearing stories from students (both current and past students), as well as from parents or faculty.

If you (or someone you know) has a ghost or haunting story to tell (must have occured on a school or college campus), please e-mail us at RealityCasting@gothamcasting.com with your contact info.  Please include your Full Name, Phone Number, Email, and Photo, along with a brief summary of your experiences.  You must be at least 16 years old to apply for this opportunity.  Good luck, and let me know if you end-up on TV!

Hate TV cameras, but still want to share your haunted school/university experience?  Feel free to leave a comment below.

Brian has captured some interesting photos from Johnson Road in Monroeville, Pennsylvania—a location which is thought to be haunted by several spirits connected with homocides that occurred in the area.  Brian has a large number of photos from this location, and I've chosen to include ten below.  Brian writes:

Hello, friends, my name is Brian.  I'm a U.S. Navy veteran who believes in the paranormal.  I watch "Ghost Hunters" and "Extreme Paranormal" on the SciFi channel every week.  In fact, they're two of my favorite shows.  These shows are open about the fact that ghosts can be easily photographed with a digital camera.  On October 1, 2009, I bought a Polaroid digital camera and for the next week I took about 75 photos—none of the photos showed any sign of camera defection or discoloration.  On October 6, 2009, my friends Randy Myers, Brian Reed and I decided to investigate Johnson Road in Monroeville, PA.

The dark history of Johnson Road: On November 23, 1977, 6-year-old Beth Lynn Barr was abducted as she walked home from her 2nd grade classroom at Johnson Elementary School in Wilkinsburg, PA.  Although her killer was never found, her remains were found on Johnson Road, adjacent to Restland Memorial Cemetery.  On August 3, 1988, 13-year-old Penny Ansell and 12-year-old Melissa Baker were murdered by Steven Patrick Mignogna.  Their remains were discovered in a dump in the immediate vicinity of Johnson Road, Monroeville.  Mignogna was apprehended, imprisoned and after a fair trial was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole—he's serving his sentence in Somerset SCI, Pennsylvania.  Since that time, Johnson Road has been rumored to be haunted.

On October 6, 2009 my friends and I went to Johnson Road to familiarize ourselves with the area.  We took 20 photos and every photo was picture-perfect, no defects or discoloration.  On October 8, 2009, at approximately 9:15PM, we went to Johnson Road and began taking photos.  For the next week, we took approximately 120 photos of the area.  Many of the photos are normal, absolutely nothing that could be considered paranormal in any way.  About 10 percent of the photos are mysterious.  These photos reveal what appears to be paranormal activity: apparitions, mists and orbs.

None of the photos have been altered or photoshopped in any way, other than details and copyright notice added via Picasa 3.  Nobody was smoking when these photos were taken.  I held my breath when taking these photos so that it wouldn't be accidentally photographed.  The photos were taken in pitch black (no street lights), and all flashlights were turned off when these photos were taken.  We didn't see any mist or anything, until we looked at the LCD screen.  I'd also like to note that there are no streams or lakes in the vicinity.

A few other details that I would like to add: when we went to Johnson Road, we left the bad attitude at home, we went with good intentions and we made it clear that we weren't there to cause any harm.  Respect spirits and they'll respect you.  My friends and I want to thank Michelle for posting our story and photos to her website.  We hope everyone enjoys the photos.

Sincerely,
Brian Keith Haskins
November 5, 2009

Thanks to Brian for sharing his story and photos.  If you have investigated the Johnson Road area in Monroeville PA, let us know by leaving a comment below.  Over the past few weeks, I've received some interesting comments regarding orbs.  Paul sent me a message, saying: "My group believes that the brighter the orb, the less time that person has been dead.  Very dim, see-through orbs have been dead a long time, with less energy since energy [and thus light] diminishes with time."  This is an interesting theory.  It seems possible that spirits who have died a long time ago may have less energy and therefore appear as dimmer, duller orbs.  Some of Brian's photos contain very bright orbs, while others are the traditionally duller (darker) orbs. 

Tonya sent me two photos (shown below), which she captured in her living room.  Tonya thinks it looks like an angel in the photos.  I admit, the image does seem to have wings—or at least the appearance of them.  The first photo is very wide, and has several orbs too.

 
Here is the second photo Tonya took.  I've cropped the photo to show the image better:

What do you think?  Does it look like an angel to you?  A vortex?  A strange photo anomaly?  Whatever it may be, it's a very interesting image. 

Tim wrote to us asking for opinions (feel free to share yours below) regarding a photo and paranormal activity.  His story and photos are included below.  

I've added a green rectangular box around the brown mass that appears on the stairs.  It appears that the person is holding the handrail and is wearing something on his head (i.e. hat). 

Here is a closer version of Tim's photo:

 
Tim writes:

"I would appreciate it if you could post this for me.  I need all the help I can get.  I recently got involved in paranormal investigations after having two experiences that I could never explain. My first was when I was 12 years old and the second when I was 35. 

I contacted a well known [paranormal investigation] group on Cape Cod and was invited to become a member—but because of job constraints I haven't been able to do so. I started doing research on my own and have been able to become quite knowledgeable in things paranormal.

About a month ago, I learned that one of my co-workers and his girlfriend moved out of her house 9 months ago because of paranormal activity and due to circumstances beyond her control have to move back in. Needless to say, they're afraid of the house and asked me for help.

Activity includes disembodied voices, blankets yanked off her kids beds, footsteps, doors slamming shut, full body apparitions, shadow figures, etc, etc. The phenomena was also witnessed by a few of her friends as well as her whole family for a span of about a year or so. I instructed her to take pictures throughout the house and would be there the next night. The morning before my 1st investigation she emailed me a picture taken in her basement by her friend and there appears to be an apparition on the stairs. It was taken at 10:30 in the morning and when the picture was taken nothing unusual was noticed until she viewed the pictures after the fact.

During my first investigation, I captured the sound of footsteps on the stairs where the picture was taken and 3 distinct laughs in an upstairs bedroom on a digital recorder. I saw a distinct shadow figure and had a bottle cap thrown into a room where me and several people were standing around talking. At the conclusion of my 1st investigation, I spread a spot of baby powder on the floor in the dining room and wrote my name about 12 inches across in the powder. The next day I instructed the homeowners to stay away from the house and not let any one go inside the house as another investigation was scheduled about a week later with the paranormal group I contacted. The day before the 2nd investigation, the homeowner called to inform me that she went to the house to pick up a vacuum cleaner and noticed there were footprints in the powder.

She assured me that no one had been in the house after we locked it up on the night when I spread the powder on the floor. I was involved with the 2nd investigation with the group and nothing was captured and no one had any personal experiences. A week later, I returned to the house and have on video knocks somewhere in the house responding to me and an overhead fluorescent light turning on by itself. What intrigues me about the light is that the only way to turn it on is to plug it in. On the video, you can see me turn the light off. Twenty-two minutes into the recording, the light pops on.
 
I've enclosed a picture of the apparition on the stairs and you'll notice the top of the head partially covers a beam. I've also enclose 3 pictures of the footprints. The homeowners have asked me to help them and are dissatisfied with the way the investigation was conducted by the group. I was disappointed as well, since I take this seriously and felt the group didn't. I've taken numerous witness statements that don't change and have some evidence that is very compelling. The homeowners trust me and have asked me for help. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated."  

The footprint photos (posted below) are sure to create some debate.  I mentioned to Tim that the footprints may have been caused by a human being, and perhaps the homeowner accidentally stepped in the powder.  Tim replied with some interesting information.  He writes:

"I thought the same about the footprints until I saw them up close. One of the group members has been in law enforcement for years and examined them. He seems to think they're like engineer’s shoes or work shoes from a mill, but they're equal to a size 14 or 15. They're extremely large. I questioned the homeowner and her boyfriend and no one had been in the house until she took those pictures. I also took a "before" picture of the powder the night I completed my first investigation and I was the last one in the house and locked the door. I have that picture, if any one would like to see the powder as it appeared when I left the house and locked it up. Another interesting fact…While doing research on the property, I found out the house was built in 1910 by a mill as housing for Polish immigrant millworkers. A previous homeowner worked in the mill until it closed in 1936 and he doesn't appear on any local census report after that, and the house was sold in 1937."

Tim has done a great job researching the history of the property.  It's interesting that the shoes are very large, and seem to be "workmen's shoes."  The fact that the house was previously used by immigrant millworkers is very interesting—especially given the law enforcement officer's comments about the shoes.

Tim has asked for opinions, comments, and feedback from the community.  Feel free to share your thoughts below, as long as they are respectful. 

Last year, Frank captured an interesting ectoplasm photo from a stone mill.  Here are some of Frank's newer orb & mist photos from a cemetery in Butler County, Pennsylvania.  Frank writes: "Thought you might find these pictures interesting. They came from a cemetary in Butler Co., PA. We also have EVP's of a little girl [who] said her name is Gertrude."  

Speaking of cemeteries, have you visited your local cemetery yet?  Most cemeteries have some kind of paranormal activity, and they are great places to explore because you don't have to worry about getting permission to investigate, dealing with frightened or upset homeowners, getting release forms signed, etc.  Consider visiting your local cemetery and see what you discover.

The Borley Rectory is one of the most haunted places in England, with a long history of poltergeist activity.  The Borley Rectory was built as a home for Reverend Henry Bull in 1863, and sits next door to the Borley Church.  

Unusual activity at the rectory includes ghostly apparitions, floating objects, spontaneous displacement of objects, strange smells, cold spots, and the sound of galloping horses.  When the rectory was destroyed by fire in 1939, photos of the ruins contained odd images and unexplained anomalies. 

One of the last residents there (Captain W.H. Gregson) reported seeing the ghost of a nun wandering the grounds.  Other witnesses report seeing Gregson’s ghost walking with a lady in a gray cloak and a bald man in a black jacket.

The most disturbing activity took place with Marianne, the wife of Reverend Lionel Foyster, who lived in the house beginning in 1930.  An entity began communicating with Marianne by scratching messages on walls and the whole episode was captured on camera.  Also photographed was a floating brick and an apparition that looked like a floating ribbon.  Today, odd images and mysterious orbs appear in photographs taken at the Borley Rectory.

Cheryl and her husband Morris have captured an interesting video & photo of what looks like a moving orb.  In the orb photo, you will notice a long wire running across the floor.  This is the cord from the infrared (IR) camera.  The stuff on the floor is from Cheryl's parrot (the parrot cage is covered with a black drape).  Cheryl writes…

"Hi Michelle.  Here is a pic and a short video with an IR camera.  Both were captured during an EVP session in our home.  We heard noises around our parrot's cage (not bird noises).  In the photo, you will see the wires for the IR camera on the floor—also my bird's mess that I forgot to vacuum before the session. 

"In the video clip, my husband Morris felt like he got touched on the arm.  [In the video, you will see me] getting up [from the couch] to feel the cold spot he experienced.  You will see what we believe to be an orb come up from underneath the coffee table.  Then, as I stand up, the orb changes direction.   Feel free to share anything we send.  We enjoy all the info you send and it's so helpful."

Cheryl and Morris have also captured a number of EVPs in their home.  The activity began shortly after Cheryl's mother died in their home in 2006.  Here is the orb photo:

And here is Cheryl's 9-second video of a moving orb.  It's kind of difficult to see the orb, until the end of the video (just as Cheryl stands up to get off the couch).  You can clearly see the orb for a few seconds just as Cheryl is standing-up. 

The second video that was captured shows the orb(s) more clearly.

Thanks to Cheryl and Morris for sharing their story, photo, and videos.  Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.

Many people believe the Winchester Mystery House Mansion is notoriously haunted.  The Winchester Mansion is an architectural oddity—with numerous ghosts and strange activity.  In the 1800's, the owner turned the mansion into a never-ending construction project to avenge the dead spirits killed by her husband's invention…

How the Winchester Mystery House Began
 
In 1884, widow Sarah Winchester—heiress to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company fortune—purchased an 8 bedroom home on 150 acres in San Jose (California), and embarked on a never-ending construction project.  Her purpose?  To remove the curse of “spirits seeking vengeance” for their death at the hands of a Winchester rifle.  

Until her death in 1922, Sarah managed to keep three shifts of carpenters, architects and construction workers busy for 38 years!  By the end of her life, Sarah had turned the eight bedroom home into a 160-room Victorian mansion with three working elevators, 47 fireplaces, staircases that led to nowhere, doors that open to brick walls, and doors that open to the outside on the 2nd floor with a straight drop down.  There were no formal blueprints—Sarah would sketch out rooms on paper and tablecloths for the workers to follow. 

The Winchester Mystery House Mansion and Paranormal Activity

Sarah started the never-ending construction project after an encounter with a Spiritualist medium, shortly after the death of her husband.  In March 1881, Sarah’s husband died of tuberculosis while the couple was living in Connecticut.  (Sarah’s daughter died 15 years earlier as an infant.)  Since Sarah was having a hard time dealing with the death of her husband, she went to see a medium. 

The medium claimed her husband William was present and said, “[William] says for me to tell you that there is a curse on your family, which took the life of William and your child.  It will soon take you, too.  It is a curse that has resulted from the terrible weapon created by the Winchester family [the Winchester rifle].  Thousands of persons have died because of it, and their spirits are now seeking vengeance.”  The medium told Sarah to start a new life in the West, and to build a home for herself and for the spirits who had fallen at the hands of a Winchester rifle.  Sarah was told she could never stop building house—or the curse would take her, as it did her husband and daughter.   

So Sarah never stopped building.  Inside the Winchester Mystery House, rooms are contained within rooms, and the floor plan is very chaotic.  Sarah spent a great deal of time in a room she called “The Séance Room.”  

Paranormal activity inside the home includes numerous ghostly sightings, cold spots, disembodied footsteps & murmuring voices.  Visitors report seeing Sarah’s ghost wandering the rooms and halls of the home.  Psychics have investigated, and identified hundreds of other spirits who call the Winchester Mystery House “home.”  No one knows whether these spirits are really the souls killed by the famous Winchester rifle—or whether they are just restless spirits seeking peace.

The photo on the right shows one of the many "Doors to Nowhere" that the Winchester Mystery House contains.  Underneath the door, you can see the sign, "Door to Nowhere."  The current owners of the Winchester Mystery Mansion offer year-round tours, and the home is to the public.  Many of the architectural oddities are labeled with signs and information describing the features.  A number of the rooms on the 2nd floor have doors that lead outside—with sharp drops two stories down to the ground.

One of my subscribers, Carl, sent me an interesting orb photo and story.  He asked me to share his story and photos online with you.  Carl writes:

"I have a photo that will send a cold shiver down your spine.  My daughter at the time was 8, and she kept telling me about a woman who came to see her at night.  When I asked my daughter what the woman looked like, she described my aunt who died a few years ago (to the tee).  Then one night, my daughter told me the woman wanted her to come outside in the backyard (thank god she didn't).  Anyhow, I took a picture of my kids outside and there was an orb—but not just any orb, this had a complete FACE inside of it.  Eyes, nose, mouth… everything.  There is one photo with nothing on it, and another photo with a face inside the orb.  I took two pictures, and only one had the orb. "

Here is the photo without the orb:

Here is the photo with the orb:

 Close-up images of the orb:

 
"I zoomed-in as much as I could on the picture, and these are the best up-close images I can get.  PLEASE believe me when I say this house had to be haunted.  This picture was not messed with in any way or form—this is a true picture.  The image inside the orb looks like a skull to me.  Please remember my daughter was only 8 at the time, and she was telling us stuff that there's is no way she would know.  As you can see, I sent you both pictures, and only one had this orb in it—the other didn't.  There was no light, no moon, and the inside light and screen door were behind her.  This is the same time my daughter started seeing things—she was really scared at this house.  We had to move because of it, and the same day we moved she has NEVER seen anything again.

"However, ever since we arrived in Florida in 2005, it seems like a cloud follows us everywhere we go.  Now in our new home, we are hearing things like children crying, seeing candles fall off the wall.  Last night, I went outside and took some pictures.  The moon was covered by clouds, and no lights were on for a block.  I turned my flash off, and captured images of orbs around the outside of the house.  I’m not scared or anything.  I would even love to become a ghost hunter, just because I never really believed in them until now."

—————————-

What do you think of Carl's story and orb photo?  Feel free to leave a comment below.  I will try to post more photos when possible—since many people ask for them.  Thanks to Carl for sharing his story.

Gettysburg marks the site of the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War, which took place July 1-3, 1863. More than 50,000 men lost their lives in the three-day battle, and thousands more were seriously injured.              

The entire town of Gettysburg served as the battlefield–however, certain spots are reportedly more haunted than others.  Since 50,000 men lost their lives at Gettysburg, it’s no surprise that the area is filled with paranormal activity and many ghostly sightings.  Hotspots of paranormal activity include: The Devil’s Den, Cemetery Hill, Triangular Field, Sachs’ Bridge, and numerous private homes where generals and soldiers were housed. 

The Devil's Den — Most Haunted Spot in Gettysburg?

The Devil’s Den is one of the most haunted places in Gettysburg.  In fact, more ghosts (of slain soldiers) have been reported in the Devil’s Den than in any other location in Gettysburg.  Even without ghosts, the Devil’s Den is an eerie place because of the enormous boulders which cast shadows, and seem to have been piled-up by a giant.  Due to its unique layout, the Confederate army made use of a sharpshooter—who hid behind the massive rocks (in blind-spots) and systematically shot-down hundreds of Union soldiers as they passed through the Devil’s Den.  Eventually, Union soldiers were able to use mirrors and field glass to determine the sharpshooter’s location and kill the man.  After the battle in the Devil’s Den ended, it is believed that a war correspondent/photographer moved some bodies in order to snap a good photograph.  It is rumored that the souls of the men who were moved have never found peace—and they continue to haunt the area.

Visitors and paranormal investigators report seeing apparitions and orbs, smelling phantom gunfire, and hearing disembodied sounds.  Many visitors report having camera problems in the Devil’s Den.  Cameras and electrical equipment stop working, and fully charged batteries are drained—but when visitors leave the Devil’s Den, the cameras suddenly start working again! 

Triangular Field

Triangular Field is another area where electrical equipment and cameras often stop working.  Photo anomalies are also reported here.  When taking photos in Triangular Field, things appear on the developed picture that were not witnessed by the eye of the photographer while taking the picture.  Some visitors report that when taking photos in Triangular Field, they will see a very clear day and a grassy field in the background.  However, when receiving the developed photo, the background will be pitch black—with no grassy field in sight! 

 
Haunted Cemetery Hill & Sachs Bridge

Cemetery Hill is another paranormal hotspot.  During the war, the hill played a critical role in the Union army defense line.  Many soldiers were killed on Cemetery Hill, and their bodies were left to await burial on the streets of the town.  The smell from the rotting corpses combined with the hot July heat made Cemetery Hill one of the most gruesome places in Gettysburg. 

It is reported that after the battle, the ladies of Gettysburg walked down the streets with peppermint scented handkerchiefs pressed to their faces to mask the horrible stench.  Many visitors to Gettysburg report phantom smells, including rotting corpses—and when walking down Baltimore Street, the phantom smells of peppermint and vanilla are still present today.  Today, Cemetery Hill sits adjacent to the National Cemetery, which has expanded to include a burial ground for soldiers from other wars. 

Sachs Bridge is another location with plenty of paranormal activity.  The 100-foot long wooden-covered bridge was used during battle as a passageway across the water—and as a makeshift-hospital for the wounded.  Visitors to the bridge report the uneasy sensation of being watched, and many psychic photographs and EVP (electronic voice phenomena) have been captured here.  Some investigators report having been touched by unseen hands; others report seeing apparitions, smelling phantom smells, and hearing cannon fire.  Gettysburg is one of the top destinations for ghost hunters, history buffs, and paranormal enthusiasts.  You're bound to witness something unusual during your time here.