Yellow House Hotel
Investigation
Location: Yellow House, PA, between Oley and Boyertown, PA
Date: Saturday, August 16, 2003
Moon Phase: Just past full
Solar Weather: Solar flares active, geomagnetic storm
Investigators present: Hillary M., Robert H., Paul M.
Equipment: Olympus C-3000 digital camera, RCA digital voice recorder,
Sony digital video camera with Nightshot, Extech EMF meter, Olympus 2000 Digital
Voice Recorder, Extech IR thermometer, Sony Hi-8 Cam, Olympus C-4000 Digital
Camera, Trifield EMF meter, Olympus D-370 digital camera
History: In 1801, a hotel was built at the intersection of Routes 662 and
562 in the scenic Oley Valley to serve as a stagecoach stop and country store
for travelers between Reading and Philadelphia. In the over 180 years since
then, the Yellow House Hotel has evolved into a restaurant and hotel with a fine
reputation for its delectable bill of fare and pleasing atmosphere. Through the
years, ownership of the hotel has changed hands more than 25 times. It has
served as an integral part of the history of the area, housing a general store,
the village switchboard, and a post office.
This historical information was taken from the Yellow House Hotel's website
at http://www.netjunction.com/yhh/contents.htm. More historical research is
being conducted.
Investigation: We began our investigation in the bar just after 10:00
p.m., but only obtained a few dust orbs there. So, about ten minutes later, we
moved into the dining rooms while the staff finished up in the kitchen. Robert
and I left our recorders running (one in each front dining room) while we walked
around and took some pictures. I did track an orb moving across the ceiling of
the green dining room in three consecutive pictures, however, we obtained
nothing else here.
Just after the staff left at approximately 11:15, we moved up to room C.
Robert, Paul and I spread out around the room and began an EVP session. I used
the infrared video camera intermittently during this time. Just a few minutes
into the session, Paul and Robert began getting pictures of orbs over my head as
a sat on the bed. I was not getting any results on the opposite side of the
room. Concluding that all the action was happening along the wall adjoining the
steps to the attic, I moved off the bed and sat down on the floor at the bottom
of the bed. Within one minute, I got a picture of an orb moving directly over
Robert's head, next to the attic door. Several other moving orb pictures were
taken in this room.
Around 12:30 a.m. we moved across the hall to room B. We did obtain a few
anomalies in this room, but not nearly as many as room C. Two EVPs were also
obtained in room B.
Next, we moved on to room D. Paul obtained one anomalous picture in this
room, but Robert and I got nothing. We ended our investigation in the sitting
room. Once again, we obtained no anomalies in this room.
The next morning, at breakfast, the server asked if we found anything. I
told her that we wouldn't know for sure until we reviewed our pictures, video
and recordings, but it seemed like Room C was the only room in which we obtained
any anomalies. She then explained that room C is supposed to be the haunted one.
The steps leading to the attic from room C are rumored to be where a young women
hanged herself years before. We did not know prior to this time that Room C was
supposed to be the haunted room.
In the morning before we left, I spoke to one of the co-owners, Carl.
He stated that even after owning the building for 25 years, he has never had a
strange experience. He did point out though, that a B&B patron once came
down to breakfast and said "so, tell me about your ghost." The man who
was staying in room C, was awakened in the middle of the night with an urgent
knocking at his door. When he got to the door, no one was there!
Conclusion: It is quite obvious that the owners and employees of the
Yellow House Hotel do not believe it to be haunted. To be totally honest, we
certainly had our doubts as well. The whole time we were in this building, we
honestly did not feel or experience anything out of the ordinary. Even when we
left the next morning, we suspected that we had obtained a few orb pictures in
room C, but certainly nothing to get excited about. We pretty much chalked the
investigation up to experience and the reputation up to overactive imaginations,
and enjoyed our time in the historic bed & breakfast.
When I got home though, and began going through the recordings and
pictures, I was quite surprised. I found three strange sounds on my recordings,
and between Paul's pictures and my pictures, found countless moving orbs…most
of them obtained in room C. Upon further analysis of the recordings (all of
which were obtained in room B), Robert found only two of the recordings to be
unexplainable. After reviewing the video, I was even more astonished! Only 16
minutes of video was taken that night, with over ten minutes of it inside room
C. In those ten minutes, we recorded five separate anomalous events, all in room
C! One event even shows two orbs moving side-by-side! No orbs were recorded on
infrared video in rooms B or D.
Due to the evidence collected, I have to conclude that the haunting, and
yes, we believe there may be a haunting, is centered in room C. The EVPs
obtained in the other room only suggest that whatever spirit occupies room C was
curious enough about us to follow us for a short while. We hope to support these
results with a follow-up investigation, with more investigators present, some
time next year.
We wish to thank the owners and staff of the Yellow House Hotel for their
hospitality.
Submitted by Hillary Murdoch