A New Ghost-Hunting Tool? Testing an Anemometer at the Tillie Pierce House

Hey, spooky cats!

During our recent stay at the allegedly haunted Tillie Pierce House in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, I brought along a new piece of equipment to test during our paranormal investigation.

No, it wasn’t another blinking box claiming to translate ghostly conversations into random words. This device is much simpler—and that may actually make it more useful.

It’s an anemometer, a small handheld instrument used to measure wind speed and changes in airflow.

Could it help us determine whether a mysterious breeze is paranormal, environmental, or just our imaginations getting a little overexcited in a haunted house?

That was exactly what I wanted to find out.

What Is an Anemometer?

An anemometer is an instrument designed to measure the movement of air. The model I purchased can measure:

• Current wind speed
• Maximum wind speed
• Average wind speed
• Air temperature
• Wind chill
• Air volume

The small fan-like wheel at the top of the device spins whenever air passes through it. The screen then displays a numerical reading showing how fast the air is moving.

When the room is completely still, the wind-speed reading should remain at zero. When I blew across the device or turned on a nearby fan, the wheel began spinning and the numbers increased.

Nothing paranormal there—unless the fan was possessed, which seems unlikely.

Why Use an Anemometer for Ghost Hunting?

Cold chills and unexplained breezes are among the most commonly reported experiences during paranormal investigations.

Someone may suddenly feel cold air move across their arm. Another investigator might describe something whooshing past them. A group may notice a strange breeze in a room where the windows are closed and the air-conditioning system appears to be off.

Those sensations can certainly feel spooky, especially when you’re standing inside a dark building with a reputation for being haunted.

However, there are plenty of ordinary explanations for moving air.

A breeze could come from:

• Heating or air-conditioning vents
• Drafty windows or doors
• Ceiling fans
• People walking nearby
• Pressure changes caused by opening a door
• Small gaps in an older building
• Warm and cool air circulating naturally
• An investigator moving their own hand or body

Human perception is also far from perfect. When we’re nervous or expecting something strange to happen, a tiny temperature change can feel much more dramatic than it really is.

That’s where the anemometer may be helpful.

Instead of relying only on someone saying, “I felt something,” we can check whether the air was actually moving.

Testing the Anemometer

Before using the device during the investigation, I conducted a very basic test inside the room.

With no fan running, the anemometer showed a wind-speed reading of zero. The temperature reading was approximately 25.8 degrees Celsius, although the device can also be changed to Fahrenheit.

I then turned on a fan.

As expected, the wheel began spinning and the screen displayed a measurable wind speed. Moving the device closer to the fan produced a stronger reading, reaching approximately four miles per hour during the demonstration.

That simple test showed that the anemometer was responding to actual airflow.

Of course, detecting air movement is only the first step. It doesn’t tell us where the air came from—or whether a ghost caused it.

That part requires more careful testing.

How I Plan to Use It During Investigations

If someone reports feeling a sudden breeze, cold rush, or whooshing sensation, I can place the anemometer near the area and look for measurable airflow.

I’ll also need to examine the surroundings.

Are there vents nearby? Are any windows open? Did someone just walk across the room? Has a door recently been opened? Is an air-conditioning system cycling on and off?

Ideally, I would also record:

• The exact time of the experience
• The location of the anemometer
• The direction of the airflow
• The maximum wind-speed reading
• The temperature before and after the event
• Whether anyone was moving nearby
• The status of doors, windows, fans, and HVAC systems

A single unexplained reading wouldn’t prove paranormal activity. It would simply show that air moved.

Still, that’s useful information.

If someone feels a breeze but the device records nothing, the experience may have been caused by a temperature sensation rather than actual moving air. If the anemometer does record airflow, we can begin searching for a physical source.

Either result helps us narrow down what happened.

Could a Ghost Create Air Movement?

That is the big question, and right now, there is no reliable scientific evidence showing that ghosts produce wind or measurable changes in airflow.

Paranormal investigators often describe cold spots and sudden breezes, but those experiences are usually reported through personal sensation rather than controlled measurements.

Even if an anemometer records a burst of air in an apparently still room, that would not automatically mean a spirit caused it. Older buildings can be full of hidden drafts, pressure changes, ventilation systems, and temperature differences.

The Tillie Pierce House, like many historic buildings in Gettysburg, has had plenty of time to develop creaky floors, uneven temperatures, and sneaky little air currents.

Old houses are basically environmental pranksters.

For an airflow event to become genuinely interesting, it would need to happen under controlled conditions and preferably repeat on command.

For example, investigators might ask:

“Can you move toward this device?”

If the anemometer repeatedly recorded airflow immediately after that request—with no people moving and no identifiable environmental source—that would be worth investigating further.

It still wouldn’t be proof of a ghost, but it would be much harder to dismiss as a random draft.

An Affordable Addition to a Paranormal Investigation Kit

The anemometer I purchased cost around $10, making it one of the more affordable tools in my ghost-hunting equipment collection.

It is also refreshingly honest about what it does.

It doesn’t claim to detect spirits. It doesn’t generate mysterious words or flashing lights. It simply measures moving air and temperature.

That makes it useful for skeptical paranormal investigation because it can help us test claims rather than immediately label them as supernatural.

There is one downside: the device may drain its battery even when it is switched off. A battery indicator remains visible on the screen, so I plan to remove the battery while storing it.

Otherwise, I may arrive at a haunted location ready to measure a ghostly breeze only to discover that the real mystery is where all my battery power went.

Is an Anemometer Worth Trying for Ghost Hunting?

I think an anemometer could be a useful addition to a paranormal investigation kit, especially for testing reports of unexplained breezes, cold drafts, and sensations of something rushing past.

It won’t tell us whether a ghost is present. What it can do is provide objective information about whether air was actually moving.

That distinction matters.

Paranormal investigation should involve more than collecting strange experiences. We should also be looking for ways to test those experiences, rule out ordinary explanations, and document anything that remains unexplained.

The anemometer gives us one more environmental measurement to work with.

We used it during our investigation at the Tillie Pierce House, so I’ll be reviewing the footage to see whether it captured anything unusual.

Until then, I remain cautiously curious.

Because sometimes a mysterious cold breeze is a ghost.

And sometimes it’s just an air vent waiting for its dramatic entrance.

Stay spooky, spooky cats!