Click here to view our documentary "Hauntings in Pennsylvania" that we did along with Sleepy Hollow Theater!

Paranormal team finds no ghosts at local restaurant

(Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part series following a local team of ghost hunters as they investigate a possible haunting in Franklin. If you missed the first article click here to read it!)

At 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 17, the Oil Region Paranormal Investigation Team is just now positioning its cameras — but it began investigating the Celtic Cafe in Franklin long before setting foot inside.

Members typically compile information regarding the history of the location beforehand, looking in particular for a history of violence, fire, trauma or death. Older buildings such as this, which was erected in 1806, tend to be subjects of urban myth.

“We try to separate rumors from fact,” says team cofounder Mark Fornof. “(The Celtic) is the kind of building that people will say has been haunted for years, and all of a sudden, six people committed suicide there, and a prostitute lived there, or some girl whose husband was away at war.”

Coincidentally, in October 2009, the team investigated Hotel Tidioute, apparently a paranormal perfect storm — the alleged former home of a call girl who committed suicide when her lover was killed at war.

In her investigation of the Celtic, team member Mary Kay Bachman found no such unsavory history.

A bump in the night

Co-founder Ryan Ashbaugh helped create the group because of his fascination with the paranormal. He’s never experienced a definite haunting firsthand, though, and he hasn’t always been eager for his first.

“Anybody who tells you they aren’t able to be frightened on one of these is a complete liar,” Ashbaugh said. “The first couple we did, I told them right there, ‘If we see anything, I’m leaving’.”

Now Ashbaugh is in the bar area of the Celtic at 12:40 a.m. Monday, Jan. 18, in neartotal darkness. The team has split into two groups, the first of which has climbed up a drop-down ladder to investigate the storage rooms over the kitchen. The second team, led by Ashbaugh, is in the Celtic.

Team members take pictures and electromagnetic field (EMF) readings throughout the area. Beer bottles sit on the bar in tiny mounds of baby powder so that any phantom movements can be detected. Ashbaugh places a digital voice recorder on a cocktail table and begins an electronic voice phenomena (EVP) session.

EVP sessions are designed to record voices and paranormal sounds that may not be heard otherwise. Ashbaugh asks questions of whatever spirit may be present — is anything listening, could it show itself in some way, how long has it been there. He asks it to make a knocking sound of some kind to alert the team of its presence.

A loud bang is suddenly heard from the back room of the bar. Ashbaugh cautiously approaches the doorway.

“Not trying to sound bossy or anything,” he says, “but we don’t chase things. You need to come out into this area.”

The knocking stops. Nothing appears from the back room. The EVP session ends at 1:45 a.m.

Etch-a-Sketch EVP

At 2 a.m., the teams reconvene, swigging soda and coffee to stay awake. The team members all have regular jobs — co-founder Scott Robinson arrived at the investigation at midnight having come straight from work.

Ashbaugh sets up an Etcha Sketch on the restaurant bar, where owner Lona Haggerty says the most inexplicable activity occurs. Ashbaugh explains that an apparition could, in theory, manipulate the toy’s magnetic powder to convey a message.

“This has never worked once,” Ashbaugh adds.

The team splits up again, with Robinson and Fornof leading an investigation in the restaurant bar and dining room. They conduct another EVP session, inviting the supposed spirit to break a glass like it had before or make any attempt to communicate. Again, nothing appears to happen until the session ends at 3:30 a.m. The Etch-a-Sketch screen remains blank.

The team continues this pattern through the night, investigating the building roomby room in teams before finally leaving the Celtic at 4:30 a.m. without witnessing any major activity.

“This is how it goes,” Fornof said. “Sometimes our most boring investigations give us the best evidence.”

He has to be back at work in two and a half hours.

Not as seen on TV

Finding a ghost among the dozens of hours of audio and video recorded during the investigation is neither as fun nor as easy as it looks on television. After its night at the Celtic, the team has collected more than 40 hours of tape — not including audio.

“It’s grueling, and it’s punishment,” Fornof said. “Imagine staring at a picture that doesn’t move. They don’t show that on TV; they show them sitting there for about a minute.”

“They make it seem like three guys do it all,” Ashbaugh said. “And every five seconds, it’s, ‘Oh, look at this! And look at this’!”

Reality shows like “Ghost Hunters” and “Paranormal State” suggest ghost hunting is a suspenseful thrill. And while they give the field publicity, the local team has found that the shows ultimately sully its reputation.

“We get so many people, friends, saying, ‘Take me on an investigation’,’” Fornof said. “They think it’s going to be like going to the haunted house at Halloween. But we’re serious about it. We take this seriously.”

Despite a booming national interest in the supernatural, such as with the 2009 film “Paranormal Activity,” many are apprehensive about expressing belief in ghosts. One client, after calling the team several times, finally invited members to investigate her home — on the condition they travel in one car and not wear clothing identifying themselves. She planned to tell any inquisitive neighbors that they were relatives from out of state.

Businesses often express a private interest but decline investigations for fear they might lose customers.

“A lot of people are worried about what the neighbors are going to think,” Fornof said.

End of an investigation

By Monday, Feb. 1, the team members have finally slogged through the hours of video and audio recordings they captured two weeks earlier. The research and preparation, the late hours scouring the restaurant for clues and two long, tedious weeks of studying video evidence have all built up to this moment: the final results of the investigation.

“We didn’t get a darn thing,” Fornof said.

The video, the audio, the Etch-a-Sketch, the baby power — no conclusive results. Fornof is disappointed, but then, this isn’t the first time the group has been let down.

“That’s just the way it goes, sometimes,” he said.

Haggerty isn’t surprised either, though she hasn’t given up on her ghost. The team will return to conduct a second investigation later this spring.

Until then, the group will continue combing the region for any evidence of ghouls, poltergeists and otherworldly apparitions. In the world of ghost-hunting, patience is a virtue — and as the team learned in the woods of Gettysburg more than two years ago, anything they find will be worth the wait.

Roger Marsh - Director

Philip Haddad - Set Supervisor, Actor

Matthew Beucker - Assistant Director

Greg Garland - Lighting, Photography, Interviews

Michael Rambacher - Medium

ORPIT was on hand at the Knickerbocker on 8-30-09 and were interviewed by Roger Marsh and crew from Tremont Avenue Productions while filming at the Knickerbocker.

Click here to view all of our investigation findings

A little ORPIT humor, lol.
Word of caution, don't fall asleep on a road trip...
Click here for the video...

Photo of an old wooden cross at an unmarked cemetery

Becoming a Member We are not currently accepting applications at this time. We will be going over past submitted applications soon to fill appropriate positions within the group.

Click the myspace logo to see our myspace page!
	Oil Region Paranormal Investigation Team on Facebook

  

Have you captured something that you think may be paranormal?  Would you like to send it to our investigators for review? Click on the submitted items link for info.