Post-Investigative Report

Client:  The Irish Mist

Date:  10/01/08

Referred by: Robbie MacDonough

History: The 4-story building was opened in 1845 as Empire Stove Works which was owned by Sweat & Quimby. Empire Stove was the second largest cast iron stove manufacturer in the Northeast. Empire Stove operated at this location until the early 1900?s when a fire destroyed the stove plant. The building remained vacant for several years until Lindy's Hardware moved in around 1920. Lindy's was in business at this location until 1998 when they closed for retirement. The building remained empty until 2000 when it was bought by the current owner for it's present purpose.
It is rumored that many lives were lost to fires in this building over the years, and especially when it was the stove works. Because of the nature of labor laws at the time, un-skilled children and immigrants were used quite often. Safety was not a huge concern until unions started to protest in the latter part of the century, and many people were injured, maimed, or killed while working in these iron working factories.

Reported Activity: Employees have reported being touched when no one is around them. Many feelings of "not being alone", as well as reports of shadowy figures. One ex-employee told of a night when he was setting up for a banquet to be held the next day. It was late at night. He had set the tablecloths on the tables and left to get glassware. When he returned, a table cloth had been pulled off. This happened numerous times throughout the rest of the night. Employees have taken photographs that have anomalies in them. An Indie gangster movie, called "Noir", was filmed on the fourth floor. The sound crew had setup for a sound check of the set, then left. When they came back, they had supposedly recorded 23 minutes of ghostly conversation.

Investigation
Members Present: Merrill, Dave, Robbie, Bill K., Sarah, Jay. Also, NNYPRS associate Dan L. from SPI

Others Present: Chet, Metroland Reporter

Equipment used:
Video: CCTV DVR with 4 IR capable cameras, 2 Sony HandyCam Hi8 camcorders, Scotts Thermal Imaging Camera connected to Canon camcorder
Photo: Multiple Digital Cameras, one 35 MM camera
Audio: 4 Digital Voice Recorders (3 Olympus, 1 RCA)
EMF: 1 Extech EMF Detector, 1 Natural Tri-field Meter, 1 CellSensor, 1 generic CellSensor, 1 Magnetic Shield Corp ef-401
Temp.: 2 Raytek Mini-temp Non-contact IR Surface Thermometers, 1 Fluke Non-contact IR Therm., 1 Temp/Humidity Data Logger, 1 Ambient Temp. Thermometer
Other: Acoustics Meter, Laptop, Chalk, position markers, notebooks, 2-way radios, fine talc powder

Time Started:

8:00 PM: Merrill, Dave, Robbie meet with the "Metroland" reporter
10:30: Initial full team walkthrough
11:00: Equipment set-up, and base readings
11:30: Split into teams for investigating and debunking techniques, evp sessions, etc.
3:30 AM: Pack-up begun
4:00: Investigation Complete

Data Findings: Our Temp/Humidity Data Logger placed on the 4th floor where the movie set was, showed no abnormal readings. The ambient temperature meter showed normal air temperature fluctuations throughout the night. We have found at least three photos with anomalies that could be considered paranormal. We have found one possible anomaly on video so far. We have a few questionable sounds throughout the audio.

Personal Experiences: We had many personal experiences throughout the night. Before investigation started, one member felt like he was being watched. Pictures were taken, and one interesting orb was found. Many times throughout the night, investigators saw shadows cross in front of the light from the windows on the second floor. Two investigators felt a strange energy in the entry to the bar area, which corresponds to one possible anomalous photo. Many shadows were seen from the corner of investigators eyes. Metal rods leaning on a chair on the second floor crashed to the floor while investigators were approx. 10 feet away. One investigator had a brief visual of a Full Bodied Apparition approx. 2 feet in front of him. It was described as being an older, bald man in profile to the investigator, wearing a navy blue shirt. After approx 2-3 seconds, the FBA dissipated before he could react. He felt very strongly that if he reached out, he would have felt a solid person.

Debunking: Using the thermal imager on the second floor, 2 investigators found a heat signature that appeared to be the size of a person. They attempted to get closer, and the heat signature moved, then disappeared. Upon further investigation, they found a reflective metal surface in the area where they originally saw the heat signature. They were then able to re-create the scenario multiple times, finding that the metal surface was reflecting one of the investigators heat signature.

Initial Conclusion: We believe we have enough information to reasonably conclude this location may be experiencing both residual and true haunting. We feel that with the personal experiences and anomalous findings, this location deserves to be studied more to attempt to get more data, as well as to debunk what we have acquired so far.