Central Ohio Ghost Squad (COGS)
Host's of The Twin City Opera House Ghost Hunts & Tours
There is no place quite like the Twin City Opera House in my opinion, I certainly haven't been anywhere else with as much variety of paranormal activity or anywhere I enjoyed investigating more. I have investigated the opera house over a dozen times now and you know what, I cant wait to go there again and try setting the cameras differently and changing up where the audio digitals are going based on what I have learned there from previous investigations or trying out new theories or techniques.
I also cant wait to try talking to and communicating with the spirits that are there. We have identified two distinct spirits that are very active up in the catwalk area above the stage, Elizabeth and ten year old girl who has given us her name and age thru EVPs and disembodied voices, whispering her age into a couple investigators ears and often heard giggling up in the catwalk, she even occasionally has been sighted peaking over the rail looking down on the stage. Then there is Robert who’s first EVP to us said "I've got red wine" and who may have been a stage hand or actor at the Twin City Opera House, he is particularly mischievous and often interacts with pretty woman guests and investigators thru EMF and EVP sessions and has even touched a few of them when encouraged.
Footsteps and odd cold spells are other phenomena that often occur in the catwalk and many times you can actually ask the spirits to cool the catwalk area down and watch your thermometer drop as you encourage them. Then there is a white lady who has been seen by many different people walking across the stage and up the catwalk stairs. Numerous times cameras and equipment has been moved, shut off or otherwise manipulated to thwart investigators catching evidence of her passage. Recently multiple sightings of an apparition darting up the left hand stairs to the stage and around the corner near the top of the basement steps have also been reported and the shadow activity in the basement has to be seen to be believed at times. A black mass has been photographed and caught simultaneously on two IR cameras down in the deepest part of the basement near the old closed off tunnel system that used to link the opera house basement to multiple locations about town. Loud growling is also been heard and at least two sightings of shadow men have happened to our own investigators while the lights were on and setting up and tearing down cameras was in progress.
EVP sessions with long question and answer sessions and EVPs later backing up yes and no questions have been a staple in the basement at times in our earliest investigations. Almost all areas of the opera house have yielded EVPs including the basement, catwalk, auditorium, concession stand, projection booth and ballroom. Loud running footsteps have repeatedly been heard coming down from the balcony as well as walking across other sections of the second floor. Music, singing, piano notes and other old time jingles have been heard in the opera house by many different people coming from no where. The upper two floors of the opera house have been unavailable for investigation up until recently but even there the ballroom and clock tower have produced EVPs and moving cold spots as well as strange noises coming from no apparent source in the ballrooms corners.
Ghost sightings and paranormal activity at the opera house has been reported as far back as the 60's when the ghost of Everett Miller an Usher there for 30 years was seen by 18 youths in the auditorium. Custodians and other employees have sometimes quit over personal experiences in the opera house and even today many of them are reluctant to go into certain areas of the opera house by themselves. One previous owner of the opera house, who lived there for a couple years actually ran out of the building after his encounter with the Lady in White on the stage, leaving the doors wide open to the night.
Several investigations of the Opera House by the Central Ohio Ghost Squad has yielded all sorts of evidence of paranormal activity including many personal experiences and even video footage of the black mass in the basement blacking out one of the still IR cameras while being recorded by a second camera across the basement. 300 startling EVPs have been discovered on audio digital recorders in a variety of locations at the opera house as well as having disembodied voices being heard by investigators and caught on camcorders and recorders, odd lights occasionally light up the stage while a little girls giggling can be heard in the catwalk. Cold spots have waltzed right thru myself and other investigators in the ballroom as well as small snippets of old time jingles and piano music being recorded where there is no music.
Several people have reported seeing shadows move in the basement including two instances of shadow men walking right past investigators while the lights were on and setup or teardown of the cameras was in progress. Loud footsteps coming across the 2nd floor balcony and occasionally coming down the balcony stairs have been heard many times around three or four in the morning while everyone is outside getting ready to lock the doors at the end of another investigation there. In short it is the most haunted place I have experienced for myself and I am always eager to experience it again as well as share it with others who have the same curiosity about things going bump in the night as I do.
Marty Myers, Case Manager "COGS"
The balcony of the auditorium was also very active. Investigators were having EMF Meters that were going crazy, which is very odd for the balcony area. An Investigator was seated when he felt a severe chill come over his arm and at that very moment the seat beside him slowly went down as if someone was setting down beside him, but there was nobody there. It also appeared as Everett Miller the long time Usher of the Opera House was working overtime on this evening. Investigators felt as if someone was following them around the auditorium, up the steps to the balcony and in the balcony. They would get sudden cold spots then verified by substantial EMF readings.
Prior to their investigation, 4 COGS members were watching a preview of their new movie premiere in the auditorium, but no one was back there at all. A few minutes after that incident another Investigator had a severe cold chill go through his left arm for a very brief moment. Approximately 15 minutes after the second incident a third Investigator went to the projection room to have the volume adjusted for the movie. When he left the booth and entered the balcony he noticed an apparition of a man setting right next to him in one of the seats. When he turned to get a better look it was gone. He then looked over at the end of that isle and seen another apparition setting there for a brief moment and it suddenly vanished too.
At the end of the Shadow Seekers investigation when two Investigators were locking and closing up the building they observed a large white ball of light go across the movie screen and then dissipate. They decided to set there for a few more minutes and the stage became brighter once again. To close, this was a very active evening for even “The Most Haunted Location in Ohio, The Twin City Opera House”. “The Phantoms of the Twin City Opera House”. Just a few minutes into the preview a COGS Investigator noticed the curtain to the left of the movie screen being pulled back in the corner as if someone was peeking out into the auditorium.
Eric Glosser, Director "COGS"
 The COGS Team went to McConnelsville, Ohio to Investigate the Twin City Opera House July 26th, 2008. We were given a Fantastic Tour by Jon Keller, and afterwards setup our Gear to start our Investigation, We received our first evp while in the setup process of "What is your Name?" followed by "What are you doing?". The Opera House was built on the foundation of a burned down section of town, they call it the Burn District, the Corner Stone was placed in 1888, and completed in 1892. There used to be a Tunnel that ran underground between an adjacent Hotel that the Performers could use, but, was filled in and sealed to prevent cavein. We always do our Investigations with a Skeptical approach, Never basing our expectations on what others claim, but, allowing the Evidence to speak for itself. After the Investigation was completed and going through the Evidence, We Scheduled a Reveal with Adam Shriver - Executive Director of the Opera House on August 24th, 2008 on Stage with our Team Members in the Audience awaiting our Second Investigation to commence. So after the Reveal, we started our Investigation and were not disappointed, This was as prosporous as the first, We had a K11 session with Questions being Answered with "Yes" and "No" responces in the basement of the Opera House. In December Keith Age and the Louisville Ghost Hunters investigated the Opera House with COGS. The Spirits were out and entertained Keith and his team. Now the Central Ohio Ghost Squad manages all paranormal events at the Opera House. Over 200 EVP's have been taken from the Opera House along with DVR footage of a Black Mass in the basement . |  Tuesday 1/26/10 - Tammie Mccourt On Saturday Jan 23rd 2010 we did our investigation at The Twin City Opera House and let me tell you it was an awesome experience. We would like to thank COGS for hosting it for us; they are a great bunch of guys very friendly and well informed on the history of the Opera House. We had access to the entire place. Some of the ghost we encountered were a 10 yr old lil girl named Elizabeth and a gentleman named Robert who enjoyed redwine. After we got set up we started out on the catwalk with and ghost meter and our new piece of equipment the K2. We also set up some trigger objects a bottle of red wine and some candy for Elizabeth. All setting on some baby powder. So we began asking questions and almost immediately we got some activity the emf started to go off and the K2 was going nuts. We asked questions like if you are here plz light up all the lights on the K2 and within a few seconds they lit up, and we do have this on video. So we left for a little bit to explore other areas and we returned about an hour later to find a lil finger print in the powder now during this time we were gone no one else was on the catwalk, we have this on a picture, unfortunately it didn’t show up on video. Out in the auditorium we got some hits on the ghost meter, which COGS said they never had before. In the basement we got a pic of the black mist which we are very happy about, We got a ton of evps and pictures that we will be posting soon, Later in the evening me and my lil sister were in the catwalk alone and we got some serious activity fro redwine Robert which we do have on video. Come to find out Robert likes the ladies, lol. With two ladies up there he was very active we got some responses on the k2 when questions were asked and on the ghost meter, we even got touched a few times. I have a part on video where someone was tugging on my pants and you can see on the video my pants moving. This place was awesome and we had a great time meeting new friends and catching awesome activity, I would have to say The Shadowseekers will return to The Twin City Opera House again to do another investigation. My husband who is a skeptic actually got touched and was amazed and now he believes. In the basement we did have some technical difficulties but it was all-good in the end. Once again a huge Thanks goes out to COGS for hosting the hunt. |
 Mountain State Spirit Seekers Society |  Midnight Shadows Paranormal Society |
 BRIDGEPORT OHIO PARANORMAL (BAGS)
|  CAMPBELLSVILLE KY. PARANORMAL (CAPS) |
 LOUISVILLE KY. GHOST HUNTERS |  LEGEND TRACKERS OHIO |
 PARMA OH. PARANORMAL (POOPS) During an EVP session in the Catwalk area one of the POOPS female investigators had a very cold sensation come over her and felt her fingers tingle with an electrical sensation. She believes the Spirit was upon her. Just prior to this happening, the group in the catwalk her the laughter of a little girl. Many times there have been EVP's have been captured of a little girl saying her name was Elizabeth. She has also stated the she was 10 years old and heard guigling in the catwalk. |  S.E. MICHIGAN PARANORMAL (SEMPSI)
Click on the link below to check out all of the EVP's and Photos SEMPSI captured while at the Opera House: We went here on June 13th of this year, and had a marvelous experience. Yes, a bunch of 'em. Let me just say this, The Sub-Basement. Yow!
Each of us, I believe, had an interesting thing happen to them down there. Beth and I saw a crouching figure appear on the wall at the end of a brick hall, who then raced toward us and disappeared. A group of us were standing just outside the big metal door to the sub-basement, when we heard a loud clanging sound, turned and saw a large heavy metal bar swinging wildly at the end of its chain. We were at least three feet away and the lights were on.... 24 EVP's were captured on this night.
|
 SPIRIT CHASERS of OHIO
P.A.R.A.  |  CIRCLEVILLE GHOST HUNTERS (CGS)
The investigation began at 10:00pm, and divided into two teams. Tony, Jerry, and myself first went to the most active area of the building; the imfamous basement. We did sweeps of the basement with KII meters. We got a couple little hits in different areas but not enough to indicate anything paranormal was present. Tony heard a couple footsteps in the area that opens into the short cubby hole that houses the soda fountain machine. About 20 minutes later, we heard a female voice humming a tune just a foot or two from where we were standing. It only lasted a second or two, but it was very clear and deffinately coming from very near us. We continued for about an hour, then headed up to the second story office areas. While there we heard a door open and close, followed by the sound of someone coming down the steps from the projection room. It sounded like it came down about five or six steps, and stopped. We were unable to debunk it. There isn't even a door to the projection room! We switched people around into different teams and continued our investigation in the lower theater seating area. It was now Tony, myself, Elena, and Chad. We noticed that a bat was flying around in there, and Tony and I talked a little about things going on where we both work. As we were talking, Tony felt an ice cold hand touch his neck quickly. It startled him a little, and at first we thought it was the bat. I was filming with my camcorder though, and rewinded it to when Tony was touched. The bat was in the view of the camera, and it was flying up towards the cieling at that time. Tony would have felt a breeze from the bat's wings flapping also, which he didn't. At about 2:30am Myself, Tony, Chad, and Elena headed down to the basement again. At first, we weren't getting anything on the KII meters. Then suddenly we started getting big spikes near the center of the basement where there are chairs, and an upside down bucket sitting in the middle. Elena was holding a KII meter, and I had another. We were asking it to walk between us to make the lights flash again, and it did this several times. We then were able to have it answer yes and no questions by making them flash once for yes, and twice for no. It was lighting up both at the same time. To verify it, we asked it to light up the KII meter in Elena's hand and not the other, which it did. Then again on command, asked it to light up the other KII meter that Tony was now holding only, and it did. We made sure to hold the KII meters with our fingers no where near the on/off buttons. I haven't seen the Hollywood ghost hunters have a KII session as good as the one we had that night! It started to taper off at about 3:30am, and so we decided to call it a night and end the investigation. |
 BSPHI Buckeye State Paranormal & Hunting Investigators |  OPS Ohio Paranormal Society |
 Team Burke Cleveland, Ohio |   (L) Kathleen Tedsen & (R) Beverlee Rydel TR Desktop Publishing / Michigan |
