Sunday, September 10, 2006

Memoirs Of Ghost Hunter

By Serene Stewart

The Nelson Paranormal League is a group of enthusiasts interested in studying paranormal phenomena. The NPL are not scientists, but simply a group of researchers interested in studying local sites that have unusual histories or stories surrounding them.

Thanks, Kevin. But really, who is the Nelson Paranormal League?

Well, I guess the logical place to start is with myself. My name is Serene, and I guess I’m the believer of the group. Well, I was, no, I am, well, let’s get back to this…

I vividly remember, as a child, that feeling of fear so intense, you could taste it. The blood pumping in your head, the echoing thump of your heart, the very real sensation of what it is to be truly afraid of the ghostly encounter underway. But as an adult, not much more than spiritual beliefs and a desire to believe the afterlife exists. My beliefs have been neither denied nor confirmed by my involvement in the Nelson Paranormal League, or NPL (nipple), if you’re in the know. I have seen things that I believe to possibly be unexplainable, but on the whole, logic has prevailed on experiences thus far. I expect that is why we continue spending our spare nights hanging out in dinghy basements and haunted hotel rooms.

The next member of our team is Chris, fearless investigator, and also my husband. We are marketers by day. Marketing what? What have you got? My roots are firmly planted in good corporate communications stuff, BC Hydro, Environment Canada, solid, boring marketing with a budget. Chris on the other hand was molded in the dark confines of a night club in Vancouver. Nine years of promotions and pr through Granville Entertainment and onwards. Good solid marketing stuff also, but a little more flamboyant. We now own our own marketing company, Juggernaut, the force behind change. Not ghost hunting related at all, though. We were married in the Hume Hotel, in the suite upstairs, but sadly the most spiritual experience was the deep sleep that we got in the very comfortable bed.

Chris is a skeptical believer, if such a thing exists. He respects what could be, but challenges what is. Chris is the funny guy, who can get anyone to talk. He also talks a lot when he’s scared. But you’ll get to know Chris better after you see the action.

Kevin is our bonafide geek, our dude with the gadgets, and he’s not afraid to use them. When the time comes, when we are faced with the almighty paranormal proof beyond all belief or challenge, Kevin will be the one in the front, EMF Detector in hand, gathering the data. Despite the fact that Kevin is a pretty spiritual guy, he’s scientific through and through. He briefly lived in a retreat in the wilds of the West Coast islands, studying brain activity and frequency, and meditating amongst the cedars. An illustrator by trade, Kevin now works as at the local paper doing design and layout. He’s also Juggernaut’s #1 Graphic Designer.

Next is Thea, who refers to herself as a “listener” and engages her talent with the tarot cards as a medium of communication that bridges time and dimension. Her ability to tap into the energy of a place and listen to its story through the visual tools of the tarot raises some interesting stories that have been long since buried. Thea, accompanied by her faithful Great Dane Beauragard, are our spiritual detectors, alerting us to the unique energy experienced into our venture into the deep history of Nelson, BC, and its surrounding area. When they say Kootenay Ghost Towns, they’re not kidding.

So let’s start with our first foray into Nelson’s history, as it were. The Hume Hotel was opened March 17, 1898, by local pioneer family, J. Fred and Lydia Hume, and heralded a new era for Nelson, which was only incorporated one year earlier. It was a marvel to behold, with state of the art amenities including electric lights and steam radiators. National papers proclaimed “Between Winnipeg …and Vancouver…no such building exists.”

The Hume Hotel has always stood at the centre of Nelson, and has been home to countless families, guests, celebrations, and commiserations. But the “Grand Old Dame of Nelson” has a darker side, numerous reputed hauntings, and stories that have been covered like the old original fireplace in the Library Lounge. The Nelson Paranormal League decided to investigate, to find out about if the Hume is really as haunted as all the locals say.

Employees of the Hume tell mysterious tales of doors slamming, ghostly presences, TVs and lights turning on and off of their own accord, and unexplained feelings of being watched. NPL decided the Hume was the perfect location to test out our nerves of steel, and cool minds under crazy circumstance, not to mention our EMF detectors, digital thermometers and sound recorders. Our first job was to interview staff, and to find out what people who spent large amounts of time within the Hume, had to say about her.