Ghost Mine – Return to Darkness – S02E01

So the crew is back together as Patrick and Kristen investigate the Crescent Mine to try and uncover further paranormal activity. When we left last time, the mine shaft had collapsed and brought things to a halt. When they get back, it’s pretty obvious someone has been there. Several feet of the mine have been dug out and there is plenty of evidence of pick marks and someone working. This of course makes me wonder if this person is responsible for some of the goings on from last season. Word is out about the mine that’s for sure. This sort of makes me think of the old Scooby-Doo episodes of the haunted miner that is scaring everyone away so he can keep the gold to himself. Is someone playing on this paranormal angle to try and drive everyone away?

As far as evidence goes, Patrick and Kristen capture what they believe is an EVP saying "Yes" when asked if it’s bothered by the miners being there. They also capture what could be a shadow figure on their IR camera. It’s hard to say if that’s a shadow or just an odd way the trees form. Plus, we only get the single picture, we don’t see any baseline photos or photos taken of the same spot the next night. That’s kind of a bummer.

While out at night they also do some EVP work while using an old pickaxe as a trigger object. They get some movement on the K2 meters when they ask if the miners being there is bothersome. They also get some hits when asked if the entity is a miner. The motion detector goes off as their talking as though it’s picked up someone. But all this activity happens each time they ask if the entity is bothered by the miners being there. They don’t get any response when ask if the spirit is "Joe".

The K2 hits they get a extremely brief and very faint. I’m not sure we should fully commit to those being answers to questions or signs of a presence. The meters could be picking up on all sorts of things. The motion detector going off is unusual, but who knows what it picked up. They are in the wood, it could have been an animal or large bug going right in front of the sensor. It doesn’t happen again, so it might just be a fluke or coincidence.

The big cliffhanger for the episode is from the full spectrum camera that Kristen and Patrick set up to do a full 360 degree picture of the new tunnel they dug into. We don’t quite see what’s in the photos, but when Patrick and Kristen head into the tunnel with a black light, it looks like there is something odd on the walls. Something is either reacting to or reflecting the black light. Have they uncovered some sort of secret writing or symbol? Or is there something in the rock that just looks really cool under black light?

We’ll have to wait until next time.

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Ghost Mine Season 2 Special – Back on the Mountain

A new season of Ghost Mine has begun and they started things off with a special episode. We get a chance to look back over some of the events that already happened and get a glimpse of what’s to come.

I found this show pretty interesting last time around, but I have my suspicions about some of the things going on. I’m not totally on board with this Masonic "connection". Again, not everything related to the Masons is a conspiracy or should be considered some sort of dark magic. There is no doubt they had power and influence, especially in mining towns like this one, but let’s not get all crazy and turn them into a scapegoat.

Anyway, I like the format of this show and how it’s a single investigation that goes on for multiple days. They don’t just pop into the mine, wander around in the dark talking to themselves and then bolt out of there. They’re actually checking the place out and investigating multiple places. And there are still a ton of questions left over from last season, for example, what the hell was that loud bang that happened when they were in the cook shack? It was like something exploded or slammed into the side of it, but yet there was no damage and no one was around. Additionally, what happened to the opening of the mine? Was that just a regular collapse or did someone deliberately do that? There was a fair bit of suspicion being placed on the mine owner, as though he did it so he could keep the gold for himself. And what about that helpful stranger that said the mine owner was holding back a lot of information? Did we ever get to the bottom of that?

Besides a recap of the previous season we get a bit of a hint for what they’re up to this time around. Patrick has made an industrial version of RIPA, which is actually pretty cool. Apparently, the show got a bigger budget for season 2. We also see that "Duck", the explosives expert who walked out of the mine after he was spooked by the Tommy Knockers has made a return. It appears the lure of gold is stronger than his aversion of the spirit world. It is interesting to note how these guys don’t believe in spirits, yet they’re quite a superstitious lot. But now the band is back together so we’ll have to see what happens for here.

Will the mine turn out to have some sort of energy associate with it or is there a rational explanation for everything that’s happened? To be honest, there have been some "unusual" things, but I don’t feel they’ve hit on anything truly paranormal. Again, this is a mine, the air can be odd, sounds can travel, animals can lurk, water makes odd sounds, the wind can enter from other places, there will be odd echoes and plenty of other things that can make you feel something is going on, but they’re still naturally occurring events. Either way, it’s still a fun ride and I’m looking forward to what they discover.

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Ghost Adventures – Tuolumne Hospital – S08E03

Zak and the team head out to Sonora, California to investigate the Tuolumne Hospital which is claimed to have plenty of paranormal activity. Sonora, is a former gold rush town and the Tuolumne hospital was set up shortly thereafter. So, does this hospital that recently closed in 2011 contain a lot of spirit energy? Zak certainly thinks so.

As they start their interviews, Zak gets a splitting headache that he attributes to feeling the residual pain of some sort of head trauma. When he goes outside, the pain seems to disappear. Kristy, a former employee has her own tale of feeling touched when she was working in the hospital. We also have Ed, the retired maintenance engineer who feels pretty comfortable with the spirits that linger in the hospital, so much so that’s he’s given the name George to one of the familiar entities. Ed doesn’t feel George is a hostile spirit, but he does like to play some pranks from time to time.

The guys capture some interesting evidence, with most of the attention on the Xbox Kinect footage. Billy set up a CPR mannequin on a hospital bed, with IV stand and other medical equipment around it. Oddly, the Kinect shows some soft of figure on the side of the bed, seemingly touching the CPR model and the IV stand. The Kinect represents people as wireframes and it looks like the right arm is moving all over the place. Obviously, we can’t see anything, but the Kinect detects something is in the room. Nick move the mannequin out of the way and tries the experiment on himself. After a while he feels something cold, then that wireframe figure appears again and Nick jumps off the bed holding this stomach and side as though he’s been hit.

I’m not sure what that proves, but you have to ask, what the heck was it? Is the Kinect sensor capable of picking up spirit energy? Was there really something there? Is there spirit energy still working as a doctor or nurse in the hospital? It doesn’t seem like this is a software glitch since, as Zak mentions, it can track Billy when he comes into the room and it didn’t do the same thing when Nick was laying down on the table. So I really have to wonder what we saw. And by the same token, was the energy trying to help or harm Nick?

Other evidence includes, in my opinion, some sub-par EVPs. They are nowhere near as clear as those we heard in the previous two episodes. When Zak asks what the figure tracked by the Kinect was doing, the reply is "help patient". But it follows this up with, "now get out". Odd for a nurse or doctor to try and help then tells everyone to get out. They also get and EVP of the word "George", the name Ed gave to the spirit he believes is there. Since that’s obviously not his real name, is it simply trying to identify itself by the name they already know?

Another piece of evidence is the monitor getting pushed over. While still in the hospital room, the EMF detector they left on the chest of the CPR model goes off, then there is a loud crash, which they find out is monitor that has fallen over. Supposedly it’s pretty sturdy, as most monitors are, so how did it fall over? They didn’t appear to "rig it up" with duct tape or anything, so did something really push it? Is the hospital staff getting pissed off at their game of pretending to be hurt or is there something a touch more vengeful in there? Or, did the monitor simply fall on it’s own with no otherworldly influence?

Finally, while Aaron is in the mental ward of the hospital, he get a recording of "please don’t help me". Again, this one is pretty jumbled, but it’s still an odd thing to say. Why would someone in that ward not want help? Or as with so many of these, is that not what was said?

While a hospital will always have a past filled with traumatic events, there is nothing about this one that stands out from any other. It’s not like they did weird experiments or had abusive staff. So why should it be haunted? Does the evidence suggest that it is? The EVPs they captured in this one don’t add to much for me. The Kinect is interesting, but who knows what we’ve got going on there. And again, way too many useless theatrics to try and make the location and the evidence more sinister than they really are.

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Haunted History – Salem Witch Trials – S01E07

Haunted History presents another fascinating episode, this time centered around the Salem Witch Trials. This is not exactly a crowning moment in American History and over time this true series of unfortunate events has come to symbolize, greed, hysteria and the lust for power. The religious fervor of wild accusations without a shred of proof, turned into a way to seize property and livestock as well as ride the town of people who had too much wealth and influence as well as those who had too little to their name. I think we can all agree that these original events had absolutely nothing to do with the paranormal or the supernatural. Ironically, the very thing the original residents feared may a presence in modern day Salem.

Salem, originally founded in 1626, gained it’s infamous reputation in 1692 when the fear of witchcraft spread through the town and 19 men and women were hanged after being accused. The "Trials" were far from fair, with little to no evidence being supplied against the accused. Instead, they relied on the Will of God to keep innocent people from being hanged. Good thing we don’t follow the same rules today. Interesting, the idea of "spectral evidence" was used during this time. People firmly believed in the devil and the power of the supernatural. A person who was cursed or under the influence of a witch could see their energy and power manifest itself. Of course nobody else could. Makes for a good way to point the finger at someone. And it worked.

At the first location they visit, the Witch House, the believe the spirit of Bridgette Bishop still lingers there. She was a wealthy landowner who was put to death and the restaurant, 43 Church now stands on the former apple orchard she once owned and coveted. The owner and staff all claim to see a dark figure roaming the grounds and are firmly convinced they’ve seen the shadow multiple times up in the attic. They also claim the chairs to dining room tables were stacked and then unstacked while they worked in the restaurant one night.

The next site is Gallows Hill, where the hangings actually took place. Oddly, it’s now a sort of park with a children’s playground. The accused were brought to the hill and left to swing in the oak trees that dotted area in the day. When dead, their bodies were buried off to the side. They weren’t given a proper burial, since of course they were witches and didn’t earn any respect. Many people feel they hear voices or feel a presence in this area.

Finally, there is the Howard Street Cemetery where Giles Corey was crushed to death under the weight of rocks used to illicit a confession. His silence on the accusation of witchcraft against him infuriated the court, so they turned to torture. More weight was piled on until he finally suffocated. It was death about as bad as hanging. It’s claimed his spirit still lingers in the area. Many people claim to photos of mists and vapors floating around the grave markers. Some claim he can be seen walking among the headstones. But, if you see Giles Corey, Salem will burn. If he speaks to you, you will die within days. Many fires have broken out over the decades that Salem has been around and lots of people link these events to Corey sightings. It’s claimed he put a curse on the town and on the Sherriff who arrested. Funny, a man accused of witchcraft throwing out curses in his final moments.

But, Sherriff Curwin died of a blood diseases shortly after the witch trials were over. Additionally, every Sherriff they had after that died of illness and blood disease. Currently, there is no registered Sherriff for Salem. I guess they have intent on tempting fate, or curses.

As a final footnote, it was Increase Mather (cool name by the way) who brought things to a halt in

Salem. He is attributed with –

"It were better that ten suspected witches should escape, than that one innocent person should be condemned"

And that spectral evidence has no place in the courtroom. With his help and guidance, the remain prisoners were acquitted of their crimes and finally set free. But obviously the damage had been done. So the question remains, is the area of Salem haunted by the events of the past? Does Bridgette Bishop haunt/visit the area that is now part of her former apple orchard? Does Giles Corey walk the cemetery? And if he does, why does his presence signal fires and destruction. Again, this sort of gives him the power of reputation of really being a witch. And were the death involving the Sherriff all simply coincidence, more to do with poor sanitation and nutrition of the time rather than curses?

One explanation that was brought up for the cause of the original events and indeed the sightings that continue today, and that is the idea of a Ley Line. A line of EMF that runs through the town. It is believed this line runs through prominent homes, as well as the court house and up to Gallows Hill. There is a claim they weren’t necessarily responsible for their actions and these high EMF areas caused erratic and uncontrolled behavior. An interesting theory, one I find hard to latch onto, but more and more evidence keeps coming out about these trials so perhaps this natural phenomenon might end up playing a role after all.

Personally, I find the Salem Witch Trials fascinating. It shows what happens when mob rule comes into play and common sense goes out the window. It proves that greed and power can bring out the worst in people and set them against their fellow man. We also have to keep in mind that so much of what we hear has been told and retold and that tends to distort the truth. The evidence surrounding these sightings is based on hope and want rather than anything solid or tangible. It sort of proves the point that the power of suggestion is alive and well and still has influence, just like it did hundreds of years ago.

Haunted History – Salem Witch Trials

 

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