On Monday night, I watched the new episode of PS.  I think it was called "The Tillie Pierce House; Ghost of Gettysburg, PA."  Since there's been some mention of Gettysburg on the forums, I thought I'd watch.  And…I wasn't disappointed.  I'll hit a couple of highlights and then get to the…paranormal event.

First, Chip Coffey almost doubled over in pain due to some shooting pain in his stomach or side.  I suppose he "felt" the pain of a spirit.  (I haven't seen such bad acting since "Taxi " with Jimmy Fallon.)

Then Ryan and the gang got to play dress-up and "re-enact" a moment from the Civil War.  (Again, the Jimmy Fallon "Taxi" reference is applied.)

And then…true evidence of the paranormal. 

(I must first apologize for not providing a Youtube clip to show.  I've been waiting to post until I found a clip, but…hopefully down the road, one will show up.  Thanks in advance to anyone who can provide one.)

So…Chad is standing in the bathroom doorway, hears a noise, turns around and the door pushes up against the wall.  He claims he didn't touch the door, yet, he was standing right by it when it moved.  Whatever, no need to argue because it gets so much better.

Now, when he made this move he was also holding a handheld camera…the camera was pointed at the sink.  A soap dispenser is on the right side of the sink (to the right of the faucet).  Now, this places him directly in front of the sink with the doorway on the right side.  He was shown earlier holding the camera with his right hand.  He pans out to his right, out of the doorway, hears a noise behind him, pans back around, and the soap dispenser is now on the left side of the sink (left of the faucet).

Finally…we have undisputed proof of the paranormal. 

Oh…wait…I am going to dispute it.

One possible explanation: He is standing in front of the sink.  The camera is in his right hand and he pans to his right.  With his left hand, he can move the soap dispenser from the right side to the left side.  Since he's doing this in the dark, the dispenser hits the left edge of the sink as he's placing it, thus making a sound…giving him the excuse to turn back around to see that the soap dispenser has now magically moved from the right side to the left.  You know…it's just a theory…

I haven't seen this kind of thing since Grant from GH and the mysterious moving picture frame at the Cashtown Inn…shockingly near Gettysburg:

http://www.skepticalviewer.com/2008/03/27/gh-cashtown-inn/

Hmmm…maybe there's something in the water in Gettysburg that makes people who hold cameras do highly questionable things…

Gettysburg.  Like MissMissy, I too agree with ghostgirl74 only in the fact that they find things too quickly and everytime.  I and many of my friends have visited often since we are only 2-3 hours away and it is a beautiful Park.  The first time I went I was about 8 or 9 (many, many years ago) when there was absolutely no talk about ghosts or paranormal activities.  Yet, my friends tend to go more than I these days and every time they go, they decide to check out the houses and tours to see if anything is different.  And, everytime these "haunted" places or on the ghost tours guarantee something will happen.  Guess what?  It does.  I have a problem with a place or tour that sells tickets to this type of experience where people, for example, see chains move and chairs rock every time.  However, the ghost tours and haunted places still sell out because people want to believe.  I'm sorry but sometimes I can't believe that even some of these friends, who tell me they are highly educated, actually are so suckered in by this stuff and I've told them so.  When they ask me why I don't believe it it, I explain that any place  like this that takes money, tells you what has been "reported" and then produces exactly that, is flat out in it for the money.  It's like going to the fun house at the fair.  The structure you see is painted on the outside to tell you what you are going to experience and when you are sold your ticket you are told you will see and hear scary things.  "Can you take it?"  Darn if they aren't right!  Wonder how they know that?

While I'm not saying ghostgirl74 has not had a paranormal experience there, I believe her to be honest and that she believes she truly did have an experience, but what everyone has to remember is that because of this history of death on the battlefield and Park, Gettysburg has become the PA paranormal mecca of sorts and a lot of people derive a living from that fact.  It provides a source of income all year long for the residents there because people are coming and spending money in every aspect such as tours, food, clothing, novelties, rooms, etc.  Why would anyone in their right mind want to discourage it?  It's very smart business, with free advertising (local and national) and an income for a town that needed an economic shot in the arm as the Park was nice but not pulling it in for them.  New outlet centers started sprouting around the area to bring people in on bus tours, etc.  They saw the success of the old outlets less than an hour away in the Reading and newer ones in the Lancaster area nearby (again, less than an hour away) and for that purpose, combined with the ghost hunting experience, ratcheted up the paranormal experiences as it was not just based around Halloween anymore like the "haunted house" we all had in our hometowns one month during the year.  In other words, they are cashing in on what people want and giving them the experience they want to believe in.

Again, I do believe ghostgirl74 believes in her experience and that's okay with me.  But, places that perform on command, I do not.  It's up to everyone to make up their own mind and, if they want to shop the outlets, have fun!

ghostgirl74,  you are welcome.  I understood your position as it has been the topic of discussion with my friends that we have been having for some time now.  I'm afraid I actually stopped one dinner conversation in its tracks one night at a very nice restaurant in the area.  I guess that was the best place because it didn't give rise to any loud comments but oh those looks!  Eventually, things got back to normal and I drank the wine not the kool aid.

I sent you a pm as to your question so be on the look out for it. 

The theory is they move stuff to get our attention.  Then, what?  An item moves, then no message?  I did not see the show, so did he try to get an EVP to receive the "message"? It would make sense if that is the theory.  Another is playful ghosts: they get bored hanging around and like to freak the living out.

Random movement to inanimate objects just might happen as a random anomaly, no paranormal involvement.  Definitely something that could be tested with scientific guidelines, yes? 

MissMissy, Alicat, ghostgirl74, in agreement on Gettysburg.  Still want to spend a week or more there, especially Devil's Den, the triangular field and the wheatfield  (Pickett's Charge).  Thanks for the heads up on avoiding places that always have stuff happen.  I want to go mainly because I had ancestors that fought there.

Revenant: "Kind of weird to think about, isn't it?  That a "ghost-hunting" team that is providing evidence of ghosts might actually be providing proof of their non-existence."  

Maybe not all ghosts?  There are so many types.  Crisis apparitions are fascinating.

Nosfer said:

In theory a given object could do something like that just by chance. Imagine if all the atoms in an object somehow managed to do something all at the same time in the same way as far as their movement, alignment, etc. Problem with that "theory" is that since things like this happen quite often, the odds would have to be fairly high (relatively speaking) that this movement would occur like this. Given the sheer number of atoms, I'd say the odds would be far lower (approaching zero, in fact), thus we can rule out random chance.

What?!?  I totatlly disagree!  I…..no…just kidding. 

Just playing the "what if" game using known, and still unproven, paranormal theories.  The "intelligent haunting (ghost with…consciousness I guess) moving objects about" simply fascinates me.  I always place myself in the position of the ghost.  Instead of using my "energy" to pick up a pen (which is so much lighter) and write down the name of my killer or a couple words to a loved one…I'm moving soap dispensers and tossing bricks.  I just have such a tough time with that concept…

Agreed Nosfer.   Ooh la la!  

Hannah said:

Why not more intelligent communication? Certainly throwing bricks, etc. would indicate they didn't want you there, but writing get out in the dust would work also and use less ghostly energy. 

I agree and disagree with you.  I do agree about communicating using written words.  I like your "writing it out in dust" much more than my "picking up a pen" technique.  It would be easier to do.

However, I disagree with "Certainly throwing bricks, etc. would indicate they didn't want you there."  That is what started my grand hi-jacking of my own thread (in a way).  What is a brick being thrown communicating?  The first and only thought seems to be "they don't want you there."  I am disputing this as the only reason behind the supposed communication.  (Again, I am approaching this as if both the flying brick and moving soap dispenser are "real" paranormal events.  For the record, I do not believe either were.  Yet, the "what if" stuff is still fun to debate.   ) 

The brick did not fly towards the Zac and the other guy.  It landed no where near the doorway.  They saw a brick "being tossed in the air," screamed, turned and ran…still screaming.  Am I to take the interpretation of the event from two screaming men as the only possibility?  Were they reacting to the object or the event?  Say instead of a brick, it was a pink, fluffy stuffed rabbit.  Would they have still screamed and ran?  They would have been startled, but I do not think the reaction would have been the same.

Does seeing a pink, fluffy stuffed rabbit tossed across room "indicate they didn't want you there?"  I believe the brick itself causes that interpretation of the event.  The brick is threatening.  A pink, fluffy stuffed rabbit is not.  In fact, seeing the rabbit fly across the room would probably be seen as a ghostly child playing with a toy.  Funny how the object determines the interpretation of the event, isn't it?

Now, back to the soap dispenser and my point.  With a brick and a pink, fluffy stuffed rabbit…people can interpret the event.  With a soap dispenser…not so much.  We are forced to look at it from a different perspective.  A perspective that should be used with all moving object events.  Regardless of the object, what is the actual movement implying?  Is a form of communication being issued?  Is symbolism being used?

Overall, I feel that most interpretations of these types of events are flawed and biased based upon the object itself.  The "obvious" interpretation is always taken and is almost never questioned as to its validity.