High Spirits: The Ghost Log Blog

The Book

For the past six months word has gotten out that we are working on a book about the reports of paranormal activity in the library.  Yes this is true.  However, it is slow in coming.  This is not our only project and we do have regular library work that takes precedence. For those interested please be patient, for this will happen.  It will just take a bit longer then we would all like. 

There are four staff members currently working on the book.  Carla Hardy will be retiring in January but as graciously volunteered to continue helping with the project.  Thank you Carla!  Jacquie Kramer, Brittany Wells and myself are also working on the book.  I will be the main writer, but I have to say I am thrilled the ladies are helping out. Without their help I would be lost. 

We are currently working on the outline and chapters that will be included.  Also I have been busy contacting individuals that appear in photos and video clips that we would like to use from the Ghost Walks.  Because we sell tickets for the Ghost Walks and do not have actual names of everyone that attends this has been very time consuming.  

Our hope is to compile an interesting and informative book, which share with the reader the best ghost stories as well as the most valuable information.  As always you interest in this project is greatly appreciated.  Please be assured we will announce the book once it is published. 

Other books about the Sweetwater County Library:

Ghosts on the Range by Debra Munn

Wyoming Ghost Stories: eerie true tales by Debra Munn

Wyoming Curiosities: quirky characters, roadside oddities & other offbeat stuff by Dina Mishev

 Other sites of interest:

PI Team of Utah

http://www.piteamofutah.com/2012-investigations/ongoing-investigations/sweetwater-county-library/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlaWV4-7myA

UROPA

http://www.uropa.org/Sweetwater-Library.html

Ancestry.com

http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/WYSWEETW/2008-08/1219870074

Haunted America Tours

http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/books/ghostbook/index.php

Shadowlands

http://theshadowlands.net/places/wyoming.htm

Encyclopedia Britannica Blog: Haunted Libraries in the U. S.: Utah-Wyoming

http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2007/10/haunted-libraries-in-the-us-utah-wyoming-and-canada/

KSL.com

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=17896220

Yahoo! Voices

http://voices.yahoo.com/the-top-five-most-haunted-places-wyoming-2888389.html?cat=37

World Weaver Press

http://worldweaverpress.com/2012/10/04/ghost-walk-at-the-sweetwater-county-library/

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

May you all have a magical and wondrous holiday season.

Thanks for stopping by.

Micki

Ghosts of Christmas Past 2012 Ghost Walk by Micki Gilmore

6pm Tour

As usual we started the tour in the Multi-purpose Room by giving a quick explanation of how things work, what devices we use and the tour rules.  I had everyone join me in the Prayer of White Light.  The tour started in the Ladies Room.  We had many hits on the KIIs and a patron said they felt a cold spot.  Something did seem to interact with us in there.

We moved on to the Gallery and as I began telling stories there someone did report hearing a noise that we could not figure out.  The KIIs continued to go off.  As we moved on to the Youth Services area I placed a ping-pong ball on the desk and began video recording.  We asked if “they” might make the ball move to no avail.  There were several KII hits again.  I was sitting at the desk and a woman behind me began getting a cold feeling and the EMF with the orange top sounded off. 

The group moved on towards the back of the library.  Just as I got to the spot where the tree stands I heard what sounded like a younger person running in the stacks.  I told the group to wait a minute and took off to see if I could see anything.  I could not find anything and the noise stopped.  When I got back to the group they said they also heard it and were very excited.  We continued on to the Young Adult area. 

Once in YA we all sat and Bianca and Hannah were getting lots of words on the Ovilus.  As we asked questions it did seem to answer.  Words like country and award came up several times.  We wondered if we were talking to a veteran that might have lived in the old Veteran Housing that used to sit where the library does now.  The mobile that hangs in that area, has a couple dragonflies.  The middle one seemed to move a bit more than any other part.  We heard a noise towards the Front Desk and decided to move that way. 

We continued on to the Staff Lounge upstairs.  The KIIs seemed to go off a lot. Several people reported being cold, but there is an air vent in the room so I usually discount that.  We used the ghost box and did seem to get some answers. 

9pm Tour

Just as we started the second session in the Multi-Purpose Room Hannah reported that she had seen something “white” move down the back hallway.  She took a step into the hallway and saw a “white something” go through the back door.  She also said when we were finishing the last tour she heard a noise and went to investigate at the Front Desk.  She happened to notice the  Staff Coffee Cupboard door moved.  Kenedie went out front of the library in-between tours for a break.  She was facing the glass windows and saw a reflection in the glass of a woman in black.  She turned to say something to her and there was no one there.

We did the usual set-up with prayer of White Light and the equipment run-down.  We started in the Ladies Room.  Not long after we started most of the group said they heard a “little girls” voice.  I did not hear it, but I was suffering from a sinus infection and my hearing may be off.  At least 10 people heard it.  The KIIs went crazy.  A woman stated she felt touched on the hand.  We didn’t see anything and I am hoping someone will catch something in a photo.  It got a bit exciting. We invited the spirits to follow us on the rest of the tour.

Once things began slowing down we moved on to the Gallery.  The KIIs continued to go off.  As I told a few stories we heard a noise or two that we could not explain.  A man took photos of the stairs and said he heard a noise. We could find nothing. We continued on to the Youth Services area where I sat at the desk and tried the trick with the ball again.  I thought I saw it move and one of the women also said she saw it move.  If it did it was very slightly.  KIIs continued to go off.  Shalise Lamb and Vicky Walters were in the group and each time Shalise attends a Ghost Walk she seems to get a spirit that likes her.  They seem to follow her around the library.  Both ladies have high energy and they seem to attract the same.  Shalise and Vicky felt something was following them again.  Two other women, who’s names I do not know, said they felt touched on the hands.

We continued to the back of the library and several patrons said they felt a cold spot.  Not everyone did so we moved to where they felt it and it was there.  We used the digital thermometer and the temp continued to go down to 69*.  KIIs went off and then nothing.  The cold spot was gone.  We then moved to the Young Adult area and we all sat down.  We used the Ghost Box and Ovilus at different times.  The Ovilus seemed to work best and we were able to get some answers to questions.  Favorite color-green, name-Jim.  Three people said they heard running in the stacks.  We found no one. 

The tour moved on to the Staff Lounge.  There many felt cold spots, but because of the vent I have to dismiss it.  The KII’s kept going off.  It seemed that something was trying to talk to us for sure.  There was no rhyme or reason to it.  At first I thought it might be someone’s cell phone causing interruption, but it was not.  A woman said she felt like someone was standing next to her.  A younger male said he felt his left arm had gone cold.  At first I wasn’t sure, but after checking his right then left arm he was right.  There was definitely a difference.  He seemed very excited.  The EMF went off and it seemed there was something standing by him.  Very interesting.  KII’s kept going off.  We used the Ovilus and we got the name Jim again and country and award.  Country and award had come up all night and several times each tour.  We wondered if it was one of the veterans that used to live in this location.  We asked the attendees to thank the spirits for coming through and the KIIs went nuts.  It was amazing.  We didn’t want to leave.

Thank you to everyone that attended.  It was a huge success.

Recommended Professional Ghost Hunters

The fall has been busy with the usual Ghost Walks and Halloween activates.  Part of our job has become to be a “listener” for those that have unexplained happenings in their lives.  During one event a lady stopped by asking for assistance with “a spirit in the house”.  The lady brought one of her daughters to talk to me.  Apparently there are several other children in the home and all of them have seen a young girl.  The spirit seems to try to communicate with only the younger people in the house.  We are always willing to hear anyone’s stories and give what advice we can, but we do have our limits of expertise.

The lady was told a story by her neighbor where a three or four year old child was hit by a car and killed. It is believed that this child haunts the area and the apartment in which the woman and her family now live.  Our discussion started with my asking several questions (i.e.)  What is the address? Do you know the names or at least the last names of the people that lived there before?  Do you know the date the child passed?  With this information we were able to minimize our search to certain areas.  

We started by researching the history of the house by looking up the address in the older Polk Directories.  A listing was found for a woman who lived in the same apartment during the time span the death occurred. It seemed that she moved one year after the approximate time of the accident.  The library houses reels of microfilm for the local newspaper and this allows us to begin searching the films during the dates we believed the accident to happen. Unfortunately we were unable to locate an obituary or mention of a child’s death in an accident during that time.  The woman is still in contact with the neighbors and is planning on asking them more questions.  With the new information we hope to continue the search. 

Although we do our best to pass on information and helpful hints we are not actual “ghost hunters”.  Ellie, Bianca, Hannah and I do our best to keep informed and educate ourselves so we might answer your questions.  We are in contact with several groups that are true ghost hunters and we would be happy to put you in touch with them.  Please understand, we are interested in your stories and plight and we are here to help you with what we can. Thank you for understanding.

The following are ghost hunters that have investigated the SWCL.  Each group seemed professional and knowledgeable.

Professional Ghost Hunters:

P. I. Team of Utah (TAPS Affiliate)——-Attention Jenny Wright—801-309-1666 (Utah)

http://www.piteamofutah.com/

UROPA——————————————Attention—John York— 435-225-5912 (Northern Utah)

http://www.uropa.org/

RIP/Reliance Independent Paranormal—Attention–Tony Hills—307-371-3482 (Reliance, Wyoming)

(photo is not of the ghost girl in article)

October 27, 2012 Ghost Walk Micki’s Report

Tour guides were Ellie Davis, Bianca Jorgensen, Hannah Redden and I Micki Gilmore.

From the moment I walked into the building to prep for the Ghost Walk tours I could feel a difference in the air.  Sometimes there is a type of “charge” to the air that just feels different and I always know we will have a good Ghost Walk.

Tour #1-8pm: Main Guide-Micki-As I started to hand out the ghost hunting gear the KII’s went off immediately.  I had just handed them to the random tour members and the lights started going off. Everyone was very excited.   We proceeded as usual with the Prayer of White Light and started the tour. 

The standard is to start with the Ladies Room.  The tour group entered and we began asking questions.  One of the women in the group said she felt like a child was standing next to her.  The KII went off and we asked her to try to get an outline of whatever it was.  The KII did seem to outline the shape of a small person.  We then did an EVP session. (Evidence has not been reviewed as yet).

The tour then moved on to the other areas of the library.  We did get some activity in the Youth Services area and Young Adult area.  Again in the Young Adult area we did the EVP session and also tried the Ghost Box.  There did seem to be responses on the ghost box to our questions.

The group moved on to the Staff Lounge.  Once again the lady that felt the child said she thought the child was with her.  The KII did seem to indicate the same.  There was a large amount of hits from the KIIs in that area.  Everyone seemed very pleased with the activity we witnessed.

Tour #2-9:30 Main Guide-Ellie-From the moment we started handing out equipment the KIIs started lighting up.  The group members seemed very excited and spirits seemed to respond to that.  The Ladies Room seemed to be active and there seemed to be a good energy or so people reported.

The tour moved on to the Youth Service area and Ellie began telling several of the stories.  The KIIs seemed to respond to the stories.  The group moved on to the Young Adults area.  We asked the spirits to move the glass mobile that hanging in that area.  We have had some luck with this before.  To our surprise the dragonfly on the mobile did move.  I was taking video of this and I think I was able to catch it.  I will report on this more when evidence has been reviewed.  We were able to get some answers on the Ghost Box and I hope I was able to get this on video as well.

The tour moved on to the back workroom and on to the Staff Lounge.  There seemed to be activity on the way up the stairs and into the hallway.  Hannah was to the back of the group and she reported hearing voices in the hallway.  Hannah and Bianca were working the new gadget the Ovilus.  As words came up Hannah wrote them down.  It seemed to be working well. 

Tour #3-11pm Main Guide-Micki-S. P. and her husband, son and his girlfriend were part of the third tour.  She reported to me that she felt “someone small” with her.  She said she couldn’t believe it.  The KII’s again went off in the Multi-purpose Room before we even started the tour.  Lot’s going on.  J. V.  was on this tour and he stated that he had never seen so much activity and he had been on one Ghost Walk each time we have had them for the past four years.  Activity included KIIs lighting up to our questions, KIIs and EMFs lighting up or sounding off to the shape of a small and large person (?). The Ghost Box seemed to get answers to the questions; the Ovilus seemed to get words to match the questions.  Very exciting stuff.  A lady came to this Walk that had been a year ago.  She then had reported what seemed like a child tugging on her sweatshirt sleeve.  She said she had come back to see if it would happen again.  It did not to her, but she saw what happened to S. P. and she said she felt ok about it now.  She had worried before and she said she sees that it is just possible children following us around.  She seemed very happy to be there.  A couple teen girls used the KIIs and EMF and were able to trace a very tall “being” just by the table in the Staff Lounge.  You could feel “an energy” in the room at the time.  Pretty cool I must say. 

Tour #4-12:30am Main Guide-Ellie-As with the other tours, the KIIs began lighting up as soon as they were turned on in the Multi-Purpose Room.  The Lady’s Room had a good amount of interaction with Q & A and the gadgets.  Ellie tried the ghost box and it did seem there were a few answers giving.  As we moved on to the Youth Service area there was also hits on the KII and what seemed to be answers to questions on the Ghost Box.  As we moved on to the Young Adult area things seemed to pick up a bit.  We had noises and there seemed to be a small person walking along with us.  We thought it was a child.  The KIIs seemed to trace an outline of a child as well.  The mobile that hangs in that area was still until we asked the spirits to move just the dragonfly.  It did it again.  Everyone was excited.  We then asked them to stop it and it did.  It was cool to see. 

We moved on to the Staff Lounge.  The stairs seemed to have something going on.  When we got to the hallway Ellie said she smelled smoke and someone else also mentioned they did as well.  We sat around the table and there seemed to be spirits with us and the KIIs went crazy.  They lit up to red many times.  A woman mentioned she felt a possible child, a girl, was with her.  The KIIs seemed to outline a child.  I really think the ghost kids were there with us or at least one was.  We had trouble with the Ovilus so we didn’t use it this time.  Ellie used the Ghost Box and there seemed to be answers to our questions once again.  Overall the feeling was high energy. 

We went back down to close the tour and the KIIs just kept going on and on.  I have not reviewed the evidence yet, but I am looking forward to it.

Why Do We Do What We Do at a Ghost Walk?

Yesterday a very nice lady stopped by my desk and asked “Can you explain why you do what you do at the Ghost Walks?” This started a long conversation. First I asked what exactly she needed to know. Her answer was “all of it”. I told her this would take a little time and she said that would be fine. It made me think that there may be others of you that would like to why we do what we do.

Why do you limit the number of people at each Walk?

The reason is simply, if you have too many there seems to be too much conversation and recordings or evidence tends to be tainted. We want everyone to have the best experience possible.

Why do we charge for Ghost Walks now, when we did not before?

Currently the Sweetwater County Library System Foundation has an opportunity to receive matching funds for every dollar received. By charging a small fee of $5 each person, this money will become $10. Each library in the System may then make application to the SWC Library Foundation for funds to pay for item that the regular budget does not.

Why do we use the “Ghost Hunting Gadgets”?

The “gadgets” that we currently use are as follows: KII Meter, EMF Detector, Laser Grid Pen, Ghost Box, digital recorder, camera, digital thermometer and digital camcorder.

KII/EMF: The reason for using the KII and EMF meters are when they come in contact with anything paranormal they will either light up or show a reading.

Laser Grid Pen: By shining the pen in one area it places an array of green or blue light (depending on which pen it used). If a spirit should move between the light and the wall/ceiling etc. it is directed at, it will block out some of the dots in the grid and will show the user where they are.

Ghost Box: By using AM or FM radio settings, questions may be asked and the spirits may choose to use words within the radio stations broadcasts to answer.

Digital Recorder: By using a digital recorder a person may ask questions and receive possible answers. Many times when asking questions a person will not hear anything, but after reviewing evidence from this device, there may be voices, noises, etc. to coincide with the questions asked. These are known as an EVP (electronic voice phenomenon).

Cameras: By taking photos, one may be lucky enough to capture a fleeting image of a spirit. Because several people attending the Ghost Walks have done just that and shared we are able to present the photos to the public. (THANKS to those that share!)

Digital Thermometer: The digital thermometer works by pointing the laser at anything and it gives a reading of the current temperature. If a spirit comes into contact with the area you are pointing the thermometer the temperature should change either colder or at times warmer.

Digital Camcorder: Like the camera, a digital camcorder is useful in capturing images along with sounds of anything that might be happening. Personally I have also found a camcorder useful in demonstrating after an event what you do and the reactions to what we do have happen during the Walks.

New Items Added at the Ghost Walk:

Thermal Pad: The library purchased a new thermal pad. The idea behind it is if a spirit were to touch it the pad would show blue if cold or light to white if warm.

Baby Powder: As seen on Ghost Hunters, we tried to tape off an area in the library and sprinkle baby powder within that area. The idea is if a spirit were to move in the area the powder would show movement or footprints. (We took photos before and after)

A Childs Ball: By placing a child’s ball on the floor or on a table you can invite a child spirit to “come and play ball”. We did seem to have good luck attracting spirits to the ball and will use this tool again.

I hope that the information I have shared will help explain our procedures.

If you have any questions please let me know.

Ghosts of Christmas Pasts Ghost Walk December 1st

The holidays are a time for people to get together and enjoy the flavors of the seasons. New this year the Sweetwater County Library is presenting “Ghosts of Christmas Past” on December 1st. This is your opportunity to join us in an evening of warm drinks and fine desserts followed by a special Charles Dickens inspired Ghost Walk. The desserts are provided by the Sweetwater County Library staff, which will not only share with you their decadent treats, but will include recipe cards as well.

Tickets will go on sale Monday October 29th at 9am and will be available at the Sweetwater County Library only. There will be two tours 6pm to 8pm and 9pm to 11pm. Patrons must be at least 15 years old. Admission to the Ghost Walk is $15 each with proceeds benefiting the Sweetwater County Library Foundation. No refunds will be given and tickets are sold on a first come first serve basis. The public will also have a chance to win tickets to the Ghost Walk through the library’s Facebook page at facebook.com/sweetlibraries. Please check the library’s Facebook page for more details.

This unique idea was the brainchild of Scott Kinney the Sweetwater County Library System Director. Once the idea was shared with the staff we knew it would be our next special event. With a bit of fun and whimsy, the Ghost Walk tour guides will be dressed in “Dickens’s-like costumes” and will lead you on what we hope will be a very interesting encounter with our own spirits.

Here are a few of our most frequently asked questions:

Why are we having another Ghost Walk so soon? It is simply because of public requests. We are trying to provide extra paranormal investigations whenever possible. Much of this depends on the available time that the SWCL staff have. We do our best, but please remember our time is somewhat limited with all the other duties and programming that are scheduled.

What might I encounter while on a Ghost Walk?: It is not unusual to have what the experts call a “personal experience” while on one of our tours. This is something that is not documented or caught on camera and may include seeing shadows, feeling a touch, hearing a noise, etc. The Library receives many reports of this both on tours and by random patrons while in the library. Most Ghost Walks seem to have several spirits wanting to communicate with us. One example is using the KII we can ask a question and the spirit can use the device to answer by lighting up the lights for “yes”. Questions we often ask are “Are you a man?”, “Are you a woman?”, or “Are you a child?” With the “ghost box” we can ask a wide variety of questions. The results are many times jaw-dropping.

“What is an EVP”? It is simply where you catch sounds or voices on any recording device that is otherwise not heard by the human ear. You will only hear it when playing back the recordings.

What is a Ghost Box? The Ghost Box is also known as a “Frank’s Box”. The Box was first created by Frank Sumption and those in the paranormal investigating world many times still call it as such. The Ghost Box basically scans throughout AM/FM radio waves and allows the spirits the chance to stop the scanner on a word or phrase to communicate. It has become very popular during the tours because of the amazing answers we have received.

What can I bring to the tour? We encourage anyone attending to bring their own equipment if it can be carried easily such as digital camera, digital recorder, KII, EMF detector, etc. It is not necessary to bring a ghost box as the Sweetwater County Library has their own and only one can be used at a time. Cell phones are allowed and actually do work well for recording EVPs. One word of caution when using your cell phone, do not get too close to anyone that is holding a KII or EMF detector. They can and do cause interference.

Why are some tours quieter than others? In all the time that our crew has hosted the Ghost Walks we have only had one tour that was “quiet”. “Quiet” to us is a group that does not open up to the spirits and therefore the spirits do not respond. Last year Ellie Davis and I had the great pleasure of meeting psychic Chic Coffee while at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. He explained the way spirits interact is as such, “If you go into a room and there are friendly people in one corner and unfriendly people in another which would you approach?” This seems to be the way it works at the library. If you attend a ghost walk please come with good energy and an open mind.

We hope you will join us for our unique holiday event “Ghosts of Christmas Past” on December 1^st. Please stop by the library to purchase your tickets. For more information please call 307-875-3615 or visit us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/sweetlibraries.

Evidence from Dinner and Ghost Walk 7/28/2012 Part II

I am continuing to post the remainer of the video clips taken during the 7/28/2012 Dinner and Ghost Walk. 

Please comment at the end. 

Video Clip #4      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZUAsdm8vyI

Video Clip #5      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZUAsdm8vyI

Warning: The Sweetwater County Library has no control of the content of the radio broadcasts in which the spirits may be using.  Profanity is not sanctioned by the SWC Library. Adult content.

Video Clip #6     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWHHRFxcTEY

October Ghost Walk Tickets on Sale October 1st

Tickets for the upcoming October 27th Ghost Walk will be available starting October 1st.

The Sweetwater County Library opens at 9 am.

Tickets are $5 each.     You must be 15 yrs or older to attend.

Tour times are: 8pm, 9:30pm, 11pm, and 12:30pm.

For more information contact the Sweetwater County Library at 307-875-3615 or stop by.

Hope to see you there!

Evidence from Dinner and Ghost Walk 7/28/2012 Part I

Thank you to everyone that purchased tickets to attend the Sweetwater County Library’s first ever Dinner and Ghost Walk.  The food was fabulous and was provided by local chef Josh Mace.  Thanks to Josh and his team for all the hard work.  The event was a huge success. 

I am posting the video I took while on the Walk.  There was a large amount of activity.  Let’s see what you think we found. 

Video Clip #1 Lady’s Room     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDxHbuElAA0  

Video Clip #2 Lady’s Room     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmlov5XYyvI

Video Clip #3 Lady’s Room     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGFZcPY8zq0

More to be posted 9/30/2012