HPI Investigation Report

Date of Investigation: June 2nd, 2007

Investigation Site: Elsing's Second Hand Shop, Stoughton, WI.

Investigators present: Barry, Kurt, Krista, Rhonda, Chris (former member of HPI) and Matt (Midwest Preternatural Research).

Investigation Overview: All of the group members showed up at the store around 1:00 PM, except for Barry who had a prior commitment and would show up when she was finished there. We met with Vicky and got a tour of the building and a rundown on the paranormal occurrences that have been reported to have happened there over the years. We then planned out what we wanted to do during the investigation, took some photos and baseline EMF and temperature readings, and then left the premises to have dinner.

Upon returning, we talked with Vicky for a while, and then started the investigation around 7:30 PM. Our first course of action was to have the group together for an EVP session in the furniture room in the basement where both customers and other paranormal investigation groups have had activity. Throughout the evening, Vicky accompanied us and sat in on the EVP sessions. See the "Personal Experiences" section for detail about what happened during these sessions.

After the first EVP session, the group went back to the main floor and took some more photos, video, and EMF readings. The EMF readings were found to be high, so we completely shut the power off to the building. Shortly after, Barry showed up and we discussed the earlier events with her. We then went back down to the basement for another EVP session.

After the second EVP session, we broke up into groups of one and two and went to various locations around the building for silent vigils, EVP attempts, videotaping, and picture taking.  We then met back on the main floor to regroup, and decided to try another EVP session in the furniture room with all the group members and Vicky.

We wrapped up our investigation shortly after 2:00 AM.

Personal Experiences:
 
Throughout the investigation, at various times, group members would report smelling scents, such as a sulfurous fire smell, like when a candle is extinguished, or a smell of human waste, which would then disappear. Several group members also felt very apprehensive near the stairs going down into the basement and the nearby areas.

We started our first EVP session around 7:30 PM in the furniture room. Very shortly after we started the session, several members of the group said that they were feeling odd, which was then seconded by the remaining members who had felt it, but had not said anything.

Krista summed up the feeling best by saying "During the first EVP session, I experienced feelings of anxiety, apprehension, and vulnerability." While this was the first investigation for two group members, the rest of us have been in literally dozens of EVP sessions, and we had never before felt anything like what we felt during that session. Other members described it as a "tingling", a feeling of extreme heat or cold, a feeling of "not being alone", or a feeling of being watched. Several members also said that the room seemed to get both darker and colder.  Also, during the session, three group members heard a noise they described as sounding like a young child sighing or possibly muttering something, except the direction it came from was behind a wall that many group members had their backs against, and it sounded strangely distant. There was also a light tapping noise on something behind Rhonda during the session. We asked if the sound could be repeated, but it wasn't.

When Barry arrived, the power was completely shut off to the building due to the high EMF readings that we seemed to be finding. We thought that shutting off the power could cut down on any high EMF that was present. We all went back down for another EVP session and attempted to recreate what we had felt before, but none of the group members felt in any way like they did during the first session. During this session, group member Rhonda read out loud from a children's book. Three times while Rhonda was reading the story, group members heard a sound that they either described as a cat-like meow or a girl crying. Each time it happened, it would happen at the same time Rhonda was speaking. It was faint, and some group members felt that it came from behind the heavy door that separated the furniture room from the storage room. As far as anyone knows, there is no cat on the premises and no signs of one. Nothing out of the ordinary was found in the storage room. As the EVP session continued, none of the group members felt anything like they did during the first session. At this point, we decided that what happened during the first EVP session was most likely attributed either to the high EMF that seemed to be present, or to the power of suggestion or "group-think". 

We then broke into small groups to focus on other areas. Kurt and Krista went to the bookroom in the basement to do an EVP session.  During this session, both Krista and Kurt felt like the room became darker and colder, and both members saw what they believed to be movement in a corner of the room, but nothing was found. A possible EVP was captured during this session (see attached audio Clip #4).

We later went back downstairs to the furniture room for a third group EVP session. During this session, Rhonda once again read out loud from a children's storybook, but there weren't any responses. As the third EVP session continued, all of the group members once again felt the same feeling of apprehension and anxiety that we felt during the first session, including Barry who was not there for the first one. The feeling that accompanied this energy coming into the room was very noticeable. The atmosphere of the room would change so drastically that you could almost physically feel it. At one point, Kurt mentioned out loud that he felt like he was not supposed to move a muscle and was not supposed to turn around, and Barry said that the same thought ran through her mind the same second as Kurt said it. Once again, the room felt colder and darker, and it felt like there was another presence in the room. These feelings continued, and Barry said that she was suddenly feeling very nauseous and very close to throwing up. Kurt also suddenly began to feel a heat in his throat and came very close to throwing up. Both Barry and Kurt left the session to go outside. While outside the building, both Kurt and Barry said that they had an amazing feeling of dread involved with going back into the basement, almost to the point where they didn't know if they could physically bring themselves to walk back down the steps. The strange feelings continued in the basement. Group member Mark said "...what made me finally leave my chair and sit on the floor was a picture I had in my mind of hands going around my neck from behind me". Shortly after this, the lights were turned on, the equipment was gathered up, and the decision was made to end the investigation for the evening.