SOMETHING IS OUT THERE..........

Telling Tales At Shining Reflections

2012-01-27T21:33:00.000-05:00

We shared some of our ghostly legends and tales at Shining Reflections today and had a wonderful time. When it comes to ghost stories I can be long winded and today was no exception. I talked about Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd, The Diamond House, The Roving Sentinel, Julia Walls , the Unknown Carnival Girl, Alice Lyons, Hells Half Acre, The Miller Brothers, and several others.

In this picture, Will is telling the story of Jake the Night Watchman. He also talked about the Inferred Temperature gun and how we use it to hunt ghosts.
Briana talked about Sadie Barcus, and Lucy Cobb, the Mushroom Lady.

Amber filled everyone in on what we know about Bigfoot! That is a newer topic for us but we have a lot of plans for Hunting Bigfoot this summer! Amber also recounted the Legends of Gretchen Gill, Esther Hale, and the Bowman cemetery Witch.

Will set up one of our cameras in the basement to show everyone how our video system works. As always, he did an awesome job!

Briana told several stories about the area and showed people how to use some of our equipment. Multitasking is her thing!
Thank you Shining Reflections for having us! We enjoyed the time there and hope we can go back and visit again.

Newbie Crew Member Dinner Was Great!

2012-01-20T23:19:00.000-05:00

We had a great dinner tonight at Tom's Country Kitchen. Their Banquet room seats 35 and is free if you order dinner. Their food was awesome and from what I hear it always is! We had one Newbie Crew Member show up and her name is Maggie. You can read about her in her own story. I wish the other Newbies could have come but at least we got one! Congrats Maggie on making it out to meet us and joining our happy little chaotic family! This year is already bringing us some awesome events and investigations! Hopefully we can let you in on some of them. I have to get permission first!

Say Hello To Our Newbie Crew Member-Maggie!

2012-01-20T22:52:00.000-05:00

This is Maggie. She attended our Newbie Crew Member Dinner tonight at Tom's Country Kitchen. She is brand new to ghost hunting. We investigated her house about a month ago and she heard her first EVP (it sounds like a little child using some pretty bad foul language). She is now hooked! She will be attending her first investigation as a Newbie Crew Member tomorrow evening! We look forward to getting to know her and discovering her paranormal talents!

Watch What You Click On

2012-01-12T18:32:00.000-05:00

I have been using my son's laptop because mine is down. I noticed when I get on here that there are random words on my web site that look like a link to a web site. Please do not click on them. They are not mine. I usually point out a link I put on here. Just a random word underlined is not me. I won't click on them because I am pretty sure it is a virus. I don't know how to get rid of them so if you know, please let me know! Sorry guys!

A Haunting Experience

2012-01-11T16:54:00.000-05:00

I am currently working on two stories from the Hells Half Acre days. I am excited about them because they involve so much of the areas history. One tells of jealousy and murder, while the other if filled with mystery and spirits. I will be working on them a bit longer before I can write about them. I am missing some things to completely tell the tales for now. I will say it is about Hells Half Acre, which I talked about before and here is the page address for it:

http://www.ghosting12.com/2011/04/looking-for-east-liverpools-hells-half.html

The can of perfume.

Saturday, Mike and I ventured into the woods near Lock 57 to see if we could find an 87 year old murder site. Alabama Joe Miller was murdered by his own brother over a woman in 1925 near Hells Half Acre. The East Liverpool Review account (Sept 19, 1925) was fairly specific about the location and we ventured into the woods to see if we could find it. Yes, 87 years is a long time, but snow was still on the ground and that makes it easier to find old trolley track locations. You can see the lay of the land better with snow. We found a spot that has potential, but we have to do more research before we can determine if it is the right place.
What we did find was this old foundation. What ever building that was here burned down, as the timbers that are still in it are charred pretty good. We crawled over every inch of it looking for clues as to when it was lived in. I would say the 70's was the last time any one was even around it. There was an old perfume can laying inside with this wild design on it suggesting that for now. The beam you seem laying against the wall inside actually stretched across the whole foundation when we went there Saturday. I had over a dozen pictures of it. I had even set the perfume can up on the beam to get a better picture of it. We then left the foundation and ventured down the hill a bit to explore an old dump site. We were not even there 5 minutes when there was a big crash that came from the area of the foundation we had just left.

This is me standing beside the beam that once spanned the foundation walls from one side to the other. It fell. In fact, the whole end completely disintegrated. You would never know to look at it now. It is half gone. Well, I am excited because I have pictures of it when it was there. Mike and I are both a little weirded out and it was not long after that that we left. I thought that pretty much ended it, but I was wrong.

I moved all my pics from my camera, like I always do, to my computer so I could look at them. My computer proceeded to freeze up and refused to work. I have been having problems with it so I didn't think anything of it. I then took my trusty camera to this lap top and put them on it. And my laptop froze up so badly I thought it was down for good. It took two days to finally get this thing to work long enough to delete the entire file. The entire file. Every picture I took. Gone. I didn't even get to look at one of them. I was just bummed.

In the mean time, I am looking for information about the area and I ended up on the East Liverpool Historical Society Web Site. They have the most awesome historical society web site I have ever been on! They share all their info, for free and you just can't beat that! Here is their web address

http://www.eastliverpoolhistoricalsociety.org/

By the time I was done on this web site I was also dealing with the amazing Rev. Jennie Eckert. As it turns out, four years after her death the homes and buildings on her Hells Half Acre property mysteriously caught on fire at least three different times. We wondered if the foundation we found was one of those buildings. Jennie herself was a minister for a spiritualist church on Dresden Avenue at one point and her grave stone refers to her as a Reverend. She was also a psychic who gave readings to people and was a palm reader.

Is she haunting the land that made up Hells Half Acre? Is Joe Miller? I think something is for sure.

The stories I read about Hells Half Acre were awesome and included characters like Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd , Baby Faced Nelson, and Billy "The Killer" Miller. These stories will be on here as soon as I get the pictures I want and information I am seeking. As usual I was shocked at the amazing history this area has to offer that no one knows about. I can tell you that Jennie Eckert, Alabama Joe Miller and Billy The Killer Miller will be added to our list of Columbiana County Legends. Be looking for us!

Lock 57 Closed For The Winter

2012-01-11T15:21:00.000-05:00

One of our favorite haunts in the area is The Ohioville Borough Lock 57 Community Park. Haunted? We think so. Our only complaint about it is they no longer allow dogs down there. Not sure where that comes from, but it is a stupid rule. People love to take their dogs to places like this to walk. That is all I will say about it for now, but it will be something that I bring up again.

The Park is closed for right now. The gate gets locked on Dec 1, but reopens on Mar. 1. You can still go into the park, but you park your car outside this formidable gate and walk in.

Besides the legend about the 5 Nuns who were killed in an accident that decapitated them all on the bridge (not the new bridge, but one from a century ago) there seems to be a lot of activity around the aluminum boat dock they put in during the nicer months of the year. We have had some hair raising events sitting on that dock at night.
We will be continuing our investigations of the Lock area in the year of 2012 and hope to do some research into the history of the area. If you know any stories or facts about this part of the Sandy and Beaver Canal, please pass them on to me! I would love to put them on our web site and I will give you full credit for finding the tales! ghoting12@yahoo.com

OUR FIRST MIDNIGHT RUN FOR 2012 TO THE PIONEER VILLAGE

2012-01-07T01:21:00.000-05:00

We went on a Midnight Run tonight, our first for the year. The bright moonlight was well worth our time spent outside freezing our butts off, which we did tonight. WE are continuing our investigation into the Thomas Malone Covered Bridge. One of our crew members reported capturing an EVP that claimed Satan was on this bridge. We still have not gotten any proof that is true. I am inclined to say the area is haunted however, as we get awesome EVP down here!

My crew for the evening was Amber, Lisa, Brooke, and Mike. We visited the Bridge first and then walked around the park, making our way to the Williams House.

This little bridge area also has some interesting activity around it. Plus the bridge was so cold our feet stuck to it.

Does it look to you like a spectre looking down
at the girls on the bridge?

The shape in the mist on the left looks like a dark spectre looking down at them. We did not do any EVP at this bridge, but I didn't see this picture either. Next time wel will for sure.

I love this old Mill. Gaston's Mill has an awesome museum like quality to it and holds one of my all time favorite Columbiana County stories. General John Hunt Morgan has his tale told inside beside the tree trunk that he surrendered under near West Point.

The Williams House is very haunted and I don't care who wants to argue about it! We have heard footsteps inside as we sat on the porch. We have also gotten knocks as we have asked for them. One knock for yes and two for no.

We will continue to investigate this large area as it always gives us good reason to come back!!

ATTENTION APPLICANTS FOR G12P-MEETING JAN 20 AT TOM'S COUNTRY KITCHEN

2012-01-06T14:28:00.001-05:00

WE ARE MEETING ON JAN 20 AT TOM'S COUNTRY KITCHEN AT 7PM FOR THOSE WHO APPLIED TO BE A CREW MEMBER FOR G12P! PLEASE PLAN TO BUY DINNER IF YOU COME. THEIR PRICES AND FOOD ARE AWESOME! THE MOST EXPENSIVE ITEM ON THE MENU IS T-BONE STEAK, AT $15.95! ALL OTHER DINNERS GO BETWEEN $6.25 TO $7.95.

WE WILL HAVE POSTERS AND OTHER INFO ON WHAT WE PLAN FOR 2012, ALONG WITH G12P CREW MEMBER GUIDE LINES! YOU START OUT AS A NEWBIE, GRADUATE TO A PROSPECT(YES, SOME OF US WATCH SONS OF ANARCHY!) AND FINALLY A CREW MEMBER!

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE EMAIL ME AT

ghosting12@yahoo.com

WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING EVERYONE!

Common Phrases For EVP

2012-01-02T07:35:00.000-05:00

We have not investigated this house. It sits in East Liverpool
on Fenton Street, off of 9th Street. It looks spooky
but very unsafe.

When you do a lot of Paranormal Investigations you can start to analyze your data more closely. We don't just do private investigations. We also investigate ANYWHERE WE CAN. Public parks are a good place to practice. For us we have the whole Beaver Creek area, which had several towns along it's banks thanks to the Sandy and Beaver Canal. The more EVP sessions you do, the greater your chances of catching EVP.
One thing we are noticing is the same phrases are being said more and more often. I have written about this before. There is one phrase in particular that I would like to talk about. It is said more often than the others.
"LET ME OUT!"
This phrase is a mystery to me. The phrase with the most hits after that is "Help me." My first question is "Let you out from where?" Where are they that they are trapped? We get this phrase at Gretchen's Lock a lot in the Grist Mill. But we are also getting it in Private Investigations now as well. Who or what wants out of where?
Of course there are some theories about it to consider. For the religious minded, is it someone trapped in Hell and begging for release? Or worse still, is a demon trying to get someone to release it? I am not sure how someone could do that of course, but right now I am just throwing ideas out there.
Some say that not everyone crosses over right away and then they get lost. Is it someone like that that can't find their way to cross over? Another theory suggests that for some, after death, there is a dark place that they must go to think about the mistakes they made in their lives, reliving these mistakes until they understand what they did wrong. This can take days, weeks, months or even years before they can finally cross over. Some might call that purgatory.
"Let me out" is being said three times as much as any other repetitive phrases we are getting (GET OUT; I'M BEHIND YOU; THIS IS MY HOUSE are some examples of others we have gotten) For me, in fact, it is the one that disturbs me the most. Any ideas or suggestions? Leave a comment or email me! ghosting12@yahoo.com

2011-12-29T18:32:00.000-05:00

My new camera took this picture and I am so excited to get to use this out in the field some more! I want to visit places I have already been just so I can use this camera there. It is a Kodak Z5010 and I just love it! In case you don't know what the picture is, I was trying to capture the moon and got more than I thought I would. Haha! A look at the moon like I have never truly seen it!

Prospective New Crew Members Meeting Date

2011-12-27T16:33:00.000-05:00

All those who were interested in joining our crew, our newbie crew member meeting is Jan. 20, 2012. I have two possible locations for this meeting and as soon as I get a sure confirmation on a site I will let you know by email or facebook. We are looking forward to meeting every one interested in discovering Columbiana County's Ghosts with us!

New Equipment For Christmas!

2011-12-26T15:42:00.000-05:00

For Christmas this year I got a new camera (Kodak Easyshare Z5010) and a new Olympus Digital Recorder(Note Corder DP-10). I love Christmas because I always get some awesome new thing! This year I got two!

The new recorder is on the left. It is a lot wider and louder than the older ones. It does not have a usb port but it is so much easier to hear out in the field! We used it at Gretchen's Lock on Christmas Eve and it was awesome!

I have a lot to learn with the new camera and look forward to seeing what it can do. Working with the Newbies we are taking on in February will give me a chance to give both of my new toys a good work out!

Christmas Eve At Gretchen's Lock 2011

2011-12-25T16:22:00.000-05:00

The unusual "breath" formation on the tree almost looks like
Christmas decorations. I have never seen anything like it!

Looking as spooky as ever, the Grist Mill
waited for us to arrive on this once-a -year date
in stone silence.

The crew for the evening (besides myself)
was Mike, Amber, and Jon. We had a few
new gadgets to try out from Santa!

We got several pics with our breath in them.
It was cold and when you exhale, your
breath can hang in the air around you for
a minute or two, depending on how
cold it is.

While the gray mass on Jon is probably their breath, it looks different from the other breath pictures I took. It looks something like a woman in a long dress....

We could not enter the Grist Mill because it is very flooded.
With all the rain we have had, it is no surprise. Last year it was
all frozen solid.

We went down to Gretchen's Lock last night to check out the Grist Mill once again. One of the Esther Hale Legends tells the story of Esther a little differently where it concerns the Mill. It would seem that Esther may have been a Quaker Preacher who fell in love with a young man who was destined to fight in the Civil War. Before he left, they agreed on their wedding date of September 29, when her love would return. When that date came she waited by the Mill all day, but he did not come. She would proceed to go to the Grist Mill every day for the next 27 years, waiting on her one true love. Even after she found out he was killed in action during the Civil War, she still continued to wait at the Mill. According to this Legend, she finally could wait no longer and one night climbed to the third floor of the Mill to hang herself. Now, if you go to the Grist Mill at Midnight on Christmas Eve, you are supposed to be able to see the word "COME" written on the wall. It is supposed to be her plea to her love to return to her.

This is my third year that I have traveled to the Grist Mill to await the word to appear on the wall. It did not once again. But we did get some nice pictures that were unusual. We still have to listen to the EVP sessions we did. Amber has an app on her new Ipod and when she ran it, the name Charles came up a couple times. Curious since we are so close to the Death Site Of Pretty Boy Floyd. We also stopped on the bridge when we were leaving. There are two new stories for me to work with that I didn't know about. One is if you stop on the bridge at Gretchen's Lock, put your car in park, shut off your lights, and honk your horn three times, Esther is supposed to appear before your car. We did that also, but nothing happened. Another story we have yet to try is where you go to the back parking lot and drive backwards in a circle. As you are driving like that, Gretchen is supposed to appear in your back seat. That we plan to use video cameras with. As soon as we get the EVP sessions listened to, we will let you know if we got anything.

For now, Merry Christmas to all!!!!

G12P's 2012 Schedule

2011-12-20T11:11:00.000-05:00

I am currently working on our schedule for next year. So far I have three dates on the books for Thompson Park. Besides our tour schedule, which is going to be awesome, I am looking for other things we can do. You can look for us again at places like the Middleton Festival, the Salt Festival, the Salem summer Parade, hopefully the Pottery Festival, and also places like Rogers Sale, the sale in Newell, and any place else we can find to set up. If I can find a location, we are also working on a Ghost Hunters Show for July! Plus we will be camping again! If you know of any events we could set up for, please let me know!!!! See you in 2012!!

G12P TOOK SECOND PLACE IN THE EAST LIVERPOOL CHRISTMAS PARADE!!!

2011-12-18T11:18:00.000-05:00

Here is the crew that took second place in the East Liverpool Christmas Parade for 2011, with our trophy! This outstanding group of Ghost Hunters truly deserved it for all their hard work! Thanks goes out to Briana, and especially Amber, for doing most of the work! Good job everyone!! You are awesome!!!!

OUR 2011 YEAR

2011-12-08T01:19:00.000-05:00

2011 WAS A GREAT YEAR FOR GHOSTING 12 PARANORMAL. WE WERE ALL OVER THE COUNTY DOING TOURS, EXPLORING AND DOING PARANORMAL INVESTIGATIONS. WE SET UP AT FESTIVALS, FAIRS, AND FLEA MARKETS. WE HAD SEVERAL TOURS ALL OVER THE AREA INCLUDING LISBON, EAST LIVERPOOL, AND SALEM. WE DISCOVERED NEW PLACES AND THINGS, LIKE THE OLD STEEL BRIDGE IN ROGERS, THE BRIDGE LEADING TO BOWMAN'S CEMETERY, THE POSSIBLE TOMB AT LUSKS LOCK AND MANY OTHERS! WE INVESTIGATED HILL VIEW MANOR AND SEVERAL OTHER BUILDINGS AND HOMES. WE BROUGHT ON SIX NEW CREW MEMBERS (JACK, ABBIE, ZACK, JACKSON, DEBBIE, AND PAM!). WE THEN LOST JACKSON IN OCTOBER AND HE IS SORELY MISSED!
WE WENT CAMPING THREE TIMES AT GRETCHEN'S LOCK OVER THE SUMMER AND WERE IN 5 PARADES THIS YEAR (SALINEVILLE, SALEM, LISBON TWICE, AND EAST LIVERPOOL). IT WAS JUST ONE FUN ADVENTURE AFTER ANOTHER! HERE IS A VIDEO TO GIVE YOU A SMALL IDEA OF OUR EXPLOITS!
G12P IN 2011

2012 PROMISES TO BE EVEN BETTER! OUR PLANS INCLUDE GOING TO THE TWIN OPERA HOUSE FOR AN OVER NIGHT VISIT, SEVERAL MORE TROLLEY TOURS OF SALEM, OHIO, SETTING UP AT SEVERAL MORE FESTIVALS AND OTHER EVENTS, AND SO MUCH MORE! WE ARE ALSO TAKING ON POSSIBLY AS MANY AS 6 NEW CREW MEMBERS IN FEBRUARY AS WE PLAN ON BEING VERY BUSY! I DECIDED TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL TO TAKE BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, WHICH I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT TO HELP MAKE G12P THE BEST EVER!!!
AGAIN, HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR 2012 SEASON!!!!

G12P IN THE THE EAST LIVERPOOL CHRISTMAS PARADE!

2011-12-03T22:28:00.000-05:00

G12P SENDS OUT WONDERFUL WISHES TO ALL FOR A

Amber, Sena, and Jen!

VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS--

Amber as the White Queen.

JEN DID AN AWESOME
JOB AS OUR
RED QUEEN!

DEBBIE AS THE
WHITE RABBIT!

AND A HAPPY

NEW YEAR! SEE YOU IN 2012!!!!!

ENIGMATIC JON AS
THE MARCH HARE!

PAM AS ONE OF OUR
CARDS!

ZACK AS ANOTHER OF OUR CARDS!

WILL AT ASLYN!

THANK YOU ALSO TO:

LISA AS MALLYUMKIN THE DOOR MOUSE, NEVAYA AS OUR LITTLE ALICE, SENA AS OUR GROWN UP ALICE, BRIANA AND SAMMI AS TWEEDLE DEE AND TWEEDLE DUM (THEIR ACROBATS WERE AWESOME DURING THE PARADE!) MIKE FOR DRIVING THE TRUCK, BECKY, BROOKE , AND AMANDA FOR HELPING TO PASS OUT CANDY, AMBER FOR ALL THE HARD WORK SHE DID ON THE FLOAT, KAR SMITH FOR DONATING THE WAGON TO HAVE OUR FLOAT WITH, AND TO JAYCEES FOR DOING SUCH AN AWESOME JOB AGAIN ON THE EAST LIVERPOOL CHRISTMAS PARADE!

Jack as Stayn!

LOOK FOR TOURS TO BEGIN AGAIN IN MARCH WITH AN ADVENTURE AT GRIMMS BRIDGE, THE REAL JAKES LOCK, AND GRETCHENS TO START OFF OUR 2012 SEASON!

BRIANA AND BECKY!

BROOKE!

ABBIE (A NEW GHOST HUTNING CHEERLEADER!)
BILLI, AND SAMMI(OUR ORIGINAL
GHOST HUNTING CHEERLEADER!)

Smith Auto Part Store Site 11 Months After The Razing

2011-12-01T15:32:00.001-05:00

I loved this building. I often thought there was someone in the top floor watching out the window the last couple Pottery Festivals I attended. It was built in the 1880's and was on the National Register for Historic Buildings. This building was torn down in January of 2011. It was a sad event because it was one more part of East Liverpool's history gone. You could not save this building. It was beyond that, but I didn't think I would like seeing the spot so empty.

It was Potters National Bank and had a PNB above the door on the left corner.

It did seem empty when they were done. This picture was taken in the summer. Right away I did notice the view was better.

A little park has been built there, complete with a benches. It is very nice. Of course, your best view is the highway.

It is a nice addition to the town . They built a small parking lot below this area to help with parking for Kent State. I like it. It is a fitting replacement for the old Potter National Bank. You can sit there and enjoy a view of the river area (on the other side of the highway)not seen in about 130 years.

G12P IN THE LISBON CHRISTMAS PARADE NOVEMBER 26!

2011-11-28T10:22:00.000-05:00

We had a great time at the Lisbon Christmas Parade! Our theme was Alice in Winterland! We had a great cast of characters and everyone worked hard on their costumes!! And the day was so beautiful! We just hope that the East Liverpool Parade is just as nice!

The whole crew!

Will playing Aslyn, the pipe
smoking caterpillar!

Sena played Alice!

Kimberly (me!) played the Mad Hatter!

Alex was our w\White Rabbit and Lisa was the
Door Mouse, Mallyumpkin!

Amber was our White Queen, Jen was the Red Queen, and
Jack was Stayn!

Jon played our March Hare!

Will, Jon, Alex, and Lisa!

Sammi and Briana played
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle
Dum!

The most important of our crew attending were our cards, who

passed out candy to the crowd! Great job:
Abbie, Zack, Debbie, Louie, and Pam!!!

Lindsey(from the Virginia Chapter), Alex, and Brooke!

Thank you Lisbon for having us in your parade! WE look forward to many other events in that awesome little town!

Next stop is the East Liverpool Christmas Parade December 3 at 5pm. We will be doing our Alice in Winterland again! Thank you Briana and Amber for coming up with this wonderful idea!

Does Ghost Hunting Make You Any Money?

2011-11-23T22:45:00.000-05:00

G12P consists of 23 people, myself included. We pay for everything we do our of our own pockets. We pay for the ink to make the posters, the batteries, the film, the gas, anything with a price tag we all pitch in and pay for ourselves. Our equipment is either owned by each individual crew member, donated to us, or we work our butts off to earn the money to buy it. Last year we helped Jaycees out with the Haunted Park to earn the money for our camera system for example.

Much of our equipment we
buy second hand or get them
as gifts for Christmas and Birthdays.

Because almost everything we do is free, sometimes money can be a problem. When we did the Johnny Appleseed Festival, for example, we invested over $300 to get ready for it. It was not the CREW MONEY. That does not exist. Each person donated money, like Briana bought our Ink for our printer for example, that was $60. The posters, glue, and tape were $20. Gas for the truck to pull our parade float was $75. Decorations for the float were $83. That does not include going to Lisbon every day the week before to walk the route for the tour or the hours spent on the research for the tour. We made fliers to advertise our tour also. We charged $5 per person for the tour of Lisbon during the Johnny Appleseed Festival. We sold only 31 tickets. We didn't even make $200. Our Booth was an awesome success, but the tour was a failure. No other way to put it but bluntly. I can't even tell you how much we invest for the fundraisers. In contrast to our own private ventures, we helped Salem Historical Society make over $1000 for the tours we did in Salem in October. The use of their Trolley was a deciding factor. The walking tour did not do well, but the trolley tour sold out and cleaned up!!
We are always trying to come up with ways to buy equipment(most of us ask for stuff for birthdays and Christmas) or to alleviate the cost of the investigations we do. Some of our tours next year we are going to attempt to charge for. The ultimate goal is to make them better, buy better costumes, and get better equipment. We also want to go to some conventions (the Bigfoot Convention in Northern Ohio is on our wish list to attend). Sponsors would be nice and we may look into that possibility for next year.
We struggle, but we work as a team and that gets things done.

Our booth at Johnny Appleseed
festival in Sept.

We are always looking for an old building with some history to do some over night stays. That is a real money maker also. The problem is getting the use of a building. Anyway, just wanted you to know we do not make money doing this. We do this because we love ghost hunting, history, and helping our community. And did I say we love ghost hunting?

ASSYLUM PRACTICES IN THE 1900's

2011-11-18T09:50:00.000-05:00

Columbiana County had at least two villains who were sentenced to asylums for the criminally insane (in Lima, OH.) Willis Payne, the Arsonist from East Liverpool who started the Adamant Pottery Fire in 1918, killing two men. One, David Mumwa, he chopped his head, arms and legs off first.  When asked why he did it, he simply said: "I like to hear them scream."
http://www.asylumprojects.org/index.php?title=Lima_State_Hospital
In 1917, a man named John Hart murdered his brother-in-law, Frank Lease, who was the Principal for the Salem High School at the time. While in prison, he felt that he should have special treatment because he didn't commit just any offense like theft, but he was a MURDERER! He wanted better food, a softer bed, nicer clothes! He even wrote to people like the Ford Motor Company, asking them to help him out of jail. Both men were sent to the asylum in Lima, OH.    Often I have said that their fate was worse than even death.   Mental asylums were horrible places. They could do anything they wanted to you.
In Columbiana County there was the Old County Home. It housed the mentally ill, and the homeless as well. In the basement of one of these building was found chains connected to the wall with shackles and was used to chain the seemingly uncontrollable. I wonder if they did other things popular for the times? Here are a few notable practices for mentally ill patients:
1. Water Treatment

Patients were submerged in ice-cold water for extended periods of time. Sometimes they were wrapped in sheets which had been soaked in ice water and restrained.
2. Shock Therapy
Electric shocks were administered to patients submerged in water tanks or, more commonly, directly to the temples by the application of brine-soaked electrodes. A patient held a rubber piece in his mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue off during the convulsions which followed a treatment.
3. Lobotomy (Original)
Patients had their skulls opened and their neural passages separated midway through the brain. This difficult and arduous procedure killed many people, but those who survived did in fact forget many of their depressive or psychotic tendencies. They also forgot a lot of other things, and many became catatonic, drooling, needing a diaper, etc.  Yet with so many patients, doctors continued using the practice and even worked to streamline the process.
4. Lobotomy (Trans-Orbital)
Developed by Dr. Walter J. Freeman in the early 1950s, this simpler lobotomy became something of a craze in mental health circles up through the 60s. Dr. Freeman's method involved knocking the patient unconscious with electric shocks, then rolling an eyelid back and inserting a thin metal icepick-like instrument called a leucotome through a tear duct. A mallet was used to tap the instrument the proper depth into the brain. Next it was sawed back and forth to sever the neural receptors. Sometimes this was done in both eyes. There is some evidence that this method actually helped some people with very severe conditions, but much more often the patient had horrible side effects and in many cases ended up catatonic. Of course, it killed people too.
They could tie you to your chair or bed for days with minimal care like food or water. The really uncontrollable were put in a straight jacket naked and thown into a room in the basement or, like in the Old County Home, chained to the wall. Better prison or death in those days than the chambers of horror that were called Mental Institutions. For more information please check out
The Ridges in Athens ,Ohio! This is a place G12P would like to visit!
www.forgottenoh.com/Ridges/ridges

The Day Elvis Died Became A Tragic Drama For The Area As Well.....

2011-11-17T22:19:00.000-05:00

When I was working on the Daminger story, one of the people I talked to told me a little boy went missing from that area in the 70's. She said it was the day Elvis died.

Where were you when you heard Elvis died? I was camping at Vagabond Lodge on East Liverpool Road with my family. I can remember everyone being sad and some people even crying. I do not remember hearing anything about Shawn Birch. I do not remember any of the drama that unfolded in Newell that whole week in fact. Elvis died. That was all the chatter I remember.

Shawn had been playing in the play ground by Clark Field on that fateful Tuesday. His mom was at work and he had a sitter. There were hundreds of volunteers searching the area for him. One young man even got bitten by a snake as he searched along the river. Volunteers from New Cumberland,, Lawrenceville, New Manchester, the LaCroft Station of Liverpool Township and many local residents were out looking .

By Thursday, Aug 18, it was believed Shawn had been abducted. They even had a suspect and the search expanded to Mill Creek Hill Cemetery where the suspects car was found (along rt 168 in Hanover Township, PA). Other places he was supposedly seen was at Memorial Park on Irish Ridge Road, and even Hills Parking Lot.(Now Dunham Sports).

Sadly, there were over 200 false reports given at the time they were searching. How horrible. By Friday, Aug 19, there was no sign of little Shawn.
Friday night he was finally found about 4 blocks from his home. He had entered a children's play structure, no doubt built by area children. It weighed over 300 pounds. When he went it, in fell in on him and killed him. Such a sad and horrible ending to such a young life.

Somewhere around this field is where he was found. No marker. No remembrance of a little life lost. Often when a child dies so tragically, everyone feels better if they just try to forget it. I wish it wasn't like that. He deserves to be remembered in some way, letting the world know Shawn was here, even for a short while. Shawn was here.

The Stage Coach Inn - North Georgetown-Columbiana County

2011-11-11T11:36:00.001-05:00

At our Salem Library Adventure, a nice lady there talked about the Stage Coach Inn in North Georgetown and an old Cemetery. This past weekend, we visited both. I am in love with the Stage Coach Inn, and I haven't even eaten there yet! The building is awesome!

Built in 1822 by Samuel Long, it was a favorite Stage Coach Route for travelers from Pittsburgh to the West! This building looks like it is oozing history! Rumor has it the second floor is haunted. I would love to find out!

But for now, I will be content to see what I can discover from a historical view. I am hoping to get out there for dinner one night. It was very busy when we stopped to take pictures. The plaque to the right is on the outside beside the front door, which is where I got my little bit of history so far. Let you know what else I find! Do you know any history about this beautiful, tucked away, little awesome piece of Columbiana County History? Is is rumored to be haunted? A patron came out while I was taking this picture and started telling me what he knew. He said it was one of his favorite places to eat, and oh ya, the second floor is haunted. Hmmm. Looking for some details now! ghosting12@yahoo.com if you have any!

Strange Brew Part 2 by Jane Mehaffey

2011-11-10T01:13:00.000-05:00

According to testimony and remarks from the attorneys, Mr. Daminger “acted weird” and had “weird ways.” Neighborhood children became frightened and ran home after seeing him reading his “witchcraft book” on his porch one afternoon. Mr. Daminger allegedly showed a young girl what he called “a voodoo doll,” and he indicated that another young girl was going to suffer a heart attack.

There were allegations that Mr. Daminger used his evil powers to seduce his thirteen year-old babysitter Polly who was Mrs. Franczek’s niece. Additional allegations placed him in an “embarrassing situation” with a teen aged girl at “the point” in Newell while his wife was at home.
Mr. Daminger did not deny that he had studied witchcraft. He also admitted that he read fortune telling cards and read instructions from a book on those cards. He had no idea, according to court statements, “that anyone in this day and age would take such things seriously.”
However, there were additional allegations that Mr. Daminger visited cemeteries where he performed “rituals that he himself described as ‘the Black Mass.’ ” Allegedly, he claimed that he could communicate with the dead. It was also said that he often repeated incantations in Latin to call upon spirits.
As tensions mounted in the neighborhood, Mrs. Franczek testified that various plots designed “to run the witch (Mr. Daminger) out of town” were discussed and some were acted upon.
Mrs. Franczek, Mrs. Lora Fabbro, and one other woman went as a delegation to racing officials, known as stewards, at Waterford Park with letters outlining the alleged sexual activities he was suspected of. Evidently this was an attempt to have Mr. Daminger “ruled off the track” so that he could not run his horses there and would be forced to leave the area.

913 Grant Street as it looks
today.

Mr. Daminger’s landlady, Mrs. Ann Juszczak, was pressured by neighbors to evict him from 913 Grant Street. A petition to make him leave town was also drawn up.
Mrs. Franczek testified that the neighbors discussed killing Mr. Daminger and throwing him in the river or burying him in the graveyard. They also considered hiring a man from Youngstown who “had a black belt in karate and could work over anyone for a five dollar bill.” They were told that this expert could do such a good job on Mr. Daminger that there wouldn’t be any marks on the body.
“Just like that,” Mrs. Franczek said, snapping her fingers three times, “he’d be dead.”
Mrs. Franczek also detailed a rather gruesome plot to have Mr. Daminger accused of murdering his landlady. This scheme involved killing a cat and smearing its blood all over one of the landlady’s dresses. Mrs. Jusczak was to hide while Mr. Daminger was blamed for her murder.
“That was a joke,” Mrs. Franczek said, smiling. “We knew it might not work, but we did get a kick out of it.”
The plot did not work because the landlady, who was “completely drunk at the time,” sobered up and wouldn’t go through with the plan.

Mr. Daminger’s attorney pointed out that all these schemes were “in addition to an unbelievable amount of personal harassment suffered by Mr. Daminger by his neighbors.”
People spat on Mr. Daminger and threatened to beat him up. They threw stones at him and at his house. Bonfires were set near his home and cherry bombs were tossed into his yard. People made the sign of the cross when they saw him on the street. A hex sign was posted facing his front door and a cross was put on a tree between his house and the McGrew house.
Another odd event was a candlelight ceremony held at 915 Grant Street, the home of Ron and Ruth Smith. The neighbors gathered there dressed in white, chanting, and carrying candles to “ward off evil spirits.”
But perhaps the most bizarre part of the trial involved Mrs. Franczek’s re-telling of a nighttime trip to Nessly Chapel Cemetery.

Sometime during the summer of 1968, at midnight on a moonlit night, Mrs. Franczek, Mrs. Fabbro, and Mrs. Juszczak accompanied Mr. Daminger to the lonely cemetery behind Nessly Chapel to witness what Mr. Daminger called “the Black Mass.” According to reports, Ron and Ruth Smith were concealed in the trees to watch events unfold.
As they walked from the gate to the cluster of graves, Mr. Daminger spread salt along the path “to ward off evil spirits.” They stopped in front of the Miller stone, and then turned to the right to the Manypenny stone, the marker with the iron rod protruding from it.
Mr. Daminger took off his ring and asked the three women to kiss it. As Mrs. Franczek stated he “took off his ring and we all kissed it. He then placed his ring on top of the stone. He then took a drink from a bottle of wine that we had and poured some wine on the tombstone. He capped the bottle, and placed the bottle on top of the stone too.” (R2)
“The bottle fell off, and he picked it up again, took another drink and put it on the stone again. It fell once again, so he started all over again.” Mrs. Franczek testified that this action was repeated a total of three times.
According to reports, Mr. Daminger grinned broadly while Mrs. Franczek recounted how frightened they were.

“It was moonlight and midnight and we were up in that cemetery and we were scared,” she said.

Mr. Pietranton explained that the bottle moved because his client pulled a string attached to it. The whole ceremony was intended as a practical joke to prove that Mr. Daminger had no occult powers. According to his attorney, Mr. Daminger was not given a chance to explain this joke to the women.
In an interview with one reporter, Mr. Zagula stated that this Black Mass was all about a lot of “hocus pocus by which Mr. Daminger caused a wine bottle to fall from a tombstone in a moonlight, midnight demonstration of his occult powers.”
Before court adjourned, Mr. Pietranton presented a statement dated July 23, 1968. It was directed to Mr. Daminger and was allegedly signed by Mrs. Franczek on behalf of several of the neighbors. It reads:
“Male Witch
You are a male witch and you use your occult powers to get sexual pleasures.
You put little girls under evil spells and then rape them.
You put an evil spell on me and caused me to fall and hurt my ankle.
You put me under a spell so you could make love to me.
You have ruined all the teenaged girls in the neighborhood.”
Mrs. Franczek denied that she had signed the statement.
At the conclusion of her testimony, Judge Pryor adjourned the court until 9:30 a.m. the next day.
The second day of the trial, Tuesday, November 4, 1969, dawned wet and bleak. But after convening court for the day, Judge Pryor met in camera for about one hour with attorneys from both sides. When the judge and the attorneys re-entered the courtroom, Mr. Zagula read the following statement:
“We the undersigned defendants in the above-styled matter do hereby reiterate the denial of the claims of the plaintiff as set forth in our answer heretofore filed herein, except as may have been otherwise indicated by the testimony adduced herein, and declare that we, presently, irrespective of earlier suspicions or statements which may have indicated the contrary, do not believe the plaintiff has committed any crime or immoral act with any female person, minor or adult, for which the plaintiff has charged us with having stated, but which we have denied, and further we do not believe he has any supernatural powers claimed or pretended to be used for any ulterior purpose or profit.
“For any act or conduct on our part which may have caused or contributed to the injury of or damage to his reputation and business we apologize to him, an apology from him for any act or conduct on his part which may have damaged or injured us in our reputations or in any other way, being made simultaneously by the plaintiff herewith.”
Mr. Pietranton moved that the suit be dismissed. Judge Pryor approved the motion and adjourned the court at about 10:30 am.
Mr. Daminger and his wife, who was in court for the proceedings, were pleased. According to one report, Mrs. Daminger, described as a tall, attractive brunette with streaks of gray in her hair, ran to her husband to hug and kiss him. (NR 2) She stated that she was “absolutely pleased that our name has been vindicated.”
“I am elated that we have finally reached a solution in this unbelievable affair,” Mr. Daminger said. “I hope no one ever has to go through what I’ve been through in the past year.”

One reporter asked Mr. Daminger if he would continue to study witchcraft. Holding his book Witchcraft, Magic, and Alchemy, he replied, “Certainly, but it is purely academic study, combined with curiosity.”
And so this strange brew boiled down to nothing with an anti-climactic and rather unsatisfying end. Mr. Zagula summed it up best when he said, “The whole business of gossip and witchcraft simply got out of hand and everybody became involved to a ridiculous degree.”

JANE'S NOTE
I hope you enjoyed my account of the Daminger slander lawsuit, more commonly known as the Hancock County Witch Trial. This story was easy to research because it received so much attention and was a relatively recent event. It also helped because I knew the exact dates and the name of the central player. I wish all stories were this easy. I have presented only the facts as reported in the papers from the time. I did not check out the records at the courthouse. If you find anything that is in error or if you have any details to add, please let me know.
There are a couple of things about this lawsuit to note. I have not made an extensive study of witchcraft, but I have read that during the witchcraft trials in Salem, the accused “witches” were suspected of putting evil spells on young girls in the community. There is a similar theme here.
Also, I have read that most people accused of being witches were usually people who were different or who did not fit into the community. Similarly Mr. Daminger was an outsider and he definitely did not fit in
I learned in my research for this trial that in colonial America, people condemned for being witches were usually hanged. The “witches” in the Salem trials were hanged. In Europe, burning was the usual practice for executing people condemned as witches.
I am puzzled, though, about the motivations in this case. Without having been present at the trial and without hearing any testimony from Mr. Daminger or any other witness, it is hard to know what was truly behind all this hoopla. It seems to me that Mr. Daminger was trying to stir up a little excitement and the whole thing got out of hand.
Another thing that puzzles me is why these women agreed to go to the cemetery at midnight with Mr. Daminger when they were supposedly suspicious of him. I guess he put a spell on them.
© 2011 by Jane Mehaffey

Thank you again Jane for your help in finding the details of this story!

STRANGE BREW-The Hancock County Witch Trial***By Jane Mehaffey

2011-11-09T00:40:00.000-05:00

THIS STORY WAS WRITTEN BY JANE MEHAFFEY
Hancock County, the smallest county in the state of West Virginia, sits atop the state’s northern panhandle. During its 163 year history, Hancock County has seen its share of lawsuits filed in the county’s court system. But an unusual trial occurred in 1969, when 34 year old Frank Daminger, a thoroughbred horse trainer living in the unincorporated community of Newell, sued 10 of his neighbors for slander after they allegedly called him “a warlock and the devil’s consort.” The trial offered up a strange brew of hex, lies, and spooky landscapes that briefly focused national attention on this quiet, rural community.
Frank Daminger, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, graduated from Lancaster Catholic High School in 1953. Sometime in the late 1960’s he, his wife Katherine, and their two children, aged 3 and 6 at the time of the trial, moved to Newell, West Virginia. Mr. Daminger was a lower tier horse trainer and no doubt settled inNewell because of its proximity to Waterford Park Racetrack. [Now known as Mountaineer.]

Grant Street in Newell where Mr. Daminger
lived.

Although it remains unclear what happened, a conflict soon arose between Mr. Daminger and his neighbors. Accusations, allegations, and odd behavior lead Mr. Daminger to bring a slander suit against ten of his neighbors.
A thirty-five page lawsuit was filed on September 27, 1969. According to pre-trial briefs filed by Mr. Daminger’s attorney Frank A. Pietranton of Weirton, ten of Mr. Daminger’s neighbors publicly called him a “warlock and devil’s consort” who possessed “evil powers of casting spells and hexing.” The neighbors also allegedly accused him of practicing witchcraft and holding ritualistic ceremonies in local cemeteries.

Crew cut and dressed in a conservative dark suit, one newspaper reported that he looked more like an accountant than a warlock. But interestingly, Mr. Daminger did concede in the filing that he had “studied witchcraft for the past 15 years.” Later on during the trial, he was seen reading a book titled Witchcraft, Magic, and Alchemy, a work his neighbors referred to as his “witchcraft book.” At one point during the trial, Mr. Daminger laughed and said that he was reading the book to “find out what I’m accused of.”
The ten defendants in the lawsuit, all residents of Newell, were:

• Thelma Franczek
• John Franczek
• Ruth Smith
• Ronald Smith
• Cathy Six
• Arnold Six
• Margaret McGrew
• Richard McGrew
• Lora Ann Fabbro (Fabro?)
• Jennie LaNeve

Mr. Daminger sought a total of $150,000--$50,000 collectively and $10,000 individually-- for damaging his reputation and ruining his career.
According to Mr. Daminger, in May 1968, these neighbors “entered into a conspiracy” bent on destroying his good name and reputation. Attorneys for the neighbors were Mr. Edward Zagula of Weirton and Mr. William Conklin of Chester. At the time, Mr. Zagula was also the Hancock County Prosecuting Attorney. In pre-trial briefs, the neighbors stated they were innocent of the charges and contended that Mr. Daminger “prayed in Latin and asked the demons to arise and further show these non-believers his power.”
The trial opened in Hancock County Court on Monday morning, November 3, 1969, just three days after Halloween. Presiding was Judge Ralph E. Pryor. Judge Pryor, from Wellsburg, West Virginia, was well respected and known as a fair minded, no nonsense judge. A graduate of Warwood High School and Bethany College, Judge Pryor served with distinction in World War II, receiving the Purple Heart. After the war, he earned his law degree from Harvard University in 1948. From 1952 until 1960, he was the Prosecuting Attorney in Brooke County before winning election as judge of the First Judicial Circuit. He served in that position until his death on July 3, 1972 at the age of 51.
On the morning of the trial, an all male jury of twelve was seated. During the selection process, Judge Pryor asked each potential juror if he believed in witchcraft. Each man denied such a belief. The jurors in the case were:

Albert W. Gardner
Gilbert Ferrelli
Carl G. Tharp
James Hinchee
William Gruber
Willis Hebb
William C. Higginbotham
Lawrence A. Ward
Hugh M. Cunningham
Dale L. Sole
Joseph L. Haynes
Charles O. Thompson

In an unusual move after jury selection, Judge Pryor called a recess. Defense attorney Zagula had requested that the judge, the jury, the attorneys, and their clients take a field trip to visit Nessly Chapel Cemetery where Mr. Daminger was alleged to have taken several neighbors to witness “the Black Mass.”
So, at about 10:30 a.m. the entire court boarded a chartered bus and headed north along WV State Route 2. The first stop on this bus trip was the old cemetery at Nessly Chapel Methodist Church located about four miles from New Cumberland.

Constructed from locally hewn stone, Nessly Chapel is a beautiful Methodist church situated along the highway. Originally built in 1826 and named for an early settler, Jacob Nessly, the church was re-built in 1902. A narrow, poorly paved road twists behind the church leading to the small cemetery where approximately 265 grave markers dot the gently rolling hillside. The graves themselves are located several hundred yards opposite the gate and can be reached by following a faint gravel track in the grass.

Reports from the time of the trial state that the cemetery was surrounded by woods and enclosed by an iron fence. Today there is a bolted gate locking out vehicles, although visitors may enter through spaces between the gate and the signposts. No reports from the time mention the gate. Then, as now, no houses or buildings, not even the road, are visible from the cemetery. [Apparently at one time there was another entrance to the cemetery located directly behind the church. One source told me that this entrance was destroyed in a landslide of some sort.]
At the cemetery, Judge Pryor first pointed out Waterford Park’s water tower which was visible above the trees about one mile away. He then asked the jurors to observe “the general surrounding area and the terrain and whether there are any dwellings or buildings thereon.” He also asked them to note the route a person would take from the entrance gate to the location of one tombstone in particular.

We could not find the stones
mentioned in this article.

That tombstone was old and weathered to the point that the letters were indecipherable. Referred to as the “Miller” stone, it had a rounded top. A forefinger carved from the stone pointed upward to the sky. [According to the cemetery record on the website at Find A Grave, there is only one grave named Miller inNessly Cemetery. That is the stone of a child named Miller, an infant boy who died February 9, 1910. He was the son of E. L. Miller & Florence J. Anderson. It is not clear if this is the same headstone mentioned during the trial.]
Judge Pryor then turned attention to a second grave marker nearby. Protruding from the top of this stone was a three inch iron rod where the stone was broken off. One report identified this as the “Manypenny” headstone. [According to Find A Grave website, there is no grave marked Manypenny in Nessly Cemetery.]

913 Grant Street as it looks
today.

The court once again boarded the bus and headed farther north to the tree lined Grant Street neighborhood in Newell where Mr. Daminger and his neighbors lived. The jury saw Mr. Daminger’s former home, a narrow, yellow painted frame house at 913 Grant Street. By the time of the trial, Mr. Daminger and his family had moved to a mobile home park on Route 8 out of concern for their safety. [possibly Red Barn Trailer Court?]
The jury took note of seven houses where the events had allegedly taken place. A large tree between Mr. Daminger’s former residence and the house next door was also pointed out. 911 Grant Street, the house next door, was identified as the home of defendants Richard and Martha McGrew. Three days after Halloween, the McGrew’s still displayed a three foot high witch riding a broomstick.

I talked to a nice lady on Grant Str.
and she told me this was the
field talked about in in the trial.

The court also toured a large field next to the Homer Laughlin China Company. Referred to as “the point,” it was there, according to the pre-trial briefs, that Mr. Daminger was allegedly seen in “embarrassing situations” with a teen-aged girl from Newell. [Clark Field?] Judge Pryor asked the jury to note the absence of lights at the location.
The court returned to New Cumberland just before noon. Opening statements in the trial were set to begin after a recess for lunch. During the recess, Mr. Daminger said that his attorney, Mr. Pietranton, would be calling twenty-two witnesses and that the defense would present 17 witnesses. Defense attorney Zagula speculated that the trial would last 3-4 days.
Reports about the number of spectators in court that day vary. It seems there were at least fifty spectators, most of whom were women. In addition, an estimated fifteen reporters from the local papers as well from the papers in Wheeling and Pittsburgh were on hand for the proceedings. At the conclusion of the trial, the story was picked up by both the AP and the UPI wire services and appeared in papers all over the country. [Sources have told me that newsmen from the New York papers, as well as journalists from Time and Life magazines came for the trial. I have not yet been able to verify these reports.]
When court reconvened and before opening statements, one of the defendants, Mrs. Jenny LaNeve, was released upon a motion from Mr. Pietranton. Through her attorney, Mr. Conklin, Mrs. LaNeve presented to the court a signed affidavit in which she denied that she had “in any way or at any time slandered Mr. Daminger, but that if she did it was purely unintentional and purely inadvertent.” Mrs. LaNeve also apologized to Mr. Daminger. There were no objections and Mrs. LaNeve was enjoined from any further proceedings.
The first witness called to the stand was Mrs. Thelma Franczek, a thirty-seven year old mother of four. Mrs. Franczek, of 920 Washington Street, was a member of the Newell Block Mothers, a group formed to protect the neighborhood children because of the lack of a police department in the community.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Zagula said the he “had no wish to revisit the Salem trials of 1693.” Nevertheless, during Mrs. Franczek’s testimony a number of strange details came to light.
THE REST OF THIS STORY WILL BE PRINTED IN THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. IT IS AN INTERESTING READ. THANKS JANE FOR GRANTING ME PERMISSION TO REPRINT IT! GREAT WORK!!!

A WITCH TRIAL IN 1969?

2011-11-08T10:14:00.001-05:00

One of the strangest stories we found about the area comes from Newell, West Virginia. It started with one of our crew members, who had an experience with a man claiming to be Frank Daminger. This crew member was given a coin by Mr. Daminger and was told it would serve as protection should they decide to ever go back into Nessly Chapel Cemetery. Despite our efforts, we could not find an explanation of what the coin means. About three weeks ago this truly awesome lady named Jane Mehaffey sent me a story she did recently about the 1969 Witch Trial called Strange Brew. I will be printing it in two parts. Mike and I went out and took pictures of the areas talked about in the story and I will be including those with the article. Even today the whole affair is something of a mystery. No one knows to this day how Mr. Daminger caused the wine bottle to fall from the tomb stone.....Wait, I am getting ahead of the story here. :)

WE FOUND FERNWOOD!

2011-11-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

This picture was taken in 1895.

Both of these pics are the same area. This one
taken in 2011.

To my total delight, we found FERNWOOD! Well, what is left of it anyway. Of course, we passed it right up and went off into the wilderness for an hour. That was funny. We ended up following the old P.L.and W. Railroad tracks for a while. Back in the middle of nowhere(where I intend to go if there is ever a Zombie Apocalypse), we finally started to run out of daylight, so we decided to go back.

And that is when we discovered this. The remains of a chimney. That and this brick lined hole in the ground is all that remains of a place where President William McKinley once spent his leisure time.

We took plenty of pics of the area. There is an old road that is still very visible to follow to get back there. I am excited to go back and just follow the road. I am hoping it leads to the two locks back in there I have not seen yet. But that is another adventure! I am looking for more information about Fernwood and will get it on here when I find it. It will definitely be in the book we are writing! Oh, that is another story, too!
Ghosts, Legends, and Old Murders in Columbiana County! Hopefully coming out in the spring or summer of next year!

G12P'S HALLOWEEN BASH!

2011-10-30T10:25:00.000-04:00

The winners of the most publicly popular contest we had
on our web site was a three way tie. Jon, Jack, and Abbie!
Thanks to all who voted!

Our Halloween Party was a smashing success! Everyone went all out to dress up and play some awesome part. We had ghouls, gangsters, Cleopatra....

The Mad Hatter, gypsies, kitty cats, Lady Gaga, a Pimp, Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas, and many more. It was a lot of fun.

Thank you so much to Becky and Jim Buren for Hosting our party in their beautiful home! It was spooktacular!

Our Crew Member Mary, who has been very ill, is getting much better and was able to attend our party! We have missed her and hope she gets to return full blast soon!

It was also our Awards Night and here are the winners and the categories:
1. QUIETEST CREW MEMBER: Alex
2. BEST AT FINDING GHOSTLY HAPPENINGS: Sena
3. BEST WITH A CAMERA:Briana
4. BEST WITH PUBLIC: Jen
5. NICEST CREW MEMBER: Debbie
6. MOST GENEROUS ON CREW: Becky
7. COMES TO THE MOST EVENTS: Will and Briana
8. MOST IMPROVED GHOST HUNTER:-Alan

9. MOST CREATIVE IN THE FIELD:Amber
10. MOST LIKED ON CREW:Mike
11. THE HILLVIEW AWARD:Lisa
12. MOST LIKELY TO GET US ARRESTED:Sammi
13. MOST LIKELY TO BE POSSESSED:Alex
14. MOST LIKELY TO GET SCRATCHED OR PUSHED:
Abbie
15. MOST LIKELY TO MAKE US FAMOUS:KIM16. BEST WITH EVP:

Kim and Amber
17. LOUDEST CREW MEMBER:Sammi
18. BEST NEWBIE: Jack
19. BRAVEST-Jon
20. MOST DEDICATED-Kim
21. MOST EXCITING CREW MEMBER-Jon
22. MOST PUBLICLY POPULAR: Jon, Jack and Abbie
23. MEANEST BITCH ON CREW-Amber (just for a joke)
24. BEST WITH GHOST BOX- Sena
25. MOST DEPENDABLE- Briana

Everyone was awards with a certificate (thanks to Lisa! Awesome work Lisa!!) Everyone worked hard this year and we are now headed into a well deserved rest for a few months. But look for one or two winter tours, a lots of stories about the things we explore in the county! We are always researching and looking for new adventures, legends and ghost stories!!!

An Awesome Tour With Venture Outdoors!

2011-10-30T09:40:00.000-04:00

Venture Outdoors!

Above is the link to the group we toured with yesterday at Gretchen's Lock! They were awesome! We lead them on an adventure along the haunted paths of what was once Sprucevale. Yes, it was cold and it was raining, but we went any way!

I love their enthusiasm! WE had to walk down this muddy,, slippery hill at one point near the hitching posts and I was worried someone would fall, but they rose to the challenge! Some even cut through the woods (smart!) to avoid the mud (but braved the weeds and stickers!). These were my kind of people!!!

The scenery was well worth our efforts. It was a beautiful, blustery fall day and we enjoyed it for what it was. We also did a Ghost Box Session where one of them had their name mentioned. We had two Julie's so we are not sure who it meant! G12P looks forward to working with Venture Outdoors again!

Halloween Fun At The Calcutta Family Video

2011-10-29T10:45:00.000-04:00

This was our last public outing for the year. We have done over 20 tours, 4 festivals, 3 parades, 3 camping trips, 1 Hill View Manor adventure, and we gained many new friends. Thanks to everyone for an awesome season!

Amber is experimenting with different types of makeup, like latex for example. She is doing awesome work!

Will, as always, provided and awesome costume for our Calcutta Family Video event. He would say it is all part of the Ghost Hunter mentality. He'd be right!

We had a great time at the Calcutta Video last night! Several people dressed up for the occasion. Amber and Briana were Zombies, Will was an escaped crazy person from Happy Hill Sanitarium, and I was a witch. We talked to people, passed out cards, and got a free movie for our trouble!

We have a lot of plans for next years season, which starts in April. Tours, festivals, contests, fundraisers, Salem Trolley Tours!!! and so much more! Over the winter look for more stories of the area as we will have plenty of time to explore and hours and hours to do research!

Tonight is G12P's Halloween Party and Awards Night. Ours is a costume party and I am going as the Mad Hatter from Alice In Wonderland. Expect Pictures tomorrow!

Our Carnegie Library Adventure

2011-10-28T10:43:00.000-04:00

Pictured above is Esther Hale(Abbie), Jake the Night Watchman (Will), Pretty Boy Floyd (Mike), a Shadow Person (Jack), and The Bowman Cemetery Witch (Debbie). I played Lucy Cobb, the Infamous Mushroom Lady of Sprucevale! I don't have any pics of me though. Anyway, we had a great time telling the tales of the county to about 20 people. Thank you Kim Blevins for inviting us. We had a great time!

Scenes From Last Night's Spooky Spring Grove Tour

2011-10-27T11:13:00.002-04:00

Lisa walked around the cemetery as a
spectre of the night!

On the Oct 26 Spring Grove Tour, we decided to put some costumed characters in there of the people we talked about. It was AWESOME!!

Sena portrayed Julia Walls, the Barrel Lady. Mike played Grover Potts, a murderer who committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest.

We also had unusual costumes like Amber with her head on backwards. She also did some kick ass make up for for the evening which is another story coming up next!!

We had phantoms roaming the grounds that provided some mild scares for those in attendance.

Once again my awesome crew were outstanding. There is a good reason why all these people are on my crew. They are dedicated, brave, don't mind getting in front of people, and patient because they put up with a lot of demands from me! Again, they are awesome!

We told the stories with a twist. Here, Becky is telling the sad tale of Annie Shamp who died from burns when her apron caught on fire. You see Amber laying on the ground. Wait till you see her makeup!

The Unknown Carnival Girl made an appearance as well (thank you Jen!) and her story was once again repeated. Even today we hope someone recognizes her!

Johnny Ashbaugh committed suicide in the 1800's and he was on hand to read his suicide letter. (Thanks to Alex!)

Abbie and Sammi roamed the cemetery as our Ladies in white! Nice job girls!

And then there were the scary ones. Jon and Jack popped out of several dark areas to give some scares! Thank you guys! You were awesome!

Becky and I gave the tour, with some help from Debbie and Will, who came as us, G12P. Becky dressed as an undertakers wife and I was a ghost of sorts. Becky puts a lot of hard work into this tour every time we give it. Without her researching skills we couldn't do this tour!

Thank you to everyone who came tonight. It was our last public tour of the year.

Tonight we are at East Liverpool Carnegie Library to tell some County Ghost Stories. That starts at 5:30 pm. This is for Children so please bring your kids and come join us for some spooky tales of the area we live in!

THE NEXT THREE DAYS AND OUR PUBLIC EVENTS

2011-10-26T09:52:00.000-04:00

We are busy for the next 4 days in truth, though Saturday is all private. Today finds us at Spring Grove Cemetery for a haunting that starts at 6pm. We are asking for donations for this long neglected cemetery today. Expect some costumed characters for this one. Tomorrow we are at the East Liverpool Carnegie Library to tell ghost stories of the county. It starts at 5:30pm. Please call the East Liverpool public library for more details. And then, Friday we are at the Calcutta Family Video from 5 to 9 for some spooking! Please come and visit us at any of these locations.

Sandy and Beaver Canal Locks 12, 11, 10, and 9.

2011-10-22T02:52:00.001-04:00

I often wondered what lock this one was. It is located on Furnace Road below Lisbon, just up from Camp McKinley. When I met John Horn of the Sandy and Beaver Canal Association, which was a pleasure, I asked him about it. I expected to hear several things, like Oh that is number 2 or that was not even on the lock system. There is this little tiny stream that runs beside it and would never work for the size of Lock this is. It is a good 20 feet high at least. So when he said Oh, that's lock number 12, I was shocked. "Are you sure!"I asked with my jaw gaping open (I was that shocked). "Yes. There are several locks above that one. 1 is gone because Rt 172 went through there, but most of the rest from 12 back are there." said John oh so pleasantly.

So last week Kim (that's me) and Mike (my husband) decided to go and look for some of these locks. At first we thought we wouldn't find any. We walked and explored the area, which is quite beautiful. All of a sudden Mike found these steps. They are right in the middle of the woods, and I couldn't get up to them fast enough! Sure enough, climbing these moss covered stairs to seemingly nowhere actually lead us to.....

Lock #11 (I think) It is more than half gone, though it is right beside the road. We took dozens of pics of it and I would have been quite happy with this. We almost stopped and called it a day, but I said we should walk a little farther up, just to be sure there were no more close. I was glad I did.

Here is Lock #10 (again I think. There are also Dams and they are different. The numbering system also has two different numbers for several locks so it is not certain what these are numbered, by me at least. This Lock is one of my all time favorites. There are still timbers and boards on the floor of this lock. I was like a kid at Christmas. It made me remember why I love discovery adventures. I know I didn't discover these, but for me they are a personal find. My goal is to get pics of all the remaining locks. One of those things on my bucket list. :)

And while still standing in Lock 10, we could see Lock 9(?). Much smaller than 10, but still a lock I had never been to. As it turns out the locks in that area are numbered 2-12. 13 and 14 were located where Camp McKinely is today. 15-21 were all along the creek running beside Lisbon, but they are all gone. Even in the 195's, when the Sandy and Beaver Canal book was written, these locks were long gone.
Tomorrow, Oct 22, there is a Sandy and Beaver Canal Event down at Lock 57, just over the PA line. It starts at noon! I am so going to be there! Hope to see you there, too!

G12P At The Salem Library

2011-10-20T12:26:00.002-04:00

Last night found us at the Salem Library. We were invited by Teresa Rhodes to come and talk about ghosts in Columbiana County. We were happy to oblige as that is our favorite topic of discussion!
Also here is a link to the Salem News where they have an article about the event as well!
http://www.salemnews.net/page/content.detail/id/547123/Local-ghost-hunters-share-stories.html?nav=5007

My crew was Mike, Sammi, Briana, Debbie, and Will.

We showed everyone a little about our equipment, told them what we did, and where we went in the county. We talked about some of our cases and some of the evidence we have found.

Will talked about our camera equipment and how it works.

Briana and I told stories about the county from Legends to unsolved murder!!!

This is Debbie talking about the temperature gage gun we just bought!

Thank you so much to everyone who came to hear us talk about the past, ghosts, legends and us! Everyone was awesome!! We look forward to doing it again!!!

Trick or Treat Times Around Columbiana County 2011

2011-10-18T00:40:00.001-04:00

Here is a link to the Morning Journal which has all the times for the county listed:

http://morningjournalnews.com/page/category.detail/nav/5172/Trick-or-Treat.html

Here are some times for Trick or Treat in the Columbiana County Area. I will add to this when I find more.

Leetonia - Monday, October 31 - 5:00PM - 7:00PM

Salem - Monday, Octobert 31 - 6:00PM - 8:00PM

East Liverpool - Monday, October 31 - 6:00PM - 7:00PM

East Palestine - Monday, October 31- 6:00PM - 7:00PM

Columbiana - Monday, October 31 - 5:00PM - 7:00PM

Have fun and be safe!!!!!

Ghost Hunter Does Not Mean Black Magic or Worshipers of Satan

2011-10-17T10:42:00.001-04:00

The question has come up once more about what we do as ghost hunters. Here are some examples of what we do in our adventures around the county. And an explanation of what we don't do.

Our version of Jack the Ripper

the ghost of Christmas Future for our Christmas Carol Parade entry

We have been

advertising our haunted and historical Lisbon Tour

seen out there dressed in a wild array of different costumes. Most of them are dark and spooky. That is because we are Ghost Hunters and we are portraying ghosts or monsters or sometimes even real characters from our past. It does not mean we worship Satan or have Satanic rituals. None of us are practicing Black Magic or going to secret places dressed in dark robes to chant.

We dress up in costumes to have fun and try to bring some of our history to life for all to see. We are all about the SCIENCE OF GHOST HUNTING. THAT IS ALL. Just in case you were wondering. :)

Tour Guides for the Salem Ghost Walk

Gretchen's Lock Tour Pic

2011-10-16T22:40:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pics from our adventure tonight at Gretchen's Lock tonight. We had a lot of great people come for the tour and they stayed to the end, even in the rain. Thank you so much to everyone who came out with us to explore Gretchen's Lock.

This is at Gretchen's Actual Lock. Everyone climbed to the top to see the possible site of Gretchen's
Grave.

Will came along dressed as his character, Jake the Night Watchman! He looked awesome, of course!

Thank you to all who came! WE hope you all had a great time! We will be at Spring
Grove Cemetery next on Oct 26 for a fundraiser tour, and on Oct 28 we are at Calcutta Family Video! Come out and visit us!!!

WE HAVE HAD TO SAY GOOD BYE TO JACKSON

2011-10-16T22:08:00.000-04:00

WE ARE SORRY TO ANY JACKSON FANS OUT THERE BUT HE HAS LEFT OUR CREW. WE WILL MISS HIM. HE TAUGHT US HOW IMPORTANT A GENEALOGIST CAN BE TO A GHOST HUNTING CREW AND WE ARE ACTIVELY SEEKING SOMEONE TO TAKE HIS PLACE. THANK YOU JACKSON FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE FOR US AND WE WISH YOU NOTHING BUT THE BEST IN YOUR FUTURE ENDEAVORS!!!

Our Salem Trolley Adventure

2011-10-16T13:41:00.000-04:00

Briana

Kimberly

To say that we had a wonderful time last night would be an understatement! IT WAS AWESOME!!!
Briana and I were the tour guides for the tour on the Salem Hisorical Society Trolley.

We took our adventurers to several sights in the city, including three haunted houses and three graveyards. We told stories of Salem and also Columbiana County.

We demonstrated a digital recorder and how we use it for EVP and also a Ghost Box. Stop after stop we made around the city.
Be Karen Biery, Salemite and author of the book
"Believe" took us back

Briana at the Brookes-Pope Mausoleum

to the days of Goldie Bell Taylor and Edwin

Coppock. Her rendition of their stories had me riveted every time I heard them. Just made my whole night!!!

Mike, Jon, Jack, Will, Abbie, Briana, Amber, and Kimberly

Thank you Briana. You worked your butt off on this one and you were great!!! I truly don't know what I would do without you.

Thank you also to Jack, Abbie,Will, Mike, Jon, and Amber. You all made sure this Trolley tour was kick ass and awesome!! G12P could not do what we do with out any of you!!

Karen Biery telling us the story of Goldie Bell Taylor.

A Beautiful Bridge on Old County Home Road

2011-10-14T22:11:00.000-04:00

I love these old stone bridges. This one you can find on old County Home Road near Guilford. This was taken earlier this year and I have been so busy I have not had much time to do anything with it.

Briana and Jackson were with me on this day and they enjoyed exploring it as much as me. We are, as always, looking for some history on this old beauty. If you know any, please pass it our way!

WE HAD TO PULL CRY BABY BRIDGE FROM OUR SALEM TROLLEY TOUR

2011-10-13T21:43:00.000-04:00

DESPITE THE FACT THAT IT IS A PUBLIC PLACE AND WE GOT PERMISSION FROM THE POLICE AND EVERY ONE ELSE WE NEEDED TO GO THERE, EVEN AT NIGHT, WE HAD TO PULL CRY BABY BRIDGE FROM OUR TOUR FOR REASONS WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER. IT ACTUALLY WORKED OUT BECAUSE WE FOUND THREE MORE HAUNTED HOUSES WE HAVE ADDED TO THE TOUR. HOWEVER, IT DOES NOT MEAN G12P CAN NOT KEEP GOING THERE AND CONTINUING OUR INVESTIGATION OF THE PARANORMAL HAPPENINGS THAT OCCUR AT THIS BRIDGE. WE HAD 3 STORIES WE WERE GOING TO TELL AND YOU WILL BE ABLE TO FIND THEM ON HERE SOON, ONE AT A TIME. FOR NOW, KNOW THAT THE TROLLEY TOUR IS STILL GOING TO BE AWESOME! SOMETIMES I THINK IT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN THIS WAY BECAUSE WE MET SOME MORE WONDERFUL PEOPLE IN SALEM (NO SURPRISE THERE!) AND FOUND EVEN MORE HAUNTED LOCATIONS FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.

HOPE TO SEE YOU SATURDAY. THE 7:30 TOUR AND THE 9PM TOUR ARE SOLD OUT, BUT THEY STILL HAVE SOME ROOM LEFT ON THE 5:45 TOUR. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!!

Following The Path That Was Once P. L. & W. Railroad

2011-10-10T01:00:00.000-04:00

Our adventure started at the coal tipple near Lock 57. Mike, Briana, and I took the path that was once the P. L. and W. Railroad. The Railroad stopped being used here in the early 60's when the old train tunnel collapsed on one end. Going back this trail you will find ,among other things, (also spelled Bever) in the early 1800's. It was a toll bridge for many years.

We were looking for at least two locks, anything that might be left of an old town called Island Run, and th.e elusive Fernwood. While We walked for 4

hours up the creek, hoping to find any one of these things. What we ultimately discovered was this lock!

After 4 hours I would have taken anything! I am not sure yet which lock this is, though but I am going to check Jerry King's web site,

http://www.sandybeavercanal.com/ and see what I can find. I am sure I will be able to identify it there. It was awesome to discover another lock. No, I don't mean I am the one who found it, but each new place I go to is a personal discovery that I add to places I have been.

This lock was blocked at both ends by debris, but inside it was still in remarkably good shape. I took about 200 pictures, as I am in no hurry to go back to it any time soon. I had to cross the creek to get to it. Not fun. Okay, fun, but scary.We will be going back again in our continued effort to find
the other lock, Fernwood,and what ever else might be back there.

The Salem Ghost Walk Was A Great Success!

2011-10-09T02:18:00.000-04:00

We had a wonderful time at the Salem Historical Museum today as we took several groups on tours of the city.
There were 14 stories on the tour and we covered everything from unsolved murder to long forgotten cemeteries.

We hope everyone liked the tour and that they plan on attending the Trolley Tour on Oct 15. There are plenty more spooky tales of Salem to tell you about!!!

The Sandy and Beaver Canal Association Presents: Legends of Lock 57 of Ohioville, PA

2011-10-07T10:45:00.000-04:00

On October 22 The Sandy and Beaver Canal Association is having an event down at Lock 57, one of G12P's favoreite Haunts!

Legends of Lock 57 of Ohioville, PA

Bring a lawn chair, have some food, and enjoy the presentations of

The Captain and The Lady,

Lokahala,

and Pretty Boy Floyd

50/50 Drawing and Gift Basket
I hear they are also having flat bottom boat rides up the creek, but not sure about that yet.
The Sandy and Beaver Canal Association
Please check out their web site! G12P will be attending this event and we hope to see you there too!!!

A Night Visit to Cry Baby Bridge

2011-10-06T02:46:00.000-04:00

We went to Cry Baby Bridge in Salem this evening to do a little investigating of the area and see what we might be dealing with. This is our second visit in as many weeks trying to determine if the area is truly haunted.

So far we have gotten one good EVP that said:
Help Me. I want to get down.
I do not know what that might mean~yet. Tonight we stood on the bridge and did one EVP Session and one ghost box session.

While we were on the bridge, two crew members heard what they thought was car tires on the pavement. They stopped at the bridge. Will was telling us later that one of the stories associated with the area was a demon car or ghost car that had been seen and heard by many people. Have you ever heard this story?

It rattled some nerves this evening and caused two crew members to want to leave. Not me. If we run every time someone gets scared, we won't learn anything. So we stayed and continued to investigate. :)

We traveled down the old forgotten road and tested the legend that if you go down the road you disappear. We didn't.

Burt it was really creepy walking down this highway long unused. The moon came through the trees lighting it up every once in a while.

So far we have got nothing picture wise so now it is on to I am eager to get started on that. Let you know what we find.on the audio.
And Thank you to Mike, Briana , Will and Jack for coming up here with me tonight.

Salem Lost One Of It's Finest In 1908

2011-10-04T23:52:00.000-04:00

I spent three years working with CCFHV (Columbiana County Families Of Homicide Victims)and learned one very valuable lesson from that. Your average Policeman is courageous, fierce, caring, unappreciated, and scorned. Yet they are the first ones you call when you are in trouble. Their job is thankless and even though they risk their lives for you every day, no one seems to care. In Hope Cemetery there lies a police officer Charles Miller. He had just been married two weeks before and this was his first night back from his honeymoon. He was a protector who was ready to give his life like so many policemen are to this day.

It was 4:30 am on April 8, 1908 and a man was on the run through the city of Salem, wanted for several burglaries that very evening. Spotted at the Pennsylvania Depot by a conductor, Officer Miller arrived first to find the suspect already on the train. Miller went after him, brandishing a billy club. He emerged from the train a few minutes later, bad guy in hand. Stepping onto the station platform, the burglar twisted around and pulled a gun from his own pocket. He laid the barrel of the gun right on Miller's Chest and fired twice. Despite his mortal wounds, Miller raised his billy club to try to stop the now killer, but his wounds were too bad and he fell to the ground. By the time help arrived, Officer Charles Miller was dead.

His death was a true tragedy for the city of Salem. The murderer of this courageous man was never captured. Charles made the ultimate sacrifice for the city of Salem. His memory eventually faded away, becoming just another stone in Hope Cemetery. But we do remember Officer Charles Miller. We do remember.

SEPTEMBER 29-THE REAL DATE ESTHER HALE WAS SUPPOSED TO GET MARRIED?

2011-09-30T14:18:00.001-04:00

If you are serious about researching an area you dig deep. You find yourself always looking for any scrap of information and you perk up if you get the slightest scrap. While I have been researching Lisbon, Salem, and East Liverpool, I have ended up in old dusty rooms with big old dusty books. In those big old dusty books you sometimes run across bits of info that contradict what we think is right today. For example,

Never fear. We don't.

I found an old story about Esther that claims her wedding day was supposed to be September 29 rather than Aug 12. Last night found us at Gretchen's Lock in the Grist Mill looking for any signs of our elusive Esther Hale. We spent over two hours doing EVP sessions and Ghost Box sessions hoping to hear from her. While we are still going over the recordings, I have already heard one EVP that says "How do you know me?"

My crew was Jack, Jackson, Sammi and Mike. They did a great job. Jack is one of our newer crew members and has taken to ghost hunting very well.

This awesome picture was taken by Sammi!s

We will be doing a video about last night soon.

Knowing the history of your area can be very helpful in finding the ghosts you seek. I was very comfortable there last night. There was no bad feelings or dread anywhere so I could have stayed in there all night and been comfortable.

We will let you know if we caught anything and hope to have the EVP I know of so far on here for you to hear.
Our next tour here is October 16 at 6pm. Bring a flashlight, camera, and recorder.

G12P WILL BE ATTENDING THE HANOVERTON GHOST WALK OCTOBER 1

2011-09-29T14:33:00.000-04:00

Ghosting 12 Paranormal will be attending the Oct 1 Ghost Walk in Hanoverton. It starts at 7:15. The Cost is $6 per person.
Here is the Hanoverton Ghost Walk Facebook Page Link:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/History-Haunts-and-Legend-Tours/232270666804829\
Hope to see you there!!

OCTOBER 19 G12P WILL SPEAK AT THE SALEM PUBLIC LIBRARY

2011-09-28T09:05:00.001-04:00

We will be at the Salem Public Library in the Quaker Room to talk about the haunted places you can find in Columbiana County, with emphasis on the haunted places around Salem. Places like Hope Cemetery, Cry Baby Bridge, and several other sites around town. If you would like more information on how to attend this event (which is FREE)

For more information stop in, call the library at 330-332-0042,or find them online at http://www.salem.lib.oh.us/

We will have posters, equipment, and maybe even a demonstration of the Ghost Box and EVP sessions! This is for Adults. Hope to see you there!

Keeping Your Crew Together

2011-09-28T00:52:00.000-04:00

We try our best to present to the world an organized and
professionall crew.

The average life span of any ghost hunting crew is about two years. There are many reasons for this. People have lives to live and sometimes things change for them. They move or change jobs or get married, etc. Sometimes there are other reasons, however. Sometimes there is a lot of bickering and arguments among crew members and that makes it rough to keep together. What we have noticed is that it sometimes gets worse after an investigation. We are no strangers to arguing amongst ourselves. And we argue over the stupidest things. Everything from who took what picture to how many comments someone makes on facebook. We have had big arguments over the color of our shirts (a couple crew members wanted PINK shirts and even quit for a short time because we opted for black or red instead.) or how many people to take on an investigation.
We get through these little altercations because we talk it out. We don't harbor it so it can fester. We have bitch sessions from time to time to clear the air and it helps. This, what I call a phenomenon, also happens between the different ghost hunting crews out there. The more you work with them the worse it gets too. We have worked with a couple of groups and staying friends with them has been difficult. Everyone has their own way of thinking in the paranormal world. Beliefs are different, to the point that it causes friction. There is also the thought that no one else is getting what your crew is getting so it should stay a secret so no one can take it or you think some other crew out there is copying you and what you have done. It may well be that we are getting the same ideas at the same time which might also be classified as a phenomenon. We also might never know though because it is so hard to work with other crews, and each other.

This is us sometimes, too. But because we are like a family,
we get through it.

So far so good for G1P. We have our differences but we are working to keep things calm and workable. Hopefully getting through this, our busiest time of the year, and then getting a break over the winter months will help out too. If your crew has problems like this let us know how you deal with them. We have to start sharing somewhere.

More pics of the Marshall Fundraiser Tour

2011-09-26T20:34:00.000-04:00

Here are a couple more pictures of the Marshall Fundraiser Tour. These two were taken by Jackson Wilson.

I Visited Cry Baby Bridge In Salem Today

2011-09-25T22:41:00.001-04:00

I took about 400 pics today at Cry Baby Bridge. This is one of them. It isn't any different then it was the last time I was there (2009). It was recently determined that a

60-year-old woman , whose body was discovered Oct. 25, 2010 by a Perry Township Police officer had been murdered. He noticed a small fire and a van in the closed off area known as Cry Baby Bridge. When he stopped to investigate, he discovered the burning body. Later tests showed
she was strangled. It is the first ever homicide for Perry Township. It is because she was burned that they had to wait so long to determine her cause of death.

October 15 the Salem Historical Society will be having a Ghost Trolley Tour of the Salem area which will include making a stop at Cry Baby Bridge. We will not be talking about above mentioned case on this tour, but Cry Baby Bridge has so many legends about it, you won't be bored! You will be allowed to explore the area for a few minutes thanks to some extra effort from Karen Beiry! Who is Karen Beiry? Author of the book about Goldie Bell Taylor called "Believe".

Karen Biery web site

More will be coming about this awesome lady! As will more pics of Cry Baby Bridge once I get them all looked at!

The Marshall Fundraiser Tour Got An Added Bonus

2011-09-24T23:27:00.000-04:00

Our turn out was poor but that is okay. A bigger group might not have been able to tour the Mega Deals Building in East Liverpool! Everyone who came got to tour the building and hear some of the new stories about it! BONUS!!!

And of course we stopped to see the Haunted Piano on the third floor. I always like paying this old relic a visit.

We even stopped later at the Hot Dog Shoppe for a cool drink before we continued on. Everyone had a wonderful time. Especially me because I love doing these things. Thank you so much to all those who came today. I hope you had as much fun as I did.

My Apology For Our Error In The Lisbon Tour

2011-09-23T12:30:00.001-04:00

The first rule when doing any research of an area is never assume anything. I am sorry to say that I broke that rule in my search of Lisbon History. This Lock Stone, outside of the old Stone Tavern says it is from Lock 27. For us today, Lock 27 is Lusks Lock out past Elkton. I took this and ran with it. I knew that Lusks Lock did have it's Lock Stone replaced and I assumed this was the old one. IT SAYS LOCK 27 in my defense. However, 100 years ago the locks were numbered differently. E. Gill had his own numbering for the locks, which does not match what we have today. According to the original Lusk's Lock Plate, it says it is number 41. You can find this information at THE SANDY BEAVER CANAL BY JERRY KING . It is complicated as I still do not understand why there is such a discrepancy, but needless to say this lock stone is from a lock that was once at the end of Market Street in Lisbon. It was not at Lusks Lock. I am still not done feeling like an idiot for this and again I do apologize. But the story of the Little Girl being buried in Lusks Lock was still a good legend to share and this Lock Stone was a good introduction for it. I will strive to get my facts straight in any future endeavors.

A Picture of the Barn That Erastus Eells Made His Coffins In

2011-09-23T11:45:00.000-04:00

This little barn (photo by Chris and Debbie) was where Erastus Eells operated his little wood working shop. Here he made cabinets and coffins. Here is also where he may have smuggled slaves out of the country by hiding them in the coffins he made and shipping them to Canada. He may have been doing this as early as the mid 1840's, long before the Civil War ever broke out. I am honored to know that our county was made by strong and brave men like Erastus Eells.

Lt. Col Johnathon Laird-Laid To Rest In His Own Back Yard

2011-09-23T11:31:00.000-04:00

One of the many stories on our Lisbon Tour was that of Lt. Col. Johnathon Laird. He was a Revolutionary Soldier, may had been involved in a few Indian Skirmishes, and might also have been involved in the War of 1812. He was also buried in his own back yard when he died in 1824. He is buried beside his daughter, Catherine Laird Kidd (which might tie into another story later). When the property he was buried on was sold in 1830, a provision was made that the graves of these two people would remain. With each sale of this property, that was always a provision. The last owner of the home that was once here was William Sexton. He sold the property to The Eagles Club (the former Joshua Hannah home) and as all their predecessors have done, they kept the grave area and maintain it beautifully. The house was torn down and the parking lot made, but the graves of Johnathon and Catherine will always be safe.

We Are Having A Tour Of Gretchen's Lock In October

2011-09-21T16:54:00.000-04:00

October 16 is our next Gretchen's Lock Tour. It starts at 6pm. As always, it is free! Please come and hear the ghostly tales of Sprucevale! Hopefully the ghosts won't follow us around, but I can't make any guarantees!

THE MARSHALL FUNDRAISER IS THIS SATURDAY! (THANK YOU CASSIDIE FOR THE COOL FLYER!!)

2011-09-20T16:36:00.000-04:00

First of all, thank you Cassidie Edwards for once again making us an awesome flyer! This is wonderful! We are having a Haunted and Historical Tour of East Liverpool on Sep 24 as a fundraiser. It starts at 4pm. Proceeds will be going to the Marshall Famly, who lost Gage and Charles in a fire on August 15. Please come and tour the city of East Liverpool and learn some of her secrets. The tour should last about 1 1/2 hours. Hope to see you there!!!

Two Events for October 22

2011-09-19T13:48:00.001-04:00

October 22 The Horsemans Club and Camp on Sprucevale is having an event that includes a Haunted Hayride. Lock 57 is having a Sandy and Beaver Canal Historical Society Event also on that day. This event include flat bottom boat rides up Beaver Creek. As soon as I get more information on both of these events, I will post them. Depending on the times of the events, G12P will be at both having fun!!!!

Looks like a truly eventful Halloween!!!!

Hanoverton's Ghost Walk October Tour Schedule 2011

2011-09-19T13:21:00.001-04:00

The October Hanoverton Ghost Walk Tour Schedule is every Saturday night in October, meeting at the Spread Eagle Tavern at 7:15 pm.

Cost is $6 per person! This is an awesome tour!

Haunted and Historical Tour of Lisbon Is Ready!

2011-09-15T23:13:00.000-04:00

If you were in Lisbon yesterday you may have seen us walking around town. Actually you couldn't have missed us because a couple of us had on a costume. Mine was pretty! We have been in Lisbon for the last 4 days straight working on what we think is an awesome tour! We have ghost stories, visit a graveyard, and climb one big hill beside the Eagles! But I think you will have a great time! Remember the tours start at 1pm. (4pm and 7pm too!) The cost is $5 per person! Also check out our booth located by the old Ivystone Lounge!

SOME NEW ARTWORK FOR G12P

2011-09-14T22:29:00.000-04:00

My long time friend, Cassidie Edwards designed this for us recently and we will be using this in our future advertising's. She is a graphic designer who does an awesome job! Her ideas are fresh and creative and we are excited that she is helping us out! Thank you Cassidie! If you are interested in contacting Cassidie, here is her email address:

casedwards@hotmail.com

G12P WILL BE AT THE JOHNNY APPLESEED FESTIVAL IN LISBON THIS WEEKEND!!

2011-09-14T14:43:00.000-04:00

G12P will be at the Johnny Appleseed Festival this weekend with a booth set up and tours of Lisbon. The tours are $5 per person and benefits both the Lisbon Chamber of Commerce and US! We are working to get funds for new costumes and equipment, so please come out and visit us this weekend!!!! We will be working on our tour tonight and you will not miss us as an dark shadowed figure may well be accompanying us!!

A LITTLE GIRL WAS ENTOMBED IN LUSK'S LOCK

2011-09-12T22:29:00.000-04:00

One of the way cool stories we uncovered at the library today concerned a little girl. Her father, Mike Lusk, was working on Lusk's Lock in 1836. He came from England along with his wife and daughter. His wife did not like being stuck out in the wilderness alone while he worked on the lock, so one day she took off and he never saw her again. She left behind their three year old daughter.

He tried to have a neighbor watch her, but she cried for her daddy all the time. Mike ended up taking her with him on the job. Sadly, she developed double pneumonia and it killed her.

Mike Lusk buried his daughter on the east side of Lock 27, hence the name Lusk's Lock. She is on the left side at the top of the stairs.

According to the book I found this story in, it included a picture and I copied it at the library. Then Mike and I went on an adventure to see what we could find.

A large flat slate stone was laid on top of her body. While Mike Lusk did return to England, he left the body of his little girl entombed in the Lock.
My initial thought was that it might be a version of the Gretchen story, but the article went on to say there were actually two girls buried in Locks for the Sand and Beaver Canal System. Gretchen and little Miss Lusk.

Research Takes A Lot Of Time~

2011-09-12T21:25:00.000-04:00

I spent 3 1/2 hours at the Lepper Library in Lisbon today. It is looking through old dusty books and any other scrap of info I can find there. Lots of times hours go by and I don't even realize it. Today was a great day for me because I found some awesome info that I am excited about. In fact the next story on here is one I found today. And you never know what you will find or where on any research mission. I will say it is all worth it. Like finding buried treasure. Buried in books. :)

Erastus Eells

2011-09-12T21:15:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite stories on the Lisbon Haunted and Historical Tour is about Erastus Eells. My buddy Briana was looking through a book in the library with me down in the history room and she found an actual picture of him! It is great to be able to see what some of the actual historical characters looked like from this county!

FERNWOOD

2011-09-09T23:03:00.001-04:00

Fernwood? What was it? That old book I found at the Library mentioned Fernwood a lot. This is a picture of the place from 1895. The picture above it is from a Bigfoot walk we did in early May of this year. I think we found the area it once was. I went on a facebook page called Historical Memories of East Liverpool and asked about it. One comment said that Fernwood was a favorite place of President McKinley to visit. It was kind of his Camp David. I am researching this place further and plan on making a second trip to the spot we found, including crossing the creek to get there. If you know anything, please email me! ghosting12@yahoo.com

GRIMMS BRIDGE IN 1895!!!!

2011-09-08T21:23:00.000-04:00

I found this awesome book in the library today. I have the title page pictured below. I got to see things I never thought I ever would in this book!! For example, Grimms Bridge in 1895!!! Awesome! Just awesome!

There are other pics from this book I hope to share once I find them and what they look like today! I have hope that there are other pictures out there of places like Hells Half Acre, Island Run, and maybe even a painting of Sprucevale (I can dream can't I!)! One of the pics I will be putting on here is of a place called Fernwood. I think I know where that is and hope to get down there soon to get pics of it!

ANOTHER STORY FOR CRYBABY BRIDGE?

2011-09-07T22:10:00.000-04:00

Melvina Kuntzman is a friend of mine from an awesome ghost hunting crew called O.A.R.A. She sent me a story she knows about Salem's Cry Baby Bridge. I am looking for more information about this story and anyone else who might have experienced this. Here is what she sent:

I was reading the stuff u had on Egypt Road and there is another story that I know and have experienced there. There is a ghost on the bridge called, The Lady of the Mist. I dont know where the name came from or who she is but if u turn on to the pull off with ur headlights facing the guard rail they have up, she comes up from the right side of the bridge and u can see her walking towards your car. I have seen her twice with in the last 10 years.

If you have ever seen anything like this please email me your story!

ghosting12@yahoo.com

A Cemetery on Rt 168 Near Industry PA

2011-09-05T20:57:00.000-04:00

Out exploring today, we found this awesome little cemetery along Route 168 in PA. It has some grave markers I have never seen. Like these, pictures left, which are shaped like old pine coffins. Totally awesome!

We were amazed at the many different types of markers that were here. It made it so very interesting walk through. The earliest grave I could find with a marker was 1817. The newest one was 1928.

Mike loves to walk through the old ones, like I do. While it has a lot that are just laying on the ground or toppled over, there are many still very readable.

We are working to find the name of it and some history on it. When I find something, I will post it. If you know anything about it, email me!! ghosting12@yahoo.com

Here is a better look at the coffin shaped stone markers found here. I thought they were amazing. I saw a smaller version of this in Grove Hill Cemetery in Hanoverton.

We are looking forward to going back when it isn't raining.
We were out looking for Wolf Run or Wolf Run Rd (we did find something, but that is another story). The Ohioville Police mentioned that area was very haunted! We hope to find it and investigate the area to find out. If you know what we are talking about, again, please email me!! ghosting12@yahoo.com

A Few More Pics From Our Hillview Manor Adventure in April

2011-09-03T00:21:00.000-04:00

Facebook Photo Album of Our Hillview Manor Adventure

Here are a few more pics of our Hillview Manor Adventure. 21 of us went at a cost of $1050 in April of this year. We had a great time and nearly all of us had some personal experience that was of a paranormal nature. For me it was the little boy Jeffery on the second floor. I was waiting by one of our cameras, alone, at the front of the children's area. It was pitch black in there and all I had was this little flashlight. Jon was telling me how to angle the camera and all of a sudden I felt like someone was right behind me. I just had this picture in my head of a little boy with a bowl haircut reaching his hand toward me with a grin on his face. I bolted back to our camera base and Jon, Amber, and Will all laughed at me. Creepy.
We met Candy Braniff and she was awesome. However, at a cost of $1050 for all of us, I don't know that we will go back any time soon. Since TAPS has been there, the price will no doubt go up.....

Looking For Bigfoot in Columbiana County

2011-09-01T21:50:00.001-04:00

This was one of our Bigfoot advenrtures during our camp out in August.
Special guest Dennis Russel; also Jack's brother, Steve!

G12P Bigfoot Hunt
GHOSTING 12 PARANORMAL INVESTIGATIONS AND HISTORICAL RESEARCH IS ALSO VERY ACTIVE IN THE SEARCH FOR BIGFOOT IN COLUMBIANA COUNTY. WE HAVE WENT ON SEVERAL EXPEDITIONS OVER THE SUMMER AND HAVE COME UP WITH SOME INTERESTING RESULTS. WE HAVE HAD SEVERAL PERSONAL EXPERIENCES AND CAPTURED A COUPLE INTERESTING RECORDINGS. ONE OF THEM IS ABOVE IN A VIDEO WE DID. WE HAVE A LARGER VERSION ON YOUTUBE AS WELL.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR BIGFOOT STORIES FROM THE AREA. IF YOU HAVE HEARD ANY OR HAVE AN EXPERIENCE TO TELL, PLEASE EMAIL ME! ghosting12@yahoo.com

Hoge’s Restaurant-A Lasting Chunk of Calcutta History

2011-09-01T21:31:00.001-04:00

You never know where you are going to find information about an area. I went into Hoge’s Restaurant in Calcutta see if they knew anything about the little buildings on the property beside them. They couldn't help me there, so I asked if there was any history on their building and they gave me a copy of the front of their menu, which has the Hoge’s Restaurant history on it. I was pleasantly surprised!
Ella and Kenneth Hoge started a small sit down restaurant with curb service on Dresden Avenue in 1945. The current owner, Pearl McHenry, started working there in 1946, at the age of 13. Business was booming and in 1947, Mr. Hoge found the current building which is Hoge’s today. While that is a story in itself, the building is what my story centers around today.
It was built in the early 1900’s and was known as the Lincoln Lodge. During the days of speak-easies and prohibition it was known as the Chatterbox. It was very popular, perhaps because you could find things like gambling, bootlegging, and prostitution there. In Calcutta? Who would have thought?!

After someone was killed at the Chatterbox (something we are researching) and also at the Club Plantation (Itchy Walker in 1940. Unsolved), the Women’s Tempest Union worked to get the township declared dry, and succeeded. That remained so until 2008.

For a while the building was a market and a feed store when it was bought by Paul Estop. He would grind his own flour and feed in the back building. That brings us back to 1947 when Mr. Hoge bought the building and turned it into Hoge’s Restaurant. In the 1950’s it was a very popular place for family nights out, after football games or dances too!

Today it is owned by Don and Pearl McHenry, who bought it from the Hoge’s in 1969. Considering Calcutta hasn’t got much of their historical buildings left, I think that makes this one an awesome place to visit. There is even a large stone fireplace in the dining room!
Of course, it does help that their food is excellent and so is the service!

Interesting Pics From Our August Camp Out

2011-08-31T20:56:00.000-04:00

This is just visually awesome! The Camera caught the sparks coming from the fire and it remnds me of fireworks. Jon seems to attract this stuff, as the next few pics will indicate.

This is Jon and Jackson talking on one of our adventures into the unknown after dark. The orb between them is so cool! No doubt it is dust, but it makes for a truly awesome picture!!

Again, Jon has orbs in his picture. One is a moving orb and red too. Does it mean it is a spirit? Of course not. But it looks great in the pic
!

This last picture is still another moving orb. Seeming to be hovering over Jon and Jack, I wondered as I searched our over 400 pics we took over the weekend whether or not Jon or Jack picked up a friend on one of their escapades. Interesting notion.

We are talking about going one more time to camp at Gretchen's , though it will depend on the weather and how fast it gets cold out. I will say it is so relaxing in that area, even when we are ghost hunting, the general attitude is calm and fun. We plan on camping down there a lot next year for sure!

EERIE EGYPT ROAD IN SALEM OHIO

2011-08-30T16:26:00.000-04:00

Egypt Road in Salem, Ohio is best known for the infamous Cry Baby Bridge. Not only was a young woman supposed to have thrown her baby over the side of the bridge, but also there are rumors of Satanic Worship that is supposed to go one somewhere along this back woods kind of road. There are also other stories.

A drive along this sparsely populated area shows you several empty or deserted houses. One had damage from a terrible fire, which was sad because it looked to be a century home.

This one to the right was just empty and over grown with weeds. Certain parts of the road was also unsettling my ghost hunters senses. I definitely want to return to the area soon with a digital recorder and a ghost box, if I can find an area with no ZOMBIES.

That's right. ZOMBIES. Certain parts of Egypt Road are said to be populated with the undead. Supposedly, if you stop your car and shut off the engine and sit quietly for a few minutes, the undead come out of the woods and surround your car. Who in his right mind would do that?

Another tale talks of a young couple who found a great place to park for a while, somewhere along this road. The boyfriend needed to use the restroom so he left his lovely girlfriend waiting in the car. She waited. And waited. And waited. A slight rubbing sound kept coming from the roof after a while and she thought a squirrel or some other animal might be on the roof. She finally got out of the car to see where her boyfriend went. To her horror he was hanging by his feet from a rope tied to an over hanging branch. His dangling hand with his class ring kept sliding across the top of the car. His throat had been slit!

This one sounds like an urban legend, but it is still pretty scary! If you have any stories about this haunting road in the Salem area, please share them! We are working on a tour of Salem using the Historical Society's Trolley, so any stories you know would be great! Email me! ghosting12@yahoo.com

Our August Camping Adventure

2011-08-28T23:52:00.000-04:00

Our camping adventure was AWESOME!!! As always we had a wonderful turnout and the weather just loved us!

We went ghost hunting all over the park, and Bigfoot hunting too! We did ghost box sessions and particularly good luck over by the Runestone. I was just loving it!

We met up with a family while out there and showed them around the park with a Mini Tour. We did several ghost box sessions with them and had the greatest success! They were pretty awesome!!

These are my die hard ghost hunters. Pam, Jon, Ethan, Jackson, and Jack. We were out both nights till well after 4 am hiking through the woods and looking for anything that went bump in the night. Good job guys!

We also went hiking along the cliffs (Jon, Jack, and me). They were beautiful and more will be coming about them soon!. It was like being in Grand Canyon!

Here is my wonderful amazing, and awesome crew! We are missing a few of us here, but we hope to have them back soon!

We had special guest Dennis Russel, a long time ghost hunter from this area that now lives in Columbus! Also, Steve Payne, Jacks brother. Thanks guys for tagging along with us on our Bigfoot quest for the day!

We were also joined by a young man named Ethan! He was an awesome ghost hunter that we have hope to hunt with again! Good job Ethan! They don't come much braver than you!

Jon is as fearless as it gets. He is standing on the edge of a cliff and is not even worried about it.

We even checked out the bridge that is said to be haunted by Esther Hale. We were all over it, above and below. I had Jackson, Abbie, Zack and Pam to help me!

This is meant to give you a rough idea of the cliffs we were exploring. I was having a blast traveling the path below them and enjoying the beautiful scenery. It looks like we may go one more time this fall. End of September or beginning of October is looking good.

Our next public event may be a fundraiser tour of East Liverpool this Saturday at 3pm. We are donating all proceeds to the Marshall family, who lost Charles and Gage in a fire on August 15. More information coming very soon!!

A Ghostly Legend For Leetonia

2011-08-24T20:31:00.000-04:00

This is Pam and Will standing beside the sign for Mount Calvary Cemetery near Leetonia, Ohio. We went to check it out because Will had heard an interesting legend about the area. (Will grew up in Salem)

Once upon a time on this road, somewhere around Grafton and Lisbon Road, a young girl was hitch hiking. No one is sure who she was or where she came from, but she was hit by a car supposedly in this intersection and killed instantly. A few years

later, reports started coming in about a young girl hitch hiking along this road. She would be picked up by a friendly passer by and she would tell them what house she was looking for. They would attempt to take her there, but when they reached the destination, she had vanished from inside their car.

This has apparently happened several times. Others claim she haunts Mount Calvary Cemetery, as the accident may have happened right in front of it.

We walked around and read many of the stones in this little cemetery. None seemed to match the story of this girl. We could not find any unknown graves, though there were many graves unmarked. If she is buried here, we have not found her, yet. If you know anything about this story, please email me! mailto:ghosting12@yahool.com

Jacob Grimm-Namesake for Grimms Bridge

2011-08-23T21:56:00.000-04:00

Jacob Grimm was born in Hesse-Casel, Germany, in 1761, and came to this country when very young. He died in 1843 and is buried in Calcutta, Ohio.(I have not found this grave yet for sure, though the whole family seems to be buried at Longs Run.) He was hired to England during the Revolutionary War as one of the Hessian troops. Falling in love with America and its ideals, he deserted the Hessian's and joined the 23rd Regiment commanded by Gen. George Washington. He also later fought with Jackson at New Orleans, La. Eventually, along with two other families, he built a flat bottomed boat and sailed the rivers, ending up at the mouth of Beaver Creek. Jacob went to work for John Beaver, carrying chain for a surveying gang. Not being satisfied with this work he went with John Spear and learned the paper maker’s trade. He helped make the first paper that was sent to Philadelphia and later made into readers and school books. It was during this time that he acquired 160 acres of ground, which was on both sides of the Beaver Creek (at one time was called the Spahr Farm). He lived to be 82 years old and was always very active. Grimm’s Bridge was named in honor of him.

This grave site may belong to Jacob Grimm, though the letters are too worn to see for sure. I will keep looking and hope to find something for certain in the near future.

AN OLD HOUSE ON ANNESLEY ROAD

2011-08-22T20:59:00.000-04:00

You will find this beauty on Annesley Road. After months of passing this house, I finally stopped and just asked the owners about it. They were really nice about it. They even took me inside for a tour. :)

There were two fireplaces. No one has lived in it for years. It was once a farm house and there was a whole farm there with a barn and out buildings. It was long before Route 11 was built.

It was owned by a nice couple for years. The Husband died and the Wife rented it out for several years. She finally decided to live in it, so she started having it renovated. Tragically she was killed in a car accident before she could move in.

Here it has sat, ever since. No one else ever lived in it, or so I am told. I am looking for more information on this house and this story.

It was awesome getting to walk through it and take a few pictures. We couldn't go upstairs, but the threat of bees and bats was enough to keep me down stairs. Still the feel of the house was old and mysterious.

One of my favorite things about this house was the old curtains hanging in the windows. They have been hanging there for years and truly match the house. It was kind of the icing on the cake. If you know any stories about this old house please email me! ghosting12@yahoo.com

Investigating The Cherry Valley Coke Ovens in Leetonia with Xtreme Paranormal

2011-08-21T21:42:00.001-04:00

We had a great time with Xtreme Paranormal, despite the rain today as we explored the Leetonia Cherry Valley Coke Ovens! Bill, Devon, Jim and John were there along with their friend Danielle. We thank them so much for coming along with us and providing us with some great information about the area!

The Cherry Valley Coke Ovens are simply awesome! For me it is like going to so far off land that you would find knights, dragons, and elves running around! (Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite movies ever!!)

Here Jon is crossing the old train tracks, and very nimbly I might add. I don't know how deep the water is, but Jon had no problems crossing here.

We were also joined by Nicole and Carol who happened to come for a visit while we were there. They joined us in some of our investigating. Thank you ladies!

The Cherry Valley Coke Ovens are an awesome place to visit here in the county. While it is undecided as to whether it is haunted or not, the beauty of the area is a feast for the eyes, making it well worth a visit!!

Thanks XTREME PARANORMAL for having us up. We look forward to a night time investigation of this haunting area!
For more information on Xtreme Paranormal here is there web site:
http://xtremeparanormalsociety.yolasite.com/

Family Video Was An Awesome Event!

2011-08-20T01:37:00.000-04:00

We set up at Family Video today and told some of the local stories as well as showed off some of our equipment. Jackson came dressed as a Quaker preacher and little Madison came dressed as a little ghost. It was a great time.

I t was Family Video's one year anniversary. They had balloons, cake and fruit punch as well as free face painting.

We had our Bigfoot expert, Amber, there to answer any Big Guy questions too!

Madison was awesome as a cute little ghost wandering the isles.

We had our camera system set up and recorded several areas of the video store.

For G12P we had a nice turn out and every one had a great time! Abbie and Sammi grossed us out by getting giant pickles and sticking straws in them and drinking the pickle juice. YUCK!!!

We look forward to doing this again for some of the future movies coming out. Thank you to Family Video for having us to help with your birthday celebration! We love that you are here and hope you stay around for a long time!
Look for us at Gretchen's Lock on Aug 26 and 27 as we are camping there for the third time this summer! We have a blast every time we go! Searching for ghosts and Bigfoot is awesome down there!

The Marshall Family Needs Our Community Support!

2011-08-18T19:23:00.002-04:00

Mike and I stopped at Giant Eagle today and saw a bake sale going on. We found out it was for the Marshall Family who had suffered the horrific loss of Charles and Gage earlier this week in the fire on Cannon's Mill road. The funeral costs are about $10,000 and they could sure use some community love and support! In the next few days they are setting up a checking account to accept donations and as soon as I can get this information, I will post it here.

G12P will be having a fundraiser tour of East Liverpool in the next two weeks (date and time to be posted soon!) and all proceeds will be given to the Marshall Family. If you see them out there please help them out by buying some of the awesome bakery goods they offer or just donating!

CALCUTTA DOES HAVE SOME HISTORICAL BUILDINGS OUT THERE STILL....

2011-08-17T18:03:00.000-04:00

You have to look, but sprinkled around the Calcutta area are a few buildings that are over a century old. This one, located off of rt 172, stands empty for now. I hope it has a story to tell that I can find. It is old houses like these that adds charm and character to a city or town. Who built this house and lived, loved, and possibly even died here?

This next house comes with a garage and an awesome little barn. It is also empty, but the house is beautiful. The porch foundation is made from cinder block but the house itself has a cut stone base. Definitely 1800's. It has a wonderful view of the Calcutta area and has witnessed the constant growth and change that Calcutta is going through. It once had a front row seat just about for the many movies that played at Sky View Theater. What is the story of the people who lived, loved and maybe even died here?

This house sits along East Liverpool Road. Behind it there are several little tiny houses or apartments. There used to be a lot of little businesses like this in the area. I can remember one on rt 45 going toward Salem once upon a time. It is long gone. I do not know anything about what this was or the type of people who stayed here. Workers? Travelers? Who built this house and lived, loved, and possibly even died here?

This little tiny house sits on Irish Ridge Road. It has a long row of old license place on the outside beside the door. I don't think any one lives there now, but it is so small and unusual it must have a story. Who built this house and lived, loved, and possibly even died here?

This one I managed to find a little bit about. It is called the Old Gaston Farm. It sits on Franklin Street. I think it was built around the 1850's. The house beside it used to be the Milk house though no cows were ever in it. Below this house used to be orchards. Was it the Gaston Family who built this home? At least with this one I have a name to work with. Research will continue.

This house sits on Cannons Mills Road , right beside the old Adrians Banquet hall. I think my third grade teacher, Mrs. Shipley used to live there, but they moved long ago. Definitely a century home, what is its story? Like the other homes,

The little houses along East Liverpool road.

who built this house and lived, loved, and possibly even died here?
If you have any information on these buildings you would like share, please email or leave a comment. There has to be some interesting stories about these buildings. I would love to find them before everyone who knows them is long gone, like so many of the old buildings that was once Calcutta.

The Three Witches of Lipply Road Had One Of Their Grave Stones Stolen.

2011-08-14T20:55:00.001-04:00

Picture taken by Angel and Steve.

I have been to Lipply Road a few times now and have yet to find these Grave Stones. I do not believe this to be the final resting place for witches at all, but simply three people of German descent. HOWEVER there are many who feel there is something paranormal about this site. So much so that someone has stolen one of the three grave markers that was there. I received this info in an email from someone in that area, though I have not confirmed it myself. The same emailer told me there is a reward for the return of the stone( I don't at this time know the amount), so if you know where it is, consider helping the owners of the property that these people are buried on to get the stone back. If you are the one who stole it, please give it back. Everyone deserves to have at least that one stone that tells the world they were once alive and had a life. One of these stones marks the grave of a young mother who died in child birth. Family plots were very common and most likely that is what this little grave area is. A simple family plot, holding the remains of people who were loved and later greatly missed. They deserve the right to REST IN PEACE.

Salem's Grand Parade Was One Of Our All Time Favorite EVents!!

2011-08-14T01:37:00.000-04:00

We had an awesome time at the Salem Grand Parade! This was our first year there and only our second parade ever, but we are getting better!! Our Float was draped in black cloth and peppered with pretty silk flowers, trying to look like a funeral coach. Our pull vehicle was decorated like a Lock for the Sandy and Beaver Canal. Our Legends included Lucy Cobb, The Captain, Gretchen, Esther, Jake, Little Davide, The Bowman Cemetery Witch, Christina Sloan, the Young mother of Cry Baby Bridge, Erastus Eels, and the Captain of Grimms Bridge.
Mike was our driver and Jackson, Jon, James, and I walked along side the float giving out dumdum lollipops!

Abbie was our Esther, Makayla was our Gretchen, Will was his usual Jake, Pam was the Bowman Witch, JoAnne was the Mushroom Lady, Kar was the Captain of Grimms Bridge, Jack was Erastus Eels, Zack was Little David, and Briana was the woman of Cry Baby Bridge.

Everyone worked hard to pull this off and we had a wonderful time! Salem is a great place to visit and is full of the coolest history! You will see us there again on October 22 and 23 giving Haunted and Historical Tours! Hope to see you there!!!!

Aug 12 at Gretchen's Was Crazy Busy!

2011-08-14T01:16:00.000-04:00

We had more than 60 people on our Ghost Tour of Gretchen's Lock Friday night. It was an awesome adventure!

Our walk back to Gretchen's Lock was long because we had a lot of people, but well worth it. We met lots of wonderful people who were hoping to catch a glimpse of a ghost.

We told all the usual stories and had ghost box and EVP sessions in the Grist Mill afterward.

The pics were great but no one saw Gretchen or Esther. That was a bummer.

Those in attendance included Will, Briana, Jon, Amber, Lisa, Jack, Abbie, Alex, Becky, Maria, Pam, Jackson, Mike, and me.

And at least 15 brave souls were brave enough to go into the Mill.

We had an awesome time and hope to do it again very soon!!! We will be camping down at Gretchen's Lock once more on Aug 27 and 28! Come down and see us!

DON'T FORGET THE GRETCHEN'S LOCK TOUR ON AUGUST 12!

2011-08-09T20:50:00.000-04:00

WE WILL BE TOURING GRETCHEN'S LOCK ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 AT 7PM. WALKING BACK TO GRETCHEN'S LOCK, SEEING THE OLD EQUIPMENT, LOOKING FOR SHADOW PEOPLE, DOING EVP SESSIONS AND GHOST BOX SESSIONS, TAKING PICTURES, AND WAITING TO SEE GRETCHEN OR ESTHER ON THEIR ONE DAY OF THE YEAR-AUGUST 12!

EVERYTHING IS FREE. BRING A FLASHLIGHT, PLENTY TO DRINK, AND A CAMERA AND DIGITAL RECORDER IF YOU HAVE THEM! MEETING IN THE BACK PARKING LOT!!!

Remembering Three Missing Persons In Columbiana County

2011-08-07T21:39:00.000-04:00

This is Tracy Hill and she has been missing since June 7, 2001. This year makes ten years that her family has been left wondering what happened to her.
Ten years. A decade. Where is she? What happened to her? Why is it that no one can find her?

Louise Davis has been missing since June 21, 1979. Thirty years. She has been gone over thirty years. Where could she possibly be that no one can find her? Her parents died never knowing what happened to her.

And this is Gene Lysle. He has been missing since June 13, 2004. He has been gone for 7 years. As with the other two above, where is he that no one can find him? They are missing. Their families do not know where they are. Every day they wonder. I can not even imagine what these families have been through.

I just wanted to remind you that Gene, Louise and Tracy are out there somewhere. They are missing and their families desperately want to find them. Please keep them all in your prayers.

2011-08-07T12:26:00.001-04:00

TOUR INFO FOR GRETCHEN'S LOCK TOUR ON AUG 12!

WE ARE HAVING A TOUR OF THE GRETCHEN'S LOCK AREA ON AUG 12. IT STARTS AT 7PM! IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE DOWN THERE FOR A GLIMPSE OF GRETCHEN OR ESTHER, MIGHT AS WELL FIND THE BEST PLACES TO DO IT! WE WILL ALSO BE DOING SOME GHOST HUNTING WITH EVP SESSIONS AND GHOST BOX SESSIONS ALSO. AND IT IS FREE!

ACHOR VALLEY CEMETERY AND THE BROKEN 150 YEAR OLD GLASS

2011-08-07T02:24:00.001-04:00

I am about to Bitch. Tonight we went to Achor Valley cemetery on Carmel Achor road near Negley. We have not been out there since February I think. The church there is long abandoned, and very old. It has a beauty that goes with an old cemetery. It is one of my most favorite places to go in the county for Ghost Hunting purposes. The spirits there are gentle and have a great sense of humor. Even tonight we laughed at some of the things we heard during tonight's Ghost Box sessions. The church itself was built in the mid 1800's. Despite the fact that it is abandoned, it is still a church and should be respected.

The windows should be left alone, though I am sure there are some truly stupid people who will just keep on knocking them out until they are gone. How sad that our history means nothing to them. And for those who knocked the windows out, I wonder what might have followed you home because of it. :/ Wouldn't want to be you.......

Working on our Float for the Grand Parade in Salem, Ohio

2011-08-05T17:02:00.000-04:00

We are steadily working on our float for the Grand Parade in Salem, Ohio. Several of our Legend Characters will be on this float, including Gretchen, Esther, and Jake the Night Watchman! We need plain white sheets, if any one has any they would like to donate to us. We are draping our pull vehicle with the sheets and drawing on them. Please email me if you have any you would like to donate! ghosting12@yahoo.com

Looking For Salem History

2011-08-04T21:59:00.000-04:00

I spent over three hours in the library today.
There is this awesome room downstairs of the Carnegie Library filled with books that are over 100 years old. Yes, they are dusty, but filled with pictureyou can find little tidbits of facts and stories long forgotten. The problem is finding these little bits of info. That requires hours of research. For me, it was three hours plus of digging today.

The former High School in

Salem rivals the Central School. in East Liverpool in Gothicness! Oh I wish I could have walked these halls, even just once! How sad that this beautiful building was torn down!

Or this one! This one is gone as well (as far as I know) and I wonder where the bell is that was once in the Bell tower. Are there any real pictures of it rather than drawings? This will require still more digging. Perhaps when we return to Salem next week we will be able to track down some answers to these and many other questions.

I also found maps with so many different items on it. Here you see Friends Cemetery outlined. It also looks like Ellsworth was once called Range Street. Hmmmm....

We are working on a tour of Salem for the end of
September or beginning of October and we are looking for any ghost stories you might have about this little town steeped in history. Email me! ghosting12@yahoo.com

Is Southern Local Haunted?

2011-08-04T00:18:00.000-04:00

While at the Salt Festival, several people told stories of Southern Local High School being haunted by two different ghosts.

On story details the tragic death of a young man who was leaving school one day and wrecked his vehicle as he was speeding past the front of the building. Apparently decapitated, he now walks the halls of the high school, watching over the students. One person said he has been seen wandering along the road in front of the school. Several people supposedly stopped on different occasions to see if the young man needed help and he would simply vanish as they tried to speak with him.

Another story talks of a little girl in pioneer dress walking the hallways of the high school as well. Many theorized she was there long before the school was built.
Have you ever had an experience of a ghostly nature in this school, on the high school side? Email me please and let me know!

Interesting Sites In Chester West Virginia

2011-08-03T23:52:00.000-04:00

I was surprised to find another Central School in the area, though the only thing left of it is this bell. It is a play ground now. If there are any pictures of this school out there, please, someone direct me to them! ghosting12@yahoo.com

Then there was this house a few streets over from the site of the old school. What catches my eye is the weather vain. It is very large and very eye catching. Does it have a story? What of the house it watches over? Was it once some one's home? It seems to be an apartment building now. Are there any interesting stories about this building out there? Email me!

Another Legend Out of the Wellsville Area!

2011-08-02T22:36:00.000-04:00

We had a private investigation in Wellsville last week and while we were there, we heard another legend about the area that we are now looking for more info on. We were in the Wells Hollow area and they talked about a woman in a wedding dress being seen several times along the road in that area. They claimed she was a bride that had been killed somehow on her wedding night, possibly in a car accident along that road or a road around that part of Wellsville. Is this a story you have heard before or know anything about? email me! ghosting12@yahoo.com

ANOTHER AWESOME CAMPING WEEKEND AT GRETCHENS

2011-08-01T23:00:00.000-04:00

Here are a few views of this past weekend at our Gretchen's Camping adventure. We had about 20 people who attended and it was a blast!

We went on two Bigfoot hunts and honestly those are so fun to do! We put out bait for our big furry friend in the hopes that he will make an appearance. Of course he hasn't, so we keep busy doing other things.

We did a lot of hiking this time and exploring of places we haven't seen well before. Jack, Zack and Abbie got the full treatment this weekend, experiencing snakes, ghosts and a scary cry deep in the woods that we wondered about. We cooked hot dogs, ate smores, and played games likes Taboo and Fact or Crap. I don't think anyone slept longer that 4 hours at a time.

On our Bigfoot runs we practiced on any foot prints we could find to measure and study a little. This track was 5 inches long and 3 1/2 inches wide. Definitely a dog but a very big dog for sure!!
Our adventures took us all over the park and we loved every minute we were there.

We decided to go one more time this summer. You will find us down there on August 26 and 27. If you would like to come and hunt some ghosts with us then you are welcome.

Amber and Sena will be there just like this time. We have braved the rain, cool nights, super hot days, ghosts, and looking for Bigfoot. It would seem we just can not get enough! :)