Expedition Team: Dave Miller, Matt Miller, Jim Hall Date: January 27 & March 2, 2020
Here is our third paranormal investigation at Gratis, Ohio that we did a month ago before I was isolated due to Covid19. Matt Miller & Jim Hall from P.O.O.P (Paranormal of Ohio Professionals) joined me on the March 2nd investigation.
HISTORY/PARANORMAL CLAIMS: The house was built in 1860 by Sebastian Sayler later sold to Joe Swartsel. In this circa 1860 Victorian style house on the grounds of the Preble County Historical Society, people have reported phantom footsteps walking the halls and children’s laughter coming from upstairs and in the blue room. Misty, the County Historical Society Director, believes that one ghost that haunts the house is the houses second owners, Joe and Harriet Swartsel’s daughter Sara. Sara never married and didn’t have children so she would bring kids from the foster home so maybe the kids are attached to the house somehow. Misty thinks that the children’s footsteps upstairs and voices are from Sara bringing kids over &/or they are attached to the artifacts upstairs. Misty’s office is in this 1860 house and she told me that last year when she had the Historical Society’s President & Secretary over for a meeting, they heard footsteps upstairs on the second floor. After finding no one, she was happy she had witnesses to validate what she has been hearing. Misty believes another possible ghost could be Harlan, a former caretaker that lived in a back room who passed away of a heart attack. In the blue room downstairs which house portraits, a piano made in 1763 and other antiques. The alarm at night frequently triggers in the blue room but when the caretaker checks, no one is ever found and nothing is disturbed.
INVESTIGATION: We spent ninety minutes on the second floor and in the blue room. Upstairs one room was Sara’s room and the other room was where the orphans slept. All upstairs rooms now house Historical Society records, antiques and some creepy looking dolls in the dim light. P.O.O.P came up empty as we recorded no voices on our EVP’s nor captured any footsteps on our tape recorders.
We would like to return again for another investigation. We also recommend people to visit this Preble County Historical site as a tour of this 1860 home as well as the 1813 log cabin next door is really educational.
