Ghost hunting

For other uses, see Ghost hunters.
"Paranormal investigation" and "paranormal investigator" redirect here. For other uses, see paranormal.
"Ghost hunt" redirects here. For the light novel series and its adaptations, see Ghost Hunt.

A ghost hunter taking a reading with an EMF meter

Traditional techniques such as conducting interviews and researching the history of a site are also employed. Some ghost hunters refer to themselves as a paranormal investigator.[1] Ghost hunting has been criticized for its absence of scientific method; no scientific body has been able to confirm the existence of ghosts.[2][3] Ghost hunting is considered a pseudoscience by a majority of educators, academics, science writers, and sceptics.Ghost hunting is the process of investigating locations that are reported to be haunted by ghosts. Typically, a ghost hunting team will attempt to collect evidence that they see as supportive of paranormal activity. Ghost hunters often use a variety of electronic equipment, for example: the EMF meter; digital thermometer; handheld and static digital video cameras, such as thermo graphic (or infrared) and night; digital audio recorder; and computer.


Popularity[edit]
The Internet, films (like Ghostbusters) and television programs (like Most Haunted, Ghost Hunters, The Other sliders and Ghost Adventures), along with the increasing availability of high-tech equipment are thought to be partly responsible for the boom in ghost hunting. Despite its lack of acceptance in academic circles, the popularity of ghost-hunting reality TV shows have influenced a number of individuals to take up the pursuit.[12]
Small businesses offering ghost-hunting equipment and paranormal investigation services have increased in the last decade. Many offer electromagnetic field (EMF) meters, infrared motion sensors and devices billed as "ghost detectors". The paranormal boom is such that some small ghost-hunting related businesses are enjoying increased profits through podcast and web site advertising, books, DVDs, videos and other commercial enterprises.[13]
One ghost-hunting group reports that the number of people taking their tours has tripled, jumping from about 600 in 2006 to 1,800 in 2008. Another says its membership has doubled. Others point to increased traffic on their websites and message boards as an indication that ghost hunting is becoming more accepted. Participants say that ghost hunting allows them to enjoy the friendship of like-minded people and actively pursue their interest in the paranormal. James Willis, founder of The Ghosts of Ohio group says that his membership has grown to 30 members since it was founded in 1999 and includes both true believers and total skeptics. Willis says his group is "looking for answers, one way or another" and that skepticism is a prerequisite for those who desire to be "taken seriously in this field."[12]
Author John Potts says that the present day pursuit of "amateur ghost hunting" can be traced back to the Spiritualist era and early organizations founded to investigate paranormal phenomena, like London's The Ghost Club and the Society for Psychical Research, but that it is unrelated to academic parapsychology. Potts writes that modern ghost hunting groups ignore scientific method and instead follow a form of "techno-mysticism".[11]
The popularity of ghost hunting has led to some injuries. Unaware that a "spooky home" in Worthington, Ohio was occupied, a group of teenagers stepped on the edge of the property to explore. The homeowner fired on the teenagers automobile as they were leaving, seriously injuring one.[14] A woman who was hunting for ghosts was killed in a fall from a University of Toronto building.[15]
An offshoot of ghost hunting is the commercial ghost tour conducted by a local guide or tour operator who is often a member of a local ghost-hunting or paranormal investigation group. Since both the tour operators and owners of the reportedly haunted properties share profits of such enterprises (admissions typically range between $50 and $100 per person), some believe the claims of haunting are exaggerated or fabricated in order to increase attendance.[16] The city of Savannah, Georgia is said to be the American city with the most ghost tours, having more than 31 as of 2003.[17][18]
Belief statistics[edit]
According to a survey conducted in October 2008 by the Associated Press and IPOs, 34 percent of Americans say they believe in the existence of ghosts.[12] Moreover, a Gallup poll conducted on June 6–8, 2005 showed that one-third (32%) of Americans believe that ghosts exist, with belief declining with age.[19][20] Having surveyed three countries (the United States, Canada, and Great Britain), the poll also mentioned that more people believe in haunted houses than any of the other paranormal items tested, with 37% of Americans, 28% of Canadians, and 40% of Britons believing.[20][21]
In 2002, the National Science Foundation identified haunted houses, ghosts, and communication with the dead among pseudoscientific beliefs.[5]
Skepticism[edit]
Many ghost-hunting groups say they find evidence of something they can't explain through scientific or natural means, yet critics question ghost-hunting's methodology, particularly its use of instrumentation, as there is no scientifically proven link between the existence of ghosts and cold spots or electromagnetic fields. According to skeptical investigator Joe Nickel, the typical ghost hunter is practicing pseudoscience.[22] Nickel says that ghost hunters often arm themselves with EMF meters, thermometers that can identify cold spots, and wireless microphones that eliminate background noise, pointing out the equipment being used to try to detect ghosts is not designed for the job. "The least likely explanation for any given reading is it is a ghost," maintains Nickell. Orbs of light that show up on photos, he says, are often particles of dust or moisture. "Voices" picked up by tape recorders can be radio signals or noise from the recorder and EMF detectors can be set off by faulty wiring or microwave towers.[12]
According to investigator Benjamin Radford most ghost hunting groups including The Atlantic Paranormal Society make many methodological mistakes. "After watching episodes of Ghost Hunters and other similar programs, it quickly becomes clear to anyone with a background in science that the methods used are both illogical and unscientific". Anyone can be a ghost investigator, "failing to consider alternative explanations for anomalous ... phenomena", considering emotions and feelings as "evidence of ghostly encounters". "Improper and unscientific investigation methods" for example "using unproven tools and equipment", "sampling errors", "ineffectively using recording devices" and "focusing on the history of the location...and not the phenomena". In his article for Skeptical Inquirer Magazine Radford concludes that ghost hunters should care about doing a truly scientific investigation "I believe that if ghosts exist, they are important and deserve to be taken seriously. Most of the efforts to investigate ghosts so far have been badly flawed and unscientific --- and, not surprisingly, fruitless." [8]
Although some ghost hunters believe orbs are of supernatural origin, skeptic Brian Dunning says that they are usually particles of dust that are reflected by light when a picture is taken, sometimes it may be bugs or water droplets. He contends that "there are no plausible hypotheses that describe the mechanism by which a person who dies will become a hovering ball of light that appears on film but is invisible to the eye." He does not believe there is any science behind these beliefs, if there were then there would be some kind of discussion of who, what and why this can happen. In his investigations he can not find any "plausible hypothesis" that orbs are anything paranormal.[23]
Science writer Sharon Hill reviewed over 1,000 "amateur research and investigation groups" (ARIGs), writing that "879 identified with the category of “ghosts”. Hill reports that many groups used the terms “science” or “scientific” when describing themselves, however "they overwhelmingly display neither understanding of nor adherence to scientific norms".
"ARIGs often promote their paranormals viewpoint as scientifically based, especially in community presentations or lectures at educational facilities. While scientifically minded observers can readily spot the anemic and shoddy scholarship of popular paranormal investigation, the public, unaware of the fundamental errors ARIGs make, can be persuaded by jargon and “science” symbols."
Hill sees the supernatural bias of such groups as an indication of how "far removed ARIG participants really are from the established scientific community".[7]
Methods and equipment[edit]

A handheld infrared thermometer of the type used by some ghost hunters
Ghost hunters use a variety of techniques and tools to investigate alleged paranormal activity.[24] While there is no universal acceptance among ghost hunters of the following methodologies, a number of these are commonly used by ghost hunting groups.[25]
•       Still photography and video: using digital, night vision, infrared, and even disposable cameras.
•       EMF meter: to detect possibly unexplained fluctuations in electromagnetic fields.
•       Tablet PC: to record data, audio, video and even environmental fluctuations such as electromagnetic fields.[25]
•       Ambient temperature measurement: using thermographic cameras, thermal imaging cameras, infrared thermometers, and other infraredtemperature sensors. It should be noted that all of these methods only measure surface temperature and not ambient temperature.[26]
•       Digital and analog audio recording: to capture any unexplained noises and electronic voice phenomena (EVPs), that may be interpreted as disembodied voices.
•       Compass: some ghost hunters used compass to determine the location of paranormal spot similar like EMFs.
•       Geiger counter: to measure fluctuations in radiation.
•       Live paranormal investigations which Np paranormal conduct on livestream. To capture live paranormal activity
•       Infrared and/or ultrasonic motion sensors: to detect possible anomalous movement within a given area, or to assist in creating a controlled environment where any human movement is detected.
•       Air quality monitoring equipment: to assess the levels of gases such as carbon monoxide, which are thought to contribute to reports of paranormal activity.
•       Infrasound monitoring equipment: to assess the level of sound vibrations.
•       Dowsing rods: usually constructed of brass and bent into an L-shape.
•       Psychics, mediums, or clairvoyants: trance mediums or "sensitive" individuals thought to have the ability to identify and make contact with spiritual entities.
•       Demonologists, exorcists, and clergy: individuals who may say prayers, give blessings, or perform rituals for the purpose of cleansing a location of alleged ghosts, demons,poltergeists, or "negative energy."
•       Lights out: according to ghost hunting enthusiast websites, many ghost hunters prefer to conduct their investigations during "peak" evening hours (midnight to 4 a.m.).
•       Ghost Box: an electronic device that some ghost hunters claim allows communication with spirits.
•       Interviews: collecting testimony and accounts about alleged hauntings.
•       Historical research: researching the history behind the site being investigated.
•       A Ouija board to communicate with spirits

Post-modern (1970–present)

See also: List of ghost films

The ghost of a pirate, from Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates (1903)

The 1970s saw screen depictions of ghosts diverge into distinct genres of the romantic and horror. A common theme in the romantic genre from this period is the ghost as a benign guide or messenger, often with unfinished business, such as 1989's Field of Dreams, the 1990 film Ghost, and the 1993 comedy Heart and Souls.^[102] In the horror genre, 1980's The Fog, and the A Nightmare on Elm Streetseries of films from the 1980s and 1990s are notable examples of the trend for the merging of ghost stories with scenes of physical violence.^[101]

Popularised in such films as the 1984 comedy Ghostbusters, ghost hunting became a hobby for many who formed ghost hunting societies to explore reportedly haunted places. The ghost hunting theme has been featured in reality television series, such as Ghost Adventures,Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters International, Ghost Lab, Most Haunted, and A Haunting. It is also represented in children's television by such programs as The Ghost Hunter and Ghost Trackers. Ghost hunting also gave rise to multiple guidebooks to haunted locations, and ghost hunting "how-to" manuals.

The 1990s saw a return to classic "gothic" ghosts, whose dangers were more psychological than physical. Examples of films from this period include 1999's The Sixth Sense and The Others.

Asian cinema has also produced horror films about ghosts, such as the 1998 Japanese film Ringu (remade in the US as The Ring in 2002), and the Pang brothers' 2002 film The Eye.^[103] Indian ghost movies are popular not just in India, but in the Middle East, Africa, South East Asia, and other parts of the world. Some Indian ghost movies such as the comedy / horror film Chandramukhi have been commercial successes, dubbed into several languages.^[104]

In fictional television programming, ghosts have been explored in series such as Supernatural, Ghost Whisperer, and Medium.

In animated fictional television programming, ghosts have served as the central element in series such as Casper the Friendly Ghost,Danny Phantom, and Scooby-Doo. Various other television shows have depicted ghosts as well. (See also List of ghosts#Popular cultureand Category:Fictional ghosts.

East and Central Asia

Further information: Preta

China

Main article: Ghosts in Chinese culture

An image of Zhong Kui, the vanquisher of ghosts and evil beings, painted sometime before 1304 A.D. byGong Kai

There are many references to ghosts in Chinese culture. Even Confucius said, "Respect ghosts and gods, but keep away from them."^[89]

The ghosts take many forms, depending on how the person died, and are often harmful. Many Chinese ghost beliefs have been accepted by neighboring cultures, notably Japan and southeast Asia. Ghost beliefs are closely associated with traditional Chinese religion based on ancestor worship, many of which were incorporated in Taoism. Later beliefs were influenced by Buddhism, and in turn influenced and created uniquely Chinese Buddhist beliefs.

Many Chinese today believe it possible to contact the spirits of their ancestors through a medium, and that ancestors can help descendants if properly respected and rewarded. The annual ghost festival is celebrated by Chinese around the world. On this day, ghosts and spirits, including those of the deceased ancestors, come out from the lower realm. Ghosts are described in classical Chinese texts as well as modern literature and films.

A recent article in the China Post stated that nearly eighty-seven percent of Chinese office workers believe in ghosts, and some fifty-two percent of workers will wear hand art, necklaces, crosses, or even place a crystal ball on their desks to keep ghosts at bay, according to the poll.

United States[edit]

Bannack, Montana, USA, a well-preserved ghost town that is now a state park.

1881 Assay building in what was once Vulture City, a mining town in Wickenburg, Arizona, USA.

See also: List of ghost towns in the United States

There are many ghost towns, or semi-ghost towns (some of them unincorporated communities), in the American Great Plains, the rural areas of which have lost a third of their population since 1920. Thousands of communities in the northern plains states (such asMontana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota) became railroad ghost towns when a rail line failed to materialize. Hundreds more were abandoned when the US Highway System replaced the railroads as the United States' favorite mode of travel. Ghost towns are common in mining or old mill town areas: in Arizona, California, Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico,Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming in the western United States and in West Virginia in the eastern USA. Some unincorporated towns become ghost towns due to flooding for man made lakes, such as Oketeyeconne. They can be observed as far south asArkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. When the resources that had created an employment boom in these towns were consumed, the businesses ceased to exist,^{[citation needed]} and the people moved to more productive areas.

Sometimes, a ghost town consists of many old abandoned buildings (as in Bodie, California); elsewhere, there remain only foundations of former buildings (e.g., Graysonia, Arkansas). Old mining camps that have lost most of their population at some stage of their history, such as Aspen, Central City, Crested Butte, Cripple Creek, Deadwood, Marysville, Oatman, Park City, St. Elmo,Tombstone, and Virginia City, are sometimes included in the category, although they are active towns and cities today.^{[citation needed]}Many U.S. ghost towns, such as South Pass City in Wyoming^[22] (also still an active, small community) are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[23]

Some of the earliest settlements in the US, though they no longer exist in any tangible sense, once had the characteristics of a ghost town. In 1590, mapmaker John White arrived at the Roanoke Colony, North Carolina to find it deserted, its inhabitants having vanished without a trace; in 1632, the Zwaanendael Colony became a ghost town when every one of the colonists was massacred by Indians; and in 1699, Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas, was abandoned when Williamsburgbecame the new capital of the colony.

Starting in 2002, an attempt to declare an "official ghost town" in California stalled when the adherents of the town of Bodie, inNorthern California, and those of Calico, in Southern California, could not agree on the most deserving settlement for the recognition. A compromise was eventually reached – Bodie became the "official state gold rush ghost town", while Calico was named the "official state silver rush ghost town".^[24]

On April 10, 2015, at the West Texas Historical Association's 92nd annual meeting, at Amarillo College in Amarillo, presented a program on ghost towns in Texas. Scheduled participants were James B. Hays of Brownwood, "Walthall and the Early Settlement of Southern Runnels County"; Mildred Sentell of Snyder, "Black Gold and the Ghost Town of Burnham, Garza County", and Christena Stephens of Nazareth, Texas, "How Mortality Records Can Provide a Historical Picture of a German Community."^[25]

North America[edit]

Robsart Hospital, one of many abandoned buildings in Robsart, Saskatchewan

Canada

See also: List of ghost towns in Canada

There are ghost towns in parts of British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Quebec. Some were logging towns or dual mining and logging sites, often developed at the behest of the company. In Alberta and Saskatchewan, most ghost towns were once farming communities that have since died off due to the removal of the railway through the town or the bypass of a highway. The ghost towns in British Columbia were predominantly mining towns and prospecting camps as well as canneries and, in one or two cases, large smelter and pulp mill towns. British Columbia has more ghost towns than any other jurisdiction on the North American continent, with one estimate at the number of abandoned and semi-abandoned towns and localities upwards of 1500.^[21] Among the most notable are Anyox, Kitsault, and Ocean Falls.

Some ghost towns have revived their economies and populations due to historical and eco-tourism, such as Barkerville. Barkerville, once the largest town north of Kamloops, is now a year-round Provincial Museum. In Québec, Val-Jalbert is a well-known tourist ghost town; founded in 1901 around a mechanical pulp mill which became obsolete when paper mills began to break down wood fibre by chemical means, it was abandoned when the mill closed in 1927 and re-opened as a park in 1960.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_town

Dog and cat my house

Antarctica

worldhistorynfo.blogspot.com

The derelict British base in Whalers Bay, Deception Island, destroyed by a volcanic eruption

The oldest ghost town in Antarctica is on Deception Island, where in 1906, a Norwegian-Chilean company set up a whaling station at Whalers Bay, which they used as a base for their factory ship, the Gobernador Bories. Other whaling operations followed suit, and by 1914 there were thirteen factory ships based there. The station ceased to be profitable during the Great Depression, and was abandoned in 1931. In 1969, the station was partially destroyed by a volcanic eruption. There are also many abandoned scientific and military bases in Antarctica, especially in the Antarctic Peninsula.

The Antarctic island of South Georgia used to have several thriving whaling settlements during the first half of the 20th century, with a combined population exceeding 2,000 in some years. These included Grytviken (operating 1904-64), Leith Harbour (1909–65), Ocean Harbour (1909–20), Husvik (1910–60), Stromness (1912–61) and Prince Olav Harbour (1917–34). The abandoned settlements have become increasingly dilapidated, and remain uninhabited nowadays except for the Museum curator's family at Grytviken. The jetty, the church, and dwelling and industrial buildings at Grytviken have recently been renovated by the South Georgian Government, becoming a popular tourist destination. Some historical buildings in the other settlements are being restored as well.

source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_town