A few weeks ago, my mother sent me an article from the local paper in Keene, NH.
Apparently, TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) investigated the Amos J. Blake House in Fitzwilliam, NH. The Ghost Hunters were in town for several days investigating possible paranormal activity reported there.
The Blake house is owned by the Fitzwilliam Historical Society. It contains a number of artifacts from the era and currently operates as a museum. Reports of apparitions, sounds and moving objects abound.
The Ghost Hunters showed up with their entourage of black vans and equipment. Basically, the town board freaked out. Apparently, they had not met to discuss this…
“There is an element of surprise involved in this…” Board President Carol Beckwith said. “We’re still taking it all in, we’ll meet and then we’ll decide where to go from there.”
Beckwith told Keene Sentinel reporter, Sarah Palermo, that she was unaware of the investigation until her husband asked her what all those black vans were doing at the house.
Obviously, somebody signed the release form and is now in a boatload of trouble!
This may affect SyFy’s ability to show this episode. It is slated for an October air date. So, we’ll all keep our fingers crossed.
I can’t imagine the town of Fitzwilliam wanting to miss a chance to promote their museum, drawing in more tourists and revenue… even if it is a chance to glimpse a ghost. It’s something worth embracing. I am disheartened to think that there may be a deep-seated fear standing in the way. However, this may be an awakening for the township. Let’s hope so!
Eat Cookies! Hunt Ghosts!
Tj
*from Keene Evening Sentinel, Sarah Palermo, July 11, 2009
Wish I could find the article but a similar thing happened near here. We have a ghost tour company and one of the tours goes to Shawnee Kansas and they stop at one place not for the ghosts but for the history. Apparently the owner or caretaker or whatever became offended and blew off the publicity they got from it that could have increased their business. So silly
Some people are just frightened of the whole thing… One of these days they’ll wake up dead and say, “Oh gee, what was I so worried about?”
I am intimately acquainted with the Amos J. Blake House museum–having investigated the location on multiple occasions. There was quite a controversy created by the filming, and I thoroughly believe that some of the ‘evidence’ captured at this location was highly exaggerated in an attempt to gain TAPS attention in the first place. Here’s a link to an article I wrote about the occurrence:
http://thebeyond.info/articles/2009/07/18/taps-visits-amos-j-blake-museum/
I will definitely look into your article. The plot thickens…
Tj
what really happened…
the TAPS visit was discussed and approved by the board of directors of the historical society.
after the vans showed up with the TAPS logo on the side, the wife of one of the board of directors FREAKED.
so, in order not to have to sleep on the couch, he told her, and TAPS, that he didn’t sign off on this. even though he had.
the producers of the ghosthunters show could go 2 ways with this..show the whole confrontation and everything, because conflict makes for better ratings, or just drop the whole thing.
An identical post to the one above was made on an article on thebeyond.net that dealt with the same subject matter. I suspect that it is from an individual who is trying to downplay the controversy rather then offering any real valuable insider information.
Blaming it (the controversy) on a misunderstanding secondary to a marital spat–although it may actually be true–does NOT shed a positive light on either the Historical Society OR the Amos J. Blake House Museum. Such a posting–if made by anyone associated with the society, museum, or otherwise–was done in poor judgment and with poor taste in my humble opinion.
I just discovered that Ghost Hunters is airing an episode entitled New Hampshire Gothic on November 11, 2009 which may be the actual investigation of this location. More details are forthcoming from the Scy Fy channel so stay tuned.
Due to the increasing buzz that Ghost Hunters has been getting lately related to staging events and possibly manufacturing evidence–as well as their recent flogging on South Park–I’m going to be watching this episode very closely.
This plot is definitely fast becoming the consistency of quicksand…
I will watch ALL of it carefully – comments, rumors, show, local yokals in Fitzy.
Tj
I just found out today that the November 11th episode of Ghost Hunters will be featuring the Amos J. Blake House Museum. I’ll be watching with great interest.
Yawwnnnnn… So, so very boring.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there are no ghosts, people.
Finally watched it a day late. Interesting place. Not sure it’s haunted yet. I had that door debunked before Steve stepped on a floorboard. Used to have a door that did just that in my old house, which was haunted, but not the door! 🙂
Tj
Concerning the ‘evidence’ that TAPS did gather, I believe that the ‘ghost cat’ could be debunked by assuming that a stray cat had recently made its way into the basement due to the advent of the cold weather. However, I can’t confirm this hypothesis and having been in the basement on multiple occasions, it appeared to be fairly secure. Still, you have to assume that this is more likely then the existence of a ghost cat.
As far as the chain moving and the pitchfork falling over, I found this suspicious. Having been in the location many times, all the furniture, etc. was placed pretty much as I remember it. One thing that I certainly don’t remember is the chain and the pitchfork. It seemed out of place to me. It appears unusual that these objects were in the location and placed as they were. I am unsure why, with many valuable artifacts around, one would stand a pitchfork on end and lean it against the wall where it could easily fall over.
I addition, considering the way a board could be stepped on in an old house, and something moves–the door latch upstairs did this earlier and Jason clearly points out that shifting boards can cause things to move–I propose that the investigators walking by could have triggered the movement by this principle. I’d have to see the footage analyzed by a physicist before I was really convinced that the event was paranormal in origin. It all just seems a little too convenient or coincidental to me. I do try very hard to debunk phenomena and believe that too often people resort to ‘ghostly’ explanations for phenomena with environmental causes.
Finally–and perhaps the most interesting–is the fact that the curator of the museum and the ‘volunteer’ that was interviewed are both members of a paranormal investigation team that formed after it was discovered TAPS was going to investigate the location. It was shortly after the group was formed that reports of multiple apparitions and conscious spirits haunting the location were reported and I suspect that the ‘evidence’ was highly exaggerated–or at least not thoroughly debunked–in an effort to pique TAPS interest.
To sum up, I do firmly believe that something is going on in the museum and would rate it a 2 out of 10 regarding possible paranormal activity and I’ve recorded a disembodied voice and had a cold spot sit on my shoulder while investigating the Amos J. Blake House Museum.
TAPS did do a good job debunking. I popped the same door that Steve did using the same method last year. For me, the smell of cat urine and a pitch fork falling over (even with the chain moving) aren’t enough for me–nor TAPS–to consider the place really haunted.
Excellent analysis. I was unsure of the chain/pitchfork thing. However, it is tough to explain the chain moving through the air.
I have known some non-farmer types to set pitchforks up on end the wrong way. Those sorts have never had one fall on them before. They are also the same turkeys that step on a rake and knock themselves in the forehead with the handle.
The cat thing is dicey. Cat urine can smell as much as a year later or longer after the animal has sprayed an area. I have experienced the presence of my own cats soon after they passed. But that was brief. Animals tend to move on.
Thanks for being such a contributor! Excellent info, my friend!
Tj
Specific to the Ghost Hunters episode New Hampshire Gothic featuring the Amos J. Blake museum…further analysis by a member of my team, and a comment from E.C.T.O. Paranormal (www.ectoparanormal.com) who have also investigated the location are as follows:
1. There appears to be a piece of scotch tape which was holding up the pitchfork. A Sights Unseen Paranormal team member says you can see a reflection off it if you watch closely after the pitchfork falls over.
2. Team E.C.T.O.s analysis of the video indicated that the pitchfork actually moved first, not the chain.
Anyway, it was very interesting to have investigated a place that was featured on a national television show.
There are a lot of rumors circulating concerning the Ghost Hunters show. I am still hard pressed to think that TAPS would fabricate evidence. The pressures of national TV might push them to this limit… But, I pray that is not the case.
It’s tough to review this sort of evidence. Different people see different things… the mind will see what it wants to and often does.
At any rate. I would expect that any accusation must withstand the same rigid scrutiny we paranormalers afford our evidence.
Tj
Paranormalers? I’ve never heard that term before. Did you coin it? Regardless, I love it and hope it becomes part of the vernacular. Not everyone can make up a new word that sticks. I LOVE it!
And, good comment. I’m gonna copy and paste it below so I can read it twice!
TJ SAID
“At any rate. I would expect that any accusation must withstand the same rigid scrutiny we paranormalers afford our evidence.”
YES! I coined “Paranormalers”… I’ve coined a lot of words in my time. If there is none that fit, I just make it up.
In life, you should make it up as you go along!
Tj
Have you folks checked out http://www.scifake.com?
It’s an eye-opener and I bow to their mighty content.
Toodles,
Bobby Elgee; Sights Unseen Paranormal