Prospect Place Investigation

The building was once part of the Underground Railroad and built by George Adams in 1856. It burned to the ground that same year and was rebuilt in 1857. George Adams and his family were among the earliest settlers of Muskingum County. George Willison Adams, the youngest of George Adams came with his family to Ohio in 1808. Mr. Adams died August 31, 1879 and was survived by his wife and seven children from two marriages. The eldest, Anna, is now the wife of William Cox and resides upon the old homestead near Dresden.

Located at: 12150 Main St., Trinway, OH. 43482, 740-221-4175

Website: www.gwacenter.org

Hauntings: The story of a little girl who fell from the front portico balcony has existed in the Dresden area for more than a century. The young girl was afflicted with a fever and wandered onto the balcony one cold night in the winter. She lost her footing and fell over the low railing to the hard sandstone steps below.

The story continues that the girl's body was not buried immediately as the frozen ground would not allow for the digging of a grave. The body was placed on ice in the basement in a pit originally designed as a refrigeration system for the home. Here the child remained until the spring thaw when she could be given a proper burial. The mother grieved for her lost child and visited the body daily until the burial.

Today the ghost of the little girl can sometimes be seen on the second floor near the door to what once was the portico balcony. Other observations of her have been made in the basement, the ballroom and the Upstairs Parlor (the room in which she was kept while ill) which is today the guest bedroom. Her image has been seen standing near the fireplace mantle in that room.

There is allegedly a story of a ghost of a bounty hunter that was hung in the barn and the ghost of Mrs. Adams that haunts the 2^nd floor. Satanic worship in the ballroom have lead to that area being a hotbed of activity and the cross painted on the wall today covers up satanic graffiti that once was there. Reports of activity in the well in the basement where bodies were temporarily stored until they could be buried in the spring when the ground thawed sufficiently. Mysterious lights seen on the property resembling lantern lights have been observed in the past. The upstairs barn area have been the scene where shadow figures have been seen and photographed in the past.

The Ghost Research Society investigated Prospect Place on September 18, 2011. Team members included: Stan Suho, Lisa Krick, Nicole Tito, Joey Tito, Lauren Kasmar and Dale Kaczmarek with help from Mike McElhiney.

Equipment setup:

One static IR camera was placed in the ballroom facing the cross on the wall along with an EM Vortex, Geophone and the G.E.I.S.T. equipment along with the Ghost Microphone. A second IR camera was positioned in the basement and two were placed on the second floor; one facing the men’s bedroom quarters and the other in the first room at the head of the stairs where the picture of Mrs. Adams is hanging.

Experiments performed: EVP experiments were performed in the basement, barn and ballroom.

Personal experiences:

Joey Tito: Prospect Place was an interesting place to visit for the historical aspect. As far as anything paranormal is concerned, I did not personally witness anything out of the ordinary while adventuring through this location, but while watching the Video System at the command post I did notice a strobe light effect emanating from the basement toward the end of the investigation. This lighting effect lasted at least 15 seconds and was also witnessed by Dale at the command post. I hope this was caught on the camera that was set up in the area. This was indeed the most interesting thing that transpired while investigating Prospect Place. I have footage to review that was taken in the hallway facing the 4-bed sleeping quarters, so if anything of interest was caught I will update the team with the news.

Stan Suho: This was a classic investigation with full field crew, a big building, lots of room to set up, and all the time we needed, all of which we took full advantage of. A full walk through was made with all

Cameras running, hand helds beeping, and note taking. A full setup was done in the Dining Room with G.E.I.S.T., Joey's Video System, and a bunch of Dale's Gadgets. G.E.I.S.T. was setup in an upstairs Ball Room. The full G.E.I.S.T. was setup using Ghost Camera and Ghost Microphone. The Ghost Camera was time coordinated with the G.E.I.S.T. System and both systems loosely coordinated with the Ghost Microphone recordings on a Laptop running Audacity software. As often happens, once we were setup and running, the house became very quiet as far as the instrumentation goes. No unusual sounds were detected in the Ball Room except for the two EVP recording sessions which were both recorded in full.

Conclusions

Nothing showed up on my pictures or recordings. Since we made thorough investigation using redundant devices, I don't think this house requires a follow up investigation.

Lauren Kasmar: I, Lauren Kasmar, was partnered with Lisa Krick and Nicole Tito for the Prospect Place investigation in Trinway, Ohio, on September 18^th-19^th 2011. The weather was cool, around 50 degrees F. The equipment that I used included my digital camera, REM E-Pod, and the Ovilus X with DTD display screen. I assisted with setting up the suite system, as well at assisted with setting up Joey Tito’s camera.

We began our first EVP session in the basement of Prospect Place at 10:20 PM. Dale joined us, as well as Mike McElhiney. It was 66 degrees F. Shortly after we began the session, Dale had a battery die out. We witnessed a thumping noise three times, coming from the well room, which was to the right of where we were seated. Shortly after that, we heard another odd noise; it sounded like one of the crates was moved that was sitting on the floor in the same room as us. The Ovilus X displayed “clairvoyant” on the DTD screen randomly during the session. I began to hear what sounded like scratching on the wall behind me down the middle of the wall that continued for a while. We thought that it might possibly be an animal; however, it was still frightening! The three of us experienced a sweet smell that seemed to drift between the three of us throughout the session. It almost smelled of roses. During this experience, Dale’s Ghost Radar program on his phone picked up the word “love.” After the sweet smell dissipated, we all experienced a very foul smell; a smell that resembled body odor. We asked “are you hurt?” and the radio shack hack stated “maybe.” The Ghost Box also produced the word “well” during our session. We ended the session around 10:50 PM.

We began the next EVP session at 11:05 PM in the ballroom. The entire group participated in this session. The room presented itself with a calm feeling. The motion detectors continued to go off without anyone crossing them. The possibility of Joey’s camera interfering with the sensors was discussed. The Geophone also was disturbed a few times. A few minutes into the session, Lisa, Joey and I moved to the other section of the ballroom, which appeared to be quite darker than the other half of the ballroom. I felt slightly uneasy while in this other section of the ballroom. The Ovilus X displayed “pop” and then “soak” on the DTD screen, followed by “her” while Nicole was asking questions. Mike McElhiney’s I-Ovilus X produced “leave,” “met,” and “far.” Lisa and I then heard light tapping, or what could have been small rocks being thrown to the left of where we were sitting. Following that, the entire group heard a louder tap. The Ovilus X said “tall.” Dale asked if they could make another noise, and the I Ovilus X said “correct.” Shortly after that, I heard a single tap on the wall directly across from where I was sitting, followed by a thud in the corner of the room to the right of me. The motion detectors went off again at the same time I heard the thud in the corner of the room. The I-Ovilus X said “world,” “forever,” and “ice.” Lisa and I hear what sounded like the creaking of a floor board between the windows near where we were twice. I did smell something sweet again while in the ballroom towards the end of our session; however, this smell resembled sweet candy.

At 12:13 AM, Dale and Mike McElhiney joined us for an EVP session in the barn. It was 63.1 degrees F. When I first walked into the barn when we arrived earlier in the day, I felt uneasy; I did not feel this way upon entering the barn for our session. The barn seemed peaceful this time around. After I turned on the Ovilus X, It said “orb.” Shortly after that, it said “horse,” and “ran” which was ironic, seeing that this barn once housed horses. The I-Ovilus X said “ride,” “stone,” and “strength.”

When we returned to the house, I watched the command center for a while as Dale went to the ballroom alone to provoke. Mike went to the ballroom as well to do some provoking.

I did not hear anything after going to sleep that night. I was woken up at one point in the night, when it felt like something was poking at my pillow! After smelling the odd sweet and foul smells in the basement, followed by the sweet smell in the ballroom, and the unexplained taps and thuds heard during the EVP sessions, and the personal experience overnight, I do feel that there is something related to the paranormal occurring in Prospect Place .

I did not find any abnormalities in any of the pictures I took with my digital camera.

Nicole Tito: Team Partner: Lisa Krick, Lauren Kasmar

Equipment Used: Video camcorder, audio recorder, EM pump, K-II meter, Ovilus, REM E-Pod

Impressions/Personal Experiences:

Hearing so much information about this location and seeing it on various TV shows, I was extremely excited to investigate this location. However, I became disappointed when I found out that we would not be able to have the entire location as the owner lived on the property.

I did encounter some strange occurrences throughout the night, but nothing definitive that would lead me to believe that this location is truly haunted. Down in the cellar, Lisa, Lauren, Dale, Mike, and I experienced strange scratches noises coming from right behind us. Considering that the walls were made of stone, it was so loud that it sounded like it was coming from right next to us. After this, I sang the Ballard song for the Underground Railroad and smelled extremely foul body odor right next to me which appeared and dissipated several times. We were unable to trace it to a specific location.

Another area that proved to be disappointing was the upstairs ballroom where the alleged portal to hell is not painted over with a cross. There were several times where I thought I saw a shadow darting between Dale and Mike, but it could have been my eyes playing tricks with me. We did hear noises and bangs throughout the location, but I did not capture any video evidence and only had a few audio clips from the Ovilus and Ghost Radar.

Surprisingly, I slept very well that night even though we were in a haunted location. I was so tired from the drive that I crashed on the uncomfortable beds. I think that there may be something in this location, but I would have liked to spend another day there and perhaps not started investigating after driving eight hours. I do believe that the way you feel can affect the investigation and therefore my lack of energy played a role in me not interacting with any spirits.

EVPs/Audio Evidence:

Cellar GHOST Clip: Radio Shack Hack responds, “Ghost,” after Lisa asks, “Do you know anyone here?”
HORSE Barn Clip: Ovilus responds, “Horse,” during our session in the barn outside.
RIDE Barn Clip: Ghost Radar responds, “Ride,” after Lisa asks, “Can you whisper at me again?” after hearing voices in the back of the barn.
Scratching Cellar Clip: Scratching session in the cellar.

Video: Nothing out of the ordinary.

Still photos: Nothing out of the ordinary captured in both exterior and interior shots.

Lisa Krick: PRESENT - Dale, Stan, Joey, Lauren, Nicole, Mike, Lisa

EQUIPMENT USED - Canon Digital Rebel, Olympus Digital Point and Click, Sony Audio Recorder, Sony Night Shot Video Recorder

We arrived at just around 6pm and took some exterior shots of the building and grounds before the sun went down. Then, we carried in all the equipment. At 7.41p, while bringing in equipment, my cell phone rang. The area code was an Indianapolis number, but I didn't recognize it so I let it go to voicemail. However, the caller didn't leave a voicemail. I was concerned that it might be the Red Cross, trying to reach a volunteer for a fire run, so I called the number back. It was the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department dispatch coordinator, who stated that my telephone had made a 911 call at 7.38p and they were calling to make sure I was okay. I stated that I was in the middle of Ohio and had not made the call. We agreed that was strange and ended the call.

After we had everything set up, we went to the basement to do an EVP session. Mike, Dale, Lauren, Nicole and I went down and sat in one of the long rooms to run the session. I was able to capture one disembodied voice when Nicole asked who the president of the union was. I heard (and captured) a faint "ME". At one point, after Nicole had sung the ballad, we began to hear activity: scratching in the limestone wall behind us, shuffling, dragging, and footsteps over in the next room called the "pit room". A few moments after she finished singing, she felt something touch her hand and I smelled a strong body odor. Immediately after the body odor dissipated, we smelled something sweet, like roses, but more sugary. Those two smells seemed to travel around the room and I think most, if not all of us experienced that olfactory sensation. I had my camera set up in the basement and got no evidence from it.

We next headed, as an entire group, to the ballroom on the topmost floor. This room was purported to host Satan worship sessions. We experienced a few tappings and knockings, but nothing else and I got nothing on audio.

Our last stop was the barn, where legend has it that a bounty hunter was hanged by the neck until dead, and then taken to the woods to be buried. Mike, Lauren, Dale, Nicole and I were sitting in the barn. I was against the back wall and the rest of the group was about halfway in the barn, standing in the middle of the room. At one point, I was expounding upon the legend of the bounty hunter and telling the rest of the group my theory on it. I stated, "It could have been none of these things." After which I heard a disembodied whisper to my side. I commented on it and no one else had heard it. I have audio evidence of this. Just after that I stated, "I just heard a whisper to my right" ... and there's a whisper response that I didn't hear in real time. I cannot make out what these whispers are, though.

Dale Kaczmarek: I was in the basement and also encountered the body odor smell that suddenly permeated the area and though there were a lot of people around us. It makes sense when it was used as the Underground Railroad; a lot of runaway slaves might have been crammed into that small space.

During the evening as soon as everyone went to sleep, I suddenly heard a loud crash that sounded like something ceramic had fallen to the floor. It was so loud that I looked around the room and wondered why no one else had awoken to the sound. A little while later I did hear the sounds of gentle footsteps on the stairs and it wasn’t someone getting up in the middle of night to use the restroom.

I did some provoking in the ballroom to try to stir up the ghosts. Apparently nothing amiss happened immediately and a review of tapes would be required to see if anything showed up on audio or video. The dog outside did several times look towards the barn and begin barking for no apparent reason.

I also heard a number of unexplainable sounds while upstairs in the ballroom when we were conducting a group EVP session. It even sounded at one time like someone had sat down on the bench directly in front of Mike and me.

Evidence collected:

Barn whisper.MPG an EVP session in the barn when a whisper was captured.

Barn whisper2.MPG an EVP session in the barn when another whisper; either two words or a two syllable word was caught.

Basement President clip.MPG a question was asked, "Who is the President of the United States?" A whispery voice is heard.

Cellar GHOST clip.MPG an EVP session in the basement, a question is asked, “Do you know anybody here?” The Ghost Box responds with, “Ghost.”

Correct.MPG an EVP session in the Ballroom a question is asked, “Can you make more noises like that?” A sound is heard. It was Dale moving in his chair. Nicole asked, “Was that you Dale?” I said it was the chair I was sitting on that made the noise and Mike’s I-Ovilus said, “Correct.”

Don’t care.MPG an EVP session in Basement, a question is asked, “What do we look like?” The Ghost Box responds with, “Don’t care.”

Horse barn clip.MPG an EVP session in the barn, the Ovilus says, “Horse.”

Loud bang.MPG the IR camcorder placed in the ballroom picked up a long bang in the background when everyone was downstairs in the Command Center .

Possible.MPG A follow-up provocation EVP in the Ballroom a comment was made, “This was a waste of my trip coming all the way out here. I could have watched TV and got more entertainment then coming here.” The I-Ovilus immediately responds with, “Possible.”

Ride barn clip.MPG an EVP session in the barn, a question is asked, “Can you whisper at me again?” The I-Ovilus says, “Ride.”

Scratching cellar clip.MPG an EVP session in the basement, a strange scratching sound is heard coming from the walls behind the three women in the EVP group.

Talking.MPG an EVP session in the Basement, Nicole tags, “Talking over there.” – meaning the well room. The Ghost Box responds with, “Talking.”

Basement: While conducting an EVP session there the Ghost Radar application did say the following words: birds, yesterday, basket and cup. The Ovilus said: clairvoyant which was interesting and the Ghost Box did respond with ghost.

Ballroom: While conducting an EVP session there the Ovilus in dictionary mode did say: her, tall and let; while the I Ovilus said: seat, doctor, correct, world, forever and ice. The last three words came out in rapid succession within a few seconds.

Barn: While conducting an EVP session there the Ovilus said: orb and horse which is remarkable. The I-Ovilus said: ride, spin, church, race, land, maid, old, stone, strength, inches, past and Peter.

Ballroom: A follow-up provocation EVP session in the ballroom produced the most words displayed and said by the I Ovilus of any session. They included some that were very relevant to the topic at hand and some apparently showed some anger and disgust at our provoking the spirits. The words said were: joy, brain, Nancy, counsel, kelt, fear, idea, mouse, barn, fate, grey, Myra, believe, pay, throw, panel, penny, squeeze, hair, mild, knife, blue, captain, Sandy, state, express, find, pattern, race, cheat, cheap, hair, empty, clown, error, did, it, Brandy, limit, living, plastic, Benny, carbon, farm, cheat, possible, bridge, afraid, sky, minute, spud, out, language, cry, catch, shave, shape, hill, brave, thirty, mountain, built, learn, hear, consider, chief, round, switch, draw, hold, fear, hurt, because, jacket and lastly KILL.

Conclusions: Prospect Place was much quieter than I expected the location to be given all the publicity and hype on television. While the group did hear a number of unexplainable sounds while conducting a group EVP session in the Ballroom including floor creaks when nobody was moving about and what sounded like someone sitting down on one of the benches directly in front of Mike and me. Even a provocation session later in the investigation failed to yield any good results but the I Ovilus was the most active it had been the entire day during that provocation session. Plus a number of sounds were heard on the static IR camera that was placed in the Ballroom. Thumps, bangs and what sounded like some kind of disturbances were noticed upstairs when the team was elsewhere conducting experiments.

During a group EVP session in the Basement a number of people did smell a musty odor followed by intense body odor, then a sweet smell and then body odor again; almost like there were more then a few different spirits that we had come into contact with.

While conducting the group EVP session in the Barn both Ovilus did come up with relevant words corresponding to where we were at: barn, horse, ride, race. This is pretty amazing given all the possible words it could have said or said nothing at all.

I believe it was a pretty amazing event that Lisa got a 911 call on her cell phone from the Indianapolis State Police that didn’t register on her incoming call list.

The dog did apparently bark several times while looking at the barn area when nobody was outside. Perhaps she was sensing or seeing something paranormal.

Overall, it was a beautiful location and an amazing investigation. Too bad we didn’t uncover more evidence than we did.