Popular opinion dictates that there are two kinds of people reading this article: the believer and the skeptic. Perhaps the believer will read with enthusiasm, possibly in recollection of a personal encounter similar to those interviewed here. The skeptic, however, may read in disgust and wonder at the worthiness of a feature story on such an intangible concept as ghosts.

This reporter, however, trusts that there is a believer and a skeptic in each of us, and that these seemingly contradictory points of view actually balance us. And rightfully so — if we believe blindly, we’ll never form concrete or credible ideas, but if we are too skeptical, we stifle our imaginations.

It is curiosity which brings people to the subject of ghosts, and doubt and fear which turns them away. A variety of factors contribute to the individual’s understanding of the supernatural, including religion, personal experience, education, imagination and background.

The Web site for The Atlantic Paranormal Society, or TAPS, which offers much information about ghosts and ghost-hunting, explains, “... it should be observed that no living person knows, with absolute certainty, what becomes of human or animal consciousness after the inevitable cessation of biological life.”

Essentially, it all comes down to whether or not you are intrigued by the idea of ghosts — and millions of Americans are.

TAPS is a New England group dedicated to hunting and researching exhaustively all unusual stories and sightings that may even remotely pertain to the supernatural.

They even have their own television show, Sci-Fi’s Ghost Hunters, the crew of which travels to locations believed to be haunted to gather evidence via videotapes, temperature monitorings (according to the site, the temperature is believed to drop a few degrees with a paranormal presence), sound recordings, electromagnetic radiation detection and visual observations.

‘Ghost hunting’ goes mainstream
Ghost hunting is not necessarily a new trend, but one that is gaining popularity. Local resident Meredith Rishel, a Lycoming College sociology student, has considered the possibility of a presence in her home and discussed with friends various ways of trying to detect it.

“We’ve heard some strange noises and seen shadows, you know, the usual things that make you think someone or something might be here, but it’s an old house, and there really isn’t any concrete evidence,” Rishel said.

Still, Rishel and friends took digital pictures of the dark hallway leading from the front to the back of the house, and several things appeared which would have been notable to the TAPS group, including a hazy area in the upper right corner of one photo and light orbs in another.

Residents seek signs of a ‘transfer of energy’
Both abnormalities are said to indicate a transfer of energy from one “being” to another, according to TAPS, the members of which also admit that these “signs” often are the product of human error. Smoking, visible breath during cold weather and kicked-up dust all are factors which can alter photographic research about supernatural presences.

“We were really careful when we took the pictures, but as a photo minor, I know that you can’t take pictures of things that aren’t there. That was just a fun thing to do, the ghost-hunting part. But it’s hard to ignore some of the things that have happened in the house,” Rishel said, going on to talk about an instance in which she heard a whistle in the hallway when no one else was home.

“Another weird thing that happened about a month ago was when I came home to all the lights on and the door, still locked, was hanging wide open,” Rishel added. “I never leave lights on when I go out.”

Pictures are one thing, but the people at TAPS have become quite high-tech about their paranormal research. They use such equipment as audio recorders to try to capture sounds and voices people claim to have heard in their homes, and in graveyard settings, TAPS members swear by motion detectors, which have been triggered in seemingly vacant areas.

The biggest and most complicated piece of equipment used by serious ghost-hunters seems to be air ion counter, which measures electromagnetic fluctuations. According to paranormality.com, another site listing the tools of the ghost-hunting trade, supernatural presences are believed to put off a high level of electromagnetic discharges via positive ions. EMF detectors are used for the same reason, to measure magnetic changes in the air which may indicate a presence. Barometric changes also are said to occur when ghosts are near, so ghost-hunters may also invest in barometers and hydrometers, which measure fluctuations in humidity.

The people of TAPS and other ghost-hunting organizations want to ensure the safety of the amateurs and enthusiasts hunting for ghosts by suggesting the inclusion of a first-aid kit with the rest of their equipment. TAPS also suggests getting a feel for the area to be explored beforehand, preferably during the day, whether indoors or outdoors.

While physical safety may pale in comparison should you actually detect a real ghost, stumbling blindly into an empty, freshly-dug grave because you didn’t check out the landscape of the cemetery in the daylight would not be a pleasant experience.

Living in a ‘haunted house’
Keith Heddings and John McAllister of Milton are quite familiar with all of the equipment and rules associated with hunting down a ghost. They’ve had multiple sightings in their newly renovated house, which was built in the 1860s.

The two said the original owner was a man named Israel Scott, whose daughter married into a prominent industrial family who promptly lost most of their money during the Depression, so they eventually had to sell off the land to allow for other houses to be built on the property. The house was finally sold and turned into apartments before going through several renovations at their Milton home.

Heddings and McAllister are the fifth owners of the home and are extremely excited about the ghostly activity they’ve experienced in a house with such historical value.

“My first sighting occurred when I was painting one day,” Heddings said. He came around a corner to go upstairs and saw a female housekeeper milling around in the stairwell. Heddings claims she didn’t take notice of him, just went down the back staircase.

“She was here and I was here, but on two different levels,” Heddings said. “I talked to her, told her I had no problem with her presence, but not to scare me while I was sleeping,” he said, laughing. Heddings also felt the need to make clear that other “beings” were welcome in the house as well, a good thing because his second experience occurred later that very same evening, when he saw roughly half a dozen figures leaning over the stairwell shortly after he’d expressed his tolerance for ghostly presences.

Startled, Heddings said he nearly fell off the ladder he’d been using to paint, and once he’d caught his balance, he looked up and the figures were gone.

“I think they showed up to say thanks for my acceptance of them,” Heddings said.

Discovering former pets
These are not the only unusual visions experienced by the couple. Though the two have only dogs as pets, McAllister has seen cats moving from room to room.

The pair were puzzled until, during renovations, electricians discovered several cat skulls in their basement. Heddings’ and McAllister’s “real life pets,” the dogs, won’t go down the basement stairwell anymore, and during construction, when all the activity was going on in the front staircase, the dogs wouldn’t use that stairwell either, but would shake and whine when their masters did.

Once, Heddings awoke to see his dog staring toward the foot of his bed. When he looked, he saw a woman in a white, turn-of-the-century Victorian dress standing there.

Heddings was quick to say that most of the activity they’ve experienced occurred during reconstruction of the house. They worked on renovating for 10 months before moving in, as the building was used for apartments for 30 to 40 years before.

When Heddings and McAllister were painting the living room a very modern, matte red color, Heddings claims to have heard the scruffy voice of an older man say, “This is not an appropriate color for this house.”

Shocked but not offended, Heddings said he responded out loud: “Just wait until we’re done.”

“I think that voice I heard was Israel Scott himself,” Heddings said.

Of course, all these experiences would make anyone curious to learn more about the possibility of ghosts in their home.

The Susquehanna Valley Paranormal Investigators group
Heddings and McAllister contacted the Susquehanna Valley Paranormal Investigators group, who have since made two visits to the house and gathered some convincing evidence to support the presence of more than one supernatural being. Using most of the same equipment recommended by TAPS, investigators were most excited about the intensity of the electromagnetic fluctuations they recorded.

“I remember we had a vigil and asked the ghosts if they were there, and the needle was just buried in red,” Heddings said, adding that the investigators told him it was the highest level of electromagnetic activity they’d ever seen in a house on a ghost hunt.

Four psychics witnessed the housekeeper figure Heddings saw previously, and all involved in the hunt heard unexpected noises and saw activity with lights when no one was there to turn them on or off.

Different people had the same weird feelings at the same time in the same places of the house, and the psychics were positive that Heddings and McAllister were sharing their home with at least one paranormal presence, but almost definitely more than one.

Another interesting experience Heddings had was on a day he was to host a meeting of the Women’s Society. He’d set his alarm to wake up early to prepare food for the meeting, but a few minutes before it was to go off, he heard a scuffling beside his bed and bedside lamp, as if someone were rousing him and getting ready to turn on his light. Later in the evening, he learned that a former resident of the house also was a member of the Women’s Society. “It was as if she was saying, ‘get up, get up, it’s time to get ready for our meeting!’” Heddings said.

When asked whether or not his visitors to the house get the same creepy feelings as he and his partner, Heddings responded “sometimes” and admitted that he is a person extremely open to these sorts of experiences.

He relayed experiences he’s had with ghost activity outside of his home, including pictures taken of him which show his own face blurred but clear images of the figures and faces of other people around him.

Certainly, with today’s technology, it is easier for those intrigued to attempt to justify their unusual experiences — we can capture, audibly, visually and electromagnetically, evidence to support the notion that we may not be alone in our homes.

Heddings stressed that he’s never had a bad or negative experience with any presence, and attributes this fact to his openness and willingness to understand the activity around him.

“It seems like folks who can see or feel or sense will see or feel or sense everywhere they go,” he said. “If you’re open to it, you are; if you’re not, you’re not.”