South Ave Home #2

SOUTH AVE

RESIDENCE #2

Saturday, August 24, 2013

The property was previously owned by the prominent Randall Cook family, who conducted an old fashioned general store at this location in East Whitman, since the early 1860's. They were direct descendants of the Mayflower, and were leading citizens, who took much interest in town affairs. Numerous men from the Cook family were actively employed by the Whitman National Bank and were loyal members of the Puritan Lodge of Masons. Eventually, the well respected McGrath family purchased the business, and continued to supply the townspeople with their everyday needs. Their hardware store prospered in the town of Whitman for many years.

One could almost hear the trains barreling down the tracks as the M.A.P.S. team entered the parking lot of 396 South Avenue. The original home was built in 1865, and had been used as a business location in past years.

In August of 2013, former businessmen who worked out of this building, shared with us some of their personal experiences. Various people had heard the sound of someone whistling, and also heard voices, as if in conversation. When they investigated, no one could be found in the area. On one occasion, 4 words were called out, which were not clear enough to decipher. Missing items would be moved from their spot, only to be found later at the original location. Shadows had been seen in windows, and doors appeared to open by themselves. They had informed us of a death on the railroad tracks, which took place a few years earlier.

As Medium, Dawn Carr, walked through the building, she sensed that this establishment was some sort of a dry goods store, where people wore aprons and sold flour. She had no idea of the use of this property before it became a hardware store. Dawn did pick up on a woman with an "M" name. While researching the history of the house, Wayne found that the wife of Randall W. Cook was named Marcia. She passed in 1927. Ms. Carr also felt that someone of Swedish descent was employed at this location many years ago. She believed a dog in spirit, who was hit by a train, was roaming the building.

As we ascended the stairway to the second level, one could feel energy in the rooms, including the room where people thought they witnessed shadows in the windows from the outside. The feeling in the attic was heavy. Dawn believed a young male had hung himself in that location. She felt that at one time, someone was held in the attic against their will. She also thought someone used to hide things in the attic. In the basement, she felt a connection to a Swedish family, and also sensed the presence of a stillborn child. She said an older man in a tweed suit frequents the location, and that someone likes to play around the windows.

Although the M.A.P.S. team recorded many EVP sessions, it was difficult to decipher words due to the constant sound of cars crossing the railroad tracks, Canadian geese flying overhead, and even fireworks in the background. We did however, experience high EMF's in the back of the shop where claims of voices were heard. It was an interesting investigation, due to the strong historic value of the area, and the find of the vintage shoes in the attic, gave us all the sense of what the thriving shoe industry once meant to the town of Whitman. Our thanks to Dawn Carr, and those who were once employed at this location.