The Abandoned Tunnel is a spot that members of the Northeast Spectral Society have grown to love. We’ve investigated this location many times, and do have plans to go back in the near future. We have also been using it to test both new equipment configurations and new investigative partners for a while now.  The tunnel combines all the qualities of an ideal location with many of the challenges of an outdoor space, making it a great proving ground for new techniques.  The following report describes the experiences of the Northeast Spectral Science Society over several nights between August and November of 2008.

HISTORY:

This abandoned and neglected tunnel stretches nearly a quarter mile under a once-booming factory town in New England. Having seen its last train in the late 1950s, and stripped of its track in the 1970s, the tunnel now stands empty.

Or does it?

CLAIMS of ACTIVITY:

Reports of eerie feelings and strange phenomena abound, including the sensation of being watched or followed and the perception of cold spots. The sounds of an oncoming train have been heard, as well as other strange noises. Humanoid shadows have been described. The illusion of walking without progress has been reported, as has the feeling that it takes longer to reach the end of the tunnel than it should.

OUR INVESTIGATION:

Since members of the Northeast Spectral Science Society investigated the tunnel over the course of several nights, and in several different configurations, we will be breaking our report down by days for simplicity’s sake.

Day 1: August 16, 2008
Investigators: NESSS members Sue, Rob, Chris and I.

Though Chris and I had explored the tunnel once before, this would be a first experience for Sue and Rob. Since this was sort of a spur of the moment excursion, we went with minimal equipment. We had a DSLR camera, two point-and-shoots, two voice recorders and a K-II. We set up outside, then began our journey into the depths of the tunnel.

We set about debunking some of the activity we had heard about, starting with the sound of the train. We found if you stand in a certain spot around the middle of the tunnel and wait for a car to go by on the road directly overhead, the vibrations sound like the rumbling of a train approaching.

We were able to explain many of the auditory phenomena, as well. The tunnel is one large echo chamber. Between the pigeons roosting, the occasional bat, and the constant dripping of water which leeches through the granite and onto various debris on the tunnel floor, it was very seldom silent.

Since we were able to debunk so many of the reports, and we had very little K-II activity and no personal experiences, we were ready to call the tunnel completely inactive. That is, until we went home and listened to our recordings.

We decided to leave both recorders running for the entire time we were there, just over two hours. Though we stopped for frequent communication sessions, it seemed as though whatever was there that evening was interested in chatting throughout. Our extensive collection of EVPs is below.

Something seems to whisper “what the?” about 1 second in. Sue did hear something at the time this was recorded.
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Something is talking in the background, though we can’t quite make out what it’s saying.
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A child’s voice, unintelligible.
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A little girl saying “come quick” about 2 seconds in.
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A child or infant laughing.
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A male whispering “don’t go”?
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A voice in the background.
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A female humming.
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A male moan?
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The same moan, different recorder.
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One of us asks why the wall is crumbling, and before Chris can answer, something else does.
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Day 2: August 30, 2008
Investigators: NESSS members Sue, Rob, Chris, Jean and I

All in all, day two seemed a bit quieter than day one. We brought NESSS member Jean along for his first tunnel investigation. We also brought with us a different strategy and some extra equipment. In addition to the voice recorders, cameras and K-II we used on day one, we also used a video camera with headphones for live-listening, and the Lutron EMF-822A EMF meter fitted with a light so we could read it in the darkness.

The following recordings, though not technically EVPs because we heard them at the time they were recorded, are still worth a listen. They illustrate some of the activity we did experience that evening including banging and rumblings.

In this recording, you can hear a rock skipping across the ground before striking a metal piece of debris, as if it had been thrown deliberately.
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Again, something much larger than a water drop strikes a metal object.
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A rumbling or a groan. You can hear Sue’s reaction to this, also.
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Day 3: October 25, 2008
Investigators: The full NESSS team – Sue, Rob, Chris, Jean, Aaron and I

Day three posed many challenges. Due to the team’s hectic schedules, we had to take the opportunity to investigate the tunnel where we could get it, even though it was pouring outside and nearly midnight when we arrived. After wrapping our equipment tightly in plastic bags, we trekked up to the tunnel. We had promised NESSS member Aaron we would take him up there for his first experience, and we wouldn’t be deterred by a little rain!

Throughout the evening, we were plagued by thick banks of fog rolling through the tunnel. All our photos are suspect because of these conditions. However, we did come away with one EVP, below.

Sue asks if anyone present is bothered by the lights, and something seems to talk over her. We think it sounds like “that’s OK”.
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It should be noted that both Chris and Sue saw what they describe as a white mass moving along the roof of the tunnel toward where we stood. Both Rob and I snapped photos, but caught nothing. At this point, we don’t have any theories or conclusions regarding this experience.

Day 4: November 7, 2008
Investigators: NESSS members Chris and I, along with Western Massachusetts Paranormal Meetup members Sandy, Tanya, Ralph, Gary, Chris and Chris.

Since the NESSS team enjoyed our investigations of the tunnel, we decided to take a few members of the Western Massachusetts Paranormal Meetup with us. We had a total of eight, and went about exploring the whole tunnel, then set up for communication sessions in a couple of spots the NESSS team had found to be interesting during previous trips. Though we had a large group, we decided to stay together throughout our investigation. The tunnel is quite long, but has a tendency to echo, and we didn’t want to pollute our EVPs.

That night, everything seemed quiet. We got a small period of K-II activity at one point, but no other EMF fluctuations at any other time, on any device. None of the investigators present that evening had any anomalies in their photos, and our audio recordings came up empty. Nobody reported any personal experiences.

Day 5: November 8, 2008
Investigators: NESSS members Sue, Rob, Chris and I

Day five was supposed to be another investigation with members of the Western Massachusetts Paranormal Meetup, but due to unforeseen circumstances, it ended up being just four members of NESSS – the same four present on day one. As dull as day four had been, we didn’t have high hopes upon entering the tunnel one last time. But we were to be pleasantly surprised.

We walked the length of the tunnel and back before setting up in key spots for communication sessions. We had quite a bit of K-II fluctuation, and a few spikes on the MEL-8704 EMF meter during the night. The MEL-8704 also has an ambient temperature probe, and we noted a couple of small temperature fluctuations as well.

Though each member of the group experienced auditory phenomena, only one such instance translated onto our recorders. I ask if whatever made the K-II blink can do it again, and it sounds like something whispers “no”. (Interestingly, though, the K-II did blink again. Playful? Sarcastic? The jury is still out.)
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During our communication sessions, the group utilized two Sony Night-Shot camcorders on tripods positioned to take in the entire scene, a bit of a different approach than during our previous four investigations. The results of our video recording have been summarized in the two clips below.

The Tunnel Part I – The Four from NESSS on Vimeo.

The Tunnel Part II – The Eight from NESSS on Vimeo.

I’ve also included a few of the photos from the migrating mist featured in Part II for your examination below. These photos illustrate the movement of the mist around our group in conjunction to the cold spots several investigators felt. Please note that none of us saw this mist while it was happening. Although we are hesitant to call it paranormal, we did feel it should be included for your consideration. All were taken with Rob’s camera, a Sony DSC P200 point-and-shoot. The flash fired in all photos. The EXIF data for all photos was the same: ISO 400, 7.9mm, f/2.8, 1/30 second. Click to open full size.

1:33:26 AM – We begin to exit, no mist present.

1:41:40 AM – Chris begins to feel cold.

1:42:59 AM – Mist visible around Chris.

1:43:52 AM – Mist still visible.

1:44:35 AM – Mist has dissipated.

1:46:36 AM – We commence walking toward the exit.

1:48:49 – Sue notes that the Ankh cell-phone strap in her back pocket was tugged. A mist is visible.

1:48:55 – Mist still visible.

1:49:01 – Mist still visible.

1:49:08 – But for a few moisture “orbs” the mist has dissipated.

CONCLUSION:

Though we can’t definitively say the abandoned tunnel is haunted, we will say that this case deserves much more study. We’ve noted anomalies nearly every time we’ve visited. Though we cannot say that they are unequivocally paranormal in origin, we have removed many of the normal, natural causes from the equation and these anomalies still remain.

The Northeast Spectral Science Society has plans to resume our research within the abandoned tunnel in the spring. We hope that this case may lead us to the answers we all seek.

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(Ed. -  At this time, we are not going to publicly reveal the exact location of the tunnel due to concerns over vandalism and safety. However, paranormal researchers and groups are invited to email us privately to discuss this investigation report and the feasibility of conducting their own.)