Reported "ghosts," "spooks" "haints" and other phenomena that go bump in the night are increasingly coming under the purview of scientists and independent researchers devoted to seeking answers to what they say are some real mysteries. A local Oxford based group is doing just that. The Oxford Paranormal Society (OPS) was founded in 2006 by three guys with a the common goal of helping others. The team is made up of co-founder and lead investigator Dewey Nelson, co-founder and lead investigator Mark Hall, cou-founder and technical manager Lance Johnston, investigator Kevin Woodrow and investigator Deborah Wheeler. "We have all worked together at Oxford Wal-Mart for the last 10 plus years and we enjoy the on site work that comes with investigating paranormal activity. We like to have fun with our work but we do treat each case with a professional manner," said Hall. In a written handout they state, "OPS was established to help those dealing with ghosts, a haunting, haunted houses or locations haunted, paranormal activity, spirits, entities, apparitions, manifestations, orbs or balls of energy, theereal mists, paranormal energy, electronic voice phenomena, white noise or any other natural phenonmenon." They point out that, "Many unexplained events can be scary or frightening to most people but for the most part these ghosts, spirits or entities are not here to harm, scare or hurt anyone." The team is dedicated and committed to finding the truth and use a to a variety of paranormal events. In a recent interview Johnston said the group does eBay fundraisers and t-shirt sales to support their research and enable them to buy the needed tools and equipment including non contact thermometers to measure surface temperatures of any item you point it at, digital k-type humidity/temperature meters to measureair temperature and humidity, digital audio recorders for sound, electromagnetic field meters to measure magnetic fields, barometric pressure / temperature meters to record base readings of an environment, two-way communication radios and a variety of camera gear including five infrared stationary cameras on a DVR computer based security system aided with infrared illuminators and handheld camcorders with night shot features aided by infrared lights. In addition to the co-founders the group has a total of 10-12 members who, at this point, have looked at some 30 local areas in which they have reports of unusual happenings. These areas include old abandoned buildings, cemeteries and private residences. Hall explained that they are ready, willing and able to check private residences when requested but adds that many times the owner of the home will decline once they learn that OPS must come in and usually spend most of the night with their array of equipment in a home. In addition to local sites, including Cheaha State Park, the group plans to visit Waverly Hill Sanitarium in Louisville, Kentucky later this year. The old TB sanatorium was built and used in the early 1900s and is rumored to be on the top 10 lists for the most haunted places in the U.S. OPS will visit the site one week prior to hat of TV's Ghosthunters. Hall said most of their local research has turned up "a couple of odd things" including a few strange noises and things on camera. At Cheaha the group noticed that a door leading out to a patio at Bald Rock Lodge "opened itself". Hall said the door was carded and dead-bolted but since the opening happened when they did not have any equipment focused on it, there is a possibility wind may have blown it open. "It was just a real odd thing," he adds. OPS has been out to Ft. McClellan several times in addition to the Munford Cemetery. "We'd like to check out the old Munford Elementary School but we haven't received permission on that one yet," added one of the investigators. The group also hopes to travel south and do a night check of Ft. Morgan near Gulf Shores Their Ft. McClellan report indicated: "We took over two hundred pictures, many containing orbs, but with the amount of dust and paint chips inside the buildings and the amount of wind blowing last night, it is difficult to tell what the majority of them might be. The night vision camera shows the best evidence caught, an orb that seems to have movement in a room where there is no available wind" An EVP was recorded at an old barn in Clay County , at the Conn Cemetery near Gallant and at Hill Elementary School in Munford. At the Munford Cemetery the group reports, " We captured two photos of mist, both near the spot of the last mist photo taken on February 3rd 2007 by the chain link fence. We also captured an audio recording that sounds interesting; we were not able to figure out exactly what is being said though Most of their research centers on seven areas including electromagnetic energy. "It is," they say, "heorized that ghosts are made up of energy, since all energy puts out an electromagnetic signature, it is thought that a ghost might register on a scientific instrument designed to detect such energy." Electronic voice phenomena or EVP are sounds recorded on audio recording devices but not necessarily heard by the human ear. Floating orbs are very popular and many photographs have been made around the world but there is much debate as to what they really are -dust particles, night flying bugs, drops of water. Most are taken at night with a flash and may simply be light reflections. Ghosts and/or spirits are the main focus of the group and certainly there is no scientific explanation as to what these specters are. Using their equipment OPS hopes they can shed some light however on the subject. On their website at www.oxfordparanormalsociety.com one can view 10 cases the group is doing research and an online photo archive features 23 pages of photos taken during their investigations.
Those wishing further information may check out OPS website or call them at 256-405-1369.
About Wayne Ruple
Cleburne News editor Wayne Ruple is a native of Ashville. Before coming to Heflin, he worked for three years as a computer systems manager in Birmingham. Ruple has worked for The Sand Mountain Reporter in Albertville, and was the editor of The Independent in Robertsdale. He has also worked for the Shades Valley Sun, the St. Clair News-Aegis and The Daily Home in Talladega.
