OKAWVILLE - The old downstairs bar of the Original Springs Motel in Okawville seemed lifeless - darkness engulfed the room and the air was silent.

A group of 10 people entered the space and ceased talking for a few moments. Flashlights went off. Other equipment turned on. Electro-magnetic field detectors beeped. Little red lights from infrared thermometers appeared. Those with cameras and camcorders began snapping pictures and shooting video, hoping for something unusual to appear.

The group obviously wasn't in the room to enjoy a drink; they were there searching for something more out of this world. The group consisted of paranormal investigators and an interested family. All moved cautiously around the room, trying to avoid running into one another and furniture around the room.

As Latausha Barnhart stood near the bar, she announced to the group that she suddenly felt something cold against her back. Then a piano began to play ?

Preparing for the night

When the Southern Illinois Ghost Hunting Team visited the Original Springs earlier this month, it marked what had become an annual tradition for the group.

This year's investigation marked the third visit for team member Chris Hughes and a fifth for member Wayne Gordon. Hughes said the group "has never been disappointed" after an investigation at the site.

Owner Mary Rennegarbe provided the team with two rooms to use as a base camp and free rein of any area of the hotel not behind a locked door.

The group was slightly disappointed to find one particular stairwell locked because on their last visit, Hughes and Gordon heard a voice say "Push him Victor" as they investigated the staircase. The duo hoped to be able to revisit the area and see if they could find any more paranormal activity in the area.

The group had also hoped to revisit some of the rooms they had previously explored, but hotel bookings would not allow for it. So the group had to operate from rooms 28 and 30, both on the motel's third floor. After scouting out both rooms, Hughes announced that room 30 "gives me that creepy feeling."

Upon settling in, the team began its pre-investigation procedures: setting up a computer with infrared cameras, taking base temperature readings in various parts of the motel and exploring the area.

Once a majority of the motel's guests had settled down for the night, the members of SIGHT went to work.

Investigating the scene

After the sudden sound of a piano beginning to play, silence hit the old bar room once again. In the midst of a paranormal investigation, no one knew what to think for the first few seconds. Then, when a flashlight shined toward to piano, the group found Hughes sitting at it and playing.

Any thoughts of fear left the group and were replaced with questions of, "How can you play the piano in the dark?" and "Where did you learn to do that?"

Throughout the rest of the night, the group explored the various corridors, hallways and amenities of the hotel. From the poolside area where people have reported seeing spirits cross walkways to the spa room where Barnhart thinks she saw a small spirit - possibly of an animal - scurry across the floor, the group swept the entire building multiple times.

After having Rennegarbe unlock the "push him" stairwell to place an audio recorder inside, Barnhart tried to take a picture down the stairwell, and her camera battery, which was almost fully charged, drained and went dead.

Others experienced the same thing with their camera batteries, and two team members even had their camera switch to internal memory mode.

Preliminary results didn't show anything as powerful as the "Push him Victor" that had been caught on audio recorder or the outline of a woman in front of a window curtain from previous visits. But Barnhart said the night was still marked with enough "quirky things that don't happen" to make the trip worth it.

Hughes' new investigative team, the Little Egypt Area Paranormal Society, will participate in three investigations during November in Okawville, Herrin and Eldorado.

adam.testa@thesouthern.com

351-5031