Members of Texas Panhandle Paranormal Investigations prepare to analyze the Galbraith House
See a ghost? Hear something go bump at night?
Area group searches for answers to the unexplained
By Jim McBride
jim.mcbride@amarillo.com
Publication Date: 06/18/06
Kevin McBee is no Dr. Venkman. Don't call him Egon, either.
McBee and his eight-member team at Texas Panhandle Paranormal Investigations look into reported ghost sightings, unusual sounds or paranormal activity at homes and businesses.
"We're not like Ghost Hunters or 'Ghostbusters,' the movie. We don't go out there with proton packs and stuff like that. We go out there with different meters, cameras. We try to find out legitimate explanations for rumors, urban legends, what have you," McBee said. "We're not a bunch of crazy kooks out there telling people that their places are haunted. We try to approach it in somewhat of a scientific manner."
The team recently examined The Nat Ballroom,
"In talking with the gentleman who is currently running the place, he hears footsteps, drum tapping. From time to time, there's been stories of a couple on the dance floor dancing, but nobody knows who they are. When they go to look for them, they can't find them," McBee said.
Paranormal Investigations has some recordings from the Nat they liken to EVPs or electronic voice phenomena. In the background of one Nat recording, faint drumbeats can be heard, McBee said.
"Everyone was accounted for, and we know it wasn't us," he said. "We can't say it's haunted by any means, but it definitely leaves open the door for someone to take a look at the evidence and make up their own mind."
Kathy Rawls, owner of Galbraith House Bed and Breakfast Inn,
The Palo Duro Room, an orange room on the second floor, also has been the scene of unexplained events - and an unusual visitor.
"That's where people tell me they have seen the young lady with the dark hair," Rawls said. "My innkeeper and her husband were awakened one night. All the lightbulbs had been unscrewed. When they went to bed, they were all screwed in. They refused to stay here any more."
In another room, guests have reported an older couple that often shows up at parties.
Rawls said she doesn't necessarily believe in ghosts, but she wanted McBee's team to investigate.
On Tuesday night, McBee's team hauled in their gear for a late-night vigil. They use digital, still and video cameras, electromagnetic frequency detectors, digital audio recorders and a laser-pointed thermometer.
The team began recording. They conducted "sweeps" of silent, darkened rooms. Before entering a room, the group keeps tabs on who is present and the exact time. McBee's twin 12-year-olds, Caitlin and Kayleigh, tag along and retrieve equipment.
Team member Kristen Robberts took electromagnetic readings throughout several rooms to check for fluctuations. Kendra Brown used the laser-point thermometer to check temperatures on walls, ceilings and floors.
Later, the team moved into the Tuscan Room, a renovated servants' quarters tucked atop an old carriage house next to the Galbraith.
"The only place that really creeped me out was the Tuscan," Robberts said.
The team completed its sweeps about
Texas Panhandle Paranormal Investigators doesn't charge for its work.
"We're enthusiasts. We're hobbyists," McBee said. "We don't feel like we should charge for something we enjoy doing. Most of us have just been interested all our lives."
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