Maggie Tumasz of South Jersey Ghost Research explains how investigators go to homes whose owners think are haunted with ghosts.
Stories of ghosts and spirits have traumatized human beings from the time of the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. They continued with the writings of William Shakespeare, among others, and the 19th- century Victorian Age haunted houses built to scare youngsters.
According to the Folger Shakespeare Library, reader favorites include the ghost of Banquo in “Macbeth,” the ghost of Hamlet’s father in “Hamlet” and the ghost of Julius Caesar in “Julius Caesar.” Charles Dickens’ ghosts of Christmas past, present and future have been depicted in hundreds of plays, television shows and movies since the author first penned “A Christmas Carol” in 1843.
The question of whether or not ghosts and spirits exist has been debated over the millennia, but they are embedded in literature and supported by reports of people being visited by a loved one who has recently died.
During a presentation at the Monroe library in Williamstown on Nov. 6, Maggie Tumasz of South Jersey Ghost Research said, “We are a professional research group with years of experience helping people who are frightened or just curious about possible ghost and spirit activity in their home or business.
“We hope to do this by researching the situation and educating them as to the nature of their haunting,” she added, “as well as giving (people) the information and understanding to create a resolution for the person and the spirit.”
Besides home and businesses, South Jersey Ghost Research has also investigated hauntings at area historical buildings and sites, including the Gloucester County Courthouse in Woodbury, the Ritz Theater in Oaklyn, the Burlington County Prison Museum in Mount Holly, the Gabriel Daveis Tavern in Glendora and Red Bank Battlefield in National Park.
“This is the third time we have been here,” noted Tumasz of the library, adding that her organization formed in 1955 and annually visits libraries across South Jersey during its fall lecture series. They include the Margaret E. Heggan Library in Washington Township, the Moorestown library and the Cinnaminson library.
“We do a lot of home cases,” Tumasz added. “We are there to help and reassure. We are there to figure out what’s going on and determine if we have to do an investigation.”
Ghost Research members recently visited the Gettysburg Field Hospital of the Civil War on Nov. 9 and 10. After a short introduction, Tumasz played a film describing what was found there, using the most modern equipment available, such as night-vision scopes; digital and infrared cameras; and the EVP Recorder, which detects electronic voice phenomena interpreted as spirit voices in ghost hunting.
At the Whitall House – used as a hospital during the Revolutionary War Battle of Red Bank – the investigators using an EVP asked the spirit, “Are you in the hospital?” and reported that it responded yes. At Fort Mifflin – a prisoner of war camp during the Civil War – the EVP detected a voice, according to the film.
Cameras were able to capture faint images of a guard at the Burlington County Prison as well as ghostly figures at the Smithville Mansion, Annex, Barn and Old School House in Eastampton.
“We use the latest scientific methods and tools as well as psychic investigators in our research,” Tumasz explained. “The SJGR (South Jersey Ghost Research) conducts investigations regularly to assist owners of haunted homes and properties free of charge.”
She added that the group conducts seminars, lectures, and public investigations “to help educate the public about ghosts. We also want to gather and collate data that will lead to better understanding of ghosts and hauntings.”
For information, go to sjgr.org.
