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Paranormal activity sparks poltergeist passion

Paranormal activity sparks poltergeist passion

By Alison Brown

Senior Scott Banks began an investigation at Bacon’s Castle unaware that he would be experiencing something unusual. As he left, he let the flash of the camera light up the space around him. After he snapped a few pictures, he realized that he had caught something amazing. He had caught photographic proof of a face appearing in the window.

“It has always been an interest of mine,” Banks said. “Ever since I was little I would read books and watch the shows on TV so I thought it would be really fun to go out and do it myself.”

Banks has been investigating the paranormal for about a year now. He is not only interested in searching for ghosts and spirits, but also gaining knowledge prior to the investigation.

“I just think it is really cool to go in there and figure out who is this person and who is here so that way it is not like a woman who wears a white dress. This person has a name and a face; it is not just some random thing that is there.”

Banks chose the paranormal investigations to be his independent study. In his independent study, he looked at all aspects of the paranormal.

“It revolved around the history of certain spots, like I would not just pick some random place that someone said was haunted,” Banks said. “Like Bacon’s Castle in Surry, or Weston Manor in Hopewell and the Poe Museum in Richmond, other places like that actually have history connected to it.”

Banks really enjoys most everything about his paranormal investigations, but there are a few things that peeve him.

“There is this one thing where people want to take pictures, a lot of the time people find little orb balls of light and they think that it is a ghost or a spirit, but most of it is dust,” Banks said. “It is very easy to go into some old basement and then there are five orbs in your photo.”

Besides Banks’ first personal experience, he has been around for other group encounters. His father witnessed one of the other occurrences.

“He [my father] said he could feel his arm being touched by something. It was like something was brushing up against his arm and he would just wipe it off. Eventually it would just move to the other arm and then something started touching his ear.”

Banks does not normally work alone and occassionally works with another organization.

“Last year I worked with the head of The Spirited History, LeeAnne Ball. The French teacher, Ms. Skiffington, would come along on some of the trips. So I have worked with them and a few others that go on investigations with us,” Banks said.

French teacher Marcia Skiffington has been working investigations off and on for about five years. She worked with Banks at the Poe Museum last March and had an experience of her own. Skiffington and one of her fellow investigators went into the Carriage House Building behind the Poe Museum.

“The lights were on, nobody was in there, but we heard something stomping around upstairs and we were like ‘Hello who’s there?’ And it got quiet,” Skiffington said. “So then we used the rest room and came back out. We were like ‘Okay whatever you were doing you can go back to doing!’ And then it was ‘STOMP STOMP STOMP’ down the staircase in front of us. I looked at her and she looked at me and we both went ‘AH!’ And ran out.”

Banks is very passionate and excited for investigations to come. He plans on keeping his investigations a consistent hobby and witnessing the most coveted.

“There is always like the Holy Grail. It is like here it is; you can’t really say that it is nothing. It is boom, there it is.”

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  • A

    Autrey J.Oct 28, 2010 at 6:51 pm

    It is cool knowing that one of my friends investigating something like this. I personally do not believe in it but it is interesting to hear how others believe about the it. I think it would be cool to go on one of these investigations to see what it’s like.

  • J

    Jessica TaylorOct 28, 2010 at 5:29 pm

    I thought this was very interesting. I too like to watch the shows on TV. I’ve always kind of questioned whether or not ghosts exist. I’ve never had any personal experiences, but I’ve had some family members that have. So I think that ghosts do exist. It’s just that some stories on them are exaggerated.

  • J

    Jessica MarshallOct 28, 2010 at 5:10 pm

    When I first heard the newspaper was doing this article and thought “oh no”. I am one who truly believes that ghosts and the “paranormal” do not exist. But after reading the story, I realized that it was good and that it did raise questions about such a controversial issue. I think it would be cool to go to a haunted place and actually experience something, but until then, I will continue to not believe in ghosts.

  • L

    Laken AdamsOct 27, 2010 at 5:53 pm

    I have always thought stuff like this was really cool and interesting. I have watched many shows and movies regarding the paranormal, but I am too much of a chicken to go actually experience things like this. This article ties in with the time of year and especially with the new Paranormal Activity 2 movie that just came out. The picture is great, also! Very interesting article.

  • R

    Raya GirardOct 26, 2010 at 3:30 pm

    I especially like the picture, it the makes the article. I have been to Bacon’s Castle a few times since we moved to Virginia. When we first visited the castle the tour guide gave us the ” haunted” tour and my family and I loved it. We took visiting relatives back for the tour , however, we never got the ” haunted” tour again. When we asked why,they acted weird about giving a haunted tour and said they only give historical tours now. We quit taking family and friends. I think every historical place should offer the ” haunted” version of the tour. This part of Virginia is loaded with great historical places. Very fun story to read.

  • C

    Chris BaeOct 24, 2010 at 5:09 pm

    Banks has a lot of courage to do something like this. I would never do something like investigating ghosts and spirits. I do see the ghost in the picture! I never had something like a ghost touching me in my entire life, but I do understand what it is like to be terrified.

  • J

    Joshua KentOct 23, 2010 at 8:32 am

    I find this article fitting since halloween is only eight days away. I find the paranormal to be a very controversial subject. THere are alot of people that claim ghosts aren’t real, but well witchers have made a profession out of their talents so why not research the paranormal?

  • O

    Olivia TritschlerOct 19, 2010 at 4:05 pm

    I think this is a great story idea! Specially since it’s around Halloween so it ties in perfectly well to the season. From the moment I read the first paragraph I was hooked and I didn’t want to stop reading! Normally I’m not really all that interesting in ghosts and such but this captured my attention, and now I sort of wish I had been able to see Scott present his independent study last year. If we can get more stories like this in the newspaper this year we will have an AMAZING newspaper:) Great job Alison!

  • W

    WaugamanOct 19, 2010 at 9:12 am

    Great picture post! Do you see the ghost!?!?!?! He is in the bottom window right above the PM that is tagged on the photo.

  • T

    Trey CarterOct 19, 2010 at 4:59 am

    This is an interesting subject to cover. I have always been interested in testing the validity of the paranormal. Watching television programs about the paranomal, I remain skeptical, but seeing that someone who I know has conducted research about it, the paranormal seems a little more “real”.