DateJanuary 12 2002
InvestigatorsDee Freedman, Anita Perron
Steve Dietrich, Krystal PerronWeatherCloudy, 36 degrees C
Moon Phasenew moon
Steve Dietrich, Krystal PerronThis particular night was a preliminary assessment, in order for us to determine what equipment we may need for an investigation, should we decide to move forward with one. We did not proceed with a thorough investigation in mind, hence we did not have the usual and necessary equipment on hand. Below are the individual accounts of those in attendance on Septemnber 16 2001.After we began our preliminary assessment of the tunnels, I was hit by some very heavy residual stuff. There were 2 places in particular that I would not even enter, it was an evening of sensory overload for me. We came to a spot that was only recently discovered a week before and my first reaction was anxiety, followed by very weak and shakey legs. That's when the fun started. I was busy feeling anxious when Anita called me to come over to the corner of the newly discovered room. The moment I looked into the corner, I picked up on a young man (teen years) crouching down in a fetal position with his head hidden practically in his lap. The young man, whom I discovered a short time later was named Thomas, was absolutely terrified and totally unaware that he had passed over. Anita by this time was huddling over Thomas in a protective position. Anita, being empathic, began to take on Thomas's emotions and was soon in tears.It immediately dawned on me that we had to get him out of there because I was suddenly aware of a presence behind us and I didn't like her one bit. She was responsible for Thomas's fear. I began talking directly to Thomas trying to get his attention and desperately trying to get him to raise his head to look out in front of him. It took several requests to get him to listen to me. I asked him to look straight through the corner of the wall, at the light that was there (he was not aware until that moment, that he could do this). Once his attention was on the light we finally convinced him to walk to it and not look back. He was finally free of the woman I felt was terrorizing him. She seemed to stand back and wait to see if we were successful in sending him on his way and was not the least bit happy with any of us because of our interference. The entire incident seemed to me, to take about a half-hour, although I know that that is not possible. As I was directly involved, it is not possible to give you an unbiased opinion of what occurred, however I can state that I have been just as involved in similar occurrences prior to this, through the years.In a later incident up in the attic portion, I became extremely emotional myself and was given the opportunity to see through the eyes of a man that resided there, probably circa World War II. It was very unsettling to say the least. Most of what I encountered here, however, was residual with the exception of "Thomas".Below is each group member's unedited and honest accounts and feelings of this peculiar evening. We do not ask you to take our word for what is written here. It's up to you to assess the comments and make up your own mind as to the events..Steve and I entered the tunnel area in question. The lighting was extremely poor and furnished solely by our flashlight. This particular chamber was devoid of any furnishings etc..- completely empty.. My eyes had not fully adjusted, however I immediately pointed out to Steve that I believed there was something in the far corner. It appeared to be a dark, huddled, humanish mass for lack of a better description. I do not believe that Anita nor Dee had overheard this statement made by myself and I know that they were not privy to my thoughts on the appearance of what I was seeing at the time as I did not verbalize them. Shortly thereafter Anita and Dee entered this room and both immediately and almost in unison stated that there was an 'entity' in the corner that I had previously pointed out to Steve. I found this to be corroboration to what I was physically seeing with my eyes as well as 'feeling'. My two fellow investigators of the paranormal (Dee & Anita) quickly began what I can only describe as an 'intervention' in order to 'rescue' this perceived soul. They used encouraging and loving words in order to have the said entity 'move on'. While Dee maintained her composure, Anita (in closer proximity to the 'entity') appeared to be physically and emotionally shaken by the unfolding experience. She was in fact crying. At the approximate halfway point of this event my eyes (more properly adjusted) were drawn to a point in the tunnel area directly behind my colleagues, L. Reid and K. Leigh. I saw what appeared to be movement (as if someone had entered the tunnel area) coming towards us. This apparent movement had stopped just short of L. Reid whose position was at the approximate 1/4 mark of the tunnel in relation to us. As my attention had become solely focused on this new event; I did not notice the apparent departure of the 'entity' in the far corner. However, upon completion of their joint 'intervention' I did notice that the 'dark huddled humanish mass' was no longer visible. Very interesting! I would also like to add at this time that I personally had never witnessed this type of interaction before. As for whatever it was that had stopped in the tunnel it was my 'feeling' at the time that whatever 'it' was, was still there as we exited the area.Other notes of interest: I did not notice any 'cold spots' or other dramatic change in temperature/atmosphere during this event, the total duration of this event was approximately 5 -10 minutes, (my best guestimate as I was not wearing a watch), I did not notice any unusual smells nor hear any sounds associated, my own composure remained throughout and oddly I do not remember a sense of fear or anxiety take hold at any time, which could be interpreted as strange in and of itself considering the circumstances and despite the fact that I was in the company of 5 others. One's senses/emotions typically become more heightened during such an experience. This is only a natural human reaction to that which we do not fully understand.We went through the first entrance of the tunnel and I showed everyone where a bricked off doorway was. This is where I believe the tunnel branches off but is not accessible. As we proceeded further in, we made notes of general interest and explored a few closed doors. One of the rooms we entered seemed to have a more heavier feel to it. Sue was the first one in the room and immediately sensed something in the far corner. Anita came in and felt the presence of a teen-age boy who was extremely distraught. Dee then entered and saw the young boy frightened and curled up in the corner. I could not see the apparition myself, but as I said the room had an extremely heavy feel to it. After several minutes had passed (which felt like an eternity down there), Dee and Anita were able to direct ('Thomas') the teen-aged boy, to his rightful place. But we still felt like we were not alone.How brave we all were as we continued through the rest of the tunnels and then proceeded to the attic. I was surprised to fine the attic door wide open this time as I have never had the chance to explore that area before. Again this area also seemed to be a little unnerving. Dee and Anita were able to pick up on negative energy in several of the attic rooms. All in all I think our exploration has left us with more questions than answers and is cause for a more thorough investigation by the same team.If a tree falls in the forest, does it still make a sound if no one is there to hear it??? But what if you are there but can't see, feel or hear it. This is my situation.This was one of my thoughts after an incident was witnessed by myself and others at the Guild Inn.While searching through the lower tunnels and rooms of the Guild, Sue and myself entered a small room with heads lowered so as not to hit them against the ceiling, and proceeded to check out this area. At the end, there was a turn to the left which ended immediately but I paid no attention to it and looked at a hole in the wall to see if it went anywhere. Sue then asked me to shine the light into the corner to the left with great urgency. Looking at the area, I was wondering what she had seen. Dee and Anita came to our position and felt a presence in the corner. There was obvious worry in their voices as they felt that this unseen presence was in distress and Anita went to the corner to comfort what was later said to be a cowering child. Dee was telling the "child" not to be afraid and to look up at the light. Although I could not see Anita's face, I could hear sobbing coming from her. She has told me that she picks up the emotions of spirits strongest. She was also comforting the child by what appeared to me to be lightly rubbing the back of the child. This went on for a short period of time trying to convince the child that everything was ok and to look up.Now, I'm watching all this happen and I start thinking to myself, "what's really happening here". I'm seeing nothing, I'm feeling nothing. I'm not even getting a cold feeling or a draft of any kind that is usually associated with paranormal phenomena. No hairs on the back of my neck standing up! The negative thoughts start to enter. Again, I think "what's really happening here". Is there really anything happening here?". I would have to say YES, although this is a subjective opinion only.There was no media to play a role for. There was no one there that was unknown to any of us, that an act was necessary to be played out for. We are all friends and colleagues and I personally feel that I know them well enough that this was not some game. Also, just because I'm not picking anything up, doesn't mean something is not happening in front of me.I immediately stopped the negative thoughts that I was experiencing so as not to interfere with what might be unfolding in front of me. If there was a child in need, then those thoughts might disrupt the attempt to help. Very shortly thereafter Dee said that he was looking up at the light and was leaving.As for the length of time that this lasted for, I personally feel that it was approximately 3-5 minutes.Some people need glasses to see. Some need hearing aids. The sights and sounds are still there but sometimes devices are needed to help out. Unfortunately this is something that at this point in what I feel is our level of spiritual development, will remain an unknown to most of us and but a few selected individuals shall have the opportunity to experience.As I have lived near the Guild Inn all of my life, I have always viewed it as a grand, exciting, mysterious place. The beautiful gardens, unique sculptures and interesting buildings make it a place with a great story.As you enter the gates of the Guild Inn, everything seems so calm, quiet and beautiful. Upon entering the building, you realize that it is a place that has been around for quite some time and that it has been well enjoyed by many people over the years, however you would never expect what was/is lurking below the mail floor. I know I certainly didn't.Having explored the tunnels below the Guild before with Krystal and friends, I knew what to expect in terms of the condition of the area. There are low ceilings, broken tiles, low pipes, a mildew smell, a feeling of stuffiness and a sense of abandonment.As we began to explore the tunnels, Krystal took us to a room that does not make sense. As we opened the metal door, we filed in one by one, along a narrow hallway (if that is what I can call it) to an area that is maybe 12 feet by 12 feet at the most. The floor slopes in this space and there is a small section of the back wall that has been cut out and has an opening like a sewer at the top, that we think leads to the outside grounds. Its purpose is still unknown. As we explored this small area, I heard Sue telling Steve that there is something in the corner of this area. I'm thinking it's a spider or a mouse. As I see her flash the light in the corner, Dee and Anita begin to sense a presence in this area. Anita went to the corner to be with the spirit and Dee started speaking to the spirit. She said that he was sitting in the corner, with his eyes covered, not looking into the light. As Dee kept speaking to him, I had the feeling that someone may be coming down the hallway - maybe the evening desk clerk?; highly unlikely, but possible. Then Sue mentions that she senses someone in the hall area. I thought to myself, I'm having the same feeling. That can't be! As Dee continues to urge the spirit to look at the light, to go to the light, she explains that he has passed on, to not be afraid, and tells Anita to say a few words. I can not see Anita's actions, but I know that she is with the spirit, consoling him. My thoughts are, "is this really happening?, Am I really experiencing this? What is really going on here?", Then Dee announces that he has left the room and that he is now in a safer place. This entire incident lasted about, maybe, 5 minutes at the most.As we continued to explore the tunnels, Anita and Dee had more feelings in other rooms, of things that had taken place. As we discussed our experiences over coffee, I asked Dee and Anita how many times they had done their team work in helping a spirit move on. They said that this was the first time. This pretty much confirmed for me that something really did happen down there.So, as it stands, the Guild Inn is a place with a lot of history, with so much more to be discovered! I can't wait to see what we discover next!The Guild Inn is a beautiful place in which to visit, at any time, although at night it seems a touch on the eerie side, down in the tunnels.We made our way down into the, now infamous, tunnels with one dim flashlight in hand and an excited group. One room off the tunnels that we came to, received my instant attention. I felt the presence of a teenage boy in the far dark corner of the room. Terror captured me in a tight embrace. He was terrified of being found. I didn't know at the time who he was hiding from, but I was sure he was hiding from someone. I walked over to where he was curled up, in a fetal position with his head buried in the corner. I tried to comfort him as best I could with thoughts of protection and security. I had no real awareness of anyone else in the room except for Dee, who was now beginning to ask him to look toward the light, as well as telling him he had passed on. It took a lot of convincing on our part to do this. I finally realized I had tears running down my face, they had come from the strong emotions of the boy. He began to listen to our encouragement and finally looked to the light. He at once realized he was gone from this world and could walk into the light and be safe. The whole affair, I was told, took only approximately 5 minutes, but it sure felt like much more.As we always end up doing when we are together, we talked the night away instead of going to bed. At about 5:30 a.m., we heard loud banging from the room next door. The banging continued on the door of the adjoining suite (which was booked by another couple who also attended the anniversary party) and we thought that maybe we were talking too loudly and they were getting upset with us. This was a little bit baffling because we were talking quietly, not partying, in fact two of our group, actually slept through the conversation. As we continued to talk about the banging from the next room, the door knob between the suites started turning and I commented "what are they trying to do, get into our room?". We all had a bit of a giggle and continued to watch the door knob as it turned once more. Three of us watched that door knob turn. We would find out later that the couple staying in the adjoining room had heard the same banging on their side of the wall and thought it was us. They also thought we were turning the door knob from our side trying to enter their room!At 6:30a.m. we were all totally exhausted and decided to get a couple of hours sleep. As I lay down and closed my eyes, a little boy approached me and placed himself right in front of my face. He really wanted my attention and I could not help but notice his unusual eyes; one was brown, the other blue.I was so exhausted and wanting sleep that I told him to "go away, I just can't deal with you right now, I'm too tired". Then I immediately fell asleep until 9a.m., at which time my husband woke me for coffee which we were all having across the hall at the other room we had booked as a group.While I was sipping my coffee, I announced the visit from the little guy earlier that morning and when I mentioned that he had one blue eye and one brown. I thought Krystal and Sue were going to fall over face first from the looks of surprise on their faces. They went on to explain that they had had a report of a similar nature recently. The report was about a resident who had been having dreams about (you guessed it) a fellow with one blue eye and one brown eye. I never did get back to that little guy although I'm curious about who he might have been and what his connection was with the area.We also had an incident with a piece of jewelery, which was placed under a pair of gloves on the dresser, prior to everyone going to bed. The jewellery and gloves were beside a wallet and some money, none of which were moved or lost with exception of the jewelery. A number of us looked for it, under the bed, behind the dresser, around the room. One of our group went so far as to shake out the bed clothes to no avail. I then asked the owner of the jewelery to loudly, ask for it to be returned. Not more than a few minutes later, voila, the jewelery turns up on the bed that had just been shaken out. No one had moved or entered or left the room during this time. Quite an interesting night all in all.What do you think?Anita PerronSteve DietrichKrystal PerronSue Darroch Lisa Reid Gary FreedmanThe History of the Guild Inn by Carole M. LidgoldUpon arrival at the Guild, the team settled in and Dee mentioned that she thought there would be a busy night ahead. Several loud bangs were heard almost immediately, which sounded as if a metal structure was flexing as a result of temperature changes. Ideas were thrown around as to what the cause of the banging could be and never did get resolved. It was determined however that heating ducts expanding and contracting were out of the question because the section of the Guild that the team was in was electrically heated by m,base board units. There was no duct work. The sounds were not audible in the rest of the Guild. During dinner, at 7:30 pm, distant voices were heard although the investigative team was alone in that particular part of the Inn. After dinner, it was time for a walk for some fresh air. We walked along the paths behind the Inn taking in the sights of the bluffs and the stone carvings on the property. We were all in a jovial mood when we came upon a carved life size stone bear. We dared Steve to climb onto the bear's back, which did not prove easy. The back of the bear stood approximately four feet, eight inches high. After several attempts and much laughter, Steve accomplished his quest, which we happened to catch on video much to his dismay.After coming in from the cold, we then roamed throughout the building itself. We ran into cold spots almost immediately at the front of the Inn near the foyer and on the landing of the oak staircase. A compass was used to determine whether or not there were any magnetic anomalies and indeed the compass would not settle down for about 90 seconds at which time it then settled into proper form. The compass was used at another location just to verify how much time it took to settle on a point. The time taken by the compass to settle was about 3 seconds.We descended the stairs into the tunnels. Upon rounding a corner we heard a squeaking sound reminiscent of metal wheels, which reminded everyone of a catering cart or gurney, however there were no other objects available in the area that we could find that would duplicate the sound. Further down the hallway we came upon a closed room containing a dead starling near a wall. What we noticed that was unusual was that the head was not intact, nor anywhere to be seen in the vicinity. The spine was protruding from the body about 3/4 of an inch and was clean of all tissue, blood, or sinew (as if boiled clean).No animal scat was found within the room, nor were we aware of any entrance or exit points within the room leading to the outside. Several months before in the same area one of our team witnessed a cat which ran between the legs of another member. A few of our team searched for the cat immediately, however a search proved futile. There was no possibility that a cat could have exited those tunnels that quickly without our knowledge, leaving us to wonder if we may have witnessed a phantom cat. (Note: this cat has been witnessed by a member on more than one occassion/)While standing in the old staff room in the basement, two of the team felt aware of a presence behind them. That is when the lights went on in the staff room, however this could be attributed to a faulty ballast in the light fixture, although if so, the coincidence was indeed strange.Proceeding along to the first floor kitchen, Anita, Dee and Krystal were in the front of the kitchen while Steve went to the back of the kitchen where he heard what seemed like hammering. Again upon investigation, there was nothing to substantiate it. Keep in mind that the Inn is closed for the season and we were alone in the building.Upon reentering the tunnels, we decided to visit the boiler room, which supplies heat to the old part of the Inn only. Anita noticed what appeared to be a balloon which was inflating and deflating about 20 feet away. After approaching it however, it was discovered that there was no balloon nor were there any sources on the machinery to house a balloon nor cause such an effect.After retiring for the night in the newer part of the Inn, we were in for a few more surprises. Steve experienced what he had called a tickling sensation under his arm. He wasn't completely asleep, but knew that it wasn't one of the other members of the team. He reached out and grabbed what he thought was a child's arm, which transformed into a cat's paw. We acknowledge that this could possibly be the subconscious at work.Dee's sleep was disturbed throughout the night by the sound of a clock or metronome ticking away, until she realized that there was nothing in the room to justify the sound at which time it immediately stopped. In the morning she was awakened by a older man with longish gray hair, slight build, dressed in a grey sweat type shirt. He was wearing protective goggles around his neck and had dark glasses on. She immediately got out of bed and wrote down the description on paper and showed the others as they slowly made their way into the common room during the morning. Later on in the morning one of the other members brought in a book titled 'The History of the Guild Inn' by Carole M. Lidgold, which Dee quickly went through until she came upon a photo of the man she saw that morning. His name; E.B. Cox (see below). Stranger still is that we think E.B. Cox may still be alive, to which end we will do further research. On Sunday morning while walking the grounds yet again, we were surprised to discover that the bear which we all had fun with the night before, was carved by, you guessed it, E.B. Cox. Yet passes one more interesting and puzzling experience at the Guild Inn.During the month of February 2002 it became publicly known, through the media and such, the fate of The Guild Inn. We are all very saddened to hear that The Guild would be permanately closing down. We are keeping our fingers crossed that they do not tear down the original structure, but find some way to work it into future plans. As a few of us also feel very fortunate to experience all the that the Guild had to offer, we remained active there until it was no longer possible for us to do so.
