HAUNTED PLANTATION In pursuit of the paranormal By Kristi Reed Originally published in the Barrow Journal on October 28, 2009. All rights reserved. About three hours from Barrow County in a small town just east of the Georgia-Alabama border is a 170-year-old plantation home. For decades, rumors have circulated that the home is haunted. While most of the townspeople are familiar with the house and have heard tales or even allegedly witnessed ghostly inhabitants, no one has ever investigated the site to determine the cause of the reported paranormal activity. Until now. Recently, members of the Barrow County Paranormal Society (BCPS) spent the night in the old home as part of their continuing quest to learn more about the paranormal. “A LOT OF HISTORY” In the early 1800s, the land on which the house stands was owned by a wealthy Cherokee Indian chief. The chief, a slave owner, had a plantation comprising more than 1,000 acres. A cook house on the property was supposedly constructed before the chief’s land was taken during the Georgia gold lottery. The plantation home was built shortly after the Indian removal and has been inhabited almost continuously since before the Civil War. Eleven different people have owned the house. The most recent owner acquired the property in 2008. At the time of the purchase, the house had been sitting vacant since the death of the previous owner seven years prior. BCPS founder William Colley said the age of the house as well as its location make paranormal activity a possibility. “You have a lot of history here,” he said. “A lot of families lived here and enjoyed their lives here.” And then there are those whose lives ended in the house. GHOST STORIES At least five people are known to have died in the house and several more are believed to have passed away while in residence. These deaths have no doubt contributed to rumors of a haunting. Several stories involve a female apparition often seen in one of the upstairs bedrooms. People driving by the house have reported seeing the ghostly woman staring out the window. More recently, a man doing some work at the house claimed to have witnessed the female ghost walk from one bedroom to another. The man was so frightened by the encounter that he left the house and refused to return. The current homeowner, who wishes to remain anonymous, has not seen any ghosts, but has had some unusual experiences. On several occasions, the homeowner has been awakened by the sound of something falling or being dropped in the room. When the homeowner turns on the lights to investigate, everything is in its place. Other times, the homeowner has discovered lights on that had previously been turned off. The homeowner said even the county tax assessor refers to her home as haunted. While the majority of the ghost stories are associated with the house, some are connected with the land. A decades old newspaper article mentions rumors of Indian ghosts still haunting the grounds. Intrigued by the stories, Colley and the rest of his team decided to investigate. THE TEAM Colley is joined in the investigation by wife Rebecca, video and photography technician Laura Hanson, equipment technician Rodney Bennett, case manager Nicole Hurley and investigator Steven Luse. Each has their own theories as to what may be causing the seemingly paranormal activity, but all agree the history of the house could be a contributing factor. Colley explains that residual energy from the previous occupants could be absorbed into the house. “Emotions can be absorbed into a house and can play itself back like tape recordings,” he said. This residual activity can explain paranormal activity like footsteps and sounds and is completely different from a haunting by an intelligent presence. A residual apparition might not even know you are there, according to Colley. “They might be standing right next to you and never pay any attention to you,” he said. An intelligent presence, on the other hand, is capable of interacting and recognizing people, Colley explained. Part of the investigation will be devoted to seeking this interaction. THE INVESTIGATION Searching for paranormal activity is a high tech adventure for the BCPS. The team uses video cameras, audio recorders, monitors and various other pieces of equipment in hopes of documenting the existence of ghosts. In this investigation, Colley and his team place five cameras in strategic locations throughout the house. The locations are chosen based on reports of sightings and other unusual activity. One of the cameras is placed in what was once a nursery. The nursery is located above the kitchen and serviced by its own set of stairs. There is no other access to the room. Prior to the investigation, Colley said he had been dreaming of the house and of the nursery in particular. Though Colley had never seen the nursery or set foot inside the house, he dreamed of investigating the room and seeing a ghostly apparition tumble down the stairs. Colley was shocked to learn that his dream may be more real than a nightmare. Almost thirty years ago, the son of the previous owner fell down the nursery stairs. A few days later he died of his injuries. Colley and three other team members decide they will spend the night in the nursery and see what happens. Before going to sleep, the team conducts several experiments throughout the house and grounds. The majority of the experiments involve EVP or electronic voice phenomena. Using ordinary recording equipment, BCPS investigators ask if a spirit is present and would like to make contact. Each session lasts approximately 15 minutes. Though no responses were heard during the sessions, Colley said sometimes voices are plainly audible when the recordings are played back. The team also attempts to communicate with spirits using a flashlight. After setting the flashlight so that the battery is barely in touch with the contact, team members ask any spirits present to activate the light. On several occasions the light brightens momentarily and then dims, but it is impossible to determine if it was an actual ghostly response or simply vibrations. “We’re still skeptical about it,” Colley said of the experiment. In two other experiments, BCPS investigators used strobe lights and black lights in conjunction with video equipment in hopes of recording a ghostly image. Bennett explained that the idea is to give spirits ambient energy with which to manifest themselves. Luse, who describes himself as the biggest skeptic on the team, said testing theories is important if the team hopes to prove ghosts exist. “We’re in the process of standardizing what we do,” he said. After several hours of recording observations and data, the team calls it a night. STARTING WITH A BANG The following days starts with a bang – actually several bangs – as Colley tumbles down the steps from the nursery. In a nightmare scenario come true, Colley loses his footing near the top of the stairs and crashes all the way to the bottom waking the rest of the team. Despite falling down almost an entire flight of stairs, Colley’s only visible injury is a bloody toe. Colley, shaken by the experience, insists he was being careful as he descended the stairs. “It wasn’t intentional, I can tell you that,” he said. “I am so lucky I didn’t kill myself or get seriously hurt.” Colley said he plans to carefully review the audio and video recordings from the time of the accident to see if anything paranormal contributed to his fall. All together, the team has amassed more than 50 hours of video, several hours of audio and hundreds of photographs during the course of the investigation. HAUNTED OR NOT? Colley said it will take quite some time before his team can say with any certainty whether or not the plantation home is haunted. While several of the members said they had what they believe may be paranormal experiences during the course of the investigation, each said they will withhold judgment for now. “There was some strange stuff,” Bennett said. “Nothing that I can say right now. I have to go back and review the evidence.” As the team packs up their cameras, monitors and recording equipment, Colley refuses to speculate despite his own frightening fall down the nursery steps. “I have to review the evidence,” he said. For now the homeowner will just have to wait. In the meantime, Colley and his team members will try to determine the cause of the strange occurrences in and around the house. “We listen to the claims of activity and try to find a logical explanation,” he said. “You just never know.” Thrills and chills – for real By Joel Samuelson Graphic Artist jsamuelson@barrowcountynews.com 770-867-7557 UPDATED  Oct. 28, 2009 2:34 p.m. All Hallow’s Eve is once again upon us, and while witches and goblins may not be out on the prowl, ghosts, on the other hand, may very well be intending to frighten you. William Colley, founder and lead investigator of the Barrow County Paranormal Society, and his team invited me to join them on another investigation – this time we would be investigating a private residence in Cleveland, Ga. The case involved a married couple – Justin and Haley – with an infant child that were having their lives disrupted by strange noises at night, the sounds of children’s laughter, sightings of full-bodied apparitions and waking in the morning to find all drawers and cabinets in the bedrooms and kitchen opened. Justin, his wife and his mother all claimed to have seen the apparition of a man crawling across the floor, as if in pain or agony, and at the end of the couch where she was sitting. After several days of this repeated activity they realized someone else was living with them, someone not of this realm. They concluded this resident was a poltergeist, which is German for "noisy ghost." Poltergeists are known for their raucous activity of moving or throwing objects and a lot of noise as if they are trying to garner attention, much like the actions of an unruly child. The couple had endured this paranormal activity for about a week and a half until they decided they could take no more. They contacted Colley and his BCPS team pleading for help. And the team obliged. When we arrived at the house with Haley and Justin’s parents, we found the kitchen light on, but Haley explained that no one had been there since that morning when she went to pick up a few things. She also stated that she had closed all of the doors, cabinets and drawers and turned off every light. With the exception of my flashlight coming on and turning back off in response to several questions we had no experiences of which to brag. That is, until we listened to and analyzed our audio and video evidence. We captured several pieces of audio evidence of voices imprinted on the audio that were not heard at the time they were recorded. These are known as EVPs or Electronic Voice Phenomena. Ghost hunters and paranormal investigators do not really go looking for proof, but rather they go into a place trying to debunk all the claims they can, then whatever is left is analyzed as evidence. Having taken my digital audio recorder along I let it play throughout the night and analyzed it myself later. Eager to find an EVP I was ecstatic to find four instances. After further analysis with more experienced Colley and team member Stephen Luse, we debunked three of them as possibly being voices of investigators. As stated, the BCPS team caught several EVPs, but the most chilling – and it still gives me goosebumps whenever I think of it – is when we were in the cellar under the house. One of the investigators said he heard an ominous growl coming from deep under the house back in a dark hole. When Colley demanded the entity to come out a voice was captured responding, in an eerily slow, almost groaning, wicked voice, "Nev-er!" This EVP was caught on more than one device – a digital audio recorder and three digital video recorders – a rare instance in the paranormal field. Whatever is residing in that residence appears to want to live by itself since it has scared away three families. I am left wondering if anyone will ever find peace in that home or if it will remain a dead zone.

Connecting with Spirits of the Deep By Joel Samuelson Graphic Artist jsamuelson@barrowcountynews.com 770-867-7557 POSTED  Sept. 9, 2009 12:42 p.m. In recent years the mystique and intrigue surrounding the maiden voyage of the Titanic has garnered the attention of the masses leading to many television documentaries and even a blockbuster motion picture. It seems that people from all walks and nationalities continue to rekindle their romance with that fateful night 97 years ago. To sate the desires of thousands for more Titanic the Georgia Aquarium has been, for the last year, hosting "Titanic Aquatic," an exhibit displaying many artifacts – some personal – that were recovered from the wreckage on the seabed two and a half miles under water. The employees of the Georgia Aquarium have spoken of some weird occurrences within the walls of the building like seeing shadow figures, hearing their names being spoken or touched, with no one around to have committed the act. However, since the Titanic showcase has arrived in port, those happenings have escalated to wildly amazing proportions. Over a year ago the aquarium invited a local group – Roswell Georgia Paranormal Investigation (RGPI) – to come and do their thing: hunt for ghosts. After collecting some astounding evidence the team’s founder contacted The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS), which has become internationally famous from the Syfy television show, "Ghost Hunters." Being a TAPS family member, it was easy for RGPI to compel the TAPS team to conduct an investigation for their program, which aired in April (and can been seen online at www.syfy.com/ghosthunters). The Titanic Aquatic exhibit was scheduled to leave port after Labor Day for other destinations so the aquarium decided to host one last ghost hunt – open to the public – on Aug. 29, with the investigation being led by RGPI and our own Barrow County Paranormal Society (BCPS). William Colley and his wife Rebecca founded BCPS almost four years ago following some of their own experiences with paranormal activity, and now stay fairly active with their own investigations here in the Barrow area. The other members of BCPS are Nicole Hurley, Steven Luse, Rodney Bennett and Laura Hanson. Colley’s team was briefed on the claimed hot spots of activity and, alongside RGPI, proceeded to painstakingly and meticulously place their cameras and assorted gadgets throughout the exhibit and aquarium. For the better part of an hour they placed and secured their equipment in a manner that would not only maximize their chances of capturing evidence, but also ensure the safety of the public guests. I had the privilege of joining the BCPS team on the Titanic Aquatic hunt, and it was truly the experience of a lifetime. Being a believer in the paranormal, but with no personal experiences to enhance it, I also tend to be what I call a "believing cynic," meaning that I would like to think it is real, but I have not yet experienced the paranormal. That, I truly believe, changed Saturday night. My group started off in the artifacts room where we conducted an EVP session (Electronic Voice Phenomenon – voices not heard at the time captured on audio recording), but it wasn’t until the second stage of our hunt where things got really interesting. Employing a communication method discovered by the TAPS team, with a flashlight we began asking questions of our spirit guests. Whenever they wanted to respond in the affirmative, the flashlight would turn on, apparently all by itself. After all three areas had been investigated and the guests dismissed, all of the investigators, aquarium guides and I adjourned to the artifacts rooms for one more Q&A session… and this proved to be the most exciting part of the night for me. During this "paranormal jam session," as I like to call it, I experienced my flashlight responding to several questions, but its most significant answer came after I felt my collar being pulled by some invisible force. Colley leaned toward the flashlight and asked, "Is that you pulling on Joel’s collar?" No sooner had he uttered, "collar," did my flashlight slice through the darkness with a searing beam. After my night of ghost hunting with the Barrow County Paranormal Society, I am left wondering: If the spirits of the Titanic’s passengers can attach themselves to items that rested peacefully on the ocean floor for nearly eight decades and be given new life in a familiar atmosphere, which heirlooms or relics will conjure up relatives long gone for each and every one of us? 'Ghosthunters' search for the supernatural BY KRISTI REED with the BARROW  JOURNAL Published on Wednesday, October 29, 2008    Strange noises. A whispered voice. Things going bump in the night. Who are you going to call?    No? not the Ghostbusters. Around here,  you call the Barrow County Paranormal Society or BCPS.    Since 2006, local residents have called upon BCPS founder William Colley and his team to explain the unexplainable. Colley, the lead investigator for the group, said he formed BCPS after his own experience with the paranormal.    Several years ago, Colley and his wife, Rebecca, were living with his parents when his father died. Shortly after his father's death, Colley and Rebecca rented a home on Candler Street. Soon after moving into the house strange things began to happen, Colley said.    "Cold breezes would move by you, footsteps, the smell of a wet dog in the living room." he said. "My wife would wake up in the middle of the night and say there's someone in our son's room and you would hear my son in there jibber-jabbering."    Colley's son, who was about one and a half at the time, would be wide awake in the middle of the night looking at the corner of the room and talking. After months of increasingly weird occurances, the Colleys were able to purchase a home of thier own. Eager to get away from the strange events at thier rented home, both Colleys were excited about the move. Unfortunately, thier excitement did not last long.    "There for a while, everything seemed ok," Colley said. Then the strange noises started. Colley's wife began hearing footsteps in the house and was convinced someone, or something, was in the house with them. Colley, who worked nights, was initially convinced the noises were caused by the new house settling. He was unable to convince Rebecca of that though.    "It got to the point where she wouldn't sleep upstairs at night," he said. "My son and my wife would sleep downstairs because they were afraid to sleep upstairs." On several occasions, Colley's wife and son would flee to the neighbor's house after feeling a presence in the house. Eventually, Colley realized the noises were not caused by house settling.    "I got home one morning and Rebecca was sleeping downstairs," he said. "But I could hear someone running back and forth across the floor upstairs." The Colley went upstairs and Rebecca, at her wit's end, ordered the spirit to "go to God." From that point forward, the strange noises stopped. Colley said he decided to start the Barrow County Paranormal Society to understand what had happened to him and his family.    The other members of his team share Colley's curiosity and eagerness to learn about the paranormal. Laura Hanson, whose sister is married to Colley, said her motivation for joining the BCPS was simple. "It was my sister and my nephew living in that house," she said. "It was there, I spent the night with her quite a few times. We'd stay downstairs because there was something upstairs."    Investigator Steven Luse had not had any paranormal experiences before joining the group, but had several friends discuss supernatural occurances. Luse was skeptical of his friends' accounts, but said he is now a believer after hearing Electronic Voice Phenomena or EVP.    Using ordinary recording equipment, BCPS investigators will ask if a spirit is present at a location and if it would like to make contact. Depending on the situation, the investigators may ask other questions in an attempt to solve the haunting. Through no responses may be heard at the time, ghostly voices may be heard when the recordings are played back. "After getting my own (EVP) on my own recorder, I really couldn't come up with any other explaination," Luse said.    Rodney Bennett, Colley's brother-in-law, is an investigator and also handles the technical support aspects of the investigations. Though an admitted believer in the paranormal, Bennett is considered the team's "debunker."    "I keep my mind open," he said. "It's something I've always been interested in, but I try to make it my job to ask questions and put it off on somthing that could be humanly possible. Then there's some cases where the is just nothing else possible." CONTROLLING FEAR    While some may be frieghtened at the prospect of spending the night in a haunted house, BCPS investigatiors revel in the opportunity. Though the team may at times experience frightening phenomena, they will not run, Colley said. "With what we do, we can't really run away," Colley said. "If we hear something or have something strange happen, if we turn and run away, then there's no need for us to even be there."    If the team hears of sees something strange, they will immediately try to determine the cause, Colley said. "We have to charge into it," he said. "What made that sound, what caused it? Is it something paranormal or is it something we can explain naturally?" Sometimes though, the scariest experiences take place after the investigation, Bennett said.    After investigating a haunting in Auburn, Bennett said he was spooked by the technical evidence gathered at the scene. "We went to the house several times and did several investigations," he said. On one the trips, the team took a psychic to do a reading at the scene. The investigators would ask questions and the spirit answered through the medium.   The reading was videotaped and audiotaped. Bennett said when they later played the recordings, he heard something very odd. "In both recordings, you can hear a disembodied voice in the recording answering our questions before the psychic does," he said. THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE    The BCPS does not charge for its services. Colley said he and his team are simply motivated by the search for truth. "We're trying to document this stuff, experience it and trying to figure out what causes it and how it works," he said.    Investigator Hanson said the BCPS is also trying to help people who may not understand what is happening to them or their loved ones. "A lot of these people call because they're scared." Hanson said.    The BCPS will investigate to see if what they are experiencing is paranormal or if it has a logical explaination. The team has investigated eight cases so far this year, and is always eager to handle more.    The group maintains a website, www.barrowcountyghosthunters.com, where visitors can read about previous investigations and complete a contact form if they would like an investigation of thier own. Colley said people will sometimes request help, but then later change their minds after taking to friends or family. People are reluctant to admit or accept that they may be dealing with the paranormal, he explained.    "It scares some people. They are not open-minded. People have a very narrow perception of how life is," Bennett added. Colley and his team work to reassure those who ask for help that they are not alone.    "I tell them I have experienced unexplainable phenomena and that we study this scientifically," he said. "We reassure them that they're not crazy. If they're crazy, we're all crazy." Bennett said most people are curious about the supernatural, even if they aren't believers, and are generally accepting of those who profess to have experienced the paranormal.    "I think subconsciously, a lot of people believe that there is something there," he said. "Whether they want to come out and openly admit it is a different story." Despite the skepticism of some, Colley believes in what he does.    "I know that there is something else out there going on and its not just angels and demons," he said. "There are people that are still here in spirit. Are they waiting for the end of the world, the return of Christ? Who knows?

Happy Halloween: Barrow's most haunted BY KRISIT REED with the BARROW JOURNAL Published on Wednesday October 29,2008 Barrow County has several locations rumored to be haunted. Many are private residences, but some are public locations. Investigators from the Barrow County Paranormal Society weigh in on three of the more well known haunting: NODOROC    Located approximately three miles east of Winder, Nodoroc bears little resemblance to the "place of torment" once described by Native Americans. Two hundred years ago, Nodoroc was the site of a geophysical phenomenon. Referred to by the Indians as "hell," Nodoroc was once the site of an active mud volcano.    Early settlers described the five acre site as a boiling pit of mud. In "The Early History of Jackson County, Georgia" by Gustavus James Nash Wilson and William Ellis White, Nodoroc is referred to as a forsaken place avoided by the earliest inhabitants of the county.    During the first known Anglo-Saxton expedition to the area, explorers found evidence of an ancient settlement at the site. A triangular stone temple, with sides 12 feet long and eight feet high, stood at the western edge of the volcano. In the wall facing the lake was an opening approximately five feet high and just over two feet wide. It is believed the temple was used for sacrificial rites by prehistoric races.    Inside the temple was a stone alter with three steps, each marked with images of fire. The alter was later purchased by Georgia Governor George Gilmer and relocated to his residence in Lexington.    According to legend, Nordoroc was considered by the Creek Indians to be a gateway to hell gaurded by a creature now known as "the Wog of Winder." The Creeks believed all bad spirits were sent to Nordoroc. The mud volcano was also used to execute prisoners.    In 1810, years after the early settlers had purchased Nordoroc and the area around it from the Creeks for fourteen pounds of beads, the volcano exploded and became silent. Even after the volcano became dorment, rumors of the mythical devil dog, the Wog, persisted.    In Beadland to Barrow by C. Fred Ingram, the Wog is described as "jet black, longhaired, the size of a small horse with very short legs. He had repulsive red eyes and a forked tongue. His bear shaped head held a set of big teeth which were always in evidence." Ingram wrote that the Wog's only mission appeared to be frightening people and animals.    "The early settlers learned from the Indians that if they left him alone he would go away without doing any harm," Ingram wrote.    William Colley of the Barrow County Paranormal Society said paranormal activity at Nordoroc is possible due to the traumatic incidents that reportedly occurred at the location. To his knowledge, no paranormal investigation has been conducted at the site. BARROW COUNTY ANNEX BUILDING    Once the home of the Winder-Barrow Hospital, the Barrow County Annex building is believed by some to be haunted by the ghost of a former hospital orderly known as "Old Snake."    Despite his sinister sounding name, Old Snake was reportedly a good orderly who enjoyed his work at the hospital. According to legend, Old Snake liked the hospital so much, he did not retire - even after he died. The most frequently told tale involving Old Snake concerns his favorite chair.    When not working, Old Snake would spend his time sitting in his chair in the hospital basement. After Snake died, the chair was thrown out with the garbage. The next day, the chair had reappeared in the spot where Old Snake had left it. Each time someone attempted to get rid of the chair, it would shoe up again in its original spot. After several attempts to get rid of the chair, it was left in the basement where Snake appearently wanted it.    People who have worked at the annex builing have reported hearing strange noises late at night or sensing an unearthly presence. Others have reported seeing an apparition in a red shirt which they believe to be Old Snake. It is not known if Old Snake's chair is still in the basement at the annex building of if there have been any recent reports of ghostly activities.    Rodney Bennett of the BCPS said the rumored haunting may be residual energy from the man known as Old Snake. Bennett said Snake may have felt a bond with the place and may feel he is still doing his job. According to Bennett, spirits who feel they have unfinished business may remain to haunt the location and not even be aware that they are dead. BARROW COUNTY MUSEUM    Built in 1915, the Barrow County Museum building was originally used as the county's jail. Not only were prisoners housed in the building, but several sheriff's and thier families lived on site. Several of the original jail cells, including a windowless, un-lighted solitary confinement cell, have been preserved and the museum is full of artifacts connected to hundreds, if not thousands, of Barrow citizens.    The building also features a hanging tower. Though hanging was outlawed before the tower was officially put to use, rumor persist that some prisoners were executed.    The Barrow County Paranormal Society has conducted an investigation at the museum and feels the location is haunted. After gathering EVP evidence during an investigation, Colley said he would like to do further work in the museum.    One of the more interesting recordings according to Colley is one in which a femal voice can be heard saying "Listen to this Fred." Colley believes the woman may have been addressing deceased museum founder C. Fred Ingram. Adding to his belief is another recording captured in Ingram's former office.    According to those who knew Ingram, the door to his office was kept closed. Colley said an EVP captured in Ingram's office was clearly heard saying "close the door." During thier last visit to the museum, the BCPS was accompanied by a young medium.    According to Colley, the medium was able to track several spirits throughout the museum. Colley said he captured several EVP recordings of spirits attempting to interact with the medium.    Interestingly, the medium would not investigate the basement. Colley said the young lady went down the stairs but immediatly left due to an oppressive presence.

Who you gonna call? Barrow County Ghost Hunters investigating paranormal activity By Allie Jackson News Staff Writer A family in Winder claims to see and hear strange events occurring in their home such as voices talking and objects moving. The family says they witnessed a glass moving across the countertop and doors opening and closing by an unseen force. Across the railroad tracks in Auburn a similar story is told by a man who says he is awakened in the middle of the night to the sound of faint voices and music coming from his living room. When he goes into the room to investigate the noise, it stops. Some people hear voices, others see objects move and still others claim to feel an eerie presence or a cold draft when no air conditioner is running or window is open. What do all of these people have in common? They believe that they are sharing their homes with the dead, and in order to learn more about the deceased spirit they believe is living in their residence, they call on Lead Investigator of The Barrow County Paranormal Society (B.C.P.S.) William A. Colley. Colley is the founder of B.C.P.S. and he works alongside his wife Rebecca and four other investigators to try and help Barrow County residents and people in surrounding areas, to determine if what they are seeing is explainable or whether it's occurring paranormally. The ghost-hunter group began more than two years ago when Colley and his wife encountered a personal experience from what they believe was a ghost. While residing in their Winder home, Colley's wife and then 2 year-old son would spend their evenings sleeping downstairs to avoid the thumping noises and unexplainable sounds coming from the second level while William Colley worked the night shift. "I was still a skeptic," Wiliam Colley said. It wasn't until Colley was alone in his home one afternoon and experienced the phenomenon himself, that he would start to believe. He had just finished cutting his grass one afternoon and thought that his son was upstairs playing when he heard voices coming from the 2-year old's room. Colley's wife had been complaining about strange events happening at the house for a while, such as their son interacting with another unseen child, the smell of a wet dog when there were no pets in the house, a Power Wheel toy revving up on its own, the sound of someone continuously running back and forth in the upstairs hallway and the TV turning off and on by itself. His son Alex claimed that there was a little boy named Peter that he played with who wore a red shirt and khaki pants. Colley called to his son that day, but when there was no reply, he went upstairs to investigate the voices. To his surprise there was no one home. His wife and son had gone to the neighbors house without his knowledge. After his mother-in-law had a similar experience while baby sitting at the house one evening, they decided to sell. When the Colley family moved though, "the spirit followed," said Colley. One night his wife finally got tired of the paranormal activity and told the ghost to leave. "If there is a spirit in this house, go to God," she said. "Because you are no longer welcome." The spirit must have left Colley said, because they have not had a problem with strange activity since. The B.C.P.S. conducts investigations for families that are in similar circumstances. The group has conducted about eight investigations over a span of two years. "We aren't out jumping in grave yards," said Colley. "We wait for them to call us." B.C.P.S. does not currently charge for their services. "What my team is trying to do is capture this stuff and put it on our website [barrowcountyghosthunters.com] so people can determine it for themselves," he said. Colley and the other investigators use an electro magnetic field (EMF) sensor to check for paranormal activity. Colley said there are naturally occurring magnetic fields which can make an individual feel tired, sick and give off a vibe of heaviness like there is another presence, when it's actually an explainable occurrence. One client, Colley explained, felt like every time she entered the living room someone was standing in the corner watching her. "The TV was giving off a 3.0 [EMF]," Colley said. "That's what she was experiencing." "If you remove those [items such as TVs and radios that give off natural EMFs] and people still feel it [ heaviness of a presence] then there may be paranormal activity," Colley said. Any EMF reading between a 2.0-8.0 without a naturally occurring EMF proven, Colley said is potentially paranormal activity. The group also uses equipment such as cameras to capture orbs, a visible round ball of transparent light that many people in paranormal studies believe to be spirits. Some orbs can occur naturally such as dust orbs and energy orbs from power lines, others can be explained by film processing errors. But orbs which can not be explained are said to be ghosts by those that believe in paranormal activity. B.C.P.S. also uses video equipment with night vision and tape recorders to capture electronic voice phenomena (EVPs). Colley has placed several EVPs on his website that he claims to have captured during investigations. When the B.C.P.S. determines that the activity is unexplainable, they then help the resident to contact the church or other spiritual advisors to help them rid of the ghost if that's what the client decides to do. Most of the investigations are held at night, between midnight-4 a.m. Colley believes that spirit activity may be increased by full moons and new moons. Colley and his team have conducted many investigations, but the one that sticks out in his mind is a case that he conducted in Auburn that he said probably involved a little girl who may have been killed. The client felt strongly about the case and hired a spiritual medium to come and check things out after several investigation were conducted by the B.C.P.S. and it was determined that there was paranormal activity present in the home. B.C.P.S. joined the medium in their investigation, and it was decided that there may have been some foul play involving an old well, but nothing was ever physically proven and the investigation was closed when the family was forced by the landlord to move out. "Not all things are paranormal," Colley said. "But that's what we try to do [determine] ... Most people just want to know. We go in there with the attitude of trying to explain it ... collect evidence to support their claim or explain the activity. But when you can't explain it," he said. "Then it's evidence of possible paranormal activity." Colley said there are five types of haunting. General, poltergeist, which is when there are knocking sounds, disturbances of stationary objects such as household furniture and doors slamming; residual hauntings found in locations such as battle fields or where a series of traumatic events took place; portal hauntings, which are doorways or passageways allowing access for spirits into our dimension such as cemeteries; and intelligent hauntings which is when a spirit is recognized as a specific individual. Colley said that these spirits will keep the same qualities or personality traits that they had on earth, whether good or bad. Colley said that most spirits are benevolent though. "In most cases they [spirit] have an issue they want help with," Colley said. "My theory is that when we die, we don't pass over. We are all waiting until the Lord returns, the end of days," he said. "That's when the dead in Christ will rise ... children don't know how to pass over ... there are spirit guides who will try to help them pass over," said Colley. Colley said the hardest spirit to rid of is one who committed suicide. "They are stuck in that depression," he said. He said that some spirits draw energy from objects such as fish tanks, lamps or computers, but that he wouldn't call having a spirit a 'problem' unless the person at the residence is being tormented. "If the person being disturbed is being harmed physically or mentally something needs to be done," Colley said. Colley said that most people's minds aren't tuned in to the supernatural activity that surrounds them, probably because they are programmed from childhood to believe that there is no such thing as ghosts. "We are programmed that way. If you would open your eyes and look at things from a different perspective ... I believe it [insight into paranormal activity] is something that I've had all my life," he said. "Spirits are either trying to relay a message ... most of the time they are trying to get in touch with you," Colley said. "People that aren't at rest are going to be on this earth. You'll roam until your business is completed." * If you are interested in learning more about the B.C.P.S. visit its Website at www.barrowcountyghosthunters.com and read about previous investigations. If you believe there is paranormal activity occurring at your residence, place of work, or anywhere else you travel, fill out the B.C.P.S. report of paranormal activity form available on the home page. * Keep your eyes open for future reports of investigations conducted by the B.C.P.S. Allie Jackson may accompany the team in one of its future investigations. Originally published Wednesday, April 16, 2008