www.ghostsoffredericksburg.com
Books due out 2007-2008:
Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Spotsylvania, The Wilderness:
A Ghost Hunter’s Field Guide
Haunted Pennsylvania II
Also
Check Out:
Ghost
TV Dead On Productions is a partnership between historian
Mark Nesbitt, author of the highly acclaimed Ghosts of Gettysburg
series, and Investigative Medium Laine Crosby, marketing strategist
and former director of marketing for high-tech ventures, including
the launch of The Weather Channel New Media and weather.com.
The
duo also co-host the talk show Ghost Talkers. The show includes
interviews with psychics, authors, historians, and paranormal
investigators. The first season’s topics include: unpublished
Gettysburg ghost stories, capturing electronic voice phenomenon,
psychic encounters, demonology, possessed possessions, and
all things paranormal. “We noticed a void in the market-
audiences’ desires were not being met,” said executive
producer Laine Crosby, an ex-marketing executive who now works
as an Investigative Medium. “Although national cable
networks have begun to offer quality programming about the
paranormal, with the exception of the random podcast, the
Internet seems to be dead silent. We are the first non-television
network to launch this unique programming in the high-tech
world.” www.ghostchannel.tv
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Mark Nesbitt 20 Questions
1. Where do you see ghost hunting and Paranormal groups like your
own in 10 years?
In the next ten years, I think ghost tours will continue to entertain
people. Some of the smaller companies may go out of business, but
the larger ones, like Ghosts of Gettysburg, should carry on. People
always love a well told ghost story. As far as ghost hunting and paranormal
groups are concerned, I think some of the people (non-professionals)
involved will get bored and fall by the wayside. Technological break-throughs
will periodically give the discipline a boost.
2. What would you consider to be the definitive proof that ghosts
are real?
For me, definitive proof of ghosts would be a two-way communication.
I know George Meek has apparently invented a device (Spiricom) which
may provide two-way communication, but is highly dependent upon the
power of the medium operating it. Perhaps technology will someday
help.
3. What is the most real evidence you have uncovered so far?
As evidence, we have collected several videos—one just recently
showing a door in the Ghosts of Gettysburg Headquarters closing by
itself (or, according to the mediums who were there, by a Mrs Kitzmiller,
who lived in the house in the late 19th Century and was angry at something
we were doing in her house.) Other evidence is EVP that answers specific
questions. In one example a ghostly priest finished the Lord’s
Prayer for me; in another, the song “Dixie” is finished
by a phantom banjo.
4. Are you skeptical of the claims other make of their findings?
I’m skeptical of everything until I can analyze it myself and
ask some questions of the person who collected the evidence.
5. If you could investigate your "Dream Haunted Hot Spot"
where would it be?
My “dream haunted spot” would be the Pacific island of
Iwo Jima, scene of the Marine battle in 1945. I don’t know that
it’s haunted. That’s why I’d like to investigate
there.
6. What was your first Paranormal encounter?
My first paranormal encounter at Gettysburg was with an attic door
in the Weikert House on the battlefield where I lived as a park ranger.
I had heard the door would not stay closed. Indeed, it would be open
after I shut it, time and again. I didn’t go as far as one of
the rangers, who actually nailed the door shut with a brad, only to
find the door open again. Since then, I’ve had numerous encounters—but
what do you expect? I lived in Gettysburg for 30 years!
7. What scares you about Ghost Hunting or Paranormal Investigations?
I’m fearful of falling into a basement through a rickety floor
in the dark. I don’t think it is necessary to always do investigations
in the dead of night. Forty-five percent of the 1,000 stories I’ve
collected for the Ghosts of Gettysburg series have occurred in the
daylight hours. Now, investigator Scott Crownover has developed a
method of photographing spirit entities during the day. Fabulous breakthrough!
I can get EVP in the daylight. I think more investigations should
be done during the day. More places are accessible.
8. If you could work side by side with one of the Paranormal Investigator
greats, who would it be?
I would like to meet Raymond Moody or George Meek
9. Read any good Paranormal Books lately?
The Scole Experiment by Grant and Jane Solomon is one of
my favorites. Science and the Akashic Field by Ervin Laszlo
was thought-provoking. Ghost Hunters by Deborah Blum is a
great history of our discipline.
10. What Question do people ask you most when you tell them your
a paranormal investigator?
People ask if I’ve ever seen a ghost. Fortunately, I can say
“yes.”
11. In your opinion, Where is the most Haunted city in America?
I always thought Gettysburg was the most haunted city in America.
But it took me fifteen years to collect enough stories for my first
book. After that, I think people started paying more attention to
the weird things happening to them. Now I’m starting to realize
that Fredericksburg, Virginia, scene of four major battles of the
Civil War, and the city in which my company started The Ghosts of
Federicksburg Tours, is every bit as haunted. It took only a year
to find enough unpublished stories to create a walking tour. L. B.
Taylor already filled a book with stories of ghosts at Fredericksburg.
Now that awareness has been raised, I hope more people in Fredericksburg
come forward with their stories
12. Do you feel more people should get involved with Ghost hunting
or Paranormal Investigation?
I periodically teach one-night investigation seminars at our Ghosts
of Gettysburg Headquarters. I call it “Ghost Hunting Lite,”
loaning out reasonably-priced EMF meters, quick-read thermometers,
and dowsing rods so that people can see that they can get into investigating
without spending hundreds of dollars. The emphasis is on record-keeping:
weather conditions, solar conditions, moon phase, pollen count, so
we can eliminate false positives. Rule out all the normal causes for
phenomena and what do you have? Para-normal.
13. What does the future hold for you?
Continue writing about the more and more sophisticated experiments
we’re conducting at Gettysburg and Fredericksburg, Virginia.
And Dead On Productions is a partnership between historian Mark
Nesbitt, author of the highly acclaimed Ghosts of Gettysburg series,
and Investigative Medium Laine Crosby, marketing strategist and former
director of marketing for high-tech ventures, including the launch
of The Weather Channel New Media and weather.com.
The duo also co-host the talk show Ghost Talkers. The show includes
interviews with psychics, authors, historians, and paranormal investigators.
The first season’s topics include: unpublished Gettysburg ghost
stories, capturing electronic voice phenomenon, psychic encounters,
demonology, possessed possessions, and all things paranormal. “We
noticed a void in the market- audiences’ desires were not being
met,” said executive producer Laine Crosby, an ex-marketing
executive who now works as an Investigative Medium. “Although
national cable networks have begun to offer quality programming about
the paranormal, with the exception of the random podcast, the Internet
seems to be dead silent. We are the first non-television network to
launch this unique programming in the high-tech world.”
“I think we’re ahead of the curve”, said executive
producer Mark Nesbitt, who is also an author, paranormal investigator,
and Civil War historian. “We see what people want since we are
a part of this industry. We frequently hear the same questions on
our walking tours, and we see the demand for a variety of historical
and paranormal nonfiction texts in our own stores as well as major
bookstore chains carrying our publications. The demand for more and
more paranormal non-fiction is overwhelming, and we want to give it
to our audience anytime, anywhere.”
With trafficking schedules tight at television networks, along with
homogenous programming, producers find it increasingly difficult to
gain placement for their original shows, and audiences are left unfulfilled.
The Ghost Channel.tv (ghostchannel.tv) partners with production companies
to syndicate their programming and offer viewers a greater assortment
of creative entertainment, combining historical documentary with paranormal
reality and adventure. And with programming offered via the Internet,
the potential reach is comparable to all the networks combined.
The Ghost Channel is offering a full season of episodes of Ghost
Talkers, with several original series in development and post-production.
The Ghosts of Gettysburg Candlelight Walking Tours will soon be available
for download to provide distant audiences with the opportunity to
experience Gettysburg and many of the stories in the popular Ghosts
of Gettysburg series by Mark Nesbitt. Nesbitt’s audio books
will also be available soon as downloads.
14. Paranormal Conventions do you see them growing? And which ones
are the Must go to ones?
Conferences are great. The only way to gain respectability in any
field of endeavor is to air your theories out in public and let people
pick them apart if they can. The sophistication of the audiences has
grown in just the last few years and they ask some very intelligent
questions. Rick Fisher had some fine speakers at his latest conference.
I’m looking forward to being emcee at the Ghost World Conference
in Gettysburg this summer.
15. What is your most favored tool of the trade?
I have an old Panasonic IC recorder, Model RR-DR60. I have great
success at getting EVP with that. I played some for Sarah Estep once
and she proclaimed it authentic EVP. It doesn’t get any better
than that!
16. Tell us about your best moment in investigating or giving a tour?
My favorite times are right after our investigation seminars. We
gather the group together in the lobby and go around one by one and
ask what experiences everyone had. To hear people say they were touched
by an unseen hand, or saw the dowsing rods move by themselves, or
smelled something weird is rewarding. I often get letters afterwards
confirming that the investigation was worthwhile, and that we have
some new “converts” to the field.
17. What is the hardest part about running a paranormal Ghost Tour?
In Gettysburg, it’s watching all the other tours pop up on
card tables. I have nothing against competition—it always makes
us better. But Gettysburg now has something like 15 “ghost tours”
on the streets all started in the last few years. I collected stories
for 15 years and wrote three books before I started the Ghosts of
Gettysburg Tours. I’m afraid people will think they are getting
ripped off (which, in some cases, they are) and never take another
ghost tour again.
18. How do you document your investigations?
Documentation of investigations is very important. First, we do a
preliminary investigation. I interview the people who have had the
experiences and record their words on tape. Meanwhile, Carol, my wife,
is usually taking one of our investigative mediums around the site
to get her impressions and snap photos. We’ll usually come back
later with a large group of investigators: at least three or more
night-shot videos, still cameras, and recorders to capture everything
we can. Later we’ll review the tapes and write up a report if
necessary. Everything is stored on my computer and in backup files.
19. Have you ever taken a ghost Tour? And, What about it did you
not like?
Carol and I have taken numerous ghost tours from Williamsburg to
Key West to Savannah and I enjoyed them all. Although I like the history,
ghost tours have to be careful not to emphasize too much history at
the expense of the ghost story. On the other hand, telling a ghost
story without historical background of the site, to me, is like somebody
jumping out of the bushes and yelling “Boo!” Yeah, you’re
scared, but the mystery is soon over.
20. What in the field of ghost hunting and Paranormal Investigating
needs the most attention.
