The Virginia Paranormal Society (VPS) originated in 2006 amid an intense curiosity in founders Nick Ferra and Ron Thorne.

“I have just always been interested in things that seemingly can’t be explained,” Ferra said. “I wanted to seek out some answers for myself, so Ron and I thought a good way to do that was to form our own investigative organization.”

The group began with the intent to explore all areas of the paranormal, including things such as UFOs, but it has primarily concentrated on hauntings. Since its inception, the group has investigated reports of ghostly activity throughout the New River Valley and beyond, traveling as far as Louisville, Kentucky, to explore the Waverly Hills Sanitorium.

One of the group’s most frequent haunts, pun fully intended, is the historic home of Major David Graham, which sits on the edge of the New River Valley near Max Meadows. Donna Wilson, who is a case manager, investigator, and researcher for VPS said she had probably her most unusual experience at the old mansion.

“Two other women and myself were the only ones in the house, the others were outside in the slaves house,” Wilson said. “I felt like someone was sitting on my left. The other women were on my right. You can see me on the (infrared) camera looking over to my left and then you see me jump up.

“When we listened to the audio, you hear my name being called out and then you hear me jump up and say something just grabbed me. Whomever it was, was unseen and grabbed me on my left arm around my elbow. I feel like someone was trying to get my attention and that is why they grabbed me.”

The VPS crew ranges in their level of belief in the paranormal from those who believe fully to those who are highly skeptical. The group strives to make their findings and obtain their evidence as scientifically as possible.

In addition to the aforementioned infrared cameras, the group uses NightShot (TM) cameras, digital and film cameras, digital audio and analog audio recorders, EMF (Electromagnetic Field) detectors, and temperature-sensitive instruments.

Ferra said that as a general rule, “We usually do not work mediums because we use scientific methods to investigate the paranormal. We rely on hard proof of the paranormal and with a medium there is no way you can document or prove their feelings.”

Teresa O’Bannon, a professor in the Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Department at Radford University who studies dark tourism, has worked with VPS in the past. “They are very professional,” O’Bannon said. “They really take their investigations seriously. They come at each investigation from a very scientific point of view.”

In a springtime excursion to the Graham Mansion, VPS methodically set up its equipment and prepared search the house for paranormal activity. The crew went to work setting up a “home base” where at least two team members would monitor cameras while others would explore the house, which has quite a history.

The Graham mansion is said to have been built around a log cabin that was home to Joseph Baker in the 1700s. As the story goes, around 1770, Baker was murdered by his two slaves. They were making moonshine outside of the log cabin, and he told his slaves that he would give them their freedom upon his death. In an apparent attempt to expedite the process, it is said the two men killed Baker on the spot and put him in the mash.

On this night, the investigators followed their protocol and began the investigation. The house was dark. The wind whistled through the building that sits on top of a hill. Cows occasionally bellowed in the distance.

The crew went from room to room—quietly, sincerely. Cameras were running. Audio equipment was running. Photos were taken. Various measurements of temperature and electromagnetic fields were taken. The crew invited any spirits to let themselves be known.

But after a couple of hours, nothing extraordinary happened, though most VPS members said that they had at one time or another experienced something in the old house.

The house is open Oct. 30 for tours Family Night. Cost to tour the mansion is $5. On Oct. 31, the house will be open for tours and more. Live music, a costume contest, and other events will take place at the mansion. The cost is $20 ($10 for Wythe County residents and those with a college ID). The VPS folks will be there to help lead the tours.

But VPS is more than a seasonal organization. The group strives yearlong to separate truth from fiction and to scientifically explore the paranormal.

I see VPS opening the doors for the public to realize that there is a group that is willing to come and try to find a reasonable explanation for the claimed activity that they maybe experiencing,” Donna Wilson said. “And if they have true documented activity then we can help them resolve their issues so they can live in peace.”

Here’s a video from the investigation at Graham’s Forge:

Have you had paranormal experiences in the New River Valley? Let us know about it by commenting below!

Tim W. Jackson is Editor of the New River Voice and is interested in the paranormal though he is very much a skeptic. He enjoys Halloween and frightening his 10-year-old daughter.