Here is our first article that we have written and it was is posted in the newsletter for March as well as a piece about our Spirited History Team on www.hauntedtimes.com Thanks so much Holly and Haunted Times!!!
Do Spirits Still Dwell at Virginia's Poe Museum?
Are there still spirits lingering at the Poe Museum in Richmond Virginia? This question has intrigued many for quite some time. Multiple accounts of brides married in the beautiful walled gardens questioning the appearance of small children playing quietly in photographs when no children were invited to the event. Reports of heavy furniture being over turned in the empty offices, merchandise in the gift shop being opened and moved about, disembodied voices being heard, and tour guides being touched. After hearing the stories of paranormal activity occurring at this historic location, including tales from a good friend who worked there for many years, I decided to schedule a tour and check it out for myself.
The museum complex consists of The Old Stone House, Memorial Building, Model Building, Exhibit Building and the Enchanted Garden designed to reflect Poe's poem “To One in Paradise”. In 1921 the garden and a shrine built of bricks salvaged from the Southern Literary Messenger; the magazine where Poe began his career; were constructed in memorial to Edgar Allan Poe. The Old Stone House, Richmond’s oldest pre-revolutionary war structure, was the beginning of the tour. Rich with memorabilia from Poe's life and that of his biological and adoptive families, The Old Stone House was built around 1750 lending its own great history to whatever activity I was seeking. As we exited the house to continue our tour into the other buildings of the site, I asked the staff permission to leave my audio recorder running in the empty Piano Room. This room houses Rosalie Poe's: Edgar Allan Poe's biological sisters: pianoforte. I placed my recorder on a table close by, and continued on for the final 20 minutes of the tour. Upon reviewing this brief but significant passive audio session, I realized that there may be some truth to the stories I had heard. I captured an EVP of what sounds like a female breathing and a heavy sigh. Could this be Rosalie Poe, or maybe one of the many generations of the Ege family that had occupied the stone structure?
After sharing the EVP that was captured on my first brief visit with the staff and Curator at the museum, they readily agreed to allow a full investigation of the property. This was a wonderful opportunity to possibly have some of these questions answered and stories authenticated. When we arrived we photographed the site, performed baseline EMF readings, took audio samples and did several active audio sessions before we set up for a passive investigation. We placed our video equipment and audio recorders throughout the site and secured them to run overnight. When I returned in the morning to recover our equipment, I noticed the recorder I had left in front of the pianoforte was shut off. Knowing I had changed all the batteries before the investigation, and never having had it malfunction previously, I made a note and continued to gather equipment.
When I started to review my audio from the recorder I noticed that it had a full battery. That is weird I thought, what had caused my recorder to malfunction and shut off? I fast forward to the section right before the device malfunctioned and found my answer. The sound of a bare foot child running down the stairs and into the room, I quickly grabbed the recorder that had been placed in the adjoining room, would it be on both? Finding the same time on my second recorder I played it back, sure enough the sound of little bare feet running on a wood floor and then the sound of a beep as the other recorder that had mysteriously stopped recording was turned off. Now the sound of bare feet was mine as I danced around my kitchen.
Excited, I called my teammate Angela: her video camera had been set up in the same room, would we catch our little friend running to play their prank on me? After matching up the times again, the clear sound of running feet and the beep of my recorder being turned off were again captured! Her video camera had been pointing directly at my recorder, if someone had decided to play a prank that was of this world they would have not only set off the motion detectors, they would have been caught on tape!
We had captured and were able to track the sound of little bare feet running from upstairs down to the Piano room on three devices. I said to Angela, “That stinker turned my recorder off!” She quickly reminded me that I had promised to leave a ball that night and I had forgotten on our way out. Could this have been why only my recorder was turned off? Does this show that what lingers still at The Old Stone House is not residual energy, but something intelligent with a bit of a sense of humor? We captured another EVP of what sounds like children talking and a man saying “I am dead now”. And to just think that this had all started because of a breath and a sigh caught on an impromptu audio session.
Has this answered all of our questions about this beautiful site that has held up throughout the years watching as the city of Richmond as built up around it, seeing building and people come and go, yet standing solid and formidable for such a small structure? No, I think there are still many questions that need to be answered, and new ones to be asked.
The Old Stone House has much to offer, not only to paranormal enthusiast, but history lovers and Edgar Allan Poe fans alike. If you are in the Richmond area, the Poe Museum is a must stop for young and old, and you never know you may have your own supernatural encounter with these mischievous spirit children.
If you would like to hear more about the Poe Museum in Richmond Virginia, and hear the EVP's captured from this investigation, go to SpiritedHistory.com or Pod-O-Matic and look for the Poe Museum Pod Cast.
© LeeAnne Ball/Angela Ghataora/ Spirited History Feb 18, 2010
Here is the additional article that was in the newsletter about Spirited History:
They’ve Got Spirit, Yes They Do! (Richmond, VA)
LeeAnne Ball & Angela Ghataora host Spirited History Radio, a web based radio program that highlights historic sites with a spirited past Listen live and chat with us every Friday night at 9PM EST www.para-x.com. They also run Spirited History Investigations. They specialize in using the history of the location to trigger paranormal activity. They are based in Richmond VA. Spirited History travels the United States investigating haunted locations, helping historic sites with fund raising efforts, offering educational programs for events, conducting spirit tours that combine history and paranormal techniques.
To contact Spirited History for lectures, events, and investigations Please use the following email: spiritedhistory@gmail.com or visit www.SpiritedHistory.com.
LeeAnne and Angela also conduct the Spirited History Society, so that they can share their passion for history and the paranormal. If you love hearing a chilling ghostly tale or two, participating in paranormal investigations, sharing evidence, learning and sharing investigative techniques, exploring and learning about historic sites with a spirited past, then this is the group for you! Join us at http://www.meetup.com/Spirited-History-Society/. We believe in using the history of the site to trigger paranormal activity. (95 Members strong)
Do Spirits Still Dwell at Virginia's Poe Museum?
Are there still spirits lingering at the Poe Museum in Richmond Virginia? This question has intrigued many for quite some time. Multiple accounts of brides married in the beautiful walled gardens questioning the appearance of small children playing quietly in photographs when no children were invited to the event. Reports of heavy furniture being over turned in the empty offices, merchandise in the gift shop being opened and moved about, disembodied voices being heard, and tour guides being touched. After hearing the stories of paranormal activity occurring at this historic location, including tales from a good friend who worked there for many years, I decided to schedule a tour and check it out for myself.
The museum complex consists of The Old Stone House, Memorial Building, Model Building, Exhibit Building and the Enchanted Garden designed to reflect Poe's poem “To One in Paradise”. In 1921 the garden and a shrine built of bricks salvaged from the Southern Literary Messenger; the magazine where Poe began his career; were constructed in memorial to Edgar Allan Poe. The Old Stone House, Richmond’s oldest pre-revolutionary war structure, was the beginning of the tour. Rich with memorabilia from Poe's life and that of his biological and adoptive families, The Old Stone House was built around 1750 lending its own great history to whatever activity I was seeking. As we exited the house to continue our tour into the other buildings of the site, I asked the staff permission to leave my audio recorder running in the empty Piano Room. This room houses Rosalie Poe's: Edgar Allan Poe's biological sisters: pianoforte. I placed my recorder on a table close by, and continued on for the final 20 minutes of the tour. Upon reviewing this brief but significant passive audio session, I realized that there may be some truth to the stories I had heard. I captured an EVP of what sounds like a female breathing and a heavy sigh. Could this be Rosalie Poe, or maybe one of the many generations of the Ege family that had occupied the stone structure?
After sharing the EVP that was captured on my first brief visit with the staff and Curator at the museum, they readily agreed to allow a full investigation of the property. This was a wonderful opportunity to possibly have some of these questions answered and stories authenticated. When we arrived we photographed the site, performed baseline EMF readings, took audio samples and did several active audio sessions before we set up for a passive investigation. We placed our video equipment and audio recorders throughout the site and secured them to run overnight. When I returned in the morning to recover our equipment, I noticed the recorder I had left in front of the pianoforte was shut off. Knowing I had changed all the batteries before the investigation, and never having had it malfunction previously, I made a note and continued to gather equipment.
When I started to review my audio from the recorder I noticed that it had a full battery. That is weird I thought, what had caused my recorder to malfunction and shut off? I fast forward to the section right before the device malfunctioned and found my answer. The sound of a bare foot child running down the stairs and into the room, I quickly grabbed the recorder that had been placed in the adjoining room, would it be on both? Finding the same time on my second recorder I played it back, sure enough the sound of little bare feet running on a wood floor and then the sound of a beep as the other recorder that had mysteriously stopped recording was turned off. Now the sound of bare feet was mine as I danced around my kitchen.
Excited, I called my teammate Angela: her video camera had been set up in the same room, would we catch our little friend running to play their prank on me? After matching up the times again, the clear sound of running feet and the beep of my recorder being turned off were again captured! Her video camera had been pointing directly at my recorder, if someone had decided to play a prank that was of this world they would have not only set off the motion detectors, they would have been caught on tape!
We had captured and were able to track the sound of little bare feet running from upstairs down to the Piano room on three devices. I said to Angela, “That stinker turned my recorder off!” She quickly reminded me that I had promised to leave a ball that night and I had forgotten on our way out. Could this have been why only my recorder was turned off? Does this show that what lingers still at The Old Stone House is not residual energy, but something intelligent with a bit of a sense of humor? We captured another EVP of what sounds like children talking and a man saying “I am dead now”. And to just think that this had all started because of a breath and a sigh caught on an impromptu audio session.
Has this answered all of our questions about this beautiful site that has held up throughout the years watching as the city of Richmond as built up around it, seeing building and people come and go, yet standing solid and formidable for such a small structure? No, I think there are still many questions that need to be answered, and new ones to be asked.
The Old Stone House has much to offer, not only to paranormal enthusiast, but history lovers and Edgar Allan Poe fans alike. If you are in the Richmond area, the Poe Museum is a must stop for young and old, and you never know you may have your own supernatural encounter with these mischievous spirit children.
If you would like to hear more about the Poe Museum in Richmond Virginia, and hear the EVP's captured from this investigation, go to SpiritedHistory.com or Pod-O-Matic and look for the Poe Museum Pod Cast.
© LeeAnne Ball/Angela Ghataora/ Spirited History Feb 18, 2010
Here is the additional article that was in the newsletter about Spirited History:
They’ve Got Spirit, Yes They Do! (Richmond, VA)
LeeAnne Ball & Angela Ghataora host Spirited History Radio, a web based radio program that highlights historic sites with a spirited past Listen live and chat with us every Friday night at 9PM EST www.para-x.com. They also run Spirited History Investigations. They specialize in using the history of the location to trigger paranormal activity. They are based in Richmond VA. Spirited History travels the United States investigating haunted locations, helping historic sites with fund raising efforts, offering educational programs for events, conducting spirit tours that combine history and paranormal techniques.
To contact Spirited History for lectures, events, and investigations Please use the following email: spiritedhistory@gmail.com or visit www.SpiritedHistory.com.
LeeAnne and Angela also conduct the Spirited History Society, so that they can share their passion for history and the paranormal. If you love hearing a chilling ghostly tale or two, participating in paranormal investigations, sharing evidence, learning and sharing investigative techniques, exploring and learning about historic sites with a spirited past, then this is the group for you! Join us at http://www.meetup.com/Spirited-History-Society/. We believe in using the history of the site to trigger paranormal activity. (95 Members strong)
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