Stephen Lancaster during an investigation. -Courteys Photo.
Insights Management, with offices based out of L.A., NY, and Montreal have placed monsterVisionTV under their umbrella. More news coming....
','38141992'); threads[3] = new thread(4337744, 'Season IV announced!', 'Stephen', '01/18/10', '07:18 PM','The P.I.T. Crew will once again return for another season of monsterVisionTV. Episode 1 of Season IV is expected to be released February 13, 2010.
','38141941'); threads[4] = new thread(4039171, 'brad sos', 'valereb', '12/13/09', '08:35 PM','Brad, anxious to post on LOPAR, validate my email please
Now, I recognize there is alot of "how can u prove it" discussion, but after seeing animals with patients who alert their masters of impending seizure activity, it got me thinking. Tonight on Animal Planet at 10 p.m. they are doing a show on animals and the paranormal. Perhaps, it can get you thinking as well. I of course am open to thoughts and suggestions for my research. Put on your witch’s hat, grab your brooms, and come celebrate All Hallows Eve at the Hotel Aiken! The 111 Year Old Historic Hotel is sure to have a celebration to remember! We have a party in the Polo Tavern with a live band and costume contests for Ladies, Men and Best Couples. We have a live band outside at the Tiki bar with a showing from MonsterVisionTV of The Hotel Aiken! We also have a live band at 100 Laurens - our newest bar and restaurant! So come join us for some good food, lots of fun and a great place to stay the night this Halloween.
Together, they visit locations that are said to have had instances of paranormal activity and then produce programming for their own independent internet program called monstervisionTV.
Lick and Lancaster\'s interest in paranormal investigation heightened when "strange occurrences" started happening at work. "One employee said he saw a shadowy figure or apparition pass in front of him," Lick says. Another co-worker had a similar experience and they were so intrigued that the two friends began to bat around the idea of starting their own paranormal investigation collective.
"As a kid about 6 or 7 years old, I had my own little happenings," recalls Lick about living in the swampy terraces of Lake Blackshear. Later, when his step-father and mother, Charles and Dianne Davis moved into a 150 year old house on South Lee Street, Lick recalls “having the feeling that there was something around." “I snooped around the spookiest places in Americus like the old hospital on Dodson Street, and from there my interest just grew.”
The mission of the "P.I.T. Crew is to provide "raw information to prove or even disprove the presence of paranormal activity,”says Lick. "We have a lot of equipment and tools including electromagnetic field detectors, analog audio recorders, ion testers and temperature readers.
Lick and his associate were recently in Charleston at Poogan\'s Porch, which is number three on the Travel Channel\'s most haunted places in America, and “the crew” conducted an investigation as the local CBS affiliate recorded live. Last month, NBC studios contacted Lick and Lancaster in order to acquire footage to be aired on the Maury Povich Show.
Such attention has come to the P.I.T. Crew and their website, monstervisiontv.com, from what Lick refers to as "massive networking." "We have found youtube.com to be the best networking tool by far." "More than once, we have been youtube.com’s most watched educational video in a day\'s time,"Lick says. In one year the site has had over 300,000 hits with no money going toward advertising.
"We want to remain entirely independent," says Lick, and create the most honest product as far as paranormal investigation goes.” “We also invite the opportunity to work with others in our field."
For more information visit http://www.monstervisiontv.com
For the more adventurous trick or treater we have Belmont’s Haunted Mill. For over 10 years The Haunted Mill has been scaring us each Halloween without fail. Each year they refit The Mill with new scenes and update active scenes. This year is the most ambitious, having more changes than any other season. Over the years as the business has grown, owners have added The Purple Planet 3D Mini Golf (an indoor, climate controlled black light putt-putt course), a game arcade, and a party room that can be rented for any occasion. Make no bones about it, The Haunted Mill is in the business to scare and this year they are going all out with many new scenes and more actors and actresses.
The name for this local attraction came easy as the 100 year old mill has its own ghost story.
The Story Of Fred Bailey’s Haunted Mill
Fred Bailey, a building inspector of sorts, was one of the first on site when the building of Vision Hosiery Mills was taking place, overseeing the construction and making sure that everything went as planned. Based upon his responsibility and knowledge Fred should have been living well, but times were tough in this small town that was just starting to experience growth. Fred still took his job responsibilities, and the safety of the men very seriously. As the building started to take shape, the owner noticed Fred’s dedication and his attention to detail. Fred was approached with an offer of the job as Mill Keep which he would assume upon completion of the mill. The Mill Keep would live on site, oversee the workers, and maintain the building. Fred rejoiced at his new future of being the Mill Keep, feeling that someone had finally noticed his worth.
After that day Fred started to spend more and more time at the mill and became extremely intimate with every square inch. Many mornings the workers would come in to find Fred still in yesterday’s clothes walking the mill making inspections and notes. Fred’s thinking was that since this was going to be his building it was his duty to make sure that it was as perfect as it could be. Many times he would have the workers tear down sections they just finished and redo them because he did not feel it was right.
Fred quickly went from being respected to being resented by the workers. All the while the owner would keep praising Fred for his good work and telling him what an asset he will be to the mill once they open. The mill was finished with minimal delays and no fatal accidents. On the last day, the builders made final checks, finished cleaning areas up and ended the day. Fred stood on the steps of the mill as he watched them leave much like he did every day during the construction and then turned and went back inside.
The next morning when the mill opened for its first day to prepare to move in the employees were shocked and mortified to see the body of Fred Bailey hanging from the rafters.
It is at this point that the details become very sketchy. Some say he learned that he was not getting the job of Mill Keep and committed suicide, while others mostly believe there was foul play, either with a confrontation of the owner over the Mill Keepers Job or with one of the many disgruntled builders. While Fred died in the building he loved, his tortured soul is said to still roam the mill to this day.
Because many have experienced Fred’s presence consistently over such a long period of time, the story drew the attention of a Paranormal Investigation Team from Myrtle Beach that came and visited The Haunted Mill. What they saw and experienced was strong enough that they filmed a documentary on their investigation for Monster Vision TV which will be aired for their opening episode for their 3rd Season. You can view the trailer at http://www.thehauntedmillnc.com
Buddy and Bootsie Love, who oversee the day-to-day operations, recount stories of unexplained noises and shadowy figures passing into a room with no exits, which is found only to be empty upon investigation. There have even been times when The Haunted Mill attractions would activate with no one in the room and even when they are unplugged. Many stories from employees and guests just don’t add up.
Buddy says it seems that Fred becomes much more active during October leading up to the busiest time of the year for The Haunted Mill and coincidentally, the month of Fred Bailey’s demise.
While the details of Fred’s story have not been able to be verified, the accounts of him being seen and felt throughout the mill are undeniable. So this year as you make your way through The Haunted Mill be sure to keep one eye open for Fred, he may be right beside you.
http://www.belmontrocks.com/2009/10/03/a-belmont-ghost-story/
Stephen Lancaster during an investigation. -Courteys Photo.
Stephen Lancaster and Ryan Lick look like normal enough guys - but how many normal guys hang out in allegedly haunted locations for a week at a time? That is exactly what Lancaster and Lick do. Not only for their own curiosities but they also host a show called MonsterVisionTV that they feed through YouTube and their own Web site, http://www.monstervisiontv.com, in an attempt to explain the sometimes inexplicable. They refer to themselves as The P.I.T. Crew, short for Paranormal Investigation Team. Stationed in North Myrtle Beach, The P.I.T. Crew goes where the weird is and their online investigative findings recently prompted NBC to request footage for program involving paranormal events, hosted by Maury Povich.
Despite their busy schedules, we were recently able to corner The P.I.T. Crew for a little Q-&-A session via e-mail.
QUESTION | How did you get into the ghost busting business?
ANSWER | We are not in the ghost busting business. Common misconception, we suppose. Our team simply attempts to either prove or disprove the existence of the paranormal on a case-by-case basis as professionally and scientifically possible.
Q. | Have you ever come face-to-face with an angry ghost? If so, how did you react?
A. | We have caught some rather extraordinary anomalies with our camera and audio equipment. However, we have yet to actually come face-to-face with an entity that can be validated through scientific means.
Q. | Where is the most-haunted place on the Grand Strand?
A. | This question is entirely too subjective. Although there are many stories and local legends throughout the Grand Strand, we have yet to actually find any concrete evidence to prove their legitimacy. From our perspective, a local business we investigated last year is the only place we can honestly claim legitimate paranormal activity is occurring.
Q. | What is the name of the business?
A. | Unfortunately we cannot release that information. The owner is insisting on anonymity. Being it is a place of business, the owner does not want that kind of attention, which is understandable.
Q. | Are there any physical characteristics that humans have when in the presence of a ghost?
A. | We can\'t say. That is a personal experience in which emotions differ from person to person. We will say that never under any circumstances will we use psychics, mediums or any other method based on spiritual or religious practices. Those are phenomena that cannot hold any credibility in this field, nor can they be scientifically supported. To be clear, we are not saying we believe or disbelieve this phenomena that so many claim to experience. We are simply saying that our methodology does not utilize those techniques.
There are, however, common experiences reported during paranormal activity. Cold spots or significant temperature changes in the atmosphere, exhaustion, nausea and the feeling of being touched are commonly and openly discussed amongst many paranormal groups and outside individuals experiencing alleged paranormal activity. Those were just to name a few.
Q. | What do you think ghosts are - i.e. trapped energy, etc?
A. | One of our philosophies, based on gathered data, leans more towards paranormal activity consisting of energy like you state. We believe in part that apparitions require a source of "power" in order to manifest themselves, communicate, or simply interact in general with what we consider to be everyday life. Although there are many theories as to the various types of apparitions, most data gathered has pointed towards some form of energy being required in order for this activity to occur. One of our best captures, on video, took place in a facilities electrical room with (the) electromagnetic field ranging in the hundreds.
Q. | What is your favorite ghost hunting show?
A. | We don\'t really watch those programs. Mainly because we work 60-70 hour work weeks and our nights are spent conducting paranormal investigations. We do, however, follow and support many other independent paranormal teams locally, nationally and internationally. Our team is constantly working with other groups during evidence review and discussions of scientific methods. Supporting one another is top on our priority list.
Q. | What would you say to non-believers?
A. | Thank you. The skeptics play a very important role in this field. They help even out the playing field within the paranormal community. It is a common misconception that paranormal investigation groups all believe in ghosts. This simply isn\'t true and if it was, (it) would really put a damper on presenting anything claimed to be credible evidence if one believes every little abnormal thing is a ghost. It is also a common misconception that the word "paranormal" always refers to the supernatural. The term "paranormal" simply refers to an event or events that are beyond a standard form of scientific measurement.BELMONT — Eight men and women have been facing their fears this week at The Haunted Mill. (See Haunted mill photos)
Charlotte radio station 96.1 The Beat has been hosting Survivor 2, a competition that has a group of people living in a pop-up camper in front of the old Vision Hosiery Mill in Belmont.
The winner of the challenge will be named Friday and rewarded with a trip to the American Music Awards in Los Angeles.
Each day the group competes in a challenge. The loser is exiled to the allegedly haunted mill.
“We’re just putting them through the ringer, making them do all sorts of disgusting things,” said radio personality Brotha Fred.
But a night in the old building tops the list of trials facing the show’s contestants, he said.
“There’s a weird vibe about that building. I was walking through there with the lights on and I felt something,” Brotha Fred said.
Paranormal investigation
Nights in the mill may be a punishment for Survivor 2 contestants, but a group of paranormal researchers recently chose to spend an evening in the old hosiery mill that now serves as a haunted house.
The P.I.T. Crew from MonsterVisionTV.com (a paranormal investigation team) spent a night in the old mill to see if claims of spiritual activity were true.
“Every staff member there has a claim, from being touched to hearing their names called,” said Stephen Lancaster with MonsterVisionTV.com.
Lancaster’s team spent hours using cameras and a variety of equipment to investigate the property.
The crew heard voices and footsteps, Lancaster said.
“When we did that investigation, we experienced a lot of what they were talking about,” he said.
A room that had some activity is rumored to be the spot where a man died suspiciously in the 1960s, said Lancaster. The crew saw a chain swinging and heard a loud bang and footsteps as they left the room.
“It’s definitely a neat place. We’d like to go back there,” said Lancaster.
Clips from the investigation are online at http://www.MonsterVisionTV.com.
Legend has it
Local legend has it that an inspector died inside the mill in the 1960s, according to Kevin Blanchfield who has run The Haunted Mill on N.C. 74 for 14 years.
Blanchfield, who has been running haunted houses for years, was drawn to the mill because of its history — documented and undocumented.
People say a man named Fred Bailey was found hanging in the mill in a manner that may or may not have been suicide.
Blanchfield doesn’t have any dates or records about the hanging and said Bailey was not the man’s real name. But he’s seen traces of something in the old mill, Blanchfield said.
“There’s one area in the mill that two or three of us have experienced things. It’s a dark, shadowy figure that we see in the office area of Vision Hosiery,” he said.
Fact or fiction
Hatch Full Fashion Hosiery was incorporated in Belmont in 1928. The business started up with 21 knitting machines, according to local Belmont historian Max Robinson.
When pantyhose went seamless, business changed and so did the mill’s name, to Vision Hosiery, Robinson said.
A Belmont native, Robinson knows several people who worked at the mill decades ago. He doesn’t remember any murder or suicide at the mill and hasn’t found any evidence or records to suggest there was.
“I’ve talked to a lot of historians in this town and no one can tell me anything about a hanging there,” said Robinson.
Internet searches about the incident only bring up blogs about the alleged hanging. Without a real name, searching for an obituary isn’t possible.
Still, workers at the haunted house maintain that unusual occurrences happen inside the old building.
Haunted house worker Chris Beaver said he’s a skeptic, but even he has been spooked.
“I’ve gotten freaked out to where I had to leave the room,” Beaver said.
http://www.gastongazette.com/news/belmont-39641-old-haunted.html','35947012');