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Frequently Asked Questions |
About
this Website
:
"The Moonspenders" was born in the
spring of 1999 to document ghost stories and legends in the Cuyahoga
Valley National Park. The original site was hosted by AOL. (Its original web address was
hometown.aol.com/moonspenders.) A few years later, the domain moonspenders.com was purchased, and the site grew drastically.
Soon afterward, "The Moonspenders" became an actual paranormal
investigation group with as many as 30 members at any given time.
On October 3, 2004, the paranormal group
officially disbanded. Moonspenders.com returned to being the informative
website it once was. Since that time, it has been maintained by its
creator, Ken Summers. In Fall 2006, he published "Haunted Cuyahoga:
Spirits of the Valley" and began lecturing at libraries and public
events. In May of 2007, Summers created hauntedcuyahoga.com as an
informative website pertaining to his book; this address was dropped in 2009 upon
publication of
the book "Queer Hauntings." All websites have since been moved to the moonspenders
dot com domain. Occasionally, Summers joins forces with friends and
other paranormal enthusiasts for investigations throughout northeast
Ohio and
around the world.
Frequently Asked Questions :
Do you
believe in ghosts?
How
long have you been investigating ghosts?
How do you find ghosts and
haunted places?
What other
groups do you belong to?
Do you
believe in demons and angels?
What about UFOs?
Is there a
bigfoot in the Cuyahoga Valley?
What's
with the "Pioneer Investigation" logo?
Why are
there other sites for ghosts of the Cuyahoga Valley if yours is so good?
Why aren't
there many photos or EVP's on your site?
I live in a
haunted house. Can you help me get rid of the ghost?
I have
a story about a place in the Cuyahoga Valley, but don't want people to
know who I am. Can I tell you without mentioning my name?
Can I go on a ghost hunt with
you?
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Do you believe in ghosts?
That's a difficult question to answer, and my answer has
changed a lot over the years. I have experienced a few things that I
cannot explain away through rationalization or science, which has brought me to
the conclusion that something yet unknown must be causing these phenomena
and begs the question, "What is a ghost, exactly?" In all honesty, we
have no answer for that yet. For the sake of simplicity, I call the
unexplained phenomenon a haunting or ghost. There
are plenty of fictional accounts floating around as well as 'ghosts'
which can be explained by natural occurrences, hallucinations, and
psychological disorders. Some people have said that I walk the fine line
between believer and skeptic very carefully. I like to think of myself
as a neutral observer and collector of fantastic tales in the tradition
of Charles Fort.
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to FAQs
How long have you been
investigating ghosts?
I researched the history behind my first local ghost story
(the Robert McKisson House) at age
13 in my spare time. When I received my driver's license at 16, I
began to visit any and all places rumored to be haunted. Chris
Woodyard's Haunted Ohio series provided me with plenty of weekend
road trip ideas, but I consider my trip to Rogues Hollow on Halloween
night in 1995 as the first actual investigation. Though I have been
traveling to various haunted sites since then, I have only concentrated on
Cuyahoga Valley hauntings since 1999. The actual amount of time spent
actively searching for evidence has dwindled over the years, but
wherever I go I do try to check out a ghost tour, talk to people to find
good stories, and explore some creepy places.
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to FAQs
How do you find ghost stories and haunted
places?
Quite simple: I observe everything. Ghosts are
literally everywhere: in every culture, every corner of the world. Most stories are passed along by oral tradition or hidden in
forgotten books and newspaper articles, but the internet can be a good
starting point (if you weed out the vicious rumors). Any place can be a prime candidate for a
haunting, even if there is no activity or known legend. If you have a
feeling a place could be haunted, investigate it and find out for
yourself. Several locations on my site are only known to be haunted now
through a 'feeling' or experience which I followed up on. Never limit
yourself to the same stories circulating everywhere. An interesting or
unknown spook could be sitting right under your nose, waiting for
someone to notice him or her.
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What other groups do you belong to?
I have belonged to several organizations in the past and
occasionally accompany other groups on investigations. I will join
mailing lists, websites, and on-line groups/discussions occasionally,
though generally from a distance. I try to lead a relatively drama-free
life, and that tends to be difficult with internal conflicts and
one-upmanship associated with some organizations. The same difficulties
arose when I tried to found my own organization, so I focused more on my
research and stories that I have found on my journeys. I am a member of
Cuyahoga Valley Paranormal, but that's the extent of my current
memberships.
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Do you believe in demons and
angels?
Though this may cause some arguments, no; I don't believe in
either one. When it comes to the paranormal, I do not view it in terms
of any one religion of belief system. I think of the paranormal as being
separate from religion, which is not a common stance. I have never run across anything I could call "demonic"
or "angelic". Ghosts are characterized as having either good or bad manners
and intentions. I
believe what we refer to as "angels" are good-natured, kind
spirits with a helpful slant on the world while "demons"
are angry, disturbed entities who can fool and manipulate
people into giving them false classifications and labels.
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What about UFOs?
I only deal with ghosts. UFOs (unidentified flying
objects) and USOs (unidentified submerged objects) are not
something I am very familiar with, nor do I seek out information about
them. I do find them vaguely fascinating, though. As for whether I
believe in aliens visiting us from another planet: anything is possible.
Deep space travel is relatively unknown to science, though it could
happen in theory. I have never witnessed something I could honestly call
a UFO, and most of Ancient Astronaut Theory is laughable at best.
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Is there a bigfoot in the Cuyahoga
Valley?
Quite possibly, yes. The
Grassman legend has circulated for
centuries and originates in Native American tradition. There has been unusual activity
documented in the valley which could be
attributed to a sasquatch-like creature living in the region, but I
personally have not encountered any such creature in my travels. Even
so, I
keep an open mind. There is much about the valley that is shrouded in
mystery and lore, and I sincerely believe that there are many plants and
animals that science has yet to discover (or rediscover).
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What's with the "Pioneer
Investigation" logo?
I always have taken great pride in being the first person to look into,
research, and investigate certain locations and report my findings or at
least mention them on a website or in an article. (Hardly a month goes
by without someone mentioning a place rumored to have a ghost which I
mentioned for the first time online on this very site.) Over the years, people have "borrowed"
locations from my site, sometimes claiming to be the first group to
investigate the places for their hauntings. Though I do not claim to
"own" these places, I do wish to point out locations which were first
brought to light online by me. Pages with the "A
Pioneer Investigation" image found at the bottom are my own original
discoveries. They're not my places, so to speak, but stories of them
being haunted often originated on this very website or from my many
presentations and discussions about local ghost stories.
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to FAQs
Why are there other sites for
ghosts of the Cuyahoga Valley if yours is so good?
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. 'The
Moonspenders' breathed its first breath after a friend in college
(who overheard of my interest in ghosts) relayed his Cuyahoga Valley paranormal experience to me. I began posting
stories and attempting to research previously unknown ghosts at that
point in the late 1990s. Most of
the world knew nothing of the phantoms lurking beneath the trees of the
then-peaceful valley. Now, more than a decade had passed. Word has spread;
the secrets are out. There may be other interesting (and some grossly
unresearched) websites speaking of
hauntings in the Cuyahoga Valley, but 'The Moonspenders' was the
first
website devoted to ghost stories in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
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to FAQs
Why aren't there many photos or
EVPs on your site?
If capturing concrete evidence of a ghost were easy (or even
plausible), there would be
thousands of pieces of scientifically-validated evidence proving the existence of ghosts. I am very cautious
about which photographs I post, and only publish sound clips and images
that I cannot explain
or find intriguing. My apologies to anyone expecting huge photo
galleries of astounding evidence; as easy as it would be to fill page
after page with "orbs", lens flare, and unintelligible "ghost voices" my
conscience won't allow it. (I avoid any recordings which cannot be made out clearly.) I
scrutinize all recordings thoroughly, double-checking with anyone present to be
sure there aren't any other possibilities. What remains are the few
plainly audible sound bytes of an entirely unknown origin.
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to FAQs
I live in a haunted house. Can you
help me get rid of the ghost?
No. As a general rule, I do not conduct private
investigations. This isn't because I don't want to "help people", I just
like to focus on public places and businesses where people can visit and
form their own opinions of the phenomena. I also do not believe you can 'wave a magic wand' or
throw holy water around and "cast out" a spirit. Ghosts are often people
tied to a house/building/location for some reason (such as being the original owners). Morally,
I couldn't bring myself to "evict" a ghost from what they believe to be
their residence. I often give people the same advice as if they have a
roommate: if the two of you live together, simply set down some basic
ground rules and learn to get along peacefully. In the case of
not-so-friendly ghosts, if the situation can't be diffused by reaching a
mutual understanding, I suggest contacting either your preferred
religious institution or a reputable organization in your area.
That is, of course, in situations that don't require a good
psychologist.
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to FAQs
I have a story about a place in the
Cuyahoga Valley, but don't want people to know who I am. Can I tell you
without mentioning my name?
I will post some submitted stories of personal experiences
throughout the valley, but I only discuss the experience in most cases. Any stories sent to me will be kept anonymous, if
requested. I will require an email address and name for my records to
follow up on any leads or claims. This information will be kept
confidential. No names will be mentioned on my site without permission
from the individual.
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Can I go on a ghost hunt with you?
Perhaps. On the rare instance that I decide to venture out and have an
impromptu investigation, I am rather selective when it comes to choosing people
to tag along. Most investigations are not planned far in advance, so
it depends on many different factors. If you would like to go on a ghost
hunt, feel free to contact me, but I make no promises. I also am a bit
more fearful of the living than the dead, so knowing something about who
you are would be most beneficial. Random, anonymous, possible serial
killers aren't the sort of company I go out of my way to have around me. I would prefer not to become a ghost
myself any time soon, thank you.
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