File No: 08-03-003

Location: Lake House Hotel , Saylorsburg, PA - Monroe County

Investigation Date and Duration: 
August 15, 2008   Arrive 7:00pm / Depart 2:00am  
August 16, 2008   Arrive 8:00pm / Depart 1:40am

Location Condition:

Commercial property – An old, five-story hotel, constructed in 1820, once occupied by many workers building the railroad that ran through Saylorsburg in the 1800’s and it is now being operated as a professional haunted attraction during the month of October.

 
Reported Activity:

Activity has been reported over many years, but most recently by the current owners, employees and guests. A man with an engineer’s cap has been seen on two occasions and footsteps have been heard running on the floors above them and then down a set of stairs. Two actors have witnessed a “ghost-like” apparition, in which the top half of the person’s body could be seen floating through a room.

Equipment Utilized:

DVR System with four IR cameras

Digital Cameras (2)

Digital Voice Recorders (7)

EMF gauge (3)

PC 

Laser (2)

Camcorders w/ night shot (3)

IR Boosters (4)

Investigators Present:

Day #1     Day#2
Mark           Mark
Tim             Lauren
Rich            Larry 

Chris           Ken

Guest Investigators:
None

Technical Notes:

On Day #2, an audio recorder was set up on the 4th floor with DVR camera #4 and, approximately 2 hours into the investigation, the audio recorder shut off by itself with no investigators on that floor at the time. The recorder had a fresh battery and, when inspected, the battery display on the recorder was showing a full charge. Further inspection could not produce a reason for this occurrence and the device has run properly since. 
 

Heavy vehicle traffic noise and the knocking and cracking of old wood that make up the floors and structure of the building was picked up by digital audio recording equipment and was factored in to the analysis of the recordings.

Location Weather:
Day #1 Warm and dry – partly cloudy and moonlit after dark

Day #2 Warm and dry – clear and moonlit after dark

EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) Audio: DAY #1
No evidentiary audio captured.

EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) Audio: DAY #2

No evidentiary audio captured.

AUDIO ANOMALIES: DAY #1

Anomaly#1 – Recorder #4 “Digital” – Multiple banging sounds of an unknown origin were captured on this device (9:42PM) while the recorder was stationary in the 3rd floor hallway. No investigators were present on this floor at the time.

Anomaly#2 – Recorder #4 “Digital” – Anomalous sound captured by this device (9:46PM) while stationary in the 3rd floor hallway, while no investigators are present on this floor. Knocking on the wood floor above can be heard in the background, as well as outside traffic. The sound is similar to a whispering or shuffling noise. The sound can be heard 22 seconds into the clip.

Anomaly#3 – Recorder #3 “Digital” – Also at 10:14PM, this device was mobile with Chris and Tim on the 4^th floor. This is the same time multiple banging sounds could be heard on the 2^nd floor, where Mark and Rich were. A loud bang could be heard on the 4th floor and was captured by Recorder #3 8 seconds into this clip. Chris reacted to the sound and asked Tim to check and see if it was Mark or Rich that made the noise. The source of the bang was not discovered.

** Although the recorded banging noises are not believed to be paranormal in nature, they are unexplained and do coincide with client reports of the sound of footsteps running down the hallway.

AUDIO ANOMALIES: DAY #2

No anomalies captured.

                                  Here you see the room where      

                                  one of our stationary audio 
                                  recorders turned off by

                                  itself for unknown reasons.

VIDEO: Day#1 

DVR Cam1 - (First floor bar area facing rear of bar) No physical evidence captured on this device at the time of the investigation.

DVR Cam2 - (Fourth floor hallway by front stairwell - facing rear of building) No physical evidence captured on this device at the time of the investigation.

DVR Cam3 - (Third floor hallway by front stairwell - facing rear of building) No physical evidence captured on this device at the time of the investigation.

DVR Cam4 - (Second floor hallway by front stairwell – facing rear of building) No physical evidence captured on this device at the time of the investigation.

VIDEO: Day#2 

DVR Cam1 - (First floor bar area facing rear of bar) No physical evidence captured on this device at the time of the investigation.

DVR Cam2 - (Second floor hallway by front stairwell – facing rear of building) No physical evidence captured on this device at the time of the investigation.

DVR Cam3 - (Third floor hallway by front stairwell - facing rear of building) No physical evidence captured on this device at the time of the investigation.

DVR Cam4 - (Fourth floor attic area with barred cages - facing entrance door) No physical evidence captured on this device at the time of the investigation.

Photographs: 
Many photographs were taken during this investigation. A thorough analysis of all pictures produced several photographs with anomalous objects. A few of the pictures had "orbs", which in this instance was clearly created by bugs and dust particles circulating in the air. No photos of evidential value were discovered.

EMF (Electro Magnetic Field):

Standard baseline readings were taken within the building and the outlying areas. Using a cell censor EMF meter, baseline readings of 5mg to 6mg were recorded in all areas of the building, as well as the surrounding outside area, including the entire parking lot. Using a K2 EMF meter, the baseline readings were a constant 3mg throughout the entire building and surrounding outside area.

**Note- normal baseline readings should be at or near zero milligauss, with the exception of proximity to electrical sources emitting EMF fields that normally are only detectable a few inches from the source. In this case, the property has high voltage power lines running along two roads that are close to two sides of the building and is the suspected source of such high, constant baseline readings. No spikes above the baseline were noted.

Investigator Feelings / Experiences:

DAY#1
Mark, Tim, Chris and Rich all reported a very comfortable feeling.

DAY#2

Mark, Lauren, Ken and Larry also reported a very comfortable feeling throughout the building.

Conclusion:  

Due to the proximity of the building to outside vehicle traffic and the fact that the structure and floors are very old wood that create a lot of knocking and cracking noises, this was a very complex investigation to review. Creating a baseline for the natural noises allowed our investigators to rule out many recorded sounds and concentrate on those above the norm. Several noises, such as louder than normal bangs and multiple banging noises in one moment, were captured that could not be explained.

Our investigators also found high EMF (Electro-Magnetic Field) readings throughout the entire building and surrounding property, ranging from a 5mg to 6mg on a “Cell Censor” EMF meter and a 3mg on a “K2” EMF meter. These readings remained constant for the two nights we were present. High EMF levels are known to cause physical conditions such as headaches, feelings of oppression, the feeling that you are being watched and even anxiety in some people who may be sensitive to high EMF’S. Some theories also indicate that high EMF levels at a location can act as a source or conduit for spirits to manifest by supplying energy.

It is the opinion of our investigators that, given the history of the hotel, reports of activity by credible sources, and the conditions that existed at the time of our investigation, this location may certainly be ripe for paranormal activity. However, no undeniable proof of spirit activity or a haunting was discovered during the two nights of our investigation.