Friends get help searching for Everett YMCA ghost
EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — The stories have been told for years.
An unknown voice heard over a speaker before music is turned on during an exercise class. A punching bag swinging when no one is near it. Doors banging shut.
Everett YMCA staff and patrons often blame a ghost they call "George" for these and other strange occurrences that have no clear explanations.
For the past year, Jacob Nix, 12, Santana Ortiz, 14, and Timothy Wood, 12, listened closely to these stories and pushed to learn more.
The friends, members of the YMCA, researched history books about the area at the Everett Library.
One book they scoured for clues was "The First 100 Years: An Illustrated History of The YMCA of Snohomish County." They interviewed the book's author, historian Larry O'Donnell.
Through their research the boys found out that a fire on March 30, 1920, destroyed much of the original 1901 YMCA building, at 2720 Rockefeller Ave. That matched with unconfirmed stories of a man, possibly a janitor, who helped children escape the blaze but who never made it out of the burning building.
"We're curious and we thought we may not learn any more if we were to do it ourselves," Jacob said. "We should at least find somebody who is professional about this and have nifty things to help them as well."
They sent an email to Seattle Paranormal Incidence Research and Investigation Team, or SPIRIT, and asked that a group come visit the Everett YMCA. Lynnwood residents and founders of SPIRIT, Gene and Danielle Rathbun, their 15-year-old son, Anthony, and four others started the free investigation Saturday night after the YMCA closed for the evening. The SPIRIT team was joined by the boys, Catherine Rasnack, YMCA teen coordinator, and Desiree Boss, a YMCA teen center assistant.
About 10:30 p.m., armed with cameras, recorders, electromagnetic detectors, and walkie-talkies as their connection to others at "base camp" in the teen center conference room, a small team went on a ghost hunt through the weight rooms.
Santana set a small detector on the floor and watched for a light to flash on.
"If something comes by it and touches it, or if an energy field passes through it's supposed to go red," said Brett Kemnitz, a SPIRIT investigator from Renton.
He and Boss asked questions to try to get a response from "George" or any other ghosts.
"I've heard stories that you've dropped weights before," Boss said. "If you could, do it for us now. We're here and we're listening."
Groups of two or three people also rotated throughout the 1920s gym, and walked the halls of "Ghost Town," a condemned portion of the original brick building that in once served as a hostel. The teams used recorders and video cameras as they tested for any evidence of paranormal energy or activity. Those who stayed in the conference room watched video feeds from cameras set up in eight different locations.
Several people who were watching the video feed said they saw a punching bag in the gym move when no one was around it.
"It was noticeable on the camera," Santana said. "I'm really excited. I hope they find something (in the footage)."
The ghost hunt was fun even though he didn't see or hear anything that was creepy or bizarre, Timothy added. For him, the best part of the investigation was getting to go into Ghost Town several times.
This investigation was different from others SPIRIT has done because younger people were involved, Danielle Rathbun said.
"We don't normally involve anyone under the age of 16 but because Jacob contacted us and it was his group who did their own mini-investigation we included them and included our own son," she said.
The official investigation lasted from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. The group plans to review the video and recordings from that entire time to look for any abnormalities. That process will take about a month, Rathbun said. SPIRIT will probably plan another investigation in order to cover more ground at the Everett YMCA.
That's good news for Jacob, who said he is interested in going on another ghost hunt someday, even though parts of this one were a bit scary.
"I'd call people fools if they weren't afraid of doing this stuff," he said. "We are afraid of what we don't know and we know as much about (the) paranormal and (the) supernatural as Benjamin Franklin had on electricity at his time. We still have a lot to learn."
An unknown voice heard over a speaker before music is turned on during an exercise class. A punching bag swinging when no one is near it. Doors banging shut.
Everett YMCA staff and patrons often blame a ghost they call "George" for these and other strange occurrences that have no clear explanations.
For the past year, Jacob Nix, 12, Santana Ortiz, 14, and Timothy Wood, 12, listened closely to these stories and pushed to learn more.
The friends, members of the YMCA, researched history books about the area at the Everett Library.
One book they scoured for clues was "The First 100 Years: An Illustrated History of The YMCA of Snohomish County." They interviewed the book's author, historian Larry O'Donnell.
Through their research the boys found out that a fire on March 30, 1920, destroyed much of the original 1901 YMCA building, at 2720 Rockefeller Ave. That matched with unconfirmed stories of a man, possibly a janitor, who helped children escape the blaze but who never made it out of the burning building.
"We're curious and we thought we may not learn any more if we were to do it ourselves," Jacob said. "We should at least find somebody who is professional about this and have nifty things to help them as well."
They sent an email to Seattle Paranormal Incidence Research and Investigation Team, or SPIRIT, and asked that a group come visit the Everett YMCA. Lynnwood residents and founders of SPIRIT, Gene and Danielle Rathbun, their 15-year-old son, Anthony, and four others started the free investigation Saturday night after the YMCA closed for the evening. The SPIRIT team was joined by the boys, Catherine Rasnack, YMCA teen coordinator, and Desiree Boss, a YMCA teen center assistant.
About 10:30 p.m., armed with cameras, recorders, electromagnetic detectors, and walkie-talkies as their connection to others at "base camp" in the teen center conference room, a small team went on a ghost hunt through the weight rooms.
Santana set a small detector on the floor and watched for a light to flash on.
"If something comes by it and touches it, or if an energy field passes through it's supposed to go red," said Brett Kemnitz, a SPIRIT investigator from Renton.
He and Boss asked questions to try to get a response from "George" or any other ghosts.
"I've heard stories that you've dropped weights before," Boss said. "If you could, do it for us now. We're here and we're listening."
Groups of two or three people also rotated throughout the 1920s gym, and walked the halls of "Ghost Town," a condemned portion of the original brick building that in once served as a hostel. The teams used recorders and video cameras as they tested for any evidence of paranormal energy or activity. Those who stayed in the conference room watched video feeds from cameras set up in eight different locations.
Several people who were watching the video feed said they saw a punching bag in the gym move when no one was around it.
"It was noticeable on the camera," Santana said. "I'm really excited. I hope they find something (in the footage)."
The ghost hunt was fun even though he didn't see or hear anything that was creepy or bizarre, Timothy added. For him, the best part of the investigation was getting to go into Ghost Town several times.
This investigation was different from others SPIRIT has done because younger people were involved, Danielle Rathbun said.
"We don't normally involve anyone under the age of 16 but because Jacob contacted us and it was his group who did their own mini-investigation we included them and included our own son," she said.
The official investigation lasted from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. The group plans to review the video and recordings from that entire time to look for any abnormalities. That process will take about a month, Rathbun said. SPIRIT will probably plan another investigation in order to cover more ground at the Everett YMCA.
That's good news for Jacob, who said he is interested in going on another ghost hunt someday, even though parts of this one were a bit scary.
"I'd call people fools if they weren't afraid of doing this stuff," he said. "We are afraid of what we don't know and we know as much about (the) paranormal and (the) supernatural as Benjamin Franklin had on electricity at his time. We still have a lot to learn."
I have seen water move in a toilet that is on a concrete floor. It had nothing to do with heavy equipment trucks going by at the time, or the fact that we live in a busy seismic area, it HAD to be a ghost playing with the water in the toilet.
And I have heard strange noises coming from PA systems just before someone's cell phone rings. That can't have anything to do with electronic interference, it ISÂ ghosts that live in electronic equipment. Tiny ones.
Brought to you by the people that believe there's an invisible man in the sky.
@IslandAtheist Actually, those of us who believe in that "invisible man in the sky," don't believe in ghosts, so it must have been brought to you by someone else. :)
 @Wolfen  @IslandAtheist What about the Holy Ghost?
 @IslandAtheist  @Wolfen The terms spirit and ghost are often interchanged by people who know no better.
Now I can't get YMCA out my head, thanks George....Â
I lived in a house that had paranormal activity in 1972 on Renton Ave just east of Skyway. Lived there with a roommate during the summer. Things happened / moved / sound. We never tried to approach whatever it was. The next tennants had no such experiences, at least when I talked to them. Etc.
What Jacob said is true! We are afraid of the unknown, but by being brave and having an insatiable thirst for knowledge we can overcome most fears, including the ones that go bump in the night. Good job Jacob, keep doing what you are doing, explore and learn, broadening your mind also opens up new horizons to new ideas!
Why couldn't there be ghosts? It would be rather arrogant of us as a species to presume we know everything there is to know about everything.
 @katiemcc Because a ghost is suppose to be a dead person, and if you read the Bible, Ecclesiastes 9:5 says, "The dead are conscience of nothing, but the living are conscience that they will die".
Got to love Ghost Hunters for the sheer cheeze factor. "If the ghost of the janitor who died is listening to us, move the punching bag! Are you there janitor who died helping the children? There are children here with us now. Did you see that? Did you see that?? The punching bag moved!! Where's my hair gel?"
This would have been a good story for Halloween, not Thanksgiving.
here we are in the 21st century and people are still chasing ghosts. Yes humans are doomed to extinction
 @larry*x*k:Â
I disagree. There are MANY instances of paranormal activites that have been documented that cannot be "explained away".
 @LocalLady  @larry*x*k: Just because those who have seen the "paranormal activity" can't explain it doesn't mean there isn't someone else in teh world who could. Usually they're busy doing more important and relevant stuff though.
 @Larry*X*K Its more like "Monkey see, Monkey do" with people. They see something idiotic like Jackass being done and mimic it. Now they have people who want to be Ghostbusters or anyone of the handful of Ghost Hunter shows on SyFy.
I see people have started smoking weed a little too early... It's not legal yet people.
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This is a ghost typing this.... Come find me.... Boo?
The bible says there are no ghost, only fallen angels attempting to confuse us. If that's true, it's working.
 @Heisenberg That is very true, they are called Demons, when Satan was cast out of Heaven he took a third of the angels with him, Revelation 12: 7-10
 @Heisenberg This explains the Politicians of the world.
 @Heisenberg Thats what it could be. Satan/demons are into deceiving people and leading them away from the bible? Ghosts, evolution, ...
 @Heisenberg I wouldn't believe anything the bible says, it's just a bunch of stories!
 @donner So you don't believe in a book, but you do believe in ghosts? Oye vey!
 @donner  @Heisenberg Why don't you go to Bible Study fellowship or a good Bible church and see for yourself.  More than likely,  you never really studied it.
Then you can make up your own mind than from the minds of others.
 @HullenbeckCowl  @donner  @Heisenberg I have read it, studied it, and still read and study the Christan bible and books written about it's history and theory. I even use multiple versions to compare what it's saying! It has quite a prominent place on my bookshelf, next to all my other holy books (Quran, Book of Mormon, LaVey's Satanic Bible, The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and so on). It's very important to me to understand it because it's a basis for much of our modern literature and cultural references. Plus it's fun to be able to hold an informed, intelligent conversation, and know what I'm talking about against whacko fundamentalist n00bs who love to throw out bible verses to support whatever particular position they are justifying, even though they're completely off the mark, out of context, and just plain wrong, according to their own bible.
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Yet, I continue to be an atheist. In fact, now more than ever.
 @HullenbeckCowl  @donner  @Heisenberg I studied it and have a degree in religion and I think Donner is right.
The YMCA used to be a Christian organization (Young Men's Christian Association). Â It is nothing more than an unfriendly health club, totally unspiritual. Â
 @hullenbeckcowl:Â
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I have been active with the YMCA for 2 decades - as a volunteer & as a member. They are VERY friendly, and despite your claim they ARE spiritual. My son went to child care there when he was young, as well as summer camp at Camp Colman. I supervised the buses to & from Colman every week, I stayed there as a counselor, I did fundraising for their Partners with Youth Campaign. I am currently a member at the Dale Turner YMCA in Shorelne - and EVRYONE there is friendly.
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You never have ANYTHING goo to say about anything - why do you even bother reading & commenting on the stories here? You are a sour sad person.
I wonder what it really is, be it a ghost or some other type of being.