Giving up the ghost

A team of experts hunts for evidence of the paranormal at Buckelew.

By: Elaine Worden
   JAMESBURG — It was a little after 10 p.m., and I was wandering around the third floor of the Buckelew Mansion looking for ghosts. In the dark. On Friday the 13th.
   The South Jersey Ghost Research Group, which calls itself the oldest ghost research team in the Delaware Valley, had been invited to the Buckelew Mansion by Jamesburg Historical Association members Don Benhardt Jr. of New Brunswick and Sophia Zaks of Old Bridge. Mr. Benhardt Jr. and Ms. Zaks said they wanted to learn more about the paranormal, and decided it would be interesting to have a professional group examine the historical house.
   Together, Mr. Benhardt Jr., Ms. Zaks and I, along with Tom Bodall Jr. and Jamesburg Councilwoman Barbara Carpenter, joined the ghost hunters for the evening, scouring each room for floating orbs and shadowy figures.
   SJGR is a nonprofit organization that began in 1955. These trained ghost hunters go out to private residences and historical buildings, conduct investigations and help educate the public about psychic phenomenon, all at no cost.
   "It’s more valuable to give them this for free," said Kristyn Beaty, SJGR acting assistant director.
   SJGR Director Dave Juliano said that he’s wary of investigation groups that charge for their services.
   "To me, that’s unethical and everything you find there is questionable, and it’s unfortunate," he said.
   Mr. Juliano has an extensive background in the paranormal and has authored several books on the topic. A graduate of the Cape May County Police Academy, he has experience with law enforcement and private investigation.
   Mr. Juliano has been dealing with ghosts since he was 3. He said his childhood home in Magnolia was haunted, but that he didn’t start to understand the experiences until he his late teens.
   "You name it, I’ve experienced it," he said. "I was terrified until I was about 18."
   Downstairs in the basement of Buckelew, SJGR team members Beth Steen, Milt Klopfer and Tim Becker were investigating the master bedroom, located in the building’s original section built in the 1600s.
   "It feels like I was hit by object, it feels like I’m bleeding," said Ms. Steen just after entering the room.
   She seemed to be a little shaken up, but not particularly bothered, or afraid.
   Ms. Beaty walked into the room to see what was going on and saw Ms. Steen looking at a stuffed sewing mannequin that was standing in the right-hand corner of the room, cloaked in a cloth dress.
   "It’s not from the dress, it’s from the room," said Ms. Steen, referring to a paranormal energy she said she felt.
   She motioned to the center of the floor with her arm, reaching out as though she was feeling the temperature with her hand. "And it’s warm right here, and it’s going up my arm."
   Mr. Becker whipped out his digital audio recorder, pressed record and asked out loud several questions, allowing time after each for something, or someone, to answer.
   "Can you tell us your name?" he said, pausing for a moment afterward.
   "Can you tell us how old you are?
   "Can you tell us what year this is?
   "Is there anything you want to tell us?
   "Did you get hurt in here?
   "Alright, thank you."
   The hunters typically ask the same questions 15 to 20 times in each room, Mr. Juliano said. The recorded audio is later analyzed with a computer program that allows them to find recordings that may be below human vocal range.
   "Now, when he was asking if anyone got hurt in here, the word ‘abuse’ just streamed into my head," said Ms. Beaty.
   Mr. Becker took out his digital camera and started taking pictures of the room. As a rule, every time someone wants to take a picture, they have to notify the others by saying "flash" out loud. This gives people a chance to look away as to not disturb their night-adjusted vision.
   "If you wanna get freaked out, hang out with Beth," Mr. Becker told me later that night. "She’ll tell you someone is standing next to you. Flash."
   The group of all-volunteer hunters spend a good portion of their weekends searching for ghosts, investigating a couple of residences or buildings throughout New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware and New York City.
   "Our main goal is to first try and figure out what’s going on and then try and educate them and let them know there is nothing to be scared of," he said.
   The hunters arrived at the mansion around 8:30 p.m., wearing combinations of black T-shirts, pants, jackets and sweaters. The group of 10 entered the house and began setting up. Armed with black backpacks and metal cases full of hi-tech equipment, they hashed out a plan.
   Mr. Juliano divided the hunters into two teams. Each would stake out a floor of the mansion for an hour. After that hour was up, the teams would switch to a different floor, to make sure every square inch of the historic home had been thoroughly investigated.
   It typically takes the SJGR about two weeks after an investigation to completely analyze their data and release a report. Then they post their findings on the SJGR Web site.
   SJGR prefers to head into a hunt without any prior knowledge of the home’s history, other than its age and the layout of the rooms.
   "It’s kind of like piecing little bits of a puzzle together and hopefully it pans out," said Mr. Juliano.
   As they began to spread out, the hunters turned off all of the lights in the mansion. They carried radios, flashlights with red lenses for night vision, digital and 35-mm cameras and digital audio recorders.
   The investigators placed passive infrared motion sensors at the top of the stairs and throughout the hallways. These motion detectors pick up movement of anything over 40 pounds up to the size of an adult that is giving off radiation.
   They also carried a myriad of electromagnetic field sensors that pick up fluctuations in electromagnetic fields.
   "Sometimes we find evidence, and sometimes we don’t," Mr. Juliano said.
   Another tool the hunters use is their intuition, Mr. Juliano said.
   Many investigators are what they call "sensitive." They can easily pick up on ghost vibes, but each has their own talent. Some may see ghosts, other can hear them and some may get strong feelings if they encounter a ghost.
   "Even if we can’t get that much psychic information, we basically just focus on the hot spots," Mr. Juliano said. "The chances of us being here when something really big happens are slim, but they do happen."
   Investigator Kathleen Smith slowly walked down the creaking center staircase of the mansion, notebook and flashlight in hand.
   "You’ve got a crawl space up there that’s really eerie," she said to Mr. Benhardt Jr. "I get the impression that people were hiding up there, or put in there against their will."
   As the clock struck 11 p.m., Mr. Juliano radioed the other hunters.
   "All right everybody, we’re going to switch," he said over the radio.
   The floor above us began creaking with the footsteps of hunters as the team on the second floor made its way to the first.
   "I’m a skeptic — I go into every place thinking there will be a rational explanation for what’s going on," said Mr. Juliano. "I understand that if I’m telling you I see a woman in the corner, I’m just some guy telling you he sees something that’s not there," he said.
   As midnight approached, I decided to say farewell to the ghost hunters and head home.
   Mr. Juliano told me that when the results of the hunt were ready, he would contact me. However, he did say he thinks that there might be some paranormal activity going on at Buckelew Mansion.
For more information about the South Jersey Ghost Research Group, check out www.sjgr.org or call 1-877- 478-3168.