Ghostly Adventures
Another primary area of interest that helps guide us to destinations of note are those things which lie beyond our understanding…..the unknown mysteries of the world. Whether it be aliens, ghosts, Bigfoot (or any one of a multitude of cryptids), etc…..the allure of such things we find extremely difficult to simply dismiss. So on occasion, we’ll dare ourselves to venture out to explore further what many people reject as either hearsay or fantasy.
One local trek took us for a simple walk into some nearby woods but eventually ended up in a cemetery best known as “Spider Gates” in Leicester, MA. While the formal name for this Quaker burial ground is ”Friends Cemetery”, the gates that guard the aged gravesites lend themselves nicely to its altered namesake. There are several legends attached to this place lending credence to the notion that it’s also sometimes called the Eighth Gate to Hell. And it IS but a mere stone’s throw from where we live, so not a bad way to spend a couple of otherwise idle hours on a lazy weekend once the sun starts to fade.
Speaking of stones…..venturing further outward, we’ve found ourselves (not once, but twice) eating at a wonderfully maintained old pub on Main Street in Ashland, MA called ‘Stones Public House’. Truth be known, it’s haunted enough to have been professionally investigated with the findings carefully recorded in a binder that patrons can thumb through while they dine if they so choose. And the stories are aplenty with one tale involving a young girl that was hit by a train and brought into the building only to pass away and haunt the building forevermore. Another had a gambler murdered where he slept, upstairs in the Inn after being accused of cheating at cards earlier in the evening. And it doesn’t stop there. Absolutely worth the trip, especially when you ask to see more of the facility and the hosts oblige by taking you upstairs and speaking at length about what they’ve come to witness over the years.
But the crème-de-la-crème for our money was an over-nighter we spent in Plymouth, MA to take part in a “Dead of Night Ghost Tour”! OK…..here we go! You wait outside for the tour guides to show up, at midnight…..of course. They arrive in a hearse, step out and pass out gas lanterns to each couple, and lead you on a journey through one of the oldest cemeteries in the country. It’s situated on a huge hill as that’s where the pilgrims built their fort to protect themselves from the Indians upon their arrival. But between the natives and the frigid winters, many (if not, most) didn’t survive. The stories are seemingly never ending about what their lives were like and the misfortunes of being some of the first to pioneer this land. (Note: since this was some of the very first land to be settled in the country, it would follow that if ghosts exist…there MUST be some here). Then they offer instruction as to how to best go about taking pics in the hopes of capturing something unusual on film while the tour continues. Eventually you are taken through not one but two haunted houses……again the stories flow as to why and who haunts each location.
I can tell you personally that when walking through one of these homes, while we lingered in each of several rooms to take in any worthwhile information from the tour guide, we stopped in one such area where we were told that not much happened in that particular room before continuing on our journey. However, when comparing notes with Sue a little later on, we both were dumbstruck to find that each of us had experienced an undeniably sickening / heavy feeling in that very room…..the one with little-to-no history. Gives me the creeps to this day…..
It’s moments like that one that make these trips worthwhile. But the tour itself was excellent. The information was endless. And when we finally got back to our hotel room, we spent hours pouring over the pictures we had taken, looking for….and finding different ‘anomalies’…..AFTER being instructed to take not just one, but two pics (simultaneously) every time you took a photo (to catch any differences between the two). Or to point the camera behind you as you walked, taking random images in the dark where no one was actually looking. Just in case!
In the end, I highly recommend this adventure for anyone who’s interested in a hauntingly elevated experience!
Explore forevermore,
Dick D.