Dust and Shadows

West Pasco Historical Society

This was our first official paranormal investigation with our group.
The members that attended were Don, Michelle, Paul and myself. 
When we first got there Bob had told me that he had called Bay News 9, really didnt hit me until he said that they were going to be there. 
I was so uncomfortable about this, knowing that this was our very first location we as a Dust and Shadows team have been to investigate. There were a lot of people during the beginning, but the overall experience was the best we could ever ask for. 
Bob is such a great person, with a huge giving soul. He has so much dedication to this place and most of his time is dealing with that. Meeting people like him, make this more interesting and full of dedication to having Dust and Shadows succeed to the goals I have set for this group. 
Investigations dont always go as planned, you want to go in there and get that evidence that spirits/ghost really exist. Thinking to myself, maybe we should do this at night, but I stood my ground, knowing what I have personally experienced and keep our time as listed. 
That decision did not fail us. We have captured some great EVPS during our investigation within those hours we were there. 
I want to thank everyone there at the West Pasco Historical Society for sharing your time, knowledge and friendship with us.

Pasco County Historical Museum: September 2010 by Irene Patino 
In an interview with Terry Kline, director of the Pasco County Historical Museum, several interesting facts were discovered as he shared the events that led to the founding of the Historical Society in 1971. The museum is located on Circle Dr., just off Main. (See photo) Did you know that: 
1. The current location was at one time a Tocobaga Indian burial ground? Unfortunately, there were no laws in place to protect the grounds or possible artifacts from being destroyed or covered over by new construction. More than 700 years of historical data lay beneath the surrounding homes and museum site in Port Richey, Florida. For further information you can purchase the hard-cover book West Pascos Heritage, published by the West Pasco Historical Society, available for $15, or any of the following books for only $5.00 each: 
Tales of West Pasco - Ralph Bellwood 
The Story of Hudson, Florida - Harry G. Miller 
Now and Then in New Port Richey - Kathleen Strode (line drawings) 
The Genesis of New Port Richey - Elroy Avery 
2. The original building was once the old Seven Springs School house serving students from 1913 to 1925. Further information on the history and chain of custody can be found on the internet. 
3. After the grounds were cleared to make room for the museum building at Sims Park (originally known as Sunset Park), it was dedicated on January 16, 1983. It was Terry Kline that loaned the construction equipment to the operating crew.
4. According to Mr. Kline, the shell mounds that were located off Congress and Countyline were leveled to top the dirt roads and alleys in the downtown area. 
5. The Library addition was added in 1992. 
According to Mr. Kline, The wall that separates the museum from the library is the original outside wall of the old school house. The windows are still there, they just covered them over. In other parts you can still see the wooden lathe and flooring from the original building (see photo). 
6. To date, Mr. Kline is the only one that has shared past experiences involving a Native American. He has a small collection of bones and shells that date back to his early years as a child and young man in the Port Richey area. Perhaps, if you ask politely, hell share his rather moving, and personal, experience with you. 
The museum contains wonderful period pieces and many other items of interest. Two desks that were acquired stand silent witness to the Civil War. 
One desk belonged to a Colonel during the civil war. Meaning no disrespect to the cigar smoking Yankee Colonel, his desk was originally placed under a confederate flag. The Colonel still took it as an insult and, according to staff members, began to play tricks on the employees. He would hide things from them, or rearrange items on the desk. The activity stopped when the error of placement was discovered and his desk was moved to another room. Some say you can still smell the cigar smoke now and then. 
The second desk, an 1850 courthouse civil war recruiting desk, is a letter desk donated by a Mr. Frenald. Prior to being a recruiters desk, it was used by Mr. Frenalds mother who authored several childrens books. 
When the desk was donated it was thoroughly searched, and a letter was discovered stuck at the back of one of the drawers. The letter was addressed to the recruiters wife and children. A copy was made and filed by the museum staff. The museum then mailed the original letter to the surviving family. It would have been interesting to learn what some of his last thoughts might have been, but sadly, the letter has either been misfiled or is missing. 
It was in that room that we experienced a battery drain which could indicate an energy drain. Two of us experienced chills, that indicated a change in vibration, also in the area of the letter desk. 
Is it haunted? Is it spirit attachment? You decide. What I do know is that the museum has an interesting history and a special air about it. I personally felt strong chills and a decided difference in atmosphere when standing next to the letter desk. 
Do I think it is haunted? Not in the average or traditional way someone thinks of a haunting. There is nothing there to strike fear in ones heart. But, the essence of memory can sometimes have a strong sensation to it, and thats what I felt. 
We extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to the museum and its inhabitants, both past and present for giving us a personal tour.
Photos by Alice Mary Herden
 
WEST PASCO HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Location: West Pasco Historical Society
Date: 09/05/2010
Claims: Apparitions of a Soldier
Members: Alice Herden, Donald Herden, Michelle Sanzone, Paul Sanzone
Equipment: Camera, Camcorder, (2) Digital Recorders
Time: 3pm to 6:30pm
Overview:
Bob Hubach, President of the WPHS, accompanied us during our investigation along with other
Members of the WPHS.
Bob video taped us during our investigation and 2 other members with special insights accompanied us as well.
Teams were assigned to each area of the museum. Michelle, Alice and Cheryl (WPHS member) first started out in the Library. Don, Paul and Christine (WPHS member) started out in the store. Each group preformed digital recordings. One group (Michelle and Alice) took photography as the other group (Don and Paul) recorded video. Special thanks to Bob for recording video with his camcorder mounted on a tripod taping down the hallway where the kitchen and restrooms are located. The team switched areas and at a later time we all sat in the center room and had the most wonderful conversations. Just talking about everything and anything. While this was occurring, we did have video running located on a tripod at the doorway of the library and also 2 digital recorders running, one located in the library and the other digital recorder on the desk in the museum section. 
As for evidence of the paranormal, we have captured quite a few evps, unfortunately no video or photography. Personal experiences, which is just that, personal experiences and do not carry a solid base of evidence in collecting paranormal activity.
In conclusion to this investigation
In my personal opinion, having too many people at this small location was not substantial to our investigation. Also having 2 other persons around with special insights may have swayed our investigation to other aspects of reaching who really is there and why they are there, if so true. For a future suggestion, if incase sensitives will be used, I would advise to have them enter and connect before or after a paranormal team investigates a location with paranormal activity.
What was important to this investigation and much appreciated was learning the history of some of the donations that are displayed within the museum, and the history of the building itself and having this knowledge could have an importance capturing any paranormal evidence.
We do believe that there are spirits that do occupy this location, who and why are still unknown. With future investigations and having captured these disembodied voices, have given us a base on where to start. Learning whom and why they are still connected to this location, and if, in fact there is something we need to know or need to help them with.
Knowing that we are still in training, this experience has brought us closer to where we need to be, and what we need to know and apply ourselves to. We would like to thank everyone of the West Pasco Historical Society for giving us this opportunity to investigate and capture paranormal evidence.
Evidence:
The Evps on the CD/and or WPHS Website, Dust and Shadows Website are property of Bob Hubach (West Pasco Historical Society) and Dust and Shadows, and may not be used without the consent of both parties.
Sincerely,
Alice Mary Herden
Founder
Dust and Shadows
Evidence of the Paranormal
DustandShadows.net

 
Photos by Alice Mary Herden