The Historic Aerie Ballroom

The previous owner of this building was named Jorris Haarstad. It was called Haarstad Hall when he and his wife owned the building back in the 1970s. It was originally The Centralia Eagles Aerie number 512 when it opened in 1926. Jorris and his wife also founded The Centralia Beauty College which is still located on the ground floor some 40 years later.

Jorris died at another location in Centralia, but many people believe that his ghost or spirit returned to the Aerie Ballroom after his death.

W elcom e to PIH A ’s H istoric H aunting of W ashington State M agazine On behalf of the volunteer paranormal investigators of PIHA, I invite you to experience Washington State’s amazing historical sites and museums like never before. PIHA has created a program unlike any other in Washington State. Through our process of networking with local historical societies, museums and registered historical sites, PIHA hopes to help educate the public of our state’s exciting history and the process and technology utilized in today’s paranormal investigations.

PIHA was created with two goals in mind: 1. PIHA hopes to bring our history to life by attempting to obtain significant evidence of these strange occurrences. Utilizing the latest in today’s electronic technology and dedicated paranormal investigators, we are accomplishing this objective.

2. PIHA wants to stimulate additional interest in our residents and visitors to Washington State’s fascinating history. We want to encourage individuals, families, schools and community organizations to visit these (and other) historical locations for a better understanding of our state’s history and the people who made it.

PIHA is not out to prove or disprove the existence of possible paranormal activity, but to publish any significant evidence collected at an investigation and let each individual decided for himself what to believe or not to believe.

Wherever your travels in Washington take you, best wishes for a “Trip to the Extraordinary”.

For additional information about PIHA, visit our website at www.pihausa.com

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In this Issue: Welcome to PIHA’s Historic Haunting of Washington State Magazine…..2 Washington State History………….………………………………..…..…….5 The History and Expansion into Western Washington………………………7 Centralia, WA History.…….………………………………………....…….….9 The Aerie Ballroom History……….……...………………………………..…11 Paranormal Investigation Report………………………………………..…...13 The History of Paranormal Activity……………………………………..…...14 Ghost, Demons, Spirits and Energy ……………………………………..…...15

Contact PIH A :

PIH A M agazine Publisher:

PIHA (Paranormal Investigations of Historic America) Vaughn Hubbard: Case Manager/Historian Phone: 360.799.4138 Email: Info@pihausa.com Website: WWW.PIHAUSA.COM

Publisher………………...…..….Historic Haunting Chief Publisher…………..……..Vaughn Hubbard Program Manager:………….…..Debbie Knapp Marketing Manager:………….....Kathy Gavin Graphic Designer:…………...…..Christian Wells Debbie Knapp: Lead Investigator/Historian Kathy Gavin: Lead Investigator Dave: EVP Specialist Christian Wells: Investigator

A cknow ledgem ents: We wish to acknowledge the HistoryLink for allowing PIHA to use their published historical research information as reference material. To read about the history of Washington State visit the HistoryLink website at: www.HistoryLink.org Special thanks to Dave from Silent Voices who works with the PIHA Grey Team as our EVP Specialist. To read more about the groundbreaking work that Dave is involved with and his instructions on EVP's techniques, visit his web site at: www.SilentVoices.info 3

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Washington State History The State of Washington occupies the far northwest corner of the contiguous 48 United States. Washington borders Canada on the north along the 49th parallel and Oregon on the south along the Columbia River and 46th parallel.

Great Britain and the United States jointly occupied the region between 1818 and 1846, when Britain ceded the Pacific Northwest below the 49th parallel to the U.S. In 1848 the U.S. created Oregon Territory, including the future states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho and a portion of Montana. Washington Territory (including Idaho and western Montana until 1863) was separated from Oregon on March 2, 1853, and gained statehood on November 11, 1889.

The federal government created Oregon Territory on August 14, 1848. The area of the new jurisdiction included the present-day states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and western Montana. The discovery of gold in California in 1848 triggered a large westward migration, and settlement of Oregon Territory was promoted by passage of the Donation Land Claims Act of 1850, which granted 160 acres to any U.S. citizen who agreed to occupy his or her land for five years.

On August 29, 1851, 27 male settlers met at Cowlitz Landing (south of present-day Olympia) to petition Congress for a separate “Columbia Territory” covering the area between the Columbia River and 49th parallel. The petition was reaffirmed by 44 delegates who met in Monticello on November 25, 1852. Congress approved the new territory on February 10, 1853, but changed its name to “Washington.”

President Millard Fillmore signed the bill on March 2, 1853, and Olympia was named the Territorial Capital and has remained the capital of both Washington Territory and State since 1853. President Franklyn Pierce named Isaac I. Stevens as the first governor of an area that included northern Idaho and western Montana until President Abraham Lincoln established Idaho Territory on March 4, 1863.

Washington’s non-Indian population grew steadily to more than 300,000 over the following decades. Its residents began petitioning for statehood in 1881, and Washington was admitted to the Union on November 11, 1889, with the signature of President Benjamin Harrison.

Thirty federally recognized sovereign Indian tribes and reservations occupy substantial areas in Washington, and there are an additional seven unrecognized but culturally distinct tribes. Native American Indian tribes have occupied this area; now know as Washington State for over 10,000 years and have a rich history in culture and survival. By the 1850s, when the first Euro American settlers arrived at Alki Point and along the Duwamish River, diseases had already taken a devastating toll on native peoples and their cultures. During the 80 year period from the 1770s to 1850, smallpox, measles, influenza, and other diseases had killed an estimated 28,000 Native Americans in Western Washington, leaving about 9,000 survivors. Historian Robert Boyd conducted extensive research on the effect of European diseases on Northwest coast Indians.

In his book, The Coming of the Spirit of Pestilence, he states that the 1775 Spanish expedition led by Bruno Hezeta, commander of the Santiago and Juan Fracisco de la Bodega & Quadra, commander of the Sonora was the most likely carrier.

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The History and Expansion into Western Washington The first settlement in the Puget Sound area in the west of what is now Washington was that of Fort Nisqually, a farm and trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company, in 1833. Washington's founder, the black pioneer George Washington Bush and his Caucasian wife, Isabella James Bush, from Missouri and Tennessee, respectively, led four white families into the territory and settled New Market, now known as Tumwater, Washington, in 1846. They settled in Washington to avoid Oregon's racist settlement laws. After them many more settlers, migrating overland along the Oregon Trail, wandered north to settle in the Puget Sound area.

In 1852, people from all over what was to become Washington state gathered in Monticello (now Longview) to draft a memorandum to Congress. The memorandum expressed their desire to be granted statehood under the name of Columbia. This meeting came to be known as the Monticello Convention. The desires of the Convention were met favorably in Congress, but it was decided that a state named Columbia might be confused with the preexisting District of Columbia. In a manner which strangely enough did not solve the problem of being confused with the nation's capital, the state was instead named Washington in honor of the first U.S. president. Washington became the 42nd state in the United States on November 11, 1889.

The heavy rainfall to the west of the Cascade Range produced dense forests, and the ports along Puget Sound prospered from the manufacturing and shipping of lumber products, particularly the Douglas-fir. Other industries that developed in this portion of the state include fishing, salmon canning and mining.

In 1853-1855 the Military Road was constructed by the settlers of this area. The road was so called because its purpose was to connect Fort Walla Walla east of the mountains to Fort Steilacom along side the Puget Sound. The road was built from Fort Steilacom and then, following an ancient Indian path known as the Naches Trail, it crossed over Naches Pass and down to the Naches River east of the mountains. The road then followed the river to Yakima. The trail roughly follows the present day State Route 410 which instead goes up and over the Chinook pass, a little south of the original route, to Naches and on to Yakima.

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The History of Centralia Washington

In pioneer days, Centralia was the halfway stopover point for stagecoaches operating between the Columbia River and Seattle.

In 1850, J. G. Cochran, coming from Missouri with a young African-American slave named George Washington, filed a donation land claim on the town site. Later, Cochran freed his slave, adopted him as a son, and in 1852 sold him his claim for $6,000. The new owner built a home and filed a plat for the town of Centerville, offering lots for $10 each, with one lot free to buyers who built houses. Centralia was officially incorporated on February 3, 1886.

In 1891, the population, over 1,000, found its mail confused with that of another Centerville in the state, and the name of the town was changed to Centralia. (Washington - A guide to the Evergreen State, WPA American Guide Series, Washington State Historical Society, 1941). The city was the site of the infamous Centralia Massacre in 1919.

The 1940 population of Centralia was 7,414.

Notable natives of Centralia include Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Lyle Overbay, cable television and early mobile phone entrepreneur Craig McCaw, CFL offensive lineman Calvin Armstrong, modern dancer Merce Cunningham, video game designer and programmer Soren Johnson, Stanford quarterback Tavita Pritchard, and former MLB outfielder Bob Coluccio.

Metropolitan Opera soprano Angela Meade is from Centralia.

Longtime NBA player Detlef Schrempf attended Centralia High School as an exchange student from the former West Germany (1980–1981), starring in basketball.

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N eil W hite, Ow ner

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The History of The Aerie Ballroom The previous owner of this building was named Jorris Haarstad. It was called Haarstad Hall when he and his wife owned the building.

It was originally The Centralia Eagles Aerie number 512 when it opened in 1926.

Jorris and his wife also founded The Centralia Beauty College which is still located on the ground floor some 40 years later.

Today, the Aerie Ballroom is a popular facility for holding banquets, weddings and special events.

After changing ownership in 2003, The Aerie Ballroom has gone through a great amount of work and expense to have the building restored to its original grandeur.

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The PIHA Grey Team’s Paranormal Investigation On February 26th, 2010 the PIHA Grey Team accomplished a paranormal investigation of the historic Aerie Ballroom and came away with some interesting results indicating that possible paranormal activity does exist in this building. These are the results of that investigation.

The Grey Team began their investigation at 9:00 PM at the Aerie Ballroom. As is the usual practice, the team first did a scan of the area to be investigated. The used their EMF (Electromagnetic Field) detectors to locate any abnormal electronic energy that may exist. A team member also scans for any significant changes in the ambient (room) temperature. Nothing of any significance was discovered.

Next, the Grey Team set up their IR (Infrared) camcorders to video tape any shadows or strange movement that may take place during their EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) session.

Finally they position the parabolic dish that they use to record any noises or voices that may or may not be heard by ear. The parabolic dish also has a headset attached allowing an investigator to hear and voices or noises that cannot be heard naturally by the other investigators during the EVP session. This has proven to be a valuable tool to validate anything recorded during the EVP session that would otherwise go unnoticed.

The Main Bar: 8:00 PM - During the Client Walk-thru, Kathy sees a strange light appear in the Main Ballroom.

Right after seeing the strange lights, the camcorder would no longer focus in the Main Ballroom.

(9:30 PM - During Dave’s EVP session a voice is recorded saying Hey or possibly Dave. Later during the same EVP session, another faint male voice is recorded on the parabolic dish.

Later that night, the EMF (Electromagnetic Field) detectors were indicating a lot of activity for no apparent reason.

The Small Ballroom area: 11:00 PM – An unknown voice is recorded on the parabolic dish that says “Yea” The VIP Room 1:00 AM - During an EVP session, everyone hears someone say OK and then later YEA.

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The History of Paranormal Activity A ghost that is thought to be the original owner, Jorris Haarstad, Jorris died at another location in Centralia, but many people believe that his ghost or spirit returned to the Aerie Ballroom after his death.

Past Beauty College students and employees have reported experiencing strange happenings in the past.

On one occasion, a group of students were holding a class when all of a sudden and without warning, the girls ran out of the building screaming when heads used by the beauty college to practice haircuts came flying out of a storage cupboard.

Over 40,000 years ago early man started leaving cave drawings depicting what appear to be representations of paranormal activity. This also occurred around the same time early man started burying their dead. The first Shaman appeared acting as a medium between the visible and spirit worlds by experiencing paranormal activity and asking the age old question “What happens to us after we die�. Today, we still have our religious leaders and are still searching for the answer to that age old question. Hopefully, with today’s electronic technology, the scientific community will begin to study that question and eventually give us some answers. Many people who think that something paranormal exist, physics and logic can debunk. That said, occasionally PIHA obtains evidence that neither physics nor logic applies. When this occurs, we classify it as paranormal evidence and let each individual decide for himself what to believe or not believe. PIHA has no answers to what it is we are documenting with our electronic equipment, only questions for the scientific community. Any conclusions determined are based solely on speculation and conjecture with no scientific basis to support their theory.

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Ghost, Demons, Spirits and Energy People have always believed that the night is full of ghosts, but the thought of a ghost sound is still disturbing. It is unsettling to listen to the sound of death as if they were occurring in the present and not a lifetime earlier. I suspect the world is far more mysterious than we’ve ever imagined.

In subtle and unexpected ways science and religion are approaching common if uncertain ground.

At some point as the scientific focus becomes more and more specific, as the particles examined by quantum physicists become more and more elusive, the paranormal escapes its cage of scientific incredulity.

And there lies the mystery of the paranormal. They are messages, so dense that they require unraveling before they’re understood. It’s a little scary, acknowledging that something paranormal can exist, but also an affirmation that what lies beyond consciousness has tremendous power and potential.

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O n behalf of the volunteer paranorm par anorm al investigators of PIH A , w e invite you to experience W ashington State’s am azing historical sites and m useum s like never before. PIH A has created a program process ocess of netw orking w ith local progr am unlike any other in W ashington State. Through our pr historical societies, s ocieties, m useum s and com m unity leaders, PIH A hopes to help educate the public of our state’s exciting history and the process pro cess and technology utilized in paranorm para norm al research. research .

The PIH A “G rey Team ” is m ade up of dedicated paranorm al investigators w ith a passion for history and a curiosity in the paranorm al phenom ena. O ur approach, equipm ent and procedures to paranorm al investigating are prim arily based on research researc h and logic in obtaining evidence of possible paranorm al activity.

The PIH A A pproach to Paranorm al Investigations PIH A never use m edium s, psychics or O uija B oards in our investigations. M any people w ho think that som ething paranorm al exist, physics and logic log ic can debunk. That said, occasionally PIH A obtains evidence that neither physics nor logic applies. W hen this occurs, w e classify it as paranorm al evidence and let each individual decide for him self w hat to believe or not believe.

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