On Barnstable ghosts, witches and dark history, gathered on a dark, windswept Halloween visit to one of the oldest villages on Cape Cod. The day the … [Read more...] about Halloween on Cape Cod, digging into the history for stories of Barnstable ghosts, witches and other curiosities
New England
The Black Flash of Provincetown, MA: Folk horror and hysteria from New England echoes in the midwestern countryside
The Black Flash of Provincetown, Massachusetts terrorized the seaside New England town in the early twentieth century. Was there something there, … [Read more...] about The Black Flash of Provincetown, MA: Folk horror and hysteria from New England echoes in the midwestern countryside
Haunted Plymouth: The macabre history of Plymouth, Mass., where Pilgrim and native American spirits haunt side by side
Haunted Plymouth has been known as America’s hometown over more than four centuries, and its history stretches back even further than that. Ghosts and … [Read more...] about Haunted Plymouth: The macabre history of Plymouth, Mass., where Pilgrim and native American spirits haunt side by side
Running from the storm
Tropical Storm Ida, Stephen Fields Beach, Plymouth, Massachusetts I was living on Long Island, a hurricane was bearing down. The question was, would … [Read more...] about Running from the storm
Is it really the House of the Seven Gables? Perhaps, perhaps not. Either way the Turner-Ingersoll mansion in Salem breathes New England history
"Halfway down a by-street of one of our New England towns stands a rusty wooden house, with seven acutely peaked gables, facing towards various points … [Read more...] about Is it really the House of the Seven Gables? Perhaps, perhaps not. Either way the Turner-Ingersoll mansion in Salem breathes New England history
A historic home in Salem finds its way into Lovecraft’s fiction
The Crowninshield Bentley House c.1727-30. Click here to view larger and more images from Salem, Massachusetts. Part of the Peabody Essex … [Read more...] about A historic home in Salem finds its way into Lovecraft’s fiction
Prithee WGN’s Salem, forgive me, for I confess I was wrong
In which the author issues a rare apology When I heard that WGN was making a series based on the Salem witch hysteria, I was skeptical. Then I saw … [Read more...] about Prithee WGN’s Salem, forgive me, for I confess I was wrong
Top 5 Haunted Massachusetts hotels and bed and breakfasts
Ghost stories are a traditional part of New England evenings, and have been since before the founding of our country. So what can be better than … [Read more...] about Top 5 Haunted Massachusetts hotels and bed and breakfasts
Cemetery Symbolism: The Meaning of Memento Mori and a Puritan reminder of your mortality
Memento Mori, headstone in the Old Burial Ground, Concord, MA, c. 1759. Click here for more tombstone images "Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a … [Read more...] about Cemetery Symbolism: The Meaning of Memento Mori and a Puritan reminder of your mortality
Jerusha Howe’s bedroom at Longfellow’s Wayside Inn
Room 9 is the room to get when staying at Longfellow's Wayside Inn outside Sudbury, Massachusetts. It's said to host the spirit of Jerusha, who has … [Read more...] about Jerusha Howe’s bedroom at Longfellow’s Wayside Inn
The Witches’ Field in Salem Village, Where the Wicked Gathered When George Burrough blew his horn
From the Salem Witchcraft Papers, Boyer and Nissenbaum, 1977 1st June 1692 Abigaile Hobbs then confessed before John Hathorn & Jonathan … [Read more...] about The Witches’ Field in Salem Village, Where the Wicked Gathered When George Burrough blew his horn
A Salem Walking Tour in Three Miles
Salem is a walking town, with Essex Street acting as the main pedestrian artery. If you're spending the night in Salem, haunted hotels are the way to … [Read more...] about A Salem Walking Tour in Three Miles
A Field Guide to visiting Salem, Massachusetts: From Witches to the Maritimes, to literary fame, a history lover’s dream
I'll admit it, the first time I saw the sign announcing that I had arrived in Salem, I got chills up my spine. The Salem witch hunt was a real-life … [Read more...] about A Field Guide to visiting Salem, Massachusetts: From Witches to the Maritimes, to literary fame, a history lover’s dream
Deconstructing myths of the American Revolution: Paul Revere’s ride in the words of Paul Revere himself and a travelogue
In the fall of 1774 and the winter of 1775, I was one of upwards of thirty, chiefly mechanics, who formed ourselves into a committee for the purpose … [Read more...] about Deconstructing myths of the American Revolution: Paul Revere’s ride in the words of Paul Revere himself and a travelogue
The Day We Realized Our Culture Was Broken
Mary had a little lamb, whose fleece was white as snow. And everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go. It followed her to school one … [Read more...] about The Day We Realized Our Culture Was Broken
The truth about Thanksgiving and the creation of an American myth
Thanksgiving is the most Norman Rockwell of all our holidays. Rockwell's painting shows us a mythologized past of America in the middle of the … [Read more...] about The truth about Thanksgiving and the creation of an American myth
