We were contacted by General Butler State Park in 2013 to investigate their historic Butler Turpin home. The restored home was built in 1859 right before the civil war by Major Thomas Langford Butler recognized for his service in the War of 1812. Major Butler's daughter, Mary Ellen lived in the home with her husband, Philip Turpin. Mr. Turpin was from a prominent American family and they had 8 children. It is estimated that three generations of slaves lived on the property and they are also buried on the property. The Butler family emancipated their slaves before the civil war and most stayed with the family as servants.
Major Thomas Butler's younger brother was General William Orlando Butler, the man for whom General Butler State Resort Park is named. He also fought in the war of 1812 and was a democratic congressman.
The home has a summer kitchen and the family cemetery and slave cemetery is a short walk away. The majestic home sits on top of a hill with views over the park. It is well preserved and is frequently toured by park visitors and school field trips. The tour guide had many experiences and seemed to have a great relationship with the spirits in the home. There were claims of apparitions, disembodied voices, objects being moved and lights turning on when no one was in the building.
On our first visit, our tour guide, Paula, led us upstairs to the office to show us a picture they had captured of a figure walking down the trail behind the house (shown below). We were then led to the attic to attempt an EVP session. As we came back down the stairs, one of our investigators noticed that both pictures had been flipped over in the exact place they were. We know for a fact that we were the only ones in the house and none of us flipped those pictures over before we walked up the stairs.
