Blackwood Factory

Investigation Date September 8-9, 2021
Team Members Marcus Chen, Riley Martinez, Kevin Park
Status RESOLVED

The Legend

The defunct textile factory was allegedly haunted by workers who died in a 1960s fire. Witnesses reported shadowy figures moving along the factory floor at night, appearing to operate old machinery in precise patterns. The activity occurred nightly: figures arrived at 6 PM, worked until 2 AM, then vanished. Security cameras consistently malfunctioned or showed unexplained dark shapes during these hours.

Location Overview

Textile Factory Exterior
Textile factory exterior
Industrial decay, broken windows
Factory Floor Interior
Factory floor interior
Old machinery silhouettes, dramatic shadows

Investigation Plan

  • Time-lapse Photography: Document shadow movement patterns across multiple nights
  • Light Source Analysis: Map all surrounding light sources and their angles
  • Historical Research: Factory layout, original worker schedules, shift patterns
  • Technical Coordination: Work with city security to analyze camera malfunction data

Equipment Setup

Time-lapse Photography Setup
Time-lapse photography setup
Cameras on tripods, professional documentation
Light Analysis Equipment
Light analysis equipment
Measuring angles and sources

The Discovery

Root Cause: Highway Traffic Shadows + New Streetlight + Building Geometry

The "phantom workers" were shadows cast by truck traffic on the nearby interstate highway. A combination of factors created the perfect illusion of organized industrial activity.

Key Factors

Highway Truck Headlights
Highway truck headlights
Night photography, geometric light patterns
Shadow Patterns on Factory Floor
Shadow patterns on factory floor
Light and shadow interplay, architectural photography
Broken Window Analysis
Broken window analysis
Window pattern matching assembly line layout
Technical Analysis
  • Truck headlights at precise angles through broken factory windows
  • New municipal streetlight (installed 2020) changed shadow geometry
  • Broken window pattern coincidentally matched original assembly line layout
  • Shadow timing corresponded to highway traffic patterns (rush hour + late-night trucking)

Security Camera Analysis

The security camera malfunctions were traced to electromagnetic interference from high-voltage power lines that had been rerouted after the factory closure. The new routing passed directly over the camera mounting points, causing intermittent signal disruption during peak electrical load periods.

Power Line Routing Diagram
Power line routing diagram
Technical documentation of electrical changes
Camera Malfunction Patterns
Camera malfunction patterns
Correlation with electrical load data

Investigation Photos

Rusted Textile Machinery
Rusted textile machinery
Spinning wheels, looms, atmospheric lighting
Long Exposure Shadow Trails
Long exposure shadow trails
Movement patterns documented over time
Team Documentation Process
Team documentation process
Professional investigation in abandoned factory
Geometric Light Analysis
Geometric light analysis
Mysterious atmospheric lighting patterns

Case Resolution

The Blackwood Factory investigation revealed how modern infrastructure changes can create convincing supernatural illusions in abandoned spaces. The case demonstrated the importance of considering recent environmental changes when investigating historical locations.

This investigation established our protocol for analyzing light-based phenomena and highlighted how urban development continues to affect abandoned buildings in unexpected ways.

Investigation Outcome

Phenomena Explained: 100% of shadow activity traced to traffic/lighting interaction
Technical Issues Resolved: Power line interference causing security camera failures
Historical Insight: Perfect coincidence of infrastructure changes and building geometry