They saved the best for last? Really? Are you kidding me? Honestly, the Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse investigation didn’t really do much for me. I just couldn’t see anything there that was, well, paranormal. Sure, both the lighthouse and Fort Constitution have seen human activity for centuries (and a few tragedies along the way), but I just wasn’t getting that haunted vibe–and the evidence, I think, speaks for itself–to the opposite of what TAPS would like us to believe.
Most of what the guys caught here were unexplainable sounds. In fact, no EVPs were caught, and it was likewise with the video–nothing. However, Jason and Grant both seemed determined that what they heard inside the lighthouse was, indeed, paranormal. Of course, not having been there in person, it’s impossible to dismiss their claims entirely. On our end, the sounds were very dim and muffled, and not at all clear. So, it was very difficult to differentiate between, say, their footsteps (and the TV crews’ footsteps) and what they heard, along with the general bangs and clangs they themselves probably caused just by moving around. And, as anybody who has ever been inside of one knows, a lighthouse tends to be like an echo chamber.
I think that’s what was going on, here. Think about it and you’ll see where I’m coming from. Any slight noise can be magnified into something more. And it can be impossible to place its origins. It’s all about acoustics. And a lighthouse, due to its conical shape, which creates almost a dome, is a perfect example of this. So, what I think the investigators heard was their very own noise-pollution–their own cross contamination, if you will.
That’s what I think the majority of it was. Now, I’m not saying there wasn’t anything paranormal at all. I think that’s the next thing to look at. At one point, when Jay and Grant were inside the lighthouse, heading up the spiral stairs, the sound of pipes (or something metallic) were heard crashing and banging, but when they went down to see what caused this, nothing was out of place. That I can’t explain. And throughout this entire time is when they kept getting the knocking sounds. In fact, a little later on from this point, Grant asks, “What is it with lighthouses?”
Obviously, he was referring to TAPS’ previous investigation of the St. Augustine Lighthouse, which, in my opinion, far overshadows this particular investigation. In Florida they had actually caught a possible shadow entity on video. I’d have to say that was one of my more fond moments on Ghost Hunters. But…let me get back to Portsmouth.
Another thing I can’t explain was when Jay did go down to investigate the sounds happening downstairs, Grant reported (and we saw) the K2 meter going off. Also, at about this point, the entry door downstairs supposedly slammed shut. All of this while the guys were asking about Joshua Card, one of the former lighthouse keepers. Still. We never actually SAW the door slam. Anything could have caused it. A few other things that supposedly happened: the swiveling chair moved, and vibrations going through the spiral staircase’s railing and treads–all of which we didn’t see (and, of course, the vibrations in the staircase could have simply been caused by their climbing).
Then, it was the girls’ turn. Kris and Amy sure got themselves all worked up. They even thought ol’ Joshua Card himself was coming up the stairs to visit them. I got a laugh out of that one. Now, the thump-bang (or whatever you to call it) that they heard was audible, and picked up on one of their digital voice recorders–so were the footsteps. But, in actuality, if you listen carefully, these noises sound like nothing more than the general creaks and groans of an aging steel structure. However, when Amy knocks a pattern on the wall, she supposedly gets an exact response back. This could, again, have something to do with the echo-effect of the lighthouse’s acoustics. Because, of course, when they go downstairs they find they’re completely alone. Oh, scary…
Speaking of scary…Steve and Tango witnessed a murder! Well, sort of. These two sometimes on their own make the show worth watching. Of course, the murder I’m talking about is that of a male blackwidow. Yeah, he must have just done “the big nasty” with the nearby female, because she ate him up real good. That reminds me. Fort Constitution…
The grounds of the fort yielded even less than the lighthouse. Jay and Grant walked around for a bit and heard what sounded to me like a bird of some sort, even though the grounds caretaker couldn’t quite place what it was. Then, Jason heard something he termed as possible ”male scream”. Not sure what to make of that; even he didn’t say too much about it later on.
Next up was the keeper’s quarters. In here, it was, again, more of the same. As they went, you could hear one of the other doors inside slam shut. Though, this could have been caused by a vacuum created by a pressure differential. That’s what I think. Heck, my bedroom door does that when the air kicks on, and I doubt my place is haunted. Oh, and I know I said there were no EVPs, but there WAS one, one that barely qualified. The guys termed it a laugh, and it was caught in the basement of the keeper’s quarters. Upstairs, they had some spikes on the K2 meter, again, as they receive responses to their knocking.
OK. So, was this investigation the best of the best from this season? Hardly. It wasn’t terrible by any means, but it darn sure wasn’t the best. The production company did their best to promote this episode, but, in the end, the hype didn’t add up to anywhere near something impressive. And, again, it’s difficult to fully disprove anything that went on during the investigation (what the guys and gals of TAPS heard, saw, etc.). I’ll just say I wasn’t too impressed by the Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, nor Fort Constitution, in a paranormal sense. It looks to be an awesome historical site, though.
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