CASE NUMBER	#1001.1
DATE OF INVESTIGATION	January 25 -26, 2008
LOCATION	Seneca Falls Historical Society Seneca Falls, NY
INVESTIGATORS	Bob Laurie Craig David
STRUCTURAL HISTORY	1823 - the first structure was built as a one room wooden house 1855 – Edward Mynderse erected a two story brick structure on the site 1875 – extensive remodeling occurred turning the home into a three story structure with 23 rooms – Queen Anne Style that exists today
HISTORICAL USES OF LOCATION	1855- 1875 - Home to Edward Mynderse’s family, son of land developer Colonel Wilhelmus Myndersel 1875- 1890 - Home to Mrs. Leroy Partridge 1890-1961 – Home to the Norman Becker Family – six children were raised in the home 1961- present – bought by the Seneca Falls Historical Society – used as a museum
HISTORY OF TRAGEDIES AT THE LOCATION	According to information obtained during the interview, Mary Merrigan, a maid and cook in the household, developed some form of emotional or mental illness during her time working for the Becker family.  The family had her committed to a local asylum. According to the individuals who have a good deal of historical knowledge about the home, there is no documented proof that this ever happened.  However, it has been stated that a young, female maid, who longed to be back in her home country, died of influenza or some other disease during her servitude at the mansion (not specified if it was in the mansion).  At the moment there is no documentation to back up this claim.
CLAIMS OF PARANORMAL ACTIVITY	According to the sources interviewed, the Becker family felt some spirit presence during their many years in the mansion.  They attributed these feelings to Edward Mynderse’s presence. The individuals interviewed confirmed that still today, any oddity that occurs in the home such as leaky faucets, closing doors, or flickering lights, are attributed to “Edward,” the individual that erected the original structure. Fran, the director of education, believes that Edward might still be around to protect the house.  She claims that once, several years back, she left through the back door as usual.  When she returned in the morning, she was locked out of the home, because the hook had been slipped through the eyelet, locking the screen.  She believes this may have been Edward’s doing. In the front foyer, as you enter the main entrance, the Family Parlor is off to the left.  It is believed that this is where Mrs. Becker and her daughter, Florence, were sitting when they turned to see Mary Merrigan standing in the front hall.  However, Mary was supposed to have been in an institution for the mentally disturbed.  Mrs. Becker received a phone call the following morning, informing her that Mary had passed away in the asylum the evening before. Mary is one of the spirits believed to be present on the premises. A group of men working on a furnace were extremely happy when the job was over.  They claimed that the woman that watched them through one of the third floor windows (the room that is now the costume room) gave them the creeps.  When Fran informed them that there was no woman up there, and that the window was covered with some type of paper from the inside, they swore they had seen a woman with a gray uniform watching them more than once.  On one morning following this discussion, one of the Becker’s granddaughters (living relative) was visiting the museum and had brought some photos.  The worker happened to be walking by and saw a photo of Mary Merrigan and pointed to it saying something to the effect of, “That’s her…that’s the woman I saw.”  Mary’s presence has been felt in various areas of the house, particularly on the third floor (her living quarters) and in the original kitchen (where she spent most of her time). The other story that was talked about in the tragedy section of this document was the source of the third and final spirit believed to be present. According to individuals, none of whom were known, a young woman or girl could often be heard crying on the stairs leading from the third floor down to the second floor.  This is believed to be the spirit of a young Irish woman that worked for the family and had died of influenza. According to Fran, after having a psychic tell her (the spirit) it was okay to leave, no one has heard the crying since. Other interesting tidbits A teddy bear in what I’ll call “The Toy Room,” on the third floor, was supposedly put downstairs for a particular display.  Later, it was mysteriously found on the third floor, but no one claimed responsibility for moving the item.  On my way out I was introduced to a local woman and her daughter who told me stories about when she was young and spent time in the museum.  She and her friends used to play jokes on each other and move objects to “spook” the employees.  This could be exactly what occurred with the teddy bear. I will note that during the initial interview, when I entered the “servant’s hallway” on the second floor, I instantly got a tightening around my temples and on the back of my scalp. It felt like a huge pressure settling down on me.  By no means do I claim to be sensitive, but I got an uneasy feeling in this space.  I said nothing about this, but when we got to the end of the hall I was informed that in this hall a woman got a “bad feeling” and had to leave the museum immediately.  I was informed that this has happened to other individuals as well.  Only after I was told this story did I tell the interviewer about what I had felt.  I’m very curious to test the EMF readings in this area.  High EMF (electromagnetic field) readings could be an explanation for feelings of tension, pressure, paranoia, nervousness, or depressive feelings that people have experienced in this hallway. Also of note is the fact that this hall is lined with historic photographs of the previous inhabitants of the household. Finally, this hall is attached to the staircase where the young woman has been heard crying.
FINDINGS	For the reveal, conducted on February 9th, 2008, Craig, Laurie, and Bob met with two employees of the Seneca Falls Historical Society.  During this reveal, evidence was presented using the organization's standard format, PowerPoint reveal.  As can be noted from the information presented prior to this section of this document, the museum is extremely rich in history, as well as claims of paranormal activity.  The earliest claims of activity preceded the acquisition of the property by the historical society.  Therefore, regardless of our findings, we cannot rule out the possibility that the location is, in fact, haunted.  Having stated this, let's look at some of the claims, and then share our findings with regard to those claims. The "Crying Stairs"  -  For the purpose of this investigation, an IR camera was placed at the bottom of the stairs where there have been claims of a crying girl or woman.  Several EVP sessions were also conducted on this particular site.  NONE of the evidence reviewed revealed any audio, photos, or video to substantiate the claims of activity on the stairs.  However, the team couldn't find any proof to unsubstantiated the claims either.  There were no creaky floorboards, no creaky hinges, and no source of sound that could account for the sounds of a crying woman or girl. Mary's Appearance - Since Mary Merrigan had supposedly appeared to Mrs. Becker and her daughter on the night of her death, the team spent a good deal of time trying to either debunk or find evidence of the claims.  For the purpose of this investigation, the team set up a stationary Hi8 with nightshot on this location, and there were also several evp sessions conducted in the area of the sighting.      Although the team discovered a source of a high EMF reading, a main power line running beneath this room, into the hallway where she was sighted, it has been established that this power line was not present when this sighting occurred.        The team did not capture any photographic evidence or video evidence to substantiate this claim.  However, there was an EVP recorded in the hallway where Mary was supposedly observed walking into the house on the night of her death.  Two other EVPs were captured, one in Mary's kitchen on the main floor, as well as one in Mary's bedroom on the third floor.      From the evidence our team collected, we were unable to substantiate or debunk the said claims of Mary's appearance on the night of her death.  Our hope is to perform a follow-up investigation on the anniversary of Mary's death, to examine this claim further.  In doing so, we can delve into the possibility that this is a residual haunting that only occurs once a year, on the anniversary of the death.  The Back Hallway - The back hallway leading to the servants quarters has been noted as being an area of the house that has created feelings of discomfort in multiple visitors to the museum.  One of our team members experienced this himself, on the initial visit for a tour and interview, and he had no prior knowledge of these claims.        On the evening of the investigation and again on the afternoon of the reveal, EMF and ambiant temperature readings were taken in this location, and no source for the feelings of discomfort were discovered.  There was also an IR camera placed to cover this hallway for the duration of the investigation.       No proof was discovered as to the source of the claims of discomfort in this area of the house for some visitors.  The initial visit was the only time that this feeling of discomfort was experienced by a team member. Mary's Room - An IR camera was placed in Mary Merrigan's bedroom and recorded for the duration of the investigation.  Several lengthy EVP sessions were conducted in Mary's room, and one EVP was captured during one of those sessions.  In addition, Laurie and Craig encountered a dramatic spike in their EMF reading during one of their examinations of Mary's room.  Upon further investigation, Craig found that this particular EMF reading hovered approximately 3 to 4 feet off of the floor, and centered around one of the dress mannequins in Mary's room.  After 2 minutes or so, the reading dropped back down to the baseline recorded earlier in the evening.  There were no electrical outlets, appliances, or fixtures to account for this fluctuation. The Toy Room - Although the toy room was not one of the rooms noted as a "hot spot," there was a claim of objects, including the teddy bear the camera was fixed on, mysteriously being brought back upstairs by some unknown when it was supposed to be on display on the main level.  No audio, video, or photographic evidence was captured in the "Toy Room" to substantiate this claim.
EVIDENCE	Main Hall EVP 001 The EVP above was recorded by Craig and Laurie during a session in the front hallway, where Mary Merrigan was seen on the night of her death at Willard Asylum.  It is a class 3 EVP.  In other words, you may not be able to hear the EVP without headphones, and what is being said can not be made out. Mary's Room The EVP above was recorded by Bob and David during a session in Mary's bedroom.  You'll hear Bob tagging the temperature, saying that it's stable, then there will be a pause.  After the pause, immediately before Bob says, "I'm gonna....I'm gonna snap some photos," you'll hear a voice whispering what sounds like, "Uhm..kay."  It actually continues over the beginning of Bob beginning to talk.  This was not Bob or David, and we, the GIAPS team, is very, very careful about tagging any noises that could be misconstrued as an EVP.  It is a class 2 EVP.  In otherwords, you can hear it without headphones, but what is being said is not absolutely clear.  Mary's Kitchen EVP 001 The EVP above was recorded by Bob and David during a session in Mary's kitchen.  You'll hear Bob asking Mary what the room behind him was used for.  After he asks the question and then stops talking, you'll hear a response.  We can't make out what's being said, so we don't know that it was, in fact, a direct response to the question.  However, the voice sounds female, and Laurie and Craig were on the third floor at the time that this was recorded.
CONCLUSION	Although team members did have a couple of personal experiences, and the team captured some unexplainable audio clips which were deemed EVPs, we have determined that we do not have enough evidence, by GIAPS standards, to label this location haunted.  Conversely, due to the incredibly long history of paranormal claims at this location, as well as the little bit of evidence which our team did capture, we are unable, at this time, to classify the location as not haunted.  The team has agreed to return to the museum in the spring to examine the claims of paranormal activity further.  Until then, the case remains open and the final status of the location in paranormal terms (haunted or not haunted), by GIAPS standards, remains undetermined.