Old Geelong Gaol is thought to be one of the most haunted places in Victoria, Australia. Built in 1864 by a group of prisoners who would call it their future home, the maximum-security jail was designed to house male inmates. From 1864 until its closure in 1991, Old Geelong Gaol was a terrible place to be, even as Victorian-era prisons went. Inmates were often forbidden to speak about anything besides religion. Numerous hangings took place nearby, with the other prisoners gathered to watch. Inmates who died while in prison were buried within the walls, with their bodies facing inward so that even in death they would never know freedom. From 1865-1871, one wing of Old Geelong Gaol housed a school for homeless girls, but it was shut down when conditions became unsuitable.

Since its closure as a prison in 1991, Old Geelong Gaol has been open to the public for tours. History fans and ghost hunters alike pay visits to the jail to see its tiny cells, and to see the place where, in 1863, James Murphy was hanged for beating a constable to death with a hammer. Old Geelong Gaol is certainly dark as tourist attractions go, but darker still is the fact that many have reported seeing apparitions walking up and down the hallways of the prison, and hearing the sounds of young girls crying. Quite a few ghost-hunting teams have investigated paranormal phenomenon within the walls. Ghost Research International found several orbs in the photographs they took while investigating the facility, and members of the Australian Ghost Hunters Society heard sounds of screaming and footsteps coming from an empty floor.

[image courtesy of Marcus Wong] Read the full post at Paranormal Insider

Kirlian photography is a method of high voltage imaging developed by a Russian husband and wife team. Semyon Davidovich Kirlian and his wife Valentina began their work with high voltage photography starting in 1939. For the next 30 years, they researched their technique, and in 1970, their research came to the attention of American audiences through Shelia Ostrander’s classic, Psychic discoveries Behind the Iron Curtain.

Kirlian photography claims to record images of the energy field of living things. Often presented as a method of aura photography, what Kirlian photography is really capturing is the electro-magnetic field natural to humans, animals, and plants. The method for constructing a Kirlian camera is deceptively simple. A lightless chamber is prepared, and, at the bottom, there is a metal plate, set up to receive a mild electrical charge. The unexposed film is placed directly onto this plate, and the item to be photographed — often a leaf or flower — is placed on top of the film. Then an electrical pulse is sent through the plate. This exposes the film, which records an image of the object, typically outlined with what appears to be colored light. When human fingertips or hands are placed in camera upon the film, the resulting image shows a nimbus of light extending out around the skin. This is the radiant energy of the human body, amplified by the electrical charge and captured on the film.

Of course, as with every method that claims to record some aspect of the paranormal, Kirlian photography has been decried by skeptics as nothing but camera trickery. The most balanced argument skeptics have come up with is that the resulting aura captured on the film is really nothing more than a cloud of ionization produced through the combination of the electrical charge and the natural moisture around the hand or other object being photographed. This author has had the opportunity to indulge in experiments using a small Kirlian Lab camera, set up to take images using the Kirlian method. While it was clear that the electrical charge was pivotal to the exposure of any image on the film, it also became clear after multiple images that each person whose fingertips were photographed by the camera had a unique and recognizable pattern — an energetic fingerprint, as it were. Even changing the length and strength of the electrical pulse that exposed the film, this specific pattern remained true. Changing the charge only changed how brightly it showed up on the film. This consistency argues that the Kirlian method is indeed photographing something more than just ambient electricity conducted through the object or person through the metal plate. But does the Kirlian method accurately record an image of the human aura, with colors and patterns that can be interpreted with specific meanings? That aspect of this fascinating method remains to be seen. Read the full post at Paranormal Insider

Elizabeth Báthory was a beautiful woman of noble birth who came into this world on August 7, 1560. We call her the Blood Countess. Between the years of 1585 and 1610, she allegedly tortured over 600 girls and young women, killing them all. If these numbers hold true, she remains one of the most prolific serial killers of all time.

Elizabeth was married young to Count Ferencz Nádasdy, a man 10 years her senior. After their marriage, they moved to a castle overlooking the town of Csejthe in northwestern Hungary. Ferencz was a soldier first and a husband second, so young Elizabeth was often left at home to while away her days as her husband fought on the battlefield. He would later become known as the “Black Hero of Hungary,” but poor Elizabeth was overwhelmed with boredom. Read the full post at Paranormal Insider

Dr. John Bentley was last seen alive on the evening of Dec. 4, 1966, when friends departed his house in Coudersport, PA at 9 p.m. The 92-year-old retired physician spent most of his time indoors, due to his need for a walker. The next morning, a gas meter reader discovered his remains — nothing but ashes, and part of his lower right leg and foot, with his slipper still on it.

Bentley apparently had spontaneously combusted and burned to death. No other explanation was ever determined. His ashes lay in a pile near the toilet in his bathroom, with his leg sticking weirdly out at an angle, shown in the photo. The walker was tipped over. The fire had burned a hole through the floor — but the rubber tips on the walker legs were intact, and the nearby bathtub was not burned. His slipper was intact. Bentley’s consuming fire had been small and quite intense — and very selective.

Spontaneous human combustion (SHC) is one of the stranger mysteries, documented for centuries, and alluded to in mythology and even Biblical accounts since ancient times. No one has ever come up with an explanation as to why and how some people suddenly explode into flames and burn to ashes. Many factors have been examined — lunar phases, astrological lineups, earth energies, personal habits and diets, medication, physiological states, kundalini and even the divine wrath of God. But the bottom line is, we simply don’t know. Read the full post at Paranormal Insider

Case File: 2006.12.29F
Code Name: “Man of the House”

SUMMARY OF PHENOMENA
Case involves a home owned by Cheryl and Bill that is affecting their daughter, Diane, and grandson, Adam. Adam claims to have seen a woman in his bedroom. Both Cheryl and Diane have felt the presence of an older male, whom Cheryl claims has a raspy voice. Whenever this male presence is around, they smell cigar smoke. The family is currently remodeling the home. Cheryl, Diane and Adam are shaken by the activity in the home. Husband, Bill, has never had an experience and isn’t sure the home is haunted.

NOTES FOR THE DISPATCHED FIELD RESEARCH TEAM
• Since Bill isn’t a believer and Cheryl is, is this causing any strain in their relationship?

• If there is the presence of a spirit in the house, who is it? What connections do they have with the house?

• Could the remodeling of the old home be causing this sudden spike of paranormal activity? Read the full post at Paranormal Insider

Author Edgar Allen Poe, famous for his stories and poems involving death, love, hate and fear, was born on January 19th 1809. Although Philadelphia comes in a close second place, no one loves Poe more it seems than Baltimore, Maryland — even going as far as to name their NFL team “The Baltimore Ravens“. Every year the city of Baltimore parties for Poe first on his birthday and then on the day of his death. Plus, they’ve got his body — which certainly counts for a lot.

The world-famous Edgar Allen Poe birthday celebration will be held on Saturday, Jan. 19 and Sunday, Jan. 20, 2008. In charge of events is Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House and Museum. A Baltimore tradition since 1982, events will take place in Westminster Hall and will celebrate Poe’s life and work as well as his person — which rests in the adjacent cemetery.

Read more at Paranormal Insider

With hardly anything new on TV tonight, I flipped on an old episode of Ghost Hunters on SCI FI mostly because it had to do with The Myrtles Plantation. A couple of years ago, I read the book written by the Myrtles owner and it was a fascinating tale. The Myrtles is called one of the most haunted places in America and it sure seems to be true.

The stories of the Myrtles involve a slave girl named Chloe who can be seen in THIS famous photo. People also report seeing and hearing two little girls and a Confederate soldier who likes to stroll along the front lawn. Also take a look at THIS creepy Myrtles pic.

The TAPS crew ended up with some interesting findings - especially a transparent image that runs across the thermal camera and a moving lamp! Yep, a lamp moves across a table right before your very eyes! The creepiest thing though was a hunched shadow that pops up in the front door windows as if someone were peaking in then ducking down to hide. That was truly creepy.

The Myrtles is a bed and breakfast near New Orleans so you can book a room and do a little ghost hunting yourself if you’ve a mind to. And if you haven’t read The Myrtles Plantation: The True Story of America’s Most Haunted House, you must check it out, it’s a disturbing story of how a haunted house can literally drive you crazy.

Here are a couple of other Myrtles websites.

Photos of the house

Orb photos from around the property 

A Myrtles Ghost Tour video on YouTube