OCTAGON HALL KENTUCKY

International Group Investigation

During the summer of 2008, Carroll Area Paranormal Team or CAPT and Bluegrass Paranormal Society or BGPS sat out to organize an investigation where other teams from around the country and world could come together, investigate, and foster a helping community attitude within the paranormal community. CAPT and BGPS had originally set-up this investigation at Waverly Hills Sanitarium in Kentucky but this did not happen, the plan fell through. Another site was found and confirmed, this site was the Octagon Hall in southern Kentucky.

CAPT and BGPS set out inviting other paranormal teams to join this investigation. Many groups were contacted and all showed a real interest in this but many ran into scheduling conflicts and the following groups were present:

Carroll Area Paranormal Team or CAPT from IOWA

Present: Chris, Jim, and Desiree

Bluegrass Paranormal Society or BGPS from KENTUCKY

Present: Eddie, Lisa, Darryl, and Lisa

Champaign County Paranormal or CC paranormal from OHIO

Present: Tom, Steve, JJ, and Leonard

The Eldolon Paranormal Organization from CALIFORNIA

Present: Shannon

Leinster Paranormal from IRELAND (Taps Family Member)

Present: Danny

University of Iowa-- non fiction department

Present: Matthew

Originally from Maine, Matthew teaches and was the investigation historian and writer.

Web links to the teams present:

http://www.carrollareaparanormalteam.com

http://www.bgps.org

http://www.ccparanormal.com

http://www.leinsterparanormal.com

The Eldolon Paranormal Organization's website is still under construction and will be posted when published.

University of Iowa non-fiction department nor Matthew have a website for them. Any questions for Matt can be sent to CAPT@q.com and they will be forwarded.

The investigation took a more premier aspect with Danny on board making this a United States sponsored International Investigation.

All the groups met at BGPS Darryl's home which served as the investigation main base of operations site and preformed an equipment check before loading up for the 2 hour drive to the investigation site. While in route we received some rather bad news, Octagon Hall had been broken into and the site owner's operating budget was stolen for the year. The police were on site and we were allowed to continue with the investigation after the police's initial investigation was concluded. We all thought this was very kind of the site owners given what had just happened.

WE ASK YOU MAKE A DONATION TO ASSIST THIS GREAT HISTORICAL SITE CONTINUE TO OPERATE. PLEASE HELP THE OCTAGON HALL REMAIN OPEN AND MAINTAINED. SEND DONATIONS TO:

OCTAGON HALL C/O BILLY BYRD/FOPI

BOWING GREEN ROAD

FRANKLIN, KY 42134

When the police left, the teams got together and developed a plan for this site due to its size and history. Octagon Hall was built by Andrew Jackson Caldwell as a family home in 1843, prior to the civil war. The home was designed to give maximum visibility and to be non-traditional in nature. Andrew Jackson Caldwell was also a slave owner which meant that when the civil war started, his property was considered enemy territory to the federal troops. During the civil war, Octagon Hall was used as a hospital and also claims to have hid confederate soldiers, one was taken to the attic where he bleed to death of a gun shot wound to the leg, this was after the federal troops took the property over. There is also rumored to be a tunnel from the basement to the barn but this was never found and may have hid more soldiers also. The hall was used by both confederate and federal troops during its involvement in the civil war. During the 1860's a small girl named Mary Elizabeth was in the kitchen in the basement and her dress caught on fire, she was burnt to death. She is said to remain on the grounds.

The claimed activity in and around the Octagon Hall is many and include the following:

1. Hearing noises.

2. Hearing doors open and shut.

3. Hearing voices.

4. Someone lying on the beds on the second floor.

5. Smell of flowers.

6. Apparitions of children, soldiers, and a man on a horses in the back yard.

The home has 2 floors and a basement along with many artifacts from the civil war era. The home was cleaned of broken glass from the break in and the remainder of the broken glass in the door and hole was taped up for the owners to avoid any further damage or mess for visiting people. We all felt this was the least we could do for being allowed to continue the investigation on this site, we were glad to do it and help in any way we all could.

The investigation started in the house where the teams covered the main floor and upstairs. Two separate teams went in and one was on the main floor while the other on the second floor. The third team spent time outside on the grounds. After 30 minutes the teams switched places to attempt to validate each others experiences. Vigorous EVP sessions were conducted in all areas in an attempt to communicate.

The next part covered was in the basement where again a hard and point blank EVP session was conducted. This was done due to the claims of Mary Elizabeth being killed in the kitchen and other soldiers being seen in the area. The basement proved interesting with the rooms and their usage and a search for the “tunnel” was made reveling none that we could find. The teams did find a space under the front stairs leading to the front door outside in the basement of one of the rooms that may have been this tunnel but showed to be a place that may have hidden some people at one time.

The teams then went out onto the grounds. The summer kitchen building was investigated and many photos were taken. The kitchen was a smaller building but “cozy” into itself. The next building investigated was the slave shack. In this building was a cotton loom and the basic things needed to live there. The teams investigated this area with a few personal experiences coming out of it which are listed below.

The teams then went to the slave cemetery and conducted an EVP session in this area. There were many rocks taking place of headstones where the property owners felt the slaves were buried. There are also 2 unknown soldiers graves buried there as well. A few personal experiences were had in this area and again are listed below. The teams then investigated the surrounding wood line and out buildings on the property to include the barns. We all then revisited the places personal experiences happened or feelings were felt in an attempt to re-create them with new people in the teams, as the teams switched members at this time.

The investigation ended when the sun came up the next morning and we had a cook-out breakfast for all present. Stories were told and personal experiences were compared. Equipment was then packed and we returned to our respective homes. This was a great and historic investigation in many ways, we have shown that teams from all over CAN come together, interact, learn, and investigate as a solid team and we hope to continue this as an annual event.

The following are the reported personal experiences the teams had at Octagon Hall:

Desiree of CAPT: When we first arrived on site and standing on the porch she heard a giggle or laugh of a child. She could not determine if it was a boy or girl but this came from inside the home.

Jim of CAPT: During the investigation he had many feelings in the basement and heard some undetermined noises as well.

Chris of CAPT: While in the slave shack he asked for a sign of the spirits presence. Right after this request something blew on the forearm of his left arm causing the hairs to stand up. The blowing noise was caught on audio and the hairs standing were seen by Jim and Matt.

Danny of Leinster Paranormal Ireland: Witnessed the wind chimes moving on their own on the second floor. Jim verified they were in fact moving and this was caught on video.

Shannon of The Eldolon Paranormal Organization from California: While in the slave shack she heard a man singing, she could not make out the song or type. While in the slave cemetery she saw a shadow of someone looking out at the corn fields and away from the unknown soldiers graves. She also felt a tap on her shoulder while in the house.

Tom and Steve of CC paranormal Ohio: While in the basement they heard the crying of a little girl. This was caught on audio and Tom also heard walking on the stairs while he was in the house on the first floor.

CC Paranormal of Ohio: Obtained and unexplained EMF spike near the corn fields.

Leonard and JJ of CC paranormal Ohio: While in the barn and upstairs, they heard a whistle. The whole investigating team heard this in the barn.

Lisa of BGPS: While in the slave shack she smelt what she explained as the smell of a man. She went to leave the slave shack and was pushed out of the doorway. While walking with BGPS's other Lisa a shadow walked in between them in the yard. Lisa also saw a “huge” shadow on the barn door and footsteps in the same area.

None of these experiences were able to be re-created.

All the teams present enjoyed the fellowship they had with the others and wish to try to make this an annual event with more in attendance. The evidence is almost done and will be posted soon but the final determination is still in question.