Gina Dunham – President
Myself and another team member of DSGI were walking through the section of the fort known as the Endicott. This area is also known as the dungeons due to its long hallway and smaller rooms off of it. We had just passed a particular area called the “wedge” when we stopped to discuss a photo that was taken in the same area a few years ago by a member of the public during a daytime tour. The image captured is known by the fort staff and DSGI as the “Blue Man”. This photo resembles a Confederate General by the last name of Archer, who was held as prisoner at Fort Delaware during the Civil War. While my co-investigator and I stood there discussing General Archer, I was facing the direction we had just come from. It was not dark yet as the sun had not set and I could clearly see down the hallway. We were also the only ones in the Endicott. Due to the layout, if anyone had entered it would have been very obvious. As we were talking, I witnessed a black mass come out from the left side of the wall, about 30 feet from where we were standing. This mass had no particular shape and was not very tall. It moved away from the wall about a foot or so, then went back into the wall somewhat quickly. In all my years investigating Fort Delaware, (since 2009) this is the first time I saw something like this. It caught me so off guard that I stopped speaking and just stared. After a few seconds I asked my co-investigator if she had seen what I just saw. She replied “No. I didn’t see any thing. I’ve been looking at you. What did you see?” After I told her what I saw, we decided to keep talking about the General, hoping the black mass would reappear with both of us looking this time. No such luck. We did go to the area where I saw it to see if we could recreate and debunk the occurrence, however we were unable to and found nothing out of the ordinary.
Andy Lendway – Vice President
One night while investigating with a group on one of the Paranormal Tours at Fort Delaware, I was with a park employee and a group of five women. We took them into one of the rooms in the Battery Torbert and were asking questions. On one of the walls, you could see the faint outline of the window across the hall. I noticed the silhouette of a man standing there. I immediately thought someone was in the doorway or outside the window. I turned around to see no one there. I went to the window, looked around and saw no one. I came back into the room and told the others what I had seen. The park employee and I positioned ourselves so we could just turn our heads to see the wall, then back to the window, and we watched. The figure showed up again, with no one in the doorway or window. It moved back and forth, disappeared, and showed up one more time. The second and third times, all seven of us saw it. One of the coolest things I have ever seen. I found out later that night that another investigator had seen a figure, from down the hall, looking out from that room, twice, a week earlier.
Kyle Hurst – Secretary
Before joining DSGI, I grew up in Middletown. My friends and I used to drive on the back roads a lot, and one of the back roads, there was a creepy old abandoned house along the road. The house fascinated me, and one day I took it upon myself to pull into the driveway and do a walkthrough of the house. A large portion of the house was burned from a fire, which was the obvious reason that the house was deserted. I always took notice of the house every time I drove by. One night, I was driving by myself, and in the upper right window, I saw a mysterious red light. There is no way the electricity was working, so I was very confused. Being late at night, I decided not to investigate any further, but was fascinated by what I saw. I figured I would never see it again, but a few weeks later, I was travelling down the road with friends. I told them about the mysterious light, so everyone was curious. As I drove by, they saw this red light too. We literally stopped in the road, backed up, and we all stared at this red light. I said, “I am going in.” All of the females protested, but the other guys and I had to see what this was. As we made our way up the stairs, we heard scratching in the walls. Just like in a movie, a cat jumped out of a hole in the wall, and I fled down the stairs. We were back outside, and I decided I still needed to see what the red light was, so one friend and I made our way back up the stairs while all of the others waited in the car. We walked down the hallway and had to pry the door open. The room was half burned, and there was no sign of the red light. I inspected every inch of that room and there was nothing. I returned to the car and told everyone, but no one wanted to go back in. I saw the red light two or three times after that experience, before the house was demolished completely. This is what started my curiosity into ghost hunting.
Another time, DSGI was investigating the Balladerry Inn in Gettysburg, which was previously used as a hospital during the Civil War. We were beginning an EVP session in the dining room, which is where surgeries took place. In this room, two bloody footprints are permanently soaked into the wood planks. Before we started, I went to the next room, which had the stairway leading upstairs, and turned the light off. The switch was one of the dimmer switches with a knob that you can adjust. I turned this all the way down to the point where it clicked into position in the “off” mode. Then we began asking questions. Another investigator had the dowsing rods and was sitting in the chair above the footprints. I was standing against the wall right near the edge of the room, where I had turned off the light. While asking questions we were getting scattered answers here and there. Then someone asked “Could you show us where you are in the room?” The dowsing rods pointed to the area right next to me. A flashlight then turned on by itself, right next to me. Then the light which I had just turned off, mysteriously turned back on. I went over to look at the switch, and the knob was half way turned up. This is why I investigate. I am 100% confident that I turned that knob all the way off. I was in control of that, and there is no explanation for any of that.
Matthew O’Neil – Website
During the October 2022 paranormal tours at Fort Delaware, I found myself stationed in the Officers’ kitchen situated on the northwest corner of the fort. This particular area, connected to five rooms, presented an intriguing setting for our investigations with the public. Upon entering, one encountered a spacious parlor area, once graced by a staircase now absent. To the left stood the kitchen, while on the right, one could find General Albin Francisco Schoephs’ office, the meeting room. This area was renowned for its connection to Ms. Susan, a former officer’s cook, and occasionally, the presence of children.
During our group tour, comprising about ten members of the public, two representatives from Diamond State Ghost Investigators (DSGI), and two Delaware State Parks staff members, we delved into the mysteries of this historic location. As the group gathered in my room, starting with the kitchen, my DSGI counterpart and I covered the equipment and shared paranormal insights about the area. Our focus primarily honed in on the Officers’ kitchen, where my past experiences with the group had unfolded.
Equipped with multiple K2 meters for electromagnetic field detection, audio recorders, and an SB9 spirit box, we provided a comprehensive overview of the history, equipment, and paranormal occurrences within the Officers’ kitchen. Once the groundwork was laid, we allowed the tour participants to explore the immediate vicinity.
While the other DSGI member conducted an EVP and spirit box session in the meeting room, I remained in the kitchen, and the Fort staff members spread out to the main parlor area. After about 10 minutes, all participants were corralled into the meeting area for a dedicated investigation. Seizing the opportunity, I retreated into the kitchen’s small pantry, approximately 8’x8’, hoping to capture any paranormal responses on my equipment.
Inside the pantry, engaged in quiet conversation with a Fort staff member, we reminisced about our encounters from the previous year’s tours. Our discussion ranged from peculiarities within the room to historical items and the new paranormal equipment I had acquired since our last meeting. Unbeknownst to us, we both had our backs the back wall of the pantry, looking out towards the kitchen entryway.
Suddenly, a taller gentleman with a hat and a long coat briskly entered the room, exhibiting a slightly longer-than-average gait. The Fort staff member excused themselves to check on the unexpected guest. Both of us exited the pantry promptly, with me shining my flashlight in the direction of the mysterious figure.
To our bewilderment, the realization struck simultaneously – we were the only two individuals in the room. Sharing a nervous laugh, we recounted witnessing a tall man walking towards the far end of the kitchen. Returning to the parlor area, we approached the second member of the fort staff, inquiring if anyone had entered the kitchen and subsequently left. To our surprise, we were informed that no one had left the group session, and no one had entered the kitchen.
In an attempt to clarify the situation, we rotated members, asking the group to confirm that no one had ventured into the kitchen during the session. All ten participants affirmed that none of them had entered the kitchen since the group session commenced, leaving us mystified by the unexplained encounter.
Sherri – Senior Investigator
During an investigation at Pennhurst Asylum, I was on the main floor of the Mayflower building, taking a break from investigating, just standing in the hallway leaning against a wall. I felt what seemed like fingers brushing through my hair. Not two hours later, my friend and I were standing in the same spot when she felt like someone plucked her in the head.
Early one evening at Fort Delaware, I was alone waiting in the Officers’ Quarters awaiting the arrival of the public. I happened to glance in the window at my reflection. To my surprise, behind me, I saw the grainy figure of someone walking in the hallway that appeared to have on a military hat. I turned to find no one there.
Another night, a fellow investigator and I were taking down cameras in the hallway in the casemates at the fort. As we were walking we could hear what sounded like heavy footsteps following us, but when we turned around there was no one there.
Nick Sandin – Maintenance Control Specialist
I was on an investigation with DSGI at a private residence. We had been investigating for several hours, with almost no activity. Myself and one other investigator decided to go into the basement, the one part of the home which was not reported to have activity. After a couple of minutes of silence, I heard a distinct disembodied voice to my left. It said “yeah” in an almost threatening tone. The voice was so close to me that it sent a chill up my spine. I knew it couldn’t be the other investigator, since he was several feet away to my right. This is exactly what we are looking for on an investigation, but when we find it, we aren’t always ready for just how surreal it is! Immediately after I heard the voice and told my fellow investigator, we radioed the rest of the team upstairs. They hadn’t heard anything. I was about ready to chalk it up to nerves, perhaps my mind had somehow interpreted a natural sound as a voice. Then we played back the audio recorder – there was the voice, clear as day! To this day, this experience is one of the strongest pieces of evidence that convinces me that there is something out there – where consciousness exists beyond the realm of our current understanding. And that is why I continue to investigate.