Hampshire Hauntings…

Tomorrow is Halloween. Can you feel the energy? Yes, there's the commercial Halloween surge that gets our children worked up into a frenzy as they scramble to find the perfect costume, but then there's that other energy — something supernatural... paranormal perhaps. The quiet, dark whispers as night descends earlier every evening. I thought rather than chat about antiques or home décor, we'd take a look at historically haunted places near us here in the Monadnock Region and state-wide. This list is by no means exhaustive. Who would have known there were so many haunted spots here in New Hampshire? Dublin Lake: Such a beautiful drive around its shores on the closely wrapped Rt. 101. Did you know it's haunted? I've long heard about the Dublin Lake Monster and just a few days ago, Episode 418 of the "New England Legends" podcast did a whole feature about it while the hosts were rowing out on the lake. Legend has it that back in the 1980s, a missing skindiver was found shivering and naked in the woods days after the dive, mumbling repeatedly "lake monster." The podcast also mentioned the rumor of a UFO crashing into the lake, again originating from back in the '80s. Could that skindiver have been confronted by an alien perhaps? As if that's not enough, former colleague, Nicole Colson at MyKeeneNow.com reported last year that long ago a Native American woman drowned in the lake and her spirit still haunts the water. Local boaters and fishermen have reportedly caught glimpses of her before she quickly vanishes. Huntress Hall at Keene State College: Back in the '80s when I lived on campus, Huntress Hall was an all-girls dorm nicknamed The Virgin Vault. Even back then, amongst all the shenanigans, the dorm was rumored to be haunted and occasionally a wheelchair could be heard rolling across the floor of the attic. Lights flickered, objects fell off shelves and it was all apparently at the hands of the ghost of Harriet Huntress who'd died of spinal cancer many, many years ago. Ocean-Born Mary House, Henniker: What a beguiling tale this one is. According to "The Most Haunted Places in New Hampshire" by Ryan O'Rourke at New Hampshire Magazine, back in 1720, pirate Don Pedro captured a ship called "Wolf" off the coast of Massachusetts and happened to spy a red-headed newborn baby girl. He then promised to spare everyone onboard if the baby could be named after his mother. The ruby-haired baby, Ocean-Born Mary, went on with her life, eventually married and had children. Unfortunately, she was widowed at a young age. Eventually, Captain Pedro tracked Mary down and the two of them married and settled into a mansion overlooking the town of Henniker. Years passed until one day poor Mary found the body of her husband murdered on the grounds of the estate. Rumored to be over pirate treasure/debt, Mary wound up burying the Captain under the huge hearthstone in the kitchen. The house is still privately owned and the ghost of Mary with her red hair and glowing green eyes is still occasionally seen in an upstairs window and on a staircase. Mary died at the age of 94 in 1814 and is buried in the cemetery behind the town hall but she is believed to forever be a protector of the home. Woodland Cemetery, Keene: From that same New Hampshire Magazine piece, I'm surprised I've never heard this one before since I love walking the acreage of Woodland Cemetery. The rolling hills and roadway meandering through the gravestones feel park-like and so peaceful. There's a small chapel, Summer Knight Chapel, way in the back of the cemetery that is supposed to be the center of a haunting by a little girl peering out from behind surrounding trees. She's said to giggle and even follow you around and be sure not to curse in front of the chapel. If you do, a ghost will wash your mouth out with soap… or at least leave the slight aftertaste of soap in your mouth. Happy Halloween!