The Schmidts in 2016 established National Ghost Hunting Day as the last Saturday of September, and this year’s ghost hunt was held to coincide with that. This year’s hunt happened on more than 80 properties in eight countries —the United States, Canada, Mexico, Philippines, England, India, Australia and late-addition Argentina — with the hunts monitored via computer at the command center in the historical society.
The NBC team was here from 2 p.m. that day until midnight, “and they were taken back by the beauty of the Butler County Historical Society,” Maria Schmidt said. “We couldn’t have picked a better place. It’s marvelous.”
The Today Show plans to air the segment including Butler County sometime between 9-10 a.m. on Thursday, but that may change, she was told.
“One of the experiences that they had was when we were in the parlor of the museum, we thought there was someone being rude,” stomping while walking in they foyer, during recording, she said.
“When we went back to ask them to please be a little bit more quiet, there was nobody there,” Schmidt said.
Hamilton resident Charlotte Hendrix, 55, said the event was her first ghost hunt, and she had some spiritual experiences of her own.
“We had a couple people come in who had those rods you can put in your hand — divining rods,” she said. “They were kind of crazy. Everybody was trying them and it was different for every person, because of your energy, or whatever.”
When she went into an upper room that used to be the bedroom of a woman who lived there, “as soon as I grabbed them, the one in my left hand — I’m glad I had my hand out, because the one in my left hand started spinning like crazy,” Hendrix said. “It was going around and around.”
“I was talking to the lady of the house, I said, ‘I know you’re upset that everybody’s in here. This is your home. We’re sorry we’re invading your space,’ and the more that I talked, everything calmed down, and the rods finally came to a stop,” Hendrix added.
Hendrix also helped paranormal specialists by holding a special camera, and saw a stick figure of a female spirit sitting in a chair.
By coincidence, the society has an exhibit about funeral traditions of earlier times. As part of those traditions, mirrors in the building were covered.
The ghost-hunting events have goals of raising money for historical properties, including that of Butler’s historical society. This year’s raised about $1,500 for the historical society, the organization said.
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