Tales from the crypt - A Haunting Pictorial
By Tony Giese
A grave tale…indeed! Models Tracy and Noelle were captured posing over a tomb in Gethsemane Cemetery, located on Orchard St. in Ormond Beach. And although my photographer, Tony Giese and I were breaking some rules of cemetery etiquette (see below) proprietor, Dusty Smith, was pleased as punch to have us there to bring attention to her cause. The International Association of Cemetery Preservationists, Inc. was formed by Dusty and “partner is crime”, Kourtnie James while on a trip to Savannah, GA. The two decided to turn their respect for the dearly departed into an ever growing organization that now has members world wide and makes great strides at changing neglected cemeteries into the historically preserved sites that they deserve to be.
The IACP, Inc. along with the Daytona Beach Paranormal Research Group, Inc. (I’ll also get to this one), have adopted three different Daytona area cemeteries to raise funds for. The first being Gethsemane where we shot the lovely ladies. It was nearing completion phase…until the “H” words came. The second is Saints & Sinners cemetery in Oak Hill. There has been so much vandalism that it will take decades before a noticeable difference is made. The third site, Mt. Arrarat, has also suffered extensive vandalism, which has included broken into burial sites and the left of military medals, jewelry, and even gold teeth. Dusty heads up some of the fund raising efforts through her company, Haunts of the World’s Most Famous Beach Ghost Tours. These tours operate year round and are the only ghost tours on the east coast to be owned & operated by a certified ghost hunter and active certified paranormal investigator. Which brings me back to the aforementioned organization…the DBPRG, Inc. of which Dusty is chief researcher and founder. In addition to certificates as a ghost hunter & paranormal investigator, she holds degrees in biology, psychology and theology which aid her in a scientific approach to the field of the paranormal. Formed in 1997, DBPRG, Inc. came an official nonprofit organization in 1998. Dusty and her DBPRG, Inc. members, numbering over 25, have worked cases all over the southeast…historic sites, cemeteries, public buildings, and private homes.
Way to legit to quit, DBPRG, Inc. has had cases featured in the Daytona News-Journal, the Orlando Sentinel, FATE magazine, Shorelines magazine…on TLC, Discovery Channel…in “Real Ghosts”, by Brad Stieger, and in “Haunted Places” by William Hauck.
Dusty has also authored several books on the paranormal including “Ghost Hunting 101: A Guide for the beginner,” “Confessions of a Central Florida Ghost Hunter,” “Haunting Tales from Central Florida,” and her latest work, “A Year in Hell: the haunting of Dunnam House,” the story of a true haunting in Deltona. All of this stuff is pretty scary…but not as scary as the condition of aforementioned cemeteries. If you would like to help this grave situation contact: The International Association of Cemetery Preservationists, Inc. at: http://hometown.aol.com/iacpcontact/intropageiacp.html. email:IACPContact@aol.com. Want to hunt ghosts? The Daytona Beach Paranormal Research Group, Inc.: http://www.dbprginc.org email: DBPRGContact@aol.com.
And for all of you punks, vandals and would be satan-worhippin’ ritual makin’ fools, the grave markers all say, “REST IN PEACE”. So here’s the cemetery etiquette you should follow: