Russ
Bruce
Bryan
Diane
Christina
Amanda
Visitors
Kelly
History
The U.S. government designated Pensacola as a naval base 1824, and authorized a lighthouse for the location--making Pensacola the oldest lighthouse site on the Gulf Coast. At 80 feet in height and blocked by trees; the original lighthouse was not tall or bright enough for the location, and was replaced in 1859. The tower's stands an impressive height of 171 feet which is augmented by it's location on a hill.
The first Keeper, Jeremiah Ingraham, was appointed December 22, 1824 and served as keeper until his death on September 6th 1840. His wife, Michaela, succeeded him and continued as the keeper until her death in 1855.
At the start of the Civil War, Pensacola and the mainland were taken over by Confederate forces while across the bay, Fort Pickens was in Union hands. On April 12, 1861, the same day that the first shot of the Civil War was fired at Ft. Sumter, the occupying confederate troops extinguished the light. They feared the Union Naval ships were using the light to re-supply Ft. Pickens. As part of the siege of Fort Pickens, the lighthouse was used as a lookout tower and cannons and mortars were emplaced in the immediate vicinity. On November 22 and 23, 1861 the opposing sides exchanged canon fire. The lighthouse was struck several times by Union shot but not badly damaged. Following evacuation of the confederates the Union Army tried to re-exhibit the light. They found that the lens and apparatus had been removed. Following the end of the war a fourth-order lens served temporary duty until it was replaced by the present lens.
Prior to 1939, the lighthouse operation was done using clockwork mechanisms. The light was done in oil, whereby the Keeper would have to traverse the spiraling steps of the 171 foot tower with a 5 gallon bucket of oil. In 1939 the old mechanisms were taken out and the lighthouse became electrified. In 1965, the lighthouse operations became automated.
At present time, the Pensacola Lighthouse is maintained by the US Coast Guard, but it is located on the Pensacola Naval Air Station. The NAS is open to the public, and the grounds are accessible for a lighthouse visit. Tours of the tower are only by appointment or during summer Sundays.
Reported Activity and Haunted History
The reports from tour guides are numerous. They range
from doors opening and closing by themselves, footsteps heard coming
down the tower stairs, and the smell of pipe tobacco lingering in the
air. Many believe that the first lighthouse keeper, Jeremiah Ingram,
still wanders through his former quarters.
Rumor has it that Jeremiah was accidentally on purpose pushed off the
top of the tower by his wife Michaela. Because the courts could never
really pin his death on her, they ordered her to fulfill Jeremiah’s duty
to which she did until her death in 1855. It is rumored that she still
walks the lighthouse and keepers quarters. Many have testified seeing
her at the top of the tower late at night and within the confines of the
keeper’s quarters.
Other stories that have been reported are stories of seeing a glowing
ember, such as a lit cigar, on the inside of the keeper’s quarters by a
window while the witnesses were outside.
There have also been stories of hearing children’s laughter through the
concave between the keeper’s quarters and the lighthouse itself.
Preliminary Findings & Hypothesis
Other paranormal research teams have collected data in the form of
photographs. One of which was an image taken within a mirror. The result
showed a lady looking back. There have been psychic readings done at the
site which correlate with the sounds of children in the tower. The
children are thought to be those of Louis Buras who was a keeper in
1938.
Baseline Readings
Data Duration: 68hrs
Outside Humidity: 82%
Outside Temp: 85 degrees F
Climate: Clear
LST: 03:15
Planetary K Index: 0.9 Kp (K-indices of 5 or greater indicate
storm-level geomagnetic activity.)
Geomagnetic: 91nT
The electric and magnetic fields were of no concern. There were no
unexpected spikes or any further anomalous readings. The air conditioner
when activated would cause the EMF detectors to read >10 mG. This field
was not found in the above floor work areas and was of no concern.
|
Electric and Magnetic Field Readings – Rooms Counter Clockwise |
||
| Reading | Level Area | Notes |
| 0.1 mG | 1st Floor – Room 1 | No variances noted |
| 0.2 mG | 1st Floor – Room 2 | No variances noted |
| 0.2 mG | 1st Floor – Room 3 | No variances noted |
| 0.1 mG | 1st Floor – Room 4 | No variances noted |
| 0.1 mG | 2nd Floor – Room 1 | No variances noted |
| 0.2 mG | 2nd Floor – Room 2 | No variances noted |
| 0.0 mG | 2nd Floor – Room 3 | No variances noted |
| 0.0 mG | 2nd Floor – Room 4 | No variances noted |
| .02 mG | Left Basement VCR Room | No variances noted |
| 0.4 mG | Left Basement Alcove | No variances noted |
| 0.7 mG | Right Basement Stairs | No variances noted |
| 0.2 mG | Right Basement Storage | No variances noted |
| .3 mG | Right Basement Air Cond. | At times, the air conditioner and alarm system would emit > 10 mG |
Average temperature per room showed no large
fluctuations in temperature. Average temperature was 79.4 degrees F.
Resonant Frequency Analysis
Rooms were measured and calculated for resonant frequency. Due to the
size of the rooms and objects within the room the resonant frequency was
not a concern. Calculations showed that resonance fell well within
acceptable limits.
With the infrasound threshold being around 140dB at 20Hz increasing to
about 162dB at 2 Hz; many of the most profound effects of sound are
attributed to infrasound in the region of below 13Hz and above or equal
to 7Hz. This corresponds with the median alpha-rhythm frequencies of the
brain. It is also commonly alleged that this is the resonant frequency
of the body’s organs and hence organ rupture and death can occur at high
intensity exposures.
Video and Audio Analysis
Video: anomalous activity captured: Possible apparition appearance at
2hrs 44min mark of investigation. Review DVD
Thermal: none
Camera:
darkshadow.jpg
purplight_l.jpg
Audio:
lighthouse bruce 8 voice EVP 2.wav
Experiential Analysis
During the initial walkthrough of the lighthouse, Russ experienced what
he said felt like a large spider web net covering his face. Upon
examination of the location and on Russ, it was found there were no
loose or broken webs in the area. In fact, the lighthouse was extremely
clean and void of bugs. Later in the evening, during the investigation,
Bruce experienced a push.
Conclusion
The stories and reports of ghosts wondering around this beautiful
structure are numerous. From doctors to tour guides, these stories come
from all walks of life and each as credible as the rest. The lighthouse
has a haunted history that is frightening as well as alluring and one
that we should pass on from generation to generation.
We found no overt paranormal activity with the exception of the web
feeling Russ had and the push that Bruce had, but there could be many
logical reasons for these experiences. The feelings of the web covering
Russ’ face could have simply been the humidity drying on his face and
the hair starting to straighten up. The push that Bruce had could have
been nothing more than a well placed muscle spasm. We can not judge
paranormal activity on these two chance occurrences.
While overt signs of paranormal activity were low, the images that were
captured were of high interest. One of a dark figure or shadow in the
midst of a bright flash that was not reproducible in the area no matter
how hard we tried, the other was of a blue glow that was quite obviously
neither an orb or a lens flare. This glow was also not reproducible in
any fashion that we could find.
We collected about 32 hours of audio data. In that data we found one
clip, among many, that could possibly be a voice from someone other then
the attendees and investigators. While the bit rate of the digital
recording is a bit poor, the recorded voice has distinct and well formed
vocal structure. Other audio clips that were of interest were discarded
due to poor bit rate recording. We feel, although of high interest, that
these clips would be overly scrutinized and not shared with the public.
We have, however, added them to the final DVD of the reveal data.
The video anomaly we captured is of important note. While watching the
DVR recorder Russ noticed a white, human shaped form appear in a
doorway. He stopped the recording and played it back. Several others
watched the recording in awe. To verify what we just saw, we
systematically attempted to recreate the form with no luck. We
determined the form to be approximately 5 foot 7 inches in height. We
tried to clip it in a smaller format for web viewing but the quality of
the recording degraded too much so it is being placed in DVD with our
attempts to recreate the event.
Lastly, based on our experience, the data collected, and the data
collected from the other research groups, we feel that there could be
active residual paranormal events occurring at this historical monument.
We feel that further investigation is necessary and hope to have the
chance afforded to us again. We feel that this location would benefit
from an extended research time covering over a few weeks or longer. We
further suggest that active, 0 lux cameras be placed to monitor the
environment while no one is present so as to capture any anomalous
activity that might occur.
Unknown dark shadow in well lit area
Attempt #1 at recreation of dark shadow
Attempt #2 at recreation of dark shadow
Odd purple glow
