Boo's Bulletin

April 22, 2009 Volume II Issue 4

Happy Spring and welcome to the May edition of Boo’s Bulletin.

Now that it is getting warm, we will be doing more outdoor events. Keep an eye on our website and calendar for more information.

Speaking of the website…if you have not visited lately now is a good time to do so. Just like we mentioned last month, our website overhaul has begun. Check out our new home page and keep checking back because we’re making changes almost every day. If you have any suggestions or want to see something added to the website send us an email at caper@caper.pararesearch.org.

A new series of articles will be starting in this newsletter one on gravestone symbolism, environmental factors and the paranormal, and haunted road trips.

Sit back, grab a glass of lemonade or ice tea and enjoy the warm weather and this month’s edition of Boo’s Bulletin.

Michele Hale and Joy Naylor

Directors

Happy One Year Anniversary to Noah and Sarah

It is hard to believe that it has been a year since Noah and Sarah walked into our lives and changed our team for the better.

As Tech Specialist and Case Manager respectively, Noah and Sarah have worked very hard for CAPER and we thank them for their contributions.

Please join us in wishing Noah and Sarah a happy anniversary. If you want some more information about Noah or Sarah, or want to send them a message check out our newly designed member’s page here.

Haunted Road Trips – Local Museums

Did you know that there are several haunted museums within an hour’s drive of Cincinnati? We’ll take a look at the museums and the reported hauntings that take place there.

Let’s start with the Cincinnati Art Museum. This museum has the distinction of housing not only great works of art but a few spirits as well. There are reports of a seven foot tall black shadow in the gallery built to resemble a church. Museum guards have reported being chased by a glowing, green face in a storage room. In addition, the Cincinnati Wing is said to be haunted by Elizabeth Duveneck the wife of local artist Frank Duveneck. The Cincinnati Wing holds a cast of her tomb and some guards have seen a ghostly female figure rise up and hover over it. There is no entrance fee for the museum but there is a $4.00 parking fee. Visit their website at: http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org.

It’s not a museum but after leaving the Art Museum follow the road to Eden Park Gazebo where you might see the ghost of Imogene Remus. Imogene was the wife of a boot legger, George Remus. She was headed to a meeting with her lawyer to talk about her divorce from George. He followed her and shot her in front of the gazebo. There have been reports of a woman wearing black standing in the gazebo. Many believe that it is Imogene.

The Taft Museum of Art is said to house the ghost of Annie Taft, the wife of Charles Phelps Taft. It is also reported that her father, David Sinton, has been seen on occasion. In addition there are reports of items fallings from the gift shop’s shelves and of visitors being tapped on the shoulder by an unseen presence. Visit their website at: http://www.taftmuseum.org/

The Cincinnati Museum Center is said to be haunted by the ghost of Shirley. Shirley was a security guard at the museum who was killed during a robbery. Visit their website at www.cincymuseum.org.

If you are in the mood for a great history lesson about planes and our Airforce travel to Dayton Ohio and check out the Wright-Patt Airforce Museum. There are several stories about ghosts being seen in the airplanes that are housed there. One of the stories is that a young Asian boy is seen around the Bockscar, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki. There are also reports of the crew of the Lady Be Good walk the halls of the museum. Admission and parking are free. For more information check out their website: http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/.

Michele Hale

Director

Gravestone Symbolism

For me a cemetery brings back fond memories of my father and our springtime outings. My father was an artist and when I was little we would go to the local cemetery and he would sketch the statues. Sometimes I would play; sometimes I would watch him sketch. Watching his hand glide over the paper I would look at the detail of what he was doing. Looking from his paper to the statues I would wonder about the “little” pictures, the details. I began play “I Spy” with the gravestones. I never forgot the details of the stones and often wondered if they meant anything. So take an outing to a cemetery and look at the details of the stones and the artwork that was created by that stonecutter.

This new series of our newsletter will take a look at those different symbols and their meanings. We will feature one symbol a month. Keep in mind that the history, culture of a cemetery will help to determine the meaning of the symbols. Remember when we walk in a cemetery, we are walking amongst members of our own community. What it all means depends as much on us as on what the stonecutter or the patron wanted to convey.

Angels

Angels represent spirituality. They are interpreted as a guide for the soul, a guide to heaven. They direct the living to think heavenwards. They also are considered the guardian of the tomb. Some “famous” angels are Michael, who bears a sword, Gabriel, who toots a horn and Matthew, represented as a winged man. Angels sometimes are shown as weeping, grieving for the soul in purgatory.

Environmental Factors and the Paranormal

Another new series we are introducing in this edition of Boo’s Bulletin is Environmental Factors and the Paranormal. This series will take a look at many of the environmental factors that can enhance paranormal activity and or cause a perceived paranormal activity.

Limestone and the paranormal

Limestone has been a popular building material throughout history. It is not uncommon for researchers at a haunted location to find the site made up of the stone. Sometimes the building itself is not made of limestone, but the ground beneath it is. This coincidence has left many paranormal investigators to believe that limestone somehow acts as a magnet for paranormal activity.

The stone is believed to play a key role in residual hauntings by acting as a recorder for the events that have taken place. It is also becoming a popular belief that the stone can hold and electromagnetic charge. Limestone is an unusual element in regards to its electromagnetic field. It seems that limestone puts out quite a high EMF. There seems to be a correlation between high EMF levels and hauntings.

Through our research we have concluded that when there are high EMF fields, be it from power lines, and or naturally occurring elements such as limestone there is an increase of paranormal activity or perceived paranormal activity. To help you understand this theory lets look at a magnet. Energy is drawn toward the polarity of the magnet. This energy or electrical charge joins the existing pool of energy that flows everywhere. So, if you have a house or building that is made out of limestone or a site that has high deposits of limestone it is possible that more energy is drawn to this area like a magnet. Also realize that the earth has its own electromagnetic field. The earth tries to balance itself constantly, therefore if there is a greater amount of pull for energy in one spot that the residual energy surrounding this area will be pulled/attracted to this area to create this balance. This would lead us to believe that spirit energy which could be ones soul or an individuals electrical imprint per say would be drawn to a source area that has a high electromagnetic field which would be created by the limestone that needs to be balanced. This would explain why a place that is not known to have any specific history or tragic events could harbor such paranormal activity.

Another point to limestone is that it seems to be very porous material maybe such that water may even be drawn from it. If we look at how temperature affects the manifestations of apparitions we could interpret that limestone could fit into the equation as being a holder of water vapor or ice crystals that when conditions are right could release H2O in mist form. After all there seems to be a drop in temperature when activity happens. Although limestone won’t explain all paranormal phenomena it does seem to facilitate it.

Joy Naylor
Director