Ryan is very in love with his image, I believe.

It seems to me this Ryan dude is in love with his head shot. Might just be me of course.

Ryan is very in love with his image, I believe.

You might find this site interesting: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.....gtburg.htm

Hi JMD,

That was very thoughtful of you.

This site contains a direct quote from Tillie Pierce Alleman's book " At Gettysburg, or, What a Girl Saw and Heard of the Battle: A True Narrative."

I have both books in question, as well as over 200 other books on the Battle of Gettysburg. I live here as well.

In addition, one of my dearest friends owns the Jacob Weikert Farm, where Tillie Pierce stayed during the battle. It is an amazing piece of property and a beautiful house. Still visible today are the blood stains in the dining room which was where the amputations were performed by medical personnel.

Carolyn

Hi,

In your review above, you state: "In Gregory Coco’s book, A Strange and Blighted Land, he describes in detail the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg and the impact it had upon the townspeople. Tillie Pierce was nowhere near that house during the battle. She did assist with amputations, by her own account, but that occurred at the Weikert farm."

I am most interested in the quote "She did assist with amputations, by her own account." Can you please list your source material for this statement? Is this quoted directly from Coco's book A Strange and Blighted Land? And, if so, can you please list his source?

Thanks!

Carolyn

You might find this site interesting: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.....gtburg.htm

SPOILER ALERT:

I'm taking the liberty to post an entire review I wrote last week about this episode....

-------------------------------------------------------------

“We are students…..we are seekers…..and sometimes we are warriors.”

This is the opening to Paranormal State, possibly the worst thing to happen to television and viewers with common sense in decades. Typically, I don’t waste my time watching, but I decided I should tune in to see the episode that aired on April 27, 2009, since it was filmed in Gettysburg. The show, filmed at the Tillie Pierce Bed and Breakfast, opened with a description of the phenomena that the owners have reportedly experienced. Occurrences reported included a loud banging sound that rattles the house at 3:02 am, footsteps, guests fleeing because of activity, moaning sounds, and the smell of cigar smoke.

Ryan Buell quipped, “Now it is Gettysburg….Ghost activity is coming out of every crack here in town.” Well, he was partially correct. Ghost activity is coming out of every crackPOT in town, that’s for sure! He continued, “These people, however, weren’t looking for ghosts. They were looking to open a business.” In Gettysburg, I contend, they are one and the same. The town is ripe with hauntrepreneurs, skeptics turned believers when cash is waved in front of their faces, and charlatans created by the throngs of ghost hunters and thrill seekers who flock to Gettysburg every weekend. I happen to know that this is not the first investigation that the owners of this property have requested in the past, as I tagged along while friends investigated there a couple of years ago. Ryan asserted that, due to the haunted reputation of the town, that they “should be able to find some of the most compelling evidence EVER…”

During the interview with the owner, it was reported that the house was a field hospital. With a practiced but awkward wise look, Ryan nodded his head knowingly and said, “Field hospital….Hmmmm.”

Chip Coffey waltzed into the scene as only Chip Coffey can, with his fashionable scarf and dramatic descriptions of the spirit world. He claimed to be sensing a young woman who was, incidentally, making her presence known. He further claimed that people have died in the attic (because that is where people always go to die…attics and basements…apparently.) During one particularly attempt to be poignant, Chip cried out “OW…..It hurts like a mother f****er!” while holding his abdomen and then describing a bloody scene. Nowhere else in the episode is any of this discussed again. There is no attempt to connect Chip’s antics and bad acting with any actual evidence, either historical or paranormal. Again, this was nothing more than another ridiculous method of prejudicing the typical viewer, lobotomized by the continuous bunk being pelted relentlessly through the magic of digital television.

The team debunked the nightly 3:02 am house rumble, chalking it up to the frequent passing of tractor trailers during the night. One might initially think that this was noble; however, I contend that it was merely another way to manipulate. This is a typical trick used by paranormal-themed television shows. Pretend to be a skeptic by debunking or showing a natural explanation for something the property owner has experienced. Then, anything you say or do will seen as valid because you have elevated yourself to the position of “angelic scientist,” complete with a virtual lab coat and halo. You have presented yourself as someone with the ability and willingness to not take every claim made as evidence of paranormal activity, so those things you put forth as good evidence are seen as credible.

The next segment showed the cast conducting historical research. Ryan interviewed one of the owners, who stated that Tillie Pierce was born in the house. The owner then told Ryan that on the first day of the battle, her job was to assist with amputations. He further noted that Tillie piled “two stacks of arms and legs” to about 8 feet high. Ryan asked the owner if this occurred in the house that is now the bed and breakfast, and the owner confirmed this.

In Gregory Coco’s book, A Strange and Blighted Land, he describes in detail the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg and the impact it had upon the townspeople. Tillie Pierce was nowhere near that house during the battle. She did assist with amputations, by her own account, but that occurred at the Weikert farm. She did not return to the house in town until July 7, 1863, four days after the battle actually ended. Additional information was obtained from another of Gregory Coco’s books, A Vast Sea of Misery. Coco quotes Tillie’s own recollection of her return home, indicating that there were roughly six wounded soldiers in the house with moderate to severe injuries. No amputations were described in the rather detailed account. Tillie’s mother reportedly nursed the soldiers and dressed their wounds during the battle. No deaths were noted as occurring in the house during this time in either of the two books.

Ryan stated that the horrid scene that took place there could account for the paranormal activity. While the scene was not likely a pleasant one, it is not the scene that was described on this episode of Paranormal State.

Enter John Sabol, a local anthropologist and paranormal researcher. I’ve actually had the opportunity to meet John and speak with him at length about his work. He actually does some interesting things, creating historically accurate reenactments of events in an effort to then obtain and document evidence of paranormal activity. The cast dressed in period clothing and reenacted a scene that might have taken place at the time of the battle. This was the one bright spot in the episode. I kept thinking that a ghost soldier might…just might….fire phantom bullets and end my misery.

Hours later (it was daylight during the reenactment portion of the show, but after midnight—otherwise known as “Dead Time” by these Scooby-Doo Wannabees), they attempt to gather evidence. At this point, they are not even dressed in the period clothing anymore. In grainy night vision, the group experiences a series of events they claim are paranormal, including moaning (most likely pigeons cooing), a door hitting a wall, a shadow person (which could have been produced by the flashlight that Ryan was carrying in the scene), and a liquid soap dispenser moving from one side of the sink to another. The “moaning” and the door hitting the wall were the only things actually caught in real time on the tape. The shadow person was by report only, and the soap was shown before and after the reportedly mysterious move. I, for one, cannot take this presentation of evidence seriously since it was clearly made for entertainment purposes. There is too much opportunity for editing, and too much motivation to present compelling activity to the general public.

Ryan and his team immediately jump to the conclusion that Gettysburg is haunted because of reenactments….because there are always people in town who are dressed in period clothing. There are two things wrong with this assertion. First of all, I have not yet been presented with compelling evidence that Gettysburg is home to the thousands of ghosts that supposedly float around in the wind all year long while puffing on their cigars. Secondly, the “experiment” the team conducted did not make any sense. If they really wanted to test their claim, they should have been gathering evidence during the actual reenactment they conducted.

I am torn. Do I continue to boycott this horribly over-acted piece of mind-numbing goo, or do I watch religiously to rip it apart and help others improve their critical thinking skills?

One thing is certain. They should change their opening to “We are students….we are seekers….and sometimes, we are liars.”

References

Coco, G. A. (1988). A vast sea of misery. Gettysburg, PA: Thomas Publications.

Coco, G.A. (1995). A strange and blighted land. Gettysburg, PA: Thomas Publications.

Hi,

In your review above, you state: "In Gregory Coco’s book, A Strange and Blighted Land, he describes in detail the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg and the impact it had upon the townspeople. Tillie Pierce was nowhere near that house during the battle. She did assist with amputations, by her own account, but that occurred at the Weikert farm."

I am most interested in the quote "She did assist with amputations, by her own account." Can you please list your source material for this statement? Is this quoted directly from Coco's book A Strange and Blighted Land? And, if so, can you please list his source?

Thanks!

Carolyn

SPOILER ALERT:

I'm taking the liberty to post an entire review I wrote last week about this episode....

-------------------------------------------------------------

“We are students…..we are seekers…..and sometimes we are warriors.”

This is the opening to Paranormal State, possibly the worst thing to happen to television and viewers with common sense in decades. Typically, I don’t waste my time watching, but I decided I should tune in to see the episode that aired on April 27, 2009, since it was filmed in Gettysburg. The show, filmed at the Tillie Pierce Bed and Breakfast, opened with a description of the phenomena that the owners have reportedly experienced. Occurrences reported included a loud banging sound that rattles the house at 3:02 am, footsteps, guests fleeing because of activity, moaning sounds, and the smell of cigar smoke.

Ryan Buell quipped, “Now it is Gettysburg….Ghost activity is coming out of every crack here in town.” Well, he was partially correct. Ghost activity is coming out of every crackPOT in town, that’s for sure! He continued, “These people, however, weren’t looking for ghosts. They were looking to open a business.” In Gettysburg, I contend, they are one and the same. The town is ripe with hauntrepreneurs, skeptics turned believers when cash is waved in front of their faces, and charlatans created by the throngs of ghost hunters and thrill seekers who flock to Gettysburg every weekend. I happen to know that this is not the first investigation that the owners of this property have requested in the past, as I tagged along while friends investigated there a couple of years ago. Ryan asserted that, due to the haunted reputation of the town, that they “should be able to find some of the most compelling evidence EVER…”

During the interview with the owner, it was reported that the house was a field hospital. With a practiced but awkward wise look, Ryan nodded his head knowingly and said, “Field hospital….Hmmmm.”

Chip Coffey waltzed into the scene as only Chip Coffey can, with his fashionable scarf and dramatic descriptions of the spirit world. He claimed to be sensing a young woman who was, incidentally, making her presence known. He further claimed that people have died in the attic (because that is where people always go to die…attics and basements…apparently.) During one particularly attempt to be poignant, Chip cried out “OW…..It hurts like a mother f****er!” while holding his abdomen and then describing a bloody scene. Nowhere else in the episode is any of this discussed again. There is no attempt to connect Chip’s antics and bad acting with any actual evidence, either historical or paranormal. Again, this was nothing more than another ridiculous method of prejudicing the typical viewer, lobotomized by the continuous bunk being pelted relentlessly through the magic of digital television.

The team debunked the nightly 3:02 am house rumble, chalking it up to the frequent passing of tractor trailers during the night. One might initially think that this was noble; however, I contend that it was merely another way to manipulate. This is a typical trick used by paranormal-themed television shows. Pretend to be a skeptic by debunking or showing a natural explanation for something the property owner has experienced. Then, anything you say or do will seen as valid because you have elevated yourself to the position of “angelic scientist,” complete with a virtual lab coat and halo. You have presented yourself as someone with the ability and willingness to not take every claim made as evidence of paranormal activity, so those things you put forth as good evidence are seen as credible.

The next segment showed the cast conducting historical research. Ryan interviewed one of the owners, who stated that Tillie Pierce was born in the house. The owner then told Ryan that on the first day of the battle, her job was to assist with amputations. He further noted that Tillie piled “two stacks of arms and legs” to about 8 feet high. Ryan asked the owner if this occurred in the house that is now the bed and breakfast, and the owner confirmed this.

In Gregory Coco’s book, A Strange and Blighted Land, he describes in detail the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg and the impact it had upon the townspeople. Tillie Pierce was nowhere near that house during the battle. She did assist with amputations, by her own account, but that occurred at the Weikert farm. She did not return to the house in town until July 7, 1863, four days after the battle actually ended. Additional information was obtained from another of Gregory Coco’s books, A Vast Sea of Misery. Coco quotes Tillie’s own recollection of her return home, indicating that there were roughly six wounded soldiers in the house with moderate to severe injuries. No amputations were described in the rather detailed account. Tillie’s mother reportedly nursed the soldiers and dressed their wounds during the battle. No deaths were noted as occurring in the house during this time in either of the two books.

Ryan stated that the horrid scene that took place there could account for the paranormal activity. While the scene was not likely a pleasant one, it is not the scene that was described on this episode of Paranormal State.

Enter John Sabol, a local anthropologist and paranormal researcher. I’ve actually had the opportunity to meet John and speak with him at length about his work. He actually does some interesting things, creating historically accurate reenactments of events in an effort to then obtain and document evidence of paranormal activity. The cast dressed in period clothing and reenacted a scene that might have taken place at the time of the battle. This was the one bright spot in the episode. I kept thinking that a ghost soldier might…just might….fire phantom bullets and end my misery.

Hours later (it was daylight during the reenactment portion of the show, but after midnight—otherwise known as “Dead Time” by these Scooby-Doo Wannabees), they attempt to gather evidence. At this point, they are not even dressed in the period clothing anymore. In grainy night vision, the group experiences a series of events they claim are paranormal, including moaning (most likely pigeons cooing), a door hitting a wall, a shadow person (which could have been produced by the flashlight that Ryan was carrying in the scene), and a liquid soap dispenser moving from one side of the sink to another. The “moaning” and the door hitting the wall were the only things actually caught in real time on the tape. The shadow person was by report only, and the soap was shown before and after the reportedly mysterious move. I, for one, cannot take this presentation of evidence seriously since it was clearly made for entertainment purposes. There is too much opportunity for editing, and too much motivation to present compelling activity to the general public.

Ryan and his team immediately jump to the conclusion that Gettysburg is haunted because of reenactments….because there are always people in town who are dressed in period clothing. There are two things wrong with this assertion. First of all, I have not yet been presented with compelling evidence that Gettysburg is home to the thousands of ghosts that supposedly float around in the wind all year long while puffing on their cigars. Secondly, the “experiment” the team conducted did not make any sense. If they really wanted to test their claim, they should have been gathering evidence during the actual reenactment they conducted.

I am torn. Do I continue to boycott this horribly over-acted piece of mind-numbing goo, or do I watch religiously to rip it apart and help others improve their critical thinking skills?

One thing is certain. They should change their opening to “We are students….we are seekers….and sometimes, we are liars.”

References

Coco, G. A. (1988). A vast sea of misery. Gettysburg, PA: Thomas Publications.

Coco, G.A. (1995). A strange and blighted land. Gettysburg, PA: Thomas Publications.

So, I take it you don't like Paranormal State. /tongue.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

(The pink coloration denotes sarcasm.)

..and people buy into it. Like one episode where it started out with potpourri balls being thrown by an unknown entity, a crow, the name of a demon, Lorraine Warren shows up, declares the evil was something that was invited in, then it ends up being determined that the homeowner's hormones were causing poltergeist activity. What the heck happened to the demon and the crow and the un/invited guest? It seemed that it was a badly written soap opera where they just lost track of the plot and changed it all midstream with a whole new cast.

Yeah...HER!!!!

I'm taking the liberty to post an entire review I wrote last week about this episode....

-------------------------------------------------------------

“We are students…..we are seekers…..and sometimes we are warriors.”

This is the opening to Paranormal State, possibly the worst thing to happen to television and viewers with common sense in decades. Typically, I don’t waste my time watching, but I decided I should tune in to see the episode that aired on April 27, 2009, since it was filmed in Gettysburg. The show, filmed at the Tillie Pierce Bed and Breakfast, opened with a description of the phenomena that the owners have reportedly experienced. Occurrences reported included a loud banging sound that rattles the house at 3:02 am, footsteps, guests fleeing because of activity, moaning sounds, and the smell of cigar smoke.

Ryan Buell quipped, “Now it is Gettysburg….Ghost activity is coming out of every crack here in town.” Well, he was partially correct. Ghost activity is coming out of every crackPOT in town, that’s for sure! He continued, “These people, however, weren’t looking for ghosts. They were looking to open a business.” In Gettysburg, I contend, they are one and the same. The town is ripe with hauntrepreneurs, skeptics turned believers when cash is waved in front of their faces, and charlatans created by the throngs of ghost hunters and thrill seekers who flock to Gettysburg every weekend. I happen to know that this is not the first investigation that the owners of this property have requested in the past, as I tagged along while friends investigated there a couple of years ago. Ryan asserted that, due to the haunted reputation of the town, that they “should be able to find some of the most compelling evidence EVER…”

During the interview with the owner, it was reported that the house was a field hospital. With a practiced but awkward wise look, Ryan nodded his head knowingly and said, “Field hospital….Hmmmm.”

Chip Coffey waltzed into the scene as only Chip Coffey can, with his fashionable scarf and dramatic descriptions of the spirit world. He claimed to be sensing a young woman who was, incidentally, making her presence known. He further claimed that people have died in the attic (because that is where people always go to die…attics and basements…apparently.) During one particularly attempt to be poignant, Chip cried out “OW…..It hurts like a mother f****er!” while holding his abdomen and then describing a bloody scene. Nowhere else in the episode is any of this discussed again. There is no attempt to connect Chip’s antics and bad acting with any actual evidence, either historical or paranormal. Again, this was nothing more than another ridiculous method of prejudicing the typical viewer, lobotomized by the continuous bunk being pelted relentlessly through the magic of digital television.

The team debunked the nightly 3:02 am house rumble, chalking it up to the frequent passing of tractor trailers during the night. One might initially think that this was noble; however, I contend that it was merely another way to manipulate. This is a typical trick used by paranormal-themed television shows. Pretend to be a skeptic by debunking or showing a natural explanation for something the property owner has experienced. Then, anything you say or do will seen as valid because you have elevated yourself to the position of “angelic scientist,” complete with a virtual lab coat and halo. You have presented yourself as someone with the ability and willingness to not take every claim made as evidence of paranormal activity, so those things you put forth as good evidence are seen as credible.

The next segment showed the cast conducting historical research. Ryan interviewed one of the owners, who stated that Tillie Pierce was born in the house. The owner then told Ryan that on the first day of the battle, her job was to assist with amputations. He further noted that Tillie piled “two stacks of arms and legs” to about 8 feet high. Ryan asked the owner if this occurred in the house that is now the bed and breakfast, and the owner confirmed this.

In Gregory Coco’s book, A Strange and Blighted Land, he describes in detail the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg and the impact it had upon the townspeople. Tillie Pierce was nowhere near that house during the battle. She did assist with amputations, by her own account, but that occurred at the Weikert farm. She did not return to the house in town until July 7, 1863, four days after the battle actually ended. Additional information was obtained from another of Gregory Coco’s books, A Vast Sea of Misery. Coco quotes Tillie’s own recollection of her return home, indicating that there were roughly six wounded soldiers in the house with moderate to severe injuries. No amputations were described in the rather detailed account. Tillie’s mother reportedly nursed the soldiers and dressed their wounds during the battle. No deaths were noted as occurring in the house during this time in either of the two books.

Ryan stated that the horrid scene that took place there could account for the paranormal activity. While the scene was not likely a pleasant one, it is not the scene that was described on this episode of Paranormal State.

Enter John Sabol, a local anthropologist and paranormal researcher. I’ve actually had the opportunity to meet John and speak with him at length about his work. He actually does some interesting things, creating historically accurate reenactments of events in an effort to then obtain and document evidence of paranormal activity. The cast dressed in period clothing and reenacted a scene that might have taken place at the time of the battle. This was the one bright spot in the episode. I kept thinking that a ghost soldier might…just might….fire phantom bullets and end my misery.

Hours later (it was daylight during the reenactment portion of the show, but after midnight—otherwise known as “Dead Time” by these Scooby-Doo Wannabees), they attempt to gather evidence. At this point, they are not even dressed in the period clothing anymore. In grainy night vision, the group experiences a series of events they claim are paranormal, including moaning (most likely pigeons cooing), a door hitting a wall, a shadow person (which could have been produced by the flashlight that Ryan was carrying in the scene), and a liquid soap dispenser moving from one side of the sink to another. The “moaning” and the door hitting the wall were the only things actually caught in real time on the tape. The shadow person was by report only, and the soap was shown before and after the reportedly mysterious move. I, for one, cannot take this presentation of evidence seriously since it was clearly made for entertainment purposes. There is too much opportunity for editing, and too much motivation to present compelling activity to the general public.

Ryan and his team immediately jump to the conclusion that Gettysburg is haunted because of reenactments….because there are always people in town who are dressed in period clothing. There are two things wrong with this assertion. First of all, I have not yet been presented with compelling evidence that Gettysburg is home to the thousands of ghosts that supposedly float around in the wind all year long while puffing on their cigars. Secondly, the “experiment” the team conducted did not make any sense. If they really wanted to test their claim, they should have been gathering evidence during the actual reenactment they conducted.

I am torn. Do I continue to boycott this horribly over-acted piece of mind-numbing goo, or do I watch religiously to rip it apart and help others improve their critical thinking skills?

One thing is certain. They should change their opening to “We are students….we are seekers….and sometimes, we are liars.”

References

Coco, G. A. (1988). A vast sea of misery. Gettysburg, PA: Thomas Publications.

Coco, G.A. (1995). A strange and blighted land. Gettysburg, PA: Thomas Publications.

..and people buy into it. Like one episode where it started out with potpourri balls being thrown by an unknown entity, a crow, the name of a demon, Lorraine Warren shows up, declares the evil was something that was invited in, then it ends up being determined that the homeowner's hormones were causing poltergeist activity. What the heck happened to the demon and the crow and the un/invited guest? It seemed that it was a badly written soap opera where they just lost track of the plot and changed it all midstream with a whole new cast.

I'd love to have my hormones splashed all over national television. Although probably there are days that my family believes they are, indeed, inviting evil in....

I can't even be bothered with Paranormal State. Such complete and utter tripe.

Tripe and truck.