New England Ghost Stories

There's nothing like autumn in New England. The air is cooler and less humid. The leaves turn from green to golden yellow, bright orange, and vibrant red. You can drink in the musky smell of the fallen leaves, and hear them rustle and crunch beneath your feet as you walk through them. Perfect for a hike on Glastenbury Mountain in Vermont. But if you decide to hike the Long Trail, just don't go alone. You may never be heard from again, especially if you're wearing red.

Late in the summer of 1658, legend has it that an ominous-looking ship sailed into Lynn Harbor. It was painted black and bore no markings or a flag. The locals expected a raid by pirates. Instead, they watched as four of the pirates loaded a chest onto a small boat and rowed up the Saugus River. Eventually, British soldiers learned where the pirates were hiding and raided their camp. Three of them were caught and hung, but a fourth, Thomas Veal, escaped into the forest, taking the hoard of silver with him. Veal reportedly hid in the cave now known as Dungeon Rock.
Then in 1852, Hiram Marble purchased the five acres of land around the cave after hearing the legends of the lost pirate treasure. Marble was part of the Spiritualist movement, believing he could communicate with the ghost of the pirate Thomas Veal and discover the location of the hidden treasure.

Over the holidays, a friend and I somehow got on the subject of Bigfoot, which led me to wonder if there had been any sightings here in New England. And it turns out, there have been plenty.

As with most of New England, Mystic holds properties that are rich in stories. Land that was home to the Pequot and Mohawk peoples, witnessed the American Revolution and Civil War, and saw generations of families going about their lives. Whitehall Mansion is one of those properties. With so many lives passing through Whitehall, it's really no surprise that some of them may have stayed behind.

At Mystic Seaport in Mystic, CT, you'll find the Charles W. Morgan, the last whaling ship and America’s oldest commercial ship still afloat. But whaling was a dangerous occupation, even on a lucky ship. Many whalers have lost their lives in pursuit of the whale oil used to fuel lamps of the day. Drownings, falls from the rigging, as well as numerous accidents and illnesses were common. With such long and perilous journeys, it's little wonder that some of the whalers decided to stay aboard.