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The photographs below were taken at the 1859 Jackson County Jail Museum on 3-4-2006,
and are included in this section of the investigation report due to their unusual nature. Please read our detailed
analysis of each photo before assuming that a photo is paranormal in nature. Click on any of the photographs below
to see a larger version of the original photo.
MISTY SHAPE ON A STOOL?
I think the image on the right is worth taking a look at. It was taken
with 400 speed color film in the Jail Hallway on the 1st floor of the Jail. This is a zoomed in image centering
on the black stool I had brought along on the investigation for use during long vigils.
Since this is 400 speed film, there is a bit of grainess to the picture. I showed
these images to most of the Ghost Vigil investigators. Everyone who examined the picture saw something there in
the area of the stool.
Interestingly enough...we did not all see the same thing. Some saw a child sitting on the stool. Some saw a young
girl in a dress standing behind the stool. |
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When we increase the Brightness and Contrast of the image in Photoshop, it is a little
bit easier to distinguish the "lighter areas" of the image which suggest a "misty shape."
The difficultly with this photo, as with so many other photos that have possibly captured paranormal phenomenon...is
its lack of clarity. The "lighter areas" are apparent and can be traced by anyone examining the photo.
But are these "lighter areas" actually a paranormal mist or manifestation? Or are they simply the texture
of the iron door or areas of corrosion catching the light of the flash differently than the rest of the door?
The Pareidolia phenomenon comes into play, as each observer's mind attempts to make sense of the unclear
shapes. |
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We examined other photos of this iron door, and did not observe anything about the
door itself that could have caused these "lighter spots" in the photograph. But, when we get our chance
to conduct a follow-up investigation at the 1859 Jail we will attempt to recreate this photo...and we will examine
the door in question very closely for any corrosion or an uneven area of texture that could have created the "lighter
spots."
We've examined the pattern of the iron grill-work to see if it could be causing the "lighter spots,"
but extending the pattern of the grillwork it becomes evident that some of the misty shape is in front of dark
iron bands. And the round shape that many take to be the misty shape's "head" has as its background a
large area of solid iron that is part of the door. |
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The apparition of a small boy has been seen repeatedly wandering the 2nd floor
of the Marshall's House. It is also a historical fact that men, women, and children were imprisoned (and mistreated)
in the jail during the Civil War...sometimes 20 people to a cell. So it is not so difficult to imagine a child-sized
apparition appearing in the Jail Hallway.
Personally, I can clearly see the "lighter spots" that make up the misty
shape as it extends above the seat of the stool. But many have suggested that the misty shape extends to the floor
behind the stool, forming the shape of a little girl's dress. As I stated before, different people will see different
details in the photograph.
Is this photo an excellent example of the psychological phenomenon of Pareidolia...and
thus has an explainable and natural cause? Or does the photo capture a misty shape that is of a paranormal nature...an
actual photo of a small child's ghost or spirit? Ultimately, it is for each observer to decide.
If you'd like to review the orignial full-sized image file...click here.
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INVESTIGATION UPDATE!
Four months after this initial investigation, Ghost Vigil returned to the 1859
Jackson County Jail for a follow up investigation. We hoped to gather more evidence...but we also wanted to see
if we could find a natural explanation for the "Misty Shape on a Stool."
We returned to the 1st floor of the jail, and attempted to recreate the camera
angle of the orginal photo. We found that we could recreate the "Misty Shape" in photograph after photograph,
and that it had a natural cause...not a paranormal one. While the cause for the Misty Shape was natural, it was
still somewhat unusual.
It turned out there was a white corrosion in the pits of the metal of the iron
door. The white corrosion is somewhat hidden and shadowed in the pits of the metal, so that in natural lighting
the corrosion is not visible. But when the bright light of the camera's flash reflects off of it, the white corrosion
really stands out.
When the corrosion lights up, it creates the basic shape that we misunderstood
during our photo analysis away from the scene. In the natural lighting of the room...no white shape. Lit by the
bright flash of the camera...there is a white shape visible on the door.
It goes to show though...Ghost Vigil will not stop until it has excluded
every natural cause for a reported phenomenon or piece of evidence.
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FOOL ME ONCE, SHAME ON ME...
Click on any of the close-up shots below to see the full picture. When we initially
looked at the photos, several of us commented on the strange solid blue orbs that we were seeing in the pictures.
As a science-focused group, its hard for us to ignore the scientific fact that dust, moisture, and particles in
the air can cause the photography anomaly referred to as "orbs" within the paranormal community. Since
dust, moisture, and particles in the air can cause "orbs," we find it very hard to conclude that orbs
are "ghosts or spirits." But at first look the "orbs" in these pictures appeared to have a
bluish tint, seemed fairly solid, and were in a similar area of the room in many of the photographs taken in the
Jail Hallway.
When we began focusing in on these "orbs" and looking a little closer,
we realized that something strange was going on. These orbs were not only in the same location in every photo,
but they had a similar pattern to them...with a black dot in the upper right portion and a black dot in the lower
left portion. We realized that this was not a photo anomaly at all...but an round plate capping off an electrical
wiring box. Our camera's flash was lighting it up...and making it really stand out in every picture. That's why
close and comprehensive analysis of evidence is important.
REAL PHOTO ANOMALIES...
Click on any of the close-up shots below to see the full picture. These are actual
photo anomalies...and illustrate some interesting differences between film and digital cameras. The two orbs on
the left were taken with 400 speed traditional film. The two pictures on the left were taken with a digital camera.
The "orbs" taken with the traditional film camera have a white or bluish
tint...and are usually cloudy and semi-translucent. The "orbs" taken with digital cameras have a white
tint...and usually display inner rings or a complex inner texture. This is just a selection of the "orbs"
we caught on film at the 1859 Jail.
We've all seen "orb" photos on other websites and television shows. Let's discuss the three completely
reasonable and natural explanations for this sort of "orb" phenomenon one at a time. We go over these
in each of our investigation reports...because this continues to be an area of misunderstanding within the paranormal
community.
"ORB" CAUSE #1
- Dust particles (or moisture, or pollen, etc.) floating in the air very close to the camera can be lit up by the
camera's flash. The light of the flash hits these floating particles, which are completely out-of-focus due to
their close proximity to the camera. This results in a translucent whitish spot on the image of the camera. It
appears to be "in the picture" when in fact the dust, moisture, or pollen causing the "orb"
is within inches of the camera's lens. Click Here to see an excellent
illustration of this natural cause of "orbs." When using a video camera, the light or IR beam of the
camera can cause this same effect...except the "orb" moves through the video shot.
"ORB" CAUSE #2
- Another cause for photographic "orbs" is refracted light. When the flash goes out and hits a reflective
surface, it reflects back to the lens and causes a refraction of light within the lens. When the photo is taken,
the film captures the dot of refracted light on the lens as if it is part of the scene being captured in the photo.
"ORB" CAUSE #3
- Digital cameras, especially digital cameras below 5 megapixels, can "create" orbs in the photograph
in low-light conditions. In low light conditions, the digital camera can cause errors when capturing the photo...and
the errors appear as "orbs" in the photos. These digital orbs will often have an interesting pattern
or texture to them. Dust orbs taken with a digital camera can also have an interesting pattern or texture to them.
Truly paranormal orbs give off their own light, and do not simply reflect the
light of the camera's flash. The light they are giving off will often be evident on surround objects or surfaces.
Truly paranormal orbs are usually in motion, and will appear as a streak of light in the photograph. Truly paranoral
orbs will usually move several feet or more within the fraction of a second that the shutter is open.
We believe that photographs of truly paranormal orbs have been taken. But 99.9%
of the "orb" photos that are presented on the internet as paranormal...are simply NOT paranormal. They
are either dust, moisture, or particles in the air.
Having completed the examination all of our still photographs from
the 1859 Jackson County Jail Museum investigation, we can now say that we did not capture any conclusive photographic
evidence of paranormal activity during our investigation. The photograph of the "misty shape" is the
closest we've come to conclusive photographic proof, but it is impossible to eliminate every natural explanation
for that photograph at this time.
-Mark Stinson
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