You'd Rather Hunt Ghosts Than Bust Them

Paranormal Investigation of Fort Mifflin

by Lauren F. Friedman

Ghost hunting isn't easy. If anyone could just walk in a room and summon a ghost into plain sight, we probably wouldn't debate their existence. So despite what you may think, those charged with the difficult task — paranormal investigators — don't simply stand around a creaky room with a Ouija board. They bring in a full arsenal of whiz-bang equipment that includes electromagnetic field detectors and infrared thermometers.

Mark Davis, co-founder of the Paranormal Association of Research & Assistance, calls his methodology "scientific," but concedes that a skeptic would "pick it apart." The doubtful, along with the credulous and the curious, can attend a PARA-led investigation of the 238-year-old Fort Mifflin, but be warned: You may just walk away a believer. "It's probably one of the most haunted locations in the country," says Davis.

Davis has been chasing after ghosts since childhood, but Fort Mifflin is the only place where he's become so uncomfortable that he had to leave the room. "There was a lot of death there," he says. As Davis tells it, tourists often speak enthusiastically about guides in period attire who, of course, weren't actually there — at least among the living.

Participants will also learn how to use PARA's elaborate gadgetry and then make recordings in a number of allegedly haunted rooms. PARA members will remain on hand to answer questions and raffle off prizes, including a private midnight tour with Shannon Sylvia, from the Sci Fi show Ghost Hunters International.

Besides raising money for Fort Mifflin, the goal is to learn about the paranormal, not eliminate it. "Ghosts have free will, and anyone who tells you they can get rid of them is lying," says Davis. "Ghosts are people, too."

Sat.-Sun., May 16-17, 4 p.m.-midnight, $65 per night or $100 for both nights (preregistration required), Fort Mifflin, 1 Fort Mifflin Road, 215-685-4167, para-help.com.