Share Your Ghost Stories

In the "spirit" of the holiday season we would love to hear about your personal experiences with the supernatural--namely any encounters you may have had with ghosts! Since we began this journey as Ghost Hunters we have heard many accounts from ordinary, everyday Vermonters of otherworldly visits. Spectres and Spooks are not just from the graveyard, but found in businesses, homes, and roadways. Some are human in nature, others are animals or balls of light, mist or energy. Some make their presence known with sounds or movement and others make a full-on appearance!

Tell us what you have seen, heard or experienced!

Orbs--Real or Fake?



My parents reading to my daughter with Orb

 It is often said that Spirits of the dead manifest themselves as glowing balls of light (or orbs). These balls of light have been seen floating and flittering or zooming around in multiple locations around the world. Sometimes they are not seen with the naked eye at all and are only revealed in photographs and video footage. There are literally thousands of Orb photos on the Internet taken both indoors and outdoors. The problem is that many natural occurrences can explain the presence of an Orb in a photo. These range from rain droplets to pollen and dust fragments. So how can you tell if you have a genuine Spirit manifestation in your pic and not just a random piece of dust?

There is a great website with an article called The Truth About Orbs which both explains and show you the differences.



Dust particles faking Orbs

What should I look for in an orb photo?
As mentioned above there is no official way to determine authenticity of an orb within a photo but here are a few key elements to keep in mine. 1. A bright orb is more likely to be real than a faded one. 2. Multiple orbs in a single photo are most likely dust motes. 3. Orbs that are bright and show a vibrating effect within the photo are likely to be real. 4. A slight trail is also something to look for in determining true orbs.

I would also include the presence of a face as a determinate of whether or not an Orb is authentic, and also the presence of color or radiant light and patterns of light within the Orb. Through our investigations we have caught Orbs on camera. Some of them, in looking at the criteria in determining an authentic Orb, were thrown out as natural phenomena and others kept as positive proof of Spirit activity. You be the judge for yourself!

Hunt 1--Dog Team Tavern in Middlebury 7/23/11

Location & History:

"The Dog Team Tavern was built during the 1920s at the request of Lady Anne Grenfell, wife of the famous doctor and missionary, Sir Wilfred Grenfell. The Grenfells originally operated the home as a teahouse, but also used the building as a venue from which to sell handicrafts from Labrador and Newfoundland, Canada, to raise money for the needy people in that region.
Eben and Catherine Joy acquired the property in 1946, and quickly transformed it into a country inn and restaurant. It earned a wide following for its hearty food — including its popular sticky buns and spinning relish wheel — and the many antique furnishings and knickknacks that adorned the building. Among those antiques were some remnants from the Grenfells’ collection, including hand-hooked mats depicting native life in the far North, such as dog teams, icebergs and polar bears. During its history, the Dog Team Tavern served dinner to such luminaries as poet Robert Frost, actor Charles Lawton and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt." The restaurant was most recently owned by Christopher Hesslink, who purchased it in 1987 and ran the place until it burned in 2006.

On September 1, 2006 an early morning fire destroyed the Dog Team Tavern. The body of Christopher Hesslink, owner of the Tavern, was found inside with a gunshot wound. His death was ruled a suicide and the fire deliberately set. There are many unanswered questions regarding the event. Friends of Hesslink, who have known him for years, insist he would never take his own life. Why did he leave his two beloved dogs outside in the truck waiting for him? What really happened in those early morning hours remains a mystery to this day. Our goal during this investigation is to see if we can get in touch with Christopher Hesslink.

Investigation:

Remains of the Dog Team Cellar

The Dog Team Tavern is situated just outside of Middlebury on Dog Team Road, a dirt road next to the New Haven River. Because this was our first investigation and we would be operating some equipment we were unfamiliar with, our team decided to perform this investigation during the daylight hours. We were glad we had made the choice since the location turned out to be a hazard! I think we were all expecting a bulldozed area with perhaps a cement platform where the building used to sit. Instead the walls of the cement basement had been left standing and debris, including broken glass, bricks and stone, were left everyplace in crumbling piles. We negotiated the terrain and explored the area, each of us taking in the sight, sounds and general feelings of what remained around us. Lisa P. and Lori K. took digital photographs of the scene and after our initial sweep of the area we settled in together to conduct an EVP session. Our main goal was to get in touch with the former owner Christopher Hesslink who had died at the location. Was it murder? Was it suicide? How did the fire start? We were full of questions and very curious as to whether we would get any answers.

Dog Team Remains Basement

EVP SESSIONS: We conducted two types of EVP. The first one was straight question asking with the digital voice recorder. We then play it back to see if we get an answer to our questions. We performed three of these. The second was with the Ghost Box whereby we ask the questions and listen for responses 'real time' with the bits of words and sentences picked out of the radio frequency of which we conducted 2. I have not yet figured out how to get the digital information from the recorder to the computer, so we don't have any audio bits to add. Instead I will provide some transcript of what transpired during the EVP sessions. Sessions 1-3 Straight EVP: We asked several questions ranging from basic to detailed. Lori K. asked "Chris, are you here with us?". Chris F. asked "Did you commit Suicide?" JoAnn K. wanted to know "How did the fire start?" and Lisa P. said "Chris, is there anything else you would like to tell us?" Maribeth G. said "We are here to help you and we are not afraid." We asked questions regarding the events of the evening, if there were any clues at the site we should pay attention to and if Chris had anything he wanted us to pass along to friends and family. We also asked if there were other Spirits at the site who wanted to communicate. Without having the ability to download the digital recordings into the computer for audio analysis, it was difficult to discern any audible answers to our question. There were certainly no outright voice responses during those three sessions. Sessions 4 & 5 Ghost Box: We got a few promising tidbits from the Ghost Box session, but again were limited by not being able to filter our findings through the audio editor in the computer. This is not a complete transcript as we asked several questions in both sessions. Here is a sampling of what we heard.

Question Lisa P: "Chris, can you tell us anything that happened that night."
Answer: "Fire. Body." 

Question Chris F: "Do you know who did this to you?"
Answer: "early morning."

Question Chris F: "Did you do this yourself?"
Answer: Fire. Gone.

Question Chris F: "Is there something we should look for here at this site?"
Answer: "Star"

We all hear very loudly "It's Hot!"

Question Chris F: "Chris, had you already passed before the fire started?"
Answer: "19th. Foul. Sorry.

PHOTOS: Lori K. and Lisa P. took photographs of the site. Lori K. discerned one pic of interest included here. An outline of a man against the wall?



Photo of Interest Human Form











Photo of Interest Human Form Enhanced



Personal Experiences:



There was not that much to see at the site besides the basement walls and rubble, but a few of us had interesting  personal experiences that could not be explained away. Lori K. smelled burning wood as they approached what used to be the entrance to the Inn and Maribeth G. confirmed the feeling of smoke in the air. It hung for a moment and then quickly disappeared. Chris F., while roaming the basement area, was suddenly overwhelmed by the smell of beer, as if a fresh keg was tapped. As quickly as the smell came to her, it went away. All of us got a general feeling of 'peace' surrounding the area. No one experienced a creepy chill or a feeling of discontent that usually accompanies an 'unsettled' location.

Conclusion:



The Dog Team Tavern was a very interesting investigation. I think we all wish we had received more communication from Christopher Hesslink. A few weeks after our trip out there Chris F. ran into a former employee of the Inn who regailed her some stories of hauntings from other Spirits she experienced while working there. I think it would be worth another trip out there to see who else we can get in touch with!







Prayer for Protection

Creation of Charms

 During our hunts we are looking to get in contact with either Ghosts or Spirits, and we do make a distinction between the two. A Ghost is a Soul who has not quite completed their journey into the 'afterlife' or transitioned into full Spirit energy--while Spirits are Souls who have fully transitioned over, releasing all negative energy, their ego and their earthly lives here on this plane. Many Ghosts are 'stuck' until they are able to release those earthly things that are holding them here or able to transmute the negative energy they may be harboring. Some had a trauma in life that may have led to their death, and they hang onto the energy of that trauma keeping them trapped 'between the planes.' Spirits are beings of light and can come and go between the dimensions as they choose. They are filled with wisdom, love and positive energy.  Ghosts on the other hand can possibly cause trouble for the those who are still living if they are still carrying around negative emotions.

Crystals and religious charms are used

Before each hunt we gather as a group and say a prayer of protection to guard us against any negative energy and entities which may linger. Each of us created a custom Talisman for the purpose of protection. Those of us in the group who are Christian have crosses, those of us who are pagan have a goddess or pentagram, and all of us have certain gems and crystals whose job it is to transmute and reflect any negative energies that may come our way. Because we are a multi-faith group, we chose a prayer that has meaning equally for all of us.

"Great Spirits, Creators of All That Is, Please send to us the most positive energy and light possible in this time and space to watch over us and those we share this experience with. Send to us the highest force or forces possible to keep us safe, focused and positive in our intent. In return we give thanks and gratitude, love and positive light for the universal good of all. Blessings be Upon Us."

At the end of our hunt we give thanks to those Spirits/Ghosts who made an effort to make contact with us, send Blessings and White Light to those who may need help moving on or need peace.

*~Lisa P.~*

Who We Are & What We Do

We are a small group with a big interest in the paranormal. We've each had our own personal metaphysical experiences that have left us with a natural curiosity for those things which cannot readily be explained. We are travelling around Addison County trying to make contact with any Spirits who may want to communicate with us. We are hoping these Spirits can give us some answers or clues to unexplained events, to help us understand their unfinished business and to possibly connect with our loved ones who have transitioned.

Before each hunt we research the site. This allows us to become familiar with the area, how old it is, what the area or building was or is used for, who may have occupied it, if any specific events happened, etc. It also allows us to ask more specific questions that pertain to the site and the possible Spirits inhabiting it.

Our attempts to make contact are being obtained by doing EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) sessions with both a digital recorder and a ghost box. The digital recorder may pick up disembodied voices that we can not hear with the human ear. The ghost box is a piece of equipment that a Spirit can use as a vessel to communicate with us. The Spirit is able to pick and choose individual words or small phrases from a scanning radio to answer our questions. These sessions are also recorded. Additional equipment used are, digital cameras to try and capture any apparitions that may not have been seen at the time of our hunt. Flashlights are used to allow an entity to communicate with us by asking strictly yes or no questions. They are able to turn the flashlight on and off to respond. And finally, we open ourselves up to experience, sights, sounds, smells and touch from beyond.

While we seek to make contact and possibly have a conversation with those who have passed, we most certaintly don't want to bring anyone home with us! We are also aware that not everyone we encounter will be nice. As a result we take extra precautions for protection through prayer, invokation and positive light energy. More to post on this subject later!

We will be continuously posting our experiences, photos and recordings to share with you. We hope that you will find them informative and interesting. They may even possibly give you a piece of mind about something you've always wondered about. We are not against visiting a site a second time. let us know if you would like us to ask specific questions next time or have us inquire about anything else you would want us to know about a site and is occupants. We will make note of these and schedule to visit them again.

We have several locations that we hoe to investigate, however, we are always looking for more. Please feel free to email us at Addisoncountyghosthunters@gmail.com or visit us on Facebook. We welcome any information you can provide to us on these locations. your information, not matter how big or small, could greatly improve our investigations and help us to find the answers we may be looking for. We would also love to hear your own personal 'ghost story'. Who knows.... maybe the next knocking sound you hear will be us at your own front door!

*~Chris F.~*

Origins

Two ladies. One office. Long lunch breaks. Ghost stories! Lori and I began our affair together with the paranormal over lunch at the office, swapping ghost stories and waxing philosophical about the afterlife. Lori is a Christian with values and beliefs which follow the path toward heaven/hell/purgatory-- I am a Pagan who believes in reincarnation and that life/death is cyclical rather than just a destination. We both philosophize that ghosts are lost souls who have unfinished business, traumatic trapped negative energy or who are unable to let go of their earthly Life. Though our spiritual backgrounds are different, our belief in the existence of ghosts is the same and just as resolute. The belief is more of a feeling of truth in the heart solidified through personal experience rather than by any hard physical evidence; (though what we have seen and heard on our favorite TV shows Ghost Hunters & Ghost Story is quite thrilling!) Our purpose in forming the group stems from our fascination with the afterlife and what happens to the energy of the soul when the body is gone, and our desire to capture that dimension of existence through experience using our 'earthly' equipment. Through the magic of Facebook we connected with some other like-minded friends and voila! It will be interesting to see what adventures lay ahead and what kind of personal realizations may take place!

*~Lisa P.~*