Haunted Clock at the Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans

The grandfather clock in the Monteleone Hotel Lobby is very impressive. Old and rich with detail, it commands attention as you ascend the stairs into the lobby.

I personally didn't have any experiences with the clock. I took a few pictures to see if maybe anything interesting would show up.

The camera had a lot of difficulty focussing. The creature that heads this article didn't want to be photographed that day,  so I photographed him a couple of days later.

Some of the stories revolving around the Monteleone Hotel include the clock.

Apparently people have witnessed the original clock maker hanging around the clock.

At night.

During the day.

The sightings are random but rather consistent. He's working on the clock.

Paranormal Investigation and Seance at Haunted Victorian Manor

P.I.S.T. Kicks Off 2013

In February 2013, P.I.S.T. is holding two events in the Niagara Region.

Join P.I.S.T. Toronto, Hamilton or Niagara to learn more about these events.

P.I.S.T. Paranormal 101


Details About the Haunted Location from the P.I.S.T. Website

History & Happenings
Located just off the Niagara Parkway sits Blythewood Manor. In 1872 this house was built on what was Clifton Avenue, later changed to Zimmerman after the man who designed the house.
The same man, Zimmerman, also designed the Niagara Falls train station, located on Bridge Street.
The Zimmerman house was owned and built by James Bampfield in 1872. The house was built for his wife Margaret Bampfield.
There were a number of deaths in the house on Zimmerman. Ida Bampfield had a stroke but it was not fatal but did restrict her to the house. She was cared for by her daughters who moved her bedroom to the dining room of the house where she stayed until her death.
During this time her son came to visit her and became quite ill, in fact dying in the house of a sudden heart attack brought about by a coughing fit during that visit.
During a paranormal investigation of the house in September 2009 two mediums, on two separate times picked up a woman who fell down the stairs and subsequently died of her injuries. (This claim was not substantiated). We were also informed of a boy named Derek who fell from the middle bedroom on the second floor on the south side of the house. He was not a Bampfield, but a relative.
There is also some paranormal evidence that suggests a woman was killed accidently in the basement of the home, a name of Ruth has come to light both times and through two different mediums. Numerous orbs have been filmed in the house, mostly on the second floor. These orbs would actually respond to verbal commands, getting bigger or smaller, coming closer or entering or leaving rooms on command.

Some common haunting occurrences in the home.
The distinct sound of walking on the main staircase and in the old servants room, which is located over the kitchen. The smell of a floral perfume in the first floor hallway that leads to the kitchen. The appearance of light anomalies in the front bedroom on the second floor. The visual appearance of a little girl, Anne Bampfield on the second floor. Anne did grow to be an adult but we have been told she enjoyed her childhood here at the house so much that when she returns to the house she does so as a child of about 8-10 years.
The current owners have seen the shadow shape of a woman move through the kitchen from where the old servant staircase used to be, towards where the old pantry used to be located.
The image of a gentleman aged about mid 40’s with a trim beard is often seen in the mirror of the middle bedroom on the second floor. Sneezing can be heard on the second floor when no one is upstairs.
The sound of a woman’s voice, with a British accent can be heard responding to conversation that will be taking place among people in or around the house. You will often not feel alone when standing at the top of the main staircase.
The aroma of cigar or pipe smoke can be smelt in the living room and on the veranda. The scent of floral perfume can also be smelt on the upper floors and in the narrow hall to the kitchen.
"The spirits come and go and seem genuinely happy and content. The house will feel very quite when they’re not home, then suddenly, you will feel that others are home with you, but not in a bad way. I akin it with when your children leave home, the house feels empty."
 - Wayne. The Owner

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Listening to EVPS

In the past year and a half or so, I've been recording evp sessions at haunted places on a very casual basis.

I'm still not sure how to work this cheap but effective digital tape recorder. I already accidently the best recordings I'd ever heard, of a boy in a chapel in the Iron Island Museum in Buffalo. That was a scary night with the PIST101 crew.

However, I find listening to EVPs difficult and frustrating. I know I have hearing loss, likely due to the many WHO concerts I've rocked out to over the years but once in a while, I can hear a bit of something. Or maybe I perceive a sense, a vibration slightly different than other vibrations that the current batch of voices is creating.

Once I hear evidence with the "ghost voice" pointed out, I can 70% of the time hear it as well. That doesn't mean I believe it's a ghost but at least I can hear it enough to discern there is another sound there.

Some EVPs can be very clear. I've heard them myself.

But for the most part, it's a very long painstaking process to analyze your EVPs.

I've bought four different sets of headphones, none of them terribly expensive although two were excellent deals.

The advice I was given by the Ghost-Girls was to boost the bass.

It did help a bit sometimes.

However, the whole process of EVPs takes a long long time.

You have to transfer the recording into a special program on your computer. Most of the time, if you have a cheapie record such as I, you have to do it in real time. So twelve hours of EVPs means twelve hours of watching that your computer doesn't go into screensaver or power off in the middle of a recording.

Then you have to sit and listen and listen and listen.

Your program, depending on what you use, I use a free one from the internet, might allow you to edit and boost the sounds of intriguing portions of your tapes.

There are websites where people upload their evps, photographs and other evidence for others to scrutinize.

When you're listening to your EVP, relax your ears and be open to any aberration in the sounds.

There might be a whisper, murmur, moan, laugh, scream, crying and so on.

Be open minded and listen in a very quiet place, no music or TV in the background.

When you're recording your EVPs it's helpful to state where you are and the time before the session. Describe any unusual sounds or if someone trips or sighs or walks over head. You'd be surprised how fast you forget what really happened in that room months later when suddenly think there's a monster banging at the window.

Keep notes in a notebook too if you remember or have the means. Write down the numbers of files, tracks and so on and where they happened and the time. Also make notes about anything usual to listen for or eliminate.

Be mindful of traffic, planes and other sounds that you may not have realized that was there at the time.

You'd also be surprised how loud and creepy a stomach growling can be. Make sure you note it when it happens.

The more notes the better although it can be distracting while you're trying to watch for evidence.





Another thing I've come to realize is that taking pictures while doing EVP can be distracting because whenever you hear the clicks, you get excited to think it's something but it was just a camera...

Do YOU Believe in Ghosts?

What's that you saw out of the corner of your eye?

It was gone before you could focus properly.

Was it just a trick of the light?

Was it a shadow?

A fleck in your eye?

Your nerves? But wait, you weren't nervous.

You were just sitting there.

And then a movement flickered just out of focus. As you turn to look, you have the sense something was there. And a chill floods down your spine as the hair on your arms bristle.

Sure most strange things can be explained.

Lights, dusts, bugs, animals, people playing tricks.

But now and again, things happen to us all that we can't explain.

Some of us shrug off these quirky little incidents, dismissing them as overactive imagination.

But sometimes, you can replay the scene over and over in your mind and realize that you can't come up with one single shred of an explanation.

So what do you believe causes "things that can not be explained?"

Is it our minds?

Are there really ghosts?

Timeslips?

Resisdual energy?

Aliens?

Spirits?

Astral projections?

What is it at all?


What weird experiences have YOU had and how did you explain it in your own mind?

Victorian Seance in Niagara!

Are you curious about paranormal investigations?

Have you always wanted to go to one but felt you didn't have enough experience to blend in with the others?

Here's a fabulous group you can join comprised of seasoned professionals and people who have "never done this kind of thing before."

Paranormal Investigative Society of Toronto has just started up for the summer ghost hunting season!

Paranormal 101 Events

If you want to go to a Victorian Seance and also ghost hunt, check out the event at Blythewood Manor in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

June 2, 2012  at 7:30 pm


June 9, 2012  at 7:30 pm

From the MeetUp Group:

The Event

Set in this historic victorian manor, you will participate in an intimate seance along with only 5 people.

Arrival, introductions and history

Group 1 (6 people) - Seance

Group 2 (6 people) - Tarot/EVP/Communications/Photo 2nd level,most haunted location

Refreshments (Coffee/Tea)

Group 1 (6 people) - Tarot/EVP/Communications/Photo 2nd level,most haunted location

Group 2 (6 people) - Seance

Wrap Up

Please allow up to 4 hours for this event.

Location:

Just off the parkway & 5 minutes from Clifton Hill, Blythewood Manor is very accessible. This location should not pose too many problems due to the weather. (main roads all the way)

History & Happenings

Located just off the Niagara Parkway sits Blythewood Manor. In 1872 this house was built on what was Clifton Avenue, later changed to Zimmerman after the man who designed the house.

The same man, Zimmerman, also designed the Niagara Falls train station, located on Bridge Street.

The Zimmerman house was owned and built by James Bampfield in 1872. The house was built for his wife Margaret Bampfield.

There were a number of deaths in the house on Zimmerman. Ida Bampfield had a stroke but it was not fatal but did restrict her to the house. She was cared for by her daughters who moved her bedroom to the dining room of the house where she stayed until her death.

During this time her son came to visit her and became quite ill, in fact dying in the house of a sudden heart attack brought about by a coughing fit during that visit.

During a paranormal investigation of the house in September 2009 two mediums, on two separate times picked up a woman who fell down the stairs and subsequently died of her injuries. (This claim was not substantiated). We were also informed of a boy named Derek who fell from the middle bedroom on the second floor on the south side of the house. He was not a Bampfield, but a relative.

There is also some paranormal evidence that suggests a woman was killed accidently in the basement of the home, a name of Ruth has come to light both times and through two different mediums. Numerous orbs have been filmed in the house, mostly on the second floor. These orbs would actually respond to verbal commands, getting bigger or smaller, coming closer or entering or leaving rooms on command.

Some common haunting occurrences in the home.

The distinct sound of walking on the main staircase and in the old servants room, which is located over the kitchen. The smell of a floral perfume in the first floor hallway that leads to the kitchen. The appearance of light anomalies in the front bedroom on the second floor. The visual appearance of a little girl, Anne Bampfield on the second floor. Anne did grow to be an adult but we have been told she enjoyed her childhood here at the house so much that when she returns to the house she does so as a child of about 8-10 years.

The current owners have seen the shadow shape of a woman move through the kitchen from where the old servant staircase used to be, towards where the old pantry used to be located.

The image of a gentleman aged about mid 40’s with a trim beard is often seen in the mirror of the middle bedroom on the second floor. Sneezing can be heard on the second floor when no one is upstairs.

The sound of a woman’s voice, with a British accent can be heard responding to conversation that will be taking place among people in or around the house. You will often not feel alone when standing at the top of the main staircase.

The aroma of cigar or pipe smoke can be smelt in the living room and on the veranda. The scent of floral perfume can also be smelt on the upper floors and in the narrow hall to the kitchen.

"The spirits come and go and seem genuinely happy and content. The house will feel very quite when they’re not home, then suddenly, you will feel that others are home with you, but not in a bad way. I akin it with when your children leave home, the house feels empty." - Wayne. The Owner

Ghost Hunting on a Date?

Ghost Hunting on a DATE?

Whether it's the first date or the fiftieth, finding a new adventure can be a brain-racking time-consuming experience. Sure a dinner and a movie can seem like a treat, especially once the kids come along but sometimes there's a yearning and curiosity to try something else.

But what?

What About Paranormal Romance?

No,  I don't mean curl up with a romance novel on a Saturday night, alone again. I was thinking of adventure combined with spooky along with ample opportunity to cling together in the dark in a haunted house or other establishment.

Thanks to the popularity of paranormal investigation shows, ghost hunting groups are popping up all over the place.

See if there's a local group conducting hauntings in your town. With the nice weather, there are groups popping up all about Toronto. You can check meet-up groups and other such blogs for more information about what paranormal activity might be going on in your town.

Even if you can't find any groups in your town, or if there aren't any conducting any paranormal investigations on the night in question, you can figure out your own paranormal activity.

Ways to Enjoy a Paranormal Evening

•     book a night in a haunted hotel
•     find the local paranormal investigation group and book them for an evening
•     walk through a cemetary or other haunted property, with permission of course
•     organize a ghost hunt with several friends at a local haunted establishment
•     go on one of the local ghost walk tours that are often offered to tourists
•     read about haunted places in your city then organize your own ghost walk
•     visit a pet cemetary
•     have a seance in a haunted establishment
•     take pictures and make recordings of your date.

Paranormal Equipment List

Here are a few ideas for tools to take on your paranormal investigation depending on your goals and location:

•     Flashlights and batteries
•     Camera: digital, film, video, movie, still
•     Batteries, lots of batteries: Bring your charger. Paranormal activity and cold spots have a habit of draining batteries
•     Recorder: digital, tape
•     Notepad and pens
•     K2 meter
•     themometer
•     laser grid
•     infra red camera
•     extension cords
•     duct tape
•     string
•     scissors
•     cell phone apps such as Ghost Radar
•     sweater
•     blanket
•     tarot cards
•     ouija board
•     pendulum
•     coat hangers (for dowsing)
•     any augury device such as runes
•     ghost box

Open Your Mind

Choosing a paranormal activity for a date would work well for most types of people who have an open mind. After all, though communication with the spirits should be conducted in reverence, the appeal of spending a dark night together with adrenaline racing can open the portals to a memorable bonding adventure.

You will have stories for years about how scared you were or weren't, how the equipment worked, what happened at midnight, what the orbs in the photographs really could have been, if the medium was a fake, and so on.

The point is that this is a shared experience where no one had a vested interest in the outcome and you may have learned something new about each other. It also is quite safe even if you do scare yourself.

Here's a link that might be helpful:


Ghost Hunting Gear