minden hills cultural centre
minden, ont.
april 27, 2024

​“Wow, look at that place,” Rachel said pointing a building as they drove through downtown Minden.  The building was the Dominion Hotel, it seemed to call out to her as they drove by.  The team wasn’t investigating the Hotel, but was headed just a little bit farther up the street.  Nestled just at the edge of town, the team pulled into the parking lot and unloaded the gear.  We met our host for the evening, Robert, and were ushered into the building.  We had arrived at our location and our investigation was about to begin.
 
Located in the village of Minden, the Minden Hills Cultural Centre is a four-acre site that includes the Minden Hills Museum and Heritage Centre.  Bringing the history of Minden to life, the Museum opened its doors in 1984, showcasing five historic buildings, some being moved to the site from locations around the village.  The team would be focusing on three of the buildings – The Stirling Bank, Stanhope Schoolhouse, and the Bowron House.   Once settled, the team headed out into the village with Robert for a walk thru of the building.  The first stop – the Bowron House.
 
Being one of Minden’s oldest surviving buildings, it could once be found on the corner of Bobcaygeon Road and Highway 35.  Frederick Haultain obtained ownership of the land in 1864 and built the house.  In 1872 he sold the property to Francis Bowron.  Francis Bowron was hired as the Minden’s schools’ first and only teacher.  Francis lived with a woman named Mary Bowron.  Now according to historical records, Mary was the second wife of Thomas Bowron, Francis’s Father.  When Thomas Bowron died (sometime before 1861), Mary and their four children emigrated to Canada with Francis.  Here, they moved to Minden and lived together.  Did they get married upon arrival?  Or just lived together, with the idea that they had been married – considering they shared the same last name, and Mary was only four years older than Francis.  The 1861 census lists Francis as an unmarried school teacher. The 1871 census lists Francis and Mary as married. The house would eventually be passed down to the youngest son of Mary’s – William Francis Bowron.  It would eventually end up in possession of the Petney family, who would donate the building to the museum in 1988.

​The team then made their way to Stanhope School House.  Built in 1898, this schoolhouse was built to replace another in Hindon.  It was then used as a school until the 1930s, when attendance dropped to only a few students.  Although it was a schoolhouse, the building was also used for Sunday church services and as a meeting place.  The Schoolhouse was located in Stanhope, on the property of the late James Gannon, as it was donated by his widow, Rachel.  Sadly, only five years after the death of James, Rachel would also endure more heartbreak.  Their youngest son, John James, age 7, and his cousins Rachel and Barbara (ages 17 and 5) hopped into a canoe and paddled out on to nearby Brady Lake.  It is unsure what happened, but the three children ended up in the lake.  Unable to swim, all three perished in the water.  It has been said that none of their bodies were ever recovered.  The Stanhope Schoolhouse was closed in 1939, eventually being sold to Bill Branson in 1947.  In 1993, Mr. Branson donated the Schoolhouse to the museum and it was relocated to the grounds shortly after.

Last on our walk thru was the Stirling Bank building. In July 1907, the Stirling Bank of Canada purchased a property in Minden at the corner of Newcastle Street and Bobcaygeon Road.  On this property, they built a red building and opened the bank.  The first Bank Manager was John Henry Delamere.  Mr. Delamere had previously established the first bank in Minden in 1895, and stayed on as the Manager of the Stirling Bank until it closed in 1911.  The bank would re-open in 1919, but would close again in 1958 when a larger building was required for operations.  The empty Stirling Bank Building was then moved to Peck Street and opened as the Public Library.  In 1946, the bank was robbed.  This robbery saw bonds, personal papers and jewelry being taken.  The jewelry was never recovered, but the bonds and papers were found a few months later in Toronto.  No charges were ever laid.  The building was relocated to the museum grounds, becoming the first historic building on the property.

​Once the walk thru has concluded, the team regrouped to discuss our next course of action.  It was decided that we would investigate the Stirling bank building first, then the schoolhouse, and finally the Bowron House.  We gathered equipment and heading on over to the bank building to begin.  Although it seemed unassuming, the Stirling Bank building was going to prove it was more than just its iconic red colouring.  The team entered the building and began to set up equipment.  Paula got her infra-red camera set up, Cathy turned on the Ovilus 5, Ryan was setting up his recorder and video camera and Rachel was preparing the SLS camera.  “Any temperature anomalies Paula?” asked Ryan.  “Nope,” she replied.  Rachel was now scanning the room with the SLS camera.  She had thought she had captured something, but it was gone quickly.  She was now trying to figure out if it was the half mannequin or not.  “It’s not the mannequin,” she said.  “Oh, its back!” she exclaimed, as the stick figured reappeared on the screen.  Rachel noticed that the figure seemed to be reaching towards one of the display cases.  “Is it something in the case?” she asked.  “Ya, it just reached for the case, so I’m wondering if it’s something in there,” she added.  “Like and artifact?” Ryan questioned.  “Ya, something he is connected to?” Rachel answered.  “It’s almost like he is pointing to something in the case,” Paula said.  Ryan was now watching the SLS camera screen and the figure that still appeared on it.  “Looks like he is bent right over, looking in” he said.  “It’s all pretty well clothing,” described Paula.  “Maybe something belongs to them,” she continued.  “Legit, haven’t been in here for more than a minute and we haven’t even moved from the door,” laughed Rachel.  “I’m going to set up a REM pod,” said Ryan.  Rachel suggested setting it up on the case that the figure was pointing to. Rachel also thought it would be a good idea to set up another REM pod and the music box on the opposite site of the room.  Rachel set the REM pod on a desk, and the music box on a display case, pointing away from the team, towards the back of the building.  Rachel turned on the REM pod and walked away.  “Calibrating,” she said.  The REM pod went silent, but then activated.  “Unsure if that was me or not,” she said, a little confused.  The REM pod activated again.  “That’s not me!” exclaimed Rachel.  “That’s not you at all,” added Cathy.  Ryan turned his camera on and began to record.  “Can you do that again please?” asked Rachel.  The REM pod activated.  “Thank you,” replied Rachel.  The REM pod activated again.  “Thanks,” she said.  The REM pod beeped once.  “Hi,” replied Rachel. The REM pod activated again.  “Can you tell us what your name is?” asked Paula.  The REM pod again, activated.  “Somebody likes grabbing it,” joked Rachel.  Again, the REM pod activated.  “Is this somebody that who use to work in the bank?” questioned Paula.  The REM pod activated.  “Where you a teller?” The REM pod beeped once.  “Where you a bank manager?”  All was quiet.  “Where you a teller?” she asked again.  The REM pod activated.  Rachel then heard the Ovilus 5 talk – ‘Scratch’.  “Please no scratchy,” said Rachel.  Still wondering why, the REM pod was activating, Rachel checked the surrounding area.  “There is no EMF in here,” she said. Cathy put the K2 meter beside the REM pod to see if the two would correlate. “I’m just gonna put this down here for a minute. Touch it if you’re here,” she said.  Both devices remained quiet.  “Can you touch the K2 meter to confirm you’re here?” she asked again.  The REM pod activated.  “Are you a man?  Light it up please?” asked Rachel. “So, I just went from full power, to almost empty on my battery,” Ryan said.  Little did we know, that this was just the start of the epic battery drain that was going to take place that evening.  “Are you a woman? If you’re a woman can you light it up, please?” Rachel continued to ask.  “I just put it in fully charged,” Ryan said.  “Well, this is a great way to start,” added Cathy.  “Did you just stuck off of Ryan’s battery juice and that’s the end of it?” questioned Rachel.  The REM pod activated.  “I do have a second battery here, fully charged,” stated Ryan.  “Is that you draining Ryan’s battery?” asked Cathy.  The REM pod activated.  “Wow,” Ryan said with a bit of shock in his voice.  “Are you upset that we are recording?” asked Cathy.  The REM pod remained quiet.  “We aren’t here to disrespect at all.  We just want to have a conversation with whoever is here,” added Ryan. “Is this Mr. Delamere?” asked Rachel.  The REM pod activated.  Rachel also heard another beeping that was coming from the other side of the room.  “Your REM pod is beeping now!” she exclaimed.  “Can you do that again? Can you activate that again for us?” asked Ryan.  All devices remained quiet.  “Funny how that stopped when that beeped,” noted Rachel.  After a few minutes Ryan’s REM pod, that was sitting on top of the display case begins to manically activate.  “What is going on with your REM pod?” asked Rachel.  “Can you step back from that for a moment?” asked Cathy.  It still continued to manically activated.  “It sounds like a police car,” Paula stated.  Ryan agreed.  Rachel noted that the lights were blinking like one too.  “Have you ever seen it do that?” asked Ryan.  “Heck no,” answered Rachel.  It was then that Rachel reset the REM pod and placed it back down.  Immediately it started activating weirdly again.  “If this is yours, can you stop the beeping?” Rachel asked pointing to an artifact in the display case.  “Is this yours?” she asked again, pointing to another object in the case.  The REM pod stops.  “Can you activate it again for us?” asked Ryan.  But it was quiet.  “If I point to what is yours, can you make it light up again?” added Rachel.  It seemed to activate around a tartan that was in the case, but we were not certain as there were many items close together.

The team decided that now would be a good time for a Ghost box session.  “Is there somebody in here that would like to speak with us?” asked Cathy.  A young voice was heard through the ghost box – ‘A child’.  A male voice was also head, but we are unsure of what it said.  It was at this point that Ryan exited the building to recharge the dead battery.  He had just replaced the battery to the fully charged one in his camera, and handed it to Rachel to record.  “Who is here with us right now?” asked Rachel.  A voice was heard, but could not be distinguished.  “Who?  I didn’t catch that.  Can you say it again please?” she asked.  “What’s your name? Can you tell us again please?”.  With no responses heard, she moved on with the questions.  “Is this Dr. Jamieson?” she asked next.  No response.  “Are you here with us?” asked Cathy.  Rachel then noticed that Ryan’s camera battery was once again, almost dead.  “Alright, who is here with us right now?” she asked.  “Can you tell us who is draining the battery?” Cathy added.  “Are you having a problem with us recording?”  No responses were heard.  “Did you work here when the bank was robbed?” she asked next.  A male voice was head through the ghost box – “The Bank”, “Moving”.  “Moving?” questioned Rachel. “I’m going to walk over here,” Rachel stated.  A male voice was heard through the ghost box – “Have fun”.  “Have fun? I will have fun!” stated Rachel.  “Are you having fun?” she asked.  “Who’s having fun with me?  Is Mr. Delamere here?” she asked.  A male voice was heard through the ghost box – ‘Yup’.  “So is Mr. Delamere here?” Rachel asked for clarification.  A voice was heard through the ghost box – ‘Hi’.  “Hi,” replied Rachel.  “If Mr. Delamere is here, can you light up one of our pieces of equipment please,” she continued.  All the equipment remained quiet.  Ryan had now rejoined the team.  Rachel informed him that the battery in his camera wasn’t almost dead again.  He decided to try to take digital photos in the building instead, but as soon as he pulled out his camera, it began to act up.  “What the heck is going on in this building?” questioned Rachel, as she turned off the Ghost box.  The team then discusses the battery drain and anything that could have possibly caused it.  “Maybe it’s something from another building that’s close to this one, that’s sucking the energy?” said Rachel.  The REM pod beeped.  “Oh, maybe I am on to something,” she laughed.  “As soon as you mentioned the house,” added Cathy.  “I think the house is the biggest paranormal hub on the property,” said Rachel.  It was then that the music box activated.  “That’s the music box,” said Ryan.  “Can you do that again?” asked Cathy.  The music box activated.  It was at this point that Paula said she thought she saw someone walk by as she saw a shadow, but she tried to rationalize it.  The music box continued to play.  “Hi! Hi there!  Thank you,” said Cathy.  “Paula thought she saw you.  If you stand in front of it, it will continue to play,” said Rachel.  The music box then started to play continuously.  Ryan and Rachel then began to question and try to debunk the activation of the music box, but couldn’t figure anything out.  “Can you do that again for us?” asked Ryan.  The music box continued to play, leaving Ryan unable to figure out anything explainable.  “I seen a shadow go that and then right after it started playing,” Paula described, trying to help Ryan rationalize what he was experiencing.  “Can you make it stop please?” asked Rachel.  “If you step away from it, it’ll stop,” added Paula.  The music box continued to play.  “Can you stop that for a moment please.  We would appreciate it,” Cathy asked.  “If you’re a woman, can you stop it?” Rachel asked next.  “If you’re a man, can you stop it?” The music box continued to play.  “Are you robbing the bank?” Rachel questioned.  The music box continued to play.  “Thought that would illicit a response, but nope,” she said.  The Ovilus 5 was heard – ‘Magic’.  “It would be even more magic if you could turn it off for a minute.  We would like that,” said Cathy.  With the music box continually playing, it was decided to turn it off.
 
Ryan turned on his Necrometer to see if this app would give us any responses.  Immediately it spoke – ‘I’m with family’.  “Are you really with family?” questioned Rachel.  “Are you connected to the Bowron family?  Can you move the curtain over at the Bowron house? The one that is open, can you close it?” she asked.  The Necrometer spoke – ‘Others’.  “Can the others close it?” she asked next.  All devices remained quiet, but the air in the building also fell into a deafening silence.  “It’s so quiet,” remarked Rachel.  Ryan then described how he was getting this ringing sensation in his hears, while Cathy described feeling a tingly sensation on the top of her head.  The Necrometer spoke – ‘You see us’.  “Well, I feel you,” commented Cathy.  “I saw you earlier on my camera,” added Rachel.  The Necrometer spoke – ‘Agitated’.  “Are you agitated?  Are you upset that we are here? Or that we haven’t found what’s yours?” Rachel questioned.  “Or are you agitated that no one has been in here in a couple of months?” she added.  Everything remained quiet.  It was decided to move on to the next building, but first a quick break to regroup and gather extra batteries.  Rachel went to grab her REM pod, but when she did it made no noise.  “What the…” she trailed off.  “The REM pod is dead.  What the hell is happening?” she questioned.

After a brief break and gather more batteries, the team headed to the next building on their list – Stanhope Schoolhouse.  The team settled into the one room schoolhouse and got situated.  The music box was placed at the front of the classroom, facing towards the front.  The dead bell was placed on the teacher’s desk with a REM pod.  Rachel also placed Teddy Pod to the right of teacher’s desk.  “Hi, I’m Cathy.” “I’m Rachel.”  “Would anybody in here like to talk to us?” Cathy asked.  “You can touch any one of our devices,” she added.  “Is there a teacher present in the classroom?”  It was eerily quiet, which everyone seemed to notice.  “Too quiet,” said Rachel.  “Like even the bell hasn’t gone off,” she added.  Ryan had now joined, as he had to run back to the gear room quickly.  “Anyone having any stomach issues?” he asked.  There was a collective No.  “When I walked by the house I got ‘stomach and ‘hurt’ on the Necrometer”. Rachel then turned on the SLS camera and began scanning the room. After a couple of minutes, the SLS camera began mapping a figure. “Oh, I got someone on the ceiling!” exclaimed Rachel.  “Near the pipe,” add Cathy who was watching the SLS screen.  “You can come down.  You don’t need to be on the ceiling,” said Rachel.  “Why would anybody be on the ceiling?” she questioned.  This brought upon an impromptu karaoke of Lionel Richie’s ‘Dancing on the Ceiling’.  “Come on down. It’s okay,” Rachel continued.  “We have lots of cool gadgets to play with,” added Cathy.  “Are you a child?” asked Rachel.  The Ovilus 5 was heard – ‘No’.  “No?” Rachel repeated quizzically.  “What are you doing up there?  There is nothing up there.  Come down, its okay,” she continued.  But no sooner than she asked, did the figure disappear.  “Oh, you’re gone,” she said.  Turning their attention back to the equipment, Rachel asked if whomever was with them to activate the piece of their choice.  When that didn’t receive any responses, she asked if whomever was there could make the piano at the front of the classroom play.  “I just had somebody at the piano but it was quick,” Rachel said, indicating that she had seen something map on the SLS camera quickly.  “You’re watching from above us?” asked Cathy.  “Are you a teacher? Miss McCormick?” questioned Rachel.  The Necrometer spoke – ‘Don’t Go’.  “Is this Nellie?” Rachel continued.  The SLS began mapping a figure on the ceiling again, but closer to the door.  “Whoa! There is somebody above your head Cathy,” Rachel said.  “You don’t have to float so high up.  You can come down,” she added.  But just like before, the figure disappeared.  At this point Ryan was getting frustrated.  His camera battery was dead again.  “Oh, for Pete’s sake!” exclaimed Cathy.  “Is there anybody in this schoolhouse with us today?” Ryan then asked.  The team fell silent, listening for any type of response.  “Was there a vehicle or something that just went by?” Ryan questioned.  No one had seen or heard one, but Ryan was convinced he seen some type of reflection.  The Necrometer then spoke – ‘Not friendly’.  Rachel then questioned if it was a reflection she may have caused with the SLS camera.  Turns out, it was a reflection from the SLS camera.  “Apparently I’m not friendly,” joked Rachel.  The Necrometer spoke again – ‘Get out’.  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Rachel apologized.  “There is a piano in this schoolhouse. Do you know how to play the piano?” asked Ryan.  The Necrometer spoke – ‘Dangerous’.  “What’s dangerous?” he questioned.  “Playing the piano?” quizzed Rachel.  “Do you have a problem with us being in here?  We don’t mean any disrespect.  We just would like a conversation,” Cathy added.  The Necrometer spoke – ‘His’.  “His what?” Ryan asked.  “Who is in here with us tonight?” he continued.  With no responses heard or any more hits on the SLS camera, Rachel thought it would be a good idea to turn it off to save its battery life and try a ghost box session.  Before Rachel could even turn it on, Ryan was sure he heard something.  “Does anyone have an app on right now?” he asked.  All of us shook our head no.  “I thought I heard kids singing. It was really faint,” he described.  With that, Rachel turned on the Ghost box in the hopes they wanted to communicate. 

​“Hello. Who do we have with us tonight?” she asked.  A female voice was heard through the ghost box – ‘Hang your shoes’.  “Can you tell me what building this?”  No response.  “Are there any children in here with us?”  The Necrometer spoke – ‘Floorboards’. A female voice was also heard through the ghost box- ‘Blood’.  “Blood? There is blood on the floorboards?” questioned Rachel.  “Did someone hurt themselves?”  A female voice was heard through the ghost box - ‘Barry’ or ‘Bury’.  “Who is here with us right now?” Rachel asked.  A voice was heard through the ghost box – ‘I am’, ‘Ghost’.  It was at this point that the music box activated.  “Oh, that’s amazing.  Thank you.  I’m glad you announced yourself,” said Rachel.  “Do you have a name?” asked Paula.  “Thank you for communicating with us,” added Cathy.  “Can you set off another piece of equipment?” asked Rachel.  “There is a bell on the teacher’s desk,” Cathy suggested.  “Who’s the ghost? What is your name?” Rachel asked.  The Necrometer spoke – ‘Sarah’.  “Sarah,” repeated Ryan.  “Hi, Sarah,” said Rachel.  “Are you a student here, Sarah?” questioned Ryan.  No response was heard, but the music box continued to play.  “Can you stop the music box please?” Rachel asked nicely.  It continued to play.  “Can you shut that off and play with some of the other equipment up there?” she asked.  The Necrometer spoke – ‘I’m by your side’.  “Whose side are you by?” questioned Cathy.  No responses were here, but the music box still continued to play.  The ghost box was turned off and the room fell quiet.  “Do you have any temperature anomalies?” Ryan asked Paula.  “Nothing,” she replied.  “What about behind me?” he asked.  Paula scanned the area behind him.  “Don’t see anything,” she said.  The team heard the Ovilus 5 speak – ‘Mabel’.  “Mabel, where you a student here? Or a parent?” asked Cathy.  The music box was still playing at the front of the school house, with no one around it.  “Okay, that’s enough,” Ryan said, breaking out his dad voice.  “Do you need to stand in the corner with the dunce camp on?” Rachel said.  The music box still continued to play, so it was decided to once again turn it off manually.  Rachel then showed how the other pieced of equipment worked, with examples.  After a few moments, she turned the music box back on.  Once it calibrated, it remained quiet.  The Necrometer spoke – ‘Boy’.  “Is John James Gannon here?  I heard you drowned in the lake,” said Rachel.  “Did you attend this school?” asked Ryan.  Nothing by silence was heard.  “Did you like your teacher?” Cathy questioned.  Again, nothing by silence.  “It’s gotten eerily quiet again,” noted Rachel as she walked back from the front.  The team stood in the silence for a moment before Ryan broke it.  “It’s definitely a trick of the eyes, but when you were walking back, I swore I saw two kids sitting at the desk,”  he said.  “Maybe you did,” laughed Rachel.  The Necrometer spoke – ‘Vision’.  “That’s a little weird,” laughed Ryan.  “It’s perfect,” stated Rachel.  With that Rachel decided to try the ghost box again to see if they could get any concrete answers.  “Who was setting of the music box?” she asked.   A voice was heard through the ghost box – ‘Eugene’.  “Eugene!” exclaimed Rachel.  “That name pops up at a few locations,” Ryan added.  “Dammit Gene,” Rachel said jokingly.  “Was there a funeral held in here?  Is John Gannon here?” she asked next.  A male voice was heard through the ghost box – ‘What’.  “John, did you drown in Brady Lake?”  No response.  “John Gannon, did you drown in Brady Lake with your cousin Rachel and Barbara?” she asked again.  “What happened in lake Brady?” she rephrased.  Again, all was silent.  “Did you go to school here?  Did you teach here?  Did you teach in this schoolhouse?” she continued.  A female voice was heard through the ghost box – ‘Music’.  “Music.  Can you make the music box go off again?” she asked.  A male voice as heard through the ghost box – ‘It takes a while’.  “It takes a while for you to manifest?” asked Cathy.  “Is the music box over there?” Ryan asked.  Rachel assured him that it was still in the same spot, that she had not moved it.  The Necrometer spoke – ‘It’s a bad idea’.  “What’s a bad idea?”  The Necrometer spoke again – ‘Over There’.  “Where is that specifically? Over where?” asked Ryan.  No clarification was heard. “Is there a story that we are missing?” asked Cathy. Again, the building fell quiet.  We took that as a sign that whomever was there with us was done chatting.  Rachel began to turn off the equipment and back up.  “Are you effing kidding me!” she exclaimed as she went to turn of the music box.  “This is dead now,” she said.  “This is messed up,” she added as they continued to gather up the equipment.  The team exited the schoolhouse, locking the door behind them.  But instead of heading into the next building, the team headed back to base to gather more batteries.

​“Oh, it’s chilly in here,” Rachel said, as the team entered the Bowron House.  “It’s really chilly in here,” agreed Cathy.  “Could be that there is just no insulation,” added Rachel.  After all, they were standing in an old wooden house that was once a cabin.  The team set down their equipment and began to set it around the main floor.  It was decided to but the dead bell in the front room, which would have been a comings and goings room (most, if not all older houses have a bedroom on the main floor off of the parlor room that were used for giving birth, senior family members, or those at the end stages of life – hence the term comings and goings room).  Two sensor balls were also placed in this room, on a small settee.  The music box was also placed in the same room.  Rachel laid the EMF trip wire lights along the floor of the parlor room, leading into the comings and goings room.  The Flux 2 was brough out and placed on the Piano stool.  The REM pod was also placed down on a small table near the couch, and immediately started activating in a weird manner.  “Stop please,” Rachel asked.  But it kept going.  Not taking any chances, Rachel reset the REM pod and placed it back down.  Again, it started activating in strange manner.  “There is nothing that should be doing that,” she said.  Leaning on the side of caution, Rachel reset the device again.  This time, it remained quiet.  With the REM pod now sitting quietly, Rachel grabbed the SLS camera and turned it on.  Panning around the parlor room, the SLS mapped a figure on the couch.  “Could be why it keeps going off,” commented Rachel.  Meanwhile, Ryan was wondering if it was a battery issue, suggesting how strange the evening has been.  The Ovilus 5 was heard – ‘Stigmata’, ‘Rapture’.  “That’s religious text,” said Ryan.  “Where do you want to do the Estes?” he asked next.  Rachel suggested that she would sit on the floor of the parlor room while the remaining team members would stand in the dining area.  The Ovilus 5 was heard – ‘Legs’, ‘Toned’.  “My legs are not toned,” laughed Rachel.  “Oh, they all went off!” exclaimed Paula, pointing the EMF trip wire.  “They went off again,” she said.  “It’s like somebody just walked through,” Rachel noted, as the lights changed colour quickly, one by one.  “Can you make those flash again for us?” asked Ryan.  The EMF trip wire lights lit up in the same pattern.  “Oh, it did!” Paula said excitedly.  At this moment the dead bell activated for the first time.  “Hello! Thank you,” said Cathy.  “I’m going to sit on your floor,” Rachel announced as she sat down on the rug in the parlor room to begin the Estes Method.  Watch the video below to see how Rachel’s Estes Method.

​“Did any of that make any sense?” asked Rachel as she took the headphones off and returned to the land of the living.  “There were some interesting responses,” replied Ryan.  The EMF Trip Wire was still activating as if someone was pacing. The music box also began to activate.  “Is that you?” Rachel asked Ryan as he as standing near the door frame.  “It shouldn’t be me.  It’s pointing the other way,” he responded.  “Hi!” greeted Rachel.  “I’ll put the Necrophonic on just for you!” she said.  Ryan slowing backed out of the room and away from the music box.  Rachel turned on the Necrophonic app and began.  “Who’s in the front room?” she asked.  A voice was heard through Necrophonic – ‘Nellie’.  “Nellie,” Rachel repeated.  “Nellie’s from the schoolhouse,” added Cathy.  “So, who’s in the front room?” Rachel asked again.  A voice was heard through Necrophonic – ‘Nellie’.  “Nellie again.  Why is Nellie over here?” she asked.  A voice was heard through Necrophonic – ‘It’s Cold’.  “Can you not play the music box anymore?” asked Cathy.  The music box had not stopped playing.  “Can you step away from the music box?” Rachel asked.  A voice was heard through Necrophonic – ‘Paranormal’.  “You want me to turn it off?” she asked next.  A voice as heard through Necrophonic – ‘Sure’.  Rachel didn’t hesitate and turned of the music box.  “Can you play with the bell instead of that?” asked Paula.  The team continued to ask whomever was with them to activate other pieces of equipment, but it remained quiet.  “Who had the accident?  Who was burned?” asked Rachel.  No responses heard.  “Was there somebody that was burned in this house?” Cathy asked.  A voice as heard through the Necrophonic – ‘No’.  “Was somebody burned outside of the house?” she asked.  No response was heard.  It should be noted that this was not just a random question.  In 1926, Vesta Bowron, wife of William Francis Bowron, passed away with a cause of death listed as Burns and shock.  There is no other information on how or why it happened.  Vesta was 60 years old.  With no responses, the team moved on with their questions.  “Who’s the little girl that people hear?  What is her name?” asked Rachel.  “Can the little girl tell us her name?”.  A voice was heard through Necrophonic – ‘Lisa’.  “Lisa?’ questioned Rachel.  “The Ovilus said Lisa earlier,” replied Cathy.  “Is Lisa attached to the house or something in the house?” Rachel asked.  No responses heard.  “Did Lisa live here?” she continued.  A voice as heard through the Necrophonic – ‘Did’, ‘Nine’.  “Is the little girl nine?” asked Paula.  No response heard.  All of a sudden, the EMF Trip Wire lights went haywire and flashed different colours.  “Whoa!” yelled Rachel.  A voice as heard through Necrophonic – ‘What’.  “There is no reason for them to do that,” added Ryan. A voice was heard through the Necrophonic – ‘Lisa’.  “Are you angry?” asked Cathy.  A voice was head through Necorphonic – ‘Leave’.  “What’s Lisa’s last name?” Paula asked, ignoring the request to leave.  A voice as heard through the Necrophonic – ‘Just mine’.  With the EMF trip wire still going haywire, Rachel decided it would be best to turn it off.  As she switched off the power a voice was heard through Necrophonic – ‘Ugh’.  “That’s how I feel! Ugh!” laughed Rachel.  The team decided that it would be a good time to head upstairs and continue the investigation there.

​The team spread through out the room, and just as we were about to get started Ryan’s battery in his camera died again.  “Now that’s six devices,” he said with annoyance in his voice.  “We’ve never had this,” said Paula.  Rachel concluded that it was weird for sure.  Equipment was placed throughout the upper level.  The Music box was placed in the room, on the dresser facing towards the bed (an area that we would not be walking in or by).  The dead bell was placed on a dresser in the room we were standing it.  A REM pod was placed on the table at the bottom of the stairs, while the other REM pod was placed at the top of the stairs.  The sensor balls were placed around the room in various locations.  The Flux 2 was placed on the ledge by the stairs.  As the team settled into their positions, Rachel turned the Necrophonic on.  “Whats up here?” she asked.  “Who’s up here with us?” she continued.  A voice was heard through Necrophonic – ‘Her’.  “Are you male or female?” she asked next.  A voice was heard through Necrophonic – ‘Yes’.  It was at this point that the REM pod on the dining room at the bottom of the stairs started to activate.  “Sounds like morse code,” described Paula.  The REM pod went silent.  “Can you do that again with the device downstairs on the table?” Ryan asked.  Everything remained silent.  “If you’re here right now with us, can you make a noise somewhere in the house?” asked Rachel.  “Can you knock on something? Shift something, please?” she asked.  Everything remained still. “If you touch those balls, they will light up,” added Cathy.  Still silence.  “We heard there is a little girl that walks around up here.  Can you make a noise? Set off one of our devices?” asked Paula.  The REM pod downstairs activated.  “Are you Francis?  If you’re Francis, can you turn it off?” asked Rachel.  The REM pod downstairs went quiet.  “Thank you!” said Cathy.  The REM pod downstairs activated again.  “Francis, are you with Mary?  If you’re with Mary, can you turn it off, please?” asked Rachel. The REM pod continued to make noise.  “Is it William?” Rachel asked next.  The REM pod still continued on.  “Is his wife’s name Vesta?” she asked.  It was them that the music box chirped.  “Vesta?” questioned Rachel.  The music box chirped again.  “Is this Vesta?” The music box chirped.  “Yeah? Hi!” greeted Rachel.  “Can you try and move that ball for us? Light it up?” asked Ryan.  It was then noted that the music box chirping sounded like Morse Code.  “That sounds like morse code with dashes and dots,” Ryan described.  “Do you need help?  If you do, can you make the music box play continuously?” asked Rachel.  The music box continued to chirp.  “Pretty sure my head is playing with me, but I can hear dots and dashes.  Specifically, three dots, three dashes, three dots.  Which is SOS,” described Ryan.  “That’s why I asked if they needed help,” replied Rachel.  “Do you want your stories to be shared?” she asked.  “If you want your stories to be shared properly and correctly, can you stop the music box? Like make it go quiet?” she asked.  The music box continued to play.  “Is there something from your story...” Rachel didn’t get to finish her sentence as the music box disengaged.  You could hear the winding, but no sound.  This usually happens when the belt has been bumped off of the wheel.  “It’s worked its band off,” Rachel said as she walked up to the device to fix it.  Before she could grab a hold of it, the music began to play again.  The belt had not disengaged at all.  Everything was still where it should have been.  “If your story is not being told right, or there is misinformation out there, can you stop the music?” she asked.  The music box continued to play.  “Do you want us to turn that off?  You will have to use other equipment,” Rachel said.  With nothing heard, Rachel manually turned of the music box. As the team was enveloped back into silence Rachel and Ryan head something, or someone shift on the main floor.  “Is that you moving around down stairs?  Can you make that sound again?” asked Ryan.  All was quiet.  The team attempted a few more times to achieve interaction and/or communication, but the silence seemed to hold ground.  It was decided that it was time to conclude the investigation and say good night to the Bowron House.

​As the team packed up, the discussion of how quickly batteries were consumed that evening was on top of everyone’s mind.  It was rather unusual, but not completely unheard of.  With a great appreciation and thanks, we said our good byes to Robert and the museum and headed back through the tiny downtown core.  Once again, they had to drive by the Dominion Hotel.  Robert had suggested that they connect with the Hotel as it has a deep history and a story or two.  “There it is.  The Dominion Hotel,” she said, pointing to it as they drove by.  “We will be back to visit you,” she laughed. 
 
Is the Minden Hills Cultural Centre haunted?  We think there are a few spirits still lingering amoungst the historic buildings. Being alone and unattended for a couple months, they were excited to get some energy back (thanks to our batteries!).  The location surprised us and was more active than we could have ever imagined!  This little heritage village is a must visit.  While it offers guests a change to learn about the early days of Minden, it may also offer a glimpse into the past thanks to a couple spectral inhabitants.

​For more information or to plan you visit, check out their website: https://www.mindenhills.ca/en/things-to-do/cultural-centre.aspx
 
Just make sure that you say Hello to Mr. Delamere for us.

Ovilus 5 Words

​SCRATCH               
RATE                  
RAN                   
SUN                   
EVENING               
DEAL                  
PEACE                 
I                     
LADY                  
WINGS                 
HEAT                  
HOBBLE                
MINUTE                
PAGE                  
FORTY                 
WINDOW                
DAY                   
DATE                   
DRUNK                 
UP                    
PERIOD                
FARMERS               
IDLE                  
DESK                  
STATEMENT             
RAIN                  
CRESCENT              
CALL                  
PURIFIED              
MUSIC                 
NEAR                  
BACON                 
L                 

​LAGOON                
NATION                
PLATE                 
CALM                  
RESENT                 
MAGIC                 
WOLF                  
FOUND                 
FREEZE                
WATCH                 
SECRET                
CHILDREN              
NECESSARY             
GARDEN                
ASHES                 
TICK                   
KNOWN                 
SUBSTANCES            
EIGHTY                
CAN YOU               
INCLUDE               
FATE                  
KNEE                  
STIGMATA              
RAPTURE               
GUY                   
TRUCK                 
ASHES                 
GOOD                  
RAN                   
SCARED                
EIGHTY                   

LEGS                  
TONE                  
LISA                  
STATEMENT              
FAME   
​​OI                    
LITTLE                
AMELINE               
HOLD                  
BASEMENT              
OK                    
SOMETHING             
THOUGHT               
WANTED                
BLIND                  
YEAR                  
WELL                  
SIXTY                 
IDA                   
HUNDRED               
ROADWAY               
RAN                   
DO                    
STUDENTS              
COUCH                 
INTERRUPT             
GARDEN                
RUST                  
SLOWER                
ELEVEN                
CRAYON