Investigation #003

Location: Avenel House

Date: 6/15/2006

City: Bedford

State: Virginia

Case details:

After our first investigation of the Avenel House, the reporter and friend who went with us, Darrell Laurant, turned in his article to his editor. His editor took a look at it and decided he would like for us to return to Avenel for another investigation with a staff photographer, Laura Gardner. We of course had no problems with this as we thoroughly enjoyed our first investigation and were anxious to do another one.

The members present on this visit were Sandy, Jonathan, Peggy, Joe, and myself. We sat up the IR camera attached to a VCR in one room to record, a laptop computer with Cool Edit Pro running in case we needed to review any EVPs, A nightshot Sony camcorder in the Lee bedroom and two other handheld camcorders. We all had digital audio recorders and digital cameras. We toured before dark with the non-contact thermometer and EMF meters for ambient temperatures and what were normal EMF readings.

At dark, we paired into teams and started to investigate. Ms. Gardner had not been on an investigation and there were many questions to answer. She was great and followed us into every room. Then, she also surprised us with mini audio interviews. Seems the newspaper is now doing multimedia.

Joe and Jonathan were in the Lee bedroom, standing very still when the EMF meter began to spike. They moved about the room quickly to see if a natural source of energy was causing it. The only source that would elevate the meter was near a light socket on the other side of the room and you had to be close before it reacted. They were in the center of the room at the time this happened. Jonathan raised the meter toward the light fixtures above and the readings actually began to fall. Then, without rhyme or reason, it began to spike, sounding for the world like a Geiger counter. Joe was snapping pictures repeatedly but nothing paranormal showed in the pictures. Our Sony nightshot did not reveal anything out of the ordinary. Joe and Jonathan continued in the room and did get an EVP saying, "Help Me" the same as it did on July 1st, 2006. There are other almost inaudible EVPS that still have to be listened to and worked through the computer program.

I (Sue) photographed an anomalous ball of light next to the photographer and I have sent that to her for analysis. She assured me three photographers would review it. We also got a couple of pictures that seems a bit too foggy or misty looking for the areas shot.

Laura and Peggy had visual sightings in the Parlor. Both caught something that whizzed past them in their peripheral vision. Peggy first saw something small and dark go down the hallway and Ms. Gardner had the same event on the other side of the room. She said she felt as though something was beside her. She continued taking pictures, but Ghostec has not yet seen her photographs.

I will share with you what the tour guide told us before we began. There had been another group touring earlier in the day. When they left, the guide turned off all the lights and shut the doors. A little later, she thought of some papers she needed and went back. Three lights were on and one of them was the Lee room. I realize that is an eyewitness account and there is no real proof, but we do not doubt her. It seems things of that nature happen all the time in the house.

Update:

September 17, 2006

Ghostec met with Gary Hall tonight to review an unidentifiable sound he recorded at Avenel House. He and his wife Nanci were able to go up to Bedford, spend an evening alone in the house, recording and watching IR cameras from the dining room. They did not hear this sound and I highly suspect it was not within a normal hearing range, but it recorded as a very loud bang. He was recording with analog recorders in two upstairs bedrooms. It is very clear on both tapes. Ghostec tech guy Jonathan was able to record those sounds to a digital recorder. He put them on the audio-editing program and to Gary’s surprise, there were also other sounds on the tapes that he and his wife were unaware of. One sound is a couple of breaths and another is springs of the bed squeaking as if someone sat down on the bed. Kudos to you Gary and Nanci! Those are awesome sounds and we will be proud to have them listed on our site.  Check the EVP page.