The West Georgia Paranormal Research Society Interviews

Part Three

I've always been interested in the paranormal. There are groups out there who validate that 'bump in the night,' that image you saw move out of the corner of your eye, that voice you heard when no one but you was in the room. The West Georgia Paranormal Research Society is one such group. I call them ghost hunters; but whatever you call them, their work in very interesting. The West Georgia Paranormal Research Society can be found online: here.

Susan Stedman is an investigator with the West Georgia Paranormal Research Society.

What got you interested in the paranormal and researching it?

My father used to tell us ghost stories and take us and show us "haunted" houses when we were really little. I got into going ghost hunting before I was 12 years old. The research came easy... I just had a desire to know more more more.

What types of equipment do you like to use in your research? What kind of results have you seen using the equipment?

I have a video recorder, a digital camera, a DVR, a digital ambient thermometer and my trusty flashlight. My favorite used to be the digital camera because we got a lot of good pictures but lately I've been getting more results just on the DVR.

On the WGPRS site there is a place where you can listen to EVP'S (Electronic Voice Phenomena - Raudive Voices -Intelligible voices recorded on magnetic tape under conditions of silence or white noise which are heard only when the tape is played. A phenomenon discovered by Konstantin Raudive.) I saw where you posted one where you can hear a voice saying, 'why'. This was a chilling listen, what can you tell us about this particular EVP? Can you say where it was recorded?

I can't say where it was recorded because it was a private residence. It was in a basement at a time no one was down there. All three of our sensitives had picked up a male presence in the house (at different times and without being around each other as they did their walk-throughs).

On EVP's, when you want to try to record something, do you always ask questions or do you sometimes just let the tape run?

Most of the time, I just let the tape run. If there are a lot of people moving around, I keep the recorder with me, if there are only a small group and I am able to know where everyone is at all times, I might leave it somewhere in an empty room.

Orbs are common on pictures and in movies, as well as on your site. I looked on the forum and didn't find a definition of orb, can you explain what this phenomenon is and tell us, is this a ghost? How many orbs have you seen and are they only seen in pictures or can you see them with the naked eye sometimes?

I believe that 99.999% of orbs are dust or water vapor. The only orbs that I would give credit to are the ones that are seen with the naked eye. I have seen several, including one that hovered between my sister and me in a colonial graveyard.

You have some awesome pictures that you've taken on your investigations, have you a favorite?

My favorite has to be the one of the man's face in the attic compared to the old picture of the owner from the late 1800's.

Research seems to always be done at night, is this because of the equipment?

I think it's just something left over from childhood that ghosts come out at night. One theory is that the sunlight during the day affects the energy that "ghosts" use to materialize. I personally like to do it at night because there is less of a chance of someone coming along and interrupting the investigation.

How do you feel during an investigation, are you nervous, afraid, excited?

Usually excited. After years of doing this, I rarely get afraid anymore. I do love that little burst of adrenaline when something spooks me for a minute or two.

What is the scariest experience you've had so far in researching the paranormal?

There are three that are from the same place that rank up at the top. 1. When we got the EVP of the voice that is saying "GO.... GET OUT" because it was so clear and so eerie and it was not there when we recorded it. 2. The second was from the same house.. the first time we went, I was standing in a small grove of trees alone and I felt something rush at me and skitter around me in a circle. My sister was watching and she said that it was just like something running around me kicking up little pebbles as it went. 3. We were filming out the window of the car at this place one night and as we were driving away, we heard the most horrible scratching sound down the metal of the back door. I had my video camera out the window and could see there was nothing there to make the sound but when we got home, we discovered two separate sets of scratches, like some animal would make, dug through the paint of the door right down to the metal. The sound of the scratching was recorded by the camera.

How do you find places, besides the famous one's that you go to, and which famous site is your favorite?

I am continually reading about places... and we hunt around for a contact person who might let us in. I look online, i listen to stories from people I know.. I ask people if they know of "haunted" places. My favorite famous place has been the Fox Theater, so far.

Are you ever worried that you might bring something (someone) home with you? My 22 year old son is taking pictures at night of roadside places where people have died, and he always says, 'don't follow me home, I just want a picture.' And says, 'if there is anyone here, stand by the flowers.' Do you do anything like this?

We have taken a few pictures of places like that. In fact, one night we drove through Alabama on a certain road (can't remember the highway number) but there were about 50 crosses in the 60 mile stretch of road. We slowed and took pics of every one we could count. The only one we got any anomaly was on Highway 85 before Alvaton, Georgia. I did use to worry that we might bring something home, but I pray before I leave sites now or at least on the way home.

Ghost hunting (can we say that?) can be dangerous, why?

There are a several reasons that it could be dangerous. I would say that all of them except one have to do with mundane things, like falling in the dark, trespassing, getting bit by a dog, that kind of thing. I do believe that you should have a way to know what you are dealing with. I personally don't believe in ghosts. I believe in residual energy and I believe there are demons. The residuals can't hurt you, but demons can.