Paranormal investigator Brian Cano brought an exhibit about the history of the paranormal to Shepherdstown over the weekend. Tom Markland

SHEPHERDSTOWN – Over the weekend, paranormal investigator Brian Cano brought a mobile exhibit to Shepherdstown, offering visitors a crash course in the history of paranormal investigation and even bringing local residents on ghost hunts at Shepherd University.

The exhibit was set up in the War Memorial Building from Friday until Sunday.

Known for his time on shows like Paranormal Caught on Camera and Haunted Collector, Cano has been a paranormal investigator for 22 years.

Starting in 2018, Cano built the exhibit as a single room display with about a dozen 24×36 foam cork boards. Now, it’s expanded to take up the entirety of the upper floor of the War Memorial Building, complete with interactive displays and artifacts.

“So many people get their sole education about the paranormal from TV,” Cano said in an interview with The Journal. “I want to tell people where it came from. Where did it start? What’s its history?”

He says his goal is to bring the exhibit to all 50 states. So far, he’s covered much of the northeast, including states like New York and Pennsylvania. This is his first time bringing the exhibit to West Virginia.

Cano says he chose Shepherdstown because of its paranormal history, with the town having been featured on a show called Ghosts of Shepherdstown. He partnered with Shepherdstown Mystery Walks to host a mixer on Friday night.

“Some towns are very superstitious, they’re like, ‘oh, you can’t come here with that,'” Cano said. “Shepherdstown seems to have an acceptance of it.”

The exhibit offers visitors a look back at the history of humanity’s fascination with the afterlife, all the way up to present day state-of-the-art ghost hunting equipment. Various displays feature scientists and investigators that have contributed to the field

“There’s a lot of information,” Cano said. “I don’t expect people to grab it all, but if you can pick up one name or one story and take something with you, and go ‘you know what? I’m going to check this out.’ I’ve done my job.”

For the ghost hunts, Cano says that everywhere he visits he tries to host those so visitors have a chance to put the things they’ve learned into practice. This time, he took visitors to Shepherd University’s Reynolds Hall, as well as the student center.

“People would think, well, what could be haunted about that?” Cano said. “What’s a more stressful time than college? You’re partying, you’re learning, you’re stressed, you’re away from home. These emotions sometimes can focus up and leave a residual energy, and while it may not result in a haunting, it builds up. Sometimes you bring a psychic, and they say they can feel something.”

Cano says he has yet to encounter a college or university across the country that isn’t haunted in some way.

More information about the exhibit and where it’s going next is available online at neverstopsearching.com.