My Possibly Paranormal Experience at Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia

A few days ago, I was able to explore Philadelphia's Fort Mifflin, situated on Mud Island by the Delaware River. While I do have an interest in the paranormal and all things local, I was primarily interested in exploring and documenting images and video of the fort for a tourism article (I freelance for several online publications focusing on local tourism).

My husband had spent time at the fort in the past. He introduced our friends and me to Wayne, the groundskeeper at Fort Mifflin. Wayne filled us in on some of the more obscure history of the fort. We met him near the stables and had questions about it-he described how cannons were loaded on multiple levels there and then moved up or down using a rope and pulley system. The cannons would then get hitched to horses in the stables who would pull them out to strategic points to defend the fort.

After we'd asked Wayne our questions, I asked him about paranormal experiences. He told us that several paranormal groups visited and that a nationally-recognized group was coming back soon and that he had experienced countless instances of paranormal activity on the site. We then proceeded to explore the reportedly haunted areas of the site.

I felt peaceful at Fort Mifflin for the duration of my time there. It matched the feeling I had just weeks ago at Gettysburg.

When I went into the casemates, I had the urge to proceed to the side of the casemates opposite the door by the windows on the far sides. I did not have any generally creepy feelings here, which is a major contrast to how I felt at nearby Eastern State Penitentiary. There, I felt the hair stand up on my arms multiple times, but had no actual paranormal experiences.

In casemate 5, I felt an especially strong urge to walk towards the back of the section. My husband and friends were talking and taking photos by the door of the casemate. A male and female friend were with us on the tour.

Standing still near the back of the casemate, my hands were at my sides as I observed the structure. After about a minute, I began to feel a tingling sensation on my left hand on the palm, near my pinky finger. It was then joined by a tugging on my thumb and eventually warmth around my hand as though someone was holding my hand.

I calmly called the others over. My friend Melissa reported an odd feeling in her legs-a sudden itchiness. Both males reported nothing. My friend Matt took my pulse (it was slow) and touched my neck and shoulder while I was experiencing the 'hand-holding.' The guys took some photos and someone pointed out a cold spot to my left, but nothing came up on the DSLR (digital camera) or the iPhone.

I have thought of several possible paranormal and non-paranormal explanations for this occurrence:

EMF (electro magnetic field). While EMF can point to the paranormal, it can also affect people in odd ways. It can make them feel paranoid or dizzy. While I felt neither of these things, it's possible that non-paranormal EMF caused a physical sensation. I also wonder if the fort's proximity to the airport does not have something to do with the sensations experienced by visitors. I was also wearing a purse on my opposite shoulder. It contained a Flip video camera (off) and a cell phone (which had not rung). We had no EMF equipment with us, so all I can do is speculate.

Nerve damage. As a result of three car accidents, I do have some nerve damage. I can't feel much on my left thigh at all. At times I experience tingling in my right hand, the opposite of the one affected at Fort Mifflin. I have never experienced tingling or tugging in multiple areas of the hand at once as I did at the fort.

Conductors. I was wearing metal. There was metal on my purse and on my left hand rests my wedding and engagement rings. Perhaps this created a non-paranormal sensation or enhanced an otherwise unnoticeable paranormal experience.

Allergies. I'm seriously allergic to mold, and in an underground secure stone enclosure, you can bet there was a lot of mold and moisture. While I haven't had hallucinations or physical effects from mold exposure before, I know that mold does affect my senses in the usual way (stuffy nose, earache).

If the experience was paranormal, I have to wonder about the ghost. It felt as though the entity holding my hand was either slightly shorter than me or about the same height. I am only 5'1. I imagine that most men, even malnourished Confederate prisoners, might measure taller than me. There was a distinct downward pull on my hand, more like an older child might do.

The men in the casement with me were also former military men. My husband was in the Marines and my friend Matt was in the Air Force. We speculate that the ghosts might feel that they were just other soldiers who belonged there, considering their backgrounds, while Melissa and I had more distinct experiences.