“Ghosts Are People Too”
By Christopher Miller
“Haunted by the past” is a great way to explain the Clinton County area. Of course when I say “haunted” I mean that the area is haunted in a good way. One local group has taken something that seems to be all over the television today and turned it into a hobby of sorts.
The Lock Haven Paranormal Seekers (LHPS) were formed in 2007 by Kathleen Morton and Karen Fye, who wanted to create a team to scientifically investigate the paranormal. The word “scientific” is key to their investigations, where as Lou Bernard explains, “a professional investigation will not involve screaming or running around, it’s much calmer than they show on TV…a lot less dramatic.”
Though they recruited other team members over the years, two of the originals are still with the team. Current team members and titles are: Lou Bernard, Field Leader, Millie Crawford, EMF Investigator, Ashlin Cronmiller, Investigator, SaraLee Forsberg, Case Manager, and Katelynn Wolf, Investigator.
The team’s first investigation took place in Cameron County. A great deal of professional research and scientific investigation takes place when conducting an investigation. “Homes, or businesses that invite us in receive a historic title (deed) search, plus video, audio, and other scientific tests,” explained Lou.
Credibility plays heavily in the industry of paranormal investigator, and as Lou explained, they are “probably the most reliable team Clinton County has ever had.” “We don’t make claims we cannot prove,” Lou stated. “If I say someone died in a house, I can show you a document…if we say we think a house is haunted, we can show you photos or video to back up our claims.”
Research also plays heavily into the investigation. The research formally begins with an address and deed search at the courthouse, then names are pulled from the deeds and cross referenced with the Ross Library’s historic and genealogic card catalog name search. Sprinkle in some searching through old city directories, obituaries, and cemetery records and you’ll have a thorough record of the people who lived in your home. Then you will most likely find out who, if anybody, died in the house, and formulate a list of residents that are believed to be the best candidates to be haunting the property.
The team consists of SaraLee Forsberg, who is an empath, and tries to gather information based on what she is feeling during an investigation. “To her credit, she refuses to look at the historic research first, so she can test herself and see if her feelings match up with the provable documentation,” Lou explained.
When asked, what should I do if I think I see or encounter unexplained activity in my home, Lou simply states, “call us.” “First check everything – if you have a sound, check for rodents, creaky stairs, wind, try to rule our other explanations first and document as much as you can – when you hear the sound, what it sounds like, date it happened, the time…then call and tell us what is going on…we will make an appointment and investigate.”
But what do you do if you are convinced that your home is haunted, and the evidence points to that as well? As Lou says, react calmly and rationally, with a sense of interest. “Looking into these things can be interesting and fun, and it is possible to learn a lot while doing it!” The way Lou reacts to the paranormal is with curiosity, and a sense of adventure. “It’s exciting to look into these things and find the answers, even if the mysterious sound turns out to be a loose floorboard, it is interesting to go through the process and find that out.”
Do not be afraid! “We are taught to interpret these things as being hostile, every movie and TV show about ghosts suggests that they want to hurt you when in reality, it isn’t like that,” Lou explains. “A small child who died of typhoid, for instance, has no reason to want to hurt anyone.”
To contact the Lock Haven Paranormal Seekers, find them on Facebook, or simply send an email to lhpsteam@gmail.com. There is no fee, and as Lou says, “I encourage everyone to be suspicious of anyone who charges for investigations.”
