Things Going On

Hey guys,
We made it to Virginia and things are great! Virginia SAPS members are doing good and our trip went well. I'm hoping everything is great where you guys are. I don't know my plans right now but we should know that soon. I'll try to update things to keep things fresh on the site. I may do a special Virginia Hauntings sometime so keep your eyes on the site. Just wanted to put something up to let everybody know that we're good and looking forward to a little R&R.
So until next time,
Keep your eyes open and look for what is out there
Joey

About Us

This is a brief description of the Southern Area Paranormal Society Team Members and the parts they take on when the investigating begins.

Ann-  Co-founder of SAPS and longtime believer in the paranormal. Lead Investigator for the SAPS team. One of the authors of the SAPS website.

Lynn- Co-founder of SAPS and another longtime believer in the paranormal. Investigator for the SAPS team.

Theja- Member of SAPS and one of the SAPS team historical investigators. Has much knowledge about supposedly haunted places and uses this to the benefit of the team. 

Richard- Member of SAPS and the SAPS skeptic. Known for his trademark "I'd rather be at home in bed." 

Joey- SAPS member and Tech Manager for the SAPS team. In charge of organizing the technology for the ghost hunts. Primary author of the SAPS website.

Rikki- SAPS member and Investigator for the SAPS team. Participates in investigations by conducting EVP work and taking pictures and videos. Also official SAPS medic.

Halley- SAPS member and Investigator for the SAPS team. Participates in investigations by conducting EVP work and taking pictures and videos.

Texas SAPS Members

Arie- SAPS member and SAPS investigator. Specialist in EVP work and has had paranormal experiences. One of the authors of the SAPS website.

Mark- SAPS member and SAPS technical specialist. Known as the "Brian" of the group for his penchant to run for his life from shadowy apparitions while yelling "Dude, Run!"

Virginia SAPS Members

Cindy- SAPS member and SAPS investigator. Participates in investigations by conducting EVP work and taking pictures and videos.

Chase- SAPS member and SAPS technical specialist. Assists in setting up equipment and aiding in investigations. 

Cater Tot- Official "SAP-ling" of the group. Investigator-In-Training.

Update 7/25

Hey SAPS Team, 

Just wanted to give you guys an update before the weekend. I've sent out a newsletter. It doesn't contain much but says that we are adding two new authors to the Southern Area Paranormal Society site. Check your email to find out or just wait around until they accept my invitation on blogger. Exciting things are ahead for SAPS! The last thing I'm gonna do before I leave today is get up an About Us page. Now remember, I didn't get an email from anybody about what they wanted specifically. If you don't like something I put up, just let me know and I'll fix it however you like it. We're gonna hopefully get some cool pics up later to the post, but until then we'll at least have a description of ourselves. I wish I had time to post some more hauntings but I'm busy so I can't really get that up before I leave. Finally, as a reminder, I will be leaving next Wednesday for Virginia so there may not be any updates from me for a while beyond brief updates. Don't worry though, we'll still have some good things added from the new authors hopefully. 

Until next time,

Keep your eyes open and look for what is out there

Joey

Update

Hey SAPS team, 

    Sorry for no updates yesterday. I've been sick and didn't go in to work yesterday. I thought I'd update you guys on that and some other things. First off, this week I'm going to send another newsletter that hopefully everybody will get this week. I'll discuss some of the things going on with SAPS and some of my plans. 

    Second, nobody has sent me an email about themselves to put up on the site. I'll probably end up making stuff up about everybody for the site that I can change if somebody isn't satisfied with their descriptions. I've talked to a few people but I'll keep working on it and get more info about everybody. Also, I was wondering if the team would like pictures up with their descriptions. This is something that I've been wondering, so everybody please let me know what you think about the idea. I was thinking maybe some funny pics of ourselves, e.g. someone looking for a ghost while an apparition is behind them reaching for them or someone engaged in a full run ("Dude, run!"). If nobody likes that, we can do normal pictures if you even want pictures. Leave comments and tell me what you think.

    Also, I don't know how long I'll be able to update the site in the upcoming weeks as my boss is leaving and I don't know if I'll have the internet for much longer. I'll hopefully get somebody to post things to the blog while I can't. Also, Larry and I will be visiting the Virginia SAPS members next week for a couple of weeks, so I may not post a whole lot to the site. I will pick up where I left off when we get back. 

    Everyone keep in touch and let me know how I'm doing. I can't do this without you guys.

Until next time, 

Keep your eyes open and look for what is out there

Joey

More Hauntings

Hey SAPS team,

Just wanted to update the site before the weekend and thought I'd provide a couple of hauntings for everyone to enjoy. Before that, I'd like to thank Momma Pug for providing us with the header that you can see at the top of the page. Looks great! Everyone remember to let me know how I'm doing!

The first haunting I have for you today is McRaven, Vicksburg, MS

Walt Grayson calls McRaven "The Most Haunted House in Mississippi," and would Walt Grayson lie to us? Seriously though, I read a lot about McRaven in a book someone had. Supposedly the lights come on without warning even though it is really tough to turn them on. They've had everything from residuals to full body apparitions. This would be one of the best places to investigate as it's close and it's haunted. I don't know much about the history of the hauntings beyond one of the owners of the house being shot to death by occupying black Union soldiers during the War between the States but more information can be found at http://www.mcraventourhome.com/

The second is Goat Castle, Natchez, MS

This was once called "The most haunted house in Natchez". Its story involves friendship, love, estrangement, insanity, and murder. I don't know the story well enough to tell it but you can read all about the goings on at http://www.prairieghosts.com/goat.html.

The house above has been torn down, but the woods next to the house and the neighboring house are both said to be haunted. 

So there are a couple of haunted locales for everyone to digest. I'll try to find more stuff to put up on our site, and next week I'm hoping to have more stuff for you. I'm gonna try to do a post of the members of SAPS, so everybody please email me and tell me what you want on the site or I'll have to make stuff up. 

Until next time,

Keep your eyes open and look for what is out there

Joey

Newsletter

Ok SAPS Team,

I've sent a newsletter out for the SAPS team. Please check your email and let me know if you got it. It may be sending to some spam folders. If it is please add me to your "Not Spam" list. I won't discuss what was in the email because I don't really want to type it again. But if you didn't get it or can't find it, just let me know and I'll resend it. 

I won't be able to update anymore today as I'll be away from the internet but I will be back at work tomorrow and will check both the site and my email. I hope to put up a couple more hauntings around our area on the site tomorrow as well. Just wanted to let everyone know what's going on. 

Until next time,

Keep your eyes open and look for what is out there

Joey

Information and an Update

Hey SAPS Team,

Due to the huge influx of comments (we've tripled the number since yesterday) I've decided to provide an update on things. First of all, thanks for all of the comments. If any one out there wants to comment but doesn't know how, just click at the bottom of a post where it says "X comments" (It doesn't really say "X" but that represents how many comments there are). That will take you to the comment screen where you can read other comments or on the right, write your own. Just type whatever it is that you want to say, sign it and then pick a signature. If you have a Google account or blogger account, you can just use that. If not, there is some way to sign it as yourself or you can just sign it anonymously (just leave your sig at the bottom of the comment so I know who's writing). Then just click "Publish Comment" or something like that.

Next, I've been asked to provide information on the SAPS team. I'm gonna get started on that as soon as possible. I'd like to have a link on the right with information on the team. Just a description of who is who and what we do. If I can't figure out how to do that, I'll make a post. Check out our site later for more info.

For those of you involved with the team, I think we need to establish positions in the team to make things run smoother at some point in the future. This includes both on hunts and in meetings. On hunts we'll need designations such as "Lead Investigator", "Investigator", "Technical Specialist", and "Tech Manager" (which is what I'd like to do). I don't know if we just vote or volunteer or what, but I'd like to establish these as it would make our team info on the site more interesting. As far as the meetings go, I think SAPS would be better organized if we establish positions such as treasurer, secretary, and maybe president or chair. I haven't discussed this with anybody, but I think things would run smoother this way. This would only really apply in meetings and if we had to pay for something. I don't want to have to take care of everything as I have school and would like to spread out the responsibility of SAPS over the team. If we don't want to do the whole president/chair thing, we can just do with a secretary and treasurer. Let me know what you think. 

In a final message, I've found a pretty cool site that sells ghost hunting equipment. I encourage SAPS members to check it out, as we need some of this stuff. The site is http://theghosthunterstore.com/

I'll post more info on things that we need as we go along. If I've left anything out, let me know and I'll do my best to satisfy. Let me know how I'm doing.

Until next time,

Keep your eyes open and look for what is out there

Joey

Making Progress

Hey SAPS team and loyal internet reader(s). 

Exciting news (sort of). 

We got our first comment!

So somebody out there read this blog. I'm sure it was one of you guys but as it was unsigned, I don't know our loyal reader. I have heard word of mouth that someone has read this and received an email telling me that someone checked this out so I'm excited to say we're making progress towards where we want to be. 

I haven't really planned what I'm gonna do this week on the blog, but believe me, you'll be the first to know. So keep checking the SAPS blog loyal reader and discover what we're up to!

I'm thinking about finding a couple more haunted houses to investigate as well as looking into equipment we need for investigations. I'll probably keep posting stuff as I get bored (which is a LOT). 

So keep reading and commenting!

Until next time,

Keep your eyes open and look for what is out there

Joey

SAPS Shirt

Make custom t-shirts at CustomInk.com

Hey guys, 

Here is something I designed at CustomInk.com. Let me know what you think. Do I need to change anything? Would anyone be interested in one? This is just the web design. I don't know about ordering one yet. Just let me know what you guys think. 

Until next time,

Keep your eyes open and look for what is out there

Joey

A Couple of Investigatory Places

Hey SAPS team, 

I thought I'd post a couple of places that I'd love to investigate. They are both located in south Mississippi and are both said to be haunted. 

Here is the first:

Kings Tavern, Natchez, MS

This is one of the closest haunts to our headquarters. Most of us know the stories of the hauntings but for those of you who don't, basically they hear a baby crying in empty rooms and there is a mischievous intelligent haunt that drops things and messes with people supposedly named Madeline (spelling in question). She is supposed to be a waitress that had an affair with Mr. King of the Tavern's name that Mrs. King didn't approve of. She disappeared and may be one of the bodies found in the chimney in the 1930s. For more information, go here: http://www.ghostinmysuitcase.com/places/kings/index.htm

The second place is in Ellisville, where my grandparents live.

The Amos Deason House, Ellisville, MS

I've actually been here and it is kinda creepy, especially where the murder occurred. I don't know the story that well, but Newt Knight was a Confederate deserter and oppositionist who led a band of thieves and hid out in the swamps of Jones County. Basically the Confederates sent a man out to kill him, Major Amos McLemore. McLemore nearly caught Knight a couple of times, so Knight decided he had to be offed. So he sneaks up to the Deason house (above), where McLemore was in the middle of the night. McLemore is sitting by the fireplace, Knight comes up behind him in the window and shoots him. Supposedly there was a blood stain on the floor that no matter how much they scrubbed, they could not remove. Also, supposedly on the anniversary of the death, the door flies open. I've also heard that the grandchildren of the people who used to own the house have heard footsteps in the bedroom (previously sitting room) where McLemore was killed. More information can be found here: http://www.prarieghosts.com/deason.html

Feel free to suggest more places for potential investigation, and I'll try to look up information on each of those places. As always, please leave a comment if you read to let me know my time is worth it. 

Until next time,

Keep your eyes open and look for what is out there

Joey

Goals

Ok, if you haven't figured it out yet, 

SAPS is similar to TAPS from the SciFi Channel's Ghost Hunters. We intend to investigate claims of paranormal activity. But while we are similar, we are in no way affiliated with The Atlantic Paranormal Society. We cannot claim that and while a personal goal of mine is to be recognized as a TAPS family member, there is a long way to go before that could occur. 

    To state our purpose, we want to investigate the paranormal. We aren't doing this to become a member of TAPS or to get on television, though both of those would be really cool. Our members have a curiosity for things paranormal and we want to investigate those things. 

    But for those of you SAPS members or interested parties, I've found on the TAPS website the requirements for inclusion in the TAPS family. We've got a long way to go before we could even consider applying for membership but it could happen. But as said before, being a TAPS family member is not our goal. We exist solely to investigate claims of paranormal activity. 

1. Your team must have a minimum of one year of service in the community. This must be verifiable.

2. Your team must have a web presence and must represent themselves on an add-free service. We shy away from freebie web hosting sites.

3. You must provide two (2) references at a minimum from your local community. This ensures to us that you've been active in a positive light.

4. The Founder of your group must be at least 21 years of age and have a clean criminal background.

5. Your group must offer all services for free and while your policy may include accepting donations, you may not state that you ASK for them. 

6. Your group must be in an area where we need coverage.

7. You understand that if your group is rejected at the current time, you may not reapply for at least 12 months. 

Again, I got this all from the TAPS website. 

Until next time, 

Keep your eyes open and look for what is out there.

Joey

Somewhat of an Update

Ok Guys and Gals,

      Here is the promised update for anybody who may have read this beyond myself. I've told one person about the blog and they were supposed to tell others. So if anybody from SAPS reads this, please contact me by leaving a comment or email me or call. I'd like to know somebody is checking up on this. 

      Right now I'm going to discuss a couple of things I've got planned for this site and SAPS's internet presence. I'm planning on starting an email with information on SAPS and our mission. If anyone reads this and wants to be added, please leave a comment. I have some of the members' emails but not everybody. The email won't be much but will hopefully have everybody in the group's contact email address so others can contact them. 

      I'm working on the blog right now, getting everything nice and pretty, ha. I'm gonna work on getting us a banner with SAPS on it, and will most likely get help from some of our more experienced members. I've figured out how to add pictures and video to the blog using Blogger's features. I've even figured out how to add other authors to the blog. I really want other people to post on this blog and am very interested in adding other authors soon. If you want to be an author of this blog, please contact me. My only condition is that you must be a serious poster. Nothing too far off topic. You must also be a member of SAPS or have someone from SAPS vouch for you to me. That's pretty much it as far as that goes. 

      I'm planning on starting looking into things we will need for investigation and other things. I'm also planning on looking into places for investigation around southern Mississippi. 

      These are some things that I've got planned for the blog. I'd eventually like to get our own website in addition to a blog for information about our organization. Everyone please comment or contact me.

Until next time,

Keep your eyes open and look for what is out there

Joey

Opening Blog

Hi everyone out there,
If you've stumbled across this site, you've arrived at what is now the web identity of the Southern Area Paranormal Society. As a brief introduction, my name is Joey and right now I'm the web manager (I started the blog) and will be tech manager of SAPS. We are a group that investigates accounts of paranormal activity in the Mississippi area. We are based in southwest Mississippi but have members all over the South (Virginia and Texas). As of right now, we are mostly a family group, but are looking to attract more interest in our community and around Mississippi. I've started this blog from my gmail account but depending on how things go we may set up our own gmail account. I'm pretty new to hosting a blog, so I'll get some help with that. I'll talk later about what kind of things we're looking for, as well as our members. I'd even like to have some of them post blogs to this blog at some point in the future. As my main goal was establishing this, I'll sign off here and hopefully some point this week update the blog with info as well as getting some aesthetically pleasing things.
Look for updates and keep your eyes open for what is out there!