Uploaded January 2015 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Presented by Jerry Drake.
You can’t turn on your television today without seeing a group of “Ghost Adventurers” or someone “Finding Bigfoot,” but investigating the so-called “paranormal” is not just a passion for the credulous and uncritical. In this talk Jerry Drake cracks open his casebook of investigations to illustrate that some of our greatest unsolved “mysteries” have a perfectly rational explanation. You will learn the “tricks of the trade” to conducting a skeptical investigation of claims of the paranormal. From the Aurora, Texas Martian, the Elves of Iceland, and the Bell Witch of Tennessee to the Loch Ness Monster, the Ghosts of Gettysburg, and the Screaming Woman of Niagara Falls, Jerry will take you on a globe-trotting tour of his first-hand exploration of these fascinating phenomena.
When not chasing ghosts and monsters, Jerry Drake is a professional researcher, currently working as an archivist and analyst for the federal government. Previously Jerry has served as a Professor of History at Concordia University and as Deputy Land Commissioner of Texas for Archives & Records. Jerry’s area of professional interest is in designing innovative electronic solutions to facilitate research.
Jerry is currently adapting his “paranormal casebook” into a series of articles and a book.
The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Capital Area Skeptics (NCAS).
Presented by Jerry Drake.
You can’t turn on your television today without seeing a group of “Ghost Adventurers” or someone “Finding Bigfoot,” but investigating the so-called “paranormal” is not just a passion for the credulous and uncritical. In this talk Jerry Drake cracks open his casebook of investigations to illustrate that some of our greatest unsolved “mysteries” have a perfectly rational explanation. You will learn the “tricks of the trade” to conducting a skeptical investigation of claims of the paranormal. From the Aurora, Texas Martian, the Elves of Iceland, and the Bell Witch of Tennessee to the Loch Ness Monster, the Ghosts of Gettysburg, and the Screaming Woman of Niagara Falls, Jerry will take you on a globe-trotting tour of his first-hand exploration of these fascinating phenomena.
When not chasing ghosts and monsters, Jerry Drake is a professional researcher, currently working as an archivist and analyst for the federal government. Previously Jerry has served as a Professor of History at Concordia University and as Deputy Land Commissioner of Texas for Archives & Records. Jerry’s area of professional interest is in designing innovative electronic solutions to facilitate research.
Jerry is currently adapting his “paranormal casebook” into a series of articles and a book.
The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Capital Area Skeptics (NCAS).
