10/28/2025 - Churchland Farm & Clarkboro Residence Results added to Archives!
10/28/2025 - Churchland Farm & Clarkboro Residence Results added to Archives!
DATE: January 12, 2013 - January 13, 2013
LOCATION: Kings Highway, Mannington, NJ
SPECIFICS: This investigation was divided into 2 parts; 6pm to 12am & 12am to 9am
In 2011, the JUMPS team had the privilege of investigating a beautiful historic home and business known as the Barrett’s Plantation House located in Mannington, NJ. Until that first visit, the team was completely unaware of how beautiful this location is. During that first visit, it was quickly discovered that this location is not only full of fascinating history, but also some really interesting activity within. When you add the extraordinary hospitality, the comforting atmosphere, and the fact that it is a gorgeous bed & breakfast, the package just seems so surreal.
In 2012, Barrett’s Plantation was one of the locations that took part in the ‘Historic Ghost Tour of Salem County’ which was hosted by JUMPS and local tour company Revolution Tours, Inc. During these tours, every participant fell in love with the location. Not only did the location itself shock everyone, but so did the audio evidence collected during a ‘ghost hunt demonstration’ at this almost 300 year old home.
After the evidence collected during the investigation 2 years ago and the shocking findings collected during the ghost tours, the team was invited to return to this home by it’s owners to not only conduct a basic investigation, but to have team members actually spend the entire night as guests of the bed and breakfast. Therefore, on Saturday, January 12, the first half of the team headed to Old Kings Highway in Mannington to begin this two part investigation.
When the first six investigators arrived, they were met by homeowners Gaynel & Craig Schneeman. With the main fireplace lit and the rooms ready to go, the team was given another tour of the location showing where activity has been reported over the years and most recently. According to past experiences and evidence collected, the home seems to have a child presence. The client, Gay, stated that family members and guests have reported the same exact experience and description of a little boy approximately 5 years old that has been seen wearing a red shirt and seems to be most active when there is a group of people around. On several occasions she also stated that neighbors and a few visitors have noticed a young boy in the second and third floor windows. Mr. and Mrs. Schneeman are very open to ‘Pumpkin,’ the name they have given the little boy, however they do not discuss his presence with guests or visitors right away. They wait until an experience occurs and they are asked about it. Mrs. Schneeman stated that she has attempted to research any young children that may have lived on the property in the past, has found a few possible names, but still she’s not sure who he may be. With hopes of finding answers to these questions, the team began setting up equipment throughout the ‘old section’ of the home so that if ‘Pumpkin’ decided to make an appearance, it would be recorded.
Four night vision IR cameras were placed throughout the home in the following areas:
Audio recorders were also placed with each camera to continue recording throughout the entire investigation.
Once the equipment was set up, the team started things off with gathering in the 'new kitchen' and enjoying a small meal. Previous reports have said that the spirit of the little boy 'Pumpkin' seems to become more active when there is a 'party' or gathering of people. Therefore, the team placed 2 K-2 meters and the REM Pod in different areas of the kitchen, spread out, and socialized while enjoying pizza, monitoring the meters to see if they showed any response to the gathering. As minutes passed, the meters had no reaction whatsoever. It was not until the client Gay Schneeman sat at the kitchen table with Investigator Eileen and began discussing some past experiences that things began to get interesting. The K-2 meter placed next to Eileen began lighting up when Mrs. Schneeman proceeded to describe the child spirit's appearance from what guests and other members have described. Observing this, the team did not react in any way instead they just continued the conversation. After approximately 15 minutes, the K-2 seemed to react when the little boy was mentioned. After a generous meal from the clients and the small gathering experience' the team returned to base located in the 'Adult Room' on the first floor to begin preparations for investigating this location.
At approximately 8:00 PM, the teams were assigned and the investigation began. Due to the size and layout of the areas being investigated the team was divided into three groups of two and sent off to begin the first sweep. Team one consisting of Lead Investigator Doug and Investigator Kelly headed to the second floor master bedroom, team two made up of investigators Eileen and Rob made their way to the third floor, and the team of Bonnie and Maggie manned base on the first floor.
Doug & Kelly began the investigation in the master bedroom which would have been the homeowner's bedroom in the past. Consisting of a large bed, fire place, sofa, chair, and a personal bathroom, the room was very spacious to move around in during the investigation. Kelly started off by placing a few toys on a table located in front of the sofa as trigger items to draw out 'Pumpkin.' She also placed a K-2 close by and the REM Pod further away to detect any disruptions in the electromagnetic energy surrounding the toys but not close enough to cause fear in the child if he decided to get close. At the same time, Doug began taking a base reading of the room using the Mel Meter. Once readings were taken and trigger items and gear were in place, Kelly sat in the chair located in the room and Doug placed himself on the sofa giving the child enough room to get close. They began conducting an EVP session introducing themselves, their intentions, and what the items placed in front of them were there for. They observed the toys and meters set in place in an attempt to make contact with the child however nothing occurred. With no luck getting any responses directed to 'Pumpkin' they began asking about any adult presence. Again, after several minutes attempting to make contact with any adult spirit present, no meters reacted and the trigger items remained undisturbed.
With things calm in this room, Doug & Kelly decide to make their way into the 'Cold Room.' As they entered the room, they were joined by the client Gay Schneeman to attempt to make contact with 'Pumpkin'. However they decided to use Mrs. Schneeman as the trigger item as the child may be more comfortable with her presence. For several minutes, everything remained calm. With the K-2 and REM Pod sitting on the bed, the child spirit was invited to get into 'his' bed and talk to us. Between the three, they asked a series of personal questions, such as the boy's name, his age' and other specific information to help Gay in her search of history and to learn the boy's actual name. Unfortunately, no experiences or reactions on any meters occurred. As the investigators began explaining that they were going to return to base to meet with the other teams, they suddenly noticed that the K-2 on the bed began to light up. Immediately, Doug requested that if someone was in the room with them and was causing the meter to light, just step away so they could determine it was them. Upon this request, the meter stopped. Doug then grabbed the meter and held it in his hand requesting a second time that if there was someone present in the room with them, to make the lights flicker on the count of 3. Once Doug reached 3, the K-2 began to light up again. From that moment on, they were able to receive consistent answers to some basic questions. It was not enough to determine if the K-2 was being activated by a child spirit or an adult but the consistency suggests that the responses were completely intentional. After things began to calm down, the investigators returned to base however the client requested she remain in the room and observe the K-2 while waiting for the next team to arrive.
On the third floor, investigators Eileen & Rob were also attempting to make contact with 'Pumpkin.' Armed with a K-2, digital thermometer, and camera, they also took readings of the third floor and then placed themselves in the bedroom to conduct an EVP session near the window where a neighbor stated the boy was seen from outside. Not long after they introduced themselves, Eileen felt a small movement on the floor close to her. She immediately asked if the movement she felt was caused by someone coming into the room. It was almost immediately after she asks this that Rob explains that he felt as if someone touched his hand. They continued the EVP session without causing much movement just in case these experiences were caused by a child so they would not scare him away from the area. A few minutes after this, they suddenly heard a knock then a shuffling sound coming from the other room located on the same floor. As soon as the two investigators began discussing this they then heard the sound of light footsteps on the wooden staircase associated with light wood creaking sounds. Again, cautious about scaring the child, they remained calm and still requesting that if these things were being done by the boy to do them again so that they could be sure it was him. After waiting a few moments to see if these things would happen again, Eileen carefully moved out of the bedroom and positioned herself on the other side of the third floor while Rob remained in the bedroom to try to distinguish exactly what may have been causing these unexplained sounds. Now relocated, the investigators continued to observe the surrounding area and also continued their EVP session. Approximately 10 minutes went by, and no further incidents occurred. As they began recapping with one another about the sounds they each heard earlier, they both suddenly heard a high pitched 'wheezing' sound which was described by Eileen as a "tea kettle." They began to investigate the origin of these sounds but were unsuccessful. After another 15 minutes and no other experiences except for a radio malfunction, the team left the area and returned to base.
With all investigators back at base on the first floor, they began preparations for the second sweep. On this round, investigators Bonnie & Rob team up and head to the third floor while investigators Eileen and Maggie make their way to the 'Cold Room.' Base was now being manned by Doug & Kelly who were joined by overnight investigator Jen R. since she had arrived moments after the teams returned to base.
With the unexplained events still fresh in his head, Rob & Bonnie make their way to the 3rd floor, also known as the Garret, which would have been home to the servants or help in the past. They began with Rob explaining to Bonnie what him and Eileen experienced shortly before. They checked out a few spots to try to determine a natural explanation but did not have any success. They began another EVP session and observed the handheld devices which were monitoring for any disruptions in the electromagnetic energy surrounding them. A few minutes pass and nothing has occurred. Then suddenly, Bonnie feels a light touch on her side as she is standing in the same area as Rob was when he felt his hand get touched during the first sweep. Immediately, Bonnie asked that if it was indeed someone touching her, would they cause one of the devices to "light up" by getting close to it or by touching her again. Unfortunately, neither request was granted. At this time they began again asking questions directed to the child spirit, but no other experiences occurred. Bonnie then attempted the "Shave and A Haircut" knock experiment by knocking the first part and requesting any spirit present finish the 'two bits' part of the knock. Attempting twice, there was no response. However, after the second attempt, both investigators heard a whisper coming from outside of the room where they were standing. Bonnie requested that if there was a spirit outside the room that was trying to communicate, that they come into the room and talk. As soon as she made this request, the K-2 that was placed on the bed began to light up showing that something was causing the EMF energy in the area to be disrupted. Almost immediately after this occurred, the team noticed a large flash of green light shine against the slanted ceiling outside of the room. Unsure about what they had just seen, they immediately went to the area to attempt find out what caused this light. They observed a small window very low to the floor in the far corner opposite of where the light was seen. This suggested that the light shining on the ceiling could have been caused by a passing vehicle, they waited to observe what kind of light would shine through when a vehicle passed. Luckily, even though the property isn’t on a busy road, a vehicle did pass by not long after. However, they observed that the passing vehicle headlights did not shine any light through the window whatsoever because the window location is on the third floor. The investigators could not even hear it passing. They also checked to be sure no one was outside or shining any lights in the area and it was confirmed that no one had been outside nor had anyone been using any lights in the area. Shocked from the experience and still unsure what exactly they had witnessed, they returned to base to meet with the rest of the team.
While Bonnie & Rob were having some interesting things happening to them in their area, Eileen and Maggie were investigating the 'Cold Room' on the second floor, which is believed to be where the child's room may have been. This room is unique because of the reasoning behind it's name. The room is referred to the 'Cold Room' because no matter the time of day or year, the room is always colder than the rest of the house. Now one room with a personal bathroom, it was once 2 separate rooms with a wall separating them. In the past, it has been investigated for drafts and other sources of what could be causing the cold temperature but nothing has ever been found. Also joining the two investigators was the client Gay who was still placed in the seat she was in when Doug and Kelly were investigating. They begin with a K-2 / EVP session. For the first 10 minutes, they received no responses. Everything remained quiet until Mrs. Schneeman referred a question to 'Pumpkin'. She asked if he remembered when a young child family member of hers saw him during a Christmas party years ago. At that exact moment, the K-2 meter sitting on the bed lit up one time. Thankful for the possible response, Maggie then asked 'Pumpkin' if he had fun that night. Again, the meter lit up once. Continuing to question the boy, Gay asked if he enjoyed the children being around. Then, if he enjoys Christmas time. With each question asked the K-2 lit up. The next group of questions received responses consistent with the questions being asked by the investigators and the client. This continued until the child was questioned about his age. It has been reported by some of the individuals who have seen the apparition that he is a boy approximately 5 years old. Others have said that the age of the boy is 7. Therefore, beginning at the age of 4 and going to 8, they asked the child to light the K-2 when they guessed his age. With no response, they asked the child if he knew what his age was. Again, nothing. Shortly after, investigator Eileen left the room to return to base while Maggie and Gay remained in the room. They were quickly joined by investigator Bonnie. At this time, they began trying to determine if the earlier K-2 hits were actually caused by 'Pumpkin' or possibly someone else. At one point, Bonnie began smelling some sort of cigar smoke fill the air. Before the others in the room could join her at the spot where she was standing for the chance to smell it also, it disappeared. Moving on from this unexplained scent, they began asking questions again. Again, Bonnie states that the scent has returned, this time with Maggie smelling it as well. Suddenly, Gay recalled reading an account from Isaac Fowler that Thomas Dickinson Sr., the owner of the home in the 1800s, used to smoke a pipe and Isaac Fowler, "Uncle Tommy's" adopted son, used to help him light it. As soon as Gay began telling the story that she recalled reading, Bonnie & Maggie both felt chills come over them. Gay proceeded to share some history of the Dickinson family and the property. She also proceeded to explain that the layout of the bed & breakfast now has been completely renovated to look as it did from a description of the property when Thomas Dickinson Jr. placed the property up for auction. The only exception is the newer edition which was built in 1991. Continuing with the history of the property conversation, Gay began explaining some names of judges who took care of properties in the 1700s. When she mentioned the name Edwin Weatherby, the REM Pod began to sound for approximately 8 seconds. Gay continued speaking about the Weatherbys but the REM pod no longer sounded. Minutes passed, and the client asked exactly how the REM Pod worked. Maggie gave a quick demonstration then stepped away. Seconds later, the pod began sounding again, this time lasting about 5 seconds. Again, they continued asking a series of questions, but the device no longer responded. Like before, minutes went by and there were no responses to any of the questions. After a long attempt to bring back the spirit believed to be in the room trying to communicate, no other occurrences took place.
The excitement happening in the 'Cold Room' seemed to keep every investigator, including the client on their toes trying to get closer to finding answers about who this little boy is. What they did not realize is the excitement unfolding on the third floor was just as incredible. When Doug & Kelly first arrived in the area, they did as the others and began a simple EVP session from the bedroom. Like most of the night, nothing occurred on command. Then, remembering the luck she had at the last investigation, Kelly decided to set her flashlight on the bed and attempt the flashlight experiment. Using a wooden coat rack laying on top of a cabinet, the flashlight was placed on top of the rack which was then placed on the bed. The two stepped out of the room explaining what to do to make the light come on. Since nothing was happening, they turned their attention to another area of the third floor. It was then that the flashlight suddenly came on. Without rushing into the room to scare off anyone that may be present, Doug instructed the spirit to turn the flashlight off if they were keeping it on. The flashlight dimmed, then turned off. Right away, Doug cautiously entered the bedroom to check for any vibrations or natural movements that could cause the flashlight to come on by itself. It was determined that any vibration would be absorbed by the mattress, therefore vibrations could not be the reason behind the flashlight powering on. For the next 15 minutes, the light consistently responded by turning on and off on demand and in response to questions. (SEE VIDEO). After witnessing this, they decided to return to base to regroup and hear what the others had been experiencing.
After a long and exciting sweep, the teams decided to head back to the previous areas after switching teams, and then attempt to capture the same experiences as before. This time, Doug, Bonnie, and Rob team up and head to the 'Cold Room' while Kelly, Jen R., and Maggie head up to the third floor.
Kelly, Jen, and Maggie head to the third floor attempting to make contact with the flashlight again. This time they place two flashlights, leaving the one where it has been sitting and the other one on the opposite side of the floor. They positioned themselves throughout the floor and began an EVP / Flashlight experiment session. Several minutes passed and there were no experiences with either flashlight. After several moments, the investigators began feeling uneasy in the area where they were sitting and experienced some small movement sounds. However, no personal experiences occurred other than that.
In the 'Cold Room,' Doug, Bonnie, & Rob began checking to see if they would have any luck getting responses on the K-2 or REM Pod like the team before. They did attempt some experiments with the REM Pod to determine how sensitive the device is since this was the first investigation where it has been used. They were able to figure out that no electronic devices interfere or break the EMF field the antenna on the device creates except if a radio is used within a few feet. If this does occur, the pod must be reset to begin working properly again. Other than the experiments with the REM Pod, no experiences occurred or devices reacted.
After a long 4 hours, the overnight team consisting of Jen R., Jen H., Jen S., and Dave were waiting at base ready to begin their portion of the investigation. Information was passed on to the group and the first group left the bed & breakfast at approximately 12:00 AM.
First on the list before beginning their investigation of the bed & breakfast is changing the batteries in the devices, moving a few night vision cameras, and placing their overnight bags in the rooms. After 30 minutes of equipment maintenance, the team regroups at base located in the 'Adult Room' on the first floor to begin their investigation.
The team of Jen S. and Dave made their way to the third floor where they would also be sleeping for the night. Using a ball as a trigger item, K-2, and a DJ Pod (modified REM Pod), they placed themselves in sparse areas of the third floor and began an EVP session. At first, things remained calm and no devices reacted. After approximately 10 minutes, the K-2 meters and DJ Pod began lighting simultaneously to questions being asked. The responses to the basic questions being asked remained consistent for approximately 5 minutes before they stopped responding completely.
On the second floor, Jen R. & Jen H. began in the 'Cold Room' where Jen R. would be sleeping. With the K-2, Mel Meter, & REM Pod in place, the two Jens begin conducting another EVP session hoping to get a response like the first group investigating earlier in the night. With only a few minor experiences of movement sounds occurring, the meters and surroundings remained calm and quiet.
The rest of the evening the four investigators swept each of the rooms attempting to make contact and have a personal experience. After three hours, the investigators headed to their bedrooms to turn in for the night leaving the audio recorders on and night vision IR cameras rolling as they sleep.
After a few hours of sleep, the overnight team awakened to the luxury of a delicious breakfast from the clients. Once breakfast was over, the teams packed up the gear and left Barrett's Plantation after a long 13 hour investigation.
Once all of the audio and video footage was gathered, the JUMPS team reviewed over 70 hours of audio and over 50 hours of video. After three weeks of review, the team was able to collect some pretty interesting findings which support the claims of activity reported over the years as well as possibly bringing forth some new information about this location.
There is not much more to say about Barrett's Plantation that has not already been said. The experience begins when you first pull into the driveway. The historic layout, the landscaping, and the location could not be any more perfect. The next best feeling is when you walk through the front door. The atmosphere, history, and Salem County artifacts overwhelm you with a tremendous feeling of pleasure. The icing on the cake is the hospitality you receive from the owners Gay & Craig Schneeman. Their kindness is out of this world! Once you arrive, you never want to leave!
Now, it appears from the evidence gathered that the ghosts of Barrett's Plantation also never want to leave. 'Pumpkin,' a name the owners gave the little boy when they first heard of his presence, has been reported to be just a regular young child. He is often reported to make an appearance around a group of people or a party, especially around other children. There have also been reports of an adult who has not been seen as much but when this adult does appear it is as a shadowy figure.
With the evidence collected on this investigation and the one from two years ago, we have definite evidence of a young child. We have also received some great evidence of not one but two adults, one male and the other female. What is great about one EVP recorded during this investigation is that it sounds like a male with some sort of English accent saying, "zero, one, two.." We are currently looking into this to be sure there is no significance in these numbers during the history of this location even though it is simply just counting from zero to two. Just to be sure though, we have forwarded a several versions of the EVP to a local historian to see if they can find any significance in the voice or what he is saying.
All in all, the evidence found supports all the claims of activity and more. There is no doubt that there are several intelligent spirits still living in this home / business. However, there is nothing whatsoever to fear from them. Just a little boy who wants to play and a man and woman laying back and minding their own business. So, basically, is Barrett's Plantation Bed & Breakfast haunted? With plenty of evidence backing it up, absolutely!
Respectfully Submitted,
Doug Hogate Jr.
JUMPS Founder / Head of Research
Edited by Sara Astemborski
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