Mars Train Station – Investigation

Mars Train Station Investigation

May 11, 2024

Mars, PA

 

Investigation

 

Roughly twenty miles north of the relatively large metropolis of Pittsburgh, PA, the small town of Mars, PA, has a long and storied history as a thriving suburb. While the town gained a growing reputation as a commuter safe haven for blue collared workers traveling in western Pennsylvania, the Mars Train Station acted as a main hub for the town’s economic growth and success. Although the town has plenty of documented history, including that of the main strip, there also seemed to be some history lost to time. This is more than likely just the age and era of expansion of this area, but other locals claim that a darker side of the town may have been covered up, swept neatly under a proverbial rug to be ignored and eventually disappeared. None of this can be confirmed but there are plenty of stories of tragedy and incidents swirling throughout the town. Regardless, these legends and myths are just that; tales of dread and despair without any written documentation or proof.

 

The center of town was the old historic Mars Train Station which served the town, its locals, and the railroad for nearly fifty years in its original state. As with everything, the town and its surrounding area was forced to move on and grow to keep up with the ever changing sands of time. This led to the train station to be effectively closed as the railroad moved away from the area and other more modern modes of transportation overtook the growth of the railroad. This forced the station to find a new purpose: the town museum. During the renovations and construction, the old station was actually razed from its former location and transported to its current location. That may have spurred a humongous shift in energy as the construction crews physically unearthed a mummified cat and began to notice an increase in unexplainable phenomena. 

 

 

 One of the more well-known paranormal tales is that of a cat named “Chessie.” This cat has been spotted all over the town and we even believe we had an encounter with this phantom feline during a nearby investigation of the After Hours Tattoo Shop and the neighboring Social Club Grooming Company. While this cat is said to tie into the disturbance of the mummified corpse dug up during the restoration efforts, this cat actually has a long history of acting as a town pet before its disappearance (and apparent reappearance). Being that this was a simple stray cat who followed a train station employee to and from work, it wandered about the train station and nearby town of Mars while awaiting the end of his shift. One day this cat mysteriously vanished and the townspeople took notice and some of the children even mourned its departure. This story has tied into the fabric of this town so much that during our research into the other local haunts, this cat seemed to keep reappearing no matter which building we looked into in the past. We’ve been wanting to visit to its original home and see if we could gather more to this cat and just see if we could pinpoint its existence but as we dug a little further into this building, there seemed to be more tales than just a cat including the sensations of being watched from afar, phantom footsteps as if employees were being followed even though there was no one else in the building or even on the property, and even full body apparitions peeking around corners and disappearing into pure nothingness. 

 

While the documentation of all of these tales is part of our goal, we always want to dig further and deeper. We were drawn to this historic train station back during our participation in the Mars Spooktacular last year which seemed to open up some doors and give us the opportunity to explore the Mars Train Station. This allowed us to speak with locals and eventually guests to the building all of whom shared their own experiences and stories with us. These stories all helped us open our minds to any ethereal experiences we may encounter. While we had really only anticipated making contact with Chessie, our minds were completely blown by some of the intelligent activities and communication we encountered in the museum. 

 

 

We explored the entire building starting with the original entrance which we referred to as the “Middle Room.” This eventually drew us toward the large space which housed countless antiques including a large working train display on the far end and the mummy of the cat who was unearthed during the excavations in the past. This ultimately led us to the name of this room as we referred to it as the “Chessie Room.” The room on the direct left of the entrance housed even more antiques under glass cases and a large wall length passenger bench but we unintentionally bypassed any investigation of this area as we were pulled toward the back storage area. This location was not very big, not even capable of fitting the three of us inside, and was lined with old medical artifacts and provided us with the name of this location of the “Medical Room.” One vital artifact we overlooked at first was that of a tall and skinny wooden box surrounded by glass panels. This was a former chiropractor’s skeleton display case which we were informed in fact did at one time hold a skeleton. History of these cases led us to believe that it would have been a real skeleton housed here. Perhaps this thought alone did it, or perhaps there was a unique energy attached to it, but whatever it was contributed to we definitely got a rather peculiar and uneasy feeling about this case. 

 

Each area we investigated seemed to hold a different atmosphere and each changed with our time spent here. Communication was at a minimum at first but a sense of anxiety was shared amongst the group as if sharing a sense of curiosity with those who may still reside inside the museum in the afterlife. 

 

The highest levels of energy seemed to move and draw us all around the building but were focused in Chessie’s Room and the Medical Room. Both areas provided ample communication and helped guide us through conversation and unseen forces. There were a significant amount of physical interactions as investigators were touched on the hand and back as well as guided through hot locations as if telling us to follow these anomalies. 

 

While our initial goal was to interact with Chessie, our direct attempts came up empty. We did have some luck confirming his presence with a cat whimper as we mentioned his name all occurring just as a shadow was seen moving low to the ground through a trail camera. Later in the night we were told that there was a “Cat” and its name in fact, and quite incredibly, was named “Chessie.”

 

During the evening of Saturday, May 11, 2024 we had the opportunity to visit the Mars Train Station and spend some time inside this historic building with a member of the Mar Historical Society; Chris. Chris’ hospitality was second to none and gave us a full tour and access to everything on the grounds, except the caboose (which we hope to revisit some day!). She shared her experiences and tales from both historical society members and visitors who have shared their own stories with her. Even though the building was not very big, there was plenty of opportunity to utilize our full complement of equipment to attempt to cover every angle we saw fit. After a tour, an opportunity to speak with Chris, and time to plan our investigation we began roughly around 8:30 PM. Even though we did not necessarily have any specific time frame, none of us expected the investigation to last until 1:00 AM the next morning!

 

 

Our investigative team of three seemed to be a perfect fit for the space at hand. Even though she had to step away to take care of some business, Chris also actively joined us throughout the night. Our equipment list included four trail cameras set around the building, two stationary cameras which moved around with us, four K2 meters, one Phasma Box, one SB7 Spirit Box, one Rempod, one Ovilus, one Spirit Light, three recorders, one EM pump (which we set up and let run the duration of the entire evening), one FLIR thermal camera, three motion lit cat balls (obviously for Chessie), two LED flashlights, one SLS camera, and sense deprivation gear to appropriately pursue the ESTES method.

 

The energies perceived throughout the train station were ever changing and began as we stepped foot in the building with a strong sense of anxiety. These sensations altered throughout the night to include a sense of desperation and uneasiness in some areas, particularly the Medical Room, but the majority of these unquantifiable feelings were that of welcoming and curiosity. These senses also grew to physical interactions of being touched or tapped which mainly occurred in the Middle Room with a feeling of hands being held and Chessie’s Room with nudges and taps on backs and shoulders.

 

While our initial walkthrough and time spent settling in did not pull any particular investigator in any direction per se we did feel the most curiosity emanating from the Middle Room. As we attempted to open up the floor and communicate here we did not necessarily gather anything that made us believe there was any intelligent energy here. On the flip side, we gained some unnatural experiences, like the aforementioned hand caress, but also some more verbal interactions. These did not occur through any of our speech devices, rather, they built up and occurred from thin air. The first was not so much intelligence but did tie directly to this station as it sounded like a low rumbling reminiscent of that of a rolling train. We did seem to hear an EVP of a whisper of a response after we asked if they were possibly associated with the building across the street. While we could not hear this in person, upon our playback of the recording we heard what sounded like a confirmation of “Yes.” As we listened back to this with a quick on-site review, two of the investigators walked away into Chessie’s Room and discussed the cat. Almost coinciding with this moment, the investigator who was reviewing the recorder was startled with a sudden squeal. As we later debated this, ultimately we agreed that it sounded like a cat’s crying shriek as if it were startled. Luckily, we captured it on the stationary camera.

 

 

Following this moment we felt the atmosphere shift as if welcoming us into the far side room we nicknamed Chessie’s Room. After we received experiences of sporadic flashlights turning on as if some energy powered them, we deemed these unresponsive and moved onto different methods. As we shifted approaches, we heard what sounded like a faint train whistle. At this point, we gathered quite a few intelligent responses to our questions. Incredibly, after we asked if they could introduce themselves we heard a whisper which we determined to say “It was me.” We explained that we were just regular people wanting to speak with them and heard another quiet but audible response of “Okay.” To follow this, after we asked if they could make a noise, we heard a light knocking as if in response. What’s more, the group actually heard this coming from the corner of the room while spending time here. As we attempted to get them to repeat this, there was another voice which sounded like “In here.” At the time this did not mean much, but we eventually discovered that this did have purpose as we were slowly drawn out of this room and toward another. 

 

Before we moved on, however, we opted to activate the Phasma Box as we had a deep sensation that someone wanted to speak with us. It seemed our instinct was correct as the communication burst through the speech tool right away and completely unprompted describing the two investigators speaking with them with words of “Friends” and “Two.” These energies also curiously questioned our tools with a direct question of “That thing?” While we pursued their identity and reason for their appearance we did capture some names; those of the investigators asking questions of “Erin” and “Dan.” While this was fantastic in its own rite, we continued to press for their name(s) and did record the name “Ben” only to be formally identified with “Benjamin.” This interaction culminated in an interesting series of events all the while pulling the train display into the discussion. A train whistle was clearly heard by the entire group which led us to ask if they wanted us to turn the train on to which we heard a “Yeah” and, after the train stopped, the Ovilus produced an intriguing ‘Shh’ coinciding with the sudden silence. This was seemingly confirmed with a follow up verbal comment of “Train stop.” While we followed this asking if they “Shushed” the train we heard yet another train whistle. While this was the peak of communication here, perhaps most intriguing was the name of “Schmidt ” which was produced and we later learned that this was the name of the chiropractor who owned the skeleton display case and the other array of medical equipment. 

 

 

 

While all this communication tended to lean towards a remnant energy from the train station, we asked if this was Bill whose contributions led to the design and construction of the model train but were asked “Who’s Bill?” as if this was not him nor did they know him. They were aware of the cat though as we asked about Chessie and heard “The cat” and “Chessie” relating directly to their awareness of his presence on occasion. 

 

The group was in the precipice of leaving the room when there was a sudden burst of heat. We moved toward the further side of the building rather than taking our intended rest. This sudden heat flash was felt again as we moved into the small space surrounded by medical apparatuses. While at first we experienced unsettling sensations of uneasiness and anxiousness, we didn’t necessarily make any direct lines of communication. With these strong feelings and an overwhelming sense of a presence we swept through the room trying to pinpoint anything that may be creating this unseen force. We did come across a tall and thin wooden box encased with glass while a small hook was hung from the ceiling. We were informed that there was once a skeleton which hung here while displayed for a chiropractor, Dr. Schmidt. 

 

 

We took this opportunity to pursue the ESTES Method where one investigator went into sense deprivation while listening into the Spirit Box repeating anything they hear. This session was extremely fruitful and helped us identify who was with us or at least an association with the name of “Dave” as well as some details of him telling us he had a “Kid” and  “One.” While we pursued this, we were asked to “Stop” and begged “Please” as if he did not want to speak on his family. We were able to communicate with this energy surprisingly well as we heard full phrases relating possibly to his skeleton hanging in the case with “Body” and “I have come here in many pieces.” As we attempted to find out more we were told “I couldn’t breathe” and that he believes that “I’m just dust.” While we did determine he was the one making the noises earlier in the night with “Noise” and a whistling sound we were welcomed back with a calming “I’ll be around” and gently telling us that “You are always welcome.” As we wrapped up our time here, we were in awe and apparently this energy was too as we were told “A lot” and “Incredible” which he was absolutely spot on as we agreed that this entire communication was totally unmatched and an unbelievable experience!

 

We’ve attached all the recordings (some enhanced to further hear but never altered too much or fabricated by any stretch), videos from our stationary cameras and trail cameras, and some pictures from still photography as well as thermal imagery. We explain each moment and what we found and what you can listen or watch for as you scour through our findings. To add to the gathered evidence we also notated our senses and feelings that were not necessarily captured by any technology and simply experienced by the investigators. Please feel open to sending us your thoughts and opinions on any of these moments or pieces of evidence captured, we are always open to different interpretations or even confirmations to ensure we’re not (too) crazy!

 

 

As always, this is a forewarning that some content is not for the faint of heart and can be slightly explicit:

 

Middle Room

 

Upon entering the building just to the right of the main separating wall is the old main entrance. This is where travelers would enter to purchase tickets and employees of the station would distribute them. While this area has clearly transformed with the transition to a museum, the basic formation has remained the same including an elongated wooden bench for passengers to await their train. Its current form showcases artifacts from the train station and its past iterations, including the reconstruction period, as well as some other historical pieces and documentation from the town of Mars, PA. 

 

 

The supernatural occurrences notated here are unseen phantom footsteps and shadows appearing and disappearing on a whim at no particular timeframe. Some guests here claim that these are attributed to old railroad workers but others are more apt to believe this is the ever active energy of the town cat. This has even reached the extent of some who enter the building to greet this phantom feline with a “Hi Chessie.”

 

Our investigation began here and we were initially under the interpretation that there was nothing intelligent here but during our first attempt at communicating we were touched on the hand. We also had a general overarching feeling that someone was sitting back watching us as if curious or even slightly anxious. This is understandable with all the tools we brought which would have definitely been new to whoever was here. As we pushed on, we captured some pretty incredible EVP (electronic voice phenomena) which were heard after we played our recorder back and dove into our review process extensively. These voices were not made through any speech devices, rather, they emanated from nothingness of the open air. These words and noises were all seemingly tied to the old train and its main stay in this station. Incredibly, as we mentioned Chessie’s name, there was a cry out of a cat as if it was scared. At this point, we had already prepared to move over into Chessie’s Room

 

Photos:

 

• Below is the attached still of a video frame showing the shadow moving to the left. This shadow occurred as we were talking about Chessie and was reminiscent of the size of a cat.

 

 

 

Recording 1 – EVP 1:

 

 

• During our first timeframe here, we noted an odd humming which reminded us of a train off in the distance churning along the track. This occurred at :07 and lasted until :15.

 

Recording 2 – EVP 2:

 

 

• Incredibly, we captured a word from out of thin air at :14 which sounded like a response of “Yes” to our question whether they were associated with the building next door.

 

Recording 3 – Video Clip 1:

 

 

• This moment, captured on video, was extracted and isolated for further review. To us, this sounds like the yelping of a cat as if it was startled.

 

Recording 4 – Video Clip 1 Enhanced:

 

 

• This cat’s yelp was enhanced for yet another attempt to confirm this shriek. 

 

Video 1 – Trail Camera 1:

 

• At the bottom left of the screen, right away, a black shadow could be seen moving away from the camera. In our opinion, this was the size of a cat and occurred as we heard the cat’s yelp.

 

 

Video 2 – Trail Camera 2:

 

• A similar shadow, seen at the bottom left immediately as the camera rolled, also seems to be attributed to Chessie.
• At :03, a light anomaly could be spotted moving about at the top left of the screen.

 

 

Video 3 – Stationary Camera 1:

 

• The entirety of our first investigation session could be seen here but the only thing truly out of the ordinary was the sound of a cat’s cry at 26:34 which we have also pulled out in the recordings above.

 

 

Video 4 – Stationary Camera 2:

 

• There was nothing noted out of the ordinary during this timeframe.

 

 

Chessie Room

 

On the far right of the building’s main entrance is a large, open room featuring even more locomotive and train station relics and artifacts from the area. In the center of the room is a small, old railroad car which was donated to the museum and is in spectacular condition. At the very end of the room is an extremely detailed and quite spectacular scaled display of the town and its layout. This was all designed and constructed by a founding member of the historical society who is no longer with us but was certainly a predominant member of this small tight knit community. From the diorama, circling around the train station equipment in the center, on the far side of the wall is the mummified remains of Chessie himself! This is quite a sight and the sensation you get first looking at this macabre display can be slightly unsettling but the true meaning of his presence is endearing and somewhat humbling.

 

 

While there are some minimal tales of unusual or, more commonly referenced, unexplained activity occurring in this area it seems that the majority of these phenomena stretch throughout the entire building. It’s not known at this point but it is very possible that these energies may also span across the entire property including the caboose and the storage building across the parking lot. Regardless of those unknowns, the shadows of men and a smaller and fast moving shadow has been spotted here; like that of a cat. It’s rumored that the hobo who perished in the ice cold winter years back makes this location an eternal home or, at the least, a stop on his endless route.

 

As we finished up our previous investigative session in the Middle Room we collectively felt a change in the energy as if we were finally being welcomed in here. Although we attempted some flashlights and EVP methods the most active piece of equipment was the Phasma Box. The paranormal phenomena stretched from train whistles to knocks but most useful was the verbal communication we had with this unidentified energy. While this energy guided us directly to the diorama and the model train display they also owned the fault of the previously heard noises. The intelligence was confirmed for us as further knocking was paired up with our request to do so as well as a reference of the two investigators standing and speaking with them and their names. This continued as this energy utilized the tool to ironically ask about the tool. We were asked to run the train, and did so, but this may have been much too loud and we were given a librarian-esque shush while we were told to make the train stop. This could have been directed toward the noise or that this location was in fact a train stop. With all of this, we at first believed it was the former historical society member who built the display, however, we were seemingly told it wasn’t as they did not recognize the name. Following this we did seem to pull an identity of someone as we were told two iterations of the same name: “Ben” and “Benjamin.”  It is unknown how he is related to the property but almost immediately our focus shifted as we heard the name “Schmidt” who was in fact the chiropractor who owned the skeleton display in the Medical Room. Before we closed up here and moved along to our next location, we found out that this energy here was aware of the mummified cat who is said to roam inside these walls with both the name of the animal and its name: “Chessie.” As we packed up to move along, we were hit with a sudden burst of heat which occurred again as we moved across the building as if we were being led.

 

Photos:

 

• We’ve attached a few of the light anomalies spotted through the trail cameras and shared them as screen captures of each moment.

 

 

 

 

• The below screen captures of moments when the lights seemed to turn on inside the diorama on their own.

 

 

Recording 1 – EVP 1:

 

 

• Prior to this clip, our investigators began to feel a cold spot move about the room. At about :18, unprompted, we heard another voice which sounded reminiscent of a whistling off in the distance.

 

Recording 2 – EVP 2:

 

 

• After we asked if they could introduce themselves, we heard a whispering voice claim that “I did” and “It was me” at :09 but this did not lead us any further toward our answers, rather, we felt as though they were taking responsibility for the noises earlier in the night.

 

Recording 3 – EVP 3:

 

 

• While we explained that we’re just normal people, we heard a scoffing “Okay” at :14 as if they did not at all trust us.

 

Recording 4 – EVP 4:

 

 

• After we asked if they could make a noise, there was in fact a light knocking heard in person and at :14 in this clip.
• We asked if they could make that noise again and we heard another whispering voice from the other room claiming that they’re “In here” at :57.

 

Recording 5 – Phasma Box 1:

 

 

• Unprompted and almost immediately we heard a string of words and sayings starting with “Terrible” at :03 then “Keep looking” at :08, ending with the name of “Theresa” at :38.

 

Recording 6 – Phasma Box 2:

 

 

• As one investigator stepped out of the room, two individuals continued to press for answers and get the conversation on some relevant track (pun intended). At :15, there was an exclamation of “They’re friends” as if pinpointing the two remaining investigators.
• At :22, we heard the number “Two” as both investigators felt touched almost at the same time and this response relates directly to them and their shared sensation.
• While the Phasma Box continued to run with its reverberations heard in the background, we heard a comment relating to this device with a curious sounding question of “That thing?” at 1:14.

 

Recording 7 – Phasma Box 3:

 

 

• While we believe we were speaking with someone else, at this point we may have overheard some type of residual communication in reference to the next room, the Medical Room.
• This began with “Come in” at :02 followed by “Next patient” at :07.

 

Recording 8 – Phasma Box 4:

 

 

• We continued to attempt to gather a name and after asking them this request directly, we heard a response of “If there’s a really good reason” at :06.
• As we discussed this previous statement and that it seemed to be a full sentence, we heard someone confirming this with “Absolutely” at :11 then again with “Mhm” at :18.

 

Recording 9 – Phasma Box 5:

 

 

• We continued to communicate and we were partially stunned by all of the information being produced by the Phasma Box and heard a question at this point of “Is that weird to you?” at :01.
• The interruption coming from the Medical Room continued with the word “Bone” at :13.

 

Recording 10 – Phasma Box 6:

 

 

• As one of the investigators re-entered the conversation, she was greeted with “Back” at :02 followed by her name produced at :09 with “Erin.”
• Once again, we transitioned back to getting an identity and asked for their name to which we heard “Haven’t seen a lot” at :28 as if they were surprised we continued to speak with them when no one else had directly attempted this.
• Luckily, we were persistent and once again asked who we were speaking to and this time we captured the name “Ben” at :45.
• We attempted to gain Ben’s last name as well but heard a confused statement of “I do not know” at :53.
• The word “Livery” was captured at 1:01 and even though we were unaware at the time, the property behind this station was once the home to a local livery.
• We tried to figure out what this was but were told “Don’t worry about it” at 1:24.

 

Recording 11 – Phasma Box 7:

 

 

• As we reverted back to our questioning of their identity, we tried to get them to repeat their name so we could be certain of who we were speaking with and, at :04, we recorded a different iteration of the name ‘Ben’ with “Benjamin.”
• We referred to this energy directly and pleaded for them to come talk to us to which we heard a single word being questioned toward us with “Investigating?” at :08.
• Following this, we introduced ourselves again and, as one particular investigator was speaking, we heard a greeting directed at him with “Hello” at :42 then his name spoken back to him at :53 with “Dan.”
• The entire group was in awe and this energy seemed to also notice with the word “Intrigued” at 1:11.

 

Recording 12 – Phasma Box 8:

 

 

• Following some silence, the conversation continued with an exuberant “This is fun” at :01 but jumping back into a seemingly deeper subject with “Have a secret” heard at :04.
• We followed up on this and asked what their secret was and heard an odd phrase of “Public Work” at :19 as if to turn our attention to their profession or perhaps a certain artifact in the room.
• After we took this as a sign that they worked on the railroad, we asked if they could confirm this and heard “That sound” at :42 possibly relating to the noise we heard earlier in the night.
• With this, we directly asked if they were the one who was making that sound we heard and received another confirmation of this at 1:09 with an informal “Yup.”
• This was followed immediately with “The sound” at 1:10 and two more times of confirming this with “Yeah” at 1:11 and 1:15.

 

Recording 13 – Phasma Box 9:

 

 

• As we attempted to pursue the one who was making the noises we heard someone placing blame on someone who was “Out there” at :12.

 

Recording 14 – Phasma Box 10:

 

 

• We thought this could be related to the formal historical society member and diorama constructor so, naturally, we asked if this was Bill. At :01 we heard a question of “Bill?” followed by a further question of “Bill, who?” :07. We took this as enough to say Bill was not present here.

 

Recording 15 – Phasma Box 11:

 

 

• In referring back to the diorama, we asked if they’d like us to turn the model train on to which we heard a train whistle at :02.
• We still tried to question if this was Bill and asked if they built the train but we’re also afraid we were a little too vague here and did not specifically ask about the model train. We did hear a “Yeah” at :40 and our thought here is that this was in reference more so to someone who worked on the large, real trains and not the model train.
• After the model train stopped, the Ovilus produced the noise ‘Shh’ at :50.
• Continuing to relate to the model train we heard the phrase “Train stop” at :57.
• We asked if they shushed the train and another train whistle was heard at 1:08.

 

Recording 16 – Phasma Box 12:

 

 

• A strange combination of words was heard here, unprompted. The first occurred at :12 with “I’ve got equipment.” This was perhaps in reference to all the tools in the Medical Room. 
• The next word was actually a name: “Schmidt” heard at :44. We later found out that a chiropractor named Dr. Schmidt owned quite a few of the tools in the Medical Room including the skeletal display case.

 

Recording 17 – Phasma Box 13:

 

 

• After allowing the energy to just build up and letting them speak their minds, we heard “There is a cat” at :01 then “Inside” at :04. We believe this is in reference to Chessie inside this building.
• This was followed by “Selection” at :06 and “Dust” at :10.
• Another pair of words was captured here starting with “Dollar” at :12 then “Map” at :18.

 

Recording 18 – Phasma Box 14:

 

 

• Our attention turned back to the model train as we asked if they wanted us to turn it on once more. At :07 we heard “He really does” as if this energy believed someone else wanted it turned on.
• We attempted to get this re-confirmed and asked once again if they wanted us to turn the train on and heard a whisper of “Yeah” at :13 and, incredibly, this was not heard through the Phasma Box rather it emanated from the open air.
• As we continued and Chris mentioned that trains drive by every night, we asked if they hear the trains when they pass by and heard “The others” at :34.
• We asked once again if they wanted us to turn the trains on and heard an almost complaint of “Really loud” at :57. To us, it seemed as though they liked the train but they did not like the noise it produced.
• After asking if they no longer wanted us to turn the train on, we heard “We’ll see” at 1:09 as if they were still unsure.

 

Recording 19 – Phasma Box 15:

 

 

 

• As one of the investigators looked intently in the back corner, they thought they saw a shadow. As we discussed this we heard “In back” at :05 as if notating where they saw this shadow.
• We discussed with Chris if we talked about, or to, the cat and we heard “It was her” at :43 then a sarcastic “Great” at :43 as if exhausted with the talk about the presence of a cat.

 

Recording 20 – Phasma Box 16:

 

 

• Strangely, perhaps in reference to the chiropractor or the skeleton from the Medical Room, we heard “Flea” at :01 and “To Texas” at :02.

 

Recording 21 – Phasma Box 17:

 

 

• At this point we spoke more about the mummified town cat of Chessie. We discussed the location of his body and heard “Over the door” at :07.
• A strange phrase of “On top of art” was then captured at :09 but we’re unsure as to what this referenced.
• We then heard “That way” at :32 then a command of “Go” at :52 and “Get out” at :56 all seeming to point us out of this room and toward the Middle Room or Medical Room.

 

Recording 22 – Phasma Box 18:

 

 

• Amazingly, as we continued to talk about the cat and how it pertained to this energy, we heard a phrase naming the feline with “Chessie the cat” at :03.
• We asked if they would like to discuss the cat and heard the name “Chessie” again at :15.

 

Recording 23 – Phasma Box 19:

 

 

• Our focus stayed on the cat and asked if whoever was with us could tell us about the cat and heard “In the morning” at :10.
• The next two phrases seemed to tie together and tell us that Chessie was still around with us now. The first was “There’s a cat” at :15 and the second was “Look around” at :20.

 

Video 1 – Trail Camera 1:

 

• There was an odd light anomaly moving in the lower right of this clip at about :08. This could not be explained or accounted for.

 

 

Video 2 – Trail Camera 2:

 

• At the right side of the table, a similar light could be seen moving here at :02.

 

 

Video 3 – Trail Camera 3:

 

• This secondary view showed a strange light seemingly turning on inside the model train on the right at :04.

 

 

Video 4 – Trail Camera 4:

 

• A similar scenario transpired here as a light turned on at the right side of the model train at about :03.

 

 

Video 5 – Trail Camera 5:

 

• Inside the diorama on the left side, perhaps inside this model train, another light could be seen turning on at :03.

 

 

Video 6 – Stationary Camera 1:

 

• During this period, the flashlights could be seen turning on and off. We did deem this as inconclusive, though, after no appropriate baseline was managed to be gathered.

 

 

Video 7 – Stationary Camera 2:

 

• Nothing visual was noted here, but at 3:20, Dan could be seen and heard getting a sudden chill as we investigated this area.

 

 

Video 8 – Stationary Camera 3:

 

• Once again, the flashlights were witnessed turning on and off but this too was deemed inconclusive.

 

 

Video 9 – Stationary Camera 4:

 

• While nothing visual was recorded during this time, there are two separate occasions of strange noises which were unexplainable to us. The first occurred at 15:30 with a sound as if someone were tinkering with the camera itself.
• The second noticeable oddity was an odd noise as if something were being moved around. This could be heard at 16:50.

 

 

Medical Room

 

To the left of the main entrance and the public spaces, through a doorway and around a sudden turn this small room is filled with storage materials. Upon a closer look at these items, they are all medically linked. The most predominant feature in this small space looms over everything from the equipment to the diagrams. It is a simple wood framed box with see through glass panels situated in the back corner behind the central chair. Not a lot is known about this box but we were informed that it did hold a skeleton at one time by the chiropractor who utilized this display box, Dr. Schmidt.

 

 

Not much has been talked about regarding this area about any activity whatsoever. As a matter of fact, there is an ‘Employees Only’ sign ad chain which blocks this area off to the public.

 

We never set out to spend much time in this area. We simply wanted to poke our heads in and explore this space. Once we did, though, we felt a similar surge of heat that we felt right after our time in Chessie’s Room. Initially we simply felt a bit anxious, as if we didn’t want to turn our back to that corner where the skeletal box rests. We could not pinpoint any other objects in this room which gave us these sensations so our focus turned toward this container and attempted an ESTES method for this leg of the investigation which includes one investigator being fully engulfed in sense deprivation. This area was the furthest thing from our minds when we began but with all of the information gathered here, this Medical Room was the most active during our entire night. We were given everything from the identity of this individual, “Dave,” to his family, even though we were asked to turn our focus elsewhere. The intelligence here was seemingly off the charts as we captured full phrases referring to this energy and the skeletal container and explaining that his former body was brought here not as a whole but rather “In many pieces.” There was then an apparent description of how he passed away but to solidify this presence from earlier in the night we were told that he made those prior knocking noises followed by another loud whistling. With all of this being very heavy and emotional we were very grateful for his final responses welcoming us back and even commenting on the fact that this entire time frame was “Incredible!”

 

Photos:

 

• There was nothing witnessed out of the ordinary visually speaking during our time here, however, we attached a closer image of the skeletal display box for observation.

 

 

Recording 1 – Transcription 1:

 

 

• There was not much captured here aside from us describing the warm spot that was felt right at the threshold of this room.

 

Recording 2 – ESTES 1:

 

 

• This ESTES Method was attempted with one investigator under the sense deprivation while listening to the Spirit Box and two investigators were strewn about the room asking questions. This provided quite phenomenal interactions and nearly every word and moment the investigator believed he heard through the Spirit Box was also recorded and backed up by the Spirit Box also being hooked directly up to a voice recorder.
• As we were drawn here with multiple warm spots we started simply by asking if they were in the other rooms of the building guiding us to this location. At :11, the word “Noise” was heard as if notating one of the other methods they used to pull us here.
• At this point the pair discussed the noises heard earlier in the night as we heard “Me” at :50 as if this energy was taking responsibility for them.
• One of the investigators, Erin, asked for their name and at 1:13 “You” was captured. This same word of “You” was repeated at 1:17 and was seemingly directed at the other investigator, Dan, as in their intent to speak to someone else.

 

Recording 3 – ESTES 2:

 

 

• After some silence, the other investigator, Dan, stepped forward and asked if they preferred to speak with him instead. Early on here he could be heard commenting on his neck feeling as if it were touched. This occurred around :05.
• We heard “Me” at :17 through the Spirit Box but this was not caught by the investigator in sense deprivation at the time. It’s believed that this was the energy who was touching Dan here.
• At :29 we heard a conflicting “No” after we asked if they touched him.
• “Please don’t” was heard here at :32 but it is unknown what this was in reference to other than simply being acknowledged.

 

Recording 4 – ESTES 3:

 

 

• We asked how long they’d been waiting to speak to someone about their issues and heard a somewhat confused voice ask “Umm, what?” at :27 followed by “That’s right” at :43 after we repeated this.

 

Recording 5 – ESTES 4:

 

 

• At the onset of this clip, around :02, a whistling can be heard.
• We explained that we wanted to give them the opportunity to speak with us and heard, incredibly and unexpectedly, the name of “Dave” at :10.
• This was followed by “Body” at :18 and we believe that this is referring to his body which may have been hanging from the skeleton display case.

 

Recording 6 – ESTES 5:

 

 

• With this gathered information, we asked if he had any association with that display box and heard “For a moment” at :20. Being that the skeleton was no longer hanging here, we wonder if this recalls his body’s temporary home.
• While the investigator under the sense deprivation did not hear it at the time, the name “Dave” was repeated through the Spirit Box at :27 and :34.
• After some brief silence, the word “Now” was captured at :54.
• With this we asked if we could call Dave by his first name and heard a confirmation of “Go on” at 1:47.

 

Recording 7 – ESTES 6:

 

 

• The word “German” was heard by the sense deprived investigator but the Spirit Box provided a little more with “Speak German” at :01.
• With that we attempted to dig into his heritage and asked directly if he was German but instead we received a response of “Kid” at :35 and “Happy” at :37 perhaps to talk about what made him happy during his life.
• After asking if he had kids, the number “One” was heard at :43.
• We attempted to continue digging here and asked if his kid was a boy or girl and instead of an answer we heard a command of “Don’t” at 1:03 followed by “Please” at 1:06 as if to ask us to keep his personal life out of the equation.

 

Recording 8 – ESTES 7:

 

 

• Unsure where to take this conversation, Dan suddenly felt touched once again around :12.
• We explained that we only wanted to be respectful and did not mean any disrespect by asking about his kids and once again we heard his name, “Dave” at :24.
• At this, we heard what sounded like “Wake up” at :32. Perhaps we were overhearing a past life event when Dave passed on and his child was trying to wake him up, however, that is all purely speculation to this point.

 

Recording 9 – ESTES 8:

 

 

• We explained that he deserved more respect and we began to hear a word by word phrase starting with “I” at :37 then “Have” at :50 followed by “Come here” at 1:00 but this paused.
• At that, we explained that we’d very much like him to finish that thought so he continued with “Many” at 2:05 ending with “Pieces” at 2:35.
• Put this all together and we were told: “I have come here in many pieces” which to us makes perfect sense if he truly was hanging in the skeletal display box.

 

Recording 10 – ESTES 9:

 

 

• As the two investigators were in awe of this, we exasperatedly proclaimed this with ‘No way’ then took ourselves back and apologized after we realized the gravity of the phrase and situation. At :08 we were told to “Stop it.”
• At :12, we heard “Don’t” so we asked ‘Don’t what?’ to which we heard a continuation of “Apologize” at :22.

 

Recording 11 – ESTES 10:

 

 

• We paused and told him that he’s doing an amazing job with communication and heard “Problem” at :06 which continued with “Here” at :23. Put these together and we gathered that the problem is that he was here with the box he more than likely despised.

 

Recording 12 – ESTES 11:

 

 

• We asked if it was difficult to speak like this but instead we received a single word of “I” at :15 followed by another string of words of “Couldn’t” at :23 and “Breathe” at 1:05. This all combined to “I couldn’t breathe” and our best guess is that this was how this energy left the worldly plane.
• As we repeated this and asked if they could not breathe we heard a direct response of “No” at :47.
• After asking if this was the case and this was how they died, we captured another strange string of words beginning with “Realized” at 1:27 then “I’m just” at 1:32 ending with “Dust” at 1:53. Again, we put this together to read “Realized I’m just dust” as if to tell us he believes he’s nothing more than dead and lost to time.

 

Recording 13 – ESTES 12:

 

 

• The team was emotionally drained to top that off this was extremely a sad and heartbreaking moment but immediately breaking some silence was an apology of “Sorry” at :17.
• We again noted how crazy this amount of communication was and heard “For” at :21 as if to continue this thought and why he was sorry but it’s possible he was sorry for what was next; his request to stop.
• At 1:11 we heard “Done.” 
• We took this as he was done speaking, once again, to Erin. As Dan asked if he would speak with him, we captured “You” at 1:37.
• As we attempted to confirm this, Dan asked if he would talk to him. We heard “Me” at 1:41.
• We put these last two words together of “You” and “Me” and believed that he wanted to connect with Dan.

 

Recording 14 – ESTES 13:

 

 

• Right away we captured the word “Strange” through the Spirit Box but not in the moment. 
• We then heard “Fell” at :02 and “Fall” at :08.
• After we asked if he was talking about how he died we heard “Right now” at :20 then “I need help” at :21.
• In turn, we heard “I’ll be around” at :31 as if he wasn’t planning on going anywhere.
• With that, we asked if he would like us to find out what happened to his body and return to tell him. We then captured “Get back” at 1:02 as if he did in fact want us to return.
• Another name of “Barbara” was captured through the Spirit Box but not in person. This occurred at 1:04.
• The word “Home” was then captured at 1:10 but it’s unknown what this is referencing. Perhaps he now calls this place home.
• We circled back to our last question and if they would like us to return after we found some information about his body. At 1:32 we heard the beginnings of another stretch of communication with “You are” continued with “Always” at 2:24. As this dragged out we asked what we were to which we heard “Welcome” at 2:27. Again, to put this together was a warm and incredible offer of “You are always welcome.”

 

Recording 15 – ESTES 14:

 

 

• We explained how thankful we were for his communication and heard the response of “Welcome” right away at :01.
• Once again, we gave him a ‘Thank you’ and captured “You’ve” at :37 followed by “Done” at :48 and finally “A lot” at :55. Once more, we put this all together to produce a very confident and seemingly satisfied comment of “You’ve done a lot.”
• As we were in complete awe, our last moment captured was a sole word of “Incredible” at 1:01. We completely agree that this entire experience truly was undeniably incredible.

 

Video 1 – Stationary Camera 1:

 

• We captured the initial communication attempt here and, although off camera, the cat ball was seen by the team moving around 1:30.

 

 

Video 2 – Stationary Camera 2:

 

• The ESTES Method investigation was captured during this time span but nothing visually out of the ordinary was witnessed here.

 

 

Caboose

 

Just outside the train station, across a pair of train tracks, is a refurbished old classic red caboose. This has been used for tours as a representation of what once was used and stored here. At the moment, there is quite a bit of work being done mainly in the form of painting and upkeep. In order to access this representation of the past, visitors must ascend a staircase which leads to the rear entry of the train car. Peering through the windows, guests can observe the living quarters and some seating situated to the rear of the car.

 

There are not any stories to tell of this area but there is never a large amount of guests or employees here to really experience or document anything abnormal.

 

While this train car was not unlocked and accessible to us, we did venture up here to get a look at the historical value and beauty of the caboose. While we made two separate ventures up here, the sensation was the same, at the exact same spot. We felt extremely uneasy and some investigators did not even want to walk up the staircase. These feelings began at the base of the stairs and really persisted until we moved away from the train car and back across the train tracks. We hope we can spend some time here in the future but for now it’s simply left as unexplainable notions.

 

Photos:

 

• We’ve attached a few images of this Caboose even though we did not investigate this location.

 

 

 

After we conducted our paranormal investigation of the Mars Train Station we dove into all of the recorded and videotaped evidence. We were able to pair these up with our own personal experiences and sensations throughout the night to verify some of our sixth senses. We documented the tales which have been rumored to occur in this train station and as we are able to compile our evidence to combine it with these stories, we are able to both verify and expand upon them. Thanks to these incredible phenomena we both experienced and captured, we have been able to conclude that the historic train station turned museum in the center of Mars, PA holds high levels of unexplainable energies and a home to strange, otherworldly phenomena. These all lead us to believe that the remnant energy holds a strong tie to the property but more so the artifacts and relics displayed and stored here leading them to be tied to this building or property for an eternity.

 

While we experienced quite the array of activity, we have confidence that we encountered at least two intelligent energies and perhaps one or two residual energies which coalesce on this property. The intelligent communication we received appeared to stem from the railroad with a man named, or associated with, “Ben” or “Benjamin.” This was apparent through the main Middle Room reaching toward Chessie’s Room. The second energy seemed to be much stronger and much more willing to speak as if he simply wanted to find out about his whereabouts. This intelligence was felt all throughout the building but mainly back in the Medical Room where we believe he is tied to the skeletal display box. From what we gathered, he was brought to this place after his passing and already as human remains. He was seemingly on display as a skeleton against his wishes. His name was “Dave.” The more residual sensations are that of the cat, Chessie, whose mummified remains are still encased in a glass box. This presence was seen in moving shadows and even in phantom feline cries. Others seem to be tied to the train station itself. While it’s unknown whose energies these may be, it does appear as though it’s more in relation to the former station employees still working beyond their lifetimes. 

 

 

The aforementioned communication slowly built up over time and began very minimally. It would be understandable, and probably quite the understatement, to say that these energies were confused by our intrusion, intent, and our (somewhat) strange devices. At first, there was a sense of anxiety shared between some investigators. Perhaps this was the first sign that these energies were here and slightly concerned about us coming in at an odd time and bringing in otherworldly devices. Things seemed to emotionally shift as we felt an overwhelming sense of being welcomed into Chessie’s Room which is when the communication tended to truly pick up. Aside from these pseudo senses, there were moments of physical touches of these energies as they seemingly came close to us then back off. There were cold caresses of hands in the Middle Room and touches to the back and neck in Chessie’s Room. These physical changes in energy culminated in the hot spots drawing us out of Chessie’s Room into the Medical Room.

 

Some of the tales of the paranormal here seemed to make themselves known but even more intriguing questions have come to light. The shadows, we believe we experienced both Chessie’s small and nimble outline as well as a tall lurking train station employee peering in on us from afar. Chessie again made himself known with a shrieking meow while another stronger entity was able to create loud knocks prior to openly speaking with us. The draw into the Medical Room with that skeletal display box looming was the newest addition to these tales, not to mention the name that was seemingly associated with it; “Dave.” The lurking station employee also provided us with two different forms of the same name of “Ben” and “Benjamin” perhaps drawing attention to this other energy form as well.

 

 

The opportunity to spend an evening in the Mars Train Station left a significant impact on us knowing that we were the first trusted paranormal investigative team to actively investigate this historic location. We cannot express how thankful we are for this chance to investigate here and learn more about the building and the town itself. Our thanks are fully extended to the Mars Historical Society and Chris who gave us access to the property and even actively joined in with our time spent here. Our personal experiences and evidence were truly profound and with this we hope we can add to the history of the train station, the town, and even some of the artifacts remaining inside the Mars Train Station. The goal of investigating these historical sites is to truly help preserve history and the stories shared about it. If that simply means there’s a tale we shared here that we can continue to document that is enough for us. But some of our interactions included newly found pieces of history like names and details, those of people who felt like this area was their true home, even at the onset of death that were once lost to the sands of time.