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Ghosts of Ohio Newsletter - February 2008THE GHOSTS OF OHIO NEWSLETTER OK, we’re a two months into 2008. How are your New Year’s resolutions holding up? At The Ghosts of Ohio, our resolution to continue providing our clients with the best possible service keeps rolling right along. This past month, we rolled out several new pieces of equipment, including our Vernier LabQuest, which we’ll have more about later in the newsletter. We’ve even modified our evidence review procedures and have started taking a closer look at how we can improve our historical research division. But that doesn’t mean that we’ve forgotten about you, our devoted readers and fans. As you’ll see shortly, in addition to the impending kickoff of our Spend the Night with The Ghosts of Ohio contest, we’re working on yet another contest where you can get some Ghost Hunters swag. We’ve even added a new feature to the newsletter and it’s making its premiere in this issue: Ghost Tour Reviews. One of the members of The Ghosts of Ohio, Wendy, has stepped forward and graciously offered to let you in on the inside scoop on all the ghost tours she’s been going on for the last few years. Finally, in addition to our new ghost tour review, this issue features an old section that we've brought back from the dead: Ohio Ghost Stories. We'd like to thank all of you who sent us e-mails letting us know how much you enjoyed reading the ghost stories and that you wanted it back. Well, we listened! All in all, 2008 continues to look like its going to be a banner year for The Ghosts of Ohio. We can’t let the cat out of the bag just yet, but there’s a lot of other cool and creepy stuff lurking in the months ahead. Stay tuned!Cheers, WHAT'S NEW AT THE GHOSTS OF OHIO? We are also in the process of testing out a new DVD recorder with our handheld infrared video cameras. Our handhelds are digital video cameras, which meant they needed digital-8 tapes. In case you haven’t noticed, these tapes are getting harder and harder to find. Since we only ever use brand new, unopened tapes for investigations, it can get pretty expensive, too. By feeding our cameras into a DVD recorder, we not only get a more cost-effective solution, but it also alleviates the need to pass out video cameras after the investigation so people can review the evidence. We simply hand them some DVDs that can be popped into any DVD player. Speaking of evidence review, The Ghosts of Ohio recently restructured the way we go about reviewing audio, video, and photographs collected during an investigation. In the past, we divided and conquered with several team members taking materials home to analyze it alone and then we would come together as a group afterwards to review any potential evidence. Now, we simply set aside a day and we come together as one and review everything all at once. Last investigation, we had to review over 40 hours of video alone, so it helps to have someone there beside you to take over for a bit when you’re eyes are starting to glaze over from staring at a video screen.THE NEWSLETTER IS A ROBOT! GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY SPEND THE NIGHT WITH THE GHOSTS OF OHIO And if for some reason you don't have your own subscription, what are you waiting for? GHOST HUNTERS CONTEST We'll be putting up a special contest page on our website in the next day or so with all of the specifics. If you're already a newsletter subscriber, all you need to do is sit back and cross your fingers. If you haven't subscribed yet, what are you waiting for? http://ghostsofohio.org/services/newsletter.htmlMYSPACE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTATIONS http://ghostsofohio.org/services/investigations.html. WENDY'S GHOST TOUR REVIEW Before we get started, I should probably discuss our rating system. To come up with this rating system, I looked at things specific to ghost tours. For example, having a really good, knowledgeable tour guide is going to get high marks, while having one who does not know anything about the area is not. I also took into account such things as walking distance and how interesting the stories were. And since The Ghosts of Ohio (GOO) is giving the ratings, I changed them from ghosties to GOOsties! When all was said and done, we had the following rating system: 5 GOOsties—Tops in tours! OK, now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s go on a ghost tour! Since this is our inaugural article, we’re going to start with the state of Ohio and focus on two tours presented by Sherri Brake-Recco, at www.hauntedhistory.net. Canal Fulton Ghost Walk The next part of the tour focused on the outskirts of town. At the canal, we first heard about the crazed canal digger who threw acid on his co-workers. Then Sherri related the story of the ghostly Native Americans said to still walk the Indian Path along the canal. Next up was the old pioneer cemetery, where we were free to wander around for about 15 minutes, check out the gravestones, and try to pick up on anything with our own senses. We finished the walk at the Warehouse on the Canal. All in all, I feel it was pretty evenly paced and we didn’t find ourselves having to hurry. There was, however, some up-and-down hill walking when we went to the cemetery, which could be a strain on some people. As a side note, after the tour I asked Sherri for recommendations on dining in a local ‘haunted restaurant’. She suggested the Sisters Century House, which backs onto the canal. I and a fellow investigator went back a couple weeks later for lunch. We didn’t pick up on anything ‘ghostly’, but the meal was very good, and the colonial atmosphere and canal view were wonderful. Zoar Village After the presentation, Sherri led the group down to the Number One House for hot appetizers and dessert. After eating, we were free to hunt in any of the three buildings that were open to us for the evening. Our first stop was the old Zoar Hotel, which is undergoing extensive renovations and is not open to the public. My friend and I spent about an hour there doing work with EVPs, an infrared camcorder, EMF detectors, and even some dowsing rods that we borrowed from Sherri. After that we went back to the Number One House. Along the way, we picked up the distinct scent of pipe tobacco, even though there was no one on the street at that time. We tried to trace it, but we lost the scent. We also stopped to investigate a cold spot that is often reported right outside the Number One House. In fact, another investigator and I had noticed it on an earlier lantern walking tour. This time, we tried to pick up something with the temperature gauges, the EMF, and the dowsing rods, but were unsuccessful even though we could feel it with our hands. I still have no idea what could have been causing the cold spot, but I’d like to go back and see if an ambient temperature reader will pick it up. At the Number One House, we decided to try and do some EVP work. Remembering that the town was settled by German church separatists, and since my friend speaks German, we decided to try doing the EVP work in German to see if we could strike up a ghostly conversation that way. Our next stop was the cabin that used to function as a supply house of sorts for the villagers. Since the cabin’s attic is supposed to be haunted, we made that our primary focus. The steep staircase, coupled with the low-pitched ceilings and almost total darkness certainly throw your senses off, which might explain some of the strange feelings people report while in the attic. Our evening ended with a quick walk around town. Sherri offered to give a lantern tour and some members of the group took her up on it. But since I had already been on that tour, I headed back to the Zoar Hotel for some more investigating down in the basement. All in all, this tour is definitely for the serious hunter. These are the types of tours that can be either really good or really bad depending on the people you are on the tour with. Sometimes people forget that on these tours/hunts, you need to be quiet and mindful of your fellow investigators. Thankfully, we had a great group that night. Also, if you are interested in serious investigating, you might want to bring some of your own equipment along like we did. Otherwise, your equipment will be limited to an ELF and some dowsing rods. The Bottom Line The bottom line is that if you’re looking to learn more about Ohio and its ghostly side, I would highly recommend trying out one of her tours. Canal Fulton Ghost Walk—3 GOOsties Zoar Village Ghost Tour—5 GOOstiesOHIO GHOST STORIES It was his return trip north that, according to legend, brought John Stetson to Waynesville, Ohio, where his sister Louis lived. Louisa Stetson Larrick had been living in the Stetson House for many years when her brother John came for a visit. One variation of the legend claims that Stetson was sent to live with his sister after being diagnosed with tuberculosis. Historical records don’t seem to support that, though, since John was diagnosed in the 1850s and did not visit his sister for another decade. Either way, it is said that John never fully recovered from the disease and that he inadvertently gave it to his sister. She died inside the house in 1879 at the age of 60 years of age. After her death, other families came to live in the Stetson House, although some people say Louisa never left. Today, mirrors aren’t welcome inside the Stetson House for some reason. They have been known to move around on their hooks and sometimes come crashing off the walls. Visitors to the house have often reported smelling the aroma of fresh gingerbread, which wouldn’t be that strange except for the fact that the building no longer has a functioning kitchen. Some people have even seen a short woman with dark hair moving through the house, especially at night. Some say that she matches the description of Louisa Stetson Larrick, although others say the ghost bears a resemblance to Lila Benham, a local school teacher who lived in the building after Louisa’s death. This raises an interesting question: are there two female ghosts inside the Stetson House? If you want to find out for yourself, The Stetson House is now an antiques store called The Stetson Place and is located at 234 South Main Street in Waynesville. |
