By Tom O’Dare
The Brentwood Restaurant in Little River did not disappoint a large group of people who traveled from as far away as Boston this past Saturday.
They didn’t come for the excellent cuisine the Brentwood is known for. These folks traveled to Little River to check out something else the Brentwood is known for—ghosts.

The popular restaurant, located in an old Victorian style house built in 1910, has a reputation of late of being the site of some strange, unexplainable incidents. It has drawn the attention of some noted paranormal investigators who have spent many hours there trying to figure out why odd sounds, dark shadows, flying beverage glasses and even a dishwasher that just comes on at will occur.

The stories of spirit inhabitants drew local paranormal investigator Stephen Lancaster to Little River to check it out himself. Lancaster says his group of investigators do everything possible to debunk any stories of ghosts or apparitions. But in the case of the Brentwood, he’s found no other explanations other than some spirits who hang around in the old house.

After spending hours upon hours in the restaurant after owners Eric and Kim Masson and their guests have left, Lancaster says the site has more paranormal activity than any he has ever checked out. To that end, Lancaster sponsored a day-long paranormal investigation seminar this past Saturday at the restaurant. He said he had decided what better place to hold such an event than one of the most active locations he has found.

Top investigators from around the country drew a large crowd of dedicated paranormal investigators as well as the curious. Included in the guest roles were Steven LaChance, paranormal film star and Shannon Sylvia from Ghost Hunters International. Guests came from the Carolinas as well as Florida, Baltimore and Boston.

After the series of presentations during the day, many of the participants returned after the restaurant closed for their own time of investigating the old house.

Beginning around 11 p.m., the 26 participants divided into groups and waited in various rooms in the large two-story house for something to happen.
Many of the long-time investigators came armed with recording devices as well as sophisticated electronics that pick up electro-magnetic fields—explained to be prevalent when spirits are nearby.

For two hours nothing out-of-the-ordinary occurred—not until one participant decided to see if the resident ghosts were music lovers. Standing in the downstairs kitchen, the young lady belted out a song. As she did, the gas stove lit up and the dumb waiter descended from upstairs. When she sang again, the dumb waiter returned to its upstairs berth.

The investigators went to great efforts to make sure no one was upstairs away from the group when these strange events began. When all were accounted for in the kitchen area, the young lady again began to sing and the dumb waiter and the light on the wall beside it turned on.
 

To a person, the investigators, experienced and new, said the events that transpired in the Brentwood were some of the most telling they had ever witnessed.

Sylvia, who has traveled the globe looking for ghosts and lecturing on paranormal activities, said Saturday night’s experience was “some of the most dramatic” events she has personally been a part of.