Written by Alexis Guerra
Photos by Carlos Detres

Last weekend, Whiskey Dregs editor, Carlos and I embarked on a journey by ferry that took us from the safety of Manhattan to unknown and rural Staten Island, a place that has been quoted by our new good friend, Arthur Matos, as one of “NY’s largest & best kept haunted secrets”. The reason for our adventure – to set out on a Historical Haunted Tour of Snug Harbor where four paranormal investigating teams all collaborated in joining forces in a tour-like atmosphere where curious thrill seekers and paranormal enthusiasts like ourselves could experience what it was really like to see live investigations occur and see live investigators execute their methods.  If you’ve seen popular ghost hunting shows before then you might think you know what goes on but we wanted to have a firsthand account – and we got it!

Hosted by Epic Paranormal’s founder and director, Arthur Matos, each team positioned themselves in various locations throughout some of what are said to be Snug Harbor’s most haunted locations. One paranormal investigator is paired with a historical guide with extensive knowledge of the grounds whom accompanies each group while various stops are made throughout the grounds of this once self-sustaining community which was a former safe haven for retired sailors from all over the world. It’s said and has been confirmed by various studies that some of these restless spirits and entities still remain on the property to this day.

There is no doubting that the energy and vibe of the area is somewhat eerie and foreboding, and considering the tour begins after dark it’s a fun and chilling experience for those who are true believers and even those who often consider themselves skeptics. Snug Harbor is considered a valued historical landmark and the Epic team alone has been studying the activity found in the area for that past four and a half years and much of Arthur’s research stems from the mid-nineties.

Last week marked the first weekend of the Historical Haunted Tours of Snug Harbor and so far it’s been a huge success, not only were all tours their opening weekend sold out, but they are sold out for the duration and following two weeks the tours are being held. The experience was one well worth having, even for those who may not believe in the paranormal. Let the record show that even we experienced some interesting phenomena, one of us more than the other, but we both left with a newfound respect for the unknown.

What was so fascinating about the entire experience was that you were let into the extraordinary world of paranormal exploration through the eyes and minds of those who actually do the exploring. In each different location each team would go over their process of ghost hunting and searching for the inexplicable. By showing us their tools, which ranged from thermal cameras to sense and capture heat or cool spots, voice recorders to capture E.V.P’s (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) and E.M.F. detectors (which measure the amount of magnetic energy in a given area – the more energy in a given area the more it’s believed an entity can draw energy within a space to materialize and manifest itself) attendees got to witness and even test run the equipment firsthand.

We were lucky enough to ask the EPIC Paranormal team and SCARED Investigators a few questions on their methods and their thoughts on the unknown.

Questions with Epic (Eastern Paranormal Investigation Center)

W.D.: What was it like spearheading an event like this with so many other paranormal teams at Snug Harbor? Was this an obvious location to hold it, or were there others that were considered?

E.P.: Although EPIC has attended paranormal events in the past, it was an honor for us to spearhead its presentation, but to also host it on such a historical site. We not only got to work with some great individuals from other groups, but we were also able to show the attending guests one of Staten Island’s most historical locations, claimed by many to be “haunted”! Having a multi-team paranormal event, gave the guests at Snug Harbor a chance to listen to the stories and the unique techniques & methods which each team uses during an investigation, from urban explorers & metaphysical to the scientific!

The EPIC team has been researching and collecting data on the events, stories and unexplained phenomena which has been occurring at Snug harbor for many years. Many individuals familiar with the location had never heard of the strange activity which occurs there. So that made Snug Harbor a prime location for EPIC to approach them with the idea of holding such an event. A historical location which is claimed to be haunted, right in our own backyard? We could not pass up the chance.

W.D.: What, in your opinion, is the most haunted or paranormal area that your team has ever encountered and what finds did you uncover?

E.P.: That’s a great question and one which I’ve been asked quite often. Although EPIC mainly focuses on residential homes & families who claim to be experiencing unexplained phenomena. There have been a few locations which the EPIC team has investigated, but none as interesting and shocking as the Governors House, located within Snug Harbors Cultural Center. Even though the EPIC team covers as many areas of possible contamination and eliminates as many variables as humanly possible, we encountered, humanoid like dark figures right in front of us, E.V.P.’s aka, Electronic Voice Phenomena which was directed at the question at hand, and a feeling of pure disgust, nausea, irritation, coldness and [discomfort] when entering one of the specific bedrooms. As one of the investigators put it, “it feels as if we’ve walked into a party which we were not invited to.” That is the type of feeling which we all felt when walking into [this] specific bedroom. I would have to say that the Governors House at Snug Harbor is definitely the most uncomfortable & uneasy location which I have been in.

W.D.: Why is it that you decided to form Epic and what do you see for Epic in the future?

E.P.: I formed EPIC, the Eastern Paranormal Investigation Center, not only to seriously seek for answers to my own questions and curiosity, but more so because I saw a trend. I researched and found that many of the paranormal groups in the field were focusing on investigating and writing about the famous haunts, not to mention that they have been done time and time again and although many of these groups also investigated homes, none actually focused on them, none that I personally saw. So I decided to form EPIC, an organization which focuses on residential claims of paranormal activity. We make it a priority to concentrate on the families who have no one to turn to due to the fear of either being ridiculed or tagged as crazy. EPIC is a discreet professional research and investigative organization which tries to find rational explanations before attempting to label any claim as paranormal.

Questions with SCARED! Team:

W.D.: You use a lot of fun equipment when researching for the paranormal – which piece of equipment do you feel has been the most instrumental when catching
entities and or spirits and what have your experiences been?

Chris: This answer isn’t as simple as one gadget – during investigations at
different locations we’ve got results from a variety of different equipment.
We’ve gotten curious readings from our EMF Detectors, our Motion Detectors
and both video and audio anomalies from our cameras.
Brian: I agree with Chris on this, but my answer is skewed in a different
direction. My answer would not be a gadget, but a person – our psychic has
been our best bet at detecting paranormal activity. The gadgets are good at
confirming what she feels, but without her, we’re often just fumbling around in the
dark…sometimes literally.
Karrie Ann: I would say my digital audio recorder, which is the most popular and
consistent piece of equipment for a paranormal investigator. I have received
many direct responses to questions I have asked while conducting an EVP
sessions.
Brooke: The most instrumental piece of equipment own is my H2 Zoom surround
sound audio recorder. I use it for catching EVP’s, and I have been very happy
with the quality of the sound during evidence review.

W.D.: If you had to go on an investigation and could only bring one piece of equipment
to catch and or monitor spiritual activity – what would it be and why?

Brian: Gadget-wise, I always have my EMF Detector with me. I know what man-
made things cause it to go off, so if I’m getting a reading in an area I shouldn’t
be, or even better, if it’s free-floating and I can follow it around, that’s great evidence.
So many other methods require review to catch evidence – my EMF
detector sounds off immediately telling me what I need to know.
Chris: As a documentarian, I prefer to always have a video camera. The most
basic equipment of course is your body and your senses and sometimes the
simplest device can be very useful. A visual account of your experiences in
important on any investigation. With a video camera you are not only able to
document possible visual anomalies there is always the chance of finding EVPs
during review.
Karrie Ann: I would bring the Paracorder 667. The Paracorder 667 is 3 pieces
of equipment in one unit. It is a DC EMF detector, which is what we believe a
spirit would emit if present. It is an EMF Pump to promote and possible enable
paranormal activity. And it also can also be used as a communication device.
Brooke: I agree that the best piece of equipment to bring with you on an
investigation would be yourself–using all of your senses to determine if there is
activity in a room is key. However, something that can document the activity that
you feel is helpful, whether it be a still camera, video camera or audio recorder.

W.D.: If the SCARED! team could go to any haunted location to investigate, which spot
would it be and why?

Brian: Let’s go big – the pyramids at Giza. I’d get my taste for the paranormal as
well as my hand at some Indiana Jones-type archeology. Maybe we’ll even find
a spaceship underneath them!
Chris: The White House – who gets in there?
Karrie Ann: One location that I would love to investigate would have to be Hart’s
Island in NY. This place has all the ingredients for a paranormal cocktail…
prison of war camp, boy’s workhouse, women’s insane asylum, yellow fever
quarantine zone, and a cemetery of the unknown and executed. With Hart’s
Island being the final resting place for more than 850,000 restless spirits there is
bound to be some kind of activity there.
Brooke: I would love to see SCARED! go global and investigate a haunted castle
in another country–Ireland or Italy, perhaps. Maybe someday we’ll have that
SCARED! jet.

We at The Whiskey Dregs would like to personally thank all the teams that participated in the Sung Harbor Historical Haunted Tour for their diligence to seek the truth and to educate society on the elements that occur that we as human beings cannot often explain. To learn more about Scared, Epic, the tours themselves and other teams involved please click the links.