Paranormal Investigation at the
HHH in Champion, New York By Lynn M. Thornton
"It
was a dark and stormy night" - the famous words
of Snoopy certainly fit the weather in Champion,
NY on the evening of October 15 when the Shadow
Chasers of Remsen, NY came to the historic Hubbard
Homestead to conduct a paranormal activities investigation.
The four members of the organization had come from
the Heritage Room of the Carthage Free Library where
they had just given a talk and demonstration to
about thirty interested persons. They had
joined with the library staff and members of 4 River
Valleys Historical Society to conduct an investigation
of a possible haunted site. The members of
Champion Grange #18 had offered hospitality to those
in attendance as the Homestead was without heat
and the weather was bitter.
Members of the Participation in Government class
at Carthage Central High School had provided four
stalwart young men who would help guide people over
the treacherous ground between the Homestead and
the Grange Hall; a morass of mud and water, a ditch
and a road separated the two properties and floodlights
helped somewhat in the driving rain, but a strong
arm was welcomed by many. In the Grange, chili
bubbled on the stove; coffee and tea were available
as well as cookies and other nibbles. Running
water, heat and plentiful light were all appreciated
as these were limited at the
Homestead.
The Shadow Chasers found many people
willing to sit in the damp and the dark to see if
there were any paranormal manifestations.
Over twenty had signed up for the experience and
expressed an interest in spending the night in the
limestone structure built in 1820. Erected
by the founder of Champion, Noadiah Hubbard, the
home had passed to his eldest son, Hiram around
1834 when the father moved to a more impressive
stone home in the center of town.
The Homestead is interesting for the fact that,
until it was donated to the 4 River Valleys Historical
Society in 2005, it had remained in the Hubbard
Family. Because of this, it was fairly easy
to trace the history of all those who had lived
there and look for instances of "unusual" events.
In the case of this building, the events included
instances of footsteps when there was no one to
make them and voices in untenanted rooms.
As with any old building, there had been several
deaths there, some natural and some accidental;
for example, one gentleman, already considered eccentric
by his neighbors, fell down stairs in the mid 1900's
and broke his neck.
The
evening began with the members of The Shadow Chasers
demonstrating various instruments that would be
used to monitor motion and temperature, both indicators
of paranormal activity. A local historian gave the
history of the Homestead and introduced some of
the possible "people they might meet" during the
evening. Participants were divided into groups,
each person armed with some type of device.
Groups also had recorders and one Shadow Chaser
to give directions and make interpretations.
As the evening wore on, many people sought refuge
in the Grange as the wind whistled through the cellar
windows and around the eves of the house.
Around midnight, one group of people declared they
had had a wonderful time, but that their beds were
calling; the remaining people hunkered down and
waited for manifestations and phantoms.
Wild changes in temperature were recorded in
the upstairs nursery, a flashlight responded to
questions in one of the bedrooms (where there had
been reported instances of footsteps), one person
even claimed to have seen a long-haired cat weaving
around the legs of others. In an otherwise
dark and silent house, the whispers of people upstairs
was about the spookiest thing this participant ever
experienced – the total darkness and the feeling
of being alone even with so many others somewhere
in that darkness was truly eerie.
By three a. m., the rest of the people were chilled
to the bone and very weary. We trooped to the Grange
to warm up and get something to eat. When
we got there, the ladies who had manned the stoves
and crockpots informed us that they wouldn't have
stayed there alone for anything! I'm thinking
- "but you were warm, you had lights and running
water and everything!", but that didn't shake the
feelings that they had had. Well, the Grange
does have an interesting history of its own; on
the 4th of July, 1807, General Champion and Mr.
Lemuel Storrs (landholders) gave the town two acres
on the summit of the hill that overlooks the village,
for the site of a church and a public green [this
is the current Champion Village Green Park].
Because of the War of 1812, which slowed building
down a little, the church wasn't finished until
1816 and was the first church in Jefferson County.
Noadiah Hubbard was in charge of the building.
The bell was donated by General Champion for whom
the town was named. Due to the intense cold in winter;
the hill was very exposed, the church was of wood
with many windows and because it was considered
"sissy"
to heat a church; it was taken down, removed to
the crossroads, rebuilt and rededicated in 1841.
In about 1910 the building was sold to become the
property of the Champion Grange Number 18 and was
thus one of the first granges north of Syracuse.
It is still the home of an active local Grange.
After a hearty dish of chili, the Shadow Chasers
offered to set up the equipment and conduct an investigation
in the meeting room on the second floor of the Grange.
Enthusiastic response met this suggestion and the
paranormal professionals went up the well-worn steps
and turned left into the beautifully preserved room,
complete with stage, that has housed Grange ceremonies
for many years.
While
setting up the equipment, the investigators explained
each device and what it was intended to detect.
The green laser grid was projected over the far
wall, heat and motion detectors were placed at various
points and, when the lights were extinguished, everyone
sat in the eerie silence that descended on the room.
One of the Shadow Chasers paced the room calling
to any entities that might be present, another took
a camera into the adjoining hall, where the ladder
to the bell tower was located, and began taking
shots (sometimes "things" appear on developed film
that were not visible to the naked eye). Later
interpretation detected energy balls in the hall, but we were not lucky enough (?) to see any other
manifestations.
The evening ended with tired but happy investigators
(amateur and professional) thanking the Grange,
4 River Valley Historical Society, the Carthage
Free Library and Northern New York Shadow Chasers
for an interesting, informative and entertaining
night. There are plans to repeat the adventure
in the spring, as there are many people who wanted
to be a part of the investigation but didn't get
reservations in on time.
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