Video: Ghost Hunting Group Tours Casemates
During a recent trip to Bermuda to investigate a report of paranormal activity, the Ghosts of New England Research Society [GONERS] took the time to tour the old Casemates prison at Dockyard, giving them the opportunity to observe the conditions in which prisoners lived, including several pieces of art left behind by former occupants.
According to the official GONERS website, Casemates was “built between 1839 and 1843 by a large number of British convicts who were brought to Bermuda. The convicts lived under extremely harsh conditions on old British warships that were crudely modified for housing.
“Originally built as a barracks for British Royal Marines and later, the famed Black Watch, the walls of Casemates are several feet thick and the roof is eight feet thick, native limestone, meant to withstand cannon attack.”
The GONERS crew detailed their walk through Casemates, describing a series of unsettling scenes that fit well with their original “ghostly” purpose for visiting Bermuda. From the wind howling through the building to bare light fixtures, the crew was continually struck by the ominous aura that the abandoned facility possesses.
According to the official account of the tour as told by lead GONERS investigator Kurt Knapp, “Walking through the east entrance, you immediately view a passageway that runs the entire length of the building. Daylight seeps in, illuminating the passageway, the roof of which is arched.
“About halfway along, a light fixture, hanging by a single wire, swings ominously back and forth in the wind that blows through the building. There never were glass windows at Casemates, only shutters and later, iron bars.
“The cell doors are solid steel, with a small peep hole only large enough for guards to check on prisoners. A horizontal hatch, about 2 inches by 12 inches, could be opened to serve the prisoners food. This is certainly where they kept the very bad ones: armed robbers, the rapists, the murderers.”
The tour lead the supernatural investigators to speculate as to what paranormal activity may be present at Casemates, referring to a theory that suggests that limestone has the ability to trap and promote such activity.
Regarding the potential of limestone, Mr. Knapp said, “If limestone does act as a sponge for emotion and paranormal activity, then Casemates is possibly the supreme example.”
With that theory in mind, Mr. Knapp took the opportunity to conduct tests aimed at revealing paranormal activity, but to no avail.
“I tried an EVP session, asking questions that would be appropriate to the building. The wind, whipping outside, drowned out all hope of hearing a response, if there was one. Little tornadoes of dust and debris flew from the cells into the passageway.”
Mr. Knapp ended his tour by exclaiming over the feeling that his time within Casemates had left him with, vowing to return in order to further investigate the potential of supernatural activity.
“On leaving the building and stepping out into the sun, I tried to imagine the feelings of a prisoner being released from Casemates. I’m sure that many vowed to never return. I however, will return for a full investigation.”
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Interesting article. Consideration should be made to reopen for the wanna be gangsters, murderers, pedophiles, rapist and constant thieves.
As stated being in the article, Casemates is not comfortable and criminals may vow not to offend again.
Did some work up there to help clean up. Was a bit spooky in there, but especialy the room of the gallows!!always wondered over the years where did they bury those hanged or died while in prison???
Ghost walks / tours would be a great attraction for visitors to Bermuda – you only have to look a TV programmes such as TAPS, Ghost Adventures, etc. to realize the amount of interest in this field.