Located on the campus of Western Oregon University is Todd Hall, which is said to be haunted by the ghost of Jessica Todd, the school’s first Dean of Women and Supervisor of dormitory living when the building was originally constructed in 1912 as a women’s residence hall. Todd Hall was the first student dormitory built on the school’s campus. Jessica Todd is said to have been very strict, she looked over the girls that stayed in the dormitory and the adjacent Senior Cottage and it is said that she refused to allow men in to the dorm except for Sunday brunch. The building is no longer a dorm, today it is home to the psychology and modern language departments. Her spirit is said to still reside in both Todd Hall and the Cottage.

Male staff members have reportedly experienced being “pushed” as they leave the building after dark, and some members of security staff have admitted feeling uncomfortable and unwelcome inside the building while performing routine nightly inspections.

OPHIR was contacted by a private citizen concerned about strange occurrences and feelings of oppression in her home. She reported a sense of uneasiness, especially in her bedroom. She also reported seeing objects being moved and herself being physically “touched” or pushed by a presence in the home.

We did not observe or experience anything paranormal in the residence or on the property while we were there but we did record extremely high EMF (Electro Magnetic Field) frequency levels in the home, particularly in the master bedroom (where most of the feelings of oppression were reported). Though there is little research about the dangers of exposure to high EMF levels in the U.S., Swedish researchers have set a standard at a maximum exposure of 2.5mG. The electric panel “breaker box” for the entire home was found to be located in the master bedroom, and giving off readings that fluctuated between 23, 67, and 100+mG. Less than 3 ft. away from her pillow was an alarm clock that gave off fluctuating readings between 60 and 70mG.

We also found that the seals on the many windows had failed in this same room and that there was a presence of mold and mildew in on and around the windowsills. We advised the client to contact the property owner and ask that he either fix the problems or for her to move as this was not a safe environment in which to raise young children.

OPHIR investigated Engelberg's Antiks at 148 Liberty Street in Salem in November of 2008. Engelberg's is an antique mall housed in one of the oldest buildings in downtown Salem. Reportedly there is a spirit of a Native American male who is said to occupy the rear section of the store. Potentially, an antique shop could be a place where both residual and intelligent energies could be attracted to, being drawn to objects that were once loved and valued during physical life.

During our investigation of Engelberg’s we did not experience any paranormal phenomena ourselves, but there was a considerable amount of ambient noise from cars and passerby’s on the outside downtown street and driveway/parking lot out back, we plan to visit Engelberg's Antiks again in the near future…if they’ll have us.