The Paranormal Investigation of a Norfolk County Cemetery

Location: Norfolk County, ON
Date: September 4, 2009

On the evening of September 4, 2009, the Paranormal Research Initiative (PRI) conducted an investigation of a church cemetery located inNorfolk County, Ontario. In this summary report, we present a brief overview of the property's background, the investigation, and current interpretations of our findings. Out of respect for the privacy of the church, its congregation and cemetery, the specific names associated with the property have been left out of this report.

The history of the church associated with the site dates back to 1828, when the first congregation began meeting in a log schoolhouse. In 1850, the congregation constructed a brick chapel on a plot of land donated that same year by Mr. W.K. (name abbreviated out of respect for privacy). This chapel remains in use by the church's congregation today. The Norfolk cemetery is set in a large field located to the east of (behind) the church, on the same grounds donated by Mr. W.K.

At the time of the investigation, PRI was unaware of any specific accounts of paranormal activity related to the site. A local woman reported that she had been told that the cemetery was haunted throughout her childhood, but no specific claims of activity were indicated. Likewise, no claims of paranormal activity at the site have been recovered through post-investigation research (to date).

The PRI investigation of the cemetery consisted primarily of EVP sessions and photography. Audio recorders were left running through the entire duration of the investigation. Numerous photographs were taken throughout the grounds over the course of the investigation. Unfortunately, no significant evidence of paranormal activity was experienced first-hand.

Subsequent to the investigation, all photographs and audio recordings were reviewed thoroughly. The recorded audio yielded no EVP's or other audible anomalies. One photograph was found to contain an interesting mist-like anomaly. The mist is located in the upper half and spans the entire width of the photograph. Interestingly, this mist appears to be present over top of (or just behind) the tombstones marking the graves of members of the aforementioned K. family, including Mr. W.K., who donated the property to the church.

Photograph of a "mist" taken during the PRI investigation of a Norfolk County cemetery.

Normally, PRI is quick to dismiss such mists as being the result of natural phenomena such as human breath, fog, smoke or condensation on the camera's lens. However, it is unlikely that any of the above factors produced the mist in this particular photograph for the following reasons.

First, the investigation took place during a summer evening when the outside temperature was 17 degrees Celsius. This is too warm for the vapor in human breath to condense into liquid and ice, causing a visible mist. It is also worth noting that, due to the darkness of the cemetery, all photographs were taken without the use of the camera's viewfinder or LCD screen. Rather, each shot was taken while holding the camera at nearly arm's length in front of the investigator's chest, which further suggests that human breath is not the cause of the mist.

Second, there was no fog or other natural, visible mists in the area. The skies were clear at the time of the investigation, with an unlimited ceiling and a visibility of 24 km (verified by the Weather Network's Weather Statistics). Furthermore, fog occurs when the dew point and air temperature are identical (or nearly identical). It is very rare for fog to occur when there is a difference of 2.5 degrees Celsius or greater between the air temperature and dew point. As noted above, the outside temperature was 17 degrees Celsius, and the dew point was 14 degrees Celsius—a difference of 3 degrees Celsius. Therefore, fog can be confidently eliminated from the list of potential causes of the mist.

Third, nobody present on the investigation smokes, nor were there any fires or other sources of smoke detected in the area. Therefore, smoke can easily be dismissed as a possible cause of the mist.

Finally, no other mists were captured in any of the other photographs taken during the investigation of the Norfolk cemetery. This includes photographs taken less than a minute prior to, and just 15 seconds after, the photograph in question. Had the mist in the photograph been produced by breath, fog or condensation on the camera's lens, one would expect additional mists to show up in multiple photographs.

Nevertheless, we are hesitant to conclude that this mist is evidence of paranormal activity. A sudden, localized change in temperature cannot be ruled out, as data logging weather equipment was not in use in the area of the photograph. Without additional lines of evidence or data to substantiate a paranormal origin of the mist, it would simply be irresponsible (and likely inaccurate) to attribute the anomaly to paranormal activity. Consequently, PRI cannot conclude that the cemetery is a host to paranormal activity at this time.

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