SMALLEY'S INN on Route 52 in Carmel has all the ingredients for a haunting. The inn was built around the mid-1800s, though evidence shows it may have been around a lot longer. The site had a series of tragic events, including a deadly fire and an execution. Owner James J. Smalley was at various times the sheriff, coroner and treasurer of the town. His daughter, Elizabeth, was only a toddler when she died, and there's the belief that a portion of the basement was used as a morgue when Smalley was the coroner.

Tony Porta Jr., who runs the bar/restaurant with his father, believes it to be haunted by the spirits of Smalley, Elizabeth and reportedly a Revolutionary War soldier. An unidentified woman has also been seen and captured in reflections of photos taken near the restaurant's large wall mirror. Staff members are convinced the building is haunted, with more than a few of them refusing to enter certain areas of the basement.

While on this recent inn investigation, Lisa Blake sat down and, with eyes closed and head bent, made herself receptive to spiritual communications. The HVPI group splits up so that members can monitor separate parts of the area. And on this night, Pearce and Williams had multiple cameras and recording devices set up in every corner with various members set up near the liquor closet and meat locker. As the night progressed, the members switched places. And the night did not go quietly.

Elizabeth, according to Blake, appeared and communicated to her. She said she was afraid to move on; Blake could see her very soaking wet, and in a kind of prairie dress. The notion of her being drowned was discussed. As photo after photo was taken and reviewed seconds later, a small child's face could be seen in a few photos, appearing to move in one direction and then disappearing.

Every so often a member would call out to Elizabeth, telling her that they were here to help her. Orbs or perfectly symmetrical white spots thought by some investigators to be a soul or spirit were also caught on film. A stack of pots and pans suddenly flew off a shelf in the upstairs kitchen, and a vacuum cleaner took off down the basement steps. Full Story