Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Finally--Green Park Conference Day 2

After a near sleepless night in a haunted room, Tina had to be bushy-eyed for the 2pm panel on “The Nature of Spirits”. PSI’s Joe Wright and Spanky were in attendance; the bleary-eyed ghost hunters were in for a treat.

The audience asked lots of thought-provoking questions which the panelists answered using their combined decades of experience.

That night we were treated to a delicious BBQ dinner as the dining room filled with raucous paranormal camaraderie. This is where we met Brandi & Sheera, each with a daughter in tow. We chatted with the ladies until the dining room was almost empty. The wonderful hotel staff scurried about clearing away the remnants of the buffet as we talked and laughed about all things ghost-hunting.

The hunting hour was fast approaching and we excused ourselves to prepare, making note to add our new friends to our roster that night.

As expected, the assembly room was packed with the hum and chatter of excited ghost hunters. We clamored to get a clipboard and sign up our new team; which basically consisted of the previous night’s team plus Brandi, Sheera and their girls. It soon became clear that we wouldn’t get a team to ourselves and eventually we headed out with 11 people in tow.

Miraculously, we all managed to file into room 318 without any drama. Our leader explained the reported activity of the room and then we sat in relative silence in the dark for several minutes; a silence broken only by occasional shout outs from our anonymous crew. Calls to any spirit present to “tell us your name” or “give us a sign”. There was occasional ruckus in the hall; laughing, exuberant hunters, shuffling on to their next room.

Suddenly the door popped open and shadowy figures began entering our space. Four stragglers who were separated from their original group; accidentally or on purpose, I’m not sure. Now it was beginning to get crowded. The uneasiness of the other hunters filled the room as our new guests shuffled and settled into the first available space. During the uncomfortable rustling of these strangers, Tina; sitting across from me, got several spikes on her EMF detector. At the same time, what I thought was a flashlight hanging from her vest came on by itself. On , off and on again, I motioned to her that her flashlight was on as she looked at me strangely, groping for the offending device. “Your light…” I mouthed..trying not to interfere with anyone’s EVP session. She grabbed onto the thing and I nodded that yes that was the light in question. At this point, the hallway light…streaming under the huge gap in the door…revealed that the flashlight in question was actually an old 35mm camera. As we discovered later, the light was a function of the red eye reduction, not the flash, which is probably why it looked like a flashlight from across the room. To turn on this feature you have to depress the button, almost like taking a picture. Tina’s hands were nowhere near this camera when the light came on. She was too busy holding on to the EMF detector. There was nothing on her person that could have held down the button in such a way. Did a spirit child’s ghostly hands cause this phenomenon?

All too soon our adventures in 318 came to an end. As the lights came on and the crowd filtered out the door, Tina leaned over and said:”Let’s go back to HQ and see if we can split off into our own team. I do believe there are way too many people on this one to do a proper investigation.”
With that we gathered our associates and traipsed down the meeting room. Before we knew it, Scott Nicholson himself was unlocking doors for us. Could this night get any better?!
We checked out a few rooms that weren’t officially haunted and then went down to Brandi & Sheera’s to investigate. Turns out they had a strange night as well, and wanted us to check it out. After hearing our story of terror and hilarity, they wanted to hunt in our room as well. Thus we journeyed off the “official ghost hunt” for awhile.

Our adventurous spirit was rewarded with nothing more than a few EMF spikes. Mr. Grabby Hands from the night before didn’t bother to make the scene. Still trying to avoid the noisy throngs of fellow hunters, we decided to creep down to the dining room; the place we’d gotten the most activity on night one. Our perseverance would be well rewarded.

Shadows, Orbs & Waiters, OH MY!

We found unexpected sanctuary in the dining hall; the other hunters we concentrating on the “haunted” hotel rooms, oblivious to the hot spot right under their noses!
Our team gathered around one of the large tables on the upper platform of the dining hall; the same table from the first night. Soon after we settled in, we became aware that we were not alone.

Periodically we saw a small shadow moving up and down a brief set of stairs across the room. Each of us saw this thing at least once. It was barely 3 feet tall and quite like a child, it scurried up and down and up the stairs; repetitive, obvious, and solid black. Our expert debunker Tori, searched for obvious causes (the shadows of folks walking by, car lights bouncing off of chandelier crystals), none of which explained what we; what all of us, had seen. Kendra even journeyed over the table nearest our little shadow friend, in an attempt at interaction. She asked “it” to move a glass on the table. Our friend never complied, but continued to tromp up and down the stairs.

I was most enthralled with this little shadow when Tina called my name from across the table. I instinctively turned towards her and was quite literally taken aback by a tall shadowy mass standing behind her. She later revealed that she felt the presence there and my reaction simply confirmed what she was feeling.

At this point let me say that shadowpeople are NOT my favorite things. I’ve had bad experiences with them in the past and to me they are unreadable; meaning they are able to get quite close without me sensing them. Their form and their intentions are a mystery, although I assume negativity. Some folks don’t view these as “evil” entities at all. Interpretation is relative and my run-ins with these forms have been negative for the most part. Even the small shadow playing on the stairs sent a chill down my spine.

This crazy active investigation was only to get stranger. We witnessed strange green orbs on one of the dining room tables. So bright and intermittent were these lights that I assumed they were a product of someone’s equipment. Eventually the others witness these orbs and checked the area for the device that was creating them. No equipment was located on the table or near it; neither were there any reflective surfaces like a spoon or glass. These lights, which were witness by everyone in attendance are still a mystery.

In addition to the green lights, we also witnessed a pale pink shimmering orb right above the area where the shadowperson romped. Several people witnessed it and we set about trying to debunk it. There were glass panels on the doors and crystals on the chandeliers; we imagined that this was some funny trick of light. After shining flashlights on crystals and through the glass from every conceivable angle we were unable to replicate the orb. We even sat quietly at one point, watching closely to see if the movement of people in the lobby or cars in the parking lot could be the culprit. We never saw anything like this pink orb again.
The girls were exhausted and soon both moms dragged them off to bed. We were beginning to feel the accumulation of sleepless hours ourselves and slowly began packing up our gear. As it turns out, the ghosties had other plans.

In the shuffle of chairs and feet, Kendra asked:”Tina, have you taken the thing out of your EMF yet?” Tina shoves a coin or a guitar pick into the button of the EMF detector to hold it down. This cuts down on false positive and crampy thumbs. As we strained to followed Kendra’s pointing hand in the dark, we realized that T’s EMF detector was lit up full tilt!


This seemed to snap the sleepiness right out of us and we took our seats around the table much quicker than we’d vacated them. We began an amazing EMF session…getting what seemed to be answers to our questions from some unseen force. Through the course of nearly half an hour, we discovered that we were talking to a former waiter at the hotel. Through yes and no questions,

he indicated that he’d loved his job and was quite good

at it. Most of all he enjoyed meeting all the famous people that made their way through the Green Park over the years. He did not tell us when he worked there…we were too excited with our progress to go year by year! He seemed to be most excited when Annie Oakley was mentioned. At one point, he wanted to ask us questions rather than answer ours. “How’s that gonna work?” Tina laughed.

Our waiter friend seemed to fade out when other people entered the room. Some of the PSI folks came through looking for missing equipment. Each time, “the waiter” stopped responding and started up again only when they’d left. We asked if it was draining for him to answer all these questions to which he replied yes. Eventually the responses stopped and we finally called it a night.


The next day there was talk that someone from PSI had captured an amazing FLIR image of a little girl jumping on the bed in Rm 318. Unfortunately, the guy with the footage was already gone by the time we dragged ourselves downstairs. Scott Nicholson interviewed Tina for his upcoming book and we had a wonderful chat with the PSI guys.

All in all the experience was wonderful! The Green Park staff were awesome, the organizers did a fabulous job of shuffling around all the eager ghost hunters. I highly recommend this event for novice and experienced ghost hunters alike.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Angel on WBTV - Channel 3 ? ? ?

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - A "miracle" at one local hospital has a lot of people talking.
This picture was taken in the hallway leading into Presbyterian's Pediatric Cancer center.
A little girl there was taken off life support, her mother in her room praying. At the same time, a nurse noticed a man standing in the hallway. When she pushed the security button to let him in, no one was there.
According to a nurse, this happened several times -- seeing him behind the doors, then he would vanish.
Someone thought he had wings, so they took the picture (on the right) of the security camera.
The girl is home tonight, recovering. Her birthday is Christmas Day.
So what do you think? Is this an angel caught on tape?

Click on Title for link to picture.

NOTE: There will be a follow up interview with the girl's Mother tomorrow night (12/21/2008) at 11PM on WBTV3 (Time Warner Channel 2). The picture on the news story is much clearer and easier to see.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Green Park Paranormal Conference--Day 1

On Friday afternoon, Tina and I set out for Blowing Rock, NC for the Green Park Paranormal Conference. Despite reports of an impending blizzard, we cautiously headed for the 125 yr old Green Park Inn off Highway 321.

The place was surprisingly easy to find. When they say "off of 321" they mean quite literally it is off the side of the road. If we'd have blinked we'd have missed the rustic sign that sat almost out of view of our headlights.

Hilarity ensued as we tried to unload the packed "ghost truck" with a rickety tiny-wheeled luggage cart across a frozen tire-tread parking lot as gale force winds threatened to blow us and it out into traffic.

Fighting gravity, weather, and age old wooden doors, we finally managed to get our stuff into the building in one piece.

The slow-as-molasses elevator inched us up to the 2nd floor and we excited maneuvered our cart (which was a a two person job) towards the room.

As we approached, we discovered an odd narrow ramp that apparently was meant to accommodate the cart. Pondering how we were going to wheel this thing down without dumping the precariously placed bags over the edge or breaking our ankles in the process.

Most delicately we managed to get bags and persons into the room without further setbacks.

We checked in downstairs and were treated to a most informative discussion on EVP's from Chad Austin of After Twilight Radio" http://www.aftertwilightradio.com/about.php
After a short question and answer session, the throng of eager ghost hunters retired to their respective rooms to gear up for an all access hunt, lead by the fabulous guys of Paranormal Scene Investigators: http://www.paranormalsceneinvestigators.com/psihome01.htm
The old-fashioned boiler heating system struggled with the icy cold atmosphere of our room...and lost. Faced with the ever present chill, we decided to forgo showers for the time being and started assembling our various ghost-finding gadgets.
We convened in the chaos of the Blue Ridge room to join our various groups for the hunt. Again, the guys at PSI did a superior job of controlling the masses. They had a state of the art setup of video cameras covering the supposed hot spots. They herded us off in organized groups to check out said hot spots, giving each team about 30 minutes to investigate each room. It was a ghost hunter's dream! Unparalleled access to a haunted hotel!
Our group was lucky enough to hit the dining hall first. The aforementioned Chad Austin took the lead and explained things in a way that was helpful to novice and experienced investigators alike. As he lead the session, Tina got a few hits on the EMF meter and I felt a cold spot saunter right up behind me.
Soon after, I called it a night. I'd had precious little sleep this week and it all seemed to catch up with me at once.
Retiring to the chilly room, I put on an extra layer of clothing and snuggled in for the night. Originally I'd planned to welcome slumber with a quick game of Solitaire, but my fingers got so chilled I had to shove them under the blankets. So much for that idea.
Torn between rejoining the hunt (just to get out of the freezing room) or surrendering to sleep, I pondered myself right into insomnia. Determined to make the best of it (and not wanting to get out from under the finally warm covers) I rolled over and closed my eyes.
It seemed like only a few minutes later that Tina strolled in, although the hunt was scheduled 'til 2am. I was right on the verge of sleep, so I wasn't about to lean over and check the clock. Tina tried to be as quiet as possible, but aged creaky doors and floors made that a challenge. She "deghostified" and headed for the restroom, closing the rickety door behind her.
Suddenly, as if in slow motion, I felt something unexpected. A large hand closed around the edge of my blanket cocoon and damn near yanked it off of me. I sat up with a start, trying to debunk whatever the hell had just happened. Tina was clearly still in the bathroom and I was the only other living person in the room. It couldn't have been sleep paralysis, I never even made it to actual sleep! My eyes traced the direction of movement to the seeming source. There was nothing to catch the covers; no knob or hook or burr that could have snagged them. I had clearly felt the hand and fingers close, it was that close to me. The phantom hand would have emanated from the small space between the bed and the window.
At that point, Tina emerged from the bathroom and was surprised to see me sitting up with a strange look on my face. I explained that we weren't alone in the room and she spun into ghost-hunting action.
Breaking out the digital voice recorder, we tried to coax out Mr. Grabby Hands Ghost. The energy shifted in the room. I'm all for hunting spooks in any creepy venue, but having them hunt you...not ideal! I was getting uncomfortable, to say the least, as we both watched shadows dance in one corner of the room. Shadows that couldn't be attributed to passing cars. The recording of this adventure is one for the CAPS blooper reel as I strongly suggested spending the night elsewhere and Tina called on the power of Buffy to dispel said shadowy creatures.
We left the recorder going and tried to go to sleep. At this point we are still reviewing the tape...stay tuned for what, if anything, we find!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008


CAPS would like to wish everyone a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

The First Roswell 1897--UFO Hunters

UFO Hunters is one of the paranormal shows to bring serious scientific investigation to UFO reports. Tonight's episode tackles one of my personal favorites, the case of an alleged UFO crash in Texas in 1897.
Aurora, Texas 1897: The US was abuzz with reports of "airships" in the sky. Bear in mind, this was a few years before the Wright Bros gave us the airplane.
On an April night, Aurora was rocked by a reported crash of one of these ships, which allegedly took out a farmer's windmill in the process.

Was this an actual event or a story made up to sell newspapers? Opinions vary, even among relatives of the townsfolk who witnessed the event.

Amazingly, physical evidence may exist...some claim that an alien body was discovered in the crash debris.

Being good Christian folk, the townspeople gave the little guy a proper burial in the cemetery, complete with a headstone bearing a strange heiroglyphic.

UFO Hunters investigates the tale, tonight @ 10pm on the History Channel.

Click on the post title to review the full story at ufocasebook.com

Here again, reports vary. Some articles climed the little man was buried in the cemetary, complete with a headstone

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Unexplained with George Noory

George Noory of Coast to Coast AM fame has new show premiering tonight on the Sci Fi Channel. The show is called "Unexplained with George Noory" and will cover such topics as 'reincarnation, witchcraft, cryptozoology, UFOs, and strange tales'.

The show will air at 11pm from the 16th-20th.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Green Park Paranormal Conference Nov. 21-23, 2008

The Green Park Paranormal Conference will be held at the Green Park Inn in Blowing Rock, NC from Friday November 21st through Sunday November 23rd. Tina McSwain, Founder & President of CAPS will be speaking at this event on Saturday. Click on the title above for more information and how you can attend.

The Psychology of a Skeptic


If you've ever had a debate with a skeptic about the existence of the paranormal, you know full well that some folks have a near religious intolerance for things that lie outside proven scientific doctrine.

Not to get into a pissing match here, but I daresay that I've come across more self-described skeptics than believers who were downright fanatical about their stance.

Finally an article addresses what's really going on in the minds of hard core skeptics.

Don't get me wrong here, skepticism is a good thing. In fact, I'm leery of those who jump to paranormal conclusions without even considering a logical explanation. But logic is a two way street. It's one thing to debunk paranormal claims, it's quite another to make up outrageous (and unproven) scenarios to explain mysterious events.

Click on the post title to read the full article at the Daily Grail.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

UFO Emergency

Tonight, the History Channel will rebroadcast Wednesday's season premiere of UFO Hunters. This particular episode is called "UFO Emergency" and features eyewitness testimony from several police officers who witnessed an incredible "UFO".

This is one of the best episodes I've seen. They really cover all the bases as far as evidence goes, right down to the radar returns from the National Weather Service.

In case you missed it the first time around, here's a synopsis from the History Channel Website:

"Police tapes, video, and the testimony of a radar operator suggest something very strange was seen over Ohio in 1994; Holland, Michigan in 1994; and Millstadt, Illinois in 2000. On December 14, 1994 police departments in Trumbull County, Ohio and surrounding areas start getting 911 calls of strange lights in the sky. Police in multiple jurisdictions report seeing strange objects, even chasing them. Sergeant Toby Meloro of the Liberty Township Police Department was one of the first to respond. The tapes of Meloro's stunning conversation with a police operator as he sees the object are featured in the show, along with an interview with Meloro himself, who says the object he saw looked like a large, pulsating light. For the first time, a National Weather Service radar operator comes forward to describe the radar signatures he saw that night. Says Jack Bushong, "I've never seen anything move so fast."

This episode airs tonight (Sunday 11/9/08 at 11 pm).

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Tina R. McSwain, Founder and President of CAPS, was interviewed by Carolyn Steeves of The Mecklenburg Times for an article on Halloween Tourism. Tina's comments appear in the current edition of the publication.

Monday, November 3, 2008

The Fascinating Story of the Ghostwriter

Click on the post title to view the video featuring an interview with homeowners as well as some of the most interesting ghost pics you've ever seen.

"Sightings" did a story on this place years ago and these photos of "ghost communication" have yet to be debunked.

Are these guys faking these amazing pics or is their house haunted by a true ghost writer?

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Nicolas Cage To Sell Haunted New Orleans Home

October 30th, 2008 8:50am EDT

Nicolas Cage is set to spook home-buyers after putting his "haunted" New Orleans home back on the market. Cage has listed the French Quarter mansion - considered the "Most Haunted House in America" - for $3.7 million, according to a posting on Realtor.com.

The house is the third Cage has currently put up for sale - in addition to his homes in Rhode Island and Bel Air, California, priced $15.9 million and $30 million respectively.

Monday, October 27, 2008

A Strange Tale from the Paranormal Pastor

Click on the post title for a fascinating story about satanic cults, UFO's and serial killers. This story comes to you courtesy of "the Paranormal Pastor" who has his very own blog for all things spooky.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Top Ten Haunted Houses in America 2008

AOL's Cityguide counts down some of the scariest Halloween attractions in the US. Included are some spots where you may run into a REAL ghost or two.

Click on the post title to check out the list.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Freaky Face Haunts English Aquarium


A visitor to an English aquarium captured a ghostly head on her camera phone. Now bear in mind that cell phone cams have very few pixels. This produces a very low quality image with little chance for enhancement.

So, draw your own conclusions on this one. Is it a ghost? A strange trick of the light? Or a cheeky aquatic hoax?
Click on post title to read the full story at the Sun website.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Britain Releases Top Secret UFO files


The British National Archives has added 19 formerly-secret UFO files to their website. These reports cover those filed between 1986-1992; including an incident during the Cold War involving U.S. fighter jets.

http://ufos.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

Friday, October 17, 2008

Ghost Adventures Premiers Tonight on the Travel Channel!

The Travel Channel premieres a brand new paranormal series tonight. Starting at 8pm, the original "Ghost Adventures" movie will air. It's been shown on Sci-Fi a couple of times, but if you haven't seen it; it's a perfect Halloween treat. Scary, funny and thought-provoking, it's worth a look. After the movie that started it all, the TV series premieres. While I don't think these guys are as capable as the TAPS team on the gathering evidence front, they are fun to watch. Who knows, maybe they're a little more polished (i.e. less terrified) this time 'round.

Click on the post title to visit the show's website.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Shadowman or Photoshop?


This interesting pic comes from the Coast to Coast AM site. Click on the post title to read the whole story.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

CAPS Founder Featured in University City Magazine

CAPS - Charlotte Area Paranormal Society and its Founder, Tina McSwain are featured in a Halloween article in the October 2008 issue of the University Magazine. This is a free publication that can be found at local area Harris Teeter stores. Along with the article, are pictures taken by McSwain on some of her investigations.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

CAPS to Partner With Education

As part of our Community Service endeavors, CAPS Members will serve as Mentors to rising North Carolina High School Seniors who are beginning work on their North Carolina Project Graduation requirements. We will be working with several students who have chosen Ghosthunting as their focus. CAPS will provide Mentorship, education and training, and will accompany the student on an active ghosthunt of a haunted location for their finished product.

Tina R. McSwain,
Founder & President
CAPS - Charlotte Area Paranormal Society

CAPS Founder Interviewed by Charlotte Author

Tina R. McSwain, CAPS Founder & President, was interviewed last week by Charlotte Author, Gail Z. Martin. Ms. Martin is the creator and author of the fantasy adventure series, The Chronicles of The Necromancer with The Summoner and The Blood King. Her third book in the series, Dark Haven, will be released in February, 2009.

Ms. Martin interviewed Ms. McSwain for an upcoming article about ghosts and hauntings in the Charlotte and surrounding area.

For more information on Gail Z. Martin, check out her official website below
http://www.chroniclesofthenecromancer.com

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

The Little Known Mystery of the "Black-Eyed Kids"

It all started in 1998 with a report from Brian Bethel (a report for the Abeliene-TX "Reporter News"). Mr. Bethel had a frightening face-to-face encounter with these preternatural children.

He noticed they were behaving strangely and was startled when he glanced at their eyes.

Describing them as:"...Coal black. No pupil. No iris. Just two staring orbs reflecting the red and white light of the marquee."
Link on post title will take you to the full report which offers a few theories on what these strange beings may be.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

CAPS to Appear at MonsterCon

CAPS will appear at MonsterCon. MonsterCon will be held October 4th and 5th, 2008 at the Cabarrus Arena & Events Center. MonsterCon is a sci-fi, gaming, comic, and paranormal convention. Click on title above to go to their website.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Texas Official Demands Answers About UFO

An update on the Stephenville UFO case. On the night in question, the military denied having any aircraft in the area. Two weeks later they changed their story. Local officials question why they weren't notified; if military exercises were indeed taking place in the skies above their town.
Click on post title to read the full story and watch a video of the alleged Stephenville UFO.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

The Paulding Ghost Light

Click on post title to view an interesting video from WLUC TV 6 in Michigan. This mysterious light has long been a legend in Paulding. Some dimiss the phenomanon as headlights shining through the trees. That doesn't explain the color changes reported by some witnesses and how the light at times seems to come closer to the gathered onlookers.

Tina McSwain is now the Co-Organizer & Resident Expert for the Charlotte Paranormal Meetup Group!!

From Ambur Rose, founder of the Charlotte Paranormal Meetup Group

Tina McSwain is a native Charlottean, and has been interested in the paranormal since reading Nancy Roberts ghost story books of the 1960's/1970' s. Since childhood, she's been able to "just know" when a future event would take place. Her catalyst for studying the paranormal was her first encounter with a full blown apparition of a friend's grandmother. The ghost walked toward Tina, smiled, waved, and then turned around and disappeared. Over the years, her work with various Paranormal and Ghost Hunting groups with her attention to research, professionalism, knowledge, and detail, has made her a valuable resource for many seeking answers and understanding in the paranormal field. Tina is also the founder and president of CAPS - Charlotte Area Paranormal Society, founded in 2005.Tina, has been a valued, member, friend, and college, for some years now to this group, and myself. Time and time again, she's made herself indispensable concerning her knowledge and experience in the paranormal field. I'm honored she's accepted to be Co-Organizer and Resident Expert of the Charlotte Paranormal Meetup Group!
THANK YOU TINA!
Ambur

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

UFO over Farmingville, NY

From the Coast to Coast Website:

"On August 5, 2008 at approximately 11:15 AM my son was taking pictures of his 3-year-old brother in the yard, when he saw an object in the sky and took a photo of it. We've since met with Sal Giammusso, MUFON Director, Suffolk County Chapter,
NY. --Brendan "

Monday, September 1, 2008

Will County Ghost Hunters Capture Shadowman

On a recent investigation in Joliet, IL, the ghost group caught this unusual image, which they believe is a shadowman in the doorway.

Click on the post title for more info on the investigation and this photo.

This link will take you to the Coast to Coast AM site, which also links to the full investigation report.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Swedish Sea Monster Caught on Tape?

One last mysterious video before the summer is out! This one just in from Loren Coleman's Cryptomundo site. It appears that Swedish researchers have captured something on tape that they can't explain. Here is the link to Loren's site, which features a translation from the video:

http://http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/blobbogey-vide/

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

US Army Researches "Synthetic Telepathy"

A super scary report on your tax dollars at work. It seems the military is researching a computerized telepathy project that will help folks send thoughts to each other via "non-invasive brain imagining technology".

A click on the post title will take you to the full story. The real horror of this project is that ; "DARPA researchers have taught monkeys to control robotic limbs with their thoughts." Oh yes...monkeys that control robotic limbs with THEIR MINDS!!!

Excuse me while I finish making this tinfoil hat.


Saturday, August 23, 2008

Alien Intruder Caught on Film?

Middle age Florida couple plagued by abductions and home intrusions by ufo alien creatures capture one such invasion on video. Images taken from original video.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Warp Drive

Two physicists may have created a new way to travel faster than light.
A little understood force called "dark energy" may be the key to making warp drive a reality.

Post title link will take you to the full article.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Reported Dinosaur Spotted in Papua, New Guinea

Does a prehistoric creature lurk in the jungles of Umbungi Island? Witnesses describe a bipedal reptile with "shiny brown skin" that has been seen since 2005.

Are these locals misinterpreting a native species or has a new cryptid reared its Jurassic head?

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Always After Me Lucky Charms

Captured on film (or rather digital) in Lake Tahoe, a small "leprechaun-alien" creature is seen moving away from a forest. The link above will take you to the full story and an incredibly blurry pic of said leprechaun-alien, tree thingy.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Poltergeist or Hoax?

Click on the post title to read the story of a family plagued by a vicious poltergeist. This site also features a video of said ghost in action (allegedly).
Check it out and decide for yourself. Is this a real paranormal event caught on film, or a simple hoax?

The Taos Hum Moves to Green Bay

A Green Bay couple have been dealing with "mystery vibrations" for the last two years. Similar to what residents of Taos, New Mexico experienced; the phenomena is something between an audible sound and a low rumble.
Click on the post title to read the full article from the Green Bay Gazette.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Travel Channel Adds More Paranormal Shows to Fall Lineup

Every now then, if you're really lucky, you can catch some interesting paranormal shows on the Travel Channel. Finally realizing that their audience is interested in something other than bald dudes eating weird international foods, the new fall season will bring the spooky back to Friday nights.

Along with a new (and unnecessary) season of Most Haunted, two new shows will debut in the coming weeks. First off, Britain's favorite flamboyant psychic is BACK!

Derek Acorah's new series "Paranormal Egypt" premiered on August 8th. Think "Most Haunted" minus the screeching ninnies. More about Derek's endless capacity to entertain than serious paranormal investigation; it's a fun show with little substance.

Another new show features the guys from "Ghost Adventures"; a documentary about a couple of dudes hunting for ghosties in Nevada. The guys actually caught some amazing footage at the Goldfield Hotel so I'm really looking forward to this one. According to the site, Zak and the gang will traverse the country looking for "the most sinister haunted locations in the US". The first episode airs on 10/17 so fire up those DVR's!


Saturday, August 9, 2008

Psychiatrist With Laser Eyes Challenges James Randi

Noted debunker of the paranormal James Randi has dangled a $1 million prize over the collective heads of believers for decades.
The catch? Prove your alleged paranormal gift, be it telepathy, telekinesis or even levitation to a panel of skeptics. One doesn't even need to explain how they that thing they do.

After years of no challengers, from the arid lands of Dallas, there arises a contender. Psychiatrist Collin A Ross M.D. allegedly has the ability to send "a beam of energy from his eyes". He plans to prove his claim by using said beam to produce a tone from a speaker.

Dr Ross has submitted his application and is awaiting preliminary tests. If he makes it past this stage he will be the first to ever do so.
Check out Dr. Ross's website at http://www.rossinst.com/
For more info about the James Randi Educational Foundation go to http//www.randi.org/

Friday, August 8, 2008

Robert, America's Most Haunted Doll

Is this creepy old doll really possessed by a mischievous spirit? Over the years, many people have allegedly witnessed the doll moving, tapping on the glass of his case, and even hearing him speak.

Employees of the East Martello Museum in Key West, Robert's permanent home, frequently report finding him in a different position than they left him the night before.
Click the post title to see more pics of the mysterious and infamous Robert.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Philip J. Imbrogno Explains it All

Author Philip J. Imbrogno claims to have found a common link among all forms of paranormal activity. And he would know, having investigated "every form of paranormal happening imaginable". In this article from the Llewellyn Journal, he talks about his experiences and his newest book, "Interdimensional Universe: The New Science of UFO's, Paranormal Phenomena, and Other Dimensional Beings".

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Proof of Yeti?

Unidentified hairs may finally prove the existence of the Yeti. Click post title for details on the testing and where these mysterious hairs were found.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

The Cuddly Menace

What do you get when you take a delicately-illustrated children's book, subtract the innocent tale about the wonder of God's creation, and add a plot of alien invasion?

Click the post title to find out!

Monday, August 4, 2008

The Mystery of the Roswell Rock


Linda Moulton Howe investigates the "Roswell Rock". A mysterious stone with strange properties discovered near the Roswell crash site. The rock's carved symbol precisely matches a UK crop circle from 1996. Said stone also appears to have strange magnetic properties. Click on the post title for Linda's in depth report.

Montauk Monster Mystery Deepens

Rumors and speculation abound as we still try to make sense of the creepy carcass washed ashore in Montauk a few days ago.
Deemed everything from a viral marketing ploy to an escaped government research project; this thing has set the cryptid world on fire.
Click post title for video updates and more pics of this still unknown creature.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Paranormal Radio

Check out the unique experience of Planet Paranormal, a multi-media goldmine for those interested in all things otherworldly. One of the most exciting features is FREE streaming audio from any number of paranormal radio shows; including TAPS family radio.

Click on post title to be whisked away to Planet Paranormal.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Another Cryptid Story

From AOL Weird News. What do you think it is?

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Monsterquest: Legend of the Hairy Beast

Wednesday July 30 at 9:00 PM on the History Channel

Native American history is full of "Hairy Man" stories and cave art that date back over a thousand years. Did Native Americans know the truth behind the Bigfoot legend? An expedition along the Klamath River into reservation land will use state of the art technology to search for something locals don't doubt is real. With unprecedented access to Native American stories and recent sightings, MonsterQuest examines this creature that is both feared and revered.

Monday, July 28, 2008

New Season of Paranormal State


New episodes of Paranormal State begin tonight at 10pm (Eastern Standard Time) on A&E.
Watch psychic Chip Coffey and the rest of the gang investigate a Western PA home in search of a poltergeist with a New Orleans connection.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

It's Paranormal Meetup Time!


Miss last month's awesome meetup? Wanna meet people as strange as you are? Check us out this Friday July 25th at the Caribou Coffee on East Blvd in Charlotte. Things usually kick off at 7pm but some of us arrive fashionably late...'cuz we're cool like that.

Hosted by the wonderful Ambur Rose, this casual get-together is THE event for anyone interested in or haunted by UFO's, cryptid creatures, or good old-fashioned ghosties.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

This Link is ONLY good until Midnight on July 20th

If you are a fan of "Buffy", Joss Whedon, "Firefly" or musicals...check this out!!!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

FAA radar confirms UFO over Stephenville, TX


In January of 2008, the residents of Stephenville, Texas reported UFOs in the evening sky. The military was quick to deny any covert operations in or around the night in question. They later recanted the story and blamed the whole thing on a squadron of planes headed for the local base. Residents continued to see unidentified objects in the sky, prompting MUFON investigators to file Freedom of Information Act requests to the FAA and the local weather service.


Click on the post title to read the full report.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

The Hunt for The Hound of Goshen or How I Spent My Summer Vacation

The Hunt for the Hound of Goshen or How I Spent My Summer Vacation
By Tina R. McSwain



Like those essays you were forced to write upon returning to school after summer break, here is what I did on my summer vacation – July 4th Weekend, 2007.

I have always been intrigued by the story of The Hound of Goshen. I first heard of this "ghost story" while reading one of Nancy Roberts’ ghost books of the 60’s/70’s; the one about South Carolina Ghosts. Seems there is a ghostly large white dog that runs along a certain stretch of road near Newberry, SC and frightens all who see it. (See link to Shadowlands SC - Newberry in Links section of our Yahoo site.) I have threatened on several occasions to go down there and try to find this dog.

Well ladies and gentlemen, I and three of my good friends set out at 10 am on Saturday to do just that! Armed with snacks, drinks, bug spray, water, and clothes to change into, we were off! (I brought the Ghostbag just in case we did find the dog................lol)

First, we had to detour to Gaston County. There was an old cemetery I had heard of that was supposed to be "hard to find". Heck, I took that as a challenge, so I wanted to find that before we headed to Newberry. Now, these so-called directions called for us to count power lines and huge transfer line supports while flying down I-85. Then of course, came the patented CAPS U-Turn to get on the road we were supposed to be on. After confirming our count, and following what directions we had to the letter, we stopped and got out of the truck. We had to climb a cattle gate to get in, but off we trekked. (Now, the sight of us climbing that cattle gate was, I am sure, hilarious to say the least.)

It was about 102 degrees in the shade, never mind the blazing sun that was beating down on us...........lolol Seriously, we all had a bottle of water and had it drank before we even rounded the first curve in the road, let alone, found the cemetery. After a long 30 - 45 minutes out in the middle of nowhere, two of my friends happened upon the cemetery. Yes, it was really there. And, quite pretty too. They took a few pictures, while I waited under the biggest pine tree I could find, and let me tell you, it was not very big.



It took us twice as long to make that long walk back as it did to get in there. Several stops along the way, under any tree we could find for shade, was definitely in order as we were all out of water. Then, we had to face that damn cattle gate before we could get out. Now, after a walk such as the one we had just completed, that gate loomed large in the distance. After, pushing, pulling and tugging each other over the gate, praying all the time we wouldn’t get stuck at the top or fall off the thing, we finally made it over. After a momentary respite from hoisting our asses over that gate, we headed back to the truck. First destination was the drink cooler. Needless to say, we had to sit there a moment in the air conditioning of the truck before we dared move. With our recovery well under way, we set out for South Carolina and hopefully, The Hound of Goshen,

Now, finding this Hound of Goshen was not going to be easy. But then, we have faced and conquered challenges like this before. (3 weeks and 300 miles later to find Gregory Graveyard…………….lol)

The only information we had was from a ghost site on the web. This is what it said:

Hound of Goshen
The five-mile stretch of the old Buncombe Road, which runs between the church cemetery and Goshen Hill Plantation, is said to be haunted by the ghost of a dog. It is said that the ghost of a very white dog haunts this road and frightens anyone who comes through there. The story dates back to the late 1800's when this road was onetime a stagecoach route between Ebenezer Church in Maybinton Township and Goshen Hill in Union County.

I had already searched the internet to no avail. No mention of a Goshen Hill Plantation, no listing for an Ebenezer Church, and no town listed in the name of Maybinton Township. I even called the Union County, SC Chamber of Commerce; they were of no help. I had a feeling; this was going to be one heck of a scavenger hunt. Having to go on any bit of information or scrap of truth, was going to make for a long trip. Nevertheless, we were ready!

You would think that there couldn’t be that many Buncombe Roads, right? Wrong!! There were about 4. We started off down I-85 South. Then we turned east on I-26. There were several “Buncombe Roads” in this area. We had to check out every one that we found on MapQuest to be sure we had the right Buncombe Road. We must have hit every Convenience and Mom & Pop Store on the way. We asked every local we could find. All the while, we keep traveling east on I-26.

We finally rolled into Newberry around 3 o’clock in the afternoon. We stopped at the Newberry Cemetery (of course) to walk around and take pictures. It was a really pretty cemetery near the college. After our impromptu cemetery tour, we ventured further into town and spotted an antique shop. We figured we would stop in there and strike up a conversation with the owner. We went in walked around, browsed and chatted for awhile, but sadly, he wasn’t much help. We did however, find some old maps in the store that at least gave us a direction in which to head. Being somewhat frustrated, we then got the brilliant idea to ask the Police. Surely, they would know where all the local “haunted hot spots” were. So, off we went to the Town of Newberry Police Station.



We wheeled into the parking lot, got out of the car, and decided who would go in and ask. Two of my friends went in. Now, I do believe this Police Department had all of 3 officers on its entire force. And, wouldn’t you know it, the one who may know the answer to our questions wasn’t there. However, fate was on our side and he entered the parking lot some minutes later. We spoke to him in the parking lot, asking where the church was in order to locate an ancestor’s grave. He could at least tell us where Maybinton was and how to get there. He also warned us about the paranormal places out there, and said there were supposedly some haunted areas. Hmmmm…………..I told him I hadn’t heard anything about that, I was just looking for the church (as one of my friends slid over to partially obscure the GOSTHNTR tag on my truck………lol) He was writing directions when all of a sudden his radio blared that there was a stabbing downtown. He hastily scribbled and tossed the paper to me, saying he had to go. Soon after, the other 2 officers that were in the building ran out and jumped in their cars and sped off in the direction our helpful officer had gone. We all looked at each other because we knew there were only 2 other people in the building and they had just left. The entire Police Department had cleared out. A wild Saturday night in Newberry, I guess. Such is life in a small town.

Armed with written directions, we left the deserted parking lot and Police Station and headed in the direction of Maybinton. We had gotten a recommendation for dinner from the Antique Shop owner and found it on our way out of town. We stopped there for dinner. As our luck would have it (we were actually on a roll this day), we met a gentleman in his 90’s. He told us all about this plantation out toward Maybinton. (Yea! Yea!) (Through internet searches, I had already determined that Goshen Hill Plantation did not exist.) He then proceeded to tell us a story about a fountain on the plantation property that was carved by a recovering civil war soldier. He also gave us a better idea of where the church might be. (He even knew where West End Cemetery was and was familiar with the Ghost, The Bride of West End) However, we decided to file that information away for a later date and another trip. While dining, darn if we didn’t meet and strike up a conversation with a couple who knew more about the haunted locations in the area. They were going to show us, but had an emergency come up and had to leave quickly. So, again, we were on our own. We finished our meal and headed out toward Maybinton.

Following our policeman’s directions, we eventually found ourselves in some kind of preservation deeply forested area. We rode and rode for what seemed like an eternity. We finally came upon a Historical Marker sign that said something about an old plantation and a fountain. Eureka! Eureka! We had found it (or so we thought). However, after several miles or riding, there was no sign of a church anywhere. No sign of Buncombe Road either. We were disappointed. We were also running low on gas, very low. A slight twinge of panic set in as we realized we could be walking in this creepy forest. After several anxious minutes, we reached the end of this long and desolate road, when lo and behold; a gas station appeared in the distance. And, bless my soul, it was OPEN! We refueled the truck and ourselves.

We seem to have some luck at striking up conversations with the locals. We decided to ask at the gas station if anyone had heard of the Hound of Goshen. Well, to our delight, not only had some heard of him, some had actually seen him. We were ecstatic!! We begin to question folks, interview witnesses, and wrote down the directions they gave us to the church and corresponding Buncombe Road that the dog runs along. We then interviewed the 2 people who claimed to have seen the apparition. They both gave separate but similar stories. Hmmm…….maybe we were on our way to finding this thing!

One man said he had seen it several times. The time was always late, around 1am or later. He described it as “a big dog, pure white, that floated above the ground, but moved very fast”. He said it had one big red bloodshot eye. Said his mother had seen it, but she was dead now. The lady told us her mother had seen it too and was so frightened, that she would no longer drive down that road at night. This lady also told us she had been chased by the dog when she was a little girl, but really did not want to talk about the experience. She did however, tell us how to get to the church and road. She told us to go ahead, if we were brave enough to go hunting for it.

After fending off the local drunk, and kindly refusing assistance from those who were willing to come with us, we set out to find the church. Following our directions, it did not take long to find the church cemetery that the dog comes out of to begin his run. It was one creepy cemetery. It was one creepy area in general. One stayed in the truck, while three of us got out and proceeded to walk around and take pictures. We got some good shots. One of my best follows>>>

This is Ebenezer Church Cemetery…Home of the Hound of Goshen.


This is a series taken one right after the other. The light is in the first, but not in the second. Pictures were taken in rapid succession within seconds.


We experienced a smell of cologne here also, and none of us were wearing any perfume. Besides, after the long day we had had, I am sure none of us smelled anything close to sweet.
After an hour or so of walking, searching, and picture taking, we decided to return to the truck and make our way back to Charlotte. We left, aided by a map, and surprisingly found our way to I-77. At last, something familiar! Amazingly, we were not that far from Charlotte. If we ever decide to go back for an investigation, we will know to go down I-77. It is much closer.

We continued driving home and reflecting on the day’s events and adventures. These three friends of mine who had so faithfully followed, and sometimes lead me on this adventure, were Kathy, Kimberly, and Nancy. I just wish Nikki had been with us too. (We are all well aware of what can come “out of the mouth of babes”, and become something extremely hilarious that will be talked about for years to come……lol) We had so much fun, in normal CAPS girls fashion, we thought it would be great to do it again sometime.

And so it began, the Annual Ghost Grrls July 4th Weekend Road Trip to parts unknown and as yet, undiscovered.


Copywrite 2007
Tina R. McSwain
Founder & President,
CAPS – Charlotte Area Paranormal Society