On the evening of Friday, October 23, I gathered up three of my friends and set out on my very own Ghost Hunting Expedition. After taking a poll, I realized that I was the only one of my group that actually believed in the paranormal. I was also the only one actually hoping to see a ghost.
Halloween is my favorite holiday. Better than the cake at my birthday, better than the mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving, and, yes, even better than the presents on Christmas morning. Ever since some middle schoolers took me and a couple of other first-graders into the basement of my grade school during a Fish Fry and told us that there was a dead girl in Mrs. Wilt's third grade classroom, I've been obsessed with anything and everything paranormal.
Having a true ghost experience has been at the top of my Official To Do List since 2001, so I figured it was about time to speed the process along–next time, someone remind me to take believers.
After doing some digging, I had decided that our best bet on a location would be St. Ivo's Cemetery in Lebanon, Kentucky. The old St. Ivo's church was burned down after some kids vandalized it in the 70s, and ever since there have been strange happenings there. Visitors report frequent camera and cell phone malfunctions once inside the gates and car breakdowns on the road that passes in front of the cemetery. Screams and voices are said to be heard when no one is around.
We drove the thirty minutes to get there without a hitch, but as soon as we turned onto the one-lane road that leads to St. Ivo's, my car started making noises. Creaking sounds and rattling shakes were emanating from under the hood, and my friend said: "The reason why this road is so narrow is because people drive down it but never come back out."
A couple minutes later we passed a farmhouse but had to stop to avoid a dog that was walking towards us in the street. After inching by, being very careful not to hit the dog, we sped off. The dog stopped in the middle of the road and barked after us, as if warning us not to go any further. Since animals are said to have greater sensitivity to the paranormal, I was certain I would finally have my ghost experience at St. Ivo's.
We arrived at the cemetery with only the light of our one flashlight, our phones, and the significantly-creepier-than-normal moon.
Knowing that one of the best ways for an amateur investigator to collect evidence of the paranormal is through flash photography, I snapped some photos of the eerie gate. After reviewing the photos I had taken when I got back to campus, I noticed that my photography had yielded what I think are some pretty decent results for a first-time ghost-buster!
In the interest of an honest investigation, I'm going to explain the controversy around orbs as evidence of the paranormal. According to SIGHT (Scientific Investigation of Ghosts and Hauntings Team), an orb is "the basic energy pattern or shape of the spirit world, and the ‘natural’ shape of the ghost when unfettered by the physical." Some paranormal investigators (like SIGHT) recognize that some images of orbs may just be bugs, dust particles, or light reflections, so they have a list of criteria when discerning what is a true orb and what's just a camera fluke. Things like having a nucleus or hard center to the orb mean that it's probably dust or a bug, but being opaque and luminous mean that it is more likely to be a valid orb.
While the orb directly above the gate has a nucleus and is likely to be dust, one of the orbs above the sign appears to be fairly solid and the one in the tree seems to be luminous. Are these the spirits of the dead lingering on earth near their bodies, unable to leave this dimension?
This picture I took over the whole of the cemetery reminds me of the end scene of Eddie Murphy's "Haunted Mansion," where all of the souls rose up to heaven after being set free by the master of the house. If you look closely, you can see some solid orbs in the middle and bottom right of the picture.
After walking around for a while and feeling sufficiently creeped out, we left. Though I don't feel as though I had a true paranormal experience, I had fun and I'm not giving up. I would recommending exploring "haunted" spots in your area whenever you get the chance — graves, old buildings, abandoned towns, whatever you can find. I know I'm going to keep looking, trying new techniques, and having more fun.
Stay spooky, everyone.
