When there's something strange in the neighborhood, who ya gonna call? Forget proton packs and pink goo. The Montgomery-based Southern Paranormal Researchers team is the real deal, and is ready, willing and able to check out anything odd-from the curious to the downright creepy (and everything in between). I don't know if the tingly chill running up my spine calling every nerve ending in my body to rapt attention was the physical manifestation of my own fear, some unearthly "presence" in the room sucking up the heat energy around me...or a combination of both. Such a sensation is so subjective that it is difficult to say for sure. What I can state, with absolute certainty, is that the tiny red light on the voice recorder set up in the pitch-black space moved, not once, but twice, about three inches up and over to the left. "Did you see that?" asked Jay, the leader of this particular Southern Paranormal Researchers' (SPR) investigation. I had seen it; all five of us in the room had seen it, and right as I was in the middle of convincing myself that we were all victims of a self-imposed mass delusion and that my eyes were simply responding to my inner desire to "make contact," I saw the green light on the K-2 meter move as well. And this time, it was not mere inches. The device had been moved close to a foot from where Jay had originally set it.

Voice recorders, K-2 meters (that measure electromagnetic energy), video cameras, temperature gauges and infrared cameras are just a few of the many tools in SPR's arsenal for exploration of the paranormal. SPR is a group of diverse men and women based in Montgomery that routinely investigates paranormal phenomena and helps people (all over the state and the country) with unanswered questions, strange events and unexplained happenings in their life. Founded four and a half years ago, SPR stays busy, with 12 active members around the Southeast, and this group of "ghostbusters" is actually a highly professional team of investigators who've each undergone a series of mandatory training classes.

The founder and one of the lead investigators, Shawn Sellers grew up harboring an interest in the unexplained. Sellers does have a day job, one that’s allowed him to feed this interest. As an insurance adjustor, he travels often and has never missed the chance to visit haunted historic sites. Sellers also possesses an innate gift that draws him to the paranormal. "I'm what we call a 'sensitive,' which means exactly what you'd think; I am sensitive to the unseen world around us," he said. "I had weird stuff happen when I was a kid, and my grandmother helped me cultivate some of the things I was picking up."

The night I was lucky enough to join the crew as we sought evidence of spirits in our material world in downtown Montgomery, scouting around Noble's restaurant and on the empty floors above the eatery. The investigation was more for fun than anything else, and the presence detected by SPR in the past in this building was one they consider benign. (So don't fret about finding a poltergeist in your pork tenderloin when dining at this local favorite.) As Jay explained, "We wouldn’t bring a guest on an investigation where we thought we’d find anything truly sinister or dangerous-like something demonic." Despite multiple encounters, including actual apparition sightings, Sellers said he and other SPR members, "still get shivers and goose bumps, and it can be fun because you never know what you’re going to get." But then there are the cases SPR was created to take on. "When something is really scaring someone, and it's affecting their daily life, it gets serious," Sellers said. "That's when being scared is no longer exciting. These are the people who feel truly vulnerable and have to reach out and say, 'Something strange and frightening is happening in my home, and my family is really scared.' That’s who we want to help."

When beginning any investigation into "haunting" phenomena-be it "for fun" or to rid a place of a dark presence-SPR tries to rule out all natural explanations first. "There is so much more to the paranormal than ghosts and demons; paranormal activity is sometimes just a product of someone's mind; they may be throwing off negative energy and not even know it. The supernatural is always the last thing we look at," Sellers said.

Once it is determined that activity is not man made or naturally occurring, SPR puts the event(s) into one of three categories. A "residual haunt" is one in which there is no interaction between the presence and anyone else and is usually attributed to leftover energy in a specific location. "These events seem to play over and over, almost like a recording," Jay said. An "intelligent haunt" is one where there is some level of interaction, a response to questions with either electronic voice phenomena (captured with super-sensitive microphones and often only heard when a recording is played back) or by energy pulses shown on K-2 meters or other devices. According to SPR, the danger comes when the force or entity is (and never was) human. "Human spirits can’t hurt you; they can cause you to hurt yourself if you get spooked and fall down some stairs," Sellers said. "But demonic spirits are dangerous." In these instances, SPR performs a cleansing of the house, followed by prayers and a blessing, performed by the pastor on the team. Sellers recalled one such situation. "A lady who used to be a witch, and she and her husband played with a ouija board a lot, called us, said someone was running up and down their steps and that something had thrown a knife at her and had actually cut her," he said. "They were freaked out. Ouija boards are so dangerous because you are opening a door to be attacked."

Since they do deal with the dark side of the spiritual world, SPR members all share a strong faith in God. "I think we all feel that having a strong faith in God is imperative for paranormal investigators. There is spiritual warfare going on all around us. We come from a Christian perspective, and we have to have strong faith to do this, because we are opening ourselves to that battle and need God's protection. It's our faith that makes our group unique in this field," Jake Bell, another member of the SPR team, said.

From a simple case of the spooks to events that recall the horror of "The Exorcist," SPR has seen and handled it all. And they are constantly rewarded by the work they do. "We really help people, and we feel good about that, but it’s deeper than that," Seller said. "It’s a real commitment because some clients don't want to take our advice. They may have started the activity by opening the door, so we tell them to change something in their lives, and they don't always want to hear that."

Standing broom has folks here strawstruck
By Marty Roney (photo by David Bundy with Montgomery Advertiser)
mroney@gannett.com

PRATTVILLE -- Buzz about a broom standing upright and unsupported at a downtown Prattville business is sweeping the town. Several hundred people have stopped by Vintage Blu, a yet-to-be-opened consignment shop, since the phenomenon was discovered Thursday. Dozens of theories to explain what's going on have been thrown out. There must be glue on the bristles of the broom, or there are magnets in the floor working in concert with the buildings electrical system, or maybe ... just maybe ... it's something from beyond at work. "I think it's more strange than spooky," said Christy Burdett, the shop's owner, who has been working for several weeks to get the business open. "But it's been fun."  No, there isn't any glue, and there are no magnets in the floor. As to something otherworldly going on, people will have to use their own judgment. It all started out innocently enough. The broom was leaning against a set of mobile shelves when Della Benton, Burdett's sister, moved the shelves Thursday afternoon. When Benton looked back, she was surprised to see the broom standing on the floor. "Christy was behind the counter and I told her to get her camera quick and take a picture. I thought the broom would fall over in just a few seconds," Benton said. "We had people walk past it the rest of the day. It stayed there. Spence (Williamson) from the fire department shoved the handle to the side; it went over a few inches and swung back into place." Some 25 hours later a friend stopping by the store touched the broom's handle and it toppled. "We told her she had the Holy Spirit, and she drove the ghosts away," Christy Burdett said with a laugh. The broom is a run-of-the-mill item, purchased from Dollar General. "It's just your average $2.99 broom," said Phillip Burdett, Christy's husband and a Prattville firefighter. "I don't know how to explain it. We've had people just walk in since it happened every day we've been down here. They want to see the broom." It seems that the broom likes one spot on the store floor. People have moved it to other areas, and it hasn't stayed upright. Tuesday during an interview with the Montgomery Advertiser, a photographer moved the broom and was able to make it stand several feet away. It was quickly returned to its favorite spot, where Christy Burdett plopped it down and there it stuck. Visitors eye the broom suspiciously when they first walk in the building. The Burdetts are quick to move their hands around it, just to prove there are no strings or wires holding it up. Their 6-year-old son, Reed, has even jumped off the counter near the broom several times, landing beside it with a thud. The broom never wavered. Their 2 1/2-year-old, Will, also has gotten in on the act. "We brought him in and asked him what he thought of the broom," Christy Burdett said. "He went up and looked at it and said 'Mommy, it's cold.' I went up and there was cold air around the broom. You'll have to come up with an explanation for that on your own." Christy Burdett posted what was going on on Facebook late last week. That's when the buzz started. "Word got around pretty quickly," she said. "There was a paranormal group having a fundraiser out at Buena Vista, and they asked if they could come by and see it." Southern Paranormal Researchers spent several hours at the store Friday night and Saturday morning, leaving about 2 a.m., she said. The crew put teams in the store, its basement and the building next door, which houses Lucky Photography. "They told us they felt the presence of several spirits," Christy Burdett said. "The lights flickered next door." She said one member of the group came out of the bathroom and wanted to know who had turned the lights off. "When she found out nobody did, she got a little upset," Burdett said. The researchers still have to go over evidence gathered during the investigation, to see if anything went bump, or swish, in the night, said Jake Bell, assistant director of SPR. "The basement team thought they had some shadow movement," he said. "Other members of the team just had the feeling of a creepy presence." And what is Bell's personal verdict? "I just think it balances that way," he said. "But it's pretty funny how they found out, by moving that piece of furniture. It's a pretty cool story." As word filtered out in the community, folks came by to share their downtown ghost stories. The building has a varied past. It has been a café, car dealership and dry goods store. Lucky Photography was its most recent tenant, moving next door a few weeks ago. "The guy from the photography shop came by when everybody started talking about the broom," Christy Burdett said. "He said he didn't want to tell us this when we moved in, but he had a broom that would stand up. He never told his partner because she was scared of ghosts." George Walthall Jr., a local attorney, owns the building and has his office on the second floor. "Ladies from George's office told us they see an older man and woman upstairs sometimes," Phillip Burdett said. "They all told us the stories separately, and the stories matched up." Walthall stopped by the store Tuesday morning and was at a loss to explain the broom's positioning. "I had a client a long time ago that was into voodoo," he said. "But that's been a long time ago. If there are any spirits in the building, I'll just send them downstairs." If there are spirits, that won't be the only thing Walthall does, said Butch Ellis, who was walking downtown Tuesday. "If there are ghosts in the building, George will figure out a way to charge them rent," he said.

No bump, no thump at ghost hunt

By Caleb R. Johnson | Selma Times-Journal

A Montgomery-based paranormal research group returned to Selma Saturday night to investigate an old mill and the surrounding grounds.Southern Paranormal Researchers arrived at Kenan's Mill around 8 p.m. with hopes of recording paranormal activity. The mill, which was built in the mid-1800s and remains in working condition, is rumored to be the site of numerous suicides throughout the years.The group performed a walk through of the grounds, which includes a brick, charcoal kiln. After getting their bearings, the group set up voice recorders, motion sensors, video recorders and other equipment in the interior of the mill and kiln.Next, SPR associate director and technology manager Jake Bell set up the "ghost box" inside the mill. While the box scans the AM frequencies, an operator asks questions, hoping to have someone from "the other side" communicate through it.Bell held the antenna in one hand and delicately twisted and turned different knobs with the other hand. A steady murmur of static came through the speaker along with the occasional snippet of an old country song or talk radio broadcast. Bell began asking questions, but was not able to "connect" with anyone. That seemed to be the case for the entire night."There's not too much there unfortunately," Bell said of Kenan's Mill.After a preliminary review of collected evidence, SPR director and founder Shawn Sellers agreed. Sellers said light and noise from traffic driving past the mill to a nearby hunting camp could have corrupted some of the evidence."Some of your noise could be polluted," Sellers said.Although the final report has not been written, associate director David Humphrey said noise and light might not have been the only problem though. There just was no paranormal activity to document at Kenan's Mill."It was a cool place, but I didn't get any personal evidence whatsoever," Humphrey said. Bell expects the group will only find evidence of a little residual energy, which has no real intelligence, he said. This means there were no spirits waiting along the creek or inside the dome-shaped kiln on a bitter cold January night."It was just kind of a bum night unfortunately," Bell said. "That doesn't mean it's not haunted; it just wasn't that night.

Group to study paranormal activity in Selma

By Caleb R. Johnson | Selma Times-Journal

After more than 150 years, there are bound to be a few things lingering inside the Vaughan Smitherman Museum other than cobwebs and dust. Over the years, employees reported hearing footsteps on the stairs and toilets flushing at odd hours. Southern Paranormal Researchers stepped in to get to the bottom of the bumps and scrapes that echoed throughout the brick building at the end of Alabama Avenue."You almost did feel the presence of someone up there," said Shawn Sellers, director of Southern Paranormal Researchers.The Vaughan Smitherman Museum was built in 1847 by a group of Masons. Through the years, the building served as a Confederate hospital, the Dallas County Courthouse, a Presbyterian high school for boys and again as a hospital until the city bought it in 1968.Sellers, who is also an insurance adjuster, first saw the building when he worked a claim at the museum. A tour guide began telling him about its history, and the self-described history buff was hooked."As I walked through, it was just a place that stuck in my mind that I always wanted to have the opportunity to go back and have a chance for my team and I to investigate," Sellers said.Last November, Sellers brought his team to Selma and invited Arts Revive treasurer Cindy Stoudenmire to join them. The group brought along digital cameras and voice recorders, video cameras, electro-magnetic field detectors and thermometers to aid the investigation. Stoudenmire, who is also a tour guide at the museum, said it was a thrill to participate in a ghost hunt after hearing so many ghost stories growing up in Selma."We all grew up hearing about ghost stories," Stoudenmire said. "You hear people have a ghost in their house. They'll tell you they do. It's almost matter of fact."While Southern Paranormal Researchers did not find enough hard evidence to confirm resident paranormal activity, Stoudenmire said it was interesting just to see how all the equipment worked. She saw a compass needle spin like a top on the third floor, and an EMF detector flash on and off several times after a team member asked certain questions during the three hours of research. Not too many people can make that claim."It was a little convincing," Stoudenmire said. "Although, the report dismissed it."In his report, Sellers concluded, "there does seem to be some activity there, but it is most likely not a resident intelligent spirit." He said this is common in buildings as old the Vaughan Smitherman Museum. Often, it takes more than one visit to truly get to the bottom of things."A lot of these historical places have a lot of residual energy," Sellers said. "There's a lot of places that you have to go through and investigate more than one time."

Group Explores Eerie Events - October 28, 2008

by Griffin Pritchard

Original article can be seen here

Everyone has stories about things going bump in the night. Every county has a “Crybaby Bridge” or a “haunted house on the hill,” it’s the job of the Southern Paranormal Researchers to investigate those occurrences. Members of the SPR, under the leadership of Shawn Sellers, Jake Bell and Michael Burnett, are no strangers to the city of Wetumpka or to the Elmore County area for that matter.
“There’s always been a story in Shadowlands (book of hauntings) about things being seen at the junior high school here,” said Sellers director of SPR. “There’s always been the story of some of the old teachers seeing a little boy in the hall or someone drowning in the old swimming pool. We were called in to investigate and really couldn’t find enough evidence to say one way or the other. But it is a creepy old school. You stand in the hallways late at night and your mind can play tricks on you.” During the investigation, however, the group did have one experience that sticks out. “You talk about residual energy, the basic definition of a ghost,” said Sellers. “You go below the old pool, which is now the gym, and it actually sounded like someone was dribbling a basketball. But when we sent someone up there to check it out there was no one in the room nor was there a basketball.” SPR, also known as SPIT - "Southern Paranormal Investigative Team” - has investigated hauntings throughout the southeast.“We’ve been to Buena Vista in Prattville,” said Burnett, the group’s case manager. “We’ve been to the Tallassee Library, Hotel Talisi, Pickens County square, Fort Morgan, Charleston city jail, all throughout New Orleans.” With Halloween two days away, the group has plans to hold investigations all weekend and is even doing a contest with the Montgomery-based top-40 station Y102 for people to come along on an investigation. “That Thursday morning we are going to be in Cullman, that night we are at the Montgomery Public Library speaking and at 8 p.m., that night we have our internet radio show,” said Sellers. “Friday we have the Y102 thing eight people are going to get to come with us on an investigation at Buena Vista and then Saturday night we have a private home investigation after having a Halloween party for a bunch of teenagers. We are going to be on WAKA Friday night as well.” Bell said of all the speaking engagements his groups do, the best is speaking to teenagers. “You can just say ‘that’s entertainment and doesn’t really happen like that,” said Bell. “And they agree.” With the popularity of television programs based on ghost-hunting sometimes it’s hard to not get caught up in the myth or the legend surrounding a certain area. “A lot of the myths and legends began from truth,” said Sellers. “They can send you one way and then your investigation takes you somewhere completely different. “You’ve really got to go in there and research the land and interview the people and get a feel for what they are experiencing.” Bell, Burnett and Sellers each point to the Pickens County Courthouse as a prime example of being led in another direction. The legend says that an inmate, “Henry,” was lynched in front of the courthouse. “Everybody thinks that the guy was taken from upstairs and was lynched,” said Sellers. “But he was died of gangrene from being shot in the leg. It was somebody else. A lot of times old myths and legends about an area will throw you off.” According to their Web site www.southernparanormalresearchers.org “Our team uses a wide variety of investigative methods to help determine what type of paranormal activity, if any, is present and how best to deal with it once it has been identified. We extensively research any location we investigate, perform a thorough investigation and prepare a detailed report outlining our findings. We are experienced in investigating historical sites, hotels, inns, private residences, and even outdoor locations. Our specialty is assisting people who feel they may have a dark or demonic entity in their home/location. We will work with any family or group until they feel comfortable in their location.” Sellers did, however, point out two myths in the Wetumpka area that he would like his crew to investigate: Bald Knob Hill and another involving a house across in West Wetumpka. "We did a private home that was interesting in this area,” said Bell, who handles the electronics aspect of the investigation and is the group’s associate director. “We found out the problems they were having weren’t from a ghost or a presence, but from bad wiring. It turned out to be a fire hazard more than a haunting.” As a result of the bad wiring, the family had been experiencing ElectroMagnetic Frequency Sickness (EMF Sickness). “You’ll have hallucinations, dizziness,” said Bell. “They may see black spots in front of their eyes.” Mindset plays a lot into the “hauntings,” too said Burnett, the group’s case manager. We’ve had people get very adamant and become hostile with us about their home having a ghost or being haunted,” said Burnett. “A lot of times, before we do an investigation, like at Buena Vista, I’ll ask the people out there ‘who came here to see a ghost?’” However, during a radio show in the basement of the Tallassee Library, member of the group had an experience that made them ponder things. “We were doing our radio show and one of our guys was getting frustrated because he couldn’t get the internet to connect so we could broadcast so he starts out with a few choice words,” said Burnett. “The box of equiptment at the end of the table levitates turns sideways and then slammed into the wall across that room. So we then spent the next hour or so beating on the table screaming at the box trying to figure out what made it do that.” However, one of the most tell-tale signs that a ghost is present ”an orb” is the easiest to disprove. “Orbs are easy to debunk,” said Bell. “It could be a speck of dust that caught the light, a reflection in a mirror or just a reflection off something someone is wearing.”

Ghost Hunters

“We are paranormal investigators and are here to communicate with you. If there is anyone here in the room with us, please give us a sign.” Silence. Then, suddenly, in response, there is a faint sound resembling a whisper. “If that was you who made the sound, we thank you. Please make the sound again.” More silence. Thus began my first experience with the Southern Paranormal Researchers, a group of investigators from Montgomery. We are silently sitting in a darkened room on the 3^rd floor of the Historic Huntsville Depot awaiting a sign from Emily, the name attributed to the spirit here. Tour Guides for the Depot believe this young girl was somehow left behind from her family in the 19^th century, and then died shortly afterwards. There are reports of witnesses seeing the movements of her rocking chair and hearing the sounds of her laughter.

Since its opening in 1860, many other unexplained activities have occurred in the Depot. A heavy vault door mysteriously opens and closes by itself, eerie music is heard after hours, and there have been reports of seeing strange green glows of light coming from the room where prisoners were kept during the Civil War.  

After a few more moments of silence, I take pictures with my digital camera and then examine the results. I notice a couple of white translucent balls appearing in the corner where Emily’s rocking chair once was located. Excitedly, I asked Michael Burnett, Lead Investigator with the Southern Paranormal Researchers, if the anomalies in my photo were indeed “ghostly orbs.” “What you have captured is basically dust from the flash,” he said, “you can’t see through paranormal orbs.” He then tells me that 95% of “orbs” that people observe are non-paranormal. Undaunted, I take more pictures. I am determined that by the end of the investigation, I will capture something that cannot be readily explained.

The Southern Paranormal Researchers was founded two years ago by Shawn Sellers. Influenced by his grandmother, Sellers was taught not only to believe in God, but also to believe in the spirit world. While talking with Shawn, a large-framed man who stands six feet four, one would not get the impression that he would be afraid of anything. However, as he recounts the investigation of an abandoned insane asylum in Tuscaloosa, one can tell that he has been greatly moved by the experience.

The majority of the paranormal researchers reside in Montgomery, but travel all over the South to observe and study unexplained phenomena. Their website, www.southernparanormalresearchers.org, contains numerous investigations of paranormal activity throughout the South; including the famous “Face in the Courthouse Window” of Pickens County, the Shorter Mansion in Eufaula, The Sloss Furnace in Birmingham, and The Bourbon Orleans Hotel in New Orleans. Existing solely on private contributions, the group has a weekly radio show on BlogTalkRadio, and is also working on a book based on their paranormal experiences.

As I walk upstairs, Jake Bell, the self-proclaimed techie of the group begins setting up his equipment. He sets up a video camera, equipped with night vision capability and a microphone to capture EVP (electronic voice phenomenon). He also carries around an EMF (electric and magnetic fields) reader, taking measurements around the various rooms. I ask Jake if he approaches each investigation to be a debunker or to prove that a spirit does exist. “Neither,” he states. “It’s all about the experience.” Jake tells me that during an investigation, one “just gets a feeling” something is not right. You may feel a cold spot or some sort of presence. He states, “no matter how strong the scientific evidence is, your personal experience is always infallible.”

After taking a few more discouraging photos, I was ready to call it a night. The evening was coming to a close, and thus far my camera did not capture anything remotely unusual. Just then, as one of the investigators exclaimed, “I feel a man’s presence here,” I snapped a couple of photos.  I showed Michael the results. He gave me an assertive nod and told me to share the photo with the rest of the team. Is the photo a ghost in the Depot or just a reflection of the camera flash? Take a look and decide for yourself.   

To learn more about the Southern Paranormal Researchers, join their MySpace page at: www.myspace.com/spit_ghosthunters

Shorter Mansion hasn't been a home for decades. Or has it? At least one neighboring resident reports seeing a young child in pre-20th century clothing playing in the backyard. And there are the wedding photos where the man in the top hat seemingly appears out of nowhere. A lady in a pink dress has also appeared in some wedding photos. Some have heard the piano play inexplicably.
It's enough to give Shorter Mansion's current guardian a minor case of the hibby-jibbies-especially when he's working by himself at night. "I've never felt threatened, but I've been a little scared of the unknown," admits Eufaula Heritage Association director Glenn Kasper. Michael Burnett believes a place like Shorter Mansion can have ghosts. He was watching WSFA's "Today in Alabama" March 30 when the show was broadcasting live from the Eufaula Pilgrimage. Burnett, a nursing home administrator in Phenix City, saw Shorter Mansion and knew it was a place that he and fellow members of Southern Paranormal Researchers wanted to visit. By 5:45 that morning he was calling Kasper. Nearly 3 1/2 months later, the Eufaula Heritage Association allowed SPR to visit for a full-fledged ghost hunt. According to SPR's website, researchers investigate "historical sites, demonic or dark energy sites, private residences as well as Big Foot sightings (which have been reported in Elmore County)." The members-mostly from Montgomery and surrounding areas-charge nothing for their services, yet travel throughout Alabama. They have even performed an investigation in New Orleans and have investigations planned in Charleston, S.C., and St. Augustine, Fla. Many are active in their local churches. One pastor is planning to join the group as an investigator. Nine researchers-ranging from school teacher and insurance adjuster to pawn broker and restaurant owner-came to Eufaula Saturday for their hunt. Earlier that day, most of the researchers toured the mansion. "This is a hidden gem in Alabama," SPR director and lead investigator Shawn Sellers says. "There are many places like this in Alabama that people don't know about." Using equipment such as compasses, EMF meters, small digital cameras and recorders to measure EVPs (ghost voices), they begin their investigation in earnest at approximately 8 p.m.-when darkness begins to set over the mansion.  Burnett says the group is conservative in its reporting. "We try to disbunk anything we may find," he says. On several previous investigations SPR members found little if any evidence-though that doesn't mean there are no ghosts. It could be a bad night. But sometimes, there is concrete proof. And there there are those inexplicable experiences each ghost hunter can tell you about. "Everybody on the team has been frightened at least once," Burnett says. As audio manager Jake Bell tells a handful of Shorter Mansion supporters before the investigation begins, "The best thing to take evidence is your mind and body." So are there ghosts in Shorter Mansion. Investigators are still working on a final report. But based on some comments made on SPR's live Internet radio show Saturday evening, where a handful of residents talked about their ghost encounters, Shorter Mansion might have some residents. "When you go to the second floor, it has a different feel, an energy," Sellers says. Editor's note: This is the first of a two-part story. To listen to the online broadcast and an upcoming broadcast Wednesday at 9 p.m., visit http://www.blogtalkradio.com/spit. More information can also be found about the group at www.thespr.com.

Real Ghost Story:How MBM’s assignment to write about ghost busters scared up the real thing!
By Emmett Burnett • Photos by Dennis Holt

It was a dark and stormy night. Yea, that cliché is older than most ghosts. But, it actually was stormy May 12, when Fairhope photographer Dennis Holt, his wife, Lynn, and I accompanied Southern Paranormal Researchers in pursuit of spirits at the Richards-DAR House Museum. Stephen King could not have provided a better backdrop, as lightning-flickered illumination engulfed the darkened rooms. The team of supernatural investigators, from Prattville, Ala., could sense something in the historic 1860 house. “Our equipment recorded unexplainable sudden electrical and temperature spikes,” says research director Shawn Sellers. Yet, it was poltergeist novice, Dennis Holt, who captured convincing evidence of a ghostly presence. Holt says he felt a sudden chill in
one particular bedroom. “After everyone left the room, I set up my tripod, and took a five-second timed exposure. No one was in the room, and the only light was the reflection of lightning through the window.” No light means no shadows. But, Holt’s digital camera recorded a shadowy figure by the curtains. Ten eyewitnesses saw the image in the camera’s viewfinder moments after it was taken. No computers were present to enhance the ghost or arc of light.

“I have examined the photo with fellow photographers,” says Holt, a two-time Emmy-award winning cinematographer and a current board
member of the Gulf Coast Professional Photographers Association. “No one can think of a logical explanation for the image. The spooky thing is, it looks like it’s staring at me.”

July Mobile Bay Monthly
Boo, who?

Richards-DAR Museum House is not what comes to mind when you conjure up a vision of a haunted mansion. It is beautifully preserved. The
place, open daily to the public, is a showcase of lacy ironwork, marble fireplaces, opulent chandeliers, and 18th century furnishings. “I’ve heard a number of ghost stories about the house,” says Mary McDonald, current president of the Richards-DAR House Museum Governing Board. “People say doors slam and open. They’ve heard footsteps and the voices of children playing under the stairwell. One employee saw the reflection of a man, in 1860s period dress, sitting on the couch behind her.” But, McDonald adds, the latest sighting is by far the most chilling. Everyone who examines the photo sees something different, according to Holt. “It is almost like a Rorschach test.”The best guess is that the spirit might be Steamboat Capt. Charles G. Richards. He and his wife, Caroline Elizabeth Steele, built their dream home, on North Joachim Street, 187 years ago, and settled in to raise a family. By all accounts, they were a happy couple ‘til death did part them—or longer.

A Haunting We Will Go - May 25, 2007

July 8, 2007