Adventures in Ghost-Hunting

 

You probably already know that you can take ghost tours  in Old Ellicott City. Hoping to connect with both the brave and curious. Maryland History Tours offers a variety of tours based on a variety of different themes. Not all are ‘haunted’, though the ghost ones are the most widely known. Have you ever been on one? What was it like? 

If you are ready for a blast from the past, here’s a video about the ghost tours from Howard County Government’s television channel in about 2013.

“Ye Haunted History of Olde Ellicott City” Ghost Tours

Whether or not one believes in ghosts, these tours are a great opportunity to learn about the history of the area. Compared to Columbia, Old Ellicott City seems ancient: a treasure trove of historical information. Of course, compared to Europe, what we think of as historic is but a flash in the pan, yesterday’s news.

It’s all relative.

The other day I noticed that Old Ellicott City had drawn the interest of some folks from out of our area. The crew of Pasadena Paranormal was in town conducting an investigation.

Pasadena Paranormal? (Love that alliteration.)

I learned a bit more about this group from a 2015 article in the Pasadena Voice:

Pasadena Paranormal Society Continues to Delve Into the Inexplicable, Dylan Roche

“Everything we now know today as scientific fact was once unknown and frightening,” the website asserts. “Paranormal events are merely episodes which have yet to be explained. We seek answers to questions that remain to be asked.”

But it’s not about chasing ghosts. Members of the society come from different backgrounds and joined the society for different reasons, but they share a common goal to understand what happens when a person dies. Some want a scientific explanation, and other want spiritual or religious verification.

And despite what people might expect based on scary movies, the Pasadena Paranormal Society’s practices are science experiments, not séances. “We discourage those,” Przybylski said. “They can make the situation worse.”

You have been warned. Leave it to the professionals.

Unlike the team on Ghost Hunters or other similar programs, Pasadena Paranormal doesn’t have the reach of a national television show. They do have a channel on YouTube.

That’s where you’ll find their first foray into Old Ellicott City:

The Investigation, A Haunting on Main Street: The Bohemian House

 It turns out that Bohemian House was once the home of my favorite toy store, Mumbles and Squeaks. (“Are you hearing mumbles and squeaks in your attic? Call Pasadena Paranormal today!”)

From this episode’s introduction:

The first episode of a haunting on Main Street, the Bohemian House. We plan on going to many businesses along Main Street in Ellicott City Maryland. People from our area know the tales of the hauntings associated with this city. We look forward to finding the past of this amazing historic town still present along Main Street today.

The Bohemian House is a pre civil war building which served as housing for the workers of the original Ellicott Mill. Later it was Fissel's stone shop, then was mumbles and squeaks toy store before becoming the Bohemian House.

The building is mentioned in the book Haunted Ellicott City for the story of 3 children Colin, Lissa and Shawn spirits said to haunt the building since they passed from a battle with Typhoid Fever.

Hmm…in retrospect, what an odd place for a toy store. “Mumbles and Squeaks, where the ghosts of children play with toys in the attic.”

All of that aside, I’m pretty sure I don’t believe in ghosts. My husband, on the other hand, is a huge fan of ghost hunting shows so maybe I’ll get him to watch this one with me. 

If you’d like to report a haunting, you can find Pasadena Paranormal’s Jared Tracey on Twitter @Jaredparanormal. Who knows? You might be in their next episode.