Paranormal investigators visit an inn in Winchester that might be haunted

Among other investigators, Shari DeBenedetti, a cast member on the final two seasons of SyFy’s “Ghost Hunters,” and Joe Rainone of Paranormal New England led about 20 people on the first investigation of the historic Arlington House on Winchester’s Main Street.

Built in the 1800s, the house’s history has been pieced together from stories of former residents. The investigators said they were told it might have been a brothel at one point, and there was also a rumor of a death in the house, but neither has been confirmed.

The Sharra family bought the house in 2007 and spent the past three years transforming the building into an inn, with a restaurant and bar downstairs, that opened earlier this year.

Owner Jordan Sharra told investigators she’s heard footsteps in the main-floor hallway in the middle of the night, loud enough to keep her awake, and kitchen utensils have moved or gone missing. Other family members reported having their own curious experiences during the renovations. That’s common, Rainone noted. Remodeling can “wake up” or upset any spirits in a home, he said.

Ticket-holders ranged in their personal beliefs of the paranormal, and reasons for attending. Some were strong believers, and were cautiously and respectfully coming to the investigation. One Winchester resident said she hadn’t been to one before because she “was always afraid of bringing [spirits] home with me,” which Rainone said happens in rare cases.

Other people said they were skeptical but open-minded, ready to be proven wrong if the evidence showed itself.

To start, Kris Gurky, owner of Dark Moon Tarot in Salem, Mass., hosted a divination workshop and led a brief ritual that incorporated sage and music under the full moon to prepare everyone for the investigation.

Back in the tavern, DeBenedetti reminded attendees that any voices they might hear were likely people once: Mocking or disrespecting them isn’t conducive to an investigation, she said.

As the investigation began, Sharra turned off the lights, and DeBenedetti announced herself and the group to any spirits in the room. Pointing out that it might be odd to see so many people sitting in the dark, she explained that the intent was not to drive anyone or anything out, but rather to learn about any spirits in the inn.

She then asked the attendees to speak up if they didn’t want to be touched by a spirit. No one took issue with the prospect, so she announced to the room that appropriate touching was allowed. She made clear that hurting people, such as scratching or bruising, was strictly prohibited.

DeBenedetti told The Sentinel later that articulating boundaries is critical.

“If you are firm with the other side, most of the time, they will respect what you say,” she said.

Her rule of thumb is to communicate with any spirits under the assumption that they have good energy, until proven otherwise. Knocking on a wooden table, DeBenedetti said she’s never been harmed by a spirit.

After laying out the ground rules and explaining the goals of the investigation, DeBenedetti briefly walked through most of the equipment: a radiating electromagnetism pod, or REM pod; an electromagnetic field meter; a structured light sensor camera; a spirit box, which quickly scans through AM radio stations to capture electronic voice phenomenon, or EVP.

But DeBenedetti didn’t say the names of these devices, because this wasn’t for the benefit of the attendees — they’d gotten a rundown of everything earlier in the evening. Instead, she described everything by its shape or glowing lights.

She walked over to the REM pod and demonstrated to any spirits in the room that, if they interacted with it, the cylindrical device would beep loudly and light up with “pretty colors.”

Because Saturday was the first investigation at the Arlington House, explaining what the machines do was an important part of the process, she said.

“They don’t know what we’re doing here,” DeBenedetti said of spirits.

Depending on when they died, she added, they might not know what some of the technology is, and it’s important to communicate that the devices won’t hurt them.

Once the introductions and explanations were done, the investigation team split the attendees into smaller groups and kicked off two hours of searching through the tavern, basement and second floor for any paranormal activity.

Attendees slowly splintered off to their guest rooms as the night turned into early morning, and fewer than a dozen people stood in the tavern for a debriefing. DeBenedetti and Rainone detailed their findings: The REM pod lit up a couple of times, some audible words came through the spirit box, dowsing rods reacted in the basement, and the structured light sensor camera got one reading that might have been a figure.

Overall, DeBenedetti told The Sentinel, it was a relatively quiet night.

“There’s no definitive answer whether somebody was actually here,” she said.

She didn’t sound disappointed, though. After more than 20 years in the business, DeBenedetti said she approaches every investigation as a skeptic.

“It takes a long time for me to say something is haunted,” she said.

The ideal outcome is that everyone attending an investigation has a personal experience, she said, so from that perspective, it was unfortunate that there was little activity. She pointed out again that this was the first paranormal investigation at the Arlington House, so it’s possible that any spirits might have been confused or uncomfortable. If more investigators visit over time, she said, the results could be different.

“I wouldn’t say that it’s not [haunted], it’s just that I don’t have enough conclusive evidence to say that it is,” she said.