Today, the ruins of the Emery farm are hidden by tangles of shrubbery and overgrown with vines. In 1942, the wartime measures act allowed the government to expropriate this farm, along with many others as a training base for troops going overseas. The war ended, and the government kept the land. Over the years, the old farm became a favourite attraction for parents and children alike. Each summer, we'd trudge to pick cherries, plums, and pears. We'd compete with the hornets for the pears, dashing up to a tree, grabbing two or three pears and rushing back to drop them into our sacks. In the fall I remember hauling home pillowcases crammed full of apples. Of course, the deserted fieldstone house drew children like a magnet. I remember we would cautiously explore each room, then climb the rickety steps to the attic. Afterwards, we would dare each other to climb down the steep stairs into the dark dank basement. I don't remember anybody who was that brave, but it did make for some very scary stories around the campfires at night..

Every investigation into a haunting starts with a submission; you or someone else has experienced something and reported what you saw/felt/heard to someone for the purpose of delving deeper into the details and possible explanation for the experience. In addition to an on-site, hands full of equipment and mind open to possibility, type of investigation it is crucial to have the details one already "knows" to be fact. That's where the research element blossoms.

The first, and easiest, step is to identify the location. Get an exact address. It is possible to start with just a street address, but it doesn't stop there. Every address has a location, described in the title or deed, that give an exact geographical location of the property. To effectively get background information, that is a must in your notes.