TRINWAY - One does not have to tell residents of Southeastern Ohio about Prospect Place mansion.
Stories of the house and grounds being haunted are widely known. However, now the whole world is aware of the possible paranormal activities at the estate.
"In the past couple of weeks our contacts have gone up 150 to 200 percent," said George Adams, owner of the house.
The Sci Fi Channel series "Ghost Hunters" aired an episode Wednesday that was filmed at the mansion.
The show follows Jason Hawes, Grant Wilson and other researchers of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) as they travel the country visiting supposedly haunted locations to either prove or disprove ghostly claims.
Adams said that various e-mails had been sent over the years on having the show come to the house and the series finally contacted them on the matter.
"I myself try to look at everything with a rational eye and I think that's what the Ghost Hunters do," said Adams.
The team said on the episode that they believed there was some paranormal activity at Prospect Place, but did not give it an official stamp of being haunted. However, Adams stated that he felt that this did give them some vindication and validity to stories that have circulated over the years.
"Stories of dead bodies and such are a little extreme," he said. "We're not even really sure what paranormal means. It could be a quirk of physics, but something goes on here beyond the realm of known science."
Adams said that those who have toured the facility have reported everything from just an uneasy, queasy feeling to the sensation of being touched or hearing strange noises.
"Obviously something goes on here and it captures people," he said. "Everybody who goes on a tour has something happen. Every tour comes away with something, even if it's something little."
During their investigation, the Ghost Hunters uncovered two incidents that struck them. The first was when two investigators tried to coax a child ghost to play with a ball they had and footsteps were heard around them and they felt the floor shift as if someone was walking.
Adams said that since the Ghost Hunters were there they have obtained video of the ball moving on its own in another experiment and odd activity has seemingly increased.
The second incident was when investigators were approaching the barn and a thermal imaging unit detected a shape shifting black spot in the upstairs window. It registered too cold to be a person or animal.
"That was the prime piece of evidence they could not explain. They said they had never seen anything like it before," Adams said. "Even in my opinion it was unbelievable and interesting."
One myth the Ghost Hunters did debunk was the story of a small child, Constance Cox, who fell to her death and now haunts the home. They uncovered that she really died of consumption at 21.
Adams said the story was the result of a "previous misunderstanding" from a volunteer tour guide and they were aware of the error. The guide asked historians if there was anyone close to a young child who might have died in the house and then embellished the story.
However, they did uncover that some sort of incident did happen involving a bounty hunter in the estate's barn, but they could not confirm if he was hung as the story goes.
It's also been documented that the house was used as a stop on the Underground Railroad during the Civil War era for escaped slaves. Some stories have the ghosts of these former slaves haunting the house and that some also made animal sacrifices in the house's ballroom.
"There are many stories and local legends and there are usually some grain of truth to them," said Adams.
The mansion is currently home to the G.W. Adams Education Center, established as a non-profit organization in 2005. Adams sits as CEO of the group. The 29-room mansion was built in 1856 by his relative, George Willison Adams.
Adams and his partner Felix Spector, who died in December 2007, purchased the house from the Longaberger Company in 2005. Adams and the center's board of directors are currently working on renovations of the home and grounds. He said that the Ghost Hunters appearance will hopefully help drum up more funds for renovations, operation and maintenance.
The board of directors are looking to hold a barbecue and hoe-down later in the summer at the estate and other possible events.
At the end of the episode Adams invited the Ghost Hunters back for another investigation and they said they would love to return. He said they are in contact, but a second episode has not been planned.
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