Do you believe in ghosts? People working in the Ownesville village hall say - they're real and walking the halls.
Local 12's Brad Johansen went to check it out - to see if for himself if the ghost stories are real.
In Clermont County there stands an historic building known as the Owensville village hall. It was built in 1859 as the Boston Methodist Church and became famous for the story of a union supporter dragged from the building and hanged by Morgan's raiders during the Civil War in 1863. Though he was taken from the building, many believe spirits still haunt the village hall. So I went to find out.
The quaint Owensville village hall appears peaceful in the spot it's stood for 150 years. but there are those who call it restless.
Shirley Shipley: "I was sitting here and had my recorder on behind me.. And there was a guy sitting in the back video taping with an infrared camera...he said come back here you've gotta see this there's a shadow."
Shirley Shipley is on village council and believes she is never alone in this room. "There was a voice on the recorder actually on both recorders the other one on the other side of the room so it was so loud they both picked it up."
This is that EVP or electronic voice phenomenon that includes a male voice and a laugh Shirley says was not visible that night. And it's not the only EVP she's collected in this room. Once as she climbed the stairs, a female voice caught on her recorder. "
I REALLY WISH THAT THEY'D FIND IT." "So ever since I've been trying to find what were supposed to find and we don't know yet."
So Shirley joined OPES.. Ohio Paranormal Exploration Society, a group Tammy Heckle founded two years. Tammy's been chasing ghosts since she saw a light apparition when she was a teen. "Everytime you find something out it just makes you want to go on and found something more so it's more find answers for ourselves than for others."
Did I mention the village hall also houses the Owensville Police department? "Do the police say that weird things happen yes tonight they were saw they saw some shadows."
Officer Josh Smith grew up just down the street from here and heard all the stories of the haunted village hall.. He became a cop and just about two weeks ago sitting in this chair he saw a shadow walk by him chills up and down his spine for about a minute. He won't go on camera to tell me. But he knows what he saw." "I just want to find out what is in here.. Are there spirits here is it some residual energy presenting itself over and over."
So on this night.. Tammy and her husband Glen set up infrared cameras.. voice recorders.. motion detectors...and heat sensors-asking questions of those they believe dwell here. "Who are you , how many of you are here...what are we supposed to find."
And I tried to be quiet. "
Brad is that you? Sorry.. that's my stomach."
Some felt spots in the room get cool.. but no one felt significant motion or noises.. Shirley found this unknown voice on her recorder when she went home."
THIS GAME WAS UP HERE RIGHT NOW" And the game goes on...maybe it's been played for 150 years. "Something's here.. I don't know who they are or why they're here."
