Hunting Hampton ghosts: Museum serves as frequent site for group’s detection efforts

The Steel City Ghost Hunters held their first evening lecture on ghost hunting at Hampton’s Depreciation Lands Museum on July 22.

The presentation included showcasing equipment used during their investigations and some of the methods employed by the ghost hunters.

Heather Mahoney, Kim Justice, Lois Dix and Melissa Treglia have been “hunting” together for 12 years.

“We’re more than a team. We are friends and family,” Mahoney said. “We couldn’t do what we do without the love and trust that we have for each other, and are thankful that we not only share this interest but can enjoy each other’s company outside of team events.”

SCGH has been conducting investigations on the grounds of the Depreciation Lands Museum for roughly nine years, according to Mahoney.

“We have built a strong relationship with the board members and volunteers, as well as the resident ghosts,” she said. “We like to think they are used to us and know that we treat the living and dead with the respect that they deserve.”

Equipment used during SCGH investigations includes GoPro-style cameras, audio recorders and infrared lights, plus devices called spirit boxes and REM pods.

A spirit box scans radio frequencies to detect possible electronic voice phenomena and, optimally, communicate with ghosts. Using light and sound, a REM pod detects electromagnetic changes by touch or proximity.

“Make sure you have a group of people that you trust, people that will have your back on a hunt,” Mahoney advised potential ghost hunters in the audience for the lecture.

She detailed the variety of ways to investigate a potential haunting. Among them is what’s known as the Estes method, which involves a spirit box and sensory deprivation to mitigate distractions.

And through Electronic Voice Phenomenon sessions, investigators attempt to detect and decipher what could be utterances captured on recordings.

During the lecture, SCGH members presented video evidence they had collected from various investigations on the Depreciation Lands grounds.

The museum was created by Hampton Township in 1973 to preserve and interpret the early years of European settlement in the Depreciation Lands, area set aside in Western Pennsylvania by the state Legislature in 1783 to compensate its soldiers for service in the Revolutionary War. Volunteers re-create everyday life in the late 18th century in period-appropriate clothing.

Depreciation Lands is open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays through the end of October. For more information, visit dlmuseum.org.