On July 18th, The Paranormal Researchers and Investigators of Maine went as a team to the cemetery in Manchester, Maine that has the infamous Devil's Footprint rock.t As it turns out, we were able to gain some clarity from the caretaker of the property who has been affiliated with the cemetery and surrounding area for many years. He was very pleasant to speak with and had a great deal of knowledge when it came to the cemetery. He shared several stories with us about his childhood and how he used to frequent the area as a boy. He also helped put in the original road that now runs past the church.The first and most impressive thing that we found out about was how the church came to rest on the property. It was built in 1793 in a different location and moved a few decades later by a herd of oxen. Back then they used to move them on logs. According to the caretaker this move took all winter. There was a second part that was added onto the church. We found out that this 2nd part of the church used to be the old Manchester post office. It was moved to the location some time ago and added as an annex to the church and is now used as a meeting room.Don was gracious enough to give us a tour of the church. The church contained the original pews. He told us stories about that church that dated way back. Each pew was numbered. When asked, the caretaker informed us that each pew was numbered and that each pew box used to belong to a family that attended the church. Though nothing paranormal is known, it may be a great place to investigate.

So, now for the most upsetting fact that we learned.The legend behind the rock? Fabricated, completely. When the road was cleared, the rock was found....footprints and all. The interesting thing though, is that there were actually five footprints total on the face of the rock initially. Four average-sized ones, and one large one. However, the rock was moved back then without incident, and has been moved again since. By a couple of bored, disrespectful teenagers with a pickup truck and pulleys. It was moved back into place shortly after. Also, according to the caretaker, nobody has never actually tried to remove these footprints. It has been said that people have tried to remove them, but apparently this is untrue. They have been tampered with over the years by pesky kids, but never has anyone actually tried to remove them.

While we were unable to disprove certain stories about the shadow people, we did notice that there were certain gravestones that upon approaching them from about 20 feet away, if light was reflected from behind, one could easily mistake their shadow on these stones for something else because of the upright postion. This, however, does not explain some of the more close and personal encounters that some people have had. It just offers an explanation for people who go there and aware of the stories and already nervous. There were several graves that appeared to have no grass on top. After speaking with the caretaker it was determined that some of the older coffins had buckled over the years and required him to fill them in with dirt. Most of the "bald" plots were on their way to fostering patches of grass.

Throughout the night we had multiple incidents of battery drain and inability to take clear pictures or video. Jenn had several occurances where her camera would not take pictures. Once this was remedied her picture count began to go down rather then up. Carlton experience massive battery drain that required him to change his batteries. We heard many unexplained noises throughout the investigation. Having many outdoor investigations under our belts, we know the sound that animals make when they scurry throughout the woods. Some of these were distinct footfalls and even a growl. At one point, an extremely loud sound came from the woods that surounds the cemetery. We were ready to dismiss it as a fallen tree but the sound was very sudden with no sort of precursor such as the cracking or splintering sound that is consistant with a tree falling.