The bartender and a friend are shooting pool in the empty restaurant, waiting to lock up. It’s either late at night or very early in the morning, depending on one’s perspective and level of inebriation. The restaurant was built as a home in the 18th and 19th century, and our two subjects are in the […]
Barnstable Village Haunted History Tours: A delightfully creepy Halloween stroll
The Old Gaol (The Old Jail), Barnstable Village, Massachusetts Ghost tours are great, don’t get me wrong. They’re fun and informative, and a great way to get leads for this site. But they aren’t typically bone-chilling, or even frightful. It’s hard to feel creepy in a group of people strolling the sidewalk. So I was […]
The Beechwood Inn, Barnstable Massachusetts: ghostly encounters in the shower
It’s Halloween, and I’m in the tub of the Rose Room at the Beechwood Inn in Barnstable, Massachusetts. I’m just back from the Barstable Village Haunted and History Walking Tour, which was a two hour or so stroll through the haunted spots in this stereotypically perfect Cape Cod village. The tour ends at the Old […]
The Jamesport Manor Inn: Gourmet dinner and spirits
One could argue that the main character of The Witching Hour, a novel by Anne Rice is the Mayfair mansion on First Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. In the book, the house is painstakingly restored, making a dandy home, custom-built for the spirits that live within. But this begs the question, what ties a spirit […]
The Spooner House, Plymouth, Massachusetts: A haunting in America’s hometown
In August of 2005, a group of workmen were hired to do repairs at the Spooner House in Plymouth, Massachusetts and upon arriving, knocked at the door. A little girl in colonial period costume opened it, which surprised no one as the more than 262 year-old house has been a museum for over 50 years. […]
Piracy in Charleston S.C, The Pirate House
Sometimes it’s not the truth, but the story which makes for a historical attraction. A case-in-point: The Pirate House in Charleston, South Carolina. People have strolled the cobblestones of the French Quarter and down Church Street, past this bermuda stone dwelling since 1704, but when it took on the disinction of the Pirate House is […]
On Magic and Witchcraft: A letter to a ten-year-old
It’s a tough time for you, being a Harry Potter fan and all. You want to believe that the world you read about in the books and watch in the films exists. It doesn’t. At least not the way that you’ve been taught, and not what most people think of when they hear the word […]
Haunted Gettysburg: True ghost stories from Little Round Top, then and now
44th New York Infantry Monument and 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Little Round Top, Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, PA. “But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate – we can not consecrate – we can not hallow – this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far […]