Pineview Cemetery, Peshtigo WI

Slated for January 2014, NLPRS will be conducting the first of potentially many investigations within the area of the Pineview Cemetery in Peshtigo, Wisconsin.



Why a cemetery?  I've been reluctant to hold investigations at cemeteries, and have stated as such in the past; they're too cliched.  However, with this location I believe we may have a chance of finding something, due to the fact that this was formerly called the Marinette County Cemetery... a graveyard that was owned by the former Marinette County Asylum, Mental Health Institution, and Poor House.

This link has a picture of the old building, which was torn down a few decades ago, along with a brief description.

This link differs from the first in that it gives  different start date of building operations.  Where the first says 1906, this has it at 1900.  Also, this site give a grave listing.

Finally, this link gives a start date of 1900 (as the second link), but an entirely new finish date of 1977, whereas the first two say 1972.  Another odd detail is that this says the first grave was placed in 1908, while the second says the first was from 1906; both occurrences give different names as to "who was first".

This link takes you to the Wisconsin Historical Society website, where they do hold additional information and more detailed briefs.  However, most information is closed or restricted due to patient confidentiality.  

One link that I did find interesting was this.  It's public records and annual budget report for Wisconsin 1906, and if you read enough, you'll find costs / expenses of the institution, housing arrangements, and so on.

As far as I know, there have been no reports of strange occurrences within this area.

Just as a follow up.  The Marinette County Asylum, Mental Health Institution, and Poor House was torn down at some point in the 1970s.  The property was then built upon, with the structure being the new Pine View Health Care Center for the Elderly.  I've been trying to find records on that establishment, but other than finding an article or two, nothing real substantial.  Checking maps and verifying with corresponding articles, Pine View became Rennes Health Care (if this was a buy-out or a renaming, I cannot say).

Jopek Road was once called Hospital Road, due to the asylum.  

Interestingly, maps still list the cemetery as Marinette County Cemetery, although the cemetery itself has a sign declaring that it is Pineview Cemetery.  I like how the Pineview Home was renamed to Rennes, but not the cemetery.

I've just gone through one hundred years worth of headlines from the local papers, and here's everything I came up with.  Please note I am posting the article headline and not the article itself; I haven't found the actual articles (yet).  At least with this, I can go to the library or something and try to find an archive.







These first three headlines lead me to believe that yes, the institution was built between 1904 and 1906, most likely, given the timing, 1904 / 1905.  This goes against the previously found links which gave a start date of 1900, and the start date of 1906 clearly was for the inclusion of the poor house.





In case you didn't follow the previous links, the asylum had its own farming community (as it were).  They grew crops and sold them to the State, with the focus having been towards giving the patients something to do to make them productive.





Another article did make mention that this institution was to be the best the State had to offer, that it was an example for other hospitals to follow.  Apparently, it worked.





Goes hand-in-hand with the farming aspect of things.





Here's something that may be worth looking into.  From all the headlines I've read, there was only one known (or identified) Poor House.  Prior to this date, the Menominee Jail, I believe, was used at one point to harbor the poor, as well as a hotel in Marinette (but that was after this date).  When we go to the site, we'll have to keep an eye out for grave markers with this date on it.





The reason why I include this article is because of the date: 1976.  Pine View was built on top of the old asylum, and as such, the asylum had to have been torn down prior to October 1976... unless...  the facility was renamed at some point, which would explain why the graveyard is named Pine View.  That does seem more likely, now that I think about it.  So then the question remains, what was the crisis?

I've got some work to do real quick.  When I get back, I'll check on the grave marker listings and check on the dates (fire / crisis) to see if anything turns up.

{EDIT}
Here's the link to where I gathered the headline information. It actually paints a really cool historical picture of this area!

http://www.uproc.lib.mi.us/Spies/Genealogy%20&%20History/NEWSPAPER%20ARTICLES-DATES.pdf

Okay.  Reading the marker lists doesn't reveal anything.  Well, it does, but...  here, read this.

Quote :

The first recorded grave stone inscription at the cemetery was Susan EOTH
who died October 31, 1906. The last date was a Leonard PESH who died September
20, 1918.

Okay, first grave was 1906, the last 1918... even though we have a report of nine deaths in 1923.  Where did the bodies go?  But wait, there's more.  Using the same source as the quoted section, it lists six graves that were dug after the "last date".  But no mention of the fire victims, nothing dated from 1923.

Upon further investigation, and cross-checking some references, I found that the asylum was renamed in 1941, to be known as the Marinette County Hospital.  With that information, I found this related headline, confirming that the asylum was closed in 1972; as for when it was destroyed, I cannot say with certainty (other than what articles have posted).  So then, that entire "crisis" thing does not relate to this investigation, although it may add to it (depending on what it was).





Then we have this mention, from the Asylum Project website:


If you look at an aerial map of the area (posted below), you'll see Pine View Health Center (now known as Rennes) on the left, with the cemetery marked (Marinette County Cemetery) on the right.  Going from left to right, or west to east, you will see an open field and then an industrial site (Acer Flooring).



I don't propose we go gallivanting about Acer's property with cameras and meters, but that field is a different story; we'll save that for when the weather is nicer.

{EDIT}

In case I forget again, if you go to this link, it'll take you to a reported complete listing of all the grave sites at this location. I cannot vouch for its accuracy.

THE PREMISE

A lot of ghost hunting shows promote the Halloween specials, where they go to haunts or locations in the hopes of drawing viewers and extra scares for this holiday.  Likewise, many paranormal teams will go out on Halloween, believing that this night will provide evidence of a ghostly nature.  But is there any credence to this?  Does going to specific locations on Halloween increase the chance or having a paranormal event?


THE PROPOSAL

Return to Pineview Cemetery, an old unmarked graveyard once used by an insane asylum in which twelve people burned to death in a fire within the facility, set up IR cameras throughout the site, and conduct a couple EVP sessions and a walk through with meters and hand held IR cameras, during the midnight hour on Halloween night.


THE THEORY

If anything were to happen, according to all the superstitions and stories, this would be the time and place.  Insane asylum inmates who died a violent death?  Halloween at midnight?  Just days after the full moon?


THE SETUP

NLPRS will arrive at Pineview at about 2330 (11:30p) on Saturday October 31, where they will setup six IR surveillance cameras, one parabolic microphone, and two EVP stations.  Participants will walk throughout the graveyard with hand held camcorders equipped with night vision and IR lighting.

The graveyard itself is rectangular in shape, with one end of the rectangle atop a hill.  A surveillance camera will be at each corner of the rectangle, aimed inward and slightly toward the center to compensate for the angle of view of the cameras.  There will also be two surveillance cameras within the center of the graveyard, each looking towards the center of the short ends.  This should give a great range of view, covering most of the area.

On top of the hill, the parabolic microphone will be setup in the center of the short end, connected to a digital voice recorder, and aimed down hill / down the length of the graveyard.  This should be able to capture any sounds that may be picked up.

Additionally, there will be an EVP station set up in the center of each rectangular halves, in the middle and view of three surveillance cameras.  Each station will have a digital recorder and a lit candle encased in a glass globe; the candle will act similar to the flashlight method of communication, and with the glass globe, should be free of external influence.  Each station will also have a compass; it is hoped that any entity should be able to influence the needle's direction.

Lastly, in the middle of the graveyard, a natural EM meter will be set up, to sound should anything move within the vicinity.

While conducting the walk through, participating members will be utilizing Sony night shot camcorders with attached IR lights. The participants will act as if they were conducting an EVP session while scanning different areas of the graveyard.

The walk through and EVP sessions should be repeated if possible.


IN CLOSING

The team will end their investigation once all testing methods have been exhausted, with the removal of equipment to commence no earlier than 0100 (1a).

On Saturday, October 31, NLPRS team members Mike and Raven arrived at the Pineview Cemetery located in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, to setup equipment and perform various investigation techniques to test whether or not paranormal events are more predominate during the Witching Hour on Halloween.  The arrival time was roughly 2315 hours.

The main focus of the investigation was to be held in the older section of the cemetery, the area atop the hill; some of the stones in this location can be dated to the late 1880s.  A vast majority of the stone markers have been so badly eroded that it is almost impossible to accurately read any names or dates.  The newer section of the graveyard, the one lined with white crosses, are all unmarked.

Two Coomatec C808 surveillance cameras were positioned at the corners of the graveyard on the hill, facing slightly inward and aimed down the hill, to take advantage of the cameras angle of view; a parabolic microphone was connected to a Sony ICD-BX132 digital voice recorder in the middle of the two cameras.  Just past the base of the hill, two more C808s were positioned in a similar fashion, aimed slightly inward and towards the hill’s summit.  A fifth C808 was positioned in the middle of the hill, along the side of the road, facing inward.

Two EVP stations were set up within this section of graveyard as well; with the fifth camera acting as the dividing line, a station was arranged in each half.  Each station was equipped with the same make and model of digital voice recorder as that used by the parabolic microphone, a compass, a list of questions, and a chair.  The compass was being used to act as a test, to see if the needle could be influenced by any spiritual entity present.  The lists were the same at both locations in order to keep the tests as similar as possible.  At one point, candles within a glass globe were going to be used as well, to provide an open and raw source of energy, but due to the strong winds, that test was suspended; even with the glass globes, the wind would have affected the flames.

Lastly, a Trifield Natural EM meter was positioned in the center of this section of the graveyard, set to SUM.  Testing confirmed that the meter was in working order and sounded properly, though it was discovered under these field conditions that the sound generated by the meter was rather quiet.

At midnight, Mike and Raven began to conduct a walkthrough of the entire graveyard, with Mike focusing on the newer section while Raven remained in the older; Mike was using a Sony HDR-SR1 camcorder, while Raven used a Sony DCR-SR40.  Both camcorders were equipped with Sima SL-100 IR lights.  Both individuals reported no unusual occurrences or events during the walkthrough.

It should be noted that, due to the wind, the parabolic microphone repeatedly fell over.  After the third attempt to stabilize the device, it was determined to discontinue its use for the remainder of the investigation.

At roughly 0025, Mike and Raven began the EVP sessions; Mike took the station on the hill’s slope, while Raven was at the one near the top.  While the tests were being conducted, they were also recorded by the respective camcorders.  These sessions lasted for approximately twenty minutes, with no reported deviation of compass needles; there were no audible sounds or noises detected by either member, though it should be noted that the wind was still strong.

At 0050, the NLPRS team began to back up the equipment, starting first at the hill’s base, then the middle camera and EVP stations, followed by the cameras atop the hill and the EM meter.  NLPRS departed the site at roughly 0110.

While neither member reported any disturbances, sounds, or anything unusual, it should be noted that the evidence collected by the cameras and recorders have not been gone through.  All digital evidence will be transferred at some point during the week for analysis.

The image below shows the locations of the equipment used: the red wedges show the C808 security cameras, the blue circles represent the EVP stations, the blue crescent shows where the parabolic was located, and the yellow diamond is the EM meter.