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Thursday, November 25, 2004
Research team investigates signs of spirits
By MARLYN
MARGULIS
For the Courier-Post
One could say that Marissa Bozarth owes her sanity to investigators from South Jersey Paranormal Research.
"I've heard footsteps, seen shadows and once heard what sounded like a little kid mumbling," Bozarth said of her experiences at the Burlington County Prison Museum, where she is the coordinator.
"This is unnerving because your mind starts playing tricks on you. When the investigators come in, I feel like I'm not going crazy. If nothing happens to them, nothing can happen to me. They explain what takes place when I hear something, and I don't panic as much."
The prison, which was in constant use until 1965 and then reopened as a museum in 1966, is a national historic landmark in the center of Mount Holly. The 193-year-old building was designed by Robert Mills, the architect who drew up the plans for the Washington Monument.
Hangings took place there, and some areas of the prison supposedly are haunted.
Whenever spooky happenings at the prison are investigated, members of the paranormal research team see and hear signs of "spirits."
"I believe there is energy stored in the building, meaning when conditions are right, the energy is released and things will play out," notes Susan Bove of Glendora, co-founder of South Jersey Paranormal Research.
"One of our investigators was pushed down steps and fell on her face here. A male investigator was side-tackled into a wall upstairs. Both of them were shook up."
Bove calls that sort of violent act "unusual" and believes thunderstorms in the area contributed to the energy that made the side-tackle happen. Many are interested
When Bove and her sister founded the paranormal research group three years ago, there were six members. In six months, the group attracted 60 members who ranged in profession from secretaries to college professors.
Today, the nonprofit organization, which meets monthly at the Blackwood branch of the Camden County Library in Gloucester Township, has 50 active members.
No particular qualifications are required because new members are trained in research techniques. Each person brings his or her own equipment along on an investigation.
"Many people in the group are sensitive," said Bove, who says she has been touched, heard voices and seen apparitions. "We try to back up what we see, feel and hear with physical and audio evidence."
"Our first investigation was at a house in Westmont. The woman said a spirit was terrorizing her son. It often sounded like someone was ransacking their kitchen.
"On the audio, I got the voice of a man saying, `Linda (an investigator working in the basement), pack your bags.' I don't think it's unusual that a spirit knew Linda's name. It might have heard us (investigators) call her by name."
At a home in the Thorofare section of West Deptford, people reported their daughter seeing a little girl. An investigator named Deb felt there was a little girl with her. While the investigators were preparing to leave, they were laughing. At that time, the investigator recorded a girl saying, "This isn't funny, Kelly."
"While we were investigating at a cemetery in Atlantic County, I felt a male - and several females with him - and smelled either a cigar or pipe," Bove said. Many requests
Soon after the Westmont investigation, an article about South Jersey Paranormal Research appeared in the Courier-Post, and the group began receiving requests to check out hauntings at such diverse places as cemeteries, a country club, a bar, a Masonic lodge, a city hall and many private residences.
Many of the digital photos group members have taken contain spheres of light.
"One theory is that spirit energy will begin as an orb, since it requires the least amount of energy to manifest and it is the easiest form to take," Bove said.
Investigators use video cameras with a "night shot" or infrared-light attachment, allowing them to take videos in near complete darkness. Another useful tool is a digital audio recorder, which picks up more noises in a room than possible when using cassette recorders.
Bove keeps the group's activities structured, assigning investigators tasks in their areas of interest. She defines the paranormal research group's goal as being "to educate the public to become more aware of the other side and to learn about people from the past."
When asked to define "other side," Bove said, "Spirits are people who have passed. I believe they are loved ones waiting on the other side when someone dies."
"I recorded my aunt's voice saying, `I love you,' about two hours before my uncle died. She had died three months earlier."
As for educating us about people from the past, Bove says spirits don't always perform or communicate.
"We go through our evidence and sometimes can piece together who they were and why they are present," she said.
There is no fee for an investigation, although donations are accepted.
South Jersey Paranormal Research investigators receive continuing requests and could pencil in an investigation every night, but because the group considers its activities to be a hobby, Bove says its does two investigations each month.
Marlyn Margulis, who has written for local and national magazines and is a regular contributor to antique trade publications, lives in Delanco and writes for Communities.