Spirits of Salem: After Hours Ghost Hunt Log 2024

by Kimberly Peterson | Sep 30, 2024 | Writing from the Sea

Hello fellow ghost hunters!

It’s that time of year again!  I’ll be writing a short log of the most interesting paranormal findings at my After Hours Ghost Hunt at Gallows Hill Theatre every night for 38 nights! (Interested in last year’s log? Click here.)

Also, this year I’m trying to be better at using TikTok so I’ll be telling stories from each night over there.  I’m @paranormasalem.  Find me.  🙂

9/25/24- As I was in room 3 with a small group, we heard what sounded like someone taking a deep breath and blowing it out in the corner of the room.  Pam was with a group in room 1, and they heard what sounded like fingernails tapping on the door. They asked for the spirit to do it again and it “tap tap tapped” again for them. They also heard the door knob rattle and she thought it was me about to enter the room but no one was there. Names: Ann (two groups in two different rooms), Drew, Nate/Nathan (also two groups in two rooms), Betsy.

9/26/24- This group kept hearing a female voice on the spirit box (which is actually pretty rare, we hear men most often) and got the name Geraldine. Names: Greg, Jeff, Mildred, Scott.

9/27/24- I purchased cat balls this year and when we asked it to go off in room 2, it did as we asked. I went over to stomp around it to make sure it wasn’t a fluke and it didn’t turn on. We asked for it to go off again, and again it answered us. We heard footsteps walking in the other room when no one was there. Someone’s ghost radar said, “Cow” and Pam was wearing cow earrings. One guest was having a lot of luck using the downswing rods. He said it felt like it was pulling him like waves. A ghost radar said “trick” as dowsing rods spun around and pointed at one guest. The pipes were also doing weird things tonight. We were hearing a lot of water, much more than usual, so I’m not sure if it was a coincidence or something paranormal going on. We also heard “run” and “turn right” when leaving room 2. Names: Jeff, Drew, Paige,

9/28/24- A guest took a photo of what I think looks like the man in the hooded robe. TikTok consensus so far is that it’s a woman with a bustled dress. Either way, very cool. Someone said their shoulder was touched and then it felt like someone pet their head. No one was there. The door in room 1 sounded like it knocked back. One guest was getting many words that seem connected: Pilot, customs, force, airplane, and Virginia. It did not resonate with anyone in the room. Names: Ben, Joe, Will, James, Natalie.

9/29/24- A guest heard “don’t leave” on the spirit box right as they said they were going to head to a different room. The name Gary came up a lot. Sounded like a lot of water going through the pipes again. (I’m not sure how/why that’s becoming a thing so far this year. Maybe there was some repairs/upgrades done to the plumbing since last year? Who knows.)

9/30/24- A guest saw what looked like a woman standing in the corner in room 1. Names: Daniel, Betsy, Wilson, Bill, James, Mark, David, Peter. One guest knew the fireman’s name intuitively. More often than not, that’s how he comes through- to someone with strong mediumship abilites.

10/1/24- As I was telling the group to keep in mind that their loved ones could come through tonight, a guest’s ghost radar said, “Bill” and she said she has an uncle Bill who passed. In room 3, one of the black EMF meters would not stop beeping. I asked for it to stop and it immediately stopped. In room 1, the ghost radar said “Beside you” while a woman was sitting in a chair. She asked, “Right here?” pointing to the chair next to her and it said “Yes.”. People were getting words like “torture” and “hurt” with different apps. Names: Bobby, Will, Ian, Jim, Carlos (and when they got Carlos, someone’s ghost radar said “Mexico”)

10/2/24- In room 3, ghost radar said “Medium”, and then the spirit box said “Medium” immediately after. Spirit box also said, “I want to meet you.” , “We’re in Salem”, and “I’m here”. A lot of full sentences tonight. Names: Peter, Bob, Captain George.

10/3/24- As soon as I walked the first group back to the ouija board room, the spirit box said, “Hello.” and later said, “At first I panicked”. Someone’s ghost radar said Abigail, and that was the name of someone in the room. Names: Robert, James, Jim, Andy, Casey, Fred.

10/4/24- Someone brought a REM Pod and it went off at the same time the spirit box said, “Hello there”. We heard the boot foot steps again. Someone asked their loved one for a hug and the dowsing rods hugged them. A ghost radar said “Brush” and it happened to be the guest’s last name. Names: Mary, John, Mike, Zachary, Cole, Gus, Carol.

10/5/24- As soon as we turned the spirit box on in room two, it said “Hello” I asked ‘What do you think of me being here for a month every year” and the spirit box said “I know you”. A guest brought a thermal camera and it looked like foot prints in the corner of room 1 like someone had been standing there and there wasn’t. The dowsing rods went crazy over there too.  The door in room 1 knocked back twice. One empathetic guest became emotional and connected with a guest’s sister. Someone was connecting with their deceased father and they got the word “fishing” which is something they loved to do together.  One woman kept getting rude words. “F*ck, b*tches, pussy”.

And this was really cool… A fireman was at the event and connected with the fireman there. He asked his name and the spirit box said it twice. They asked if he had any advice for a fellow fireman and it said, “Get up. Fight.”

10/6/24- Someone asked “How spirits are here?” and very clearly said “Three” on the spirit box. A guest was connecting with her mother and getting very direct responses on the K2. A lot of things were going on at the same time. Dowsing rods going crazy and the cat ball rolled off the counter and on to the floor. The spirit box said Jeff and a ghost radar said Jeff. When we were wrapping up for the night we said “thank you” and we heard “It’s been fun” on the spirit box.

10/7/24- A bit of a quiet night. Someone asked me about the prop monster lady that is standing in room 1 and I told them she needed a name. Two people said “Gertrude” at the exact same time. They did not know each other. That’s her name now apparently. Names: Bill, Fred (two groups got Fred), and Betsy (two groups also got Betsy).

10/8/24- Someone pointed a K2 meter at me and said, “Do you know this girl?” and it went crazy and the spirit box said, “You’re my best friend.” So… yeah, that was weird. Otherwise a pretty quiet night activity-wise.

10/9/24- Another quiet night. Spirit box was being dead quiet (no pun intended) all night. I asked a group if they got anything on the spirit box in the stairwell since groups were not getting anything in the ouija board room and they said, “Not really, just a name.” You guys… it was the fireman’s name. Not much happening all night but the one name everyone is trying to find out, was given. Someone said their camera would not focus on one chair in room 1. Another guest’s leg got touched and… I’m not sure if this was ghost radar or the spirit box, but they heard “I did it.” Someone else said that the K2 meter was going off in a repeating pattern like Morse code. The cat ball and flashlight were going off at the same time. Another girl said her K2 meter felt magnetic. Names: Fred, Ray

10/10/24- After two quiet nights, tonight was super active. People were taking photos in room 2 near the fake boiler and the spirit box said, “Closer”. Someone said it felt like they were touched.  A group was sitting in the ouija board room and the black EMF would not stop beeping. They had the idea to pass it down from one person to another and asked the spirit to make it stop when the person they wanted to talk to had it. It stopped when the girl who felt like she was touched had it. We tried to pass it down the line 2 more times and it only stopped when she touched it. I tried this with the next group who came in to this room and it never stopped beeping for anyone. The spirit box said, “Keep beeping.”  Later I asked, “What’s your favorite color?” And we heard “Black”. In another room a guest said that they were talking about their dirt bike and heard, “That’s awesome”. Someone else said they got “We can’t protect you” in the stairwell. We had more firefighters come to the event and they also got the fireman’s name. (This is happening more and more lately. It’s so cool to me.) Names:Margaret, Hunter, Fred, Sam, Raymond.

10/11/24- When a guest was leaving the Ouija board room, the spirit box said, “Don’t leave”. We heard footsteps in the other room and heard “We go” on the spirit box. One guest (as an inside joke) asked if the spirit thought her cousin (sister?) was ugly and the ghost radar app said “Opposite”, Someone said their leg was pinched. The noose started swinging by itself in room 3. (That’s the first time this has happened this season). Names: Johnny, Sam, Mary, Rick, Ann.

10/12/24- A pretty quiet night for activity. Spirit box words: “Maybe Mason”, “What is it?” “Introduced”. As a group was leaving room two, the spirit box said, “Good night”. Names:Fred, Paul, Rose, Ivan,

10/13/24- Spirit box said, “Go to the left” as we were heading left from the skeleton room. A guest walked into the railing and the spirit box said, “Don’t do that again.” In the stairwell, a group was asking about the fire and they got the word “lit”. A guest was contacting their grandfather. A lot of music was playing on the spirit box and it said the guest’s name and also “hello”. One group was guessing names and said, “Jonathan” and the spirit box said, “That’s it.” A group got the name Dorothy or Dot in room 3 and the noose swung by itself again.  Someone’s ghost radar said “Accident” and the spirit box immediately said “Accident” right after. Other names: Elmer, Lewis, Louise, “A name that starts with R” in the stairwell.

10/14/24- All of my equipment was acting weird. The Mel Meter’s temp said it was 265 degrees in the room. And then the ghost meter wouldn’t turn on.  And the spirit box made this really loud popping noise, almost like a light bulb exploding, and the guest who was holding it said it vibrated. A group got “It’s hot” “smoke” and “burn” in the stairwell. A guest got a photo in room 1 that looked like a woman’s face. Someone said that when they pushed on the plastic curtain to go through towards the ouija board room that it felt like someone was behind it. The same thing happened to me yesterday. So that’s a new one. We heard “Hello” and “Hi” on the spirit box, and then asked, “Anything you’d like to say?” and heard “I’m in trouble”. One guest took a photo of me that looked like someone had walked in front of me. He said it looked like a little girl… and then the spirit box said, “Mommy?”. A guest said that she had lost a daughter… who happened to have the same name as another guest. When she asked if she was there, the K2 meters started going off on command. So that was a really cool sequence of evidence in a row. When only two guests were left downstairs at the end of the night, we all felt a cold breeze blow by us, and we heard a door slam. No one else was down there at the time.

10/15/24- Spirit box words: “Help me”, “Leave” “What do you want”. We asked, “How many spirits are here?” and heard “A couple”. And then, “How many kids did you have?” and heard “Still born”. As we were leaving for the night we heard “Don’t leave me” Someone asked the spirit box to say “Tomato” and it did. haha. Quite a few people got the word butterfly or butterflies and two separate groups said they connect butterflies with their loved ones. Names: Nancy, Steven, Brian, Mark, Geoff, Earl, Charlotte, Alice.

10/16/24- Heard “no” and “don’t” on the spirit box… and then my phone typed words into my notepad by itself. It said “The Devil” (with a devil emoji) and “The moon”. We heard footsteps tonight and also heard “watching you” on the spirit box while a temperature gun showed 180 degrees.  Names: Scott, Kim, Henry, Paul, Alice.

10/17/24- Another quiet night. Mostly just names. Frank, Fred, Ellen, Same, Walter, Timothy, Eddie, Dave, Charlie, Russell… and Giles Corey.

10/18/24- Words on the spirit box tonight:  “I’m stuck here”, “Leave”, “Come outside”, “You can do it.” I asked for the spirit box to tell me an emotion and it said, “Feel good.”. As we were leaving for the night it said, “Stay”. Names: Joe, Scott, Wayne, Randi (A guest’s nickname) Phillip, and Asia (although maybe not a name.)

10/19/24- Three groups got the name Maddie/Matty. I asked, “Did you used to live here” and heard “Yes”. I said, “Is your last name Brookhouse? Derby? Pickman?” and the spirit box said “Pickman”… so that was pretty cool. I’m unable to find a Madelyn or Matthew Pickman by Google. I may need to head to the library someday soon. We also asked, “How old were you when you died?? and heard “10” as someone’s ghost radar said “Victim”. Guests heard “Stop” and “Get out”. A guest said their neck was touched and they heard, “Trick”. Two guest’s heard their own names in the stairwell. It felt like their was someone behind the curtain when pushing through. And we heard “We go” at the end of the evening. Names: Maddie…Matty?, Raymond, Carl, Paul, Jack.Alice.

10/20/24- We heard, “What’s up” on the spirit box as we were walking through towards the oujia board room. Heard “On my right” so we went into the next room. We heard what sounded like someone walking back there. We asked, “Can you light up the meter” and heard, “no”. We asked, “Can you say your name?” and heard Ann. The black meter kept beeping and we heard, “That was me.”. Guests in room 3 heard a loud whistle and they also said they heard screams through the spirit box 3 times. Names: Robert, Colin, Nancy, Neil. Jack, Steven, Jonathan, Dri?

10/21/24- A quite night for activity. A group heard, “Don’t go” in the stairwell. A guest connected with her grandfather. He said his birthday and she got a lot of information using a pendulum and dowsing rods. Names: Carlos, Chance, Joe, Charles Edward Chuck Jones, Clark, and Ray.

10/22/24- We asked, “What’s your name?” and heard Joe on the spirit box. I was talking to the group about how one of the black EMF detectors wasn’t working right and heard “broken”. Noose was swinging by itself again in room 3 and they were getting direct answers with the flashlight. Names: Richard, Vince, George, Lawrence, Mike.

10/23/24- Absolutely incredible night. With one group we heard the spirit box say, “Pissed off” twice. They said, “Are we pissing you off? “Yes”. Do you want a beer? “Yes”. With another group we heard “You can” when asking to light up the meters. In my notes I wrote, “It’s sometimes just to tell me”… and I don’t remember what that means. Maybe that whole sentence was said on the spirit box? The door knocked back. Two guests got names of family members who have passed. A strange red blur ended up in someone’s photo. Names: Harry, Charlie, Vi, Ginny, Jack, Joe…. And Roy, Maria, and Nick…Okay, what happened here is too much to type. This is a link to the tiktok video I made about this experience at the end of the evening: https://www.tiktok.com/@paranormalsalem/video/7429459250247765278?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7348162365319611947

10/24/24- We heard “What do you want?” on the spirit box. We asked if they could tell us their name and we heard “I don’t want to.” And later on a “helloooo” like they were annoyed. And then heard the name Christopher. Someone said, “It’s hot in here” and the spirit box said, “Hot flash”. Guests decided to take turns introducing themselves and then asked if the spirit box could say one of their names and it did. She said, “Do you want to talk to me?” “Yes”. “Are you part of our family?” “Yes”. And heard the name Troy, but they don’t know anyone named Troy. She asked if her grandmother was here and the spirit box said, “She’s here”. When I told the group that a girl asked the spirit box to say tomato and it did, another girl asked it to say potato and it did. Haha. Names: Victor, Eddie, Sam, Giles.

10/25/24- We heard footsteps in the other room while in the ouija board room. A group in room 3 screamed and we asked, “Can you tell us what’s going on in the other room?” and heard “Safe”… which is the room the safe is in. Our spirit box said “Run” and the group in room 3 said that someone’s ghost radar also said “Run” at the same time. Someone heard “Gasoline” in the stairway. Names: William, Dennis, Jordan (Guest’s name), Jimmy, Frank, Henry, Cade.

10/26/24- We heard shuffling and footsteps in room 3. We joked that it sounded like someone dragging a dead body above us. We heard “I’m here now” in room 2. And then a little later someone said “I don’t think he’s here anymore” and we heard, “I am here.” We heard the name Mike and “Yes I’m here” again. I thought this was funny. When I left to check on another group, they asked, “Do you want us to leave” and heard “Not yet” and then as soon as I walked back into the room we heard “Please go” like they were helping me out. 🙂 We heard “Be careful… and coughing” on the spirit box in the stairwell. That was so clear I thought someone actually said that. And at the same time, someone’s ghost radar said “Hot”. At the end of the night as we were walking back to the main room we heard, “I’m a ghost” on the spirit box. Names: Mike, Jonathan, Richard, Robert, Cody, Mary.

10/27/24- A kid said, “Can you turn this flashlight on in 3…2…” and it turned on. And then asked, “Do you like being in the afterlife?” And it turned off. Someone asked the spirit box “What’s your name?” in the ouija board room and it sounded like it said, “Homer Simpson.” I asked, “Can you say my name?” and heard “I can’t say that” and I said, “My name is Kim, can you say Kim?” and heard “Kim”. We heard “I’m making noise” and then we heard footsteps. A guest contacted his grandfather. He heard his name twice and got a lot of responses. Names: Richard, William, Kate, Frank

10/28/24- A guest asked “Are you male?” no response. “Are you female?” no response. “Are you non-binary?” The K2 meter spiked and her ghost radar said “Diverse”. A group had good luck with the cat ball. Names: Olivia, Mia (Guest’s name), Reed.

10/29/24- A guest was walking back and forth in a straight line in the oujia board room and the K2 meter would go off when she got to a certain spot in the middle of the room. The spirit box said, “Go forward”. We asked “What’s your name?” and heard “George” and with another group we heard “Patrick”. Someone asked, “Are you going to attack us?” and we heard “I might”. Other questions and responses: “What’s your favorite color?” “Green”. “Do you still want to talk to us?” “No”. “Do you believe in ghosts?” “All the time”. “Are you in the mirror?” “I guess so.” Two groups heard the word “Help” and when we were leaving for the evening we heard a woman’s voice say “Get out of here.” A guest contacted their grandma and got a lot of funny responses because he said she didn’t approve of ghost hunting. Someone saw a shadow multiple times. Another guest took a video and it looked like the top of a kid’s head running past the bottom of the screen. Other names: Mable, Tabitha, Henry, Bill.

10/30/24- Three different groups got the name Marcus. We asked, “How old are you” and it said, “40”. When I was walking guests back to the oujia board room, the spirit box said, “Hey, it’s Zack” and a guest’s name was Zack. We asked, “Who is here” and got a man’s voice and a woman’s voice going back and forth and heard “2”. We heard the word “Gear” on the spirit box and also someone’s ghost radar moments apart. Other words: “Make no sound.” “You are Laurie?” “Hardship”. Names: Shawn, Harry, Brendon, Bill/William.

11/1/24- I was talking to the group about this being an indoor event because crowds are crazy and someone’s ghost radar said, “Huge”. A K2 meter was going off on a bench and we heard “Sit down” through the spirit box. The spirit box got loud and weird this night and it said, “That’s new”. We asked “What’s your name?” and got “Jennifer”.  We asked for favorite color and got “White” with one group and “Yellow” with another. We heard “Helpless” when the black EMF on the floor started going off.Names: Thomas, Charles, Ray.

11/2/24- We heard “100” on the spirit box and ghost radar. Someone felt something brush against their leg. We heard “Lincoln” on the spirit box when guests were from Lincoln Nebraska. The spirit box was speaking Spanish they got the name “Pablo”. Favorite color? “Red”. Got “Mary” when we asked for a name. Then “Did you live here?” “Yeah”. “Did you like living here in Salem?” “It’s nice”. The door knocked 3 times for a kid. They said they got that the kid in that room is 12 years old. Other names: John, Will, Mike/Michael, Benjamin.