Ghost Hunting Groups Becoming Popular

Television "Reality Shows" Fuel Popularity Of Paranormal Investigations And Eliminations

(AP)  As midnight approached, a grassy field where the old train depot once stood pulsed with activity.

About 90 people tiptoed around night-vision cameras atop tiny silver tripods and dodged remote sensors connected to a computerized surveillance system. They waited for the Lincoln Ghost Train, which some people believe passes through this western Ohio city on the anniversary of the 1865 trip that carried the president's body to Springfield, Illinois, for burial.

Ghost-hunting groups around the country are swelling with members - their popularity fueled by television shows, the Internet and the increasing availability of high-tech equipment.

"Academics pooh-pooh all of this usually," said Julieanne Phillips, an assistant professor at Urbana University who invited the ghost hunters and organized the vigil that also included about 80 students and residents. "I'm hoping for some vindication that there might be some type of paranormal activity surrounding this."

On this April night, there wasn't.

"Ghost reality shows have really opened the door for people to get involved themselves," said James Willis, founder of The Ghosts of Ohio, the group watching the tracks for the paranormal train.

The airwaves are populated with shows such as "Ghost Whisperer," "Medium," "Paranormal State" and "Ghost Hunters."

Viewership of "Ghost Hunters," a reality show on the SCI FI Channel that chronicles investigations by The Atlantic Paranormal Society, or TAPS, has doubled since it debuted in 2004 - growing from 1.3 million viewers to 2.6 million.

The Rhode Island-based society currently has about 80 affiliates in 44 states, twice the number of affiliates it had two years ago. And there are about 800 individual members within those affiliates, up from 300 three years ago.

"Thank God for the 'Ghost Hunters' on SCI FI," said Patti Starr, founder of the Lexington, Kentucky-based Ghost Chasers International. "Through that show, I think people see we are really serious about what we do, and they've raised the bar."

Even the U.S. Air Force has gone along, inviting "Ghost Hunters" to investigate reports of unusual occurrences at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton. The episode showed a flashlight turning on by itself and unexplained knocks and door-closings.

Other groups are feeling the surge of interest in ghost hunting.

A Midwest Haunting, based in MaComb, Illinois, offers October tours of buildings, cemeteries and other sites it has investigated and believes to be haunted. The number of people taking the tours has tripled, jumping from about 600 in 2006 to 1,800 last year.

Forty of the 60 people who attended a recent dinner in Erie, Pennsylvania, that featured the Paranormal Study and Research Group asked if they could join the group or tag along on ghost hunts. A year earlier, only two or three asked to be involved after a similar event.

"We're actually grateful for ("Ghost Hunters") because instead of being a bunch of freaks, we're like the cool people on TV," founder Pat Jones said. "People used to look at us like we were absolutely insane, and now they want to come along with us. It's almost like every day is Halloween."

More than 500 people have registered to post and read messages and articles on the Idaho Spirit Seekers' Web site since the message board went up in November. "That really shows the interest that people do have and that it's becoming more acceptable to talk about," said executive director Marie Cuff.

Thirty-four percent of Americans say they believe in ghosts, according to a survey conducted in October by The Associated Press and Ipsos.

Joe Nickell, senior research fellow with the Amherst, New York-based Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, said he has investigated dozens of reported hauntings since 1969 and has turned up no evidence of ghosts.

Equipment being used to try to detect ghosts is not designed for that, Nickell said. Ghost hunters often arm themselves with electromagnetic detectors, thermometers that can identify cold spots and wireless microphones that eliminate background noise.

Orbs of light that show up on photos, he said, are often tiny particles of dust or moisture close to the lens of the camera, "voices" picked up by tape recorders can be radio signals or noise from the recorder, and electromagnetic detectors can be set off by faulty wiring or microwave towers.

"The least likely explanation for any given reading is it is a ghost," he said.

Willis' group, which has grown to 30 members since it was founded in 1999, includes both true believers and total skeptics.

"If you want to be taken seriously in this field, you have to acknowledge that some of the stuff out there is not real," he said. "They're looking for answers, one way or another."

[fireceos]

Could you waste your time, energy and fuel on something more useful, like helping the working poor (that are not illegal) or the hard-working laid off people, please?

[smurfcrusher]

"Even the U.S. Air Force has gone along, inviting "Ghost Hunters" to investigate reports of unusual occurrences at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton."

I can see it now - perhaps a haunted restroom stall. Ever see the movie Dogma? "It''s a ***-demon!!"

[smurfcrusher]

"Even the U.S. Air Force has gone along, inviting "Ghost Hunters" to investigate reports of unusual occurrences at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton."

I can see it now - perhaps a haunted restroom stall. Ever see the movie Dogma? "It''s a ***-demon!!"

[smurfcrusher]

Why isn''t this article in the "hooey" section? It doesn''t even rise to the "junk science" level.

All this ghost hunting business is nonsense and boulderdash! Are we to believe that ghosts are making weekly appearances for these TV shows? They''re the most cooperative ghosts since Casper!

Physical LAWS are not physical guidelines. Ghosts are medieval BS perpetuated by ignorant, superstitious people. Perhaps we should burn witches again?

Get a grip, people.

[rational_1]

Why is this article in the SciTech section? Ghosts are only slightly more believable than creationism. LOL

[shanev137]

These people are all whack jobs who need psychiatric help.

[rf35]

Alice,
Having an open mind simply means being prepared to accept an unproven idea should acceptable evidence be presented. I am open to the possibility of the existence of ghosts and any other paranormal phenomena. That doesn''t equate to believing in them.

[downsteamjim]

Obama saw dead people on Memorial Day.

[Torilin]

Ghost is so incorrect. I am believe "dis-enbodied spirit" is the more accurate term. For every sentient being there is a core comprised of collection of "software" if you will and sometimes they become dis-enbodied either through extreme physical trama, death or even meditation. Onece in a bluemoon they get observed by these fanatics... These are perfectly normal occurance and had been recorded countless times through history. IMO this story hardly deserve any space on the "NEWS".

[coppertales]

I don''t have to go anywhere to see a ghost. I have on right in my house. She is my 14 year old Siamese cat that died 3 years ago. The wife and I have seen her dozens of times, from a fleeting shadow to full color, to physical touching. Even my other cats have reacted to her appearance. She is just waiting for me so we can pass over together. She was my baby...

[alice135]

All I know is that I believe in just about everything paranormal. One must have an open mind. even though I have never "seen" a ghost.

[dopelgangera]

I sometimes enjoy stories about ghosts, extrasensory perception, and other paranormal phenomena, in the realm of drama (such as the Sandra Bullock movie "Premonition"), or comedy (such as "Ghostbusters"). But in real life, I cannot take these things very seriuosly.

Kevzfgl,

You call those that believe in ghost "hooey".
Can you prove that there is a heaven or hell? REALLY prove it? You can''t use the bible. While some consider it the only Truth, others would argue that it''s just another book. I find the ghost stuff hard to believe myself, but the same can be said about most organized religion. It''s all about faith.

As for it being a waste of money, ever time I go to church and donate my share of money I always wonder if the funds really go to help real people or is it going off to buy the Pope another jewel-encrusted ring or another gold hat.

[rf35]

Well, let''s see. The Judeo-Christian community is not allowed to believe in ghosts in general, just one special ghost. The academic community cannot believe in ghosts (only the possibility of ghosts) because there is no evidence whatsoever. That leaves who? 34% of Americans, most with issues. I suppose it%u2019s like a religion for the nonreligious so they have an alternate way of coping with the concept of death.
If there were ever any documented, solid evidence of ghosts or spirits or whatever, it would be top news on every network in the world. Actually, I do believe in spirits...in a glass over ice. I might even see a ghost or two if I consume enough.

[kevzgrl]

And, BTW, Pat Jones, you are all still a bunch of freaks - just that more people can SEE you now....

[kevzgrl]

(Cue the Twilight Zone theme)
Anyone who seriously goes out looking for ghosts will probably FIND them, because they WANT to find them, not because there really ARE any "spirits" stuck here on Earth after the body dies. I believe that when your body dies, your spirit goes to Heaven or to He-ll. Period, end of sentence. I do not believe that some "essence" of a person stays behind, to make life interesting or scary or to get revenge or justice or whatever - people get into this kind of garbage because they WANT to believe in it, not because it''s actually THERE. The fact that people are spending serious amounts of money to "research" this hooey is obscene to me - that money could be put to so many better uses, perhaps helping PEOPLE who are alive and struggling to STAY that way in the here and now, not some vague "hereafter"

[walt1944-2009]

It appears that most of the comments on this article are by people who think people who have a ghostly encounter are either drunk or "mentally challenged".

A few weeks ago, CBS News.com ran a piece on chimpanzees who could move things with their minds and that didn''t receive half the negative comments this one has.

So if monkees can move things with their minds, what is wrong with humans seeing ghosts?

What ever happened to having an open mind????

SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!!
sig heil, DEFINITELY MORE OF THE SAME, McCain!!!!

[tootall10142]

Be careful what you seek .if there is ghosts here and have notcrossed to the otherside God probably doesnt want them and the devil cant organize them.soungs like the immigration policies in this country.

[gslinger3]

All the people trying to find ghosts, yet not even one ghost has ever been documented. Hmmmmmmm, maybe there arent any ghosts!!!!

NOBAMA 08

[fireceos]

Aren''t gas prices high enough? And people are wasting good oil on things like THIS? Geez, we go to work, come home, run our errands on the way and go basically NOWHERE because of the cost of gas and the proffiteering. People are wasting valuable resources on finding ghosts? Unbelievable.