Ghost Hunting with Gourmet Ghost Hunter

GREENCASTLE - When Marilyn Newcomer purchased The Farmer's Wife antique store at 103 S. Carlisle St. in 2005, she didn't realize she had agreed to co-ownership.

Someone - or something - has been sharing her space in the 100-plus-year-old building.
Newcomer said she was not brought up to believe in ghosts, but some strange occurrences left her searching for answers.

Ringing bells, whispering voices and apparitions at the counter have spooked customers and workers alike. Newcomer said if someone or something is there, she just wants to know more about it.

“I'm mainly interested in having a better understanding so I'm not scared to death,” Newcomer said. “My friend said they're like people, they're just spirits without a body. They want to be noticed, and they're trying to communicate.”

Newcomer hoped whoever it was would communicate with Gourmet Ghost Hunters and members of Infinity Studies. The group of seven ghost hunters set up equipment Sunday night in The Farmer's Market in an effort to determine what was going on.

“This was a really good site,” said Lorie Mattson, one of the ghost hunters.

Strange occurrences

Like most people, Newcomer used to tune out any strange noises or lights in her building. She said she is a logical, working woman who was too busy to check out every unexplained sound.

But ever since she started renting the building in February 2004, strange things have been happening.

In 2004, during one Heritage Christmas celebration, one of Newcomer's vendors came to visit when the two heard the front door bell ring twice. That usually happens when a customer walks in, Newcomer said, but no one was there.

The vendor's husband and a friend came later, and the four went to a back room. That time, all four heard the bell ring twice, then twice again.

“I was creeped out by not knowing,” Newcomer said.

The four left shortly after. The ringing bell has been the most common occurrence, Newcomer said.

During other instances, Newcomer has shut down the store only to return to find it brightly lit.

“I would triple check the lights before leaving in the evening, and they would be on in the morning,” she said.

Once, her son-in-law saw an apparition of an attractive 30-year-old woman at the cash register with her dark hair tied back in a bun. During another instance, someone told Newcomer they saw the face of an older woman looking out the window toward Franklin Street.

“I had to do something because it was affecting our ability to run the store,” Newcomer said. “I was scared to be here.”

Ghost hunters

People who have experiences like Newcomer are concerned and want reassurance, said Mattson, who has a year and a half of ghost hunting experience.

“People want to know if their place is haunted and if it's a problem,” Mattson said. “The experiences (at The Farmer's Wife) are pretty typical.”

Mattson works with Larry Phelps, Lisa Yost, Annie Wheat, Scott Dorsey, Ken Mattson and Bev Dorsey to uncover answers from unexplained experiences. The group has studied sites in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia to provide people with peace of mind.

Mattson said they see anything from balls of lights known as orbs, to fog and various entities. They have developed a method to document paranormal studies with a combination of digital photography, video and audio recordings.

On Saturday night, the group did a test run at Newcomer's business. Mattson said they set up an audio tape, asked questions, waited a few moments for an answer, then played back the tape to hear any responses. That is known as an electronic voice phenomenon, or EVP.

“Saturday night, Marilyn asked, ‘Are you the one who has been doing this?' And you could hear what sounded like a man's voice whisper, ‘Yes,'” Mattson said.

On Sunday, during a second recording, Mattson said they heard a distinctive “Help” on the tape. When asked to show a sign of presence, Mattson said they heard footsteps upstairs but no one was there.

She said they got some pictures of a solid moving orb, and there was a period of activity around 8:30 p.m., when the temperature was going up and down.

“We're pleased. There's nothing negative there,” Mattson said.

Labor of love

Ghost hunting is not a profitable business, said Larry Phelps. He has been investigating sites for six years and does it because he loves it.

“It's exciting,” he said. “It's a labor of love. I don't get paid.”

Not everyone believes in ghosts as strongly as Phelps. He said if someone has made up his mind on the subject, nothing will change that.

“Most people are somewhat open-minded. Maybe they're skeptical, but they can be convinced,” he said.

Phelps has always enjoyed a spooky tale, but said he got into ghost hunting when a friend saw a full-blown apparition of a Confederate soldier in Cedar Grove Cemetery, Chambersburg. Phelps said Hollywood does a decent representation of their work.

“‘The Sixth Sense' was pretty realistic. One theory is that they're earthbound because they refuse to believe they are dead,” Phelps said. “The reasons are as individual as the spirits. In some cases, they are confused, lost and looking for help.”

In fact, Phelps said the two most common EVPs are “Help me” and “Get out.” One of the biggest criticisms of ghost hunting is that it's suggestive, Phelps said. But every person who has listened to his recordings has said they heard the same thing, without prompting.

The ghost hunters said the fact that they got two EVPs at The Farmer's Wife is rare. They hope to continue investigating the site, Mattson said.

“I just want a better understanding of what I'm dealing with. If I understand it, I'm less afraid of it,” Newcomer said. “Now, I feel more relaxed and more inquisitive.”

For questions or more information, log onto www.gourmetghosthunter.com or www.infinitystudies.org.