Oregon Ghost Conference

Neil McNeill.

Jasper was super excited to attend the Oregon Ghost Conference, which is held every two years in Oregon City.  The conference was free, with a few classes, tours and seminars that were very reasonably priced.  There was even a ghost hunting class for kids!  I often say that it's really good to think about anything you've never thought about before, and it certainly gave us a chance to do that! The first speaker we heard was Darren Thompson, a paranormal investigator who shared sights and experiences in New Orleans, one of American's most haunted places.  Mr. Thompson clearly has a good sense of humor and a real passion for ghost hunting. 

Next we heard Neil McNeill give a scholarly talk on the history of paranormal research.  I found it really fascinating. He said that in Victorian England, Darwin's ideas had propelled many people to feel that it was necessary to choose between faith and science, and the field of paranormal research was launched to use scientific methods to shed light on things which science had rejected. It was a gentleman's hobby, practiced in an upper class man's leisure time.  Today we find paranormal research rejected by both modern science and mainstream religion, which kind of leaves people who have paranormal experiences in a difficult spot.

Jasper checks out an electro-magnetic field detector.

The kid's ghost hunting class was interesting too.  Rocky Smith, one of the organizers of the Ghost Conference, helped lead the class.  Mr. Smith is a local history teacher, and he explained that his main fascination with ghosts is in learning their stories and the history behind haunted places.  He's also the founder of Northwest Ghost Tours. (I'm betting those tours are terrific.) His friend Rob St. Helen brought a number of interesting ghost hunting gadgets and told the kids about them.  One was an ordinary digital recorder, which are used to record "electronic voice phenomena" or EVPs.  The idea is that you enter a haunted space, say hello to the spirits and ask that they talk to you, ask questions and leave long pauses to listen for answers.  Then later you listen to the recording carefully to see if you can hear answers which you wouldn't have been able to hear in person. (This is a very popular and time tested method, which generally results in hours of recordings with no results, but occasionally some really strange voices. Most investigators say there's nothing special to it, that anyone can do it, and urge people to try it themselves.)  They cautioned that when you leave a haunted space, it's best to say goodbye to the spirits and explain that they cannot come with you.  Another device was an electro-magnetic field detector.  These are used by electricians to find wiring that is hidden in walls.  While it would be pretty cool to be in a haunted space and watch the detector light up, its usefulness is somewhat limited because it can detect cell phone radiation, microwaves, and of course wiring.  I've read that some investigators will not use them without shutting the power off first.  Thus armed, we visited a room in the building where the ghost of none other than John McLoughlin had been seen.  (He was buried at this location for some time, but his remains have since been moved to the McLoughlin House.) Nothing too crazy happened, although a four year old boy told us he saw the ghost of another little boy.

There were lots of other folks there too. You could get chakra readings and palmistry readings, and learn about the properties of crystals.  A UFO organization was there, giving dire warnings and lending a somber note to the otherwise festive atmosphere.

We came to get our curiosity satisfied.  I think I secretly hoped for answers to philosophical questions. What are ghosts? What is their nature?  The mother of the four year old who sees ghosts paused to chat.  She says they are drawn to him because he's open to them, and they want him to help them.  I wondered what sort of people are these ghosts to place their troubles on the back of a small child? Are they all that selfish?  On the other hand, what Jasper and his friends seemed to really want was good ghost stories! They would have preferred a good ghost story swap any day over historical background and technical tips.  Instead of finding stories and answers, we found others searching for the same things.  We came away with lots to think about!