Farrar Schoolhouse Investigation

In 1919, C.G. Geddes agreed to donate 6 acres of his farm to merge the area’s one-room country schoolhouses. The school boards voted and created the Washington Township Consolidated School District.

The cornerstone inscribed with the year 1921 was set and the dedication ceremony commenced on April 1 1922. The schoolhouse filled with citizens from miles around. An orchestra played on stage in the auditorium as a banquet served the hundreds in attendance.

Not all citizens were behind the new building with its $100,000 price tag. One disgruntled citizen refused to attend the celebration calling it a “monument to the arrogance and vanity of the school board,” with its boiler heating, electric lights, and indoor bathroom facilities.

On May 3 2002, once again, the band played, a banquet served the hundreds in attendance and sadly, the 80-year-old schoolhouse closed its doors for the last time.

The old school sat empty until December of 2006 when Jim and Nancy Oliver purchased the building. It became their home with hopes of slowly restoring the school to its original appearance and layout.

Farrar is an unincorporated community in Polk County, Iowa. An unused elementary school building and one church are located in Farrar and 13 houses.

Located at: 11125 134^th Ave. NE, Farrar, Iowa 5016, 515-577-4213

Owners: Jim & Nancy Oliver

Website: www.hauntingatfarrar.com

Hauntings: Voices, shadow people and orbs were common. Nancy became unsteady on the stairs when a hand on her shoulder helped her catch her balance. She turned to thank her husband for the help only to find no one there. The dark distinct outline of a small boy was sighted on the well lit stairway descending into the gymnasium. The boy appeared to be about 3' 6" tall with one foot on each step and holding onto the handrail. The figure stayed motionless for almost 2 seconds before disappearing.

People claim to have been attacked by shadow figures on the third floor that have left red welts on their necks. Figures have been seen from the small room next to the principal’s office staring out the window. They have been observed from people standing outside the building. In the gymnasium the sounds of cheering, running noises, laughter of kids and multiple EVPs have been captured. In the boiler room numerous light bulbs have exploded for no apparent reason and it has been quite active for voices and EVPs.

The GRS investigated Farrar Schoolhouse on September 14, 2012 and the team included: Stan Suho and Dale Kaczmarek with help from Bob Davies, Jackie Galioto-Cobble and Eileen Galioto Steenburg.

Equipment setup: G.E.I.S.T. was set up on the third floor along with the GhostCam. An IR camcorder with IR illuminator and Epod were also placed on that floor. The Command Center was on the 2^nd floor. A full spectrum camera was placed in the gym along with two IR illuminators and the EM Vortex. Later the Spectercam 4 was positioned to face up the stairs leading from the gymnasium where Nancy Oliver had encountered the ghost of the little boy.

Experiments performed: EVP sessions were conducted in the Principal’s office on the third floor, the third floor class room on the far right end of the hallway and in the boiler room. The infrared binoculars were used as well as the digital trap camera which for some reason did not display all the pictures shot that evening. Only three of the many pictures taken actually showed up on the SD card.

Personal experiences: While conducting an EVP session in a 2^nd floor classroom Bob and I clearly heard the sound of disembodied whispering voices which we both commented on. About that same time, the Melmeter was registering a 1.5 mg reading directly next to me.

Evidence collected:

Black.MPG while conducting an EVP session in a third floor classroom a question was asked, “Tell me Nancy’s maiden name?” The Ghost Box responds with what sounds like, “Black.” Also verified by Stan in real time.

Dave.MPG while conducting an EVP session in a third floor classroom a question was asked, “Dave, you still following us around ghost hunting? You are more than welcome my friend.” The Ghost Box responds clearly with, “Dave.”

I’m gonna.MPG while conducting an EVP session in the Principal’s office a question was asked, “There’s people in the office waiting to talk to you. Why don’t you come up here?” The Ghost Box responds with, “I’m gonna.”

Lisa Krick Bards.MPG while conducting an EVP session in a third floor classroom the Ghost Box spits out the name, “Lisa Krick” then a question was asked, “Can you tell us the city you lived in?” The Ghost Box responds with what sounds like, “Bards..” but doesn’t finish. I believe it might have been trying to say Bardstown.

President.MPG while conducting an EVP session in the Principal’s office a question was asked, “Who’s looking out the window over here?” The Ghost Box responds with, “President.”

Sickening.MPG while conducting an EVP session in the Principal’s office a question was asked, “Can you tell us very clearly what your name is?” The Ghost Box very clearly and loudly responds with, “Sickening.”

Wanna leave now.MPG while conducting an EVP session in the Principal’s office a question was asked, “Am I sitting in your chair?” The Ghost Box responds with, “Wanna leave now?”

Weird noise.MPG a weird scream or noise was captured on the audio track of the static IR camcorder positioned on the 2^nd floor.

Whispering voices.MPG while conducting an EVP session in a third floor classroom in between Bob and I talking you can clearly hear some whispering voices which I then immediately comment about.

Conclusions: While nothing was captured visually on any of the cameras or camcorders throughout the evening, a number of interesting EVPs were captured that concerned Dave Guss. Upon Stan’s request, I asked if Dave was still around and following us and there were, in my opinion, some pertinent responses. The gym sounded like an echo chamber throughout the evening and just hearing questions asked was a real task.

I believe that there may indeed be some spirits that still reside in this place. A more thorough investigation with additional equipment and investigators would be in order as we were a little short-handed.