CORNWALL, Ontario – This Saturday, July 30, Montreal based Spectres Paranormal Investigators hosted three mini-sessions at the Historic Cornwall Jail. SPI’s Paranormal 101 sessions focused primarily on the science of paranormal detection and application of various devices. Tina Piorro, who leads SPI, explained her research group’s hands-on approach to learning about the paranormal. “People are guided through the experience,” said Piorro. “They are in actuality, participating in a real investigation on the field.”
Built in 1833, the Historic Cornwall Jail has a rich history as the second oldest jail in Ontario. While the building itself no longer houses inmates, there have been numerous accounts of paranormal activity throughout the years. “There’s somewhere between one to two hundred still buried here,” said Don Smith of the Historic Cornwall Jail. “Is there activity? I think there’s probable cause.”
The Paranormal 101 sessions feature in-depth demonstrations of various technology used for paranormal research, in which guests assist in the investigation. While high-tech equipment plays a critical role in bridging the gap between the living and the dead, Jean Guy Martin of SPI says that protecting yourself is just as important. “It doesn’t really matter if you take comfort in the Bible or a sage smudging,” said Martin. “What matters is that it makes you feel safe.”
SPI, who have been collecting evidence of the paranormal at the Cornwall Jail for over a year now, are diligent in tracing their findings back to archives. “We go there objectively and scientifically,” said Piorro. “There have been times we’ve had consistent findings that were confirmed after checking the records .”
Along with promoting the building’s history, Piorro hopes that the Paranormal 101 sessions will help shed light on the stories of those who died in the Cornwall Jail. “Many lives were lost here and there is a lot of history,” said Piorro. “I would encourage people to visit the jail and learn all that they can from entities that live on within the prison walls.”
