The WPS, founded in 2011 by Temperance and Angela Gennaro of Latrobe, is dedicated to investigating local establishments in order to seek proof of spirits or energy.
“We are a scientific group,” said Temperance Gennaro, co-founder and lead investigator of the nonprofit organization. “We will not pin every sound or photo as paranormal. If it can be debunked, it will be. Our motto while investigating is ‘If we can recreate it ourselves, then it wasn't paranormal.'”
Performers familiar with the theater have mentioned peculiar occurrences such as loud crashes near the stage when no one was around, an unexplained smell of roses wafting through the air, and an odd, shaking sensation in the basement.
“It can pretty creepy there some times, but I'm not afraid,” said Eric Harris, executive director of the theater.
Harris said the general feeling he gets about the experiences he has had in the theater are of “just a playful ghost — one that seems to like what we are doing here.”
He recalled being alone in the theater when he heard a woman's voice bellow, “Yee-Haw.”
According to Harris, the building originally housed the first car dealership in Western Pennsylvania. It has been operating as a theater since 1946. After the recent overnight inspection of the theater, the WPS concluded there was a good probability that some type of entity or energy was indeed present.
Within several minutes of the investigation, the fully-charged two-way radios used by the team members to communicate lost their charge.
During the investigation, participants were encourage to photograph or record the spaces they were exploring. One member recorded small orbs of energy flying through the air and an unexplained image — resembling a face — appearing in a photograph.
The video and photograph are posted on the group's Facebook page: WestmorelandParanormalSociety.
“Everyone participating in the investigation was accounted for when it was taken,” Temperace Gennaro said of the photograph taken by Sarah Miles of Greensburg.
There were unexplained spikes in electromagnetic activity.
When one member of the group sang briefly in the theater and invited any entities to join in, several members reported hearing a humming sound.
“Overall, I think the investigation went well,” said Angela Gennaro. “It was a great way for some of our newer members to get a chance to use some of the equipment and get a feel for what being a ghost hunter is really like.”
The group used a K2 meter — a tool that detects electromagnetic fields (EMF), a Mel Meter — a dual purpose combination unit that measures both EMF and temperature simultaneously, infrared and night vision recording devices and a laser grid, which detects movement.
“It was really interesting seeing how all the equipment worked,” said Ligonier resident Amy Yanity, who participated in the investigation. A member of the Valley Players of Ligonier, Yanity recently accepted a researcher position with the group.
Angela Gennaro will be the first to admit every ghost hunting experience is not full of activity.
“It's not always exciting,” she said. “Sometimes it's a lot of sitting around in the dark. But later, when you find that one unexplainable picture, or sound, or piece of video, you feel like it was worth it.”
Five years ago, WPS's early investigations focused mainly on local cemeteries and wooded areas thought to be haunted or private residences they were asked to investigate.
“When we first started, it was a hobby for Angela and I,” said Temperance Gennaro. “We did recordings on small digital recorders and took photos and videos on our iPhones. It wasn't ideal, but it was fun.”
In early 2012, the number of people asking about the society and its findings were so great that the pair decide to invite others to join them.
‘We grew our collection of equipment and decided it was time to let others in,” Temperance Gennaro said. “Now we have a new and improved group and we are ready to spread the word.”
New members are continually being added, bringing an array of new personalities and fresh energy to the team.
Members recently paired up with other paranormal groups in Pennsylvania to broaden their investigation experiences.
“I think the more well-informed you are on anything, the better off you will be,” said Angela Gennaro. “Knowledge is power. And even is some things are unknowable, it won't stop us from searching for answers.”
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