Real life ghost hunters search for supernatural evidence in Valley

By Mindi Westhoff/staff

WAYNESBORO — When Gary Puffenbarger was a boy in New Jersey, he saw the apparition of a young child appear and sit at the foot of his bed.

Rhonda Steele has felt the spirit of an adult woman following her since she was 5.

Marty Seibel simply likes the thrill of the chase, the chance to prove one thing beyond a shadow of a doubt: Ghosts exist.

Whatever their reasons for joining, members of local paranormal groups can’t get enough of the hunt. Setting up scouting trips to local houses and cemeteries, members search for proof that there is spiritual existence after this life.

“It’s interesting to me to think there might be another sphere of consciousness beyond what we know,” Puffenbarger said.

Puffenbarger is a member of the Supernatural Investigators of Virginia. Founded in May 2007 by Tracey and Dan Burnett, the group concentrates on cemeteries and battlefields in their search for apparitions and audio phenomena.

Who’re you gonna call?

Maybe it has something to do with the area’s rich Civil War history, but Augusta and Rockingham counties boast three paranormal research groups.

Seibel’s group, the Shenandoah Valley Paranormal Society, began in August 2005. Having been interested in the paranormal since he was a child, Seibel joined a group in Richmond before they folded in 2003.

In a little more than two years, Seibel and his members have investigated Braley’s Pond, McDowell Battlefield, Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery, Gettysburg and Old Town Harpers Ferry, among others.

The Waynesboro Paranormal Research Group, also founded in August 2005, does their fair share of scouting trips to places like the Buckhorn Inn and historic homes.

But the group also welcomes members interested in UFOs, or lore like the existence of Bigfoot.

“We decided, since the group’s name was Paranormal Research Group, that sort of covered everything,” said member Brenda Gordon.

In the case of supposedly haunted cemeteries or abandoned asylums, the investigators’ curiosity makes the trip happen. Battlefields are particularly popular places to investigate.

“It’s an area where a lot of people were killed,” Gordon said. “And if there’s going to be any kind of spirit activities, they’ll be there.”

But other times, home and business owners seek out the investigators. Whether they find evidence of supernatural activity or not, the investigators say homeowners rarely want to get rid of the ghost. Just having a clear yes or no is often enough.

“Sometimes that’s all people want to know: Do we feel the place is haunted?” Gordon said.

A ghost hunter’s toolkit

Though they have different names, all three groups use similar tools in the hopes of capturing that telling piece of evidence.

Since most scouting trips are relatively uneventful, it’s what’s captured when the investigators aren’t looking closely that keeps them coming back.

Unexplainable light sources in photos and voices captured on tape recorders are the most common pieces of evidence, and with the advent of digital voice recorders and amplifiers, phantom sounds can be more easily heard and deciphered.

Along with digital voice and video recorders, the Supernatural Investigators of Virginia use infrared cameras and temperature gauges, with the belief that if a ghost were to appear, it would change the temperature of the room.

“The theory is, when a ghost is present, it absorbs energy,” Puffenbarger said.
Stories of cell phone and camera batteries dying or a room going cold support this theory, according to Puffenbarger.

All three groups also use electromagnetic frequency meters, which only rise above a certain level if an energy source is present.

Puffenbarger also likes to set up motion detectors, aiming them into an empty room or walk-in closet. If one were to trip, the only explanation would be a supernatural one.

These tools, of course, require hours of waiting, watching and listening, and some group members use dousing rods to pass the time.

Originally used to find energy sources, the 18-inch, L-shaped metal rods are used to ask yes or no questions, and will cross or uncross depending on the answer.

“They’re not scientific,” said SIVA group member Rhonda Steele. “They’re just fun.”

Keeping it real: Separating paranormal from coincidental

Evidence is no good if it can be contested, and group members say they make every effort to ensure that their methods are scientific.

“We do usually have some members in our group who use other tools such as dousing rods,” Seibel said. “But, for me, if it doesn’t produce tangible evidence — audio or a photo that can’t be debunked — I’m not going to submit (it).”

In the case of potential paranormal phenomena, SIVA members stay calm, take a step back and look to the possibility of outside sources.

“If something spikes (the EMF sensor), we ask ‘Is this man-made? Is this environmental? Could it be paranormal?’” Puffenbarger said.

When possible, SIVA members shut off power to the houses they visit to assure the EMF readers aren’t affected by outside sources, and, like the Shenandoah Valley Paranormal Society, they always travel in groups.

“It’s for safety,” Seibel said. “But the second reason is if someone were to have an experience, you have a witness.”

For the Waynesboro Paranormal Research Group, it’s all about information. According to Gordon, the group tries to do extensive research before investigating a site.

And, when they use psychics, they keep them in the dark about the house’s history to assure that any information is new to them.

It may legitimize the process, but the scouting trips’ calm and scientific nature often want for excitement.

“It’s almost like putting a puzzle together,” Seibel said. “You research the area, you set up equipment ... Sometimes it’s as interesting as watching paint dry.”

Most members don’t mind the methodical nature of the investigations, or the hours it takes to review audio and video footage.

Because, according to Seibel, a tiny white orb in a digital photo or a phantom voice on an audio recorder make the hours of work worth it.

“It just makes the hair stand up on your arm.”