I-M Paranormal Investigators

From all of us to all of you, Happy Holidays and a Spirited New Year!!

The I-MPI Team

Mitzi shows off.

Paranormal investigation dogs?  What a concept!

Not much impresses me.  I like to be the skeptic on some of the techniques or fads in the paranormal investigation field.  Some items that come around just seem a little on the way out side without much hard scientific formulation to back them up .  But I won’t diss these items or practices here, because it’s just my opinion and not a factual rebuke.

In my normal browsing of paranormal circles, I’ve come across a new, or not so new, investigation technique – using dogs to pinpoint hotspots in possible paranormal locations.  Before the technical investigation begins, the dog is walked through the location and it’s behavior is documented.  Any areas of hesitation or agitation are noted and equipment positioned in these spots.  Other groups have recorded EVPs in doggy hotspots.  Wow!  This perks my ears up.  Why? you say?  Well, it makes sense to me.  Many people with pets have told of dogs becoming agitated, barking, whining or running from a room before or during a possible paranormal episode.  Cats hiss, growl or run.  Is there the possibility that pets sense the paranormal?  Can they help us find the center of the activity?  If so, this is something to research and document.

Now, I can’t see taking my cat, Sassy, to an investigation.  She sure wouldn’t walk on a leash and I doubt that her temperament would be sweet after a car ride.  My 2 year old bassett Mitzi, on the other hand, would be tickled pink to help.  She’s also shown some behaviours that make me wonder if she sees or hears things I can’t.  My home has had some odd things happen, mostly around the kitchen.  Mitzi will come out of a deep sleep on the living room couch and stare through the dining room into the kitchen for a long time.  She won’t go in there, just stare.  Then she’ll lay down again.

Being the curious animal lover I am, the idea of testing the sensitivity of  canines is fascinating.  It’s scientific fact that a dog’s hearing and smell blows ours out of the water.  Could they be hearing spirits?  Are they tuned into the frequencies of EVPs?  Do they pick up on the electromagnetic frequency variances?  Or do they just plain see the spirits we can’t?

Since every one of our members have at least one “fuzzy child,” any parapuppy investigation would be performed with utmost care and consideration for the pup.  This would be a fascinating long-term study.  Perhaps it’s something I-MPI will instigate in our future investigations.

On August 22, I-MPI investigated the Old School Baptist Church (Bear Creek Church) near Hannibal, MO. It’s a small stone church that was abandoned in the early 1900’s, fell into disrepair and became part of local legends of Marion County thanks to a wayward bobcat or panther according to the Department of Conservation.

Legend

The legend of the church has endured since the 60’s, growing with every telling. Originally, the story was that a woman was killed in the church’s tiny cemetery and her screams echoed across the area late at night. Residents would line the country road in hopes of hearing the unearthly sound. In 1982, the church was burned by an arsonist and the tale changed to a slave was burned to death in the structure by mob action. One final telling finds a boy falling in the cemetery, hitting his head on a headstone and dying, his scream as he fell being heard in the graveyard. So is the progress of legends.

History

The church was organized in 1821 by six local residents, meeting initially in the home of George and Anna Turner. It was the first constituted congregation north of Salt River. A log church was built in 1926, taking a reported 4 years to complete. It was one and a half stories with two balconies for the slaves that attended services. The present building was constructed in 1856 of stone and was in use until sometime after 1911. It’s unclear as yet when the church was no longer used for services. It was part of the Two River Association until that year.

This beautiful stone building was used by Norman Rockwell for an illustration of a church scene in the 1936 printing of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain. It’s also the final resting place for Agness Flahtleroy, a slave owned by the family of Laura Hawkins, the model for Becky Thatcher.

The church and cemetery became the focal point of local legend in the 1960’s, when something sounding like a woman’s scream could be heard coming from the area. Hundreds flocked to the site with the hopes of hearing the scream. After the local authorities investigated the claims, it was determined by officials that a wild cat, i.e. bobcat or panther must have made the sounds, possibly in White Bear Caves nearby, causing it to echo through the area.

This incident drew attention to the site with some negative results. It became the target of thrill seekers, vandals and, regretfully, an arsonist. The church burned in 1982, leaving only the stone shell behind. Since then, the site has been cleaned and restoration is in process by the Cemetery Association.

Legend or History?

In all the research, there is no information on any deaths or trauma at this site. But, as with all history, the search goes on. We are currently reviewing our evidence and will post updates and report later.

Personally, we found this beautiful church and it’s cemetery quiet and peaceful. The crickets chirped and birds sang around us in a symphony of nature. History practically came alive walking here among the stones. But is there paranormal evidence to back the legends? We will see, won’t we?

Remember, this is a historic site. We do not encourage anyone to trespass or defame the property in any way. Since there is such a multitude of legends attached to the church, it is watched carefully and fiercely protected by local law enforcement. Please respect the history.

Paranormal activity isn’t exclusive to one group of people or one region or one belief. Like any other unknown, everyone has their own idea or theory of what they’ve heard or seen, felt or smelled, but one common thread is wanting to know what it is and share their experiences
It still surprises me to find how personal paranormal experiences span the social spectrum. When people find that I’m a member of the paranormal investigation group, they begin to tell of odd things that happened to them at one time or another. It may be a blue collar worker in a local shop or an executive in a large business. Another tale may come from a housewife who hears noises from time to time in her home or a man telling you about the mysterious lights he saw on a fishing trip.

I work in a technical type business. During sales calls, it’s not normal to talk about paranormal activity and affiliations. My supervisor mentioned not long ago to one of my customers that I was involved with I – MPI. From what he tells me, a rather lengthy conversation proceeded this announcement. The next time I visited this business, I was asked quite a few questions by the technicians there. Several of them had had paranormal experiences and were happy to relate to me what had happened. I was intrigued by a couple and offered our services anytime they needed us.

I’ve found that this is a common occurrence when someone finds out you’re part of a paranormal research group. As a matter of fact, the paranormal even extends into the law enforcement realm. Not long ago, we were investigating a cemetery in my hometown. It was late in the evening and of course the local law enforcement had been notified of our presence. It doesn’t do to be arrested by the local police for trespassing while on an investigation. It’s bad PR and bad karma. Surprisingly, we hadn’t seen them patrol all evening, and living in the town I knew the cemetery was patrolled regularly. Towards the end of the evening, a police car swung into the cemetery driveway. The spot light came on and start searching for our group. Being a law abiding citizen, your heart tends to skip a beat when your spotlighted like a deer in headlights. The car pulled up in front of as and the two officers inside greeted us cordially. They had just come to check up on how things were going and apologized if they interrupted investigation. We spoke for quite awhile and one of the officers began to tell us his experiences in his own home and the county jail. Now, as we haven’t investigated these locations, I can’t tell you the details, but his experiences of over several years definitely piqued my curiosity. Once again we offered our services if ever he needed us. I must say officers will deal with the worst in our society but they don’t like to deal with the supernatural.

So, if you have a personal experience, speak up. Your definitely not alone.

Welcome to our blog! Here you will find our thoughts, feelings and theories about the paranormal and our investigations. We hope you will check back with us often to see what’s what with us.

Holly Jo

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