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Features Archive:

2006 Archive:
The Winchester Mystery House - Ghost Chronicles
December 28, 2006

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Investigating Jane Doherty - Ghost Chronicles
December 20, 2006

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Shadow People - by Lee Prosser
December 16, 2006

Column - regular feature

The Westford Knight - Ghost Chronicles
December 15, 2006

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Haunted Real Estate by Richard Senate
December 13, 2006


Traditions Behind Christmas By Vince Wilson
December 8, 2006


The Haunted Dibbuk Box - Ghost Chronicles
December 6, 2006

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Have Ghosts? Will Travel: A Ghostgeek's Guide to the RMS Queen Mary By Jen Brown
December 4, 2006


Thanksgiving: A Day of Forgiveness - by Lee Prosser
December 1, 2006

Column - regular feature

America's Stonehenge - Ghost Chronicles
November 29, 2006

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Instrumental TransCommunication (ITC) - by Jeff Belanger
November 16, 2006


Ghost Hunt Seminar - Ghost Chronicles
November 15, 2006

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Ghost Photography: Orbs by Robbin Van Pelt
November 9, 2006


Pet Ghosts - Ghost Chronicles
November 6, 2006

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Ghosts Haunt the Inn by Richard Senate
November 3, 2006


Japanese Woman Artist - by Lee Prosser
November 1, 2006

Column - regular feature

The Ghosts of the Windham Restaurant - Ghost Chronicles
October 30, 2006

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

The Salem Witches - Ghost Chronicles
October 23, 2006

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Homan House, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: A Preliminary Report by John Sabol
October 20, 2006


What Does Halloween/Samhain Mean to You? - Compiled by Jeff Belanger
October 16, 2006


That is the Way of It - by Lee Prosser
October 15, 2006

Column - regular feature

Fooling the Ghost Hunter by Richard Senate
October 11, 2006


Jack Kerouac - by Lee Prosser
October 2, 2006

Column - regular feature

Civil War Re-enactors and the Ghost Experience - by Jeff Belanger
September 15, 2006


Who Goes There in the Shadows? - by Lee Prosser
September 15, 2006

Column - regular feature

Engagement and Data Analysis in Symmetrical Field Investigations by John Sabol
September 11, 2006


Occult Warfare by Richard Senate
September 6, 2006


Cats and Other Critters From Beyond the Grave - by Lee Prosser
September 1, 2006

Column - regular feature

Chicago's Strange Angles and Haunted Architecture by Ursula Bielski
August 25, 2006


I Have a Hunch: A Look at Psychics, Mediums, and Clairvoyants - by Jeff Belanger
August 16, 2006


Geof Gray-Cobb - by Lee Prosser
August 15, 2006

Column - regular feature

Orbs: Have They Become that Boring? by Tuesday Miles
August 14, 2006


A Night on Char-Man Bridge by Richard Senate
August 7, 2006


Five Union Soldier Ghosts - by Lee Prosser
August 2, 2006

Column - regular feature

A Visit With Author and Witch Kala Trobe - Interview by Lee Prosser
July 26, 2006


Perceptual Stratigraphy: Making Sense of Ghostly Manifestations by John Sabol
July 24, 2006


The Trouble With Witches - by Lee Prosser
July 15, 2006

Column - regular feature

A Look at Our Haunted Lives - by Jeff Belanger
July 13, 2006


An Active Ghost Hunt at a Haunted Bed and Breakfast by Richard Senate
July 7, 2006


Lee Prosser, 1969 - by Lee Prosser
July 4, 2006

Column - regular feature

My Theory on Spirits by Edward L. Shanahan
June 28, 2006


Ethnoarchaeoghostology: A Humanistic-Scientific Approach to the Study of Haunt Phenomena by John Sabol
June 19, 2006


Christopher Isherwood & Lee Prosser in 1969 - by Lee Prosser
June 16, 2006

Column - regular feature

ESP, M&Ms, and Reality - by Jeff Belanger
June 15, 2006


A Duel on the Airwaves by Richard Senate
June 5, 2006


Marjorie Firestone and Her Dream Predictions - by Lee Prosser
June 1, 2006

Column - regular feature

Until Death Do Us Part? by Rick Hayes
May 31, 2006


Part Four: the Conclusion: Primrose Road - Adams St. Cemetery - by Marcus Foxglove Griffin
May 22, 2006

Column - regular feature

Folklore, Folklore, Folklore with Dr. Michael Bell - interview by Jeff Belanger
May 16, 2006


Swami Chetanananda and Lee Prosser - by Lee Prosser
May 15, 2006

Column - regular feature

Theatre, Sance, and the Ghost Script: Performances at Haunted Locations by John Sabol
May 5, 2006


Willard David Firestone and the River Ghost - by Lee Prosser
May 1, 2006

Column - regular feature

When the Spirits Held Sway at the White House by Richard Senate
April 25, 2006


Part Three: Investigation: Primrose Road - Adams St. Cemetery - by Marcus Foxglove Griffin
April 20, 2006

Column - regular feature

Talking Reincarnation with Dr. John Gilbert - interview by Lee Prosser
April 17, 2006


Billy Bob Firestone and the Ghosts of Pythian Castle - by Lee Prosser
April 15, 2006

Column - regular feature

Cryptobotany: the Search for Lost Plants by Richard Senate
April 7, 2006


The Mysteries of Druidry Book Excerpt Part 4 of 4 by Dr. Brendan Cathbad Myers
April 6, 2006


Vedanta and Durga - by Lee Prosser
April 2, 2006

Column - regular feature

The Mysteries of Druidry Book Excerpt Part 3 of 4 by Dr. Brendan Cathbad Myers
March 30, 2006


Ritual, Resonance, and Ghost Research: The Play in the Fields by John Sabol
March 27, 2006


The Mysteries of Druidry Book Excerpt Part 2 of 4 by Dr. Brendan Cathbad Myers
March 23, 2006


Celtic This, Druid That, Saint Patrick Hit Me With a Wiffle-Ball Bat - by Marcus Foxglove Griffin
March 21, 2006

Column - regular feature

The Mysteries of Druidry Book Excerpt Part 1 of 4 by Dr. Brendan Cathbad Myers
March 16, 2006


Christopher Isherwood, Time Loops, and Ghosts - by Lee Prosser
March 15, 2006

Column - regular feature

Druids - by Lee Prosser
March 3, 2006

Column - regular feature

Natural Selection and the Involution of the Gettysburg Ghosts by John Sabol
February 28, 2006


Part Two: Investigation: Primrose Road - Adams St. Cemetery - by Marcus Foxglove Griffin
February 20, 2006

Column - regular feature

Lights, Camera... Action! by Brian Leffler
February 16, 2006


Divination and Geomancy - by Lee Prosser
February 15, 2006

Column - regular feature

Spirit Messages from a Murderer by Richard Senate
February 8, 2006


The Ghosts of Springfield, Missouri - by Lee Prosser
February 3, 2006

Column - regular feature

The Ghost Storyteller: A Dinosaur Among Lemmings? by Charles J. Adams III
January 23, 2006


The Fools Journey: A Magickal Roadmap to Life - by Marcus Foxglove Griffin
January 20, 2006

Column - regular feature

Tarot and Spiritual Alchemy - by Lee Prosser
January 15, 2006

Column - regular feature

Demons from the Dark by Chip Coffey
January 9, 2006


Spooky - by Lee Prosser
January 3, 2006

Column - regular feature



October 20, 2006

Homan House, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: A Preliminary Report

By John Sabol

In a previous article, I had talked about the distinction between an emic (haunting context) perspective, and the etic analysis (investigator's) of anomalous sensory manifestations at haunted locations. This field report is an illustration of the use of both of these perspectives, as they relate to observed anomalous phenomena occurring at the Homan House, on Baltimore Street, in Gettysburg. It specifically concerns the "Jeremy" haunt D.R.A.M.A. (Directed Recurring Anomalous Manifestation Assemblages). The data of the Homan House hauntings is still at a preliminary analytical phase.

Background:
A well-known "ghost story," told on the various ghost tours in the town of Gettysburg, is the tragic death of Jeremy, a little boy of about 4-6 yrs. of age. The story that circulates on these tours is that Jeremy was playing a game of "tag" with some older children in front of the Farnsworth House on Baltimore Street. The object of the game was to run out and "tag" the horses, as the carriages came down the road. Most accounts state that he was trampled by a horse-drawn carriage and was then carried to the Farnsworth House by his father, where he died in what is now the Sara Black bathroom on the second floor, facing Baltimore Street. No last name is given, nor the name of his father. His mother is not mentioned. The time period is not specified, though it is believed to have occurred some time after the Civil War battle. His death, or the accident, is not mentioned in any local (or other) newspaper account. He is said to haunt the Farnsworth House where he figures prominently in the ghost lore of the bed and breakfast. His story is also part of the Farnsworth's Mourning Theatre ghost stories that are narrated in the basement. "Jeremy" is also said to haunt the Homan House, located directly across from the Farnsworth B&B, on the corner of High and Baltimore Streets. It now houses the Gettysburg Metaphysical Center and Journey Shoppe. Finally, Jeremy is also said to haunt the house located directly across Baltimore Street from the Homan House.

The investigation of the Jeremy Haunting centers on the Homan House, though a preliminary investigation was also done at the Farnsworth House. The conclusions from that investigation are pending. The preliminary ethnographic observations, psychic sweep, and witness interviewing at the Homan House indicated that the haunting phenomena related to Jeremy centered in specific areas, located on the first floor. The most active areas included: 1- the back room in front of the kitchen area; 2- the journey shoppe; and 3- the entrance hallway (to Baltimore St.) and stairs. Preliminary engaging (emic) rehearsal activities were used. These had two purposes: 1- determine if any resonating activities and/or use of target objects could produce an anomalous reaction (sensory response); then 2- if they did, to use these activities and target objects as a basis for developing the Jeremy ghost script, that would be emically-sound.

The etic background to the investigation of the haunting centered on the development of a haunt theory, associated comparative models, an investigative field methodology, and the operationalization of the research design. The last element focused on developing emic characteristics associated with models in order to test various preliminary hypotheses derived from each of these developed models. 

Etic Methodological Framework:
1. Theory: There may be a pattern of anomalous sensory manifestations that are contextually-discontinuous occurring in certain spatial locations in the Homan House on Baltimore Street in Gettysburg.
2. Comparative Models:
German Folkloric Tradition Interactional Haunt Entity
-Jeremy's ghost story is a traditional account: A young boy was tragically killed in a carriage incident while playing with other young boys on Baltimore Street. He returns as a ghost due to:
-complete a task (obey father = looking for a male figure) basic underlying format that circulates among members of a: afraid to "go to the light" = disobeyed his father. 
-the sensory manifestations reflect the playful antics of a young boy of the mid-19th c.
-majority of accounts contain similar common elements: who does not know he is dead.

Summary:
The Jeremy haunting is an interactive ghost who has not crossed-over.
-horses/carriage
-father/not named
-Jeremy: no last name
-no mention of mother
-no date/historical period
-no media account
-story contains basic elements of folklore:
   -part of local oral tradition (ghost storytellers)
   -basic underlying format
   -different variations (type of play/age of participants/time period)
   -origin of story is anonymous
   -story tends to be formalized (play-fatally injured-dies-haunting behavior)
   -related to the carriage-making industry, dominated by males of German descent

Anthropological view:
-story serves as an educational tool for parental control/responsibility to societal norms (German) and the occupational hazards of its principal industry (carriage industry).

Summary: Jeremy's "death" was a symbolic and ritualistic re-enactment of the decline of the carriage-making industry in the Gettysburg area after the Civil War.

3. Methodology: Test for anomalous manifestations (etic view) at specific spatial locations (S.I.M.S. zones) identified through historical research and on-site survey and excavation through the use of five criteria:
-compare: historically-observed pattern (derived from archived accounts/witnesses) and current observations/recordings.

models: folklore vs. haunt
-holistic: three components: survey/excavation (archaeological field methods), ethnographic analysis (witnesses/observations of anomalous manifestations), and dramaturgy (development of a haunt script/performance of drama).
-systemic: Each component is interrelated (past/present symmetry; emic/etic perspective) and builds a methodological framework for field testing (engagement).
-participantly-observed: dynamic emic approach (investigator as participant in the performance of the "ghost script"), with multi-modal etic documentation system (observation/recording).
-relativity: contextual integrity of production/haunt script; no etic values ( in script, performance, or sensory stimuli); no contemporary personal or technological biases.
-Operationalization of research design ( R.E.P.E.A.T.S. = Resonating Performance to Address Targeted Spirit):
   a. ghost script = story-line.
   b. framed sequence of activities (sensory stimuli) to achieve audience (ghost) participation and complete the "story-line" (C.A.R.E. = Communicate (and) Aid (in the) Recall (of the) Event) = offer alternative to haunting behavior.

The staged engaging rehearsals resulted in two significant etic findings: In S.I.M.S. zone 1, located in the hall entry between the 2 rooms on the first floor (and significantly, near the area separating the older section of the house from the subsequent additions facing Baltimore Street), Jeremy's presence was detected by Rev. Francine Milano, a clairvoyant-medium and the current proprietor of the Gettysburg Metaphysical Center. Here, EMF readings became elevated and started to spike, though the thermal scan detected no significant change in temperature. A series of questions were asked of Jeremy concerning his family background, in order to detect any significant emic relevance. During this interview, two digital recorders simultaneously stopped... paused... and restarted when questions were asked (there were no recorded EVP). This happened 22 different times, to 22 different questions (note: the recorders do not "auto" activate to sound). A photo taken during this session showed a bright orb anomaly located in the space indicated by Rev. Milano as the area where Jeremy was sitting and listening to the questions.

On a subsequent engaged rehearsal (conducted weeks later), a number of potentially resonating activities were performed in the Journey Shoppe. There were no observable, recorded, or measurable anomalous manifestations until I began to play with a set of marbles, a popular mid 19th c. activity for children. The following sequence of events then occurred: 1- in the adjoining hallway leading to the stairs to the second floor (where previous anomalies were recorded), one of the investigators noted an increase in EMF activity, followed by the malfunction of a lantern and flashlight: 2)- the motion detector sounded in the doorway between this hallway and the Journey Shoppe; 3-the EMF meter spiked in the Journey Shoppe near where I was playing with the marbles; 4- as I continued to play with the marbles, I asked Jeremy to join in (no EVP or temperature change was recorded or noted); 5-photos were taken during this sequence of activities which showed light anomalies (orbs) in three different photos, each orb appearing between my hand and the marbles, or among the marble grouping (as if Jeremy was playing with them). No other anomalies were noted.

These performance rehearsals revealed some interesting patterns that had emic/etic implications: 1- there were positive responses to questions about family, and family life (emic); 2- there was a detectable network of anomalous activity and movement that was etically-observed/recorded (room 2-doorway 2-Journey Shoppe; entrance hallway-doorway 1-Journey Shoppe). Based on the above, a preliminary ghost script was developed using the (apparent) emically-important themes of family and children's games. Also, the etic placement of equipment was done based on the observed anomalous sensory and spatial patterning: two video cameras were placed directly in front of these S.I.M.S. zones (2nd room facing toward Journey Shoppe; entrance hallway facing toward Journey Shoppe). The Journey Shoppe was designated the area for the performance-framed dialogue and activity. Video monitors were placed away from these zones in a control area, which also served as a EVP station to monitor paranormal activity during the performance.

Development of "Ghost Script" and Framing Activities: To be continued next month... 



John Sabol is the founder and principal investigator for the Center for the Anthropological Studies of the Paranormal for the Eastern Region C.A.S.P.E.R., and is a regular contributor to Ghostvillage.com. His organization can be reached at: C.A.S.P.E.R. Research Center, 725 East Mahanoy St., Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania 17948, USA. Visit his Web site at: http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeoqapc/ghostexcavator/



2014 Haunted New England Wall Calendar by Jeff Belanger photography by Frank Grace
Check out the 2014 Haunted New England wall calendar by Jeff Belanger and photography by Frank Grace!


Paranormal Conferences and Lectures
Don't miss the following events and lectures:

Jeff Belanger and “The Bridgewater Triangle” at Dedham Community Theatre - April 6, 2014 9:00PM

The Spirits of the Mark Twain House - Hartford, Connecticut - April 12, 2014

Paracon Australia - East Maitland, New South Wales, Australia - May 10-12, 2014