Wright-Pat calls ‘Ghost Hunters’

By Seamus O’Connor - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jan 10, 2008 12:31:12 EST

The Air Force is technologically capable of dominating air, space and cyberspace. But when it comes to the paranormal, who you gonna call?

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, has had reports of supernatural activity for years, so they called in The Atlantic Paranormal Society, host of the SciFi Channel show “Ghost Hunters.” The team starts today on a week of investigations into three possibly haunted buildings on base, which will air as an episode during the season starting in March.

One of the buildings is the Arnold House, the former residence of Gen. Henry “Hap” Arnold himself, which dates from the 19th century, base spokeswoman Rachel Castle said.

“People have heard footsteps when they’re the only person in the house,” Castle said. “The interesting thing about that is there’s a buzzer system in the house, so if someone wants in, they have to buzz in. So if you’re the only one in there, you know you’re the only one in there, and they continue to hear the footsteps on the stairs.”

Children’s laughter has also been heard in the house when no children were present, but no one has seen the ghost of Arnold himself, Castle said.

Two office buildings, buildings 219 and 70, are also known for strange occurrences. Both were built in the World War II era, Castle said, and 219 was originally a hospital and pediatric clinic. Now a little boy’s ghost is known to run laughing through the corridors and basement, while doors slam, lights go on and off and the elevator runs — all by themselves, Castle said.

In Building 70, “People have heard their names called when they were here on the weekend by themselves,” Castle said. The building is now partly a warehouse where aluminum sheets are stacked. Engineers have said they heard stacks crashing down, she said, only to find nothing disturbed in the warehouse.