Case status: Open
Case date: September 25, 2018
Location: Surry, VA
Identity: Public
Site classification: Historic
Report #687 – Planning Email by Brad Bradley
They still don’t have power, but expect it back on by this afternoon. We’re still a go. However, in a worst case scenario with no power, we need to be prepared. We need to dress warmly (50F in the house right now), schedule periodic bathroom trips to 7-11 (they are on a well, so no power means no water) and operate on all battery power. If the power is back on, we’ll plan on DVR, screens, etc. If not we’ll be going old school.
See you all there.
Robert “Brad” Bradley Research Coordinator [REDACTED] (C) [REDACTED] (H) brad@virginiaghosts.com
CPRI – A TAPS Family Member www.virginiaghosts.com https://www.facebook.com/VAcpri
On Friday, March 2, 2018, 1:28:46 PM EST, Brad Bradley <[REDACTED]> wrote:
I was just informed that [REDACTED] has just suffered a power outage. They anticipate the power being back on by the time we come down tomorrow. Keep watching your email for more info. I would still like to try some things onsite on battery even if the power is off. If you don’t hear from me, we are still on for this one.
Robert “Brad” Bradley Research Coordinator [REDACTED] (C) [REDACTED] (H) brad@virginiaghosts.com
CPRI – A TAPS Family Member www.virginiaghosts.com https://www.facebook.com/VAcpri
On Friday, March 2, 2018, 10:08:36 AM EST, Brad Bradley <[REDACTED]> wrote:
Weather: Sunny, High 53, Low 34. No chance of rain.
See you all tomorrow.
On Wednesday, February 28, 2018, 12:20:19 PM EST, Brad Bradley <[REDACTED]> wrote:
Looks like we have a couple more joining us. We will be expanding our HQ into the [REDACTED] room as well as the [REDACTED].
Weather update. High 56/Low 35. No rain.
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Everyone,
You are receiving this email because you either signed up for this project or expressed an interest at our February meeting. If you cannot attend please let me know. Also, if you need a place to stay overnight, the Surry House Country Inn is now open in Surry (Phone: (757) 294-3050).
The address and plan are below.
Address: [REDACTED], Surry, VA 23883
Plan Outline: 3pm – arrive onsite 3:30pm – begin HQ and static setup. 6:30pm – Dinner break 8pm – Begin surveillance
Due to cooler temperatures, HQ will be in the [REDACTED]. We will enter and exit the rest of the building through the museum room. We will be focusing on the [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] section this time.
DVR – We will be using Kenny’s DVR setup for this one, with mine as a backup. We need cameras in both the [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] sections even though we aren’t focusing data collection in the [REDACTED] side.
Audio Recorders – We will be placing a live monitor DR05 in the [REDACTED] with my two Olympus recorders on the 2nd and 1st floors. We need two of Teresa’s recorders, one in the [REDACTED] basement and one on the second floor of the [REDACTED] section. I would like to use both of the other two DR05s as mobile recorders.
Dataloggers – For the group experiments, we will be focusing on just magnetic field and radiation in the [REDACTED] this time around. We’ll be placing three geiger counters in a triangle pattern in the center part of the [REDACTED]. I’ll be placing a tablet and phone datalogger in the middle of that triangle. I would also like to have Rick’s trifield meter on the 2nd floor hallway of the [REDACTED] side.
Let me know if you would like to conduct your own experiment.
Robert “Brad” Bradley Research Coordinator [REDACTED] (C) [REDACTED] (H) brad@virginiaghosts.com
CPRI – A TAPS Family Member www.virginiaghosts.com https://www.facebook.com/VAcpri
Report #688 – Setup Changes by Brad Bradley
HQ was moved to downstairs [REDACTED]. Only 1 camera was placed on [REDACTED] side, aiming up stairs. DR05 was placed on 2nd floor hallway on couch. DR05 was placed in [REDACTED] basement, near stairs. Trifield meter with audio was placed on 2nd floor hallway, [REDACTED] section, near Olympus recorder on bench. 1 HT datalogger was placed on each floor of the [REDACTED] section. 3 geiger counters were placed in a triangle in the [REDACTED] with a tablet datalogger in the middle. A game camera was placed in the [REDACTED].
Report #690 – Initial Log Entry – Mike Magner
[REDACTED] Initial Entry: I arrived at [REDACTED] at about 2:30pm on 3 March 2018 with Helene Hannan. We were the only people there when we first arrived. It was a bit cool (low 50s in temperature) and very windy, but the sky was clear. I took a series of photos of the outside of the building and the grounds around the building. Nothing seemed unusual or out of the ordinary during our walk around the grounds. I have not had a chance to review the photos as of yet.
Kenny arrived next, then Caroline, and then Brad, and the rest of the team. We went inside and started set up a little after 3pm (I think). The first entry in the set up log was at 3:59 pm with the initial weather data which was obtained from a Google weather app on my cell phone. There was no power in the building due to a wind storm the previous day, which knocked down a utility pole about 2 miles from the building. The sunlight through the windows provided more than enough light to complete set up in a fairly rapid manner. Brad actually got all of his set-up completed before me this time! I spent a lot of time documenting the site layout and took a lot of pictures to help clarify if any of the diagrams were confusing later on. Headquarters were set up in the downstairs room in the [REDACTED] side of the house where the tours typically begin. Most of the equipment was focused on the [REDACTED] side of the house, with the only equipment on the [REDACTED] side being the camera at the bottom of the stairwell pointing up the stairs toward the balcony, and one audio recording on the second floor at the stairwell end. A detailed site set up log is included in the dropbox files.
No paranormal type incidents were reported by team members during set up.
After set up, the team went for dinner at the local Chinese restaurant (which would later lead to the return of the “Beast of [REDACTED]” – our team’s nickname for the funny stomach noises that tend to occur afterwards). Upon our return from dinner at 6:24 pm, there were 3 of the [REDACTED] waiting for us in HQ (Christin, Carrie, and Jordan). Upon arrival, the team discovered that the power was on and began switching on all of the equipment that required power, and adjusted the cameras.
The investigation was in full swing at about 7pm. Many of the log entries included bangs and thumps that came over the speakers from the DR-O5 that was placed in the [REDACTED] and live monitored at HQ. It is likely that many of these noises could be attributed to the wind, but there were also some other noises heard, such as vocalizations and music. Although most of the equipment was focused on the [REDACTED]-side, the [REDACTED] side where HQ was located seemed to be the focus of much of the activity. On a few occasions, noises occurred right outside the door to HQ, which was shut. All team members in the building were inside HQ and could not be the source. The team looked in the hallway each time, and found nothing. Once, while a small team was in the upstairs area of the [REDACTED] side, the team heard 2 very distinct knocks which were also captured on the portable audio recorder which Helene was live monitoring. The team was talking about the 2 knocks and then a very distinct 3rd knock occurred about 30 seconds after.
There was also a loud “buzz saw” noise heard multiple times from the second floor of the [REDACTED] which the team had never heard before in the building in our multiple previous investigations. However, the team was able to identify the source of that noise – wind blowing through an outdoor gutter and drainpipe that had a metal piece that vibrated when the wind caught it from the right direction. So the team was able to rule that out as paranormal.
While we were sitting in HQ, I was taking to one of the [REDACTED] who relayed a story of an event that happened to her on a previous occasion. On that day, she was downstairs in the [REDACTED] side and knew that there was nobody else in the building that could have been upstairs, but she heard lots of noises of doors opening and shutting, footsteps, etc., so she went upstairs and looked around. She saw nobody up on the second floor, but noticed that the bathroom door was shut. She knocked 3 times on the door loudly and quickly and when nobody responded, she opened the door and saw nobody inside the upstairs bathroom. She turned and headed back towards the stairs and from behind her she heard 3 loud knocks which seemed to be in response to her previous knocks.
All in all, it was a great evening. I had a great time and I am really excited to look at all of the data.
Report #691 – Initial impressions by Helene Hannan
In HQ, I logged and monitored the interior cameras and attic speaker; I sometimes checked the exterior cameras and attic Geiger readings. I frequently heard indistinct noises from the attic speakers – thumps, bangs, squeaks, whirls, hums and/or clicks from the attic speaker. Also I report the following:
I heard possible vague vocalization or whispers at 7:03pm, 7:21pm, and 7:27pm (the latest followed by increasing Geiger reading to 29) from the attic speaker.
At about 10:12pm, the Geiger counter stayed at 25+ and I heard a knock a couple minutes after from the attic speaker. I heard vocalizations on and after 10:38pm from the attic speaker for a few minutes followed by an increase at 10:46pm in Geiger counter readings to above 30.
Sounds were heard by the team at 10:56pm followed by an increase in Geiger counter readings 25+. I heard what sounded like a musical tone at 11:09pm coming from the attic speaker.
Just after 9:07pm, I walked through the house with Alan and Richard. At about 9:40pm about 30 minutes into an excursion in the new wing, in the second floor bathroom, with a DR05, while we were standing still, I heard two quick distinct knocks followed by a third knock. The knocks seem to come from the floor but it is hard to pinpoint sound with a DR05. I also held a Trifeld Meter on Magnetic (1 – 3 range) which wiggled from .2 to 1 throughout the 30+ minute walk.
Report #692 – Audio Analysis by Brad Bradley
DR05 Live Monitor in [REDACTED]. 180303_208.wav (start 3:56:30pm, end 7:19:18pm) 3:07:14 (7:03pm) – voice 3:07:27 (7:03pm) – 2 sniffs
180303_209.wav (start 7:19:18pm, end 10:42:06pm) 3:19:18 (10:39pm) – moan 3:19:52 (10:39pm) – louder voice (2nd floor?), unintelligible
180303_210.wav (start 10:42:06pm, end 12:11:11am) 26:05 (11:08pm) – screech heard by HQ and team in Hyphen.
1st Floor Hallway Olympus Recorder WS710197.mp3 (start 3:56:30pm, end 12:03:18am)
3:09:03 (7:05pm) – movement, correlates with camera in that hallway.
2nd Floor Hallway Olympus Recorder VN620112.wma (start 3:56:30pm, end 12:03:04am)
Report #693 – Datalogger Analysis by Brad Bradley
Tablet in [REDACTED], center of Geiger Counter triangle (start 4:33:30pm) Magnetometer – Spikes in intensity on all 3 axes occurred at 6:13pm, 7:45pm and 10:46pm. Does not correlate with any audible or visible anomalies. Light Sensor – No anomalies detected. Accelerometer – No anomalies detected.
Geiger counter, West [REDACTED] (start 4:17pm) Spikes approaching 30 CPM occurred at 6:50pm, 8:05pm, 10:04pm
Geiger counter, East [REDACTED] (start 4:19pm) Spikes approaching 30cpm occurred at 6:50pm and 10:04pm.
Geiger counter, South [REDACTED] (start 4:09pm) Spikes approaching 35cpm occurred at 5:06pm and 10:54pm.
***Geiger counters readings may need to be viewed per second instead of by the minute. Activity in the [REDACTED] showed real time spikes that do not show in the minute collected data.***
Report #694 – Overview by Allen Slonaker
Observations:
Approx. 1630: Placed my DR-05 on the second floor of the [REDACTED] at the top of the stairs on the Victorian couch.
Approx. 1900-1910: Brief excursion on the [REDACTED] side with Brad, Kenny and Conner (approved guest). Noted a pronounced buzzing sound. This sound recurred throughout the night and after some additional investigation it appears to have been the winds blowing an exterior downspout connected to a gutter. It should be noted that winds that evening were especially high.
Approx. 2107-2145: Excursion with Richard and Helene to the [REDACTED] side. Nothing detected. Transitioned to the the [REDACTED] side. Richard and I were standing at the top of the stairs and Helene was live monitoring a DR05 just inside the bathroom. We heard two knocks in immediate succession followed by a third seconds later. These were very pronounced and appeared to be on a hard wood service. Sounds appeared to originate directly behind Helene and just inside of the bathroom Noted with command post w/ approx. time of 2140.
Approx. 2200: Brief excursion to the location of the knocks at the top of the stairs with Rick and Brad. Attempts to duplicate the knocking lead us to believe it was on the floor. Its noteworthy to report that Brad stated that they were playing around with “Shave and a Haircut” knocking at the command post at almost the exact time we reported the knocking.
Approx. 2235: While Kenny, Brad and [REDACTED] were on an excursion to the [REDACTED] side and in the basement a vocalization was heard on the live monitor in the [REDACTED]. The vocalization was in my opinion of normal conversational tone and seemed close to the microphone. I could not make out what was said as it sounded unintelligible. I had Brad do a vocal test from his position in the basement which seemed to eliminate, in my opinion, his group being the source of what was heard. I can verify and concur with Helene’s observation that the vocalization did seem to pair with a increase in CPM’s to a spike of about 30.
Also during that period what sounded like musical notes were heard from that side. The sound was much more faint.
Overall the location seemed quiet with the exception of activity roughly between 2130 and 2330.
No additional items were noted.
Report #695 – Raw Audio by Allen Slonaker
The following are Dropbox links to my complete raw audio. Analysis is on-going at this time.