A few miles north in Hillsdale, Mich., Amy Williamson and her group, Haunted Hilldale, is investigating the long-rumored hauntings of the county.

From Royal Oaks, Mich., Williamson has been interested in the paranormal from a very young age. She attended Olivet College in Olivet, Mich., and earned degrees in sociology, psychology and communications. She has lived in Hillsdale for about seven years.

"Hillsdale is so haunted and I wanted to form a group to prove that," she said. Haunted Hillsdale Ghost Hunters and Paranormal Society has about 100 online members, and a core of about six or seven local members.

Like the SciFi series "Ghost Hunters," Haunted Hillsdale investigates reports it receives about strange activity, using cameras, video and tape recorders, digital voice recorders, electromagnetic field (EMF) detectors and thermometers to check for cold spots.

"Our chances of finding something are about 50/50," she said. "It depends on the person and the house. If someone really doesn't believe in it, then they'll find a way to disprove it."

However, unlike "Ghost Hunters," merely confirming activity is not the only goal. Haunted Hillsdale wants to help people who have negative energy in their homes or businesses.

"We've been dealing with a lot of negative cases lately, and we're trying to help these people, " Williamson said.

She explained clutter causes negative energy and said she urges people to straighten their homes and put things away before she and her team visits. Spirits often are attached to antiques as well.

At one house they investigated someone in her group felt something physically touch her arm.

"We recorded some phenomenal EVPs (electronic voice pheneomenon) that night," she said. "The ghost was literally having a conversation with us."

EVPs are a way to document spirits in an area by capturing voices or sounds on a recorder. According the group's Web site this can be done in two ways. One is by recording while asking the spirit questions, and another is by setting up a device in a specific location and letting it record for an extended period of time.

When Williamson plans vacations, she usually goes someplace that's haunted. She once rented Jim Morrison's apartment he lived in for three years in California. She's also traveled to Michigan's Upper Penisula, which she said is one of the most haunted places she's visited. She said the lighthouses are especially haunted.

Since 2004, she has been the process of creating a documentary about the paranormal group, which is expanding to become Haunted Michigan.

"I love movies and writing scripts, and I wanted to do something with that," she said.

The film documents the group and its findings as it sets out to prove, or in some cases disprove, the presence of spirits.

This year, together with medium Kristy Robinette, Williamson founded the League of Extraordinary Paranormal Women. The goal is to highlight and profile women in the paranormal, including investigators, authors, artists, writers, actresses and musicians.

"Many women, like those on 'Ghost Hunters,' are just case workers," she said. "A lot of others to things that are out-of-norm for women, and we just want to single them out."

Every Thursday, the pair host ParaWomenRadio at 7 p.m., at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/league_of_extraordinary_paranormal_women, where they talk to those women. They also hold workshops and conferences.

On Tues., Oct. 30, they will host a conference in Richland, Mich., at the haunted Blackhawk Bar and Grill and Stagecoach Barn and conduct an investigation of the restaurant afterward. Robinette will follow the investigation with a séance for those who wish to make contact with someone who has crossed over.