Investigations
Case Summary
Built in 1776, the Potter Mansion was originally located in North Brookfield, Massachusetts, and belonged to Captain John Potter. Captain Potter was a skilled tradesman who served as an Army officer during the Revolutionary War, under General George Washington.
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Captain Potter built this home as a residence for his family. He has seven children with his first wife, Lydia, who died shortly after the birth of their seventh child. He then remarried and had another eight children with his second wife, Rhonda.
Though he had 15 children in total, only 11 of his children survived.
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It took Captain Potter a total of 10 years to finish building this home, which features ornamental woodworking throughout.
The first floor includes the parlor, dining room and kitchen which contains an oversized hearth, brick bake oven and pine cabinetry.
The second floor of the home includes several bedrooms and a ballroom.
The third floor of the house includes an attic space, that was much shorter, during Captain Potter's life and was used for storage.
The area of the building that currently houses the Museum's Christmas Shop was thought to be a summer kitchen during Captain Potter's life.
The home was occupied by generations of the Potter Family until 1920. It was moved to Storrowton Village in 1929.
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It currently is opened for tours throughout the year and houses staff offices and the museum library.
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Upon arriving at this location, team members who are sensitive to spirit energy were immediately drawn to the first-floor kitchen and second floor ballroom. Both of these spaces, along with the first-floor parlor, proved to have spirit activity within them.
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Throughout investigations of this home, SpiritSisters encountered both male and female energies. One in particular was that of a strong, commanding male energy, thought to possibly be that of Captain Potter, himself.
Various pieces of equipment were used and activated throughout the investigations including EMF meters, mini-Maglites and motion detectors.
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Click on the link under the photo of the mansion to review the evidence we captured.
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Case Summary
Built in seam-faced granite around 1850 in Chesterfield, New Hampshire, this building was used by the Clark Family until 1868.
The building contains an antique ox sling that was used to shoe oxen, and the shop's original forge and bellows.
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Modern blacksmiths still come to the shop and use the forge and bellows during educational programs and for presentations.
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One paranormal claim for this building includes modern smiths coming into the shop to pick up work where they left off the day before, only to find their tools have been moved. Another claim in this building is people seeing the figure of a man that sits in the rafters of the building, near the bellows. A medium who has visited the shop previously believed this man's name is "Charles". Upon researching the building and town history of Chesterfield, NH it was discovered that there was a man by the name of Charles who lived in Chesterfield, NH during the time the shop was built. Charles grew up to be a blacksmith himself and eventually moved to Springfield, Massachusetts around 1930-1931. It is documented that although Charles did not smith in this building, he did donate some of his tools to this shop.
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During the team's investigation of this space, while speaking about the man named Charles who sits in the rafters and donated his tools to the shop, the mini-Maglite turned on as if to say "yes", or confirm the conversation.
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Throughout the investigation a figure was captured on the SLS camera a few different times. Once the figure was seen seemingly moving/working near an anvil and then a figure was seen in the rafters.
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As responses using the mini-Maglites seemed to slow, one investigator asked spirit to attempt to communicate in a different way and suggested they try to make a noise or try to make something move. As this is said, a second investigator sees a shadow move near the farrier station/ox sling. Staff from Storrowton comment that security staff often see shadows in this building. There have been times when the shadows are so visible that security believes people have broken into the building and contact police who find no living persons in the building when they arrive to investigate.​
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The investigator who saw the shadow then asks where the air vent is located in this space as she sees a heavy chain swaying back and forth, near the farrier station/ox sling, that was previously still. The investigator using the SLS camera states there was a figure on the SLS right near the chain right before it was stated the chain was moving. Storrowton staff note there is a heater present in the space, but the team determines it is not anywhere near the large, heavy chain that continues to sway, nor would the draft be strong enough to move the chain, given its size and weight. It was also verified that no one in the group was anywhere near the chain before it began to move. Storrowton staff state the chain was recently discovered as a historical artifact, but its original are unknown. When it came to Storrowton it was labeled as "cattle chain", but it is unclear if the label should have read "chattel chain" as artifacts related to slavery were part of the museum's artifacts previously.
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Case Summary
The Union Meeting House was built in 1834 in Salisbury, New Hampshire.
Members of four different religious groups raised the money to build this building and therefore took turns using the structure for their religious services.
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The pulpit as well as the steeple with bell and clock were added after the structure was moved to Storrowton Village.
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The building now serves as a location for various educational programs run throughout the year as well as several wedding ceremonies.
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One previous claim at this location is staff seeing a light and the shadow of a man, standing in the balcony, during a ghost tour that was being given.
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The team has investigated this building only once but did experience spirit interactions, in the basement, main floor and balcony, using a variety of equipment. Spirit responded to questions by using the mini-Maglite, ParaScope, light-up balls to answer "yes" or "no" to questions asked. The dowsing rods were also used to help spirit answer "yes/no" questions. Spirit was asked, a couple of different times, to point to specific people by name. In each instance, the rods pointed to the correct person asked.
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While using both the dowsing rods and the Spirit Box to communicate with spirit, responses were given to indicate the spirit communicating was from the tavern on the property but came to the Meeting House because he knew Spirit Sisters was here and able to possibly communicate with him. Spirit indicated he had been at the tavern since before 1880 and had built it and once owned it. When spirit was asked if his name was John Atkinson (the builder and original owner of the Atkinson Tavern), the rods crossed to indicate a "yes" answer and the investigator on the Spirit Box stated, "I am".
Spirit indicated he is primarily at the tavern but can come and go as he pleases. An investigator asked Mr. Atkinson if he could again point out specific people in the room, using their names. The dowsing rods pointed to each person, when asked.
The investigator thanked Mr. Atkinson for a lovely end to the investigation evening and stated that we would have dinner at the tavern soon to which the investigator on Spirit Box replied, "nice".​
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Case Summary
The North Center Schoolhouse, built in 1810 was located in Whately, Massachusetts. It was used as a schoolhouse for 100 years before becoming part of Storrowton Village.
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In its 100-year history, this one-room brick schoolhouse provided a space for children ages 3 through 18 to come and learn subjects including reading, writing and arithmetic. One items that separates this building from other schoolhouses built during the same time, are the blackboards that line all four walls of the schoolhouse. This was considered quite progressive for its time.
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As seen on the evidence page for this building, the bell tower and woodshed/privy are not original to the building and were added once it was moved to the Village.
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SpiritSisters has had the privilege of investigating this building several times and each time there is activity encountered. We have captured figures on the SLS device and have had our meters and mini-Maglites manipulated. Over the investigations we believe we have communicated with spirits of children and of one of the schoolhouse's teachers, Miss Carrie Osgood.
The building is currently opened for tours at various events throughout the year. It is also a part of the Village's educational programs for school aged children.
Case Summary
This one-room law office was built in Middleboro, Massachusetts in 1810 for attorney, Zachariah Eddy. It has been said that Mr. Eddy enjoyed working closely to home but needed space away from his numerous children to practice law, thus he built this office on his property to have the best of both worlds.
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There is discussion whether Mr. Eddy and his wife had 8 or 10 children. It is known that two of his sons did go on to practice law, though not in this building, and not for very long. Sadly they both died of tuberculosis in their early 20s. Only two of Mr. Eddy's children lived well into adulthood.
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The most impressive report of paranormal activity in this space comes from Storrowton staff themselves. A staff person was in the law office getting ready to close up for the day when a well-mounted fire extinguisher fell off the wall and landed several feet away from where it had been mounted. The staff person reported they were nowhere near the fire extinguisher before or when it fell.
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Though this is the smallest individual space that SpiritSisters has ever investigated, it had a surprising amount of consistent activity within its four walls.
From the moment the team entered the building, K2 meters were going off when they were in the middle of the room, nowhere near an electrical source. These readings remained consistent on three separate K2 meters.
A mini-Maglite was set-up and went on in response to several questions asked, including verifying the original location of the building being in Middleboro.
Case Summary
The Gilbert Farmstead is the first building added to what is now the Storrowton Village Museum in West Springfield, MA. This Village Museum was the vision of Mrs. Helen Storrow. As an active trustee of the Eastern States Exposition, she dreamed of moving a handicraft exhibit of an early American kitchen to an actual home on the grounds. She began discussing this dream with friends and soon after, she was presented with the opportunity to purchase an 18th century home. This was the Gilbert Farmstead and was the first building in the village.
After the purchase of this building, several others followed and resulted in what is now Storrowton Village Museum. Check out more information on the Village Museum at www.storrowtonvillage.com
Spirit Sisters has investigated the Gilbert Farmstead several times and has assisted in leading "ghost tours" of the village, which included the Gilbert Farmstead.
This was a family home originally built by brothers, Levi and Peletiah Gilbert in 1794 in West Brookfield, MA. The building was constructed of hand-hewn timbers and wrought iron nails and hardware that remain in the home to this day.
Personal experiences at this location include hearing clicks, taps and bangs that could not be explained and seeing a shadow person cross in front of one of the kitchen windows.
Please see our evidence page to listen to the multiple EVPs (electronic voice phenomenon) and video clips captured at this location. You can click on the photo of the Gilbert Farmstead to get to the evidence page.
Case Summary
The Spirit Sisters are honored to be the first paranormal team to investigate the Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke, Massachusetts
Wistariahurst was the home of Mr. William Skinner's family and was originally built in Williamsburg, MA in the mid-1800s.
After Mr. Skinner started his silk business at the Unquamonk Silk Mills in Williamsburg, the area of town the mills were located in became known as "Skinnerville".
On May 18, 1874, a dam built over the villages of Williamsburg, Leeds, Skinnerville and Haydenville burst, causing a flood that destroyed homes and businesses, took 139 lives and left more than 740 homeless.
While the Skinner home was one of the few homes left standing in town, the building that housed Mr. Skinner's business was destroyed. Mr. Skinner decided he needed to move his business to the city of Holyoke where "cheap and reliable waterpower is to the manufacturer what good rich land is to a farmer". Mr. Skinner's home was dismantled, moved by oxen, and reassembled in Holyoke, MA.
Mr. William Skinner's silk-making business, now named, "William Skinner and Sons Manufacturing Company", made some of the finest silk in the entire world. (Although it has been rumored that the Queen of England herself wore Mr. Skinner's silk, this cannot be confirmed by records.)
When Mr. William Skinner and his wife, Sarah Skinner died, their children Belle and William C. inherited the home.
Belle began remodeling the home and made several additions throughout the years, including the introduction of electricity in 1905.
Spirit Sisters had two very active investigations at this location, with the most active areas of the home being in the 3rd floor servant's quarters and the 2nd floor room that was Belle's nephew's room.
Personal experiences included team members being touched/tapped, noises being heard by the entire team that could not be explained and equipment being manipulated, including battery drainage, that indicated the presence of spirit.
This is an amazing location to investigate, but also to learn about historically.
We love going back to this location and continuing to learn about it and the family that enjoyed giving back to the community that they lived in and caring for their "servants" who were truly more like extended family.
In speaking with members of the Skinner Family, after our investigations, they stated that those who resided in this home (owners and staff) were happy and loved to be in this space, which we have been able to confirm again and again.
Click on the picture of Wistariahurst to view evidence from this location.
Case Summary
The Carriage House has only been investigated once to date, but we are excited to investigate the space again as it had a large amount of activity.
It is known that the carriage house housed the Skinner Family's carriages and that a chauffeur was once housed in this building. It is unclear if the space was ever used to house horses.
Wistariahurst staff report feeling uneasy and uncomfortable when in the basement area of this building.
During our investigation, we experienced our EMF meters going off, without electrical sources around, on all three floors of the building. We also experienced both hot and cold spots throughout the building, without explanation for them such as heaters or ventilation systems near us.
The second floor of the building houses archives, so we expected to experience activity in this part of the building. It did not disappoint as EMF meters maxed out when near shelves of textiles (no electricity present in these shelves). The group also obtained the following names during a SpiritBox session: George, Katherine, Tony and John. Though we cannot be sure who these spoken names were in reference to, our experiences at the Wistariahurst Museum allow us to correlate the names with individuals who were associated with the Skinner Family and/or property. These include a chauffeur by the name of "George", a gardener by the name of "Tony", a butler by the name of "John" and one of the Skinner Family members "Katherine".
On the first floor of the building there was an increase in EMF meter activity, as well as several noises (clicks and taps) that came from the back area of this space. Two investigators also saw shadows move near the basement door when no one was in that area of the room.
The basement is where the group obtained the largest number of interactions, including 13 responses on the SpiritBox, 8 of which can be heard on the evidence page. As the group entered this space an investigator felt the sensation of walking into a cobweb. The investigator who walked right in front of this one did not feel cobwebs and a check of the space showed there were no cobwebs present. The sensation of walking into a cobweb when none is present can indicate the presence of spiritual energy. While investigating the back portion of the basement, one member of the group saw a shadow move in the front portion of the basement.
Case Summary
Outdoor locations can be difficult to investigate due to them not being a controlled environment. Factors that can negatively impact outdoor investigators include sound pollution, insects, wildlife and weather factors.
Despite this we were interested to see if we would experience any activity on the grounds of Wistariahurst since we have experienced a large amount of activity in the main house and carriage house. We brought a variety of equipment outside with us including K2 meters, audio recorder, SpiritBox, Ovulus and dowsing rods.
From the moment we entered the grounds/garden our K2 meters were maxed out.
The K2 meters continued to have maxed out readings at various spots throughout the grounds/garden including in the location of where the old Japanese Tea House once stood and near the location where a gardener fell to his death. You can hear a recording of this interaction on the evidence page.
At one point during this part of the investigation, the investigator on the SpiritBox heard the word "lanai" so the group decided to move to the back porch area of the home. This porch was the front porch of the home when it was first built and was the location that several Skinner Family photos were taken.
While on the porch, the group used the dowsing rods to communicate with spirits who we believe were Mr. William Skinner, Ms. Belle Skinner and Mr. George Brakey who worked as a chauffeur for the family for many years. Coincidentally, Mr. Brakey owned a home on the street that the front porch faces. The telephone in the home is still labeled with Mr. Brakey's name. It is reported that this was so the family could call him directly at his home at any time to request his services.
During this conversation the group was told that "John" who we know as a possible butler in the home, was present in order to escort the group throughout the property for the evening and watch over us to be sure all was in good order.
The conversation suggested that Mr. Skinner may join us in the basement later in the evening, which we initially found strange that he would be in the basement of the house. We then learned that there was a wine cellar in the basement and Mr. Skinner believed in the medicinal purposes of alcohol. Through our communications we believe Mr. Skinner may not have enjoyed white wine but did enjoy sherry, whiskey but preferred a good port above all.
