Not Hollywood: The Ultimate Truth of Paranormal Investigation
The Audubon County Home
This blog is inspired by our investigation on Saturday, October 31st.
Not only was it Halloween night, but we were also under the light of a bright full moon - two events that will not align again until 2039. Needless to say, we carried hopeful superstition that these conditions would bring strong paranormal phenomena.
Our location was the Audubon County Home, just outside the town of Audubon, Iowa. The home, now a museum as part of Nathaniel Hamlin Park, is filled with artifacts celebrating the history of the area from its early settlers to the present.
As the name implies, it once operated as a county home or “poor farm” - a place where those without a home could work the farm to earn their stay until they got back on their feet. Such locations were common throughout the US in the days before welfare was provided nationally. Needless to say, those who spent time at the poor farm likely brought with them heavy amounts of stress and emotion; something we feel may be a source of activity at this location.
While this location is relatively unknown in the paranormal community (we were one of the first groups to formally investigate it), we do feel that we have experienced unexplainable phenomena during our two past visits. We had high hopes that our third visit would bring the same.
Little did we know that 12 hours into a fruitless investigation, we would be packing up our equipment, while the same full moon which had given us so much hope still hung overhead.
As frustrating as getting “skunked” is, it wasn’t the first time it has happened and it certainly won’t be the last. After all, paranormal investigation is by no means an exact science. Any number of variables could have potentially kept us from making contact with the paranormal, from factors like the weather and time, to our equipment and our actions throughout the investigation.
That’s the ultimate truth of paranormal investigation - nothing is guaranteed. This is something that anyone would do well to remember when watching the myriad of nationally televised paranormal shows. This is not in any way discrediting those shows - these programs are the reason why “ghost hunting” is in the cultural lexicon; without them the field wouldn’t be what it is today - but they are best consumed with an added level of skepticism.
These shows have a few things going for them that are not really accessible to amateur groups: cutting edge and experimental equipment, large production teams to conduct research and review footage, and the ability to stay for multiple days at a location.
All of these add up to more opportunities for capturing evidence, which is why these shows often produce incredible work. However, one must also consider that the investigators, mediums, etc. that appear on these shows are also professional entertainers. They may react to evidence in a certain way to drum up excitement; they may take two unrelated pieces of evidence and connect them to build a story that sells.
While this is not inherently disingenuous, it does lead to extravagant public perceptions as to what paranormal activity is. We wanted to share our experience to show that there is another side to paranormal investigation, one which can be filled with exciting and compelling evidence, but is often not as grandiose as one might be led to believe.
Our investigation team believes that we must not only validate our evidence but also portray it in straightforward manner. While our group tries to make connections to locations by understanding their history, we vow that any evidence we share from our investigations will be presented at face value.
What are your thoughts about this blog’s discussion? We encourage you to reach out via our contact page or Facebook!