MASSACHUSETTS AREA PARANORMAL SOCIETY
("M.A.P.S.")
PRIVATE RESIDENCE - WHITMAN
Saturday, March 13, 2010
This Whitman structure, built in April of 1896, was once a parsonage for the Bethany Free Baptist Church, which stood at the corner of Washington and West Streets. The land was originally purchased from Elizabeth Gurney for the sum of $1,500. The home remained the property of church trustees until February 7, 1944. It was later purchased by Margaret A. Langelier. Her husband Louis operated Langelier Funeral Home from August of 1945 through February of 1960. Two hundred and fifty six people from Whitman were reposed there, including Louis Langelier. Carroll E. Bump, former operator of Hayes Funeral Home, which was located at 158 Warren Avenue, purchased the property in November of 1960. Seven hundred four townspeople from Whitman were reposed during this time.
Although the chilling rain continued to fall at a steady pace, it did not dampen the spirit of the M.A.P.S. Team as we approached the covered porch at 670 Washington Street, Whitman.
After setup and the arrival of all members, with the exception of Wayne F, who reluctantly could not attend, we welcomed International Psychic Medium Dawn Carr. As usual, Dawn knew nothing about the location prior to her arrival. Even before everyone had arrived, a few team members experienced a strong sense of tingling throughout their bodies as we entered the lower level. At that time, Crystal acknowledged that she detected a sharp citrus odor. While walking through the front room, Ms. Carr shared information about energies she felt among us. She immediately mentioned members of the clergy, not knowing of course, that this had at one time been a parsonage before being sold to the Langelier family. She revealed to us that the energy of many people who had passed in a variety of ways surrounded us. Dawn mentioned a woman named Loretta and her two sons. Surprisingly, each time that name was mentioned, the EMF detector being used by Karen, lit up to its fullest. Later, in an adjoining room, a team member suddenly called out as she grabbed the lower part of her leg. She felt as if a sharp object had just poked her. Upon lifting her pant leg, she revealed a small puncture mark on her skin Ironically, in the same location, another member felt as though something had brushed up against his pant leg. Dawn had shared with us that she felt the presence of two cats who occupied that space. While entering the rear room, we all experienced the strong scent of flowers along one wall of what was once the viewing parlor. With cameras rolling, we descended downstairs to the stone foundation of the old basement. The pungent odor of pipe tobacco was detected in the area which was once used as the smoking room. Dawn felt the presence of a scraggly old man who stayed in the basement. She stated that he did not know he had passed and that he had problems. She shared with us that he was constantly mumbling and paced back and forth. Later that evening while checking our EVP recorder, a raspy male voice was picked up repeating "back and forth, back and forth" as though he was mimicking Dawn. A bark covered post used for support seemed to emit energy on its own. Dawn felt it had something to do with Native Americans from the area of the Hockomock Swamp. As she spoke of many, many spirits which were all on different levels, she suddenly turned to us exclaiming, "This place was a funeral home!" Because of her previous accuracies, her statement came as no surprise to us! Once again, the time passed too quickly. We all missed the company of fellow team member "Other Wayne" on this investigation.
In conclusion, the M.A.P.S. Team felt that in spite of all the sadness and grief which was once contained within these walls, it seems to have been replaced with an air of calmness and comfort. We did not experience any negativity at this location. We did however, have personal experiences as well as captured a few EVP's. Our thanks are extended to the Lee family, owners of this historic home. Also, many thanks go out to the helpful ladies at the Whitman Town Hall, the Town Clerk and the Assessors Office, as well as to International Psychic Medium, Dawn Carr!