In 2010, the Paranormal Investigations of Historical America contacted President, Director and Curator of the Museum of the North Beach in Moclips, Kelly Calhoun, as they were in Grays Harbor County conducting investigations. After hearing the age of the building and about the extensive artifacts in the museum, they thought capturing paranormal activity might be possible. Kelly gave them the green light, so on March 29, 2010, the group arrived for an overnight investigation, complete with video cameras, digital recorders, and K2 Meters.
The Paranormal has been a contention of debate in our lives for centuries as many ponder our existence. Is there an afterlife? What happens when we die? Can we communicate with those who have passed on? Paranormal Investigators have sought to answer these questions. Investigations into the supernatural have become commonplace, with shows like “Ghost Adventures” and “Ghost Hunters” leading the charge. These paranormal experts utilize scientific methods to determine the phenomena, which opened the door for anyone interested in the unseen to investigate.
The Museum of the North Beach has one of the most extensive exhibits of our local past I’ve ever seen. It might be small, but every inch holds a history of legendary proportions, complete with artifacts, photos, and stories from those that have ensured preservation for generations to come.
In speaking with the Kelly, he describes how the glance of a painting of the Moclips Hotel ignited his passion to launch the museum. “I had been at a small gift shop that used to be located across the street from the Bluff Houses on State Route 109 and as I left, I saw that picture,” he points out.
Upon returning home, he spoke to his partner Lee Marriott and their friend Kathy Jaquet about creating the museum. They formed the Moclips Historical Society, then procured the old Hewitt’s Frozen Foods building to house the treasures. The rest, as they say, is history!
Investing Paranormal Activity at the Museum of the North Beach
Kelly says they broke into two separate groups, with one in the van monitoring the cameras. “I was in the first group,” he explains. “The activity happened in the back room. The electricity was off in the entire building and both doors leading into the room, which are a foot thick, were closed. There was no moving air, no windows or vents in the room because it used to be a freezer.” As the group started to ask questions, they noticed the pinata above the model of the Moclips Hotel began to swing in response. Kelly said he couldn’t believe his eyes. They surmised that because the pinata is located directly above a model of the Moclips Hotel, the owner was communicating with them. That was the most significant thing that happened during the investigation.
But the story doesn’t end there. In June 2021, another paranormal group, Provoking Paranormal, was permitted to investigate. The team led by Mo Aslin brought even more equipment than the previous team, set up several infrared cameras, had digital recorders, K2 meters and used crystals to communicate.
The museum has many artifacts from the Quinault Indian Tribe, including woven baskets in two separate cases and areas. First, they used a crystal pendulum over the Quinault basket display in the front of the museum that appeared to move back and forth, side to side, in answer to several questions. Next, the group used a digital recorder, asking questions in the room south of the main floor where another display case of Quinault baskets, artifacts and a storyboard is located. Kelly recalls hearing an audible disembodied voice say, “Yes” to one of the questions asked.
A couple of weeks later, he was sent an email from the group with an EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) where he heard a faint, “Yes” in answer to the question, which validates the experience. Later Kelly made the connection that both paranormal activities occurred where the Quinault baskets were displayed so it is thought one of their ancestors was attempting to communicate. We’ll have to wait to hear the results as the group is still analyzing all the video and audio footage.
Since the first paranormal investigation, enthusiasts of the supernatural and unseen have made the trek to the museum to see it for themselves. Kelly notes he can’t count how many visitors say they feel a presence in the back room.
Hundreds of artifacts have been collected that tell the stories left behind by those who have long since passed. The museum is in the process of building a replica of the old train station that used to be down on the flats. When completed it will become the new home of the North Beach Museum. Will the move invoke more activity in the new facility? Only time will tell.
If you ever crave a little adventure into the paranormal, head out to visit a quaint, sleepy oceanside town where many tales of history and maybe a ghost or two, await in the Museum of the North Beach. For more information visit the Museum of the North Beach Facebook page.
