Ghost hunters convention coming to Eureka next weekend

Some might call them Ghost Hunters, though a more preferred name is Paranormal Investigators. And they are coming back to Eureka June 22-24.

Based in Reno, investigator Adam Bogart said he and his team are coming to Eureka for a convention and presentation by six speakers who are well known in the field.

“Then at night,” he said, “we’ll have some paranormal investigations using the latest scientific methods including digital recorders. We research the paranormal, try to talk to the spirits that are there.”

Bogart said there will be a Meet and Greet Thursday at the Café. Investigations will be held there later. On Saturday, the convention begins at the Opera House at 9 a.m.

He explained there is also a civic reason for this event. He said all the proceeds will be donated to the county for improvements, maintenance and upkeep of the Eureka Cemetery “and hopefully other cemeteries in the county.”

The first meeting of the group in Eureka was last year. They returned to do some additional research in late 2016 and Bogart has come a few times on his own since then. “Eureka is kind of an unexplored territory,” he said.

Some of the local places that have been investigated include the Opera House itself, the Jackson House, Colonnade House, the Eureka Motel/Café and the Chinese Tunnels associated with it.

Bogart said they have also been investigating a particular individual, a Joseph Barker, also known as “Mormon Joe,” who died Oct. 29, 1896.

The reason for return trips, he noted, “is usually one time is not enough. And we actually did catch an apparition on camera at one of our visits to the Jackson House last year.”

Bogart feels there is a lot of “activity” in Eureka, “What that means,” he explained, “is basically there are people who have passed away that are, for some reason, still there. Sometimes when we are communicating, we ask if there is anything we can do for them? Sometimes they tell us, sometimes they won’t.”

He added, “Why we are focused on the Eureka Cemetery is that we did pick an Electronic Voice Phenomenon there once. We’ll take in a digital recorder this time and see what picks up.”

Bogart was originally involved with another long time paranormal investigative group from Reno, but has recently decided to branch out on his own.

There is a fee to attend the meeting at the Opera House, and Bogart said all the proceeds will be donated for exclusive use of the cemetery. Tickets can be purchased Saturday morning at the door.