CHESAPEAKE — The Chesapeake Community Center was built in 1924 and in its nearly 90-year existence the building has served as a school, and the headquarters for local EMS, before finally becoming the community center.

A building of that age is bound to hold some history inside its halls, but does it hold something more? Perhaps a link between the living world and the spirit world?

According to David Maynard, founder of Quest Paranormal, the answer is yes.

“The building is legitimately haunted,” Maynard said. “We’ve seen a few different apparitions. We’ve heard voices that didn’t belong to anyone in our group. There is definitely some unexplained phenomenon occurring there.”

The most common apparition witnessed is that of a young girl who has been seen roaming the halls of the old school house by Quest Paranormal on several occasions, but she is not the only permanent resident of the brick building.

“The little girl is who we see most often,” Maynard said. “We think she may have gone here and died tragically young. We also see an older male who we believe was a former janitor.”

Maynard and his colleagues have been hosting public ghost hunts at the community center giving skeptics and thrill seekers a chance to see firsthand what goes on inside the old building.

“This is our fifth year doing these public hunts,” Maynard said. “We allow people to pay a nominal fee and go with us on a hunt. We don’t always experience activity but more often than not, we get something otherworldly going on.”

The public hunts have been very successful, drawing crowds of inquisitive people looking for evidence of the afterlife.

“This stuff peaks people’s interest. They’re fascinated by it,” Maynard said. “Something about what we don’t understand can be scary but also exciting to explore so sometimes we get big crowds for these hunts. Sometimes we get smaller ones but they’re always enthusiastic.”

The community center and Quest Paranormal have garnered national attention in an episode of the Biography Channel show “My Ghost Story.” The episode was based around the happenings during one of the group’s public hunts. During that particular hunt a few guests reported that scratches and handprints were left on their torsos by one of the residence’s more malevolent spirits.

The next public hunt hosted by the group, will be from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Halloween night. Another public hunt will take place the following night. The cost is $15 per person. Aside from the ghost hunt, guests will also be able to join in a question and answer session with experts on the paranormal.

“We’re going to have some experts come in and talk about the supernatural,” Maynard said. “We’ll also have some pizza and refreshments. It is going to be a good time.”