Indeed a haunting
By:SANDY McGEE, Special to The Times
08/27/2007
SMITHFIELD – Hearing noises in your attic after midnight? Seen a spirit or two wander your halls? Who are you going to call? The Historical Society of Smithfield recently called the Pawtucket Paranormal Society to investigate unknown happenings at its headquarters, the historic Smith-Appleby House, 220 Stillwater Road. The paranormal investigators embarked on a ghost hunt on Aug. 11 at the historic home, which is furnished with antiques and collectibles from previous centuries. Elisha Smith, grandson of one of Rhode Island’s first settlers and Roger William’s original party that fled Massachusetts, built the Smith-Appleby House around 1696, according to the historical society’s Web site. Dianne O’Connor of North Smithfield, case manager for the Pawtucket society, proposed the house as a possible investigation site after meeting with a historical society member who was looking for paranormal investigators. “By luck of the draw, we got in,” said Pawtucket Paranormal Society founder Dawn Torres of Pawtucket. “We feel very honored to be here.”
I’ll post any evidence and create an investigation page soon, any evidence gathered will be posted within 2-3 days of the investigation.
Taken Monday night, 8/20/07, around 9pm. Tell me if you have thoughts. Sorry for the camera movement, and it is slowed to 50% speed, believe it or not. I’m just practicing/experimenting around the house with better IR illumination and EVP equipment. I can pretty much get these here any given night with enough time, but lately it’s been more active, sans the EVP’s which seem to be very rare still.
Here’s the original file without the editing – but is still at 50% speed so you can see it
The word Poltergeist is often used to describe spirits that like to manipulate physical objects predominately. It’s just a loosely used term for this type of haunting.
Take these chosen YouTube videos for what they are – basically anonymous submissions by people with no reputation or reason to be credible, but the videos themselves, I thought were worth watching and considering, as I can’t seem to debunk them. It would require quite an elaborate means of hoaxing on their part, for people not looking for fame or fortune apparenty.
Poltergeist video - moving closet door
Poltergeist and the Poker set
Strange video of activity in small room – (see Ouija board next to wall)
Moving objects Poltergeist Video – notice this guy throws his camera bag down on the floor at the beginning – which lends some validity to the fact it was unplanned possibly. Neat one.
Watch this friendly little supposed spirit, open the blinds for the dog
“The price was good, really good,” Marshall said. “When I went to the bank, the inspector came out and said even though it needed some work, it was built like an elephant and would be standing here for another 100 years. … I bought it before I knew it.”
Things were quiet for Marshall, who is well versed in renovating historic structures, at first. Then, he started renovations.
Now, the home, according to Keith Age of the Louisville Ghost Hunting Society, is one of the most active houses he’s seen.
“It’s one of the only places I’ve gone or that I’ve done that you can ask a question (to the ghosts) and get an audible answer back,” Age said.
Age has been at the home twice since May to study the hauntings. On his last trip July 26, he was gathering footage and historic information for a documentary that will appear on the SciFi channel in October called “Children of the Grave.” The Mitchell home will be featured in the show because it appears Marshall’s home is haunted by the ghost of an 8-year-old girl named Rachel.
(I am not sure why a “Confederate Officer’s” ghost would be staying at a B&B in north-central Ohio? But I suppose anything’s possible)
Since the Binns rarely have a time without guests, or a pending arrival of a guest, traveling generally is out of the question.
“You become a bit tied down traveling, but it’s kind of like the world comes to you,” Kay said.
One guest that comes to them often does so in the evening. A Confederate officer likes to make appearances in the garden and one of the guest house rooms. The first Kay heard of the ghost was from her two sons when they were very young.
“We didn’t talk about it with our guests at first because we thought they would think we were goofy,” Kay said.
However, after several incidents of guests coming in for breakfast and asking Kay if she knew there was a ghost, the couple finally decided to even broadcast the ghost on the bed and breakfast’s Web site.
The ghost, who the Binns said is congenial and attractive, wears a grey Civil War-period coat and sports dark hair and a beard.
Sightings have ranged from one guest saying he crawled into bed with her to just footsteps or a voice. Last week, Kay and Tom were outside in the garden when Kay said she caught a glimpse of the man out of the corner of her eye standing behind Tom.
Next Page »
