Investigation Number 03182006

Powhatan Courthouse and Jail

Number of 35mm picture taken: 0

Number of digital photos taken: 441

Minutes of Audio used: 18

Minutes of Video taken: 120 minutes

Number of False Positive Photos: 53

Number of Positive Photos: 6 – Digital

Number of EVP recorded: 5 Attempts 0 results

Phenomena captured on film: Orbs in motion and orbs at rest. The orbs captured were mostly bright and well formed in nature. Most of the phenomena gathered was on the second floor and in the jail.

Summation: There were ten of us on this investigation. We were accompanied by two park staff. We started the investigation at 8 pm. We all met in the restored vault on the first floor. It was here that assignments were made and teams selected. 

The team psychics started the investigation by checking the whole building. Investigator Angie was the first to make contact. She first noticed a young black male playing in the courtroom. When she asks why he was there he became sad and told her that he had been killed by a man that had been on trial there. 

Soon after that Investigator Violet reports that she has heard a rustling sound in the belfry. Upon more intense investigation it is discovered that there are animals living in the upper tier of the belfry. This is reported to the park superintendent and we move on. 

Investigator Larry reported that he has returned from the belfry and that something has grasped his hand. He said it felt like a small child trying to get his attention. Investigator Angie then goes to the attic to see what she can determine. While there she is overcome by the feels of sadness and heaviness in the chest area. Later in the same area, Investigator Melissa feels as if she cannot breathe in the belfry and leaves quickly. Upon leaving the belfry she regains her breath. The next morning she finds a bruise on her neck and has a sore throat. We feel that she was mishandled by a spirit in the belfry. 

Late in the evening, Investigator Violet is contacted by a male spirit that says he was hung on the gallows. Since one of our goals was to find the location of the gallows she asks, "Where?" He tells her on the west side of the building between the jail and the courthouse. We now know where the gallows once stood.

Investigator Alan decides to try the dousing rods in the jail. He is accompanied by the park staff and proceeds to try to make contact with any spirit available. He made contact quickly but was not able to maintain the conversation. He gets the feeling that this spirit does not want to talk to him but rather the female in the group. He turns the dousing rods over to Corinne, the Park Superintendent, to see if his hunch is correct. It was. The spirit started responding to questions but did not want to talk about the reason she was there.

Around 2 am the park staff leaves and a good portion of the investigative teams goes to find a place to get some sleep. Only four members of the team opt to spend the night in the old building. Violet, Robin, Erin and Melissa remain to carry on the investigation. They hear what sounds like heavy footsteps on the back stairs. They start to investigate when they hear a high pitched squeal. One describes the sound as a woman’s scream and another describes the sound as a high pitched laugh of a child. They could not find the cause of the noise. All of the doors were still locked and the building was empty except for them.