Ghost Nation season 2 premieres with “The Witching Tree,” a special two-hour episode on Wednesday, April 22 at 8 pm ET. It’s got a little bit of everything. The paranormal for sure. But also new equipment, cadaver dogs and an active crime scene. Say what? I know, right?
The Apparitions
Steve Banasick and Glenda Farquhar live on a farm in Biglerville, Pennsylvania, a town about seven miles from Gettysburg. But immediately upon moving in –like within 15 minutes– Glenda quickly realized more than land came with her new farm. Restless spirits did too.
She saw the apparition of a man in bib overalls and a cap standing in her foyer as she came down the stairs. Alarmed to see a strange man in her house, she asked what he was doing there. He left, but not by a door –into thin air.
That was the first of what would be more sightings and paranormal activity to follow for her.
Then later, shortly after she married her husband, Steve, and he moved in, he saw his first apparition.
For whatever reason, Glenda had never mentioned to him beforehand that her property might be haunted. He, however, immediately let her know after his first ghost sighting, which happened while he was shoveling snow.
He looked up and was startled to see an older woman on the porch. When he asked if she needed some help, she vanished. That left Steve spooked.
That, along with others encounters –including with the ghost in the bib overalls telling Steve he was doing women’s work when he was peeling apples– turned Steve into a believing non-believer.
The Witching Tree
Then there was the tree, a solitary one in the middle of their land rumored by some to be a “witching tree.”
Per old Amish Lore, a tree would be placed on top of a gravesite a witch was thought to occupy. As long as the tree was secure, the witch would stay secure.
Was there a grave with someone thought to be a witch under that tree? Was that affecting the land?
Neither Steve nor Glenda knew if there was anything to the legend, but they did know –particularly Steve– that the tree made them uneasy.
In Steve’s case, so much so he wouldn’t even go near it.
Teaser: Something I learned during the call with Steve Gonsalves and Jason Hawes was that with their help, he eventually did. That’s why during the episode when they’re at the tree, Steve G. pats Steve S. on the back and says he’s proud of him.
Problems
The paranormal activity in Steve and Glenda’s house and around their haunted farm are not only causing them concern, but also problems in their marriage. That’s when they reach out for help, which is how they meet Patty Blatt, a local paranormal investigator and United Paranormal Research Organization (U.P.R.O.) member.
After she works with Steve and Glenda, she alerts the Ghost Nation guys, who decide, yep. This is a case they should come out and help with too.
Sonar
They introduce some new equipment to their investigation this season: a sonar device. Yes, just like the kind used on boats for navigation and to help find fish.
It works by bouncing off sound waves and shows green if nothing is in the path, red if it detects something. The GN guys admit it’s still in the early phases of being used for ghost hunting, but they’ve already had some interesting results.
Will it help them find ghosts on the farm in Biglerville?
Spoiler Alert: It doesn’t turn up the most interesting evidence in this episode. On the call, Steve G. hinted that in future episodes it does, though.
Active Crime Scene
Ever-thorough with their investigations, the Ghost Nation guys decide the best thing to do is try and find out if there really is a body under the “witching tree.”
They don’t start by digging it up first, though. Instead they start with cadaver dogs.
The handlers release three different dogs individually by themselves at three separate times. All three dogs, without watching the others, alert by laying down, their sign that they’ve detected human remains.
Teaser: As Steve G. says after the last cadaver dog goes, “Three for three, there’s a body under that tree.”
The Dig
Steve Gonsalves calls the police to inform them about the results of the cadaver dogs experiment. After explaining there may be a body and they don’t know how to proceed, the police deem the area an active crime scene.
Forensic investigators arrive, but determine there’s no evidence a crime has been committed in the last 30 years. That greenlights the Ghost Nation guys –after getting permission from Steve and Glenda, of course — to dig up the tree.
Do they find a body under there?
I’ll leave you hanging with that. Unless you read this after the episode airs, in which case you’ll already know the answer.
Check-In
If you’re reading this prior to watching this episode: Does reading some sneak peeks from “The Witching Tree” pique your curiosity to see it?
If you’re reading after seeing the episode: Did you like the premiere of Ghost Nation season 2? Did you have any favorite parts? Did any part of the investigation leave you wanting for more?
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, as well as obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of healing, to learn how she channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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