Needing Advice for a Ghost Hunt

My family moved into a new home about a year and a half ago. Since then my wife, our live-in maid/friend, and perhaps even my son (hard to tell since he can't speak yet) have had several "strange" occurrences. These include voices, noises that can't be attributed to anything, feelings of uneasyness, and even sightings of "apparitions". I personally have not experienced anything that I have deemed unexplainable, though some of my explanations are weak, even to myself.

Before I go any further let me explain a strange thing that happened the first day in the house. My wife seems to think its the key to the whole thing but I'm skeptic to say the least. During the first day we were busy all day moving, we had the dogs in the backyard. At the end of the day I went out back to relax and smoke a cig. I found that the dogs had dug a hole about 2 feet deep and pulled out a porcelain statue of Jesus. I thought it was strange but didn't think to much of it and put the statue on a table in the backyard. Fast forward through time and to a few months back. My wife through her conversations with the babysitter/maid/friend and other friends decided that the statue needed to be returned to the hole from where it came. I couldn't remember where the hole was so they guessed and put it in a new hole, which is definitely not where it was, and placed a large (50lbs) rock on top. The VERY next day the rock was moved somehow. It wasn't me or them and it wasn't the dogs because they aren't big enough to move that rock (yorkies). None of that caused the "strange occurrences" to halt.

They (my wife and her friend) are absolutely positive that the house is haunted. In fact they say there are 2 entities, an older woman and a young girl. They say one seems evil, I think they mean the lady but they don't seem sure on which it is. I won't list all of their experiences, but if anyone wants details I can though.

They both seem very concerned and they both are starting to act afraid of the house. My wife won't even stay there alone. I have decided that in a month or so I am going to send my son to my parents and send my wife and her friend to a spa for a couple of nights. During this time I am going to perform an investigation in the house to see if I can gather any evidence.

My plan is to get a full spectrum camcorder for myself to carry during the investigation. I also will be getting several audio recorders, some will be left in different rooms and I will carry one for use in EVP sessions. I will also have the night vision camera of our baby monitor in the attic to assist in identifying noises I may here.

I am looking for advice in several areas:

1: the statue, I stated it was jesus but really I don't know, it was religious looking in nature. It is buried so I can't get a picture of it. Does anyone know why this statue was buried back there?

2: equipment and stores for the investigation that won't break the bank

3: any advice ya'll may have regarding the investigation and possible haunting.

Thanks in advance guys

Originally posted by XTexan


1: the statue, I stated it was jesus but really I don't know, it was religious looking in nature. It is buried so I can't get a picture of it. Does anyone know why this statue was buried back there?

Very interesting indeed!

For the statue, can't you not just dig it back up to take a couple of pictures and then re-bury it again so that we can have a clearer impression as to what it is and maybe help you with your question?

Have you also thought about going to your local town hall or discussing with the old timers or neighbours to get any past information on the house and it's previous occupants throughout the years?


Kindest respects

Rodinus

reply to post by Rodinus


My wife completely nixed the idea of digging it up again, she's afraid I may open a portal to hell or something I guess, lol. I'll hit the googler to see if I can find anything similar though. I have been trying to make it to town hall but it seems there are never enough hours in the day. I know no violent crime has occurred in this house since it was built (1999). It appears it was farmland prior to that, and I have no idea how to find out about deaths from natural causes in the house.

Upon asking google I can tell you it is most likely jesus, it is definitely not St Joseph which is what I was thinking...

Originally posted by XTexan
reply to post by Rodinus

 

My wife completely nixed the idea of digging it up again, she's afraid I may open a portal to hell or something I guess, lol. I'll hit the googler to see if I can find anything similar though. I have been trying to make it to town hall but it seems there are never enough hours in the day. I know no violent crime has occurred in this house since it was built (1999). It appears it was farmland prior to that, and I have no idea how to find out about deaths from natural causes in the house.

If your wife is a believer, maybe get the local vicar/pastor in to bless the house (even if this will just give her piece of mind).

I do honestly think that the town hall should be able to help you here, even to find out if anyone died in your house since 1999...

Farmland, might also be good to check out if there are any ancient burial grounds in your area... then again... the town hall and the old timers are your best bet (or even the local library for public records)

Kindest respects

Rodinus

reply to post by Rodinus


How would I go about it? Do i just go up there and ask for history about my address or is there a certain section I'll need to hunt through? Sorry I've never needed to research something like this so I guess I'm confused on where to start...

Originally posted by XTexan
reply to post by Rodinus

 

How would I go about it? Do i just go up there and ask for history about my address or is there a certain section I'll need to hunt through? Sorry I've never needed to research something like this so I guess I'm confused on where to start...

It should be quite simple to just go and ask your town hall (start by asking the receptionist and she should point you in the right direction), i am in France so maybe rules are different in the USA, but generally all public archives are free for anyone to consult.

As i said earlier, the public library can be of good help too as sometimes they can hold records of local newspapers where you can consult past events and orbituaries.

I would do all this first before forking out on expensive material for your "ghost" hunt.

Kindest respects

Rodinus

My advice for people going on a ghost hunt is to bring people with you that are not atheists, bring believers. The reason the show Ghost Hunters is so boring is because it's clear as night and day that not a single person on the staff are anything other than atheists, this is what comes across on the TV anyway.

Just thinking here and had a quick search, does the statue look anything like this :



This is St Joseph, apparently some people bury this statue to bring them luck when seling their homes

The tradition has been traced to Saint Teresa of Avila who prayed that Saint Joseph would intercede to obtain land for Christian converts, and encourged her Discalced Carmelite nuns to bury Saint Joseph medals as a symbol of devotion, consecrating the ground in Joseph's name. Remember, also, that Joseph was a man who knew about moving on a moment's notice (e.g., the flight to Egypt), and providing for a home for his family. He also knows what it's like to have housing trouble (remember the manger? and being turned away from the inns?), and so is likely to be sympathetic to people with trouble getting or leaving a home.

www.catholic-forum.com...

You can find some info here www.st-josephstatue.com... as well

Find out equally if the previous occupants before you were of a religious nature (maybe ask at the local parish church)...

It would be good to know what type of material your house is made of too, (wood tends to make a lot of noise which may be attributed to some of the sounds that have been heard when heating or cooling down due to temperature changes and astmospheric conditions), check for draughts too which may cause disturbances of dust in the air).

Find out equally if you have energy lines running through the land where your house is situated which have sometimes been attributed to sensations of uneasiness.

It's just a though, but you never know!

Kindest respects

Rodinus

reply to post by Rodinus


Ok will do, thank you. Upon a little google searching it seems that my area has Indian burial grounds scattered all over the place, along with the fact that several battles or skirmishes took place in this area. Interesting indeed, I'll be researching this regardless of if the house is haunted lol

I don't think it was St. Joseph, the statue was old and its been months since I've seen it but all the St Joseph statues I see resemble and older man, and the one I found was a younger Jesus like fellow

reply to post by XTexan


Statues of St Joseph can take on various forms and can be depicted as a younger or older man and sometimes carrying a child :




Keep us updated, i for one am certainly interested into the outcome of your story

Kindest respects

Rodinus

Apparently worn out or broken religious items are buried or burned and its done quite often even by churches themselves?

My honest advice is not to waste your time. No one has found any ghosts so far and all the gear people use is useless and gimmicky. To anyone replying to this about me being closed minded please submit your own proof (seeing some dead relative at the bottom of your bed is a dream not evidence).

Advice:

Don't investigate your own home.

reply to post by XTexan


Simple Don't. Living people shouldn't want to talk to the dead.

reply to post by XTexan


I have a real direct question about that statue. I assume you saw the hole it came out of and the condition of the statue itself closely. Was it JUST dirt or was there any white substance or residue on or around the dirt in the hole and statue? Any damage from fading or corrosion to the pigment/coloring of it?

Also, have you looked online in Google image search to find a comparative statue to show? I doubt the figure it formed was, itself, at all related to what may have made it an item of interest. How it was treated after it was made may be relevant though.

Why would I not want to investigate my own home? Just curious

As for the hole, there wasn't any kind of residue that I saw, but as I said the dogs dug it up so any residue could have been destroyed or concealed by their actions. I found a few pics that looked familiar but honestly its been a LONG time since I saw the statue so it's hard to say for sure. I do remember that it was all white, so if it had coloring it had worn off.

As far as it being a waste of my time, perhaps so, but I get 2 days with the house all to myself, my conspiracy side gets audio recorders and my tech geek side gets a cool camcorder to play with. And my curious side gets to do a ghost hunt which is something that has always interested me lol. So I don't really view it as a waste of time.

reply to post by XTexan


The reason I ask asking about white residue and didn't want to say more for fear of leading the answer is that a possible way of disposing of something believed to be a major issue or pose a threat in this way would involve liberal use of salt. A particular kind, normally ...but that's not bedrock for a requirement. How effective that is, is up for question but I can say I've found it to be a useful tool in my own past. Let me know if your investigation gets anything to hang a hat on. You may want more information about how salt can be useful for cleansing and forming barriers.

I'd only suggest one other thing, since it sounds like you're pretty tech savvy and have most of your bases covered. It depends on what size bank you're worried about breaking here, but it may not take as much as you might think either. Check into thermal camera displays such as are available for 'home energy audits' or similar consumer level applications.

I'd checked into that myself a couple years ago to go Cavern hunting here in Missouri on the thought that it might be a quick shortcut to spotting openings in dense brush or other areas not easily spotted from a distance. Now, buying them is absurdly expensive but ...renting them?

Good luck with this and if you're by chance making a list of folks who might want a note as to your outcome, please add my to it. I'd love a U2U when you post a follow-up thread.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Ya, no salt that I can think of... Didn't think about renting a camera , definitely something I'll look into. Should I get a thermal camera or a full spectrum? I know the difference but which is better or more "proven"? I'll let you know, though the planned investigation is still a couple months away, though depending on if my wife views things as escalating it may get moved forward. My bank is not that big lol, but a few hundred is available.

reply to post by XTexan


Dogs digging up a religious statue...

50lb stone moved...

Female ghosts...

Pay special attention to your child!!

I don't advise you getting personally involved in a "ghost hunting" adventure. You need a priest!

Originally posted by olaru12
reply to post by XTexan

 

Dogs digging up a religious statue...

50lb stone moved...

Female ghosts...

Pay special attention to your child!!

I don't advise you getting personally involved in a "ghost hunting" adventure. You need a priest!

edit on 30-4-2013 by olaru12 because: (no reason given)

What specifically should I be concerned about with my son?

I keep hearing that I should not get personally involved, but how do I convince myself, much less a priest that we have a legitimate problem without at least trying to obtain some sort of evidence?