The SPIRITS group has undergone many unique experiences in its time. Members have felt invisible hands on shoulders, sensed unseen presences and moving cold spots, ducked flying objects, received psychic messages, watched fluctuating equipment readings, and more.
This investigation, however, is a bit different, but not in the way that you might expect. This house had no anomalous activities, no paranormal presences, and no supernatural scenes involved. The 17th Street investigation served as a control situation.
Surprise! For the first time the SPIRITS site is hosting a deliberately non-haunted investigation. It serves as a way for the group to determine the accuracy of our research.
This particular organization is non-invasive. There are four primary types of investigations that the SPIRITS undertake:
*We call to request an investigation at publicly known areas reputed to host activity, such as the Tampa Theater, Royalty Theater, and Haslam's New and Used Bookstore. We go through proper channels to request the investigation and define parameters before we arrive.
*We do enjoy ghost tours and ghost walks. What a great way to hit many "haunted" locations in a short span of time while learning valuable information about local history.
*Homeowners who feel that supernatural phenomena may be going on within the home contact us. It must be the homeowners who initiate contact with the group; we do not do "cold calls" in setting up private investigations, nor do we charge for services. This is the most popular type of investigation that the SPIRITS do.
*We work with contacts from prior investigations to recheck a home or business for continued activity after the initial investigation.
Bearing this in mind, most often the SPIRITS members expect to go to sights that are haunted. To keep the team objective, the SPIRITS has an open call for non-haunted houses that we, at random, investigate.
At the house on 17th Street , sensitives picked up mild activity coming from the house next door, but nothing from the home itself. One person picked up a place memory of "things falling," and members observed strange compass behavior in the area of the stove and washer/dryer.
The homeowner did confirm that his neighbor was afflicted with health issues. He also told the team that when he first moved into the house one of the rooms was so badly decomposed that it literally fell in on itself.
Natural phenomena were attributed to the compass activity on the major appliances, but it did make team members more aware of how electrical fields can affect instruments.
Oddly, the SPIRITS did get a few orb images. One was outside the home, another appears to be from a reflective surface. One image of the kitchen shows an orb with a clearly defined nucleus and membrane, which many investigators consider key in identifying it as supernatural. Since this was a non-haunted house, this indicates that the SPIRITS have more research to do into the behavior of orb activity.
Overall, the investigation was a success. Towards the end of the allotted time, team members were confused because of the lack of interaction from anything paranormal. One asked if it was a non-haunted local. All were relieved when the team contact and the homeowner confirmed their suspicions.
It is only through the continued generosity of the homeowners that the SPIRITS can hone and augment procedures through both haunted and non-haunted sites. We will continue to expand our awareness through these experiences in order to contribute our research to the ever-growing pool of information concerning the things that go bump in the night.
CONTROL investigation: 17th Street
March 8, 2004.
This page was last updated on: September 6, 2009
Brandy's images:
Charles experimenting with the compasses that were acting irregularly; natural causes.
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Brandy's report
17th Street.Date: 3-7-046:34-8:04PM
17th Street.Date: 3-7-046:34-8:04PMFull Moon, Mist, fog, cold front coming in.
Brandy, Charles, Linda, Maria, Sean, Susan.
Susan, Sean, Linda: A team
Brandy, Maria, Charles: B team
Homeowner present, 1 dog, 1 cat.
Unless otherwise indicated, the EMF was set on 0 - 3 scale. Maria watched the EMF meter.
Bedroom 1: 78 - 79 degrees
EMF: .6-.8
Closet: 1 EMF
Repairs on walls. Compass, null.
Living room:
Temp: 78.5
EMF: 1.6, spike: 2.0 EMF under the fan.
Chills on leg.
Null on compass.
Computer room:
Temp: 78 - 80
EMF: 2.1 -2.6 at light
Null on compass.
Laundry Room:
Temp: 78 - 80
0-100 EMF scale
EMF: 4.0, Fridge, 2.8
Compass was at .25 North on washer, 235 degrees on dryer. Possibly natural causes. Test repeated.
Kitchen:
Temp: 80
EMF: .8
Compass "stuck" on stove; moved normally on counter.
My batteries died in both digitals; switched to 35 mm cameras.
Bathroom:
Temp: 79-80.5
EMF: 2.6 over toilet, 2.8 shower
Porch:
Temp: 77-78
EMF: 1.4
Compass Null.
Outside: 1.4 at start of walkway; 2.4 at the end.
Fluctuations of the temperature: 63-69 degrees
North: back: 2.8 EMF
Side: 1.6 - 3: side of yard.
65-66 degrees.
West of yard: 1.2
Front yard:
Chills on legs
25 feet from house, 1.6 spike on EMF.
Maria recognized a tree from her dream, prior to investigation. Opted to tell us about it when we gathered.
Met in living room: Discussion.
Linda: IR 68 - 70; jump by door at 74. No feeling.
Charles: Compass activity in laundry room and kitchen. No feeling. Discussed that the washer and dryer probably have components that interfere with the compasses.
Susan: Driving up, heard Bradlye or Bently
Headachy feeling in backyard.
Heard the name "Annie" in back yard.
Dizzy; lost footing by the tree.
Felt more activity coming from house next door.
Felt "Falling things" in the computer room.
Cameras shut down.
Sean: Orbs on Linda; spikes on the living room wall.
Maria: hot at arrival; nothing at bedroom; felt someone was watching over us in laundry room. Saw a woman wearing a white night gown doing her hair in bathroom; blonde hair. Felt kids running in yard.
Front yard: had a dream about the tree. Saw a child on a swing; child caught on fire. No one could get to him on time; child turned to her while on fire and asked for help. She woke with a start.
Brandy: Chills in living room and outside.
Cameras died in kitchen, but could be natural since didn't charge batteries since last investigation. Samsung wasn't used; should be charged.
Recheck: Bathroom: 2.8; nothing felt.
Kitchen: compass: 3 compasses used. Brandy's: stuck on stove, stove hood, but not on counter. Linda's normal: did not stick. Homeowner offered a compass: stuck on stove, did not on hood nor on counter. Determined it was probably due to the pilot light or other gas stove components.
Yard: Noted that EMF went up in front yard; possibly due to water lines.
Backyard: Nothing.
Homeowner interview:
Didn't know any names offered by Susan. No known activity in the household.
Did tell us that in the computer room, the room itself DID fall in.
Will check into next door property which may belong to an older person who is very ill (picked up by Susan).
Only activity reported:
Old Hag Syndrome: Had sensation of feeling held down about 8 years ago when living in 2 different apartments.
Cold drafts: Bedroom always cold; might be due to lack of insulation.
Animals: In current house, a cat has acted strangely on occasion and sometimes seems to be watching something that we can not see.
Conclusion: This appears to be a non-haunted house....most activity was sensed next door, which, at present, we cannot confirm or deny. Otherwise, most of the team seemed to sense that there was nothing going on.
I found the compass activity and the underground wires to be interesting...need to make note of those. Also, we rec'd very few orb images (I had none to date; need to develop 35 mm film), spikes were limited to possible natural causes. I feel we need to field test thermometers more, or upgrade to a more sensitive model.
We began this hunt like most others, arriving, setting up equipment, and checking batteries. As one of the psy-sensitives of the group one of the first things I usually do is to psychically "map out" the place (seek out hot spots). Except that this time I picked up nothing, except for a name, "Annie," and the sensation of things falling in the second bedroom.
Most of the energy I felt was from the house next door where there is a woman who appears to be elderly and possibly quite ill. Perhaps her loved ones are waiting for her to make her passing easier.
I photographed no orbs, no unusual temperature fluctuations and no EMF spikes that could not be explained by the exposed wiring due to renovations to the home.
As his was a small house our walk through took a fairly short time. Afterwards we returned to the areas that the group thought to be important, mostly outside, closest to the house next door. There were no strong impressions from anyone in the group about any particular area. There had been some question about the kitchen area but we were able to determine that the activities were caused by probably wiring and interaction between the inner workings of the stove with our compass.
For a time I was wondering if the sinus infection I am working with was impeding my sensitivities! But during the post investigation interview it was revealed to us that this was a control house! Imagine our relief. As to the room where I sensed "falling," it turns out that when the home owner had begun work on the house he took out the first wall only to find major amounts of termite damage. As he began to work, the room literally "fell" off the house! Bricks falling, beams falling. I was glad to see that I was still on.
While this was not the most exciting of hunts we have done, it was an excellent way to gauge our accuracy. I am glad we had this one thrown at us. It's a good thing to keep us on our toes! And it reassures me that I can trust me intuition; sometimes when it seems that there's nothing there, it's because there's nothing there!
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Maria
Team: Brandy, Charles, Maria
17th Street North
Conditions: Foggy with a full moon
Bedroom #1: Window was open
Temperature: 78-79*EMF:.6-.8Closet (Bed.1)
EMF: 1Living Room:
EMF: 1.6 from front door, 1.8 by the kitchen
2 under the ceiling fanBedroom #2: There was a computer in the room
Temperature: 78-80*EMF: 2.4 2.6 by the computerLaundry Room:
Temperature: 80.5*EMF: 4 by washer/dryer2.8 by refrigeratorKitchen:
Temperature: 80*EMF: .8 (0-100 scale)Bathroom:
Temperature: 79-80.5*EMF: 2.6-2.8As I walked into the bathroom, I got the image of a Caucasian woman brushing her blond hair, she is fairly young, maybe in her 20's-30's. She was wearing a white gown with a scalloped scooped neckline, close to being off the shoulder, trimmed with lace. Susan suggested maybe it was a nightgown.Porch:
Temperature: 79-80.5*EMF: 1.4Northside Walkway (outside):
Temperature: 63-69*EMF: 1.4 from front of the house 2.4 at back of the houseBackyard Walkway:
EMF: 3 (0-100 scale)Got an image of children running.Southside Walkway:
EMF: 1.6Front Yard:
Temperature: 65-66*EMF: 1.2 from porch1.6 to big tree2.4 to fenceLooked up at the branches on the tree and realized one of the branches looked like one of the branches in my dream. On February 29 I had a dream that I was standing by a tree where a little boy was swinging on a swing. He was sad, then all of a sudden he laughs and then just goes up in flames. He yells Help me! Help me! I look towards the house. His family runs towards him from the house, but cannot get past the porch. The little boy then turns to me and whispers, " Please help me." Then I get the sense of my body being slammed down. I was not in a gray state.-The house is white and yellow, with a peach/yellow porch. The grass was green with spots of brown.
-The child's mother was wearing a bandana. She has blond/brown hair.-The child's father has dark brown hair and a mustache.-A little girl is with them. She has blond curly hair and blue eyes. She is wearing a blue dress with pink flowers. She tries to run off the porch, but her mother grabs her and yells: "Annie, NO!-They watch the little boy burn.-The little boy is has brown hair and brown eyes, and is wearing a pair of shorts and a tee shirt.Tree:
Temperature: 70-71* 68* from tree to fenceEMF: 1 ---------------------
FIELD REPORT:
17th Street, St. Petersburg Area
Date: Sunday, March 6, 2004.
Times: 18:30 - 20:30 EDT.
Weather: Partly cloudy, cool front approaching, 71 deg. Fahrenheit, full moon.
Investigation Team on Site:
Brandy, Sr. Investigator. Charles, Investigator.
Linda, Investigator. Maria, Provisional Investigator.
Maria, Provisional Investigator.Susan, Sensitive Investigator. Myself, Sean, Investigator.
Temperatures Recorded / E.M.F. (ELECTICAL MAGNETIC FIELDS) Recorded:
Front Porch/North Side Yard: 72.5-74.5 Deg. Fahrenheit, with no spikes. No Major EMF found (.04-.08) with one small orb.
Rear Yard/South Side Yard: 69.5-73 Deg. Fahrenheit, EMF found (.04-.09), with one small spike of .18 near the tree.
Bedroom #1/Master Bedroom: 78-79.5 Deg. Fahrenheit, no EMF found (.02-.10).
Living Room: 79-81.5 Deg. Fahrenheit, EMF found, (.04-.12), with one small spike of .24 near the wall. Later a picture of an orb was found in this same area near one of our investigators.
Bedroom #2/Computer Room: 78.5-79.5 Deg. Fahrenheit, with no spikes. No major EMF (.02-.06).
Kitchen and Laundry Room Area: 78.5-79.5 Deg. Fahrenheit. EMF found (.04-.28) with spikes of .29, .36, and .45, all near exposed appliances and wires. This house is currently being remodeled, and has a few areas of exposed wires, fuse boxes, ect.
Bathroom: 78-79.5 Deg. Fahrenheit with no spikes, EMF found (.04-.20).
Summations:
This investigation was attended by a somewhat smaller number of investigators from our group with one potential new member. The homeowner was a pleasant man who was remodeling the house.. After our group assembled, we broke off into groups and began gathering data, including EMF readings, Temperature Readings, Photographic Pictures (Digital, and Traditional film were used), magnetic compasses. We went from room to room, and then re assembled to go over our findings. Then we re examined some areas of interest, and finally talked with the homeowner to find out what he had experienced.
Peaks of Interest:
After both of our groups conducted our silent walk-thru investigations, we re-assembled in the living room to discuss our initial findings. Most of us in both groups had noticed nothing really out of the ordinary other then a few minor spikes of EMF, which we could pretty much pin down to the exposed wiring or appliances since the house was being remodeled at the time of the investigation. A few pictures had shown anomalies and/or orbs, but most were focused around other members of the investigation or were deemed to be reflections that could be explained.
We did our second walk-thru focusing on what we did find, and tried to see if we had missed anything during the silent investigation portion. Some of the group even commented that although we did find a few small readings here and there, we just were not finding anything of great interest. Most to all of the EMF readings were found to be near fuse boxes, exposed wires, and appliances that were still on. The homeowner had already shut down all of the fans, A/C, and other electrical devices before we arrived. We did find that compasses acted 'funny' near the gas stove unit, and our sensitive investigator as well as our new member had some feelings of an older woman in the bathroom, fixing her hair. They also had feelings of something falling in the Computer Room/Bedroom #2 area. Two people in our group also had some equipment run out of batteries during the investigation, but not all of us, and in different spots on the property.
After completing our second walk thru investigation, and talking with the homeowner, we discovered that the neighbor was in very poor health, and that the entire room of the Computer Room/Bedroom #2 had collapsed during the remodeling, and had been rebuilt. This is when the homeowner and our Sr. Investigator, Brandy Stark, informed us that this was a control investigation, and that no reports of paranormal activities had been reported here. Most of us in the group were relieved to hear this, since we were not really coming up with any evidence of any paranormal activity, other then a few minor readings and distorted photos.
Conclusion:
I found that this house was a very interesting place to have had a 'Control' Investigation. It could have been very easy to 'find' something, or let our imaginations run wild with all of the remodeling going on around us. I thought that it showed just how precise we are at what we do when we investigate homes/businesses, since we really found not a whole lot of anything, and were not told that this was a control until it had be completed. I also have a great respect for our sensitive investigators, since they were correct in what they did find, even without any paranormal happenings at this location.
-Sean-
Anomolous images, Sean, 35 mm below. These are the only known anomolies of the investigation.
From the homeowner: 3/12/04
I Enjoyed your visit and was surprised you had 17 St on your web site that quick. I talked to the next door neighbor and mentioned Annie/Bradley. She didn't know the names. She mentioned that my house was used as a winter home and then was a rental for some time. It seems her sister owns the property next door and she has been spending winters there for the last four years. (Her car tag is CT)
That's about all the information I could find out.
Location: 17th St St Pete
Date : 3/8/04 6:34pm
Weather conditions: fog, slight breeze, full moon
Equipment IR Thermometer, 35mm camera
Team: Sean, Susan Linda
Our team started on the outside of the house. Temperature ran between 68 to 70 with a slight jump up to 74 by door. Probably leaking warm air from the inside.
Nothing of note around the outside of house.
Bedroom 1 74 to 75 degrees
Bedroom/Study 2 76 to 78 degrees. Slight rise in temperature due to computer equipment in room
Living room/kitchen 74 to 75 degrees
Bathroom 75
Laundry room 77
Nothing of note inside the house.
During second walk through, when a compass was place on the oven top and rotated the needle stayed in place. In other words, North was in all directions. Another compass reacted normally.
There may be something magnetic in the pilot light system of a gas range.
At second regrouping we were told that the house was a control. I think we were all pleased that our equipment & sensitive had already given reports to that effect.
