Around 50 people investigated Wareham’s historical buildings Saturday night, creeping up creaky stairs, exclaiming at old dolls and setting up gadgets to find traces of the paranormal.

The Ghosts of the Gateway event brought ghost hunters to four buildings owned by the Wareham Historical Society, raising money for the historical society and educating people on the history of the buildings throughout the night.

The buildings investigated- the Fearing Tavern, the Old Meetinghouse, the One-Room Schoolhouse and the Union Chapel- are particularly good places to find evidence of the paranormal, said Tim Weisberg, an organizer of the event and host of the radio show Spooky Southcoast.

“Activity can happen anywhere, but certain buildings have the right factors to hold in that energy,” Weisberg said.

Weisberg first began investigating these buildings in 2009 and this year’s was the fifth event he has done in Wareham. He said he hopes people will gain a greater appreciation for history and preservation of historical buildings. Ghost activity in any location can be hit-or-miss, Weisberg said.

“We never know when paranormal activity is going to happen, but we try to give people the tools they need to experience it,” Weisberg said. “You could have a night where absolutely nothing happens or a night when the place just lights up.”

Co-workers Wendy Patterson and Kerry Green have attended hundreds of ghost hunting events and are members of the Cape and Islands Paranormal Research Society. They brought their own equipment to detect paranormal activity.

Everyone had their own method of attempting to communicate with ghosts. There were K2 meters, laser grids, electromagnetic field meters, cell phone apps, a Ouija board and a psychic medium. In the dusty, dark rooms, people asked questions of and even tried to play games with spirits.

“What did you think of Benjamin Franklin?” one man asked.

“I’ll count to five, but skip a number, and you tell me which number I skipped,” a woman tried.

“How many spirits are in this house?” someone asked.

Weisberg said most of the spirits people connect with in Wareham’s historical buildings are from the colonial and revolutionary era.

“They like hearing a lot of voices in the building, so that’s the energy that seems to be the strongest,” Weisberg said.

Green said she always hopes for something to happen at every paranormal event she attends, but said she also appreciates the opportunity to support the history of the buildings. Ten people who attended Ghosts of the Gateway had never been to Wareham before and learned about the stories of the historical buildings through the tours.