My First #Paranormal Investigation! #ghosthunters #ghostadventures #haunted #Harwich #CapeCod

A few months ago--back when people were allowed to go places--I was fortunate enough to be invited to my very first paranormal investigation.  As an author of ghost mysteries, I've been to plenty of haunted locations and spooky sites--some of the creepiest adventures I've been on include the not-quite-legal exploration of an abandoned TB hospital in Glenn Dale, MD, a visit to the Old Jail (oldest wooden jail in the country and setting for a scene in Haunted Souls) in Barnstable Village, MA, and a tour of the skeleton-filled Catacombs beneath the streets of Paris, France.  But this was my first time out with active paranormal investigators, who spend hours in a location armed with a dizzying array of technical equipment designed to pick up any paranormal energy or communication.  The team I went with, Mass Paranormal, are often called out to document a haunting or verify claims.

Just one cluster of all the equipment!

I'll get to the claims, relayed to me in person by the current employees of the library, who were there at the investigation.  First, a little history of the building, which dates back to 1855.  

The Brooks Free Library was established in 1880 and was first free library in Harwich.  It was founded by Col. Henry C. Brooks, and his sister, Tamesin, served as first librarian.  She worked there as a volunteer from 1881 until her death in 1891.  As she never married, she lived in the building, in the attic rooms. 

In the beginning years, shop and apartment rentals throughout the large building helped fund the free library, which was originally on the second floor.  Over the centuries, the building has been the home of many residents, businesses, and government spaces, including law offices, dressmakers, milliners, barber shops, a court house, a bank.  

Two of the Rogers Group Statues still at the library

In 1976, burglars stole 56 Rogers Group Statues, some of which dated back to an 1881 donation of the period statues.  Despite the ensuing FBI investigation, the stolen statues were never recovered.
The two pictured above (which I took photos of because of the spooky aesthetic...I didn't know anything about the robbery at the time) are entitled Uncle Ned's School and Parting Promise.

Now, on to the really spooky stuff.  The librarians have reported many unsettling encounters over the years, especially when alone at night.  Footsteps echoing across the floor.  A presence lurking in the shadows.  The swishing of a full skirt through the aisles.  Scraping overhead, the sound of a chair being pulled across the floor...and a chair positioned differently when the sound was investigated.  Giggling from the children's room.  The soft slide of books being pushed back into place along the shelves.  The tumble of a stack of books falling, when no patrons were in the building.  

One of the cameras

Not being an expert on the technical piece, I can't speak to the exact results the equipment showed that particular night.  I do know the team used a K2 Meter to measure electromagnetic fields, and a full spectrum camera that includes UV light as well as infrared light.  There were microphones and video recorders everywhere, devices that we used to ask questions and hope for answers, and a thermal imaging camera.

Investigating paranormal activity is a long process, and my husband and I were not able to stay the whole night.  In the following days, the team has to review all the recordings, both visually and audibly.  I will say we seemed to have caught whispers on one recording, which I was able to hear on replay that night.  We also had "conversations" using the response device, and I received a wild surge of bright lights when I asked the spirit "Do you like to read?"  This certainly fits with the theory of who at least one of the ghosts is--Tamesin Brooks.

Of course, the Covid-19 pandemic has stalled the remainder of the investigation, as the team usually visits a site multiple times to make an assessment of "haunted".  But I certainly think a building with that type of history, and so many residents, has a good chance of earning the label.  

And, just to be safe, on the way out, I did as the team suggested and said aloud, "Thank you, goodbye, you need to stay here, you can't come with me."  A ghost following someone home is exactly what happens in my novel Haunted Souls.  And while I enjoy all things spooky, I don't want a restless spirit in my home...even if it did give me new inspiration for a book!

Touring Historic Mt. Washington Hotel #NH Mount Washington Resort #travel

Unfortunately, the fog completely obscured the majestic
Mt. Washington behind the hotel...but it also
added to the spooky The Shining atmosphere!

A few weekends ago, my husband and I traveled to North Conway, NH, for a fun-filled skiing weekend with friends.  Now, I only cross-country ski at this point in my life, thanks to a certain disastrous skiing weekend in 2013.  But, that's okay, because I was able to cross country right from the back door of our friends' condo, while most of the others drove to a nearby mountain.  But as we all shared coffee and chatted that first morning, the subject of having drinks later at Mount Washington came up.  I had no idea what everyone was referring to, but by the time I'd learned this grand hotel was built from 1900 to 1902, had an amazing view of the highest mountain in the Northeastern U.S., boasted a fascinating--some say haunting-- history, and eerily resembled the hotel in The Shining, I knew I had to get myself there, and not just for drinks.  I called to inquire about the daily tour schedule, and three of us made the short trip to Bretton Woods early to learn more about Mount Washington.  
**Disclaimer...I took photos and notes from the tour and backed it up with research, but any mistakes are mine.

First impression is that the hotel does indeed look like the Overlook Hotel from Stephen King's The Shining, both outside and in some parts of the interior.  And due to efforts to return the decor to the vintage splendor of the opening season in 1902, walking through the doors feels like stepping back into the past.  As our guide began the tour, we learned that this hotel was indeed the height of luxury even when it opened...it was one of the first hotels to have electric lights and private bathrooms.  In fact, Thomas Edison himself designed the lights that still grace the lobby.

A portrait of "The Princess" now hangs above the
original balcony that was part of her rooms.

The original owner and builder, Joseph Stickney, saw only one season before he passed away, leaving his young bride Carolyn to inherit the property.  Carolyn eventually remarried a prince and was hence known as "The Princess".  During her years of presiding over the hotel, she became known for some eccentric habits...for example, she would sit in a balcony of her room, overlooking the staircase leading to the dining room, to watch the guests descend for dinner.  If any of the ladies were dressed more elegantly than she was, she would change.  If she dined in the dining room, she was the last to enter, and she ate alone at a small table by the door, which was closed after her entrance.  No one was permitted to leave until she did.

Apparently, she also was quite attached to her large four poster bed...which I understand completely.  But she went a step above and beyond and took it with her wherever she went...having it disassembled and then reassembled during her travels.  She died in the bed, and it now welcomes guests who opt to stay in "The Princess Suite" (Room 314)...the haunted room, or at least one of them, according to gossip.  Where can I sign up?

We asked if we could open
the trapdoor...and we did!

Prohibition in the 1920s put a damper on the hospitality industry, but on the tour, we were introduced to an area, now The Cellar bar, where a plan existed to circumvent the national law.  Guests drank liquor out of teacups, and a lookout sent up an alarm in the event of an impending raid.  The liquor was dumped and the bottles were tossed into a barrel, which was lowered into this trapdoor in the floor.

  

Entrance to The Cellar

After The Princess passed, her nephew inherited the hotel, but he wasn't particularly dedicated to managing a resort, and financial struggles and WWII resulted in closure in 1942.  Shuttered, the abandoned property stood vacant until 1944, when it was purchased and renovated in preparation to serve as the site for the Bretton Woods monetary conference.  During the clean-up, workers were instructed to paint everything white...which resulted in gilded artwork and trim, stained glass windows, and original brass lighting being coated in white paint...the great "White-out".  Much of this has been restored, except the gold leaf paint, which is now lost forever.  Thankfully, one room was left alone, the gold paint intact, for reasons unknown.

Countries present at the Bretton Woods Conference...some of
which no longer exist anymore as countries

The Bretton Woods conference hosted 730 delegates from all 44 Allied countries while the world was still at war. Part of the reason Mt. Washington was chosen as the site involved security...with so many leaders of different countries in one location and WWII raging, security was a major concern, and the hotel surrounded by mountains had limited access.  The conference resulted in the establishment of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Now the hotel has been restored to its original glory as closely as possible, and it is owned by Omni.  It's on the US National Register of Historic Places and is a US National Historic Landmark.

The rest of the group joined us after
skiing at the hotel pub for a fun night!

Closer to my passion for spooky things, the hotel has been featured in two episodes of Ghost Hunters...so, yeah...I hope one day I can actually stay overnight.  But even just a day trip for the tour, the breathtaking view, and a fun time in the pub made for a memorable weekend!

If you enjoyed this post, check out some of my other posts on my visits to haunted historical places:  The Catacombs of Paris, The Dakota Hotel in NYC, The Old Jailhouse in Barnstable, and The Abandoned Glenn Dale TB Hospital...to name a few!

And I hope you'll check out my novels in the tabs above if you enjoy spooky suspense!

I was hoping I might catch an image in my pic down the hall...