Ghost hunters sought to explore Old Stone House
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When Dena Richardson was growing up near the Old Stone House, her father would tell her ghost stories concerning the historic structure.
Ms. Richardson, a senior history and anthropology major at Slippery Rock University who works at the house now, said her father apparently was not pulling her leg.
"We have audio recordings from the middle room on the second floor," said Tom Harter, founder and lead investigator for the Center for Paranormal Study and Investigation in Boyers. "You can make out what they say."
The center has done several paranormal studies in the old tavern on Route 8 in Slippery Rock, and is conducting ghost hunting sessions for the public on the first Friday of every month through October. The next session is tomorrow.
The Old Stone House was built in 1822 by John Brown and was a tavern and stagecoach stop until the 1870s, when the railroad came through. It was then leased as a farm and residence for more than 40 years, said Jen Melnick, a graduate assistant at Slippery Rock who works at the house. The building is now owned by the university and run by the history department. It is open for public tours on Saturdays.
"When you are sitting here in the dark and the quiet, you can hear footsteps upstairs," Ms. Melnick said, adding that the specter of a woman in Victorian dress has been seen in a second-floor room that displays items from the 1800s.
Fourteen people signed up for the June 3 session and were split into two groups. Several participants were given an electromagnetic field detector, a device with light that was supposed to flicker or change from green to red if a magnetic force was detected nearby.
The center staff was armed with video cameras, digital still cameras and voice recorders.
"Some of the best equipment to capture something is your typical 35 mm camera or typical digital camera or simple tape recorder," said investigator Maureen "Mo" Davis, of Butler. "If you think you have activity in your house, set up a tape recorder and go out."
The group led by Ms. Davis and Bryan Barnes, case manager and lead paranormal investigator, started in the basement. After the tape recorder was set up and the cameras began to roll, the two started to try and draw out any spirits still inhabiting the house by talking to them.
"I'm Mo. Is there anybody here who wants to talk to us?" asked Ms. Davis.
"We're here to visit with you tonight," added Mr. Barnes. "Don't be afraid. Come out and join us."
First Published June 30, 2011 5:48 am
