General IGT Questions
Membership Dues
General Questions
Ghost Hunting Techniques
About the Prez
General
IGT Questions
Who are the Indiana
Ghost Trackers?
The "Northwest Indiana Ghost Trackers" (Now "Indiana
Ghost Trackers, INC") officially formed in July of
2000. We are now a STATEWIDE Not-for-profit
organization. We go out to haunted places once or
twice a month and do ghost "Hunts" use group owned
equipment to track anything unusual, take pictures,
video, sound recordings (EVP), and see what we end
up with.
We investigate homes and businesses free of charge.
We have monthly meetings where we talk about local
hauntings, look at video, photos and listen to
recordings. do historic landmark and cemetery
restoration work. We end up getting into some really
exciting places with out hunts and investigations
(many NEVER show up online !). We cover the state of
Indiana and Chicago IL.
What are the benefits of
the organization?
We find out about and are able to get into places
most people don't know about or aren't able to
investigate on their own. Resources shared
throughout the group allow us to visit haunted
places all over the state with other experienced
ghost hunters. You will become part of a statewide
network of ghost hunters all working together and be
able to participate in ghost hunts in ANY of the
areas that are a part of the Indiana Ghost Trackers
network.
How do I join/become a
member?
Review the CONTACT US section of our web site. Email
the chapter(s) of your choice and watch the upcoming
events board for the next meeting or hunt in your
area. We need your name, age, what city and state
you live in, and what got you into ghost hunting.
Attend a meeting, come to a ghost hunt and pay your
dues. We'll teach you what you need to know about
ghost hunting. We are open to the public. Although
meetings are always free we do require that dues are
paid to participate in ghost hunts and
investigations.
How do I get notified of
future hunts, meetings and investigation training?
Review the CONTACT US section of our web site. Email
the closest chapter(s) and get added to their
mailing lists. Be sure to include the following:
Your name, your age, what city and state you are
from and what got you interested in ghost hunting.
Also watch the pages marked "Upcoming Events" so you
know what is coming up.
How often do you have
meetings? Are they required for membership?
Meetings are usually once a month. They are not
required but it is expected that members will attend
about 50% of the yearly meetings.. We often have
guest speakers, talk about locally haunted places,
handle club business, watch video clips, look over
photos and talk to other ghost enthusiasts. Another
advantage of going to these is sometimes we allow
attendees in on ghost investigations or hunts where
we have a size limit. These will be announced from
time to time at meetings.
Where are your meetings
held? How do I get there?
Each Chapter of our group holds meetings at
different times and locations. Be sure to watch our
website upcoming events page. We do not offer
transportation to or from our events.
Do you have training?
Yes, we train our members in proper investigation
procedures. Training sessions are announced at
various times. Training is necessary to participate
in investigations. Ghost hunts (which are less
scientific) do not require this training. We offer
Ghost hunting classes 101(basic), 201(advanced) ,
psychic protection and other specialized topics.
What are the age limits?
Minimum ages: Under age 16 MUST be accompanied by a
parent or guardian, age 16 & 17 must have parental
permission or be accompanied by a parent or
guardian. The minimum age of someone attending a
night time ghost hunt is 12. Exceptions may be made
for daytime ghost hunts. Young children are easily
impressionable and more likely to be frightened.
They also have a tendency to run around and play
instead of paying attention to what they are doing
(I have kids). Some areas we go to may require a bit
of caution. It is very difficult for a parent to
take pictures and watch their child at the same
time. Exceptions may be made on a per case basis.
What makes your
organization unique (as opposed to other area
organizations) ?
We welcome those with little or no experience in
this field. All we ask is that members are serious
about learning, follow procedures, and have an open
mind.
Do you ever utilize
psychics or mediums ? Why or why not ?
Yes we do have Psychics, clairvoyants and sesitives
in our group.
Although some have varying opinions about them, many
of our group would agree that their insight is
valuable in understanding what we are dealing with.
You hope to get more of an in depth idea of what is
behind or not behind reported hauntings. Scientific
equipment is used for hunts and investigations but
it s not a bad idea to get a different perspective
on things. Often, through what psychics can tell us,
we can define our research to more specific areas
and use their insight to find the factual evidence
behind the haunting.
Membership Dues
How much are dues? How
often?
$25/person, $40/couple, $50/family (5 or less, same
household), payable once a year by your anniversary
date of joining.
Why do you charge dues?
There are costs involved in running a non-profit
organization and ensuring that we have scientific
equipment available to investigate hauntings. So
when dues are paid we have equipment to share
between members on ghost hunts and ID badges so our
appearance is professional. It pays for things like
booths at fairs, copies of handbooks, office
supplies, insurance, postage, etc.
Isn't $25/year steep?
If $2/month is too steep, stay home. You can't
afford the gas.
So if I have my own
equipment do I still pay dues?
Yes.
General Questions
Can you tell me how to
get to "Blank" cemetery? OR Is the old such n such
house just off whatever street in whatever town?
We don't advertise the locations of old cemeteries
because they are vandalized too much. We also can't
release private property information over the
internet to non-IGT members.
Join our group, come on ghost hunts with us and
you'll get to know where a lot of these are. All
members sign an agreement. This agreement specifies
you will not cause damage at any place we visit. We
then visit these places with permission.
Do Ouija boards really
work?
Some people think that Ouija boards can work. If in
fact they really do, there may be a risk factor
involved. A good book to read on the
subject is by Stoker Hunt, "Ouija, The Most
Dangerous Game. IGT doesn't use them in our quest to
investigate the paranormal. They establish no
credible proof of a haunting.
Ghost Hunting Techniques
Will I see a ghost if I
go ghost hunting?
Maybe, maybe not. More than likely if you take lots
of pictures AT A HAUNTED LOCATION you will
eventually take a legitimate photo of a ghost. As
you learn more about photography you will also learn
to critique your photos. Many in the group have yet
to see a ghost in anything other than pictures that
they have taken, a few have actually had the fortune
of seeing apparitions or orbs with the naked eye..
What do I bring ghost
hunting?
Always, Always, Always a flashlight and camera if
nothing else! Even a disposable camera is better
then nothing. Dress for the weather!
How do you differentiate between poltergeist
activity, imprinting and a conscious "interactive"
manifestation ?[/b][/color]
In a nutshell, poltergeist activity is caused by a
living person unbeknownst to them. The person
involved is usually a young teenager under a certain
degree of stress. The signs of this include many of
the same signs of a haunting such as objects moving,
loud noises or apparitions. These can be
distinguished from other types by careful research.
Imprinting, or a residual haunting, is basically
like a movie that replays itself. There is nothing
here that interacts with the living. The energy of
the event has been imprinted on a place or object
and can be triggered by certain conditions.
Interactive manifestations. You may see apparitions,
hear things, feel things, or s mell things that all
lead to this entity's presence. The entity may be
unable or unwilling to move on to the other side.
They may be there trying to deliver a message or
look after a loved one. In many cases these entities
try to make their presence known to the living but
in doing so cause some terrifying moments. This is
the normal type of encounter. Although these
encounters are usually harmless, there are
situations that can become dangerous.
What is an orb and how
can you tell if it is a "real orb" you have captured
on film?
An orb is what we believe to be a ghostly entity on
film. It's caused by the spirit drawing itself
together into some sort of cohesion creating a cold
spot at times. This occurs rapidly and is often only
caught by photography but not visible to the naked
eye. The differences can be tricky.
You must be aware of all conditions that can create
false orbs, (reflective bounce back, dust being
stirred up, water particles in the air, etc). The
more explainable of the orbs are generally very
light and hard to make out on the photo. They are
almost perfectly round but translucent (Digitals
cameras are notorious for getting these!).
The paranormal type would consist of solid round
globes with rougher edges without a center nucleus.
Sometimes they can be seen with streaks, as if in
motion. They are most often white but not always.
Will a ghost hurt me?
Most ghosts can't or won't hurt you. Sometimes the
incidents of people being hurt are related to people
who are living with a ghost in their home. The
entity becomes psychically bonded with the occupants
and this phenomenon then occurs in which injury may
occur. Ghosts are like people (since they once
were), and if you get them upset enough you never
know what could happen. Your best bet is to be
respectful at all times, and if you hear something
growl "GET OUT !!" and you know it wasn't the people
with you, turn around and leave. Demons or evil
spirits are another subject all together. We tend to
leave these alone and let the priests or psychics
good at "cleansing" deal with them. If you have a
spirit that is attacking you email me and we'll put
you in contact with a good psychic that can try to
help you out.
How can I find out more
about being a ghost hunter or buy some equipment?
Go to theshadowlands.net/ghost/ , www.lessemf.com ,
or www.zerotime.com
Personal
Questions about Mike McDowell, President of the
Indiana Ghost Trackers
How did you get involved
with Ghost Hunting and Investigating?
I ve always been interested in ghosts. I used to sit
out in the cemeteries late at night as a teenager
and tell ghost stories with my friends. A few years
ago I took a picture near the gravesite of Daniel
Boone with what is referred to as an "Orb" in it. I
had simply cleared some leaves off some old
headstones and taken this picture. The Orb had what
appeared to be a face in it.
I then went on the Haunted History tour in New
Orleans and that sparked my interested further. I
was President of NIICC, an Internet Chat Club that
met once a month to get together and do things
activities. It was a large group and a lot of people
in it were into ghosts like I was. I then started
taking some of these people out at Halloween time on
ghost "Tours" of NW Indiana to places written about
in the books and other local folklore. I would tell
them the stories and we came away with photos that
showed some paranormal activity!
I studied a lot about ghost hunting online and in
books at this point. There were no other ghost
groups around when all this was happening so we
decided it was time Indiana got a ghost group. A
local reporter followed us out on a ghost hunt in
July 2000 and we made the paper. Since then we've
been growing in numbers. When people from other
parts of the state started joining our group, since
there was nothing around them, we started thinking
about a statewide network of groups.
I don't consider myself a Pro. I just do my best,
read a lot, try to learn as much as possible and
make this group professional and enjoyable at the
same time.
Why did you start this
group ?
My interest was ignited when I took some strange
pictures in an old cemetery while playing site seer.
I have always been interested in ghosts but when I
got these unexplainable photos I couldn't help but
try to learn more. My interest in this subject lead
to a few ghost hunts with some friends of mine. As
more people became interested in what we were doing
I realized there was a need for this type of group
in this area. Some of the past ghost hunting groups
from this area had disbanded and there were a lot of
people out there with questions. There were people
who were curious about ghosts and others who needed
help.
When did you have your
first paranormal experience and what did you do?
The pogostick Kid:
I just started looking for ghosts and they found me,
haha. I have seen my first "earth light" or possible
ghost in Booneville (Near Evansville in June 02'). I
saw my first apparition in June 03' in a Muncie
cemetery. Sometimes I can feel the presence of a
ghost, I capture them on film or video and also
capture voice phenomena known as EVP.
Is this a full time job
or do you do something else during the day?
It seems like a full time job at times, haha, but
it's just an interest since I don't make any money
from this. I work for SARA LEE FOODS in Chicago
during the day and attend Purdue Calumet in the
evening part-time in pursuit of my B.S. in Computer
Systems Analysis. I currently hold an Associates in
the subject.
