It is a practice many people know about, but few actually believe. Known as ghost hunting, it is the investigation of places that are said to be haunted. And it is a phenomenon that is quickly on the rise thanks in large part to the Internet, television, and the ability access information easily.
Ghost hunting is becoming so popular, that the University of New Hampshire has decided to fill the craving for it on campus. On Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. in the Granite State Room, UNH will host a free, open to the public lecture when they welcome two men who have been part of the driving force that has catapulted ghost hunting to popularity.
Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, known for their hour long show on the Sci-Fi Channel called "Ghost Hunters," will becoming to UNH as part of the MUB's 2007 Current Issues Lecture Series. They are expected to give an hour and a half long presentation, talking about what they do and how they do it.
"This is going to be a big event," said David Zamansky, assistant director of the Memorial Union Building. "We have really built on the popularity of ghost hunting here at UNH. This is what the university wants and we are bringing it."
Hawes and Wilson, who are in fact plumbers by trade and work as ones during the day, have been ghost hunting since Hawes founded The Atlantic Paranormal Society in the mid-1990's. They did not air their investigations on television until 2004.
This is not the first time that UNH has hosted a lecture about the investigation about the haunted and paranormal. The past two years, UNH brought parapsychologist and writer Peter Jordan to talk to the community about his findings. His talks were held in the Strafford Room because the MUB did not expect what kind of crowd would come to listen.
"The first time with Peter Jordan, I was a little hesitant," said Zamansky. "I didn't know what kind of crowd to expect. But when I got there, it was mayhem. People were fighting to get in. This time we are expecting a bigger crowd."
This time around, the MUB has planned accordingly, setting up the more famous ghost hunters in the bigger, more accommodating Granite State Room. To get an idea about how popular these hunters are, Zamansky has been getting phone calls for the past month and a half from people all across New England wanting to know how they can get tickets to the event.
"I have never gotten calls so early before an event," said Zamansky. "I have been telling them that it is first come, first serve and if they want to get in, they should probably show up and hour in advance."
The hunters pride themselves on two characteristics that is said to set them apart from other ghost hunters. The first is that they consider themselves the "working class ghost hunters." According to their website, "They're neither Ph.D. scientists, nor zany, theatrical hotline psychics. Jason and Grant are plumbers by trade, and their T.A.P.S. colleagues are in similarly ordinary professions. Factory worker, office manager, teacher - these are respected members of a small, blue-collar Rhode Island community where many of the T.A.P.S. members were born and raised." This helps them to identify and attract the everyday person to their fan base because they are truly like the people who watch their show.
The second thing that makes them so popular is the use of technology when investigating haunted areas. The tech support helps the hunters to either prove or disprove any abnormal happenings as being paranormal or not. Their job is to prove that what they are investigating is authentic. Their gadgets include digital thermometers, electromagnetic field recorders, night vision goggles, and digital infrared cameras.
Following the presentation, Hawes and Wilson will be available for autographs and pictures. It would be expected that the hunters would take the crowd around the area and try to find any paranormal in the local area, but because of their celebrity, Zamansky felt it would better if they stayed after the presentation to meet and greet the crowd.
"It is always good to try something out," said Zamansky. "I don't think you can get any higher then the Sci-Fi "Ghost Hunters." If people start to get bored, then we will try something different."
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