Pictured above: Jeff Young, lead investigator for Arkansas Paranormal Investigations, talks about ghost hunting to students at Pomfret Hall. | Photo by Andrew Havens
Pomfret Hall hosted a paranormal takeover program Wednesday, Oct. 28th, for Halloween.
A team of ghost hunters was invited to talk about their past experiences. As a bonus, the team checked to see if Pomfret Hall was haunted.
Spoiler alert: Not so much.
The team gave a video presentation and displayed a table with various items including a voodoo doll, a radio transmitter and a teddy bear. Hanging from the table was a banner with the team’s company name, “Arkansas Paranormal Investigation.”
Tools of the trade for ghost hunters. | Photo by Andrew Havens
The group used a radio transmitter to see if any spirits were present. While there were no clear responses through the transmitter, there was an audible “Yes, sir,” according to some in attendance.
Every team member had their reason for joining Arkansas Paranormal Investigations.
Jeff Young, the lead investigator, explained that he witnessed several paranormal events as a child but never thought very much of it. It wasn’t until he shadowed API’s founder, Alan Silva, that he began to develop an interest for the paranormal.
Another lady on the team started having death premonitions in her early 20s and this led her to want to investigate paranormal events
When asked if he had ever had an encounter with a ghost, Young explained that he had.
“We were investigating a private residence in Hot Springs and we were trying to get some voice responses,” Jeff said. “We asked if there was a spirit who intended to harm anyone and we heard a ‘yes.’ Later that night, I was taking a shower and I found three scratches, each 10 inches long, across my leg.”
At the house where the physical encounter occurred, the group said that electronic devices continually acted up. They also saw the shadow of a little girl peaking around the corner of a room. Jeff explained that, apart from that incident, no one on the team has ever had a physical encounter with a ghost or spirit.
The team showed a video from one of their investigations. One of their cameras caught an orb floating in the air. The orb was caught on camera outside of a cabin in Prairie Grove. The orbs are a spirit’s energy, the investigators explained.
The team showed videos of past ghost-hunting trips. | Photo by Andrew Havens
Another time, the group saw the back of an individual’s head walking down a hallway. Upon investigation, they found no one had been walking down the hallway where they saw the figure. They realized that they had seen a ghost, Young said.
The group explained that they do everything they can to find a rational reason for an event before considering a supernatural cause. Only when an incident is unexplained, do they rule it as paranormal.
The average investigation lasts about seven to eight hours, investigators said. The furthest the team traveled is Sulphur Springs. Often times, they set up four cameras equipped with night vision, use cell phones and a radio transmitter to try and encounter any spirits present at a particular location.
The group wrapped up around 9 p.m. and confirmed that Pomfret Hall is, in fact, not haunted.
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