When someone speaks of ghosts or “paranormal investigations,” the natural reaction is most often a sigh, a laugh, or if you’re an ’80s child, you picture the Ghostbusters running through New York. According to Bob Christopher, daughter Katie and the rest of the NEPA Paranormal staff, this is no joke.
Inspired by the frequent paranormal encounters in the house they grew up in, the father and daughter, the founders of the paranormal investigation group NEPA Paranormal, aren’t using proton packs and PKE meters.
Kind of like the make-believe Ghostbusters, NEPA Paranormal takes calls from frightened customers who are experiencing unidentified voices and noises in the night that they believe to be paranormal disturbances.
NEPA Paranormal offers investigations and also a cleansing for the haunted homes, if the home owner thinks it’s necessary and grants permission.
“We only do the cleansing if the people want us to,” says Katie, NEPA Paranormal’s case manager. “We’ve had a lot of success with them as well. If the family is religious, we do a house blessing.”
Skeptics can argue that the ghost hunter’s claims of communicating with the mediums are bogus, but they can’t accuse them of scamming anyone, because NEPA Paranormal does not charge their spooked customers for a visit. It’s more of a hobby or passion interest to the group.
“Our main goal is to help these people who are scared and experiencing something they can’t understand,” Katie says. “Just to put somebody’s mind at ease is what it’s all about.”
Gaining much popularity in the area — NEPA Paranormal’s Jim Thorpe Inn investigation was featured on WVIA’s “State of Pennsylvania,” and the group also been interviewed on 97.9 X and Rock 107 — the group hosts some public investigations due to demand. Observers of the public investigations have to reserve their spot with a $25 fee.
Some past public investigations include The Cliff Park in Milford and The Jim Thorpe Inn. The most memorable for the group was the Avondale Mine Disaster investigation.
“We had a brick a thrown at us (at Avondale) and a TV turn on (at Jim Thorpe) by request of the cameraman, who then left the room on account of being totally freaked out,” says Katie.
Interestingly enough, most of the equipment used for the investigations isn’t that out of the ordinary. Digital cameras, flashlights, notebooks and thermometers are just some of the tools used in a routine investigation.
The Ovilus is the newest addition to aid the crew in paranormal research.
“It detects sounds that can’t be heard by the human ear,” says Katie.
The controversial instrument is currently one of the most popular tools in paranormal research. Other instruments include the electromagnetic field (EMF) detectors, which measure the energy and the air, and infrared video cameras.
Some national exposure for NEPA Paranormal came into play when co-founder Bob was asked to do an episode of the Travel Channel’s “Ghost Adventures.” The producers of the show and ghost hunters were interested in a second opinion from Bob.
The investigation took place in Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Fla., and will air on the Travel Channel on Friday, June 12 at 9 p.m. The site is an all-stone Spanish-built fort initially constructed in 1672 that was in action for most of the late 17th century into the early 19th century. The fort is currently known for its unexplained happenings that are thought to be the spirits of Mari Marti and Manual Abela. The two were chained to the wall and left to die by Marti’s husband, the colonel, who caught the two having an affair.
“The fort is still defended by the spirits of soldiers and haunted by the prisoners once locked inside,” according to a description of the episode on the Travel Channel Web site.
“It’s definitely worth seeing,” says Katie.
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NEPA Paranormal. Info: www.nepaparanormal.com. “Ghost Adventures” episode airs Friday, June 12, 9 p.m.
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