Deming museum is a little spooky
DEMING – A museum rich in history and with vast treasures from the past covering three f loors had Paranormal Research Investigator Ramiro Galvan licking his chops once he was given approval to investigate the DemingLuna-Mimbres Museum and the adjacent Custom House at the 300 block of South Silver Avenue.
Galvan’s team of PRI professionals and a handful of museum volunteers went on a floor-by-floor investigation of the museum and Custom House back in October of last year. Galvan came back to the museum on Jan. 13 to share his findings with the volunteers and an audience of about 75 curious community members.
“We did not come here to see if these places are haunted or to debunk experiences people have had here. We came to investigate the buildings and experience the energy that may be present,” Galvan told the audience.
Using an array of hightech equipment, Galvan and his team did a walkthrough a week before the investigation and came away with interesting findings. In the sports room that carries assorted memorabilia on the history of sports in Deming and Luna County, Galvan’s team picked up an Electronic Voice Phenomena that human ears could not detect. While the team was fixated on a Deming High School sweater that dates back to 1923, the enhanced EVP appeared to say “Sweater.”
Bessie May, a former school teacher who now has a room on the ground floor in her name, turned up an interesting request that the museum director Suzanne Stewart acted on.
Even though May’s room is on the ground floor, her portrait is on the second floor. While using the Ovilus device, Galvan’s team was able to hear words that were formulated through electromagnetic frequencies in the museum.
An Ovilus is an electronic speech-synthesis device which utters words depending on electromagnetic waves in the air, by using an EMF (electromagnetic field) Meter. The device was created specifically for research in the paranormal field.
While receiving high EMF readings at the portrait of Bessie May, the words, “Prayer,” “Brass,” “Knit” and “Chair” appeared on the Ovilus.
Upon returning to the Bessie May Room on the ground floor, it was easy to see a glass showcase containing brass religious artifacts owned by May. There was also a rocking chair that May liked to sit in while knitting.
Stewart arranged for May’s portrait to be moved to the ground floor.
Disembodied voices were registered on digital recorders on each floor of the museum that contained exhibits, including the Military Room and the Doll Room.
Galvan would not say the Museum or Custom House were haunted, but he was quite surprised with the PRI findings.
PRI has investigated the Adobe Deli on two separate occasions and now adds the Custom House and museum to its list. Galvan said he is excited to return to Deming for more possible investigations.