Investigations
P.U.R.S. has been on countless investigations, most of them are private homes or businesses where the clients and results, whether paranormal or not, remain undisclosed to public perusal as per protocol. There are many we are able to share with eveyone and these are the cases contained on these pages. These are but a small amount of the places we have investigated. As more become available, they will be added.
The following investigations are some of the places Arlene and I have spent time in trying to find the answers to why they may be haunted. We do not always have occurences during the investigations and many times we experience phenomena that could not be caught on film or recorder. Any evidence we have gathered can be found in the archives section of this website. It will be marked in the investigation as so.
As always, we do not charge for investigations and look forward to helping anyone with a possible paranormal situation. Contact us at ramtail@att.net
NOTE: Greater detail on the history of these places can be found in "A Guide to Haunted New England: Tales from Mount Washington to the Newport Cliffs" by History Press. Arlene and I have actually investigated almost every place in the book but have included some of the more interesting ones here, whether we found any paranormal activity or not. Enjoy these investigations and get a copy of the book so you may have your own adventures.
Many Happy Haunts.
HOUGHTON MANSION
NORTH ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS
Arlene and I investigated this mansion with Berkshire Paranormal and New England Ghost Project on August 11, the anniversary of the death of the original owner, A.C. Houghton. The investigation spanned 8 hours and we had some interesting experiences.
Immediately into the investigation, Josh mantello of Berkshire Paranormal had his batteries instantly drain while in the basement. A fresh set was put in his camera and recorder, and they did the same. the bbatteries were tested before they were used and proved new and full of power.
Dowsing rods and pendulums were used frequently to locate spirit energy or try to have a few questions answered by the ghosts of the house. One set of rods pointed towards the Widders room. This is where Berkshire Paranormal took a picture of something looking out the window while in the yard. People have also seen lights emanating from that room, yet there is no electricity there. As we took our positions to start our vigil, Arlene's camera exploded into pieces. The bayonet lens was thrown in one direction while the flash flew in another. The batteries came out of the flash scattering about the room. The camera itself smashed against Arlene's thumb cutting it. Note that it takes two hands to remove either component from a camera, let alone both at the same time.
Arlene and I wandered about the rooms holding vigils. At one point we were in a "costume" room where coats and suits were kept. We both saw the dark shadow move across the wall into a corner where it disappeared. upon investigation we noticed there was nowhere for the shadow to go. This room was once the master bedroom.
Later, we headed back upstairs for a walkthrough with a small group. It was then that a few members of the team saw the same shadow in the room we had seen before. This time it moved across the doorway. A thorough search of the room proved it to be otherwise empty.
The other groups caught some interesting EVPs while in different rooms. Ron Kolek of NEGP, Josh mantello of BP, Arlene, and I decided to try a vigil in the basement where a little girl has been periodically sighted. No one knows the identity of the ghost but it is seen on occasion.
As we sat in the dark and asked questions, orbs began to fly by our heads. Red, green, white, and blue balls of light whisped by us during our session. The phenomena was quite amazing and proved that people can actually see orbs, as they are glowing balls of energy. It was not long after that Josh saw something in the hall leading to the stairs. He beckoned for it to come to him and then jumped with a start. Whatever it was had raced towards him. We then noticed that there was a glow above his head like a small light shining down on him. Ron quickly took a picture but the flash disrupted the enmergy field and it was gone.
We grabbed our folding chairs and headed down the hall. About halfway, the temperature dropped from 70 degrees to 50 in about 5 seconds. Ron's thermometer read 50 degrees while my thermal scanner showed the walls a few feet from us read 70 degrees. Our noses, ears, and hands were cold, our equipment, and even the chairs became very cold. This lasted for about a minute then the temperature jumped right back up to 70.
That was the last of the phenomena that evening. There was no hard evidence on film or recorders for us but what we all experienced led us to conclude that the Houghton Mansion is definitely haunted.
THE MOUNT
LENOX, MASSACHUSETTS
The Mount is an astounding estate and worth the visit.Arlene and I were able to investigate this in the autumn of 2008. It was a clear day and the building was otherwise empty, save for a few staff members roaming about.
Among the rooms we investigated were the Henry James Room. Edith Wharton's room and the dining room. We also figured the halls might have the ghost of Edith Wharton roaming them as witnessed by people on occasion. Although we gave the place a good go, it appeared that the spirits of the manor were not into company that day. Our recorders, cameras, and even our meters showed no sign of activity.
Ghost hunting is like fishing, you never know what you will catch or what will bring the spirits out. In the end, Arlene and I were no less amazed by the history of the manor and enjoyed its atmosphere.
THE EASTOVER
LENOX, MASSACHUSETTS
Arlene and I were accompanied by fellow member, Kevin Fay. It was actually a paranormal weekend to see if the stories of the Eastover held any truth to them. 24 other people from all over the country joined us for two days of investigating every building in the resort.
The main building, the summer home, seemed to be active with a few spirits, mainly that of a little boy. Various members of the group kept going back to the top floor where they claimed to have experienced paranormal phenomena of some sort from phantom footsteps behind them to voices coming out of nowhere.
Tally-Ho, the stables-turned-dance hall, had the spirit of someone who hung close to the stage. Upstairs where the stable hands quarters were, footsteps were heard and Ryan, a staff memeber of the Eastover and avid paranormal investigator caught an orb on film. We did capture some EVPs in the various buildings. The evidence can be seen and heard in the archives section of this site. It was a good weekend and we do believe the Eastover is haunted by spirits who dearly loved the place, as they are quite harmless.
THE CHARLEMONT INN
CHARLEMONT, MASSACHUSETTS
Arlene and I stay here every time we visit the Mohawk Trail so we have done several investigations at the Charlemont. The most intense was after we had left the Houghton Mansion. We were able to secure the haunted room 23 where Elizabeth still resides. I put my equipment on the dresser but something threw it on the bed. I repeated the action and when we returned, once again, the equipment was thrown on the bed as if someone, or something did not want us cluttering up their bureau.
We tried some EVPs and later left a video camera going on the bed Elizabeth is said to sleep in. I got a response on my recorder of someone asking "Hi, can you hear me?" after pausing for a longer time than usual between questions. The inn was empty save for a few guests that were staying the night. We roamed the halls asking for Elizabeth or anyone else to show themselves but it appeared that they rather be heard and not seen. Later in the night, the infamous running up and down the stairs startled the few guests from their slumber as the phantom footsteps of Elizabeth made an unearthly din throughout the inn. When we had arrived the previous day, the chambermaid had told us that Elizabeth was active the night before as well. Perhaps she was glad to see company or be acknowledged during our stay. The EVP can be found in the archives section.
MYSTIC SEAPORT
MYSTIC, CONNECTICUT
Mystic Seaport is one of our favorite places to visit. There are many places of legend in the surrounding area that makes for a great day of ghost hunting or legend tripping. While doing a two day book signing at the seaport, we were able to also do an investigation aboard the Charles Morgan and one in the gift shop as well. The Morgan was empty so we were able to do a thorough investigation but the gift shop had a lot of people mulling around. Arlene and I ended up showing many of the guests in the gift shop how we work. Arlene taught some of them how to use the dowsing rods while I showed them proper recording techniques. The ship was void of spirits that day but we did capture the presence of something near the shelfs in the gift shop. In fact a few people said they could feel it. The rods moved to certain questions and the EMF meter spiked a few times. Nothing absolutely conclusive as far as haunts go but to visit the place and get the feeling of eras long gone when tall masted sailing vessels were a common sight among the seaside ports is worth the trip.
THE BLACK DUCK
NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND
Arlene and I stayed here and it was a charming bed and breakfast. Being January, there were not a whole lot of people roaming the streets of Newport. We were able to investigate the claims of the place being haunted for a good portion of the night. Nothing unusual happened but Mary was very sincere so we tend to believe that she experienced what she claims.
BRENTON POINT
NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND
We investigated Brenton Point with members of Rhode Island Paranormal on a beautiful August afternoon. It is hard to imagine the paranormal phenomena that is said to go on here while traversing the grounds. The windmill is still there as is the stables and many of the gardens. We gave the place a complete investigation. Every tree, garden, structure and field was a place for us to use everything we had. Nothing out of the ordinary showed up on our equipment but the visit was nice.
BELCOURT CASTLE
NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND
Harle Tinney is wonderful and a pleasure to talk with. The mansion is breathtaking in every aspect. Arlene and I paid several visits to Belcourt Castle and found it to be magical, and yes, alive with spirit. In the Gothic Ballroom, Arlene had her dowsing rods come alive and point to a suit of armor as well as the two chairs. We were not aware at the time that they were the famous salt chairs that housed so much energy. Noises in a castle are common but footsteps in an otherwise empty hall are not. We heard someone walking in the hall and went to check yet no one was there. It could have been an echo from downstairs but it was clear and sharp. I tried recording but there were no EVPs. The chapel was another place were energy was felt. It is just off the dining room and there are a lot of artifacts in the rooms. Energy would seem normal in these situations. The accounts of the castle are too vast to doubt. It can be assured that Arlene and I will be visiting again as the mansion and Harle are certainly worth taking the time to visit and say hello.
THE MUSIC HALL
PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE
The history of the Music Hall is quite an interesting one. Arlene and I were there about three hours before it was scheduled to open for a concert. We were shown around by Production Manager, Zhana Morris. She related all of the goings on at the hall and the portrait they had found. We were able to take lots of readings and recordings but the place was vacant of the ghostly activity. We noted that the acoustics were quite nice and the places where ghosts were seen are open so no one can really duck around a corner and hide. Perhaps it is when there are shows going on do the spirits wish to take part in the festivities with the living. Next time we will have to catch one of the performances and see if we can find out who the ghosts of nthe music hall really are.
JOHN PAUL JONES HOUSE
PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Arlene and I finally got to visit the JPJ House and even got to take a sweep of the place with our equipment. The self guided tour afforded us opportunity to take extra time in each room. Being the end of October, there were no tourists rushing to see the house so we were alone there save for the curator at the front desk. We tried EVPs in every room but did not have much luck. We also measured the rooms with our meters and Arlene used her dowsing rods. She took some nice pictures as well but nothing paranormal showed up on film or recorder. There were a few incidents in the bedrooms where it sounded as if someone was moving around. One resembled a person getting out of a chair while the other sounded like someone opening a door. The rooms are small and we were able to reach them quickly yet there was no one around. These could not conclude paranormal activity but were cool none-the-less. A house with that much history is a great choice for a tour anyway, haunted or not.
MCMENEMY'S
PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Arlene and I are accustomed to visiting this pub/restaurant when in Portsmouth so when we told the server we were paranormal investigators and had our equipment with us, she was more than happy to let us have a go of the place. It was in between lunch and dinner when all is quiet. We first held vigil in the upstairs pub where we asked questions based on Ron nKolek's findings with New England Ghost Project. We then went down to the first floor which was abit noisy with the racket from the kitchen. After that we proceeded to investigate the rest of the building. There is a lot of history regarding the paranormal there and although we did not experience anything conclusive to the haunts, we did enjoy investigating one of the most haunted places in Portsmouth.