"I'm not a big believer
in that stuff," owner George Rodriguez
said. "But there are some things that
kind of spook you out a little bit."
Last weekend, Bobby
Hewitson and fellow members of the
Paranormal Research Organization of
Florida (PROOF), based in the Tampa Bay
area, made their third visit during the
past year to the five cottages that
compose the Christmas House on Saxon
Avenue near downtown Brooksville.
They had heard rumors
about paranormal activity in the
cottages — some of which are more than
100 years old, according to Rodriguez —
and initiated the investigations. At
first, Rodriguez was hesitant, but then
decided the visits were harmless.
For each visit, the PROOF
members have brought a full range of
spook-spotting gear: surveillance and
video cameras with night vision, digital
cameras, digital voice recorders and an
electromagnetic field meter.
"Our previous
investigations have shown us that there
may be paranormal activity at Rogers'
Christmas House Village," Hewitson said.
And how. Hewitson said a
woman's voice was captured on tape.
Video recordings detected light
anomalies. Two team members said
something touched their legs.
"We have not been able to
provide an explanation for occurrences
that were experienced or captured as
evidence," he said.
Rodriguez has worked at
the Christmas House since the 1970s. He
said original owner Margaret "Weenie"
Rogers Ghiotto, who died in 2006,
experienced some of the unexplained
phenomena as well.
"Weenie named the ghost
Persia," Rodriguez said. "Since 1971,
we've had a standard joke: It's Persia
the friendly ghost."
Hewitson's group doesn't
charge anything to assess possible
paranormal activity, but does accept
donations to help offset the cost of
equipment.
The group has more than
65 hours of material to review after
last weekend's visit to the Christmas
House. Members have gone through about
10 percent of the material, Hewitson
said, and already have found three
electronic voice phenomena, or EVPs.
"That's a voice that's
captured on audio equipment that you
weren't able to hear because it's at a
lower frequency," Hewitson explained.
The group, which has been
together for 3 1/2 years, has conducted
nearly 50 investigations of homes and
businesses in the Tampa Bay area.
Members keep careful
records of their visits and what they
find. They track details such as moon
phases and solar flare activity, to help
determine whether paranormal activity is
greater during certain times. They hope
to eventually compile a database in
partnership with other paranormal
groups.
When possible, they
conduct investigations several times at
the same place to validate or debunk
findings.
Another paranormal group
previously visited the Christmas House
and also confirmed activity, Rodriguez
said.
They all know what
they've seen — or sensed. But it doesn't
scare the members. Not too much, anyway.
"When the hair stands on
the back of my neck or arms, my blood
starts pumping," PROOF investigator
Chris Gostkowski said. "Call me crazy,
(but) I'm hoping something hits me in
the face. It validates what I'm doing."
"People might joke about
Ghostbusters," Gostkowski said.
"Everyone's got their own beliefs; I
just think it's interesting."
Some patrons of the
Christmas House are intrigued as well.
"Sometimes people visit
us for the first time and ask if there
are ghosts here," Rodriguez said. "They
say they can feel them."
Rodriguez said he
believes in the spirit of a
white-bearded, red-suited man reputed to
haunt the place every Christmas season.
"Yes, I do," Rodriguez
said.
