People do not have to go to a made-up haunted house for Halloween fright. They can visit a historical haunted building in the Toledo area and get the chills.

Ohio Paranormal Research and Investigations (OHPRI) is

a nonprofit organization that investigates alleged hauntings in the area.

“Everything’s normal until proven paranormal,” the team members’ shirt states across the back.

Formed in 2007, the organization enters private homes and businesses to conduct lengthy investigations and research to find the truth behind alleged haunting. The group investigates for free.

They conducted an investigation at Mutz Pub located in the main ballroom of The Oliver House at Maumee Bay Brewery in Downtown Aug. 16, where they found uncanny activity.

“There were dark shadows and anomalies in the walkie-talkies,” said Don Collins, one of the investigators.

On Sept. 20, the organization conducted a follow-up investigation at The Oliver House to disprove “unofficial evidence.”

The investigations usually begin at 9 p.m. and end around 3 a.m., said Noah Ankney, director of OHPRI.

“We’re skeptic,” Ankney said. “We try to disprove a lot of claims.”

The investigation began by setting surveillance cameras in several parts of the pub. The recording showed up right on a TV screen they set up in the dining hall.

The team used an electromagnetic field meter (EMF) to measure electromagnetic radiation in the pub.

The eight team members split up into two groups, electricity shut off, with nothing but flashlights and digital voice recorders to record EVP, which is electronic voice phenomena, Collins said.

The team asked questions such as, “How are you?” “What are you doing here?” in the digital recorders. This is so when they listen to the recordings later on, they might hear some replies.

Throughout the investigation, the team members were alert and tried to find any paranormal activities.

“We try to be scientific,” said another team member, Kelly Scheufler. “We’d be so excited, more than freaked out.”

Scheufler said she heard many “weird things” at the Aug. 16 investigation. She heard someone say “no” in the walkie-talkie and shadows in the courtyard.

“We try to dismiss everything,” she said. “It’s not menacing, but we feel there’s something going on here.”

The Oliver House, built in 1859 as a hotel, is the oldest building in Downtown Toledo that’s still in use, said Justin Richard, the manager of the building.

“It’s one of the top 10 most haunted buildings in the state of Ohio,” Richard said.

Richards said presidents have stayed at The Oliver House, including Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant.

The building was designed by Isaiah Rogers, a well-known architect, and was built and named by William Oliver’s family, Richard said.

He said during the Spanish-American War, the hotel was used as a hospital for wounded soldiers.

“It was used for so many different things,” Richard said. “It was the only building in the area.”

There are many outlandish stories people have heard about the building, according to the team members.

Some employees have seen a man in a blue suit wandering around, while others have seen little children peeking out of the windows from empty rooms.

After an investigation is complete, the members record all the data and findings. They watch the video and hear the recordings.

For the Sept. 20 investigation, Ankney said the group had some experiences that were caught on video and audio.

“We were breaking down for the night, and a group of four of us were walking in Rockwell’s [Steakhouse] and we were just about to make our way down into the lobby when we stopped to talk about one of the bars.  While we were standing there, we heard a chair move within Rockwell’s,” he said. “Later we found out that after we had left, [Richard] went back to get his camera bag and when he went to leave the aisle way he just walked through … had a chair in the middle of it that he said moved at least seven feet … On our video system about two hours in, one of the artist rooms in the hallway near the lobby lights turned on and off for no reason.”

Whether the alleged claims are true, OHPRI respects what they’re investigating.

“[We are] respectful as possible to whatever is here,” he said.

To see a video of The Oliver House investigation, or for more information, visit www.ohpri.com.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 24th, 2008 at 2:31 am and is filed under Arts and Life, Halloween 2008.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Both comments and pings are currently closed.