Date- April 1st  into 2nd, 2006

Times- Approx. 9 PM to 2 AM

Those Present- Kenny, Donna, Patty, Diana, Mike, Irene, Jeff, Stacie, Greg and Rachael. The owners, Pascale and Kyle, and two employees,  & Dave.

Moon Phase- Waxing Crescent

History- We've found that its been a hotel since 1784. It's been known by several names: The Sorrel House, The Mount Airy Hotel, The Mountain House, and perhaps the Haycock Hotel. We've uncovered a long list of Tavern/Hotel/Inn license holders from 1784 up until prohibition. We've uncovered that three children died in the house

Reported Activity- From our initial interview with the owners; A woman in white has been seen outside, Kids are heard playing "Tag" in the 2nd floor rooms, electrical problems (light flicker on and off), A man was "sensed" in Room 6 (in the bathroom while the owner was taking a shower), the word "Hello" has been heard at times and a man in fleece has also been sighted. A big event, which was witnessed by Kenny, Donna and several other guests...is the party that goes on in the bar area late at night. People talk, glasses clink and people walk around...but no one is ever found.

Report of Events

Since we had rented the entire Inn, we were actually able to begin set-up in the early afternoon hours. Jeff and Kenny tested two D.V.R. systems, in addition to several new video surveillance cameras. After adjusting this and that, they began working out the best angels to cover the entire Bar Room/Dining area. On a previous stay, Donna & Kenny experienced the “Sounds of a Party” that came from the Bar Room, which took place around the midnight hour. So, we decided that this would be our main focus for most of our equipment.

Since the restaurant part of the B&B was still open until 10 PM, we figured out the set-up we wanted…then broke everything down until later on. Once the restaurant guests were done and off to their homes, the cameras were set back up. Due to the “Noise Leak” through the floors of the old house, we decided to stay together as a group and concentrate our efforts in the Bar Room area. 

We set up three Night-vision video cameras on the second floor, covering all the hallways and the entrances to each of the six rooms. These were simply left to record, since we had everyone focus on the first floor. We had found that there was significant "noise bleed" through the floors. We could easily hear anyone moving around and/or speaking upstairs.

Everyone took a seat and we followed our Ten Minute rule of silence. Donna and Stacie took over watching the Command Center. Our first session started with Patty asking a wide range of questions. During this session, Jeff’s tri-field meter had registered some readings several times. Although, we still need to review video footage to rule out interference from the investigators that were near the device (this device is extremely sensitive, picking up people who move within a few feet of it)

Our first session lasted under 40 minutes. We had some small events that still need to be discussed before coming to any conclusions. Some doors behind the bar were found to be folded open, when they were closed prior to our session. This doesn't seem like much, but there were a lot of noises (other then the normal ones we had grown accustomed to) heard behind the bar during the session.

Kenny, using his Night Vision scope, had reported seeing movement behind the double doors that led out from behind the bar. He describes it as if someone stuck their hand between the doors and cautiously peeked into the room. It was at this time that Patty also experienced an extreme chill in the area just in front of the bar (Pictured to the right). Temperature readings were taken, with a steady range between 73 and 76 degrees. There were no temperature drops recorded. Kenny took EMF readings next to Patty and through the double-doors into the bar. They showed no significant spikes or drops in the normal levels (which remained below 0.7 milligauss).

2nd Session

Since we may have had activity behind the bar, a video camera was set up to cover that area. It was later repositioned to cover a wider area, which included the front area where Patty was sitting. The footage is still being reviewed at this time.

We started off the second session with some open conversation. The idea being that if we were discussing the activity previously experienced in the house, then it may be an incentive for the spirits to converse or respond…or simply do something to make themselves known. Approximately five minutes into our second session, both Greg’s digital camera and Kenny’s digital audio recorder shut off at the exact same time. Greg had checked his batteries later and was found to hold 60% charge. Kenny’s recorder simply shut off on it's own. It had plenty of space left and had no reason to shut off. It was turned on again and recorded the rest of the session. 

Kenny began reciting the history of the Inn, as he remembered it from our research sessions. Patty then took over, describing some experiences we had during our first investigation. We had some low readings on the Tri-Field meter, but again, the footage needs to be scrutinized before any conclusions can be made. Patty reported a chill while we were discussing  games and songs that would hopefully get the "kids" to respond. 

We then went person to person, asking about any experiences they have had in the Inn or what they would like to see or hear. We started to see different lights or flashes of lights...but we were later able to debunk these things. we tried to provoke them a bit...but it seemed hopeless. We finally decided to wrap things up and let the D.V.R. keep watch the rest of the night. However, we found out the next morning that this was a bad idea. Since this was the maiden voyage of the D.V.R., we had not tested it as much as we should have. Our afternoon of testing consisted on clips no more then a few minutes long (checking for Delay, Resolution, Frame-Rate, Overall Quality, etc.). We found that after 15 minutes, the software had become corrupted and even though the displayed was telling us it was recording...it had actually stopped after the first 15 minutes on each camera. 

Back to the Laboratory for more testing. We're happy to say that, although we lost some data, we've rectified the problem with much better, and updated equipment. 

However...Mike reported that he woke up some time around 4:00 am to noises he heard down in the dining room area. It sounded like plates and silverware banging around, as if someone was cleaning off the tables or setting the tables. 

Conclusions and Impressions

Kenny
Well, this was one hell of a weekend. Our Friday night dinner was excellent! We definitely learned al lot about how to refine our methods. Activity seemed quiet on Saturday night, though we can most likely attribute that to our team bringing in new members and new equipment. We may have caught the ghosts off-guard with all of this, and caused them to hide from us this time around. I'm still convinced that there is activity here, and a lot of it. My past experiences in this house have convinced me of it. However, getting it on record is another matter...

Jeff
The food and hospitality were fabulous. I'm a heavy sleeper, so unless an atomic bomb goes off, I'm pretty much dead to the world when I hit the pillow. I didn't really get that "haunted" feeling during my stay here. The history of this place would certainly be reason enough for it to be haunted. I'm sure it was quite a happening spot back in its day. There's even a rumor that George Washington himself rolled past the front door on his way to and from Philly. Amazingly enough, Washington never slept there...

Greg
I think that the age of the building combined with its history lends itself to speculation about ghosts. While it is reputed to have activity, I neither felt anything abnormal nor experienced anything that could not readily be explained by normal causes.

Rachael
Old houses tend to create noises and sounds. Probably due to the settling of the wood floors, mason, wood beams etc… Also, older homes have less insulation and are therefore, very drafty.  I do wish we were able to spend more time in the restaurant and within the guest bedrooms.

From Left to Right; Donna, Patty, Phil, Greg, Jeff (Holding the napkin up), Stacie, Irene, Mike and Diana

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