Paranormal investigators visit Lansford landmarks

Paranormal investigators believe that there are spirits among us, but we have to listen closely to hear them.

“They can actually speak and we can get sentences out of them. We can take that information, play it back for the loved ones, and they’ve said, ‘oh my God that’s his voice,’ said John Bernhard, a member of a local group of investigators known as Paranormal Sightings.

On Saturday, an investigation in Lansford uncovered a lot of strange happenings which may be connected to the town’s historic past.

Members of Paranormal Sightings, who conduct many investigations in Carbon County and beyond, teamed with the Lansford Historical Society and invited the public to investigate possible paranormal activity at three historic sites in town.

Members of the public got to help the team conduct investigations at the Old Welsh Church, No. 7 tunnel, and the site of the only on-duty death of a Lansford police officer, which occurred many decades ago.

There is so much history in the Lansford area, and much of it revolves around mining. There are also a lot of ghost stories which stem from mining as well.

Some of the investigation dealt with ‘spirit miners’ — which investigators say are the restless souls of miners who were killed on the job.

“We’ve looked up their information and found their obituaries and the way they died matched the information we got,” Bernhard said.

At the Welsh Church, the investigators tried to connect with John P. Jones, a mine boss whose death was blamed on a group of Irish immigrant miners who would infamously become known as the Molly Maguires.

Jones attended services at the church, and the investigators’ equipment suggested that they were communicating with him directly.

The equipment

The equipment is a big part of paranormal investigation. It provides extra sets of eyes and ears to the investigators which may see things that human eyes can’t.

Some of it is as simple as a meter which picks up electromagnetic waves and displays them as lights.

There are also cameras which pick up light or other waves that may not be visible.

Bernhard said the device he uses to pick up voices, an SB-11, actually scans all radio stations and scans between stations in order to find voices.

The investigators then ask questions and observe the equipment to see how it reacts. If multiple pieces of equipment are going off in response to a question, it’s a pretty good indication that they are on to something.

The investigation

Saturday’s hunt was meant primarily as a fundraiser for the Lansford Historical Society. But Paranormal Sightings also works for hire if a person believes there is a spirit haunting their home or business.

In most cases, the team will work together to put the spirit at ease so it can coexist with the humans.

Sometimes, they’ll work with a medium to try to remove that spirit from the building.

Bernhard said the most rewarding part for him is helping the spirits to find peace.

“It always starts as the thrill of the chase, then it develops into a more investigative aspect,” he said.

The reaction

The guests who joined the investigators were all contributing, asking questions and monitoring the equipment to see how it would react. Bernhard said an open-minded group of volunteers usually helps during an investigation.

“We did as much as we could to let them run the show and the equipment. They did a great job,” he said.

Many of those who attended are big fans of paranormal movies and TV shows. They are drawn to the paranormal to try to learn more about what may be dwelling in our midst.

“I think the unknown intrigues me the most,” said Cassie Branchide of Lansford.

Some believe that the spirits may be dwelling in other dimensions outside the three which we as humans can perceive. The devices help people to bridge the gap to those parallel worlds.

“I’m definitely a believer,” said Louisa Sarge of Lansford.

Sarge observed very strange happenings Saturday night. At the site of the death of Lansford Police officer Morgan Morgans, a group of investigators were communicating with something. She asked if it was the ghost of a woman who lived in the house for many years — the spirit said yes.

“I’ve been to a medium. I believe they’re here, they’re just in different dimensions,” Sarge said.