People tend to be fascinated by unsolved mysteries.


Rick Fisher knows this because of his unique trade. When the local paranormal investigator mentions his line of work, people usually have more than their share of questions -- whether they're true believers in ''X-Files''-type phenomena or not.

And while the Columbia resident doesn't mind the attention, he'd much rather put the spotlight on Lancaster County, where he'd like to establish a National Museum of Mysteries and Research Center.

"I've been thinking about opening a museum for a number of years," Fisher said. "We've already organized a visionary committee and a board of directors for the project. We just have to find a building, preferably here in Lancaster County. We're just on the verge of filing'' for nonprofit 501 (c) (3) status.

To help raise funds for the museum, Fisher and supporters are planning a bimonthly series of lectures featuring nationally recognized paranormal experts who will appear at Railroad House in Marietta. For more details, go to www.paranormalpa.com.

"I'm getting a lot of support from friends and colleagues like (UFO researcher) Stan Winston and Rosemary Guiley (FATE Magazine contributor)," Fisher said. "The museum will examine the history of paranormal research and how deeply people have devoted their lives to these mysteries. We plan on showcasing artifacts, books, historic newspaper accounts and videos devoted to unexplained mysteries and other phenomena."

To some, Fisher's museum may seem like an unusual venture, but skeptics should consider the popularity of the Ripley's Believe It Or Not "odditoriums." With 50-plus attractions, the Orlando-based Ripley Entertainment, Inc. is a global company with an annual attendance of more than 12 million guests.

On a smaller scale, there's International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell, N.M. The facility opened in 1991 and receives about 200,000 visitors a year. "Roswell is just a small, desert town," Fisher said. "But it's associated with one of the greatest UFO mysteries in history, which prompted the museum and now attracts visitors from all over."

He said Pennsylvania's paranormal pedigree is as impressive as Roswell's. "We have lots of paranormal history," he said. "There's the Philadelphia Experiment, and the battlefield of Gettysburg -- which is one of the most haunted sites in the country -- and then there's the Smurl Haunting. The stories ... are endless."

Many of the artifacts Fisher plans on using come from his personal collection. Other rare items have been donated from paranormal researchers who support the museum. "I have a collection of Ouija boards going as far back as the 1900s," he said. "I don't really encourage their use, per se, but I'd like to arrange a display that illustrates their history. Some look like works of art, in fact. They were really popular during World War I, when spiritualism was in full swing and war widows wanted to contact their dead husbands."

Fisher also possesses casts of alleged Bigfoot prints that will be displayed in the "Strange Creatures" portion of the museum. A field researcher has also donated a rare sample of what UFOlogists refer to as "space grass."

"The sample I have comes from a sighting that occurred in 1973 in Westmoreland County," he said. "Some witnesses spotted a UFO above some trees, and these metallic strands were found in the branches -- origins unknown."

Fisher also plans to incorporate a reading room into the museum, filled with books on all things strange and unusual. Another section will celebrate the paranormal's timeless link to pop culture, including movie posters for films like "The Mothman Prophecies," Yeti-themed G.I. Joe dolls and oddball food items like "Bigfoot Ale."

"The museum's mission isn't to convince people these mysteries or phenomena are real," Fisher said. "You're either a believer or you're not. We'd just like to celebrate the wonder of these things and their history -- more in the vein of a Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum. Some people devote their entire lives to researching these things."

Fisher carries a lot of prominence in the world of paranormal research. In 2004, he was honored at the first National Paranormal Awards in Baltimore, where he was given the Special Achievement Award. Fisher also founded Ghost Hunter's Society and heads Paranormal Society of Pennsylvania. He's been featured on TV shows. Fisher's reputation has even attracted producers from CBS' hit reality show, "Survivor."

"Last month, I talked to a producer who wanted a 'ghost hunter' to audition for the new season," Fisher said. "They were looking for people with unusual backgrounds, and told me I'd need to be available June, July and August -- if I was chosen for the cast. But I couldn't commit to all that time. And it's too bad, too, because I would have loved the chance to win $1 million. I'm going to watch the new season to see who I would have been stranded with."

Other reality shows with a ghost theme have called upon Fisher to pronounce various sites "haunted." "A lot of them won't use me because I devote a lot of time trying to find a logical explanation for so-called phenomena," he said. "Hauntings are rare, but producers don't always want to hear that."

Despite his professional cynicism, Fisher has been a believer since he was 7, when he saw a ghost in his grandparents' house.

"So, I've always asked questions about these things," he said. "Lots of people do, which is why I think a lot of people will be interested in the museum."

"The museum's mission isn't to convince people these mysteries or phenomena are real. You're either a believer or you're not.''

Rick Fisher

Paranormal investigator