Ashley Wright
@PensacolaNewsJournal.com
The things that go "bump" in the night. The shadows in our closets. The things living under our beds. That legendary old house or cemetery that we grew up fearing.

Although we often hate to admit it, most of us have been scared of something along those lines at some time.

There will always be a hint of mystery about the things we can't see when the lights go off or even what might happen to us in the afterlife.

There are a few who pursue the answers to these fears. They are the people who make up groups such as the Forgotten Coast Paranormal Investigators and the GHG Ghost Hunters. Both organizations are based along the Gulf Coast and have investigated a number of places in the Pensacola Bay Area that are rumored to be haunted.

Why pursue the paranormal?

So, what would compel someone, or a group, to pursue the paranormal?

For Meredith Ward, who co-founded Forgotten Coast Paranormal Investigators with her sister Jennifer McNeill, it's a number of reasons. The first was her childhood home.

"We (Ward and her sister) had strange things happen. We just grew up knowing that our house was haunted," she said.

It wasn't until about three years ago that they decided to first organize the group and the Web site.

The second reason isn't as easy to explain.

"It's hard to describe unless you've gone out and done it and had that experience," she said. "But, there's almost a peaceful part of it. You experience things, and you know there's more to life after death. It's almost a validation of sort."

A typical night

Each organization has its own methods of conducting investigations.

According to Ward, a typical night for an indoor investigation with the Forgotten Coast Paranormal Investigators would start with obtaining base readings within the building being investigated. This would include measuring the temperature in various spots throughout the building with an infrared thermometer and using an Electromagnetic Field Detector to "find out if there are energies."

They do this "in case we have something out of the ordinary, we can say the temperature in that room was this or it was different," Ward said.

The GHG Ghost Hunters have a "how-to" guide for investigations on their Web site, www.ghgghosthunters.com, that explains how they would suggest conducting an investigation and what tools you might need. They also have a number of links on the site that explain terms and protocols of the trade.

Both organizations agree that the key to any good investigation is research and a logical approach to what they do.

"We try to cover the basics and take a look at the logical," said Marlene Blanchard, one of the three women who informally founded GHG Ghost Hunters in 1995. "We always say 'Let's try to be logical, let's try to figure out a logical explanation for what's going on before we even consider the possibility of the paranormal.' "

The group was organized in 2001.

The places we fear

There are a number of places rumored to be haunted within the Pensacola Bay Area.

According to the GHG Web site, these include the Advance Redoubt at Fort Barrancas, the Lighthouse at Pensacola Naval Air Station, Milsted Cemetery, Old Christ Church, the Dorr House in downtown Pensacola and a number of private residences.

Why are these places haunted? Blanchard believes it's from imprints or energies, which she explains as "a video playing over and over" of people, plants and pets left behind.

"Each living thing has energy; energy leaves an imprint," Blanchard said. "Many times what we find are residual energies ... some imprints are much stronger than others, either from a strong emotion, such as love or anger, and some from violence."

Both groups are open to conducting investigations suggested by the public. The GHG Ghost Hunters will conduct a free investigation for private residences or groups. The group also will conduct workshops for those interested in learning about the paranormal. The next workshop is planned for the end of this month or early February.