VIDEO: Is Raynham Hall Haunted?
Raynham Hall, full of history and paranormal activity.
Oyster Bay has its fair share of history and Raynham Hall has been a major part of it.
The Townsend family built the home and lived there for generations. During the American Revolution, the family served as spies for Gen. George Washington, even as they were forced to house King George III's soldiers.
Now, even though the home is a museum, some believe there are occupants still roaming the floors. But who are they?
Shawn Schildgen, a paranormal and metaphysical specialist, has made many trips to Raynham Hall to connect with the spirits who inhabit the home.
In past visits, Schildgen has made connections with the spirits, but one of the most intense discoveries came through audio. Schildgen left an audio recorder in Sally Townsend's room. When he played the recordings back, he heard the voices of children and parents interacting.
The voices that were heard were not those of the Townsend family, he said. The names that were used could not be linked to the famous family. Schildgen thinks Raynham Hall has become a home not just for the Townsends, but for any spirit.
In addition to his audio recorder, Schildgen uses flashlights to interact with the spirits not only because it is economical, but you can see the results instantly.
Schildgen manipulates the flashlights just enough that when a spirit touches the flashlight, its static electricity can turn the flashlight on.
Check out our amazing video.
Travis
4:23 am on Friday, December 2, 2011
Cool!!
Joe Dowd
5:40 am on Friday, December 2, 2011
It is cool, isn't it. And the history of the place is simply amazing. See our earlier story about the love story that spawned the ghosts stories here: http://patch.com/A-npbM
John Cocchiola
4:10 pm on Friday, December 2, 2011
I think it's funny that after so many years of these pseudoscientists (usually college kids) investigating paranormal activity, with their EMF meters, thermal imaging equipment, infra red cameras, high tech voice recorders and every other gadget they cram into their Honda, the evidence they usually show us is a flashlight with a loose battery connection somehow turning itself on. That must mean there are ghosts! What other possible explanation can there be? There are things in this world that haven't been proved or explained yet one way or the other, but so far, everything that has been proved hasn't been ghosts or magic.
Joe Dowd
4:57 pm on Friday, December 2, 2011
John: Thank you for voicing the other side of this. I, too, don't believe in ghosts or spirits at all, but I know people, many of whom are intelligent and thoughtful, who do. So I'm sometimes torn about running these stories. There's another side to writing about this one. I've been told that many school kids tour Raynham Hall looking for ghosts, but come away finding out history is even more fascinating. Thanks for your thoughtful comment. jd.