8/3/2005 12:45:00 PM Ghost hunters conference here in November
This photo was taken last year at the Commander's House at Fort Worden State Park. Tomasina Doran of Seattle Ghost Investigations, who said Fort Worden is definitely a "haunted" place, believes this photo represents paranormal activity. Photo courtesy of Tomasina Doran, Seattle Ghost Investigations
Ghost hunters are looking for Port Townsend stories prior to the third annual Pacific Northwest Ghost Hunters Conference, Nov. 11-13 at Fort Worden State Park.
About 300 people are expected to register for the conference sponsored by the Amateur Ghost Hunters of Seattle-Tacoma (AGHOST). It's the first time the conference has been staged outside of Seattle.
"Given the rich history, legend and beautiful Victorian buildings – elements lending themselves to stories of ghosts, haunted locations and unexplained mysteries – it comes as no surprise that the largest and most technologically advanced ghost-hunting group in the Pacific Northwest has chosen Port Townsend as the location for its third annual Ghost Hunting Conference," said Joe Teeples, organization vice president.
AGHOST conducts paranormal research using basic investigative tools such as cameras (35 mm and digital), audio and video recording devices, Geiger counters and electromagnetic field indicators, as well as computerized surveillance equipment and infrared motion sensor cameras.
AGHOST does not charge for its services. Members also appreciate that not everyone living in a "haunted" building wants to be researched.
"We are very sensitive to those who do not want to be bothered with ghostly investigations, and we respect privacy," Teeples said.
Share stories
AGHOST does want to hear from property owners or visitors regarding any haunting.
"We'll research them, and if people want us to do an investigation, we do have open schedules between now and then," Teeples said. Ideally, one or two local stories could be investigated for conference review.
Reports should include the location of the incident, a brief description of the incident, and a point of contact that investigators can make to obtain more information.
"Interest is picking up in Port Townsend, and folks are starting to open up about their ghostly experiences," Teeples said after a recent visit.
Fort Worden
Fort Worden has various stories of mysterious noises and more, from the JFK Building to Officers' Row, Alexander's Castle to NCO Row. Manresa Castle is on the list and hosts the conference-opening event Nov. 11. Manresa and Palace Hotel are offering a discount to conference registrants.
"If you ask if they have any ghost stories, the front office manager will show you the file that has been kept for years with details of ghostly occurrences," Teeples said of The Palace. "As recently as June 2005, a visitor walking down the main stairway felt 'something brush against the back of my neck,' and when photographs were taken they revealed the presence of orbs in that area."
Cemetery 101
More details on how to register for the "Ghost Hunters Getaway" can be found at www.aghost.us, or call Ross Allison at 253-203-4383. The educational weekend costs $50 to cover expenses. The schedule includes:
• Nov. 11 (7 p.m.) Meet with featured guest Tamara Thorne, author/ghost hunter, at Manresa Castle.
• Nov. 12 (9 a.m.-11 p.m.) Classes, lectures and seminars in the USO Building at Fort Worden. Classes include Electronic Voice Phenomenon, Spirit Photography, Our Strange Death, Ghost Pets, Contacting The Dead, and Ghost Hunting 101.
• Nov. 13 (11 a.m.-10 p.m.) Tours around town. Subjects include This Haunted Fort, Cemetery 101, Military Cemetery 101, and Haunted Port Townsend.
Reader Comments
Posted: Friday, September 05, 2008
Article comment by:
John Shaw
Hi. My name is John shaw. The weekend of your conference, my band and I were in the palace hotel, in Marie's suite. At around 3 am, my friends and I saw a shadow figure walk around the room, walk between my self and and my friend Tim. We both saw it plainly. We also had a pizza box sitting open on the mantle. We watched the lid of the box VERY slowly close. I saw your web site and wanted to tell about this. I personally have never seen any thing like this. But all three of us saw the same thing at the same time. Pretty cool huh.
Posted: Thursday, August 21, 2008
Article comment by:
Daniel Barry
On July 22, 2008 a group musicians including myself and a recording engineer spent the day recording improvised music in the cistern on the grounds of Fort Warden. It was an amazing session, but I was even more amazed when I viewed the photos that I'd taken inside the cistern. Some are literally filled with celestial type orbs. I am a professional musican and only an amateur photographer but I do have a dozen or so remarkable photos. One digital photography professional that I've shown these to has no idea what they are. I sense that the vibrations occurring in the remarkable acoustic environment has some role in this occurance. I'm in touch with the folks at Centrum about duplicating the musical performance. I'd like to see if we can't call the orbs at will. Interested?
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