NORTH SMITHFIELD – In a house on Greenville Road, the residents say they sometimes hear footsteps.
Doors slam at random, and sometimes, they’ll smell the sudden odor of tobacco.
Now, their story, and other local tales of possible ghosts, have been documented as a part of town history.
The North Smithfield Heritage Association now has a Paranormal Research Team looking into such reports of the unknown. The group is led by Keith Mansen of Woonsocket, founder of Daytime Paranormal RI, who has developed extensive experience working regionally with other well-known paranormal researchers.
NSHA President Richard Keene notes the effort began over the past four years while his organization was taking photos of North Smithfield homes for their annual calendar. Keene said several property owners told members about strange happenings in the houses.
“We thought we should document the stories for posterity,” Keene said.
This year, the NSHA has ramped up the effort, working with Mansen to visit homes where residents report unusual phenomenons. The team first makes a video recording of an interview with the property owner, then attempts to contact the ghost, also recording that effort before filing a written report.
“The recording and the report are stored in the NSHA archives,” Keene said. “Subsequently, team members do genealogical and land evidence research on prior owners, if possible to try to identify the ghosts.”
The PRT’s first investigation took place at the house on Greenville Road, where a psychic had reportedly told the current owners they had several spirits in residence.
After NRI NOW published information on the effort, more homeowners came forward with requests for investigations. The team recently completed an investigation at a house near Union Square.
“We’re trying to confirm a date for one in Slatersville,” Keene said.
Anyone who would like to document their ghost story or schedule an investigation should contact the NSHA at nsha@nsheritageassn.org.
