Published by Haunted America
A Division of The History Press
Charleston, SC
www.historypress.com
Copyright 2018 by Tanya McCoy and Whitney Wilson
All rights reserved
First published 2018
E-Book edition 2018
Opposite: Billy Jack Reuter. Courtesy of Vicki Proctor.
ISBN 978.1.43966.544.2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018945676
Print edition ISBN 978.1.46714.154.3
Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the authors or The History Press. The authors and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
In Memory of
Billy Jack Reuter
A true cowboy, who helped to preserve the history of Canadian County. He and his wife, Pat Reuter, collected and preserved vital pieces of Oklahoma history and formed the Canadian County Historical Museum in El Reno, Oklahoma, as well as donated many other artifacts to various other museums to share with us and many generations to come. Thank you, Mr. Reuter, for helping to keep history alive for all of us.
To my youngest daughter, Katy McCoy,
for all the time away while writing this book.Tanya
For my husband, Josh; and kids, Dane and Lyric,
for tolerating me and my time away.Whitney
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A special thanks to the Cheyenne-Arapaho Nation; Max Bear, Calvin White of Just Paranormal Stuff; the Canadian County Historical Museum; Pat Reuter; Vicki Proctor; Judy Mihn; the Oklahoma Historical Society; the Mustang Historical Society; Carole Hanna; the Elks Lodge of El Reno; Cortney Kane Sites; Jennifer Handley; the City of El Reno; Heather Brothers; the National Cavalry Museum; Wendy Ogden; the Fort Reno Historical Society; Jim Johnston; Ron Cross, founder of PROS (Paranormal Research of Organized Studies) Investigations; Kale Epperson and Jeri Beavers of Paranormal Investigations of Oklahoma; the City of Mustang; Gayle Early; our OPA (Oklahoma Paranormal Association) teammates and besties Cara Pershall and Dana Rutledge; several contributors who wish to be left unnamed; and, of course, our wonderful supportive husbands, Joshua Wilson and Clinton Womack-McCoy.
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION TO PARANORMAL INVESTIGATION
Through the centuries, people from across the world have shared their ghostly encounters. When you become involved with ghost hunting or, as we like to call it, paranormal investigating, you must first understand what a spirit or haunting truly is. Reaching the paranormal has become more popular and widely more accepted over the past decade due to the recent rise in paranormal shows on television. Even though most of the shows are over dramatized and some even faked for ratings, the fact is that paranormal activity does occur. Just keep in mind that not everything that happens is paranormal. When investigating, it is best to use a scientific view and see if you can find a reason why such things might be occurring. For instance, is the knocking sound you are hearing coming from a loose window screen or a tree limb hitting the house? Did the door that just slowly open have a weak catch that is easily moved or has the house settled, causing it to pitch and make the floor uneven? Often a strange image in a picture can be caused by a light flare or reflection. Please keep in mind that dust particles captured on film do not constitute an orb. It is also necessary to do your research prior to ever investigating, not only on the location but in the paranormal field as well. Its hard to conduct a proper investigation if you dont know what youre doing or even what you are dealing with.
There are several different types of hauntings, as well as different terms being used in the field of paranormal research. What equipment you may choose to use will depend on the location and what type of haunting it is. To help you better understand some of our experiences, we will first discuss the type of hauntings written about in this book and some of the equipment we often use.
What is a ghost or spirit? The study of the paranormal is still in its early stages, even though it has been in research for the past two centuries. Most of what we know, or think we know, is based on theory and personal experiences. Much like the study of medicine, it will take us more time to possibly be able to explain and prove or disprove the existence of a ghost. The present theory behind the existence of a ghost is that it is a person who has passed on, leaving their earthly body behind while their spirit moves on to another plane of existence. Scientists have proven that each one of our cells contains a small battery pack called ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is a molecule in the nucleotide. The molecule is able to store and transmit energy within the cell. The question is, when our body dies, where does that energy go? Many people believe that it is that energy that is our actual soul, and that the soul leaves the body, which causes the body to die. For years, when someone would pass, a family member or even nurses I have worked with in the past have opened a window so the spirit would have a way to leave. Many cultures still cover all the mirrors in the house so the spirit wont become trapped in their glass. Is it possible that certain spirits dont cross over to the other realm, and thats why so many people are claiming to see ghostly apparitions to this day? To better understand a haunting, we must figure out what type of haunting it actually is.
One type of haunting we often encounter is called an intelligent haunting, which is when you come in contact with a spirit that can interact with you. For example, if a spirit responds to the knock testa test where you knock a certain number of times or use a special rhythm and then ask the spirit to repeat it for youthen it is considered an intelligent haunting. These types of spirits are also known to interact by moving objects, turning on lights or setting off sensors on command.
A photographic haunting, or residual haunting, is just the opposite of an intelligent haunting. It never interacts, and it plays over and over like a scene from a movie. For example, if you witnessed a woman in a long blue dress walking up the stairs during a certain type of day or night but she never turned to acknowledge you or interact but is always seen doing the same activity, then she is a photographic haunting. Photographic hauntings are believed to be caused by a large burst of energy caused during a persons life where they leave an ever-lasting imprint on time, much like a photograph or movie. A persons feelings can send out a large charge of energy, often marking the area with what appears to be an imprint on time.
