Date: February 1, 2003

Time: 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Location: Osage County, Kansas

Brenda, Dee Ann, Joyce, John, Jerry, Mark T.

Guest Investigators Tom & Denise from Topeka, KS

Male and female homeowners

Conditions:

Temp: 53 degrees

Humidity: 55 %

Barometer: 29.72 in and steady

Lunar Phase: New Moon

Geomagnetic: Storm

Solar X-Rays: M-Class Flare

Wind: WSW 7 mph

Digital Photos Taken: 248

Positive Digital Photos: 122

35 mm Photos Taken: 21

35 mm Photos Positive: 0

Video: 7 orbs

EVPs: 5

Double-wide modular home located on 33 acres

Osage County, Kansas, created by the first territorial legislature in 1855 was first called Weller County. It was not organized until 1859 at which time the name was changed to it's present name.

The northern part of Osage County was formerly a part of the Shawnee reserve and the rest belonged to the Sac and Fox Indians. The main line of the Santa Fe Trail crosses the county from east to west. Prior to 1853, there were only three white settlers in the area, all of whom lived on the Santa Fe Trail. One of these men operated a trading post. In 1855 the population was increased by a large immigration. Lack of sufficient and suitable food, medical aid and proper care resulted in many deaths when an outbreak of malarial fever occurred in 1856.

Turmoil erupted when the early settlers had to give up portions of their stakes after the government came in and surveyed the land. Most of the land claims were reduced from 240 acres to 160. The farmers had much difficulty raising the funds to buy back their land and many went bankrupt trying to do so.

The Kansas settlers faced very difficult challenges on the Kansas frontier. Wood was very rare and most homes were built with substitute materials, the most popular being sod and mud. Lightning strikes in the open prairie would often start fires which would ignite the prairie grasses and quickly spread with the aid of the open Kansas winds. There were also many sudden, severe storms that damaged property and injured many. In 1860, a drought reduced them to starvation. When the crops did flourish, there was no market for them. In 1866 and 1874, the county suffered from the devastation of grasshoppers which not only invaded the crops but the homes as well.

After it's establishment, the county was soon involved in the Border War with Missouri. (See FYI for information on the Border War.) Several military companies were formed. One of those organizations consisted of free-soilers who made habit of raiding, robbing and committing various outrages. Travel on the Santa Fe Trail was seriously impeded and it became impossible to get provisions into the free-state settlements unless the wagons were protected by armed forces.

When the Civil War broke out, Kansas joined with the Union and Osage County provided a large number of men which served in the 2^nd and 11^th Kansas Infantries. During the battle of Westport, the loss of life among the Osage County men was heavy.

The Santa Fe Trail was an ancient passageway used regularly after 1821 by the merchant-traders from Missouri who took manufactured goods to Santa Fe to exchange for furs and other items available there. Mexican traders also provided caravans going to Western Missouri for this international trade.

More than 2000 wagons, in caravans of about 50, departed each spring from the plains, many seeking passageway to the west. These wagon trains moved steadily across the plains and would not delay travel waiting for families who suffered hardships. If a family member died in route, they were buried along the trail as soon as possible and there was no time to mourn. Trading posts and forts were established along the trail to aid the travelers and sometimes military escorts were provided to protect the caravans against Indian attacks. The Santa Fe Trail saw limited use during the Civil War but was active again by the late 1860's. It was heavily used during the Mexican War because of the large volume of military supplies that were transported from the Missouri River towns to the southwest. In 1880 a railroad reached Santa Fe and the use of the trail declined.

Because of commercial, industrial and residential development, ruts marking the trail in various places is all that remains today. Historical markers have been placed randomly along the trail as a reminder of its existence.

Community History: (Thanks to guest investigators Tom and Denise for the following history report.)

The location of our investigation took place in a town that was founded in 1871 when two men sank its first shaft for coal mining. The town was a boomtown for coal mining with Irish and German immigrants making up most of the miners labor. In 1880, the population swelled to 1700 when the Santa Fe railroad put a line through.

The town was located very near a waypoint for the Santa Fe Trail and a fort was established there. This became a stopping point for weary travelers forgoing their way on past the borders of civilization. In 1854, a trader established a tavern and toll bridge there, along with a mule and horse barn. This trader was a strong slavery man and so therefore the tavern became a headquarters for slavery sympathizers. This caused the tavern to become a target of the Free State Raiders who led an attack on the tavern in 1857. There were numerous murders, hangings and robberies. Near the tavern was an orchard where many graves have been found. Rumor has it that those buried there were travelers with money who safely reached the toll bridge but got no farther. Superstitious folks believed that the Old Tavern was haunted---that weird noises might be heard there at night. Later, the tavern was used as a farm home for many years which was torn down in 1928. The home of our investigation is located on or very near the spot of where this tavern originally stood. The town saw decline in the early to mid 1900's and now only has a population of 724.

· Paranormal occurrences began occurring with the family while living in an older home in Shawnee, Kansas. The encounters became too much for the family so they sold the home and bought a new modular home located in Osage County. Once again they began experiencing paranormal activity

· Hot and cold spots felt throughout the house

· Bathroom light turns on by itself

· The bathroom door has closed and locked itself

· Both male and female homeowners see something on a nightly basis

· TV and car radio volumes turn up by themselves

· Answering machine comes on as if taking a message when no call has been received

· Heated blanket set on low temperature, turns up by itself

· Both female and male homeowner have been experiencing vivid nightmares

· Many health issues involving the entire family. These health issues began in last home and continue to increase in new home.

· Pets act very strangely on occasion

· Sometimes the master bedroom door is hard to open; it feels as if something is holding it from the other side.

· General feelings of uneasiness that increases at nightfall.

· Items disappear and show up at odd locations.

· House smells of cigarette smoke when arriving home. No one is the home smokes.

· Brief smells of propane fumes.

· Voices can be heard just before falling to sleep.

· Something wakes up the male and female homeowners which is seen at the foot of their bed. It appears to be about 5-6 ft off the ground and is a black thing that is about 2x2 feet. Sometimes the colors of green and blue appear within it. It lingers for awhile and then disappears.

· Female homeowner hears a child's voice making strange noises in her ear.

· Female homeowner and daughter have been awakened by the sensation of someone stroking their hair.

· Female homeowner had a vivid dream about an operation or an emergency procedure being performed on her while she watched from above. The description of this dream was similar to what is reported in near-death experiences.

· 7 orbs were captured in about 40 minutes of video. 2 orbs were filmed in the living room, 2 orbs in the entry parlor, 2 orbs in the hallway and 1 orb in the master bedroom.

· 5 EVPs were recorded on tape. 3 of the 5 seem to be in response to the conversation at the time and are as follows:

· Joyce was talking in the master bedroom about the man there liking whiskey when someone suggested that we offer him a shot of whiskey. A male voice is recorded saying "Come and Get It". This was recorded in the master bedroom.

· When the male homeowner was confirming the train derailment in the entry parlor, a male voice was recorded saying, "Love Train". This was recorded in the entry parlor.

· Several of the men present were discussing how difficult it was to care for saltwater fish when a male voice is recorded saying, "Hell, yeah". This was recorded in the entry parlor.

· Two other EVPs were also recorded in the entry parlor but did not seem to coincide with the conversations taking place. Both of these were female voices. One said,

"He Knows" and the other said what sounds like the name of "Gary".  Both of these EVPs were recorded in the entry parlor just prior to the clearing.

· There was a settlement here. I see lots of wagons, horses and some stables. This was a stopping place on the Santa Fe Trail. Lots of activity. There was a fort here before that.

· Someone was bucked off a horse and killed here.

· There is a 12 year old girl who died of cholera. She was Native American and had long black hair and brown eyes. There are others here who died of cholera and chicken pox.

· There was a cabin nearby and I see little mounds of earth everywhere.

· I hear a cradle rocking and the baby is crying. There is also a little girl crying.

· A woman who was about 40 years old is here. She died and left children. She holds her side because she is wounded there. She dies from this injury. She is the one causing the female homeowner pains in her side. She is a ghost. Female homeowner confirmed that she had been experiencing severe pain in her side. She had sought medical care several times but no medical explanation could be found.

· There was a boxing ring established at the settlement. One of the boxers was named Jacob. During one fight, the fighting became very intense and he was hit in the back with a large stick. His ribs were broken and severed from his spine. His back may also have been broken. This could be causing the male homeowner's back problems.

· There is a railroad nearby and there was a railroad accident. Many of the wounded were brought here for treatment and a temporary hospital was established. Male homeowner confirmed that railroad tracks were nearby and that several had been killed when a passenger train derailment occurred several years ago just outside of town. An EVP was captured at this time saying "Love Train". Joyce indicated that there had been two rail accidents. One happened much earlier than the last one.

· There is a boy with dark hair. It is bright and shiny black and he has a broad forehead and high cheekbones. He was ill with pneumonia and his name is David.

· A man was hung here. See Community History report where numerous hangings and murders were associated with the tavern.

· A young person was killed along the highway. He is the one that the occupants feel looking at them sometimes.

· There is a dark thing in the master bedroom. He is male, very strong and is an old ghost. He has not been to the light. He wears a black hat, homemade black shirt and britches and tall brown boots that have been shaped to his feet. He has rotten teeth, long hair and is part Native American and Irish. He is a fighting man and carries a large knife (like a machete) and another knife is sheathed in his boot. He drank when he could get it.

He wishes that he had a quart of whiskey, a deck of cards and some tobacco. An EVP was recorded during this reading when someone suggested offering him a shot of whiskey. The EVP says "Come and Get it". He hunted the land and lived in a cabin nearby. His name is Hank. He was buried in an old cemetery south east of here. There are about 10 graves there. One of those graves belongs to a child that no one knew was here. He is upset because his grave is not marked. There is a house very close to where the graves are. Homeowners confirmed that a cemetery that fit the description was nearby. The home there had been for sale when they were looking for real estate in the area. They loved the home but decided not to purchase it because of the cemetery located in the yard.

· Some kind of battle occurred in the pasture involving Native Americans and white man. It was during one of the dry seasons and they were fighting over a well that was here. This was a vicious battle that involved clubbing, shooting and stabbing. I see a family being massacred, someone being hanged and an arrow entering someone's throat. This happened early on when the trail was being established. The Native Americans were the ones who dug the well. There was lots of chaos and injuries. Psychic Misty was unable to attend this investigation due to an emergency in her family. However, prior to the investigation she called Brenda to tell her about a vision she had of a massacre involving Indians associated with the property.

· A woman rides up on a horse who is riding side saddle. She is very proud of her side saddle. She wears a long dress and was killed along the trail in the late 1800's. She is the wife of a prominent rancher. She has long black hair, brown eyes and is very slender and beautiful. Her name is Mary Elizabeth Stokes. She's coming in for the clearing. There were several Stokes families living in Osage County in the late 1800's.

A clearing was performed at the close of the investigation. Joyce reported many ghosts and spirits coming in. Homeowners report on follow-up that they have had no more problems. They have not seen anything, heard any strange sounds or smelled any more unexplained odors. They had a mice infestation problem prior to the investigation and even this seems to have ceased.