Stories relating to paranormal phenomena are found in popular culture, folklore, and the recollections of individual subjects. In contrast, the scientific community, as referenced in statements made by organizations such as the United States National Science Foundation, maintains that scientific evidence does not support a variety of beliefs that have been characterized as paranormal.^[5]

Paranormal subjects

Notable paranormal beliefs include those that pertain to ghosts, extraterrestrial life and unidentified flying objects, and cryptids.

Ghosts and other spiritual entities

Further information: ghost, spirit, demonic possession, and ectoplasm (paranormal)

A ghost is a manifestation of the spirit or soul of a deceased person.^[6] Alternative theories expand on that idea and include belief in the ghosts of deceased animals. Sometimes the term “ghost” is used synonymously with any spirit or demon^[7], however in popular usage the term typically refers to a deceased person.

The belief in ghosts as souls of the departed is closely tied to the concept of animism, an ancient belief which attributed souls to everything in nature.^[8] As the nineteenth-century anthropologist James Frazer explained in his classic work, The Golden Bough, souls were seen as the creature within that animated the body.^[9] Although the human soul was sometimes symbolically or literally depicted in ancient cultures as a bird or other animal, it was widely held that the soul was an exact reproduction of the body in every feature, even down to clothing the person wore. This is depicted in artwork from various ancient cultures, including such works as the Egyptian Book of the Dead, which shows deceased people in the afterlife appearing much as they did before death, including the style of dress.

A widespread belief concerning ghosts is that they are composed of a misty, airy, or subtle material. Anthropologists speculate that this may also stem from early beliefs that ghosts were the person within the person, most noticeable in ancient cultures as a person’s breath, which upon exhaling in colder climates appears visibly as a white mist.^[8] This belief may have also fostered the metaphorical meaning of “breath” in certain languages, such as the Latin spiritus and the Greek pneuma, which by analogy became extended to mean the soul. In the Bible, God is depicted as animating Adam with a breath.

Numerous theories have been proposed by scientists to provide normal explanations for ghost sightings.^[8] Although the evidence for ghosts is largely anecdotal, the belief in ghosts throughout history has remained widespread and persistent.

Set up an interview with Mike, the owner of the Moonshine bar. The interview took place on March 6^th, 2009. It was held inside the bar. Mike and other employees of the bar had reported the following activities:

-A dark silhouette of a male figure has been seen often standing in the doorway near the atm machine.

-The figure of the male has also been seen sitting at the bar area.

-Footsteps near the bar making the sound of what has been described as “wet squishy” sneakers walking.

-Footsteps heard walking back and forth in the ballroom which is located above the bar on the second floor.

-Bar glasses that slide off the bar and hit the floor.

-Items that are moved such as an ice scoop that was thrown across the floor in the basement of the establishment.

It has been determined that most of the activities occur after closing. The bar closes at 1:00 am.  It has also been determined that most of the activities occur on a Wednesday.

During the interview Mike had noted that he believes the male spirit is from a man who had hung himself in the bathroom of the bar back in the early 1920’s. Mike also claims that the activities have been going on for many years but have been happening more frequently lately.

During the interview there were some patrons at the bar that overheard some of our conversations and had make comments about the place being haunted. It appears that the ghost that walks the floors at night is well known and welcomed by many.

SOME KEY NOTES:   It has been reported that many years ago, a woman who owned the bar at one time was a witness to many sightings of the male figure. She had taken it upon herself to research the past and had found the name of the man who had hung himself. At this time Sanity Check Paranormal Investigators have no other information on the name of the deceased.

During the interview, Ken was shown a letter from another paranormal team who has shown interest and is requesting permission to investigate the Moonshine Bar. With that noted, it appears that not only the employees and patrons of the Moonshine Bar share the stories of the ghostly figure, but many outsiders and other paranormal investigators do as well.

In closing, Sanity Check Paranormal Investigators have been granted permission to conduct an investigation at the Moonshine Bar and has set a temporary date for Wednesday, March 11, 2009. Prior to the investigation there will be a second interview held on Sunday, March 8, 2009.

Sanity Check Paranormal Investigators

Cottage Grove, MN

Moonshine Bar Investigation 3/18/09

Investigation: Moonshine Bar, Saint Paul, MN

Case: MS0004

Date: 3/18/09

Time: 11:00 p.m.  – 3:00 a.m.

Participants:

SCPI – Ken & Steve

HPT – Tim & Julie

Conditions:

Moon: Half Moon

Weather: Clear Sky, Temperature 39 degrees, Wind  3 mph

Background Information:

The Moonshine Bar was built in 1890. It has owned up to many different names throughout the years. To the best of our knowledge and through research, the building was always used as a drinking establishment. However, the 2^nd floor was used to house visitors. It is not known for sure but could quite possibly have been used a brothel.

Because of its long history, the building has faced many renovation projects. Sometime in the 1900’s the building was renovated and was attached to another building to become one. There is evidence of this in the cellar of the bar which has a manmade tunnel that penetrates the concrete foundation wall that enters into the basement of the other building. The tunnel is approximately 20 feet long and 4 feet wide. It is noted that there was a suicide in the building sometime between 1910 – 1920. This is the only known death to occur in the building itself.

Sanity Check Paranormal Investigators were contacted by an individual who knew of a bar owner that has had some paranormal activity for many years in his bar. The owner had mentioned that he would be interested in having SCPI do an investigation sometime.

Ken (founder of SCPI) was to contact the owner to make arrangements for a future investigation.

On Friday, February 20^th , Ken had driven out to the bar to meet with Mike, the owner of the Moonshine Bar. The bar sat on a corner lot in the city limits of St. Paul. Its appearance seemed well maintained throughout the many years it stood there. It was somewhat large, narrow but long two story building. Later to find out that it was actually two buildings joined together as one. The building almost seemed to stand alone. Across the street in front of the bar (south side) was another bar.. The north end of the bar was old railroad tracks. On the east side of the bar was a fairly large parking lot that joined some residential housing. Across the street on the west side was a large fenced in vacant lot that used to be a train station or depot. There didn’t appear to be a lot of nightly activity in that surrounding area. There were only two door entries to the bar. One door on the east side and one door on the west side.

When walking up to the door I noticed that the second floor had several windows that were all boarded up. I had entered the bar and noticed Mike, the owner, sitting at the bar with another gentleman. It was only those two and the bartender there at this time. I had introduced myself to Mike and he immediately volunteered to do an interview. Mike had given me a tour of the place while describing many incidents that had taken place. Some of the incidents included:

• Shadow of a male figure standing in a doorway and sitting at the bar.
• Footsteps next to the bar that are described as sounding like wet shoes.
• Footsteps walking the floor above the bar on the second floor ballroom.
• Drinking glasses being thrown off the bar and onto the floor.
• Ice scoop is often thrown on the floor in the basement near the ice machine.
• A vacuum cleaner had turned on by itself and began to move across the floor on the second floor ballroom. It is reported that the vacuum cleaner was not plugged in at the time.
• The uneasy feeling of being watched after closing time.

It should be known that there had been at least one reported death in the bar. A male had committed suicide by hanging himself in the men’s restroom. That restroom has been relocated due to the remodeling of the bar.

The owner had noted that the activity had been going on for many years. He had heard stories of the activity in the bar even before he owned it. He claims that he recently became interested in the investigation because the activities seem to be happening more often. He had also mentioned that most of the activity seems to happen on a Wednesday.

After a brief tour of the establishment, and investigation date and time was agreed upon for Wednesday March 18^th 2009.

Investigation:

Because of its history and the suicide that took place, Ken had contacted Tim from the Hastings Paranormal Team to see if it would be possible to get one of his team members who is a “sensitive” to accompany SCPI on the investigation. Tim had volunteered his services along with Julie who is a very reputable sensitive. It had then been determined that the team would consist of Ken & Steve (SCPI) and Tim & Julie (HPT).

Ken and Steve would meet up with Tim and Julie at a local establishment in Cottage Grove on Wednesday March 18^th @ 10:00 p.m. They then left for St. Paul and arrived at the Moonshine Bar @ 10:30 p.m.

We entered the bar and Ken quickly introduced the team to Mike.  Mike had decided not to stay but had another gentleman who would remain at the bar until the completion of the investigation. This gentleman would stay seated in the corner of the bar and would not leave that area until SCPI had completed the investigation. The team immediately began to set up equipment.

Ken had taken the team on a brief tour of the building. Very little information was given to Julie on the activity that has been reported so not to contaminate the investigation.

Equipment used on this investigation consisted of the following:

• 4 –audio digital recorders
• 4 –digital cameras
• 3 –night vision video recorders
• 2 –emf detectors
• 1 set of dousing rods

After a brief discussion about locations for the video cameras, Steve began to set up all 3 night vision video recorders.

One night vision video camera was set up on the main floor facing the bar in the area where the shadowy figure has been seen and the footsteps heard. The second camera was set up in the basement facing the ice machine where the ice scoop has continually been thrown on the floor. The third camera was set up on the second floor covering the entire ballroom. This is the area where the footsteps are heard walking about.

After both teams completed their protection prayer, they split up into two’s and went lights out at midnight.

Tim and Ken would pair up and begin the investigation up on the second floor in the ballroom. Steve and Julie would begin in the basement.

When Time and Ken entered the ballroom it already seemed cooler than before. Both audio recorders were running at this time and Ken had activated the emf detector. Both Tim and Ken began calling. While standing in the middle of the room, it didn’t take long to hear what appeared to be footsteps somewhere in front of them both. It was heard by both investigators. It was heard a couple more times after that. It almost appeared to be pacing back and forth. Tim then had asked Ken where he was standing. Ken replied, “I’m about give feet in front of you”. Tim then stated that he had just seen a shadow walk right between them. Ken did not see if but Tim said he seen it very clearly. Immediately after the shadow, Ken had gotten a sharp pain in his right shoulder and arm. Tim then mentioned that he was sensing a male spirit with us at that time. It was soon after that that the pain Ken was experiencing had gone away. After a short while we both began to ask for a sign, some kind of noise. It was later we began to hear some light tapping or possibly more footsteps near the stage on the other side of the room. We decided to walk over to the stage and when we got near the stage the emf detector began to take hits. At one point the detector hit a 4.5, a very high reading. It seemed to be in front of me at the time. Then it disappeared. Just then Tim had felt a tug on his pant leg. Ken brought the emf detector over near Tim and when he put it behind Tim it began to take hits once again. It then moved and Ken was able to follow it for a brief second and then it was gone again.

Down in the basement, Steve and Julie were having their own experiences. They were also getting strong readings on the emf detector. Julie began calling, asking questions, “is anybody with us? “ “How many of you are with us?” “Where are you in the room?” Her dousing rods moved as she had asked them too. While she was asking questions, Steve went to adjust his head light and something pulled on his shirt and stopped his arm from moving forward. He checked the support pole that he was standing next to see if there was a nail or something that could catch his sleeve but there was nothing there. Shortly after that experience they had proceeded to walk up to the main floor and then up to the ballroom on the second floor to meet Ken and Tim.

The four of us briefly discussed our experiences at this point and began to walk back through the ballroom from which Tim and Ken had first come through. Julie had immediately stopped in the middle of the room and said “here”, there was a fight between two men right where I am standing”. Tim and Ken both realized at that moment that that was the exact spot that Ken had felt the pain in his arm and where Tim had seen the shadow. Julie began to report what she was seeing. She claims that two men were drink and had gotten into a fight. One of the men was seriously hurt. Then man who hurt the other man was one of the spirits that walks the floor up there. Julie began to communicate with him. She describes him as a middle aged man slightly bald and wearing a green jacket. She says that the man feels a great deal of remorse for what he had done. She senses that he did not kill this man but hurt him bad enough to the point of being hospitalized. She claims that the spirit felt so much remorse that when living, he had visited the man he hurt in the hospital. Julie decides to use the dousing rods to communicate at this point. She begins to ask “yes” and “no” questions. The four of us now sit in a circle while Julie begins to use the rods. Julie tells the spirit that if the answer is yes to cross the rods. She asks, “Do you walk the floor up here because you still feel bad for what you have done to the man?” The rods crossed. She then asks the spirit to uncross the rods and they slowly uncross. Julie than asks the spirit if he or the other man had injured his right arm or shoulder in the fight. The rods cross for a yes response. She determines that his name is Bob. She then asks the spirit to point the rods to where he is standing in the room. The rods immediately point about five feet away from Kens left side. Ken then stands up and brings the emf detector over to the spot where the spirit claims to be. The emf detector does not respond. Ken begins to walk around the others with the emf detector to see if he can get a response and it does nothing. Julie then claims that the spirit is following Ken around the room and asking her “what is that thing in his hand?” She claims that the spirit is fascinated with the emf detector that Ken is using and finds it humorous. Ken continues to use the emf detector searching for a response but the detector again does not respond. The activity seems to fade and the team decides to take a break. They now go downstairs to the main floor and regroup.

After a short break, the teams once again venture out in different locations to investigate. Tim and Ken will now go down in the basement area. Steve and Julie will stay on the main floor and investigate the bar area.

When Tim and Ken got down in the basement they began calling. It seemed almost immediately that Tim had seen a dark shadow move in front of himself and Ken. Tim had told Ken to stay still and waited to see if the shadow reappears. It did not. However, the emf detector once again began to beep. Ken walked forward with the emf detector and it stopped beeping. Tim had gotten a sense that there was a male figure down there with them. They continued to move slowly forward.

Ahead of Tim and Ken was a fairly large wine cellar area. The wine cellar is enclosed with wood walls and door. It had shelving in there with several wines. They decided to go in the wine area and call from there. Shortly after entering the wine cellar area Ken got a reading on the emf detector again. After further investigation he determined that it was from electrical wiring above his head.

Tim began calling asking for a sign. Then there was a knock. Trim again asked for a sign and heard nothing. Just then Ken had felt someone or something pull his hair. The hair was pulled from the back of the head. I immediately had told Tim that something just pulled my hair. Tim shined a light around me and above my head and there was nothing close enough that could do that, not to mention that I was standing still. Soon after that I had gotten a feeling of being totally trapped. It was then that Ken and Tim decided to leave that area. They both decided to try to get some movement from the wine cellar door. Tim asked “could you please move the door for us?” As we stared at the door, nothing happened. Tim then asked “could you please just try to open or close the door so we know you can hear us?” Again nothing happened. We then decided to walk through the tunnel to the other building. We both entered the tunnel and got about half way in when we heard a door slam behind us. We both immediately backed up out of the tunnel and shined a light on all of the doors to see if it looked like any had moved. We could not be sure if any of the doors had moved from their location. However, it was clear to both Tim and I that the sound heard was a wood door closing or opening and hitting something. The sound of the door was later heard on the audio recorder when reviewing evidence. Tim and Ken began calling once again to see if they could get the door to move or make that sound again. Nothing happened. They both then decided to go back in the tunnel and continue on.

Ken and Tim went through the tunnel and entered the other basement of the other building. The atmosphere was so much more pleasant than the other basement. They experienced nothing in the other basement.

Upstairs on the main floor in the bar area, Steve and Julie experienced no activity. However, Julie had sensed many incidents and spirits. She claims that there is the spirit of the gentleman who was involved in a fight in the upstairs ballroom. Another is a male figure with possibly a military background. She had also claimed that there is a female wearing a dress of an old vintage style. She claims that the female only visits here.

After a short discussion of personal experiences, the team begins to break down the equipment and departs the bar at 3:00 a.m.

Synopsis:

SCPI was contacted by the owner to conduct an investigation at this location to investigate unexplained activity experienced by employees and guests. The activity reported ranged from shadows in doorways to a full apparition of a male figure at the bar. There are also reports of footsteps on the second floor and bar area, glasses being tossed off the bar and onto the floor, ice scoop in basement area being tossed off the ice machine and onto the floor. There has been one confirmed death by suicide in the establishment. The history of activity in the building has been reported for many years.

SCPI conducted the investigation using a variety of devices throughout the location. The devices included 3 night vision video cameras, 2 emf detectors, 4 digital audio recorders, 4 digital cameras & 1 set of dousing rods.

All team investigators reported some kind of personal experience. HPT sensitive was able to communicate with the spirits.

Incidents or Experiences:

• Numerous evps were obtained
• Shadows were seen moving by one investigator.
• Footsteps were heard by two investigators.
• One investigator had his pant leg tugged.
• Another investigator had his hair pulled.
• Another investigator had his shirt sleeve pulled.
• Two investigators heard a door shut behind them in the basement.
• One investigator (who is a sensitive) was able to communicate with the spirit and was able to obtain a name (Bob). The sensitive was also able to confirm two other spirits in the building.

Conclusion:

The primary goal of the investigation was to attempt to obtain through the use of electronic equipment and variety of recording devices in an attempt to add validity to past claims or incidents that were reported at the location. Most of these claims were provided by employees and customers.

SCPI was able to obtain several evp’s on audio recording devices. These evp’s were obtained from different locations in the establishment.

Three different investigators were physically touched by something unexplained. One had his shirt sleeve pulled. Another had his hair pulled. The other investigator reported having his pant leg tugged on.

Footsteps were heard within several feet from investigators.

The sound of a door shutting by itself in the basement.

Several high levels of emf readings with no explained source.

One sensitive felt the presence of a male figure up in the ballroom and also the presence of another male and female that visits periodically. The sensitive was able to communicate with the spirits by the use of dousing rods.

All floors of the establishment seemed to have some type of activity. However, it seemed to be the basement that the investigators experienced most of the activity along with the personal experiences.

After the collection and review of all evidence and compilation of reports, the evidence collected and reports submitted do appear to conclude that there is some activity of an unexplained nature occurring at the location. However, the evidence obtained is not enough to label this location as “haunted”. There is however, enough evidence to indicate that there is some form of paranormal activity occurring at the location, the source of which cannot be identified.