Follow-Up on Jun 11-12 American Ghost Society Jacksonville, IL, Conference

St Louis' haunted Lemp Mansion, electronic voice phenomena (EVP), djinn, and misidentified ghosts were among the topics that highlighted the Amer can Ghost Society annual summer conference held in Jacksonville, IL, the weekend of June 10-11, 2011.

Presenters included organizer Troy Taylor, the author of 80 books, as well as frequent guest Rosemary Ellen Guiley, Minnesota author and psychic Tiffany Johnson, and author and ghost tour guide Len Adams.

Lemp Mansion of St Louis

Troy Taylor discussed the Lemp brewery barons of St Louis, the Gateway City's biggest brewer until the gates were closed upon arrival of Prohibition, comforted by more money than they could ever spend. The Lemps also experienced a tragic history not limited to several violent suicides. As a result, the Lemp Mansion, which survives today as a restaurant, is the home to some unusual activity. But not, Troy hastens to add, the silly caged and deformed "monkey boy," described by a female psychic despite there being no possible basis in fact. It was nonsense like that which was generated that won Troy access to the Lemp papers and collection of artifacts (rich people can afford lots of storage space).

Don't Dream of This Genie

Rosemary Ellen Guiley, author of The Vengeful Djinn, described djinn as a type a dimension-crossing being which in her view, is mistaken in some cases for shadow people, demons, and even E-T's. Familiar from Arab tradition, the djinn is powerful and hostile to humans. Rosemary says the djinn is less like Barbara Eden, the sweet, beautiful male fantasy, and more like the malevolent, wish-granting intriguer of the Wishmaster movie franchise. Getting a wish granted by a djinn is always faustian.

EVP and More

Patrick Burns of TruTV's Haunted Evidence, talked about recording spirit phenomena and isolating and enhancing captured paranormal audio activity. (Troy said he'd been frequently asked by people involved in paranormal TV shows for a chance to appear, mostly to talk about their show, but he turned them down regularly because he wants speakers with something of substance to say.) (And who ever heard of any of these guys before their show on ghosts appeared? Next stop, "Good Morning, Albuquerque.")

April Slaughter played a large number of EVP audio cuts taken using different means, including Frank's Box and the Probe, a fairly new experimental device. This latter provided an actual conversation that April was convinced she had with her grandfather due to specific personal references.

Tiffany Smith Johnson discussed the early experiences with her psychic talent and answered questions on how her talent operated.

Misinterpretation

Nick Spantgos and Derrick Ward, MD, talked about the ways in which experiences can be misinterpreted as paranormal activity. In their talk on Paranormal Misperceptions, they discussed such issues as visual and auditory hallucinations, sensory misperceptions, and sleep paralysis, in which your body is naturally placed in paralysis as you sleep (so you don't fall from your bed). The latter is, of course, responsible for the infamous, age-old visit of the paralyzing "old hag syndrome" which tradition describes as a witch or an old woman holding you down in your bed, unable to struggle against her might.

Both evenings there were the usual After Hours events, including a walking ghost tour of Jacksonville, paranormal workshop by Dale Kazcmarek and Michael Krachuk, and several ghost hunt events. There were the great door prizes, of course, including books, T-shirts, and rock samples from various haunted sites, including a soil sample from the cemetery where the Night of the Living Dead was filmed. I didn't win anything. The last time I won at the drawing was two years ago when I got the grand prize, a used viewing coffin (ca 1880) which I couldn't accept because it had to be haukled out the same day. Although I did get a photo of me with the coffin which accompanies this article.

All in all, a great event. Next year, Troy says the summer conference will be back in Decatur.