In pursuit of proof of the paranormal, these investigators rush in where many may fear to tread
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The grave of a soldier from the Civil War era is marked with a flag in the cemetery at the former Dixmont State Hospital in Kilbuck. A group called Ghost Story Investigators filmed its attempts to contact ghosts in the cemetery for a pilot called "Ghost Story TV."
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Is there something strange going on in your neighborhood, something that doesn't look quite right?
Forget about calling "Ghostbusters." Plenty of paranormal investigators right here are itching to explore the unknown.
Thanks in part to Pittsburgh's rich and diverse history, the region's suburbs are a veritable hotbed of potential paranormal activity.
Widespread interest in the paranormal -- and acceptance of it -- appears to be on the rise. A popular television show on A&E called "Paranormal State" is produced by Penn State University students. Dozens of other TV shows are devoted to the paranormal -- one is even aimed at psychic kids. Last year, the movie "Paranormal Activity" was a runaway hit and turned out to be one of the most profitable films ever made.
Although Halloween is considered by many to be the most haunted day of the year, local paranormal investigators say they are busy year-round, some searching for that elusive nugget of proof that ghosts exist and others focusing on a more spiritual realm.
The work of paranormal investigators is perhaps best summed up in a quote about faith from American economist and engineer Stuart Chase:
"For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible."
In the Random House dictionary, paranormal is defined as "... pertaining to the claimed occurrence of an event or perception without scientific explanation, as psychokinesis, extrasensory perception or other purportedly supernatural phenomena."
The investigations often are, well, uneventful.
"Ghost hunting is boring," said Shawn Kelly, founder of the Pittsburgh Paranormal Society. "You might wait all night for something" -- or nothing.
A meat cutter at Giant Eagle by day and one of the area's most respected paranormal investigators by night, Mr. Kelly has been on the hunt for ghosts for more than 20 years.
His group is so popular, it now has three chapters -- in Pittsburgh's east and north suburbs and one in Gettysburg.
First Published October 28, 2010 12:00 am
