Debunker to discuss Morgan apparition
Mystic ? Since April, when the Rhode Island Paranormal Research Group said there were indications the whaling ship Charles W. Morgan was haunted, the Mystic Seaport ship has been featured in stories that appeared on CNN, ?Good Morning America,? and CBS radio and appeared in newspapers across the country.
Surveys by the museum showed that as many as 40 percent of its arriving visitors were asking where they could find the ghost ship.
?We thought there would be some interest in this, but we never expected to get the interest we have,? said museum publicist Michael O'Farrell. ?No pun intended, but it literally took on a life of its own.?
Now, in an attempt to show the other side of the story, the museum has invited Michael Shermer, the founding publisher of Skeptic magazine, to speak about the Morgan and ?Why People Believe Weird Things,? the topic of his best-selling book, on Oct. 9 in the Seamen's Inne.
O'Farrell said that as the story grew about the Morgan, some at the museum thought that, as an academic institution, it was important to explore the other side of the story as well, that maybe the ship is not haunted.
So the museum chose Shermer, who is also a contributing editor and columnist for Scientific American and the host of the Skeptics Distinguished Lecture Series at the California Institute of Technology. He is also in the midst of promoting his new book, ?Why Darwin Matters: The Case Against Intelligent Design.?
The paranormal society asked to investigate the ship after visitors reported seeing a man dressed in 19th century clothes working below deck but who did not speak to them. When they went back on deck, museum staff told them there was no one down below.
After saying in April that it had found signs of paranormal activity, the paranormal research group undertook a full investigation in June using digital audio recorders, infrared cameras and ?sensitives,? people who tried to make contact with the spirits aboard the ship. The group plans one more visit before issuing its findings.
O'Farrell said the museum has been careful how it portrays the Morgan, which is the last surviving wooden whaling ship and a national historic landmark.
?We've never presented the Morgan as a ghost ship. The story may bring people in, but once they're here we want to tell them about the history of the ship,? he said.
O'Farrell said Shermer is reviewing information about the Morgan and paranormal findings and will speak about those and why people believe such things. He will take questions after and sign copies of his new book.
The talk will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 ($10 for museum members) and can be purchased by calling 1-888-973-2767.
http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=d5313b ... a0156ac5c6
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