(Original headline: GHOSTS of the Leaf )
Is the Leaf Theatre haunted by the ghost of a former movie projector operator?
Patrons of the historic moviehouse-turned live action theatre have often asked that question over the years after strange sightings and activitity, and an area paranormal investigation group may have finally come up with an answer.
Believe what you wish, but according to the Big Bend Ghost Trackers of Monticello, Fla., Quincy’s own Leaf Theatre is indeed a “certified haunted place,” where ghosts of Quincy’s past lurk in the dark corners and seat rows of the more than 50 year old theatre.
The group conducted a formal haunting investigation of the Leaf Saturday that yielded eery presences, contact with spirits and even possible visual evidence of ghostly habitation in the form of “orbs,” perfectly-round balls of light that ghost trackers say carry the leftover energy of the dead.
Local theatre-goers need not be alarmed, however, as the Big Bend Ghost Trackers, led by director and founder Betty Davis, found no evidence of unfriendly or unwelcoming ghosts at the Leaf.
To the average skeptic paranormal investigation or “ghost hunting” may seem nothing more than superstitious hooey performed by eccentrics who just like to hang out in dark old buildings waiting for a “boo” or “bump in the night.”
On the contrary, ghost hunting involves meticulous research using high-tech audio/visual and sensory equipment, and Saturday’s hunt by ghost trackers Davis, Lisa Guancial, Valynda Nichols, Lacey White, Scott Tepperman, and Ron Bordner, was no exception.
Following a “circle,” a time when ghost trackers meditate, ask for protection and request only the best, highest and strongest spirits to make themselves known, the Big Bend Ghost Trackers began waving wands, taking random digital and 35 mm film photos, recording any Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP), and viewing infared camera feed shot at known active areas of the Leaf.
The “wands” are specialized thermometers that measure acute changes in temperature. Ghost trackers say sudden dramatic drops in temperature may often indicate the presence of a ghost. Davis said on past hunts temperatures have dropped in small areas by as much as 20 degrees at the precise locations “orbs,” “ectoplasm,” or “apparitions” were caught on camera.
Ectoplasm is the dispersement of energy contained in an orb that often shows up as a misty, fog-like image on cameras. Occasionally the ectoplasm will be strong enough that it forms a brief, fleeting “ghost image” of the deceased, called an apparition.
Apparitions can be solid or transluscent, partial or whole. Davis said the Big Bend Ghost Trackers have captured at least two apparitions on camera since they began formally investigating hauntings, but such an occurence is very rare.
EVP are voices of spirits that are said to delicately reveal themselves in some audio recordings.
Infared cameras are particularly sensitive to visual ghostly manifestations, and are set up to shoot areas of high ghost activity for review following an investigation.
Communication with ghosts does not only involve the five traditional senses, however.
“Channeling,” a method of using psychic ability to make contact with spirits, can also be effective in finding ghosts, and this method yielded the first solid results at Saturday’s hunt. While sitting in a chair at the Leaf, now darkened, Davis began to name names she felt particularly drawn to, “Gibson” in particular. Davis said she saw a short, stocky man with thinning hair, who kept looking at his watched that she believed was named “Gibson.”
Some local observers present on the hunt said they believed that was the name of one of the first movie projector operators at the Leaf, although that has not yet been confirmed by historical records. This man was also responsible for clearing the theatre following a movie for different groups to come in, the observers said, which may explain why he was looking at his watch.
To add to the eeriness, at precisely the time when Davis was making her strongest contact with the ghost, Nichols captured several orbs on her digital camera.
Davis later explained that sometimes dust or fog can form balls of light that mimic orbs on cameras, but a true orb is perfectly spherical and clear upon close inspection.
Although the contact with Gibson and subsequent orb capture was the highlight of the evening, Davis said in a later phone interview that it is not uncommon for first hunts at a location to yield modest results.
Ghosts, she said, are like the living and often don’t reveal themselves until they become comfortable around certain people. Ghost hunting, she added, can also be like fishing. One day you may “catch your limit” of ghostly activity and other days ghosts simply “don’t bite.”
However, more ghostly activity may be revealed after Davis reviews video and audiotape later this week, she said.
Although Saturday’s ghost hunt was the first formal paranormal investigation performed at the Leaf, it is by no means the first mention of ghostly activity the
One woman in particular, who used to work at the Leaf, said she saw a man on the balcony one day while she was cleaning who was there one second, and gone the next. She also claimed to see people sitting on the back corner row and in the third row when the theatre was supposedly empty.
Over time the woman’s and other people’s sightings became so frequent that she became terrified about even walking anywhere in the theatre without someone else accompanying her. The ghosts at the Leaf may have loved the old theatre so much that they decided to stick around, a common type of haunting.
Other types of hauntings include “residual haunting,” when energy of ghosts involved in a sudden, often tragic event, replay the event over and over, or a haunting where ghosts try hard to capture the attention of living residents through smells, touch, or some other more tangible method. Even phone calls from the dead have been reported in past.
Some ghosts may not even know they are dead, and feel the living are haunting them. This is often the case when someone dies very quickly and suddenly.
Regardless of ghost type, manifestion or anything else, most ghosts are friendly and do not seek to harm humans.
Hollywood, Davis said, is largely responsible for the misconception that ghosts are “evil.”
The Big Bend Ghost Trackers performs ghost hunts all over Florida, Georgia, Alabama and beyond. They have investigated many types of hauntings at private residences, historical sites such as the 1890 Brothel in Apalachicola and the train depot in Madison, and more.
If you are experiencing a haunting or would just like to know more about ghost tracking, contact the Big Bend Ghost Trackers at ghost_finders@excite.com or call 850-508-8109 or visit www.bigbendghosttrackers.homestead.com.
