Quick flashes occur in the building as the group tries to capture a photograph of their visitors. People hear more footsteps, some claim to see shadows on the wall.

Voice recording devices are held in the air to try and pick up any sounds the paranormal might be making. Hand-held detectors flicker different colors indicating the presence of the paranormal.

Throughout Bellingham, there are several locations presumed to be haunted and some that have been verified to be haunted.The Bellingham Observers of the Odd and Obscure is a local group that investigates paranormal activity.

“Whenever I have a chance to get into a bar, nightclub or a place where there used to be a house of ill-repute, I jump for it,” founder of the group Sherry Mulholland said.

The group provides full service to those who request paranormal investigations. They conduct research into the background of the homes they investigate, counsel the families involved and if need be, dispel the haunting.

Mulholland said there are two basic types of a haunting. A residual haunting seems to be on a loop or tape. It can be a visual or audio that appears frequently in the same spot. Intelligent hauntings are ones that respond to human contact, she said.

“What we run into most of the time are spirits that are just having a good time. They like where they are at – they’re not in pain, they’re not in agony,” Mulholland said. “They don’t feel like they are lost. They know they’re dead and they just like hanging around where they are.”

Paranormal investigators use a number of devices to detect the unknown, Mulholland said. They use voice-recording devices to try and pick up any electronic voice phenomenon. A typical recording would be a voice heard during investigations that does not belong to a member of the group.

“The [recordings] we get excited about are the ones that respond to something we are doing,” Mulholland said. “Over in Sycamore Square we were doing a meditation, everyone in the group was quiet except for me. We were sitting on the stairs, and we hear this man’s voice say, ‘yes, I feel good when I am being talked to.”’

Another piece of equipment a paranormal investigator uses is an electromagnetic fields detection meter. Electromagnetic fields are emitted by high-powered electronic objects and also by the paranormal, although there is no scientific proof the paranormal exist.

Dead space, a spot where no manmade objects are creating electromagnetic fields, is where an investigator will find the best paranormal detection.

Chuck Crooks, a member of the group, said he has always been fascinated with the paranormal and when he found out there was a group in Bellingham that did investigations, he wanted to join. His exploration of Bellingham had begun.

The Tour

Footsteps in Fairhaven
The ferry terminal in Fairhaven is located at a place known as Dead Man’s Point. Mulholland said it is called that because it used to be a graveyard and it appears to be haunted.

“There is a white lady who floats and glides along the water,” Mulholland said. “Security people for the boat yard have seen her. Many dock hands reported seeing her back in the day. One security guard noted he saw the white lady the evening after somebody had drowned on the water.”

Brian Lee, a member of the group, used to be a security guard at the shipyard near the ferry terminal. While he worked there, he heard footsteps near the gate he guarded.

One of the group’s favorite places in Bellingham to investigate is off 12th street. Sycamore Square in Fairhaven is a place Mulholland said her team has gotten some excellent electronic voice phenomenon and she has seen several apparitions during investigations there.

Mulholland has the key to the building, which has given the group the opportunity to investigate the building more thoroughly than most.

“This is my best opportunity to get something really phenomenal,” Mulholland said. “Maybe they will give us permission to see into their world, perhaps they will invite us to their party.”

Creeps on the dance floor
There are several locations in downtown Bellingham that are thought to be haunted. The Wild Buffalo House of Music and Hohl’s Seed and Feed have both been investigated by the group.

The team was called into the Wild Buffalo after bands were complaining about a menacing presence in the band room. They found there were several electrical boxes in the room, which emitted high electromagnetic field readings which likely made the band feel uncomfortable.

As the team was processing the report on the dance floor, their electromagnetic field meters began to detect something, although they couldn't confirm what it actually was.

Another nightclub that appears to be haunted is The Royal. It used to be a cathouse or a brothel, as much of downtowns buildings used to be, Mulholland said. The group has not been able to investigate the Royal yet.

Todd Hague, the manager and disc jockey at The Royal, has heard stories from employees about paranormal activities occurring. Hague also experienced a phenomenon while working late at night.

“I set a screwdriver down on the bar top while I was working on something, then I turned the other away. When I went to grab the screwdriver it was gone,” Hague said. “I said, ‘Hey I need that, give it back.’ Then I was doing something else and it was there. Either I was really tired and completely missed this or somebody is playing with me.”

The mansion dwellers
Cis and Mike Kennard own the haunted Eldridge Mansion. It was built in the 1920s and is the fourth mansion on the Kennard Estate.

When the Kennard’s moved in, they discovered the place was haunted, Mulholland said.

“One of their good friends was helping them put up drapes and she was up on a ladder, and she was kind of feeling like she was losing her balance,” Mulholland said. “A very gentle hand came up and steadied her. She said thank you, turning around expecting to see Cis, but nobody was there.”

Mulholland said one night when she was staying in the upstairs bedroom at the Kennard Estate she was visited by a female spirit who hovered over her bed for a few seconds, then continued down the hallway.

Judy the ghost and the man in a suit
One of the earliest hauntings recorded was of a ghost named Judy. She lived in one of the boarding houses that were torn down during construction of the Theater in 1927.

“Mount Baker Theatre is thought to be haunted by a lot of spirits, but the most famous of the spirits is Judy the ghost,” Mulholland said.

Two paranormal groups have investigated the theater in the last four years said Jade Liu, a volunteer secretary and tour guide at the Mount Baker Theatre.

Liu said investigators have been greeted by a blonde woman named Alice in the backstage dressing room who apparently died there in 1972.

Strange things have not happened only backstage; the boss room also hosts paranormal activity.

“Investigators met a ghost who introduced himself as Geoffrey,” Liu said. “He was dressed in a pinstripe suit and told an investigator to be sure to return a paperback book about the history of the theater that she had found on the shelf in the boss room. Another investigator encountered a man in that same room dressed in a tux, claiming to be guarding something valuable in a safe that was embedded there.”

Liu said during renovations in 2008 the safe, which could not be opened by even a locksmith, was mysteriously opened.

Spirit in the stall
Parts of Western, such as Miller Hall, Wilson Library and the Performing Arts Center, are all places thought to be haunted, Mulholland said.

At Miller Hall there is a woman who likes to hang around the bathroom area. People have claimed they can hear the woman in the stalls and smell her perfume. The group has investigated this case and Mulholland said that she has had contact with the spirit.

In Wilson Library there is a haunting on the ground level in the study area. Mulholland said the third floor is also haunted.

“A lot of the times the chairs get rearranged,” Mulholland said.

The Performing Arts Center hosts the most aggressive haunting known on campus. The group has only investigated the center for a total of thirty minutes, but Mulholland said custodians have told her there are places that they will not even clean.

Different Types of the Paranormal
as defined by Sherry Mulholland

• Shadow People- Dark in color, move quickly, stand upright like humans and often wear hats.
• Entities- Of the earth, almost demon-like. These are often aggressive hauntings. Could feed on spirits.
• Spirits- Typical, what people often refer to as ghosts.

Symptoms of a Haunting

• Names being called out
• Knocking within a home or room
• Objects being moved
• Doors and windows opening or shutting by themselves
• Unusual odors
• Feeling touched

Q&A with Sherry Mulholland

What is the paranormal?

The science that is yet unknown.

How do you verify a haunting?

We go on investigations. About half of our investigations we don’t get any kind of evidence. We don’t get anything measurable. That doesn’t mean the place isn’t haunted. It just means that during the time we were there nothing happened.

What does haunted mean?

It means we found something measurable such as electronic voice phenomenon. It could be a photo anomaly; it could be a video anomaly that we cannot explain. There is no manmade reasonable explanation for what it is.

How do hauntings affect people?

Most of the time when people call me, like 98 percent of the time, people are curious. They ask us to come in just to validate for them that it is there and they don’t really wish to have it gone. People are becoming more and more accepting of the spirit world.

Why do think the spirit world is becoming more accepted by people?

I think a lot of it has to do with what is on television. I think as a human race we have grown a lot. We don’t think like they did in the dark ages where there are boogeymen in the closet. Adults are a lot more open-minded. They aren’t scaring kids as much as they used to.

How did you get started in paranormal research?

I came from a family of spiritualists. I grew up having séances on the weekend. My older brother and mother were very into it. I guess you would call them mediums. I grew up with Ouija boards.

What do you say to those who disregard your work?

I am not out there doing this for them. I don’t say anything to them. I let them have their beliefs and I am not trying to change them.