The purpose of this section of the book is not to explain how you can tell if the house is haunted but to assist you in one of the most important parts of the investigation, finding out why the house is haunted and who might be haunting it. At this point, you will have already determined that what you have is a genuine case and not a residual haunting or even a case of jangled nerves or an overactive imagination. You will have taken all of the precautions to insure that the phenomena is genuine. You may have found that your photographs have come back with strange images on them or your EMF and temperature scans may have picked up strange anomalies. You have done everything that you can to prove the house is NOT haunted -- and yet it seems to be. Your next step is to find out why.

Unfortunately, this is something that all of the technology and gadgets in the world cannot accomplish. I have often been asked whether or not I believe this modern technology has influenced the belief systems of the non-believer or not. Do the gadgets, cameras and sensitive meters actually convince skeptics that ghosts really exist?  Honestly, I don’t think that technology has done all that much for the non-believers, other than to convince them that a lot of people don’t know how to use cameras correctly. Technology has really done more for those who already believe than for anyone else. Unfortunately, so many things can go wrong with these meters and cameras that many mistake their readings and their mysterious “orbs” for ghosts -- when they are actually not. Don't get me wrong, I think technology certainly has its uses but I think that many ghost hunters are ignoring the skills that they really need in favor of "gee whiz" gadgets.

Technology is unlikely to ever "prove" that ghosts exist. The only way that we can do that is through history. In other words, find a house that is alleged to be haunted by the current occupants. Then contact past owners of the house and in a perfect situation, they can tell you the exact same things are happening in the house that the current owners claim -- even though these people have never met, do not know one another and have not compared stories. How can we dismiss such claims? 

But to make and research these claims, this is where ghost hunting becomes even more like detective work. You have eliminated the impossible and it seems the house you are investigating is truly haunted. This is where historical research comes into play. The following is a how-to list or guide for finding out the history of a house or building. If you are researching a public building, your job just got easier. Many public buildings, including famous homes in your region, will often be mentioned in local history books. Even some of the strange events of the past (including ghostly ones) might be mentioned.

Sometimes however, the owners of the curators of the place will give you some resistance about ghosts unless they called you in to investigate in the first place. This is to be expected, but don’t let it deter you in your research. As long as the material has been presented as public record  (newspaper articles, magazines... etc.) you are welcome to read and write about it if you like.

But let’s get back to the history of the haunted house we are investigating.

All houses, just like people, have a past. You may find clues to what you are looking for right under your nose -- like a child’s growth chart that is hidden under layers of paint or wallpaper or even initials that are carved into a tree in the front yard. And you don’t even need an old house to make fascinating discoveries. Even new housing developments have a past. Think of the horror movies that we have all seen about houses that have been built on old cemeteries and then remember that stories like are not just for the movies. As mentioned, local legends, as well as land records, will often help to uncover a compelling story.

All you need to get started is a little direction and a few tools -- sturdy notebook, a sharpened pencil, a magnifying glass for examining documents, a lot of curiosity and plenty of energy. Searching through the past can be a tiring job but well worth the time and effort.

Start off easy and check out what the current occupants know about the house's history. Be prepared for some inaccurate information though, there is a chance that the occupants, unnerved by the strange activity that is taking place, could shadow their information in a suggestive way. You should also find out if there are any neighbors who may have been in the area for a long time. This is often a great source. The little old lady who has lived down the street for fifty years will remember many of the former occupants of the property.  These local residents may also know if there is any local folklore about the place. This type of information is rarely scientific and usually only partially accurate, but don't discount it totally. Folklore can often point the researcher in the right direction, although sometimes by a meandering path.

The next step should be checking to see if anyone else has ever traced the history of the house in question. Each state has a State Historic Preservation Officer who nominates structures that are “significant in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering and culture” and then gets them listed on the National Register of Historic Places. You can get a list of historic buildings in your state by visiting the State Historic Preservation Office.

There are other places to look too. The Historic American Buildings Survey and the Historic American Engineering Record have documented more than 37,000 historic structures and sites since 1993. Their reports contain measured drawings, photographs and historical information, which is a wealth of information for any ghost researcher who is lucky enough to find the house he is checking out included in the survey. The data is available on microfilm and at the Library of Congress.

You also might find a history of the house at the local library or at the local newspaper. Many newspapers have a research division too but they will also charge exorbitant prices for assisting you.

LAND DEEDS & DIRECTORIES: In most cases though, especially with “ordinary” homes that are not historic locations, you will likely need to start your research from scratch. You should begin by locating the land records in your area and dig in. If you have ever done any genealogical research, you will find that researching a house is much the same process -- starting with the present and then working backward. The best place to find the house’s history is through the land deed, which can be traced from the current owner to the first owner of the site. Deeds record the transfer of ownership from a grantor (seller) to the grantee (buyer) and will give you the grantor’s name, marital status and address (usually only the town and state); the grantee’s name and address; price of the property; and a property description. Sometimes the deed will also list restrictions for the property, such as a ban on chicken or pig farms, sale of alcohol on the premises and in older records, even a ban against property buyers of a certain race or religion.

Deeds can make for both invaluable resources and even fascinating reading. Keep in mind though that deeds record ownership of the land, not of the houses. Most deeds don’t even mention the buildings on the property and you will have to use the price of the property to guess whether or not the land was vacant at the time of the sale. Also remember that just because someone’s name does not appear on the deed does not mean that he did not live there. The house might have been rented out and only by tracking down other listings will you be able to see who actually lived in the house.

In order to do this, try checking through what most towns call city directories. They are books that collect the names, addresses and occupations of the people who lived in a city during a certain year. They usually also offer a “reverse” directory , which will allow you to look up the address of the house and then find out the owner of the house, instead of the other way around. This is an excellent way to find out the owner / occupant of the house for each successive year to the time that it was built. City directories are a great reference for ghost hunters and genealogists alike. You can find out from the directory who the former occupants of the house were. What were their names? How long did they live there? Be sure to make copies of whatever documents you discover, so that you can refer back to them later. If you can’t make photocopies, take the time to write everything down. Place each new piece of information on a timeline so that you will have an outline of whatever you find.

One research complication that you might encounter is a change in a street name or the house’s street number. Don’t worry though -- when these changes were made, maps and directories usually included the old and new numbers for the next year or two. Just be sure to write down all of the street names and numbers for future reference.

One you have a detailed timeline from the city directory, you’ll have a listing of those who lived in the house and an idea of how long they resided there. Using this list, you will have an idea of who the most recent occupants of the house were and whether or not they are still living. If possible, consider sending a letter that requests information about any strange events that occurred in the house. It is not a good idea to call them but you should be sure that your letter (which should be as professional-sounding as possible) contains your telephone number. In most cases, the former residents are going to be uncooperative and it is rare to get a letter or call in reply. If they did not experience anything out of the ordinary, they are probably not going to feel the need to tell you that. However, if they also experienced the haunting that is reported by the current occupants, you may hear from them. If they can verify the strange happenings and will state that they also occurred during their occupancy, then you have an excellent of record of a genuine haunted house -- and what constitutes historical “proof” of the ghosts. Unfortunately though, the previous family may have actually moved out of the house because of the strange things that were going on and may not want to talk to you about them.

Even if you are unable to speak with the former residents, your timeline and list of occupants will continue to serve you well. Start by checking the local obituaries for the people who once lived in the place. Libraries will often have a directory for obituaries and what date they appeared in the newspaper. Often, Genealogical and Historical societies will also keep copies of obituaries or at least may have a record of when they appeared in a newspaper. Once you find the obituary, try to find out how the person connected to it died. If the death was eventful in any way, there will also likely be a story in the general section of the newspaper for that day as well. As ghost hunters are aware, murders, suicides and traumatic deaths can certainly lead to a house becoming haunted. 

Also, if the death involved a murder, suicide, or was under other questionable circumstances, then there was undoubtedly a police report filed about it. In this case, you are also in luck as police and coroner’s reports are public record and can be obtained by anyone. In most cases, there may be a small fee involved and likely you will have to wait for a short period of time to get a copy of the reports but you can get them.

CLUES & DOCUMENTS:  In addition to city directories and telephone books, there are other records that can provide interesting details about the house and which can assist you in developing a complete portrait.

Architectural drawings: A great source of information about the history of the house can be the builder’s plans, although they can often be hard to come by. Some builders (especially with older homes) may have just kept the plans in their heads and modified them when needed. The best place to find them though is in the house itself. Homeowners often kept the plans in the attic, basement of tucked away in a closet somewhere. If your research leads you to past occupants of the house, they might have accidentally taken the plans with them. Sometimes tracking down the heirs or descendants of the former occupants will help to find the drawings.  You can also check with the state historical society and see if it has drawing of the house or knows who to contact to get them. Many archives collect plans of architecturally significant buildings or those drawn by noteworthy architects. You might also consider looking in a book of house plans if all else fails. Many older homes were modeled from basic plans.

Maps: No house history research is complete without checking out the maps of the neighborhood. As you move backward through records and property changes, a map of the area will help to keep you oriented. As the Register of Deeds (or a related office) for maps that cover the neighborhood, such as surveys that were conducted when roads were widened or moved. In any older town, the roads were changed (especially in residential neighborhoods) at least once to accommodate the coming of automobiles, as opposed to the horse and buggy. The house you are researching may appear as a small dot on the map or may be complete with details on a fire insurance map. It simply depends on what type of map you find.

A great resource is a plat map. When a piece of land is subdivided into streets, blocks or lots, this information gets recorded on a plat map. Originally, this maps were hand-drawn and contained only a few details. Printed maps usually show streets, significant buildings and houses and rural maps will show who owned what plots of land, cemeteries and much more. Plat maps can be found at the office where deeds are filed or usually at the local library.

Many researchers also turn to birds-eye view maps, which are panoramic scenes of cities and towns that show buildings, trees and homes from an overhead vantage point. Thousands of them were created for cities all over American between 1850 and 1900 but they show few details and while striking and beautiful, are only of assistance when dealing with well-known or highly visible locations.

Another type of map, which is quiet useful but only if you location happens to be listed on one, is a Sanborn Map. Beginning in the 1860’s, the Sanborn Fire Insurance Co. created maps to assess the fire hazard of buildings. The maps list construction details, such as windows and doors, and depict the size and shape of the insured structures. They also detail property boundaries and usage for about 12,000 cities and towns in the United States. Check with your local library to see if these types of maps are available in your area.

Biographical Encyclopedias: If the people who lived in the house you are researching were notable in the community for anything, then they may be listed in the county or city biographical encyclopedia. These books were created for communities around 1870 to 1905 and list the accomplishments of local businessmen, bankers and pioneers. Many of them will also contain a portrait of the individual. Again, they are a great resource if you are lucky enough for the occupants of the house you are researching to be listed.

Building Permits: Generally, before owners can make any major changes to their home, they need to obtain a permit from the town’s building department, which may also be called the planning department or code enforcement. These permits record the vital statistics of the home from number of bathrooms to bedrooms, porches, window locations and more. Permits also include the names of the homeowners, when the work was done and the contractors for the job. The information contained in a permit could play an important role in your research and provide clues to hidden aspects of the house, such as the location of former doors or windows -- prime suspects when occupants report unexplained chills and drafts.

Photographs: A wonderful addition to your research would be a vintage photo of the house. You can often find photo files at local historical societies, libraries and newspapers. Search under the name of a previous owner or the street address. You might also contact local real estate agencies to see if they have any photos of the house on file. When you visit a library or historical society, it’s always a good idea to bring a current photo of the house with you. It might jog someone’s memory and you can also use the photo for reference when looking through books of house styles. 

Hopefully, all of this information will be of use to you and even if only a small part of it assists you in your hunt for the history of house, then has server some purpose. Even if you follow it closely though, there is no guarantee that you will not run into a dead end, even using the material, but I have had good luck with it and hope that you will also. If the ghost in the house can be connected to a person who once lived there, especially by details that were not known before researching the house, then you have a pretty powerful case and excellent evidence of life after death.

© Copyright 2004 by Troy Taylor. All Rights Reserved.