What a privilege to have stepped through the doors and back in time at the beautiful Ireland Hofer House! No other historical building we have investigated has had so much documented history as this majestic, tangible history lesson. Built in 1840, it was once used as a doctor's office and residence. In fact, the medicine man was also the local coroner, performing autopsies within its walls.
The historical society has done an unprecedented job of gathering the history of not only the house, but of Williamstown itself. To walk its halls and muse over the collection of local Americana, one gets a real sense of how history unfolded to the present-day Williamstown.
We took this opportunity to train some of our newer members and also invited along a reporter from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Not only did he write an awesome feature article for the 10/29/06 edition of the paper, he was so impressed with our group and his ghost hunting experience, he and his wife became members of SJPR!
We look forward to further investigating the Ireland Hofer House and offer some of our initial findings here.
-Click on a photo for a larger image-
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Despite the appearance of what looks like ectoplasm in this picture, there is nothing paranormal here. The "mist" was artificially created with cigarette smoke to make the picture of the Ireland Hofer house look spooky! |
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Investigator Sauter captured this bright orb in the third floor hallway at the exact moment her recorder picked up a male voice! |
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Startled by what sounded like a grunt, or perhaps a growl, Investigator Spring spun around and took this picture showing an orb in the area from where the noise emanated. |
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This picture, taken by Investigator Sauter, shows a bright, bluish orb. This area was used as a waiting room during the days the house served as a doctor's office. |
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The reporter accompanying us announced he felt "tingly" and that a young boy was hanging out near him. Investigator Bove' quickly took this picture and the one to the right. |
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The reporter turned out to be quite sensitive, as evidenced by this picture taken by Investigator Bove'. Still feeling the presence near him, he even turns to look directly at the energy entering the room! |
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These two large orbs were photographed by Investigator Sauter in the unfinished part of the third floor at the same time her recorder picked up the voices of a man and woman. The EVP can be heard below. |
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When
Investigator Spring's team heard a loud noise in an unoccupied area
of the third floor, she moved in to investigate. The resulting
evidence shows several orbs in this area.
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This EVP, recorded on the third floor by
Investigator Sauter, is residual and may lend some insight into the
activities at the house years ago. You will hear a woman saying, "I
wonder if Beth's funeral left," followed by a man woefully stating, "We are
all trying." Since the house has a history of autopsies and serving as
the county morgue, could funeral precessions have congregated here? It
stands to reason that they may have. The original clip is offered here,
along with the woman and man clipped separately. Both voices are
rather clear.
Original
Woman
Man
While members of her team were engaging in general conversation,
Investigator Spring recorded this sultry-sounding female asking, "Don't ya?"
Listen
While in the basement, Investigator Halpin and her team were practicing imagery and sensed a female spirit nearby. In this clip, you will hear Investigator Halpin ask, "If you're here, can you tell me your name?" In response, a female spirit answers, "Mary Carly Defling." The voice is amazingly loud and clear! Listen
This EVP was recorded by Investigator Sauter at the same time she snapped a picture of orbs in the unfinished area of the third floor. The picture is above, bottom left. It is not a Class A EVP, but still very significant, as it was captured along with another piece of evidence. You will hear a man whisper, "I'm sorry," followed immediately by a woman whispering, "Walk in." Listen
Investigator Spring's team was changing their position when they encountered a very enthusiastic spirit! You'll hear Investigator Halpin announce, "We're coming back into the wedding dress room," indicating a room where antique wedding dresses are stored. Investigator Spring's recorder then picked up a male spirit excitedly saying, "Let's go!" The bumping sound in the clip is the footfalls of the investigators. Listen
While investigating the third floor, Investigator Bove' recorded this male spirit announcing, "Open bar." Apparently, her team was unaware they were missing out on a party! Listen
Investigator Sauter and her team were in the "Children's Room" of the house and decided to see if they could attract any spirits by singing "You are my Sunshine." Just as the team finished the song, Investigator Sauter recorded the voice of a young girl stating, "Mindy here." It should be mentioned that no one present that evening was named Mindy. This is a loud, clear recording. Listen
VIDEO EVIDENCE
Our videographer of the evening was Investigator Thornton who recorded some astonishing footage! In this first clip, you will see the Inquirer reporter sitting on the floor and some energy comes out of the wall next to him. He then stated, "He's back," referring to the young male presence he had felt earlier. He then looks to his side where the energy was flying. He also wrings his hands, which were feeling "tingly" and changes his position in an attempt to rid himself of the overall tingly sensation he was experiencing. Watch
In another instance where the reporter feels a presence is near him, Investigator Thornton again records energy coming out of the wall. Watch
In this instance, energy is captured flying out the door. Watch
In this
clip you will see energy emerging from the wall, flying into what is
considered the master bedroom of the house.
Watch
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