Ghost Hunting Jim Thorpe & The Old Jail Museum
& THE MAHONING INN
Click each picture to enlarge to look for paranormal activity.
Click each picture to enlarge to look for paranormal activity.
In the latter part of the 19th century, a grave crime was committed in the US. 20 Irishmen were put to death in one of the most heinous executions by the federal government the country had ever witnessed. These men formed a labor movement called the Molly Maguires and worked in Pennsylvania coal mines.
Historian Harold Aurand wrote that the incident was a shocking relinquishment of American sovereignty. A corporation assumed the role of investigator via a private detective agency. Those accused were arrested by a company-run police force and prosecuted by attorneys employed by the same coal company. The state’s sole contribution was the provision of a courtroom and a hangman.
Back then, the pay was paltry, and the environment posed a severe risk to the lives of the coal miners. Hundreds were killed or severely injured annually. The most notorious event occurred on September 6, 1869, at the Avondale Mine in Luzerne County. Tragically, 110 coal miners perished in a fire that could have been prevented had the company provided an additional emergency exit. The families of the deceased blamed the coal firm for its lack of foresight.
In June of 1877, four of the Maguires were hanged simultaneously at the jail on unique gallows that were made for the event. Three more Maguire’s were executed in 1878 and 1898.
The men who were set to hang swore their innocence, and historians affirm many of the condemned were wrongly accused. Before his noose was thrown, one man touched his fingers to the floor in his cell, then carefully laid them on the wall – firmly imprinting a lasting mark of his innocence. Even though previous wardens tried to destroy it by cleaning it and covering it with paint or demolishing part of the wall and repairing it, that handprint still stands today as a testament to its history. Initially believed to be Alexander Campbell’s mark, modern evidence suggests it belonged to Thomas Fisher.
At the Old Jail Museum, you will be seated in the living room to watch a video presentation between 10 and 16 minutes that tells the story. A guide will then escort your group into the dungeon & cell block. There are informational signboards on the walls; you may enter any opened cell.
Photos may be taken of everything EXCEPT the HANDPRINT. On your own, you may also see the visitor’s room kitchen, & go upstairs to see the warden’s quarters & women’s cells. Before you leave, be sure to have a photo taken “behind the bars,” located between the kitchen and gift shop.
Before you leave, in the kitchen, there is a map for you to put a pin in to show us where you are from & please sign our guest book to let us know how you enjoyed your time in jail.
You can take pictures during the tour to find evidence of apparitions in your images. The owner was kind enough to allow us in places not usually accessed by the public. We knew we were not alone.
In the women’s jail cell, we felt extreme anger! An entity was infuriated. It could be old energy of something horrific happening to women in the cell. We sensed there was a woman who was having an affair with someone in charge of the jail. The owners were unaware of such a story, but years of history are unknown to them.
Stay in a clean, quiet 34-room motel at the Mahoning Inn, just five minutes from downtown Jim Thorpe. Enjoy newly furnished Serta beds, draperies, alarm clocks, 32″ flat screen TVs, DVD players, microwaves, irons with ironing boards, and hairdryers in each room.
For those who arrive with friends and family, request adjoining rooms so you can keep close during your travels. And remember to ask about their extraordinary ski packages when visiting the Blue Mountain Ski Resort nearby. You can ensure your safety is the highest priority – you can read the article on honesty featured in the lobby. A customer left behind a large amount of cash in the room, and the hotel staff returned the money to the customer.
We met the owner, whose attention to detail ensures that each guest has a great experience during their visit. He works countless hours to ensure that his visitors have a magnificent stay at his motel.
Rich Rossi and Vinnie Vella have stayed here. Richard Rossi is a multi-talented American, well-known for his work as a filmmaker, actor, writer, talk radio host, and musician. He was formerly a minister in the evangelical church.
Vinnie Vella was a prominent actor, talk show host, and comedian who impacted American culture. He had an impressive filmography of more than forty roles, mostly portraying characters in the gangster genre. He is best remembered for performing as Artie Piscano in Martin Scorsese’s Casino and Jimmy Petrille in the classic HBO series The Sopranos.
So book your stay today and experience all the comforts of home in one of Pennsylvania’s most excellent motels!
Jim Thorpe and the Old Jail Museum has an abundance of photography opportunities. Plan to spend many hours here. Bring your tripod, circular polarizing filters, and your wide-angle lens. There aren’t any moving waters here. It’s just a plethora of colorful subject matter. There is no wildlife here either.
Although this is a daytime shoot, we supply you with the Ghost Hunting Information because this is a ghost-hunting town. You can find information on regular daytime photography shooting throughout the magazine. Beginners can start here.
When to Go: Any time is sufficient, but fall foliage weeks are really good. Keep in mind it is the busy season and the parking is limited so there may be a lot of walking.
Cameras: A basic DSLR Can be used for night photography but cannot see in absolute darkness for ghost hunting in this haunted town. You must bring a light source of some kind for focusing and lighting. Daytime photography here is great too. Bring your wide-angle lens.
Full Spectrum Digital Camera: – This camera takes quality Full Spectrum photos and video for ghost hunting. They have been professionally modified to accept deeper Ultraviolet (UV) and Infrared (IR) light to allow pictures deep into the usually unseen light spectrum. It features an easy-to-use interface that makes your job easier and effectively captures evidence.
As with all cameras, this is best used with an external light source such as UV, IR, or Full Spectrum (white) light.
Infrared (IR) Digital Camera: – Takes quality IR photos and video with the convenience and ease of a compact digital camera
Ghost Hunting Camera Settings: For basic DSLR photography, our goal is capturing activity, not super high-quality images in general, so that we will do a few things a little out of the ordinary. Set your ISO as high as you can for very dark locations. You cannot shoot a DSLR in total darkness. You will need some light sources, such as a flashlight, church lights, or a full moon. Use your tripod and set your camera to manual mode. Set your ISO very high, depending on how much light you have. You can go much higher on your higher-end cameras, but the higher you go, the more grain you will get. Again, it’s not always about avoiding grain or digital noise here. Set your aperture to the lowest f-number; then scroll your shutter speed until the meter reads center zero. Now you are set. It would help if you were about several seconds on your shutter speed. You can light things up with a flashlight if you do not have enough light.
EMF Meters: Measure fluctuations in electromagnet fields (or EM fields). These fields directly result from electrical appliances in a home, cell phones, power lines outside, and even solar activity and weather fluctuations. Beyond that, a primary theory in the paranormal world is that entities can manipulate these fields in their attempt to manifest themselves or interact with our world. When your meter goes off, do a long exposure on your tripod.
THIS IS ALSO DARK SKY MILKY WAY PHOTOGRAPHY TERRITORY!
Anytime is fine, but traditionally the best results have been documented after 9 p.m. To save money, buy a regular light, a red silk flower, and a gorilla tape the flower over the light. Voila, a red light.
Bring your tripod, infrared filter, infrared illuminating light, and shutter release. Bring your driver’s license just in case the police question you. Be prepared for that. Be sure there aren’t any NO TRESPASSING signs where you are. See the list below for more gear for your ghost-hunting photography adventures.
It can be used for Ghost Hunting Photography but cannot completely see in the dark. You can use a red light to illuminate the area or bring a flashlight for focusing, and you can quickly obtain apparitions in your photos if you can stand the insidious invasion of the paranormal.
Takes quality Full Spectrum photos and video. They have been professionally modified to accept deeper Ultraviolet (UV) light spectrum light to allow photos deep into the usually unseen spectrum of light. Best used with an external infrared light source.
Takes quality IR photos and video with the convenience and ease of a compact digital camera with a built-in infrared light source.
This is a wide-angle lens event, but you ideally need a lens with an open aperture, such as 2.8 or below. The higher-end cameras will allow you to go to a very high ISO with less noise, so they are ideal. If you don’t have a high camera, any camera will do. After all, we are not going for super high-quality images here. We are going for a lot of paranormal activity that we can document. As long as we get evidence, it doesn’t always have to look pretty. Some of our lower-end camera images above are grain-filled, but we got what we were after.
For basic DSLR Photography, our goal is to capture activity, not necessarily, consistently super high quality, so that we will do a few things a little out of the ordinary.
Measure fluctuations in electromagnet fields (or EM fields). These fields directly result from electrical appliances in a home, cell phones, power lines outside, and even solar activity and weather fluctuations. Beyond that, a primary theory in the paranormal world is that entities can manipulate these fields in their attempt to manifest themselves or interact with our world. When your meter goes off, do a long exposure on your tripod.
Now you are set. If you do not have enough light or your camera will not focus, take a flashlight and light up a single subject in the picture. (Don’t blast light all over; you will disturb who it is you are there to find.) Put the focus point where the camera will focus on the area you have lit up. When you see the camera has obtained focus and the two-second timer starts, turn your flashlight off quickly before the exposure begins. The camera will now take the shot. Set your camera to manual focus without touching the focus ring. Take several pictures without moving your camera. You will have to refocus the same way every time you do different shots.
Another way to focus on darker areas is to turn on the live view. Hit your zoom button and zoom in on something lit. Expose your image. When you zoom in, the camera can see it better to grab focus. This only works if you have enough light.
No matter what just enjoy yourself!!
Jim Thorpe Pennsylvania
• Quiet • Cozy • Clean
We found the hotel a spotless and quiet place to stay. The staff were amiable and professional. Breakfast is served in the large lobby, where you find the front desk.
Please take a look above for more details.
Mahoning Inn
71 Blakeslee Blvd. East, Lehighton, PA 18235
Phone: 610-377-1600 Fax: 610-379-0194
Email: mahoninginn@yahoo.com
Historic Jim Thorpe, 4 miles
Visit Jim Thorpe
Blue Mountain Ski Area, 15 miles
Visit Blue Mountain Country Junction “World’s Largest General Store”, 6 miles
Visit Country Junction
Skirmish Paintball in the Poconos, 10 miles
Visit Skirmish