Thornewood
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How do ghost hunters search for ghosts, and what do they
look for? Members of the Washington State Ghost Society
visited a bed and breakfast near Tacoma called Thornewood
Castle after they heard reports of spontaneously breaking
glass and a rug that moves to one side of the hallway on its
own. Completed in 1911, Thornewood was the setting for the
Stephen King miniseries "Rose Red."
Ghostly things have been going on at Thornewood Castle
since Wayne and Deanna Robinson bought the 54-room
mansion 2-? years ago. Guests have reported seeing the
ghost of Anna Thorne, the wife of the man who built the
mansion.
The Washington State Ghost Society was started a year ago
and now has 30 members who do about three investigations
a month in the Seattle area. In their professional lives, they
are office workers and Boeing engineers, business owners
and military employees. They pay for all their own
equipment and travel.
At Thornewood, one of the Ghost Society psychics felt herself
drawn to a downstairs sitting room. Ghost hunter Neil
McNeill switched on his electromagnetic field meter and
checked for responder impulses. "I'm getting a low-level
reading here," he said, watching the meter's flashing
lights. "There doesn't seem to be any wiring in this area that
would give a false reading."
Patricia Cowan checked a video camera that had been
recording the room. While reviewing the tape, she saw a
yellow ball of light that appeared in the lower right corner of
the screen, then dropped out of sight.
They all gathered around to look at the ?orb? video, noticing
even more orbs this time. But Michael Kundu finally figured
it out. "It's dust,? he said. ?The light is doing what's called
back-scatter." The camera's light source had caught floating
dusk particles, giving them a luminous glow. They hadn?t
picked up any ghost evidence after all.
Ghost hunting groups are starting up across the country. The
Parapsychology Foundation in New York has seen a "huge"
increase in interest. Executive director Lisette Coly thinks it?s
due to ?Aging baby boomers. All of a sudden, mortality is
approaching."
Kundu agrees and says, "If we can prove the existence of
ghosts, we can prove the existence of God."
To check out the Washington State Ghost Society,
click here.
To hear an excerpt from Whitley Strieber?s new vampire
novel ?Lilith?s Dream,?click
here. To learn ?The Science of Vampires? from Katherine
Ramsland,click here.
For more information, click here.
