Casper, the friendly ghost-town

Casper, the friendly ghost-town
May 21, 2009
By MEGAN LEE
Trib.com

Hey, Answer Girl --

What are some haunted places around Casper?

-- Anonymous

Casper is a town steeped in history and rich in lore.

I'm a bit of a 'fraidy-cat, to say the least (fears include storms, the dark, creepy buildings), so being near haunted places has never been at the top of my to-do list.

If you've been a reader for a while, you'll remember the oh-so-terrifying investigation of Natrona County High School's auditorium (which I was oh-so-lucky to be a part of).

The Paranormal Research Society of Casper, led by paranormal investigator Lisa Lauderdale, visits places that people around town claim are haunted.

Of all the places she and her team have investigated, the Ivy Inn on Ash Street "has the most activity," Lauderdale said.

A few private residences have had activity, too, she said, but those places obviously aren't open for ghost-hunting visitors.

But the PRSC isn't out to prove that places are haunted. In fact, they're out to prove that places aren't haunted by coming up with another reason for "haunting" activity.

A local bar, for example, has a reputation for creepiness. The PRSC found that the electromagnetic level in the bar was high because of old electricity ducts.

"Where there's high EM fields, that can cause flu-like symptoms and make you feel like someone's watching you," Lauderdale said. "It's what makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck, all the classic signs. The base [EM level] in that place is off the charts."

Other downtown hot spots are rumored to be haunted, but the PRSC hasn't had the opportunity to explore those places yet.

For the best chance at finding haunted-type places, Lauderdale suggests going to older parts of town.

And what older part of town is there in Casper than at the Fort Caspar Museum, where visitors can tour old fort buildings and see memorabilia from the days of Caspar Collins.

If you want to explore the potentially haunted buildings for yourself, the PRSC will conduct an open evening of investigation 7 p.m. on May 30 at Fort Caspar Museum, and public tours of the fort buildings are scheduled hourly from 8 p.m. to midnight. During the tours, the public will be able to use the PRSC's ghost-hunting equipment.

Call the museum at (307) 235-8462 for more info on the ghost night.

Happy haunting.