MECHANIC FALLS — Glowing orbs, moans, blinking flashlights, muffled voices, things that go bump in the night and something that doesn’t like Elvis Presley — all revealed to have been present in the Mechanic Falls Historical Society Building during a series of visits last spring and summer by ghost hunters from Everything Paranormal of New England.

“Orbs don’t necessarily mean someplace is haunted, but there were dragging noises behind the organ and someone in the back room calling out for ‘Bob,’” Renee Alling said at a “reveal” held Saturday in the basement of the building that until a year ago had housed the town’s Congregational Church.

Alling, founder and lead investigator for the paranormal group, showed a series of photographs of glowing orbs, some colored, some with clusters.

“It appeared we had some big ones following us around,”Alling said.

According to Alling, there may be as many as 17 spirits upstairs, the area around the old church organ being particularly rich.

“Do not play Elvis Presley music upstairs; something doesn’t like it,” Alling said.

As evidence, Alling played a recording wherein one could distinctly hear “you are not my friend” over the strains of an Elvis song.

In another recording, the words “I am Nelson” can clearly be heard.

Eriks Petersons, president of the historical society, suspects it could be Nelson Valentine.

“Nelson Valentine presented the pipe organ to the church in 1901,” Petersons said. “The Valentines had a long connection to the church. The first services were held in John Valentine’s house in 1840. The meeting house, which is the church, was completed in September 1848.”

Nancy Petersons recounted that people living near the old church report seeing shadows and occasionally the form of a woman looking out an upstairs window, toward the downtown.

“Some believe it’s an old organist, Bessie Knight Bailey, looking out for the town,” Nancy Petersons said.

Alling noted that her group also spent a night at the town library, a structure built a little after the church which has served as a private dwelling, a law office and a jail, and declared that it “needs tons of more research.”

Bob Randall reported that he had investigated the library upstairs.

On a recording, a low but distinct moan could be heard in response to Randall’s, “Lights out, soldier; in your bunk.”

“Whatever it was in there didn’t like me,” Randall said.

The ghost hunters spent three nights in the old church in March, June and July.  Local residents Mike and Beth Chrostek joined them for the two summer nights.

“I got orbs on my camera,” Beth Chrostek said. “I saw how the flashlight blinked on and off. Afterward, the flashlight was cold, too cold for a warm night, and I felt cold air coming up from under the pews.”

Mike Chrostek said he took part as a complete skeptic.

“I was watching everyone carefully,” he said. “There is no answer to what was happening.”

Many of the more than 60 people — clearly present and visible — who attended the “reveal” expressed great curiosity and wonder.

One young lady, Jenna Davis of Leeds, said that being in the building where such things were said to have happened was “a little scary.”

Poland Regional High School students Myshel Gagne and Brian Stevens, as well as recent graduate Jenn Herrick, said they intended to stay the night with the ghost hunters: “We want to see what happens.”