This is the 1st investigation we did. For investigation 2 click here.
History:
On July 18th, we were lucky enough to investigate the old jail and sheriff's house in Crown Point, Indiana. The old jail is world famous as it was the spot of John Dillinger's famous escape in 1934. He not only broke out of the "inescapable jail" but he also left in the sheriff's car, which he stole.
Other notable inmates include James "Fur" Sammons, a ruthless hitman for Al Capone, The Dunes Slayer (who also escaped), and a woman named Ann who killed her children.
The Investigation:
We started our investigation at 9PM. We walked through the various cell blocks recording and snapping photos as we went. There were only two of us investigating, so we had a lot of ground to cover.
Our first hour was not very active. We walked around, grabbed pictures and videos of the cells as we went. After about an hour, we decided to take a break and sit on the second floor of the jail. This was the only spot with lights on, and it had been redone by Universal Studios when they filmed the movie Public Enemies starring Johnny Depp as Dillinger, so it was the best place to take a break. I quickly got antsy and wandered off to explore while my husband, my co-investigator for the night, sat it out.
As I went upstairs, I noticed one thing, this place is much darker without two flashlights. This was the solitary confinement area, and the spirits here are a bit more angry than your average jailed offender. It was very dark, and very VERY quiet in this spot so I took it slow and cautious. When I reached the end, I took a few pictures, didn't see anything, turned on my recording device and began to walk back. I walked a bit quicker in my retreat because this was one of those spots where you just get the feeling you are being watched. As I was about to exit the cell block, I felt a distinct poke right in the middle of my back. It was quite noticeable and it made me move just a bit quicker out of that spot.
I caught up with my husband back on the lit cell block, where we decided to sit for a little longer and just listen. About two minutes after I sat down, the banging from upstairs started. It was LOUD. This was coming from directly above us, in the solitary cell block that I was just walking in. The banging went on for a bit so I grabbed the recording device to see if I could catch it on video....I did. As you can tell in the video above, it was pretty distinct. I don't know if they were putting on a show or just mad that I went up there, but they were definitely making themselves known.
After the banging calmed down for a bit we decided to head over to the cell block where John Dillinger made his great escape back in 1934. Though it was a pretty similar looking cell block to solitary, it did not have that intense feeling, so I felt better to explore a bit longer. I walked all the way to the end, to where Dillinger's cell was and just gazed in for a bit. As a history nerd (and a Crown Point native) this was awesome to see.
Dillinger's Cell
After a few pictures, I began my walk back to the front of the cell block where general population would get out of their regular cells and would congregate a few hours a day. There is a long table with cigarettes, cards and other tokens people have left for the ghostly inmates over the years. Sandy, the board member for the Jail who was nice enough to let us escape, said that the inmates love cards, so I asked them if they wanted to play. In return, my flashlight mysteriously turned off. I took that as a yes. I asked a few questions and my emf meter went crazy with answers, though no evp was detected. After a few minutes of holding the cards, I realized I had no idea how to play any card games and apologized to the spirits hanging around. They must have grown bored with me and left.
Shortly after that, I met up with my husband, and together we went down in the booking area of the jail. If you are a Dillinger fan, this is where he stood for his big interview after being caught. The famous photo of him with his arm around the prosecutor and next to the sheriff is a pretty famous picture. My husband stood next to me as I recorded the spot, but we didn't get anything in the area...or so we thought. The next day, when I was combing through evidence, I caught footsteps (loud footsteps) that we did not hear in real time. Those footsteps are what you hear in the video above.
Video by: Adventures with Mike
We then went back into the jail and wandered for a bit. My husband was becoming a bit unnerved by this time and decided to hang back a bit as I walked up and down the cell blocks. I took pictures of each cell as I went, hoping to get something, though I wasn't getting anything and was a little dismayed. Again, it wasn't until I went through my evidence the next day and caught a light anomaly in a picture from my Iphone. Since Iphone's have the "live" option, it gave me a clearer view of the light's movement and formation. I have also posted that evidence to the video above.
Speaking of "live" pictures, this is where I caught my only evp (electronic voice phenomena) of the night. This evp was when I was wandering the solitary cell block alone and taking pictures as I went. In the clip, you can hear the voice say, what I think is, "huh." I also added that to the video above.
After taking another break in the lit cell block, the banging started up again. We then started to hear footsteps circle around the floor. Every time I would try to follow the sound, the footsteps would resume, in another location on the opposite side as where I was. It was a fun little game...for the ghost. As I turned back to the table where my husband sat, he was looking like a deer in headlights. I asked what happened and he said he has chills and no idea why. His whole arm was covered in goosebumps (which was weird because it was at least 80 degrees in the 130 year old jail that definitely does not have A/C.
After that, I figured he was about over his first (and I am assuming last) paranormal investigation. We went down to the attached sheriff's house and stood in the former kitchen for a few minutes. We immediately heard loud crashing from the floor from which we just came. It sounded like furniture was being moved around and/or cell doors slamming. It was loud. I had just started to tell my husband it was late and we should go when I heard an intake of breath right at my ear, and then felt air blow on my face. This thing just blew in my face! My husband was standing about 6 feet away and saw my hair lift off my face, he was stunned. I was stunned. I was ready to leave after that, I was done.
When I went in, I wasn't expecting much. After 20 years of paranormal investigating, it is hit or miss with any location. Sometimes the spirits want to be noticed and will put on a show. Sometimes they want nothing to do with you, so they ignore you. This was not the case at the old jail in Crown Point. It turned out to be the most active place I have ever been. I will be going back. My husband says he will not.