Ghosts? Ghosts! Could There Be?
Reliving History, Inc will not take a position on the recent subject of whether or not ghosts exist on the Peter Burr Property. We recognize that this subject is offensive to some and of great interest to others. We will remain open to proof and extremely slow to draw conclusions.
However, a paranormal team from Martinsburg, WV on May 9, 2009 conducted a ghost hunt on the Peter Burr property. This hunt was done for research purposes only, and no fees were charged or paid and to the best of our knowledge, no one has acquired any profit as the result of the investigation.
We must admit, some mysterious questions do create an element of wonder and curiosity. The following are interesting, undoctored, raw photos. Each person will have to decide for his or her own self. Click on each photo to enlarge it.
What on Earth (or Elsewhere) is this?
There is no electricity in this 260-year-old house. This photo was taken in the evening after sun down in an off-limits, upstairs room in the middle of the house that has NO overhead light and no other light source. The ceiling is made of wood with no metal or shiny surfaces overhead. The room can be accessed through a crawl space as seen in the lower left of the photo. The room was dark and the flash on the camera was used in an effort to capture any possible light that might bounce off of masses of energy (magnetic fields) if present. The flash created enough light to illuminate the room, but there is no explanation for the light anomaly seen here. The upper left corner may contain an orb, but there is absolutely nothing physical on the ceiling of the room to reflect the unusual light as seen in this photo.
A house with no electricity and located a good distance
from any heavy electrical use, would normally be expected to show no
electromagnetic measurements. Such was not the case in this
investigation. EM meters registered high for activity, and digital voice recorders picked up sounds that registered at a different frequency than that of the people talking during the investigation. These anomalies raise definite questions and feasible explanations are welcome.
The Incredible Unexplainable Orbs
Out of over 1500 photos that were taken from approximately 8:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. (on May 9-10, 2009) numerous photos revealed orbs. Apparently, orbs are circular areas that some believe are energy masses. Some equate these orbs with the presence of ghosts. Orbs were captured in many photos during the investigation, even though the photos were taken with several different cameras. The orbs are not specks of dust or pollen on the lenses, otherwise they would show up in some predictable pattern at approximately the same location on each and every photo. The following are posted with little commentary except to describe the given settings. The viewer should draw their own conclusions.
Before any ghost hunting started, 2 of the paranormal investigators surveyed the outdoors.
Notice 2 possible orbs in day light (one upper left of the wood pile and the other upper right above the wood pile). However, if you click on the photo and enlarge it, the orb in the upper left of the wood pile may or may not be debunked as the end of a log. It is difficult to tell whether or not the end of the log faces the camera. There may also be another small orb in grass lower left of photo. The other more obvious orb (near upper right) is not so easy to explain away. In fact, it is one of the incredible unexplainable orbs.
Here, an orb on the porch hovers over a chair. Enlarging the photo provides no further explanation. Notice, however, the reflection of the camera flash in the far left window. The reflection of light does not resemble an orb.
There were numerous photos containing orbs that were visible during day light. This photo is shown to illustrate that the density can differ between orbs. Other photos show that the density of some orbs may fluctuate, depending on camera angle, activity of the orbs, or other unknown reasons. The smaller orb may or may not be further away, but enlarged it still appears to be more dense. In photos below, some orbs appear more dense than others. No one has yet provided a feasible explanation as to why.
As the sun goes down, we see one of the investigators in the 18th century garden. This orb is rather bright yet somewhat transparent. It does not seem to relate to any patterns that might suggest dust on the lenses.
And how about this orb? Can it possibly have awareness?And while we are at it, how about this lovely shot before the team goes inside the house? The evening was beautiful and the camera faces west southwest as it captures the sunset. There is no evidence of any atmospheric disturbances and the night remains clear and dips into cooler temperatures as morning wears on and there are no clouds to hold in the earth's heat.
These next 6 photos were taken in the upstairs of the log barn.
Before viewing the photos, the investigators communicated that they believed there were 3 spirits of Native Americans in the upstairs of the barn. After viewing the photos, it becomes interesting that 3 orbs continually show up in most of the following 6 photos.
In the first photo, the single orb seen here is especially bright. Click on each photo to enlarge it and notice changes in size and density levels with each orb. Some on some occasions seem bright and dense, while perhaps the same ones or different ones in different photos appear more dim and transparent.
This may or may not be the same orb from another angle, but it is more transparent when enlarged.
Next photo, we see 3
smaller orbs hovering close to the investigator.
The investigator clearly claims to be communicating with intelligent spirits. Note: power lines do run into the log barn, but only to a box that provides an outlet for equipment as needed for maintenance and convenience during some events. There was no supplemental light in the barn except for several flash lights and the flash on the camera. The investigators report getting readings of high electromagnetic disturbance and unexplained sounds at different frequencies on the audio voice recorders.
From another angle upstairs in the log barn, a different member of the team is seen with an orb. Notice that she has a flashlight in her hand with the light shining on the floor. This validates that the room was dark and only lit by the flash of the camera. There is a vast difference between the light intensity and shape from the flashlight and the brightness of the orb. Also, notice that barely noticeable is a large but very faint orb on the floor next to the wall about 1/4 of the way from the right. None of these orbs were visible to the human eye. They were first seen when the digital photos were reviewed.
Debunking Some Skepticism
Discerning rational people will by nature continue to come up with explanations as to what these orbs might be. How do we know they are not reflections off of something catching light from behind the orbs?
Notice these 2 photos (and also a similar one above) that show the same dark blue plastic storage box in the background to the left. There was nothing there to reflect back anything. Yet, in 2 almost identical photos, orbs seem to be moving. Enlarge the photo and you will also notice what seems to be another less dense orb against the back wall (near the center of the photo) and a small one on the floor below it.
Now, notice the large bright orb on the plastic storage box. We already know from the picture above that there was nothing on that storage box. Also, enlarge the photo, and a more transparent orb is now against the back wall near the storage box with still another in front of the box on the floor, The one that was against the middle of the wall near the investigator and the one previously on the floor near her, are no longer in the same location. Notice, the investigator has not moved, but all orbs have moved. And the total number is still 3.
The next photo is taken in the upstairs of the old Spring House. Notice that electricity comes into this building and an overhead florescent light is used for meetings. The light, however, is not on during this photo. All of the illumination is caused by the flash on the camera and probably by adjusting the brightness on the digital photos. Also, notice that while the investigators believe there are 3 spirits upstairs in the log barn, they believe there are only 2 Union soldier deserters in the upstairs of the Spring House. The many photos of these various rooms show numbers of orbs in each location consistent with these beliefs.
An interesting phenomenon shows up with the next 2 photos (that at first seem identical). It would be extremely difficult to stage 2 exact photos unless these shots were taken consecutively with the second shot quickly after the first. The numbers on the photos reflect that these were taken one after the other in the same order they are shown here. So, what is the difference between them?
In the first photo, there may be an orb on the left shoulder of the investigator in the blue jeans. The orbs are difficult to see against the light background. The second photo has an orb at the other investigator's head and none visible on the first investigator. This again implies there is not some contamination on the lens and that the orbs seem to move. The investigator reported only spirit in this room, and the photos later never show more than one orb in this room.
Other orbs were visible in photos taken in other rooms during this investigation. One of the most interesting photos was this last one downstairs in the log barn, where the investigator with instruments in both hands senses what she believes to be a spirit. She reaches out her right hand and says, "I feel you." When she reviews the photos, there is an orb sitting in or on or at her right hand.
When the investigators were asked if paranormal activity is believed to exist at the Peter Burr House because it is so old, the answer was, "No, the activity is high, because the property is so undisturbed."
The paranormal investigators took over 1500 photos and hours of other footage. They measured electromagnetic fields, digital audio frequencies, and other phenomena. They believe the house is inhabited by
intelligent spirits, which they refer to as "wandering spirits". They
believe there are no spirits there of anyone who ever lived in the
house. They do believe the whole property has heavy paranormal
activity.
They
came up with results that cause definite questions. However, not wanting to turn our historic old house into some certified
haunted place, those closely associated with the house have no opinions on
the subject. Ghosts could be interesting on the side, but they are not the history on which we wish to focus. Some may find possible ghosts fun to play with, and inquiring minds may enjoy figuring out how to explain that which seems unexplainable. Our desire is to promote education including curiosity, research, and discovery. For this purpose, the subject seems appropriate.
