Cold Spots Special: Buddy’s Bar, Buckton, PA
Through the course of writing Cold Spots, we’ve taken our readers on a tour of the U.S., taking a look at the most haunted and strangest places from each state. In many cases, the articles are written about places by speaking to eyewitnesses, reading newspaper reports, and trusting in the skill of other paranormal investigative entities to provide evidence of hauntings, taking only the most interesting and disturbing pieces to illustrate the history of the locations.
First and foremost, we are, ourselves, paranormal investigators, however. Cold Spots Paranormal Research was founded with the idea of seeking out places reputed to be haunted, to gather evidence, and to disprove the hauntings wherever possible. If there is an explanation for the strange noises, the opening doors, or the drops in temperature from which we took our name, it is our job to find it. Sometimes, however, things defy description. Voices recorded with no mouths to make them, photos that show people who aren’t there, and sometimes video footage make this hobby worth the effort and the time. Many times, a place reputed to be haunted seems like just another victim of urban legend. Sometimes, however, we are surprised. This article focuses on one such investigation.
History
According to information dug up by honorary CSPR member Caitlin McLaughlin, the bar now called Buddy’s originally belonged to a man named Eddie Albert. No, not the actor from “Green Acres”, but a grumpy older man who, through some misfortune, lost two fingers on his right hand. He ran the bar and the neighboring hotel until his death in the early 1980’s. The bar and hotel was taken over by his children, who had little or no business sense, and ran the place into the ground. It had a succession of owners, including a brief period when it was repossessed by the IRS.
On June 1, 1997, the bar and hotel was purchased by Buddy, who christened the bar with a new name. With a great deal of patience and good business sense, he succeeded in turning the place into a thriving business. However, one has to wonder if the original owner isn’t still hanging around, letting his presence be known.
Reported Phenomena
Waitresses who work at the bar are certain that something, maybe Eddie himself, is lurking in certain parts. Among the reported instances are cold spots, electrical appliances that turn on and off by themselves and swinging doors that open as if someone were walking through them.
The most disturbing and compelling reports center around the sight of an old man who matches Eddie’s description, passing through the bar after closing hours and looking out at the patrons and waitresses from the kitchen area. Often times, after the doors are locked and the waitresses are cleaning up for the day, one will look up and see the old man standing at the bar, glaring at her. Other times, waitresses have witnessed a shadowy figure crossing the room or peering out from the kitchen area. More frightening to them, though, are the sensations of being touched by unseen hands. More than one waitress has complained that someone has touched her face while she stood rinsing glasses. Another tells of how unseen fingers pinched her posterior. While such things have happened throughout the bar, everyone who works at Buddy’s claims the most intimidating place is, by far, the basement.
The Investigation
After confirming the existence of Edward Albert and verifying Caitlin’s story, CSPR (consisting of myself and Tabatha, my wife) and a group of six students who were studying ghost stories in literature went to the bar, armed with EMF meters, digital laser thermometers, digital and video cameras, digital voice recorders, and flashlights. Our first task was to lead the group around the space, looking for any unseen obstacles and letting the students get the feel for the equipment. After teaching them what to look for and how everything worked, we split the group in half, with me taking three students and Tabatha taking the other three. My group took the upstairs area while Tabby’s took the basement.
The first encouraging sign was that we measured several large cold spots in places where there were no air vents, no ceiling fans, and no windows. The drops in temperature were near or at thirty degrees colder than the rest of the room, and the areas had definite shape. Several moved away or toward us before dissipating. We also recorded several rises in EMF activity, though at least one of those was quickly disproved as coming from a cigarette machine on the opposite side of the wall.
After approximately five minutes, Tabby came up the stairs in a hurry, followed by her three students. “Something got me,” she said. She lifted her hair and showed a series of six long scratches across her neck. While the six students and I watched, three more appeared on the other side of her neck. We recorded the phenomenon with digital video, which you can see below. Not feeling in the least bit intimidated, Tabby refused to leave (though at least three of the six students really wanted to) and continued the investigation.
With my group in the basement, I attempted EVP work and also tried provoking whatever had attacked Tabby, but got nothing. Then I noticed that one of my students’ breathing had become shallow and fast. I turned to see her, all the color drained from her face and her hands quaking. “Something’s touching my face,” she said. The other two students turned a video camera on her and began taking readings. Against the side of her face that she said was being “stroked,” we felt and recorded a thirty-degree temperature drop with no logical explanation. We stood there watching until the cold spot dissipated, a full 45 seconds, then made our way back up the stairs. Disturbed but otherwise unharmed, we let the student sit for a while in the main area, where we’d set up a “command center” of sorts, with another student while the rest of us continued the investigation.
As we made our way back through the room, one of the students, who was walking well away from anyone and was in front of me, let out a yelp and jumped. Something, she said, had pinched her butt.
Other phenomena we experienced, though didn’t capture on video, included the sighting by three of our group, at separate times and never together, of a man peering around the corner by the stairs that led to the basement. We also heard what sounded like footsteps walking through the kitchen area, and saw doors swing wide as if thrown open, with no one there to push them.
Conclusion
Based on evidence gathered and personal experiences, it is the opinion of CSPR, all six of those students (several of whom did not believe in ghosts before the hunt, and now are staunch believers), and the owner of the bar that there is a negative entity that lurks there. Whether or not it is the ghost of the original owner cannot be determined, but there is enough evidence to warrant further investigation.
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Categorized:Cold Spots
