Mesich - The ghost in the coal cellar: true case files from a lone investigator

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Copyright Information

The Ghost in the Coal Cellar: True Case Files from a Lone Investigator 2014 by Andrea Mesich.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any matter whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Publications, except in the form of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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First e-book edition 2014

E-book ISBN: 9780738741369

Book design by Bob Gaul

Cover design by Kevin R. Brown

Cover image: iStockphoto.com/17919513/zagorskid

Editing by Ed Day

Interior Photos by Andrea Mesich

Llewellyn Publications is an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

Llewellyn Publications does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business arrangements between our authors and the public.

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Llewellyn Publications

Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

2143 Wooddale Drive

Woodbury, MN 55125

www.llewellyn.com

Manufactured in the United States of America

Contents

: The Beginning

: Mission Point Resort

: The Paulding Lights

: The Rocking Chair

: First Ward Schoolhouse

Introduction

My name is Andrea and I am a paranormal investigator. I have been investigating the paranormal since 2004 when I had my first experience. I had a true level of skepticism about the whole industry. I didnt really believe in ghosts or UFOs, so imagine my fear, my shock, and my wonder when I had a paranormal experience. I was glad my mother was there, mostly because then I knew I wasnt going crazy; she was experiencing the exact same things I was. It wasnt just me.

My first encounter with the paranormal changed my mind completely and, as fear turned to curiosity, I found myself wanting to know more. How did this event come to happen to me? Where did this spirit come from? The haunting, which started in 2004 and continued for several years, was happening in my childhood home. By that point I had lived in that house for nearly thirty years and had never had a paranormal encounter before. After speaking with two well-known investigators, I firmly believe my brother brought a spirit home with him from one of his trips (which always included paranormal investigations of haunted areas).

I have been studying the paranormal ever since. I call myself the paranormal ronin . A ronin is the Japanese word for masterless samurai; however, instead of a masterless samurai, I am a groupless investigator. I accept the kindness of various groups and join them when invited on investigations. I learn their investigation styles and techniques, then try them out and see what works for me. Over the years, I have learned the best style of investigation is an open ear, a sharp eye, and a good recorder. The rest are bells and whistles, but helpful to investigations in their own way. Most teams are extremely welcoming and willing to share what they know to help me find answers and help me learn what works best for me as an investigator. I also have the opportunity to investigate places I would otherwise not be able to investigate by joining groups from all over. I want to know more about my own experiences and learn how to better help others with their experiences.

I have been many places and experienced many things. It was time I shared my experiences with everyone. That is where this book comes in, dear readers. Through this book, I will take you through a few of the most haunted places I have ever been to in my time as a paranormal investigator. These are not fictional stories meant to entertain or scare you during a dark and stormy night; these are not tales of high school haunted houses filled with teenagers in costumes that jump out and shout BOO as you walk by.

The tales Im about to walk you through are all real. These are actual accounts of the true paranormal events. You will read eyewitness accounts of the ghostly tales, and follow me on an actual paranormal investigation and see these tales come to life before your very eyes. If you are brave of heart, follow me, friends, into the darkness of the unknown to do what many have done before us; to search to understand what is currently beyond our understanding, and perhaps learn a little bit more about ourselves.

one

The Beginning

A study from a few years ago showed that three of every four Americans believed in the paranormal, many believing they have experienced paranormal events. I was not one of those people. I loved ghost stories. Even as a little girl I liked to hear stories like the one about a teenager who picked up a girl on the side of the road looking for a ride home. She left her jacket in his car after he dropped her off and when he returned it to the house he went to the night before, the mother informed him her daughter died in an accident years earlier.

Ghost stories were always exciting, thrilling, and chilling, but to me, ghosts were as real as a Stargate where you could be on earth, walk through the force field, and instantaneously be on an alien planet when you come out the other side. It made for a great movie and then television show, but it wasnt based on reality. The same went for ghost stories and the haunted movies that are always based on actual events. They always say based on actual events because you cant prove it didnt happen and it makes the story more exciting, like The Amityville Horror . At least, that is what I thought back then.

I never gave the paranormal much thought except on dark and stormy nights when Id curl up in bed with books like The Canterville Ghost . All harmless fun. Other than that, I was a typical girl growing up. I had my mom and dad, my two older brothers JP and AP. I never understood why my mom didnt give me a middle name that started with P. I had my inner circle of friends and my beloved pets. I was a good Catholic girl who attended church every Sunday and said my rosary nightly. I went to school, graduated, got a job, didnt like it, got another. I enjoyed listening to music from Japan and I was a fan of Samurai movies. I got a first-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, I loved the Renaissance Fair. There was nothing unusual about my life or my interestsat least not until the middle of 2004, when my view on life was turned upside down.