Ghost Hunters Get Ghost Busted by M16
The second house featured in this episode was the Gardner mansion in Gardener, Massachusetts. The TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) team, in the second half of this episode, was rushing to the scene of a haunt where the owner was in severe distress with restless spirits.
Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson of TAPS introduced this case to the Ghost Hunters audience of being of great urgency. TAPS needed to find an answer to the haunts in the mansion or the current owner would sell the home to get out from all the torment that was being hyped up in this intro. Now if you were paying attention to the intro of the Gardener Mansion, the TAPS team already filmed an episode of Ghost Hunters on site at the mansion several years earlier. If the current owner didn't like haunted residences then why did he buy a home TAPS investigated. In real estate, a haunting is a full disclosure article. This was the first thing that tripped a red flag in my mind as the intro of the Gardner mansion unfolded. Second, a house of this age, and being supposedly haunted, is a cash cow in this paranormal frenzy going on in our country. The owner would be stupid to sell it now. This was red flag number two for me.
Next, TAPS pulls up to the house and meets the owner of the Gardner Mansion, Edwin Gonzalez. Edwin does a pretty good job of convincing the Ghost Hunters audience he has no idea what is happening in the house and tells the viewers he is at wits end with all this paranormal activity. He wants Jason and Grant to help him or else he is selling the mansion.
I was pretty convinced by Edwin's story that I thought I would look up Edwin and see if I could send him some info on house blessing or see if M16 could be of service. I googled using the search string, "gardner mansion massachusetts" and several sites popped up. One site caught my eye immediately, it was the url, The HAUNTED Victorian Mansion.
Okay. Now things were getting fishy. The Gardner Mansion, according to this site hosts docent tours and is making money for being a haunted house. If Edwin, the owner, is truly in distress, then why is he selling the house, after it has been featured on Ghost Hunters and is going to lure a LOT of paranormal investigators and thrill seekers?
My next inkling was to determine who owned the domain name for the hauntedvictorian.com. I used my 1990's kung fu on the keyboard and located the domain registration. Wanna take a guess at who owns the domain name and is booking docent tours to the haunted house? Why Edwin of course!
Here is the whois hauntedvictorian.com results I queried off my computer.
The Registry database contains ONLY .COM, .NET, .EDU domains and
Registrars.
Registrant:
hauntedvictorian.com
4 West Broadway
Gardner, MA 01440
US
Domain name: HAUNTEDVICTORIAN.COM
Administrative Contact:
Gonzalez, Edwin skp01440@comcast.net
4 West Broadway
Gardner, MA 01440
US
I decided not to contact Edwin. His plight must have sucked in a lot of paranormal investigators who would eagerly pay the fees to come investigate the mansion. M16 doesn't investigate -we clean out! TAPS must have known too that the building hosted paranormal tours. Well it is REALITY TV -where nothing is real. Keep in mind when you watch these shows that most big sites featured are commercial sites featuring attractions for paranormal teams to come out and pay fees. It's kind of like a paranormal golf course -there are no free golf courses and paranormal investigation is catering to a niche in the travel industry. This episode was aptly titled - Buyer Beware.
There is more here on a Boston news station where Edwin and his friend don't appear as anxious for a resolution as they did on Ghost Hunters.
Gardner Mansion on Fox Boston
Another investigation -Ghost BUSTED!
Fishy yes but under Massachusetts law you do not have to disclose if a place is haunted.
ReplyDeleteNo Disclosure Rule
Under Massachusetts law, real estate brokers and sellers are under no legal obligation to disclose that a property was the site of a felony, suicide or homicide, or has been the site of an alleged “parapsychological or supernatural phenomenon,” i.e., a haunted house. Thus, buyers are on their own to discover these types of stigmas.
Here is the law, Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 93, section 114:
The fact or suspicion that real property may be or is psychologically impacted shall not be deemed to be a material fact required to be disclosed in a real estate transaction. “Psychologically impacted” shall mean an impact being the result of facts or suspicions including, but not limited to, the following:
(a) that an occupant of real property is now or has been suspected to be infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus or with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or any other disease which reasonable medical evidence suggests to be highly unlikely to be transmitted through the occupying of a dwelling;
(b) that the real property was the site of a felony, suicide or homicide; and
(c) that the real property has been the site of an alleged parapsychological or supernatural phenomenon.
No cause of action shall arise or be maintained against a seller or lessor of real property or a real estate broker or salesman, by statute or at common law, for failure to disclose to a buyer or tenant that the real property is or was psychologically impacted.
I am friends with Edwin and he has moved out as he couldn't take the distress. He is a man of his word and having known him for 10 years, i can tell you he is different after thsi house. He is no joke.
ReplyDeleteHello , I have a group of paranormal. Please donned a tel phone or E-mail the Edwin ?
Delete@corkum
Deleteanyone can claim to know someone for "x" amount of years
Well I am watching Ghost Adventures and quess who I see....Mr.Gonzales and that mansion and the stories. That was how I noticed the connection really. The mansion then the couple. I remember their unbelievable story (1 and 2) before and now here they are again on another ghost show but its a different story and not as showy this time. Maybe they have learned not to be a "showboat" as they were before. and to tell you the truth, their reason for leaving the mansion,...well, I would have left much sooner when they told their other stories compared to this new story. Anyway thought you should know that they are still at it, and you aren't the last ones!!
ReplyDeleteI first encountered this house by watching Ghost Adventures and right away the couple seemed "fake" to me, which led me to do an internet search. Edwin and Lillian bought the house 12/1/08 and the previous owner gave ghost tours. They knew it was haunted before they bought it. It was a cash cow to them. The house has no electricity or water going to it. While their website is no longer active, they are still giving tours at $400 a pop on the weekends to ghost groups via Meetup.com. Anything for a buck! They could at least make it look convincing. The way the house is set up with the old furnishings, etc is a dead give away that this isn't anybody's "home".
DeleteWow, they give tours. How do you live in a house this long without any heat? What about the apartment they rented after Lillian was attacked. Edwin has an entire script he reads from and constantly talks about how cool these noises and apparitions are, so how scared are you? Oh, now they want donations and volunteers to help restore it. When I heard the amount paid for this house I was amazed! When I saw the condition of the house, I understood... Its not habitable! I could respect them for putting their story telling money into the house, but its all business. With scary life sized dolls and masks its all a hoax. Now the charity event coming up, sorry we already know you people are frauds. There's nothing wrong with finding a way to make money in America, but when you take advantage of peoples generosity, thinking you're afraid and in danger, that's disgusting. I would never wish anything bad on anyone and I hope they realize when you play with fire you can get burned. There's nothing cool about any of the stories about the alleged ghosts, if these people are actually there and in agony, these people are making spectacles of their lives and deaths. That's the real tragedy, they should be sent where they belong... to R.I.P.
ReplyDeleteEdwin, when your house is condemned what are you going to tell everyone who's money you took for your so-called restoration fund? You have whored your house out to every tv show, website, newspaper and ghost hunter but you have a Poltergeist. Not fooling anyone. Oh - even GROUPON!!!! Duping ghost hunters for over $100, with no permits, no restorations, no running water, electricity or toilets. The house is in shambles. Throw in a charity here and there and WHAM - youre a saint. Edwin, stop hitting on our wives and girlfriends. Ghosts arent ruining your relationship, your dick is.
ReplyDeleteYour a con man and you need to repair that house and put your money where your mouth is. You are not respected in the town or by the neighbors. You ruined a historical building with your antics, contacting the media as much as possible and your fake charm.
Two words - cash cow. But last year the Board of health shut you down and you ignore everyone, do what you want and put people's LIVES in danger with mold exposure (Uh, Zak wearing a respirator) and shitty accomodations.
For God alone is our judge ..I have visited the mansion on few occasions and have found Edwin and Lilly to be the nicest people they open up there home when people would knock on there door they are very hospitable.. the home is beautiful and was there when a roofer did some work. Edwin only does a few tours and investigations the home is very active and donates his time to help anyone..he does close it down now cause he is not living there so no need for running water..Last year an investigator who harasses other haunted locations Baricko from CT who targets and bullies people has gone after the Mark Twain House, The Sterling Opera house and so many others including Lorraine Warren who is 87 because she did not spend a long time talking to Baricko and his wife..he called Edwin and asked him questions and than called the Board of Health to shut them down and told the media that its condemned..ITs NOT it needs a few repairs and I was present when Jeff Belanger a writer for Ghost Adventures contacted Edwin to do a show so I don't get why people are hating them..the shows do what they want and film what they want he has no say. Tom D'Agostino contacted Edwin for Ghost Adventures and A Haunting so why are people saying this..Cash cow how if he is paying a mortgage, repairs, taxes more like money pit..HELLO Zak Bagans has a respiratory illness..the 3rd fl is fine..and did you noticed that other haunted location charge people the houghton mansion does so why is it that fine ...i went there and investigated it and found very little at 100 bucks to go there. The Victorian does maybe 8-10 investigations a year at 40 bucks and they have destroyed there home by clogging toilets..they are both happily married so mcosta47 you sound jealous...they dont use GROUPON groups that come in do that who gives a $@#% why is it there fault you have issues..99% of people have no issue but a few people do like you guys
ReplyDeletethink about it who pays a mortgage and rents a house when there not there so how do you figure cash cow what the hell are people thinking nobody pays for home they cant live and a few tours and investigations are no where near enough to pay the mortgage...people love to hate and they know no facts ..why do groups keep wanting to come back if its fake or hoax some of the best evidence ever collected was taken from the Haunted Mansion..you know once people say your home is haunted people are not interested in house so how do you sell it..the home was vacant for over 2 yrs before it was bought by Ed and Lilly and did not allow anyone for over a year to investigate..so you pay 20,000 in a mortgage and do a few investigations at maybe 1000 bucks in a year and they making money that is ridiculous...I feel bad that they had to go through all this and still remain friendly towards people who just wont leave them alone cause they want evidence of ghost from there home.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny because Ghost Adventures investigated them also
ReplyDeleteI grew up two houses down from there, in the 70s & 80s. At the time, I believe it was a college dorm for the local community college. Funny, no one back then ever said anything about ghosts.
ReplyDeleteMY house, however, at 21 Union st, was well documented for hauntings. To this day, the current owners still experience things there. My sister knows the owners, and have told them stories of the activity-which was very similar to what my brother and I experienced growing up (my sister was an infant when we moved out in 1982)
Just seen this house featured on A Haunting and remember the House was semi famous in 2005 when a radio host owned it. Someone named Jay Stemmerman owned it at the time and he recounted a story of two teenagers getting scared away by "something" while they were trying to rob the place. Not sure about the other couple but their bones in the basement story sounds a little
ReplyDelete