Published: February 28, 2009 11:23 pm      

Spook sleuths: Paranormal investigators plan Portage seminar

PORTAGE — Rege Huschak wasn’t afraid of rousing the goblins when he told the ghost hunters they could investigate the Portage Station Museum.

Heck, he figures, taxes and the recession are a lot scarier.

“Of all the other things that are happening, I’m not worried about someone who passed through the station

70 years ago,’’ he said Friday.

Huschak is president of the Portage Area Historical Society, which operates the museum – an old train station.

Huschak told the Southwestern Pennsylvania League of Apparition Technologists it may address the public

March 15 at the museum, speaking of its findings and taking questions.

One of those who will speak will be Walter Hutsky, 26, of Windber, an IT worker for Zamias Inc. and hobbyist ghost tracker. He has gone on more than 25 spectral investigations and hasn’t come upon any firm evidence of paranormal events thus far.

Yes, the ghost guy is a skeptic.

“I’m still open to the possibility. I like being involved in the scientific aspect of it and local history,’’ Hutsky said.

SPLAT is booked solid on requests to do its free investigations.

Hutsky said all kinds of callers are dialing them up.

“Basically, there’s unexplained phenomena that happened at their house or to themselves,’’ he said. “They have to prove to others that they’re not crazy.’’

Even after subtracting out the large number of flakes who call, Hutsky said, plenty of promising situations remain.

That’s when SPLAT investigators march in with their audio and video recording equipment, temperature sensors and infrared gear.

Investigators sometimes find that’s what’s behind so-called paranormal events are such things as the wind, an electrical short or radio wave interference. Most often, the unexplained occurrences remain so.

“We haven’t been able to catch them using multiple electronic devices,’’ Hutsky said.

One of the spectral sightings that has gained some credence is the spirit of a young child wandering what is known as Dane Castle in Strongstown, Indiana County. That report, as the others, has not produced proof.

Huschak said the team came up empty at the museum despite old tales of footsteps and toilets flushing. Another person saw shadowy movement on the stairwell.

“You always hear stories,” he said. “It’s just like anything else. It’s a matter of people wanting to know.’’

Though spook tales don’t creep Huschak out, SPLAT itself gave him the heebie-jeebies.

“I once called them ghostbusters and I regretted it,” Huschak said.

“They don’t like that.’’