Antietam Paranormal Society

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Hagerstown, MD
Antietam Paranormal Society

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Founded April of 2008 in Hagerstown, Maryland. We are a group of individuals that research and investigate claims of paranormal activity.

10/29/2026

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10/29/2026

One of the misconceptions of the paranormal is the exclusive idea that spirits had a traumatic death or very traumatic event that makes them haunt a location. While it is certainly possible and has been the case from time to time, it is also very frequently not the case. Spirits have their reasons for being in a certain area and sometimes they aren't aware of them, we see a lot of them just love the location. Sometimes they have something to tell someone or a message to get across. Sometimes they just want to make sure the place is taken care of or are present when a personal item is hidden somewhere. This is why it is very important to make sure that all of your data and communication is verified and validated. They could be there for many reasons and assuming it is merely trauma is completely wrong.
-Rebecca-

10/29/2026

Book of the Day! (One that got me started on the spooky and mysterious!)

10/28/2026

This time of year usually brings out the normies who think it is spooky to do a ghost hunt or read about it. I used to be one of those. Now, I eat sleep and breathe the paranormal 24/7/365. Even at work I am thinking about theory and cases. While I can share all the spooky cases we have had through the years, I can't relay the time and details that make up the case without typing a 30,000 word document. So here is a little bit of information for those of you that don't do paranormal investigation.

*In most cases spirits are trying to get your attention or they are unaware that you are even experiencing their manifestations. One of the reasons that most people become interested in the paranormal is because it can be scary, but as a paranormal investigator I can vouch that they more than likely aren't trying to scare you at all. In many cases what you are experiencing could just be the only way they know how to get your attention, it's not to freak you out, but to make you react to them in some way. Or maybe they have no idea you are experiencing them at all! Spirits (or ghosts) could be existing on a completely different dimension and are unaware that their activity is bleeding over into your environment. Not only do they not know, but they can't prevent it!

*Setting a boundary or intention with conviction can reduce or eliminate any further experiences. A Christian would tell you that there is amazing power in prayer, in conviction. There's power in telling someone no, or setting boundaries with your living relationships. This holds true with energy as well. You know how they say "his words were final"? There is an energy to that, a conviction, an intention. Stating to spirits, ghosts, or entities; whether they are aware of you or not, holds an certain energy. Clearly setting a boundary, with intention of your expectations going forward can reduce the activity you have occurring. We have done this in several locations and it has worked to the clients satisfaction many times.

*Not every case requires a paranormal investigation. Every case is different. Boy this is a loaded one. Quite literally every case can be so vastly different with the client, the location, the variables, the conditions, and more. While you don't know any of it until you go into the location, there are some situations that shouldn't be touched. Finding out the clients goals or wishes are a very important factor in making this decision. I can't clearly define what cases don't need an investigation, but I think with a little reflection you will just know.

*Many things that you think are paranormal can be explained and every paranormal investigator should attempt debunking. While many of us think that this is common sense, there has to be a measure of understanding that not everyone has the attention to detail which is required in debunking. While we may spend a lot of time debunking things that are easily explained, we are here for a reason! With increased technology and the interest of the paranormal going mainstream, we have to be vigilant in learning the ways that the public is receiving their information. We need to understand how things operate and even network with others in certain fields of study to help explain things. There is nothing wrong with misinterpreting natural events, but what makes us good investigators is sniffing out the possibilities before ever labeling something paranormal.

Paranormal Research doesn't just encompass looking into paranormal claims, it also is looking into alternate explanations or actions. Maybe we don't have to research that particular case, maybe setting a boundary for the client is best. Maybe the case isn't paranormal at all, but a case of misinterpretation of natural events. It's important to know when to pursue a case or to leave it alone.
-Rebecca-

10/28/2026

Fort Frederick State Park
Big Pool, Maryland
CASE: 2011-7

HISTORY: It is registered with the Maryland Historical Society, the National Registry of Historic Places, and is a National Historic Landmark. The fort is located in Big Pool, Maryland near the C & O Canal, the B & O Railway, and the Potomac River. It is the most well preserved historical relic for it's age in the state of Maryland and one of the best in the country. Building began in 1756 of this frontier defense during the French and Indian War which was authorized by Horatio Sharpe the Governor of the colony of Maryland. The walls of the fort are stone and mortar with some earth fill. The wood and iron gate are in the center of the South curtain wall. There are are currently two log/ timber framed barracks with stone foundations (there were originally 3). The design conforms to the style developed early in the 18th century by Sebastien de Vauban, a French military engineer who is considered the father of modern fortification. Fort Frederick is unique because of its stone walls, large size, and roomy barracks. The fort was named after Frederick Calvert who was Lord Baltimore, the Proprietor of Maryland. With no higher elevations surrounding the fort, it was an excellent strategic location for battle because there was no advantage for enemies. During the French and Indian War it protected the settlers however it was never attacked. One of the forts major functions was to maintain communications between Fort Cumberland and Fort Conococheague. In 1791, after the war Maryland sold the fort and surrounding land at public auction. For the next 131 years the land was farmed. There was a brief period during the Civil War when two companies of Union infantry were stationed at the Fort. These troops are believed to have knocked a hole in the south curtain wall for the cannon. In 1860 Fort Frederick was purchased by Nathan Williams, a free African American, for $7000.00. While deaths at the fort are not documented it is said two hundred victims of a sudden smallpox epidemic of the 1770's are buried nearby in a mass grave that is yet to be found. They also say the angry spirits of the local Native American tribes may still reside in the area. It was used as a jail during the Revolutionary War for British Soldiers. In 1922 the State of Maryland repurchased the land. In the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was assigned to perform archaeology and rebuild the fort walls and foundation of the barracks.After extensive archaeological and historical research by the National Park Service, the original plans of the fort were located. A total of 13,429 artifacts were recovered at Fort Frederick during four excavations. The barracks were rebuilt in the 1970s.

EXPERIENCES (PRE-INVESTIGATION):
Fort Frederick State Park was a cold case investigation for Antietam Paranormal Society. We contacted and set up an investigation with the State Park. During a walk through we were able to gather significant information regarding the paranormal claims at the Fort. Many times the Fort would be locked for the night and would hear or see things within the fort that could not be explained. They reported seeing a soldier looking over the walls of the fort (NOTE: You were able to walk up on a "deck" area within the fort and look over the walls. No mention was made of where the soldier was seen.) Footsteps were frequently heard during tours and sounds of someone laying in the bunks. A man was seen at one time wearing a "red coat" walking out of the one door across the catwalk and into another door and said "G'day" with an accent. All the doors at the time were locked. This was about 8 pm during a reenactment. The man was also noted to be carrying a lantern. A lady in white has been seen at the East Barracks walking. There was no mention of which floor or whether it was on a balcony. The claims was that she was believed to be a widow of a soldier. Doors frequently were heard to latch and unlatch in various areas around the fort. Questions that the Park Rangers had were...
*Why is the hatchet missing from the display in the museum? Who took it?
*Are they doing everything right?
*Was the fort ever completed?
*What can they do better?
*Are they happy with the way they are being represented?
All of the staff at the Fort are very interested in learning what the spirits may have to say.

INVESTIGATION EXPERIENCES and DATA:
The investigation yielded more personal experiences than actual data. Spirit Box conversation was one of our most revealing throughout the night.

WEST BARRACKS: (pictured)
We noted the loud sounds that the Rangers experience frequently throughout the night. The temperature remained much the same (hot) throughout the investigation. We could be sitting doing a session in a room and have these LOUD bangs right beside us. Footsteps were heard many times going up and down the stairs, in other rooms, on other floors, and even in the same room as we were doing our sessions. This building had the most responses throughout the night. We had a woman speak to us many times with intelligent and relevant responses via the Spirit Box. We had a male soldier (claimed he was German, however he had what sounded like a French accent) speak to us several times. He claimed he was a prisoner. We occasionally smelled a foul body odor type smell on the 2nd floor. There were also multiple reports of shadow figures. Several camera batteries drained rapidly in the 2nd floor area, each with different teams.

EAST BARRACKS:
Jeremy's team had more luck in this building than any other team. They were able to communicate with a male that responded with curse words. Footsteps and scratching sounds could be heard throughout the night. Shadow figures were also seen several times and sounds of conversations that were heard. (Note: We attempted to debunk each experience, whether it was audible or visual.)

OUTSIDE:
Several times teams heard sounds like drumming and people speaking towards the woods outside of the fort. Jeremy's team checked it out and was not able to find a source, however the fort is close to the river and the canal. Figures were seen in several locations inside the fort especially towards the "Governors Mansion" which is only a foundation.
-Rebecca-

10/28/2026

Book of the Day!

10/27/2026

When I have watched other paranormal investigations, whether they are live or prerecorded content creations, I have noted a few things that could destroy the credibility of the investigation, the results, and the information that impressionable watchers may absorb.

1. Equipment and cell phone effect on other equipment. In many cases these investigations are captured with cell phones, which are obviously connected to some sort of data source. Every time the cell phone receives or sends data, it will have an affect on the other equipment. Our team has documented that cell phones make REM Pods, K2 meters, cameras, digital voice recorders, and other devices blip or provide a false positive. Teams on these investigations in many cases don't address all of the electronics within 35 feet of them, let alone the area that they are in. Fire houses, hospitals, cell towers, and more can also make these devices go off in seemingly "paranormal ways." It is also important to remember that even on airplane mode cell phones can still impact an investigation. Not only cell phones, but other devices can have an impact just like them. Handheld cameras, 2-way radios, digital voice recorders, IR cameras, and more.

2. No debunking and/or no information on equipment set up. I often see these investigations start with just the view of where the equipment is and you don't see the people involved in the investigation. A lot of things can happen off camera that we aren't aware of that may have caused certain anomalies, this may be done on purpose or just oversight on the questions the more critical thinking viewer might have. Placement of equipment is a very important part of the reliability of the results and conclusion. Whether you are a paranormal investigator, content creator, or just an enthusiast watching these videos; please begin asking these questions. Who is there? What other equipment is there? Please show where that item is sitting to give us an idea of whether it was a natural event due to placement. Now I understand that this makes for less exciting content, but the reality is that in many cases the results can be explained 99.9% of the time. If all of our investigations were immediately fruitful like this, man, I'd be rich.

3. Misinterpreted response. So what of a piece of equipment providing a false positive? This means that a "positive" response to a question or statement is taken as a factual part of the case. Say that I ask if John Brown was in the location and I got a positive response. I may utilize that information to continue my line of questions and go out on a wild goose chase. Without proper debunking or corroborating equipment (showing that there are no external sources for the positive response), the results cannot be verified or supported. Imagine if you did a whole investigation and thought you were talking to a historically relevant spirit that ended up being just a cell phone someone forgot to turn off or an EM pulse from a fridge making it seem legitimate. I honestly wonder how many cases of this there are out there and whether people are creating their own Philip wherever they go.

4. Historical bias or inaccurate historical information. I once did an investigation where someone had watched a You Tube documentary about the location. The information was sensational and we found that there were no real historical documents to back it up. We discuss doing historical research on locations frequently, do we do it before or after the investigation? Either way you do it, make sure that you are finding legitimate sources for the information, not Zak Bagans or a You Tube video. 9/10 times the information was generated to get interest on a monetized channel, not to help educate others on factual information. It is VERY important that if you want to be taken seriously or have your data taken seriously, you do the proper research.

5. Too much happening. Not everyone can appreciate the value in small, structured investigations. 'The more the merrier!' Well, not in paranormal investigation. The more people you have the more contamination, and some people get really performative when the camera turns on (and not in a good way). Having a ton of people introduces additional variables and I am sure there is a statistic out there about at least one of that big group is a bad apple. We have had members that were frauds and we have had members who just loved to be disruptive (location representatives too). Basically 'The more the muddled!' Paranormal Investigation should be fun, but not at the expense of all of the people involved. Some people have fun but are serious about their field of study (like us). Imagine what it looks like to someone out there watching that is interested seriously and is looking to find a group that is just as serious. Kind of gives a bad taste of how people behave in this field.

All in all, a few procedures and protocols would make them more legitimate, but this post is more about those watching that think the surface level information being shared is enough to say "WOW! THERE'S GHOSTS!" If it was that easy we would have won the million dollars from James Randi and there wouldn't be skeptics. Critical thinking is important in paranormal investigation! And lastly, it's pretty much never a demon.
-Rebecca-

10/26/2026

Cockey's Tavern
Westminster, Maryland
Case: 2011-11

THE HISTORY: Cockey's Tavern, originally a two storied frame house built in 1790, was used as a residence, court house, eatery, and an inn. Known as the Willis-McCann-Boyle House or Cockey's Tavern, the full ten-bay house was an early landmark in the city and served as the first meeting place for the Carroll County Circuit Court on April 3, 1837, before the present courthouse was completed. The name Cockey's Tavern came in the early 1830s when Joshua Cockey was said to occupy it as a "hotel". There were a lot of deeds and sales for this property in the 1800s! The Boyle family in the 1890s altered the simple federal facade of the western half of the building adding a handsome heavy cornice, bay windows, a columned, corniced, entrance door, a Palladian window set within a pedimented dormer in the center of the attic. The building later was known as Hoffman's Inn a respected boarding house and restaurant. The owners in the 1970s transformed the building into a full restaurant. At the time of our investigation the property was currently owned by the Historical Society of Carroll County and housed a gift shop. Extensive renovations were completed recently. (All information provided by the historical society of Carroll County and the historic trust.)

THE PARANORMAL: There are many stories that have swirled about when it comes to Cockey's Tavern but we went in without any prior knowledge. We did thorough walk throughs, baseline readings, recorded the location with photographs, and set up extensive cameras/ recorders through out the location. We were given unrestricted access to all areas of the building. While the investigation was relatively quiet, we did have some successful equipment manipulation in the sitting room on the 2nd Floor, as well as some ITC responses from a little girl. We were able to capture the name "Bree Myers" in the room with the bay window on the 3rd Floor. Jeremy had something thrown at him in the attic area. While we do think the location has some lingering spirits, additional investigations would be required to form any lasting conclusions

10/25/2026

As the Case Manager and one of the Founders of Antietam Paranormal Society, I have made it my mission to have a team with high standards when it comes to any paranormal case. Through the years I have instituted protocols, procedures, and bylaws that structure our membership, administration, approach to investigations, public relations, historical research, and client interactions. What can you expect from our investigations?

*Safety, honesty, and confidentiality.
*Responsible and reliable investigators and consultants.
*Detailed interviews with clients and eyewitnesses.
*Thorough walkthroughs and inspection of properties.
*Full historical write up with deed tracing, genealogy, and historical articles. This includes validating client and associated claims of events. (As permitted/available.)
*Full surveillance investigations with stationary/redundant recordings for corroborative data and validation.
*Detailed debunking and recreation methods, with reports.
*Multiple investigations when necessary or able for maximum research and investigation into paranormal phenomena.
*Detailed final investigation reports with timeline of investigation and historical outline. (Timeline includes team movement, equipment data, personal experiences, anomalous data, debunking efforts, and more.)
*Conclusions and resolution client review.

Our investigations and research are for the purpose of furthering our understanding of the unknown, educating others, and helping those with paranormal activity. We maintain confidentiality. We do not charge for investigations. We do not remove spirits. We do not do seances or utilize Ouija Boards. We do not diagnose "hauntings" or "demonic activity" before doing our due diligence by investigating and researching the location. Antietam Paranormal Society maintains certain ethical standards that engenders confidence in our services. All investigations include waivers, confidentiality agreements, and written permission.
-Rebecca-

Address

Hagerstown, MD
21740

Website

http://www.antietamparanormalsociety.org/

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