Welsh Shaun
10-03-2007, 11:28 AM
Ghost Hunters Investigate Pythian Castle
The Ozarks seems to be hotbed of paranormal activity.
From the so-called Spooklight near Joplin to stories of ghosts at Eureka Spring's Crescent Hotel, the Ozarks has a rich history of haunted sights.
You may not know that one of the more prominent ghostly spaces lies right in the heart of Springfield.
This weekend, ghost hunters from across the country set their sights on a Springfield landmark, the Pythian Castle.
It's stately appearance gives off an aura of royalty. A fitting description for southwest Missouri's only castle. Yet while all appears calm outside, inside...
Tamara Finocchiaro knows the ins and outs of the Pythian Castle. As the owner, she spends most of her days giving tours and holding special events here. Tamara also lives here, and once night falls, that's when she says the ghosts come alive.
Finocchiaro says, "some odd things kept happening to us and we started going hmmm, that was a bit unusual. And the previous occupants of the building came by and said, "have you met the ghost."
Since then, Tamara has grown to accept that she's not living alone. In fact, many people visit the Castle just for the chance to see one of the paranormals. Some believe the spirits may stem from the Castle's original function as an orphanage.
This weekend, one group decided to do more than just look around.
Paranormal investigator Larry Flaxman says, "we use every type of environmental logging equipment that you could possibly imagine."
Larry Flaxman heads up a group called Arkansas Paranormal and Anomalous Studies Team.
The group is called ARPAST for short. Together members of this research team use thousands of dollars of equipment to track down any noises, light, or heat that may be out of the ordinary.
Paranormal investigator Suzanne Weaver says, if there is something here, we want to try to get it to interact, so that we can maybe capture some environmental data."
Paranormal investigator Jackie Weaver says, "there's been a lot of activity. Do you feel like if there's anyone in here with us, we are bothering you?"
Since February, the group has conducted more than 50 investigations across Arkansas, Missouri and beyond. ARPAST members prefer not to be called ghost hunters, refering to their extensive knowledge and use of scientific methods. They believe this work is too complex to merely prove or disprove the evidence of ghosts.
Weaver says, "we try to find phsyical, normal reasons for any abnormalities that we find. We don't just assume that it's a paranormal activity."
Still, when these skeptics do see evidence of paranormal activity, you can tell their adrenaline starts pumping.
Tamara says while she's more than happy to open her doors to scientific research, she's almost certain she's among company here. The good news about these spirits..."they're friendly for the most part."
That group, ARPAST, is putting together its footage from the past year for a Travel Channel documentary on haunted places.
The Pythican Castle will get national exposure even before that.
The Sci-fi Channel plans to premiere a mini-series called "Children of the Grave", in which Pythian Castle will be featured.
The air date is fittingly set for Halloween night.
Should be a good one to watch.
Source - OzarksFIRST.com
The Ozarks seems to be hotbed of paranormal activity.
From the so-called Spooklight near Joplin to stories of ghosts at Eureka Spring's Crescent Hotel, the Ozarks has a rich history of haunted sights.
You may not know that one of the more prominent ghostly spaces lies right in the heart of Springfield.
This weekend, ghost hunters from across the country set their sights on a Springfield landmark, the Pythian Castle.
It's stately appearance gives off an aura of royalty. A fitting description for southwest Missouri's only castle. Yet while all appears calm outside, inside...
Tamara Finocchiaro knows the ins and outs of the Pythian Castle. As the owner, she spends most of her days giving tours and holding special events here. Tamara also lives here, and once night falls, that's when she says the ghosts come alive.
Finocchiaro says, "some odd things kept happening to us and we started going hmmm, that was a bit unusual. And the previous occupants of the building came by and said, "have you met the ghost."
Since then, Tamara has grown to accept that she's not living alone. In fact, many people visit the Castle just for the chance to see one of the paranormals. Some believe the spirits may stem from the Castle's original function as an orphanage.
This weekend, one group decided to do more than just look around.
Paranormal investigator Larry Flaxman says, "we use every type of environmental logging equipment that you could possibly imagine."
Larry Flaxman heads up a group called Arkansas Paranormal and Anomalous Studies Team.
The group is called ARPAST for short. Together members of this research team use thousands of dollars of equipment to track down any noises, light, or heat that may be out of the ordinary.
Paranormal investigator Suzanne Weaver says, if there is something here, we want to try to get it to interact, so that we can maybe capture some environmental data."
Paranormal investigator Jackie Weaver says, "there's been a lot of activity. Do you feel like if there's anyone in here with us, we are bothering you?"
Since February, the group has conducted more than 50 investigations across Arkansas, Missouri and beyond. ARPAST members prefer not to be called ghost hunters, refering to their extensive knowledge and use of scientific methods. They believe this work is too complex to merely prove or disprove the evidence of ghosts.
Weaver says, "we try to find phsyical, normal reasons for any abnormalities that we find. We don't just assume that it's a paranormal activity."
Still, when these skeptics do see evidence of paranormal activity, you can tell their adrenaline starts pumping.
Tamara says while she's more than happy to open her doors to scientific research, she's almost certain she's among company here. The good news about these spirits..."they're friendly for the most part."
That group, ARPAST, is putting together its footage from the past year for a Travel Channel documentary on haunted places.
The Pythican Castle will get national exposure even before that.
The Sci-fi Channel plans to premiere a mini-series called "Children of the Grave", in which Pythian Castle will be featured.
The air date is fittingly set for Halloween night.
Should be a good one to watch.
Source - OzarksFIRST.com