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| Train Depot/Mercantile | |
Members of our Team have performed several investigations of the old railroad and gotten great results with evidence. The location consists of many buildings including: the Depot, the Mercantile, and the Fairfield Building. The Depot was once the site of the famous Harvey Girls, waitresses who catered to the people traveling by train across Oklahoma. Since these buildings were erected before statehood, the activity within the walls is incredible and includes things such as EVPs, photographs and video of anomalies. Activity does seem to increase when trains roll through which suggests the activity of the past and residual hauntings still permeate the location.
Mercantile Building
The Mercantile Building is located west of the Santa Fe Train Depot in Guthrie, Oklahoma. This building was built in the late 1880s and was used as that era's modern day Wal-Mart. People from all over the area would have traveled there to purchase everything from household to farming items. The basement was used as temporary housing for some of the men who worked on the railroad. In fact, it still holds items such as couches and chairs. Two additions were made to both the east and west sides of the building in the 1940s. Those areas are used for storage today.
It has also been used in the past as a location for film crews. A jail cell was constructed for one movie and still stands today. To date we have investigated the building a dozen times and have gotten several EVPs from the first floor as well as the second. As with the Train Depot, it seems activity increases when trains pass through.
Train Cars
The old train cars located at the Santa Fe Train Depot have been reported to be haunted. Several people claimed to have seen people (ghosts?) in the cars and noises from the cars as well. Music was also reported to be coming from the abandoned cars. We have performed several investigations and gathered some evidence. EVPs were collected and pictures which had strange anomalies.
Investigation: December 15, 2006
Evidence to follow!
Members of RIPS performed a small tour of the Depot and Train Cars, as well as an investigation at the Mercantile Building on Friday evening, December 15.
Nothing of significance was noted during the tour of the facility. In attendence were members of Channel 9 News Team, actors of a western portrayal group and personal friends.
Afterwards, the team went to the Mercantile to do a small investigation. The temperature outside was about 35 degrees F, inside was approximately 37 degrees F. The RIPS Team (Therin, Chuck, Gary and Sara) entered the Mercantile Building about 10:00 pm with a guest. Once we entered, our investigation began with the first floor. A "sit down" was performed in the back room and orbs were seen in both video and camera media. As before, members noted a sense of warmth permeating in one spot.
Two Team members (Therin and Chuck) wanted to investigate the basement. They entered through an old elevator shaft, climbing down a 12 foot ladder. Gary, Sara and a visitor waited in the backroom, quietly sitting while the two Team members performed their investigation. Several orb anomalies were noticed; however, due to the poor conditions (dust, cobwebs, etc.) nothing was noted as significant. However, both members felt the presence of a small child. Sara was elected to go to the basement to see if she could get anything.
Therin and Sara looked around before starting a quiet "sit down" in the basement. Therin was able to feel and noticed an apparition forming as Sara spoke with the child. However, at one point when asked if the entity wanted to leave, a loud sigh was heard by both Therin and Sara between them. Therin stated it was time to leave and as they turned to go towards the ladder, a large orb was seen by both ascending the back wall towards the first floor.
Gary and Chuck both had feelings of being pushed towards the elevator shaft. Both also witnessed several orbs flying up from the basement, down from the second floor and ascending towards them at the enterance of the shaft. The Team determined it was time to leave the building and examine evidence produced at the site.
Investigation: December 2, 2006
Click here to view evidence!
Members of RIP, COPS and PROS performed an investigation at the Mercantile Building and a new building on site, the Fairfield Building.
The temperature outside was about 28 degrees F, inside was approximately 30 to 32 degrees F. The COPS team (Tony, Russ, Michael, Conrad and Stephanie) was able to spend approximately 10 to 15 minutes doing IRCs before the RIPS Team and PROS member entered the facility. The RIPS Team (Therin, Chrstine, Gary and Sara) entered the Mercantile Building about 9:15 pm along with Ron of PROS, who is a parapsychologist consulting with paranormal teams. Once RIPS entered, we investigated the first floor while COPS continued to monitor the second floor. Members of RIPS noticed a warming in the back room in an area about 15 feet by 15 feet. Several of the members noticed the difference once they entered the area. A member of COPS was brought down and, without any prodding, stated he felt a strange warmth as well. Video also captured several orbs.
Ron and Conrad went into the basement to do some investgating. The rest of the teams members went to the second floor to keep the first floor directly above Ron and Conrad free from any contamination.
Ron and Conrad's most noteable find was a couch in the basement directly below the warm spot. They reported hearing footsteps in the area of the warm spot several times during their investigation. Gary and Michael went to the first floor to investigate the noise but found nothing. They remained in the back room the remainder of the basement investigation. One strange sound anomaly that occured: several members on all floors reported hearing two females talking and attributed it to two female members, Christine and Sara. However, neither one said anything during the basement investigation and no EVPS with female voices were heard on the recordings at that time. However, there was equipment malfunction of both cameras and recorders on all floors at various times.
Shadows were seen by several members on the second floor along with tapping and scraping noises but upon investigation, nothing was found. One COPS member reported hearing a ticking noise in some boxes to which he was sitting next, but upon investigation a stored clock was found.
Ron stayed in the building while everyone else went to investigate a new building on the site, the Fairfield Building. Ron was alone and had some light and noise anomaly but without equipment, he was unable to capture anything for evidence. Gary immediately went back with equipment to see what they could get.
After investigating the Fairfield Building, all members returned to the Mercantile to do a "sit down" and IRC. Gary stated he saw an orb and it was verified on video at the same time. Video and still photography evidenced a lot of orb activity during the 15 minute IRC. All knock tests were negative.
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