Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park
Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park Investigation
April 24, 2021 Prairie Grove, AR High: 64 degrees F Low: 46 degrees F Clear/Sunny
Sunset: 7:59 p.m. Moon Phase: Waxing Gibbous
Team Members: Seth, Lindsay, Kylee, Dwayne, Michelle, and Jason
Areas of Focus: Morrow House, Latta House, and Borden House
On Saturday April 24, the ORB Paranormal Team set out to investigate at Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park in Prairie Grove, AR. We were honored to have exclusive access to three buildings and park grounds - something that is not often granted to private groups.
Methodology: We divided into three teams of two (Seth/Kylee, Dwayne/Michelle, Lindsay/ Jason) and planned to rotate between the Morrow House, Latta House, and Borden House. Several pieces of equipment were staged in the houses, discussed below. Audio and video recording equipment, several types of spirit boxes, EMF detectors, and a variety of REM pods were used in each location.
History: Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park is the location of the most decisive Civil War engagement in Arkansas. On December 7, 1862 twenty thousand Federal and Confederate troops clashed in a single-day battle that largely determined the future of the war in the state. After darkness fell and ended the fighting, cries of injured soldiers echoed across the hazy battlefield. Ultimately, just over 2,500 men lost their lives in this single day of brutality. Over 150 years later, the scar this battle left on the landscape hasn't fully healed. Visitors and staff have reported ghostly gun and cannon fire, full body apparitions of soldiers and civilians still searching the battlefield, and even intelligent interactions with spirits. Other paranormal groups have investigated the park grounds and Morrow House, with the Borden House always being at the center of any inquiry. After a reconnaissance investigation, ORB decided to focus our investigations on the Borden House, Morrow House, and the never-before-investigated Latta house.
Morrow House
The Morrow House, originally located in the Cove Creek area of Washington County, served as the Confederate Headquarters before both the Battle of Pea Ridge and the Battle of Prairie Grove. Park Staff and volunteers have reported feelings of anxiety and general unease when working in the Morrow House. Past investigations have reported light anomalies (orbs) and EVPs. During our investigation we set up a ScareBear with digital recorder in the back room of the house in hopes to connect with the spirits of children who used to inhabit the home. Most of our compelling evidence came in the form of intelligent responses from a spirit box, specifically the IDC Devices Direct Linc. See the video below where investigators believe they made contact with a male spirit who is not aware that he is deceased.
Other methods including K2 and general EMF readings, using an SB7 Spirit Box, EVP/ScareBear recordings, and full spectrum photos did not return any significant findings. A single light anomaly or orb was found in this full spectrum photo (see right side of mantle).
Latta House
The Latta House has never before been investigated, but park staff reported phantom smells and intense feelings of unease. Like the Morrow House, the Latta House is not original to the site and was relocated during the early years as a community park. Some of our most compelling findings during our reconnaissance and full investigation came from this house.
During recon, we got a few aggressive male voices come through the Direct Linc. One voice even demanded that we "get out." During the formal investigation, this aggressive spirit did not come through again. In fact, the SB7 Spirit Box brought through a female spirit that described herself as "a friend" - check that out below!
Interesting, at each location different Spirit Boxes were capturing the name Seth (a phenomena that shows up at other investigations as well). When Lindsay was in the Latta House she asked if anyone there knew Seth. A frustrated male spirit finally came through and he seemed to be annoyed that he was having trouble connecting with her through the Direct Linc.
Borden House
Despite other paranormal group's success in gathering evidence at the Borden House, our group was not so lucky. When we visited for recon we were actually getting several different voices coming through on the Direct Linc consistently. They were answering questions intelligently and led us to believe that there was a young boy accidentally killed by falling or being pushed into a well. Interestingly, there is a well directly outside the Borden House and at least two other known wells on the park property. We were unable to confirm this story with any historical evidence.
When we returned to the Borden House for the formal investigation we covered the Borden House well with recording equipment and trigger items. Past groups have reported a little girl in the house, so we placed a ball in one of the upstairs bedrooms. We also placed a bear in the other upstairs bedroom. A Para4ce musicbox was placed in the parlor. Four static IR night-vision DVR cameras were set up throughout the house with the main feed in the downstairs foyer.
No compelling visual or voice phenomena were recorded. We had several instances of floating anomalies in the upstairs bedrooms, but we could not rule out floating dust as the cause. Maybe this was just an off night at this location, or maybe the knowledge of the horrors that happened directly around the Borden House have led visitors to project their own fears onto this location. What do you think?
Conclusion
Despite such a mixed experience at these three locations at Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park, we had a rewarding investigation. Although it would make sense that spirits at a Civil War battlefield would be soldiers, we didn't necessarily find evidence of that. Our evidence suggests that, at least on this night, the spirits that were active and engaging with us were likely just passing through or attached to the buildings or antique items that decorate the houses. We found no evidence of soldiers or war-related phenomena such as sounds of gunshots or cannons.
Ultimately, battlefields are important places to memorialize these desperate moments in American history, but battlefields have a much deeper history. A history that goes back well before the battle and stretches to present day. Each passing moment leaves a mark on that place. This investigation was an important reminder that as investigators we can't force our own expectations on a location. We can't expect to only contact soldiers on a battlefield or patients in a hospital. We have to open our minds and rid ourselves of any expectations to get the most out of the experience and critically analyze evidence.
What are your thoughts on this investigation? Have you been to Prairie Grove or other battlefields? Did you have any unexplainable experiences? Connect with us on Facebook and let us know!
Check out the gallery below for some awesome images from Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park captured by investigator Lindsay Fiedorowicz. Check her out on Instagram!