Ghost hunt at Elsing's provides participants with fun, intrigue

No conclusive paranormal activity found

Written by Eric Nielsen

Stoughton Courier Hub

Ever hear a giggle emanating from your attic, but no one was there? Do strange, unearthly shapes and patterns fill your house in the dead of the night?

Such paranormal-phenomena are alleged to occur at the Elsing's Second Hand Shop, 421 E. Main St., where store owners Vicky and Phil Elsing sell curios and antiques. With “super-natural events” taking place in their shop, and customers interested in the private lives of the store's spirits, Vicky and Phil recently decided to hold a ghost hunt at the store, under the supervision of two “ghost hunters.”

Prior to the “hunt,” Vicky explained the shop, which has already been investigated by ghost hunters numerous times, would be visited by a group called Ghost Researchers in Madison (GRIM).

“I'm doing this (investigation) as a favor to some of my customers,” Vicky said, “who are curious about our ghost.”

The shop, which is adorned throughout with elephant paraphernalia, has a rich, macabre history.

Old newspaper clippings Vicky has collected note the building was constructed in 1891 as Stoughton's Grand Hotel. During the Roaring Twenties, it became something of a den of ill-repute, bootlegging alcohol and meat, and even serving as a brothel.

On Nov. 26, 1925, Stoughton Justice of the Peace Saxe Hoverson Sr. rented a room for the night and jumped to his death from one of the building's third-story windows, for reasons unknown.

Vicky said so far, paranormal investigators have found evidence of several spirits on the property. “Most of the (paranormal) activity is in our basement and furniture room,” she said. “We've had an EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) recording done in our book room, where a little girl's voice was heard.”

On the wall of the shop near the store's glass counter and register, rests a portrait of a little girl, which has been at the store since it opened.

Vicky said the girl in the portrait may be the little girl heard on the EVP, and since they are uncertain where the portrait came from, they have decided to take it off the market in respect for the dead.

The Ghost Hunt

The resale shop has seen its fair share of investigators, many who have experienced the supernatural while conducting on-site research.

Two GRIM members visited the resale shop on a Saturday night in April and gave a demonstration to several curious customers about how to successfully conduct a paranormal investigation.

Lead investigator Terre Sims and researcher Carol (who chose to not provide her last name) led the group, starting with a discussion on the finer points of researching a location before attempting an investigation.

“Most of the hunt is boring, quiet observation,” Sims told the gathered customers, adding, however, there is a lot of pre-work that needs to be done before the on-site observation.

“When a client comes to us believing they have experienced paranormal activity, we have them fill out a form to (acquire) the facts about their place.” Carol Said.

She explained historical societies and libraries are the investigator's best friends, and the history of any building or location that may be haunted should be thoroughly investigated before the search begins.

“Has anything tragic happened in a building?” Carol said. “That's what you should be looking for.” She also said to look for the oldest property survey that can be found, as “Property lines, streets, and even counties change over time.”

The GRIM ladies explained equipment to bring to any hunt can be both simple and complex. Hats are important, to keep errant hair out of any pictures that may be taken, which could skew results. Compasses are used to see if the needle changes direction suddenly.

Flashlights are especially necessary, since the majority of a hunt is conducted in the dark. Cameras and voice recorders are used to document paranormal phenomena. “Take several pictures of the same shot.” Sims said, “So that you have something to reference.”

Referencing is important for ghost hunting: a single picture of an unidentified object could be anything: it may be a spirit, but it could also be a smudge on the camera or a speck of dust floating around. Multiple snapshots at the same angle can identify if anything has moved in the frame or not. “If at all possible, you want to find an explanation for what you are experiencing,” Sims said. “Debunking gives things that can't be debunked credibility.”

Several items used by experienced ghost hunters include electro-magnetic field readers and temperature guns. EMF readers are typically used to measure the amount of electro-magnetic fields near power outlets or machines, but for a hunt they are used to measure EM fields where they shouldn't be. The same is true for temperature guns. GRIM even has four infrared cameras, which are set up to monitor several angles in the dark.

One of the most important rules about ghost hunting is to bring extra batteries. For some unexplained reason, they seem to give out when used to search for ghosts, which this reporter found out while taking pictures of the portrait of the little girl. The camera's freshly recharged batteries gave out while taking pictures of the little lady.

Safety rules for a successful hunt includes: stay in a group, and never split up. “Also, if you're alone and an apparition walks by, you won't have any verification by yourself,” Sims said. “One of the most important things to remember, though, is that (ghost) can't hurt you.”

The search for the spirits haunting the Elsing's shop began in the basement furniture room, where the lights were turned out and everyone sat in a large circle. Sims and Carol asked questions of any spirits that may inhabit the room, and an EVP of the interview and possible responses was recorded.

There is something thrilling about sitting in a pitch-black room, asking the deceased questions with the hope some sort of answer will come. The experience was reminiscent of a séance, without the hoodoo.

The process was repeated in the basement's back storage room, which had the chill of a late-night morgue. After the EVP's, the group took a break and then was allowed to roam the shop, snapping pictures of anything unusual.

 Is Ghost hunting for you?

Sims said the mindset for a hunt should be “As open as possibility of things that exist that we don't have any information about.”

“There is no certification (for paranormal investigation).” Carol said. “It is an unproven science, so (Physical) scientists balk at it.”

The two ladies explained although it is an expensive hobby, clients should never expect to pay someone to research a haunted property, “There is no such thing as a 'professional' ghost hunter.” Sims said. “No one is an expert at this.”

During the hunt, participants saw a shadowy object in the back room of the basement, and felt like they were being watched from the stairwell leading to the basement.

Very spooky, and quite possibly the other inhabitants of the store checking up on the hunt.

In a follow-up interview, Vicky said GRIM hadn't found any conclusive evidence of spiritual activity during the night's hunt, however.

It happens sometimes, when there are a lot of people in the store,” Vicky said, regarding the lack of an appearance by her store's spiritual residents.

For more information about GRIM and their ghost hunts and other events, call Sims at 608-345-6477.

Tags: Ghost Hunt Elsing's 2nd Hand Shop Elsing Haunted Ghosts Spirits Repor

Bookmark: