This is an artifact I found on a sandbar in the middle of the Great Miami River, near Cincinnati, Ohio.  I think it may be a pendant or amulet of some kind from the time of the Adena culture, which would mean it could  be 2,000 years old! I cranked up the contrast on this photo to try to reveal some surface details.

You can’t really tell from the photo, but there are a few engraved gooves on each side of the object. The hole was obviously drilled by a flint or stone drill.   I plan to take this somewhere soon to get an expert opinion, but it really does seem like it was created to be a pendant.  One of the bottom corners is broken, but you can still tell it must have been carefully crafted.   It is almost exactly 1 1/2 inches long and 1 inch in width.

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Yesterday I traveled up to Chillicothe, Ohio to explore the group of Hopewell mounds called the Mound City Group. It is a 13-acre site surrounded by an earthen wall, with 22 mounds inside the enclosure. I have been trying to investigate ancient mounds and earthworks to see if I can detect any paranormal energy or abnormal electromagnetic properties of any kind. I don’t really have the equipment I need for a thorough examination, but I have been using my EMF meter, compass, and other devices. I even tried using a pendulum to dowse around the site.

My stone pendulum

This would work better if I knew exactly what it was I was dowsing for, but I thought I would give it a try with the intention of finding human remains or artifacts of any kind. I didn’t get much of a reaction from my pendulum, but that could be because I am new at this and need a lot more practice. OR it could mean that the mounds are now completely empty. That’s another possibility.

Paranormal investigators who are trying to get by without spending a ton of money on all the latest high-tech gear may want to try out these nightvision goggles made by Eyeclops. These second-generation goggles are said to be an improvement over earlier models, and for only $60.00, they may be an alternative to the professional goggles costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars. You just have to consider that they ARE being marketed as toys, so don’t expect them to be as good as the professional gear. However, these goggles would be a lot of fun. They are said to have a clearly visible range of 50 feet and you can switch from a regular green infrared mode to a black and white mode. Not sure what the difference would be. Another drawback is that the goggles are said to be a big drain on batteries. No surprise there.  They take 5 AA batteries and you’ll probably need a lot of spares.  If you’re looking for nightvision gear that won’t break your budget, these may be worth a try. Personally, I’d prefer to just stare through the viewfinder of my nightvision camcorder. You can get these at Walmart, Toys-R-Us, or where ever fine toys are sold.

A few days ago I revisited the Fort Ancient site in Ohio to explore the mounds and earthen walls of the “fort.”

I sat for a while and tried to do some EVP recording but there were too many people walking around, talking, laughing, and making noise. Parks around here will be closed for the season soon, so I am trying to get out as much as I can. This is a photo of one of the stone-covered mounds there. There are also a few mounds which seem to have been built as boundary markers. They were not the typical burial mounds.

This is a house in rural Indiana. In back of the house is a family plot containing several of my ancestors.

No one from my family has owned the house for many many years now, but we visit the cemetery now and then just to see if it is being maintained. It isn’t, really. Some of the markers have mysteriously disappeared and the whole cemetery plot is overgrown with weeds. When we last visited the place, the man currently living in the house told us a strange thing. He said that three consecutive generations of women have hanged themselves in the house’s kitchen.

I find this pretty creepy. I am going to do some research to find out if this story is really true. I do know that none of the hanged women were related to me, so that’s a relief.

Yesterday I took a drive and discovered this old pet cemetery. It looks like it has been used for a very long time because there are a lot of markers and most of them seem to be sinking into the ground.

I wonder if anyone has tried to record EVP at a pet cemetery. Maybe that is something I will have to try.

“Is there anyone here? What’s your name?”

“Meoww.”

“Are you happy here at Mt. Hope Pet Cemetery?”

“Meoww.”

Henry Foister and Beth Brown

Yesterday I made it up to Dayton, Ohio for the first-ever Ohio Paranormal Convention.  I got to meet and talk to a lot of great people, including Henry Foister and Beth Brown, hosts of the radio program The Paranormal View.  I also got a chance to hear guest speakers like Keith Age, Rie Sadler, and John Kachuba.

I was disappointed that more people didn’t show up for this event. Given the huge number of people in Ohio who are interested in the paranormal, I was expecting a MUCH bigger crowd. Where were you people? I expect there will be a bigger crowd next year, once the word gets out that the paranormal community of Ohio finally has its own convention.

If you are attending the Ohio Paranormal Conference (Paracon) at Hara Arena on Saturday, August 15th, you may see me there. I won’t be one of the guest speakers but I will be somewhere in the crowd of people, hobnobbing. This should be a really good conference. Keith Age, producer of the Children of the Grave and Spooked documentaries, will be there and well as Dark Figure Productions, producer of some local documentaries. Author Beth Brown will also be there to present  her new book about haunted Virginia plantations.