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The Haunted Dark Entry Forest and the Cursed Dudleytown

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You are not allowed to enter the Dark Entry Forest any longer. Inside there is the ghost town of Dudleytown, a town said to be so cursed it didn’t end well for any of the settlers. They turned mad, dead or even taken by the ‘creature of the forest’. 

Once this area was sacred ground for the Mohawk Nation, but this all changed after colonization and today it is known as a cursed place. The Dark Entry Forest in northwestern Connecticut, with its ominous sounding name, has an even worse reputation of being cursed and haunted, a forest of complete silence and darkness. 

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The Dark Entry Forest got its name because of how little sun that gets through the trees when the settlers first came here. Records claim that some parts were dark already around noon. The nearby mountains also cast long shadows, making the land look a little darker and scarier than it perhaps was. 

The Ghost of Dudleytown in Dark Entry Forest

Not only is the Dark Entry Forest itself creepy, but the remains of a now abandoned ghost town is also the source of many of the rumors. Dudleytown stands as a ghostly testament to a bygone era. 

Tucked away a few miles south of Cornwall Bridge, Dudleytown found its home in the Dark Entry Forest. The very name evokes images of shadowy paths and hidden secrets. Back then it was known as Owlsbury. It was never really a town, and at most, the settlement reached around 26 people living there. 

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Dudleytown, though never officially a town, etched its place in history in the early 1740s when settlers like Thomas Griffis and the Dudley family took root in this desolate corner of Cornwall. Barzillai Dudley and Abiel Dudley, among others, built a community that would soon become synonymous with tales of misfortune and spectral encounters. However, the town’s decline wasn’t a result of curses but rather practical challenges — distant water sources and unsuitable soil for cultivation. Or was it really?

As the town succumbed to abandonment sometime after the Civil War, its remnants, like cellar holes, became the silent witnesses to a past that refuses to be forgotten. Since 1924, Dark Entry Forest, Incorporated, has guarded the land, preserving it from the encroachment of curious onlookers and seekers of the supernatural.

Rumors and Curses of the Dudley Line

Legend has it that Dudleytown carries a curse, stemming from the supposed lineage of its founders, who were said to be descendants of the beheaded English nobleman, Edmund Dudley under the reign of Henry VII from 1485 to 1509. So what is the background for his curse?

Edmund Dudley: Edmund Dudley (c. 1462 – August 17, 1510) was an English figure during King Henry VII and thought to be the originator of the curse. Dudley’s involvement in a plot against the crown led to his arrest. In 1510, he was charged with treason and beheaded.

Edmund Dudley served in the council for King Henry VII, but when Henry VIII took over, he was imprisoned in the Tower of London and executed in 1510 charged with treason. His son John Dudley was the one trying to put his daughter in law, Lady Jane Grey on the throne but was also convicted of high treason and executed. 

According to this rumor on the internet, his family curse followed his descendant when they crossed the Atlantic and settled in Dudleytown. This was Edmund Dudley’s grandchild, Robert, Earl of Leicester, a favorite of Elizabeth I.

This is not the only ghost story this man is involved in though, most notably that he was haunted by his wife, Amy Robsart, who died under suspicious circumstances. Read more about it in The Hauntings of Amy Robsart in Wychwood Forest. 

There are also those that claim that a Dudley ancestor who was a judge, sentenced people to death for witchcraft. Apparently one of them was in fact a witch and cursed him and his entire family line to misfortune. This is actually a theory put forward by ghosthunter and demonologist, Ed Warren. 

This curse, whispered through generations, is blamed for everything from crop failures to tragic deaths within the village. This could also be because it was located on top of a hill, unsuitable for farming. 

However, historical scrutiny reveals no genealogical link to the English nobleman, and factual inconsistencies abound. Especially the legend about it being Robert, Earl of Leicester, that settled in America, as he never did. The true story lies hidden in the annals of time, obscured by the mists of myth and rumor. Although, there truly are many Dudley’s and historical records does not necessarily mean blood.

Vandalism and the Blair Witch Effect on Dark Entry Forest

Tales of the Dark Entry Forest being haunted can be traced back to the 80s, at least, perhaps even further back as some say people talked about it, even in the 1940s. 

What we know is that in 1926, Edward C. Starr published two pages about Dudleytown residents in his History of Cornwall. Fictitious most of it it seems. It didn’t garner much attention at the time, but in the early 1970s, the story got picked up by Ed and Lorraine Warren, a couple from Connecticut and self declared demonologists, most famous for investigating the Amityville house. 

They used the story in a videotaped Halloween special where they said the town was demonically possessed and controlled by something terrifying. 

As the 1999 film, The Blair Witch Project, brought haunted forests into the spotlight, Dudleytown found itself thrust into the public eye once more together with Dark Entry Forest. A surge of interest, fueled by rumors of curses and ghostly apparitions, led to a rise in vandalism. Despite the best efforts of local authorities and the closure of the village site, Dudleytown became a magnet for those seeking a brush with the supernatural.

Blair Witch Project: A horror film released in 1999. Directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, the movie employs the found-footage style to tell the story of three student filmmakers who venture into the Black Hills near Burkittsville, Maryland, to document the legend of the Blair Witch. The film gained immense popularity for its innovative approach, creating a sense of realism and fear through shaky camera work and minimalist effects. Despite its modest budget, “The Blair Witch Project” became a massive success and left a lasting impact on the horror genre. It in turn was said to have been inspired by: The Legend of the Witch Moll Dyer

Haunting and Cursed Going on

The legend is that, in addition to the family curse, was plagued by ghosts as well as demonic forces. Even before The Blair Witch Project was released, the New York Times dubbed the town Connecticut favorite ghost town and the village of the damned. 

Strange Creatures of the Dark Entry Forest

One of the legends coming from the Dark Forest, is about the mysterious and strange creatures coming to the settlers from time to time. What is it, and if the villagers really feared this has never really been clear.

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One of those that talked about this was William Tanner who was said to have gone insane and talked about that there were these strange creatures that came out from the woods at night. This especially happened when a Gershon Hollister was murdered in his barn in 1792. Or was it that he fell from the rafters? It is also worth mentioning that he was said to have been slightly demented in his old age, said to have died at 104. 

It is said though the ghost of Gershon Hollister is haunting the settlement, appearing as a shadow, calling out for help. 

Insanity Plaguing the Villagers

There are many cases where insanity was sort of a confirmation that Dudleytown was cursed. Like with the Revolutionary War General, Herman Swift that lived close to Dudleytown. His wife, Sarah Faye was killed when she was struck by lightning standing on her porch. It is said he went insane and died soon after. 

Even after the original Dudleytown had died out, cases of insanity continued to haunt the Dark Entry Forest. In 1900 a Dr. William Clarke came to the Dark Entry Forest and purchased land that included Dudleytown. There he built a summer home where he and his wife Harriet Bank Clark visited on weekends and summers. 

In 1918 however, Dr. Clark had to go to New York for a medical emergency and left his wife in the house. He didn’t stay long, and after 36 hours, he was back, but it was already too late. According to the stories he came home and found his wife being insane, talking about strange creatures coming out of the Dark Entry Forest. 

Not long after she committed suicide. Although it is known that she suffered from a chronic illness, most likely a mental illness that is, or perhaps such a painful one that she couldn’t take it anymore.. 

The Plague and Curse

Although we know today that different plagues and illnesses were common in these times, it was also speculated that they were under some sort of curse. In Dudleytown there was a house built by Abiel Dudley who had died after he went insane, or perhaps old and demented. Some claim to have seen his ghost, sitting on the porch of the ruins of his former house. 

In 1759, Nathaniel Carter moved into the house in Dark Entry Forest. A plague took most of his family and they moved from Dark Entry Forest to the Delaware wilderness in the natives territory and they were attacked where they killed Nathaniel, his wife and their infant child. Their three other children were kidnapped and brought to Canada. Some say that they took the Dudley curse with them just as it had followed from England. Some say you can see and hear their ghosts in their former house today. 

The three other children did fine though as the two daughters were ransomed. The son, David Carted stayed with the natives, married one of them and returned to the States to get his education. He ended up as an editor of a newspaper as well as a justice on the Supreme Court. 

The Vanished Residents of Dudleytown

There were also tales that residents vanished under mysterious circumstances into Dark Entry Forest. Some of these were the Brophy family that still lived in Dudleytown in 1901 when most had already left. 

His wife had died of consumption and he was left with their two children. One day they suddenly went missing, and went into the Dark Entry Forest just after their mothers funeral. Could they have ran off? Yes, as they had been accused of theft. They were however never found again. Shortly after their house burnt to the ground and after this, Brophy himself vanished into the forest just as his children had. He was also never seen again. 

What happened, we don’t know. Did he search for his children? Was he taken by the creature of the forest just like his kids? Perhaps he went on the lamb after burning his house down?

Screams and The Devil’s Breath

There are also more vague and general things that are deemed as strange by many. It is said that dogs refuse to enter the woods around these parts, or become aggressive. Strange animal injuries and going missing, only to never return or return completely traumatized. 

People claim to have heard screams coming from the woods as well as whispers in the night. They also heard heavy footsteps, but when turning around, there was no one there. 

The Devil’s breath is also a thing said to happen in the Dark Entry Forest, where a mystic mist comes from the forest, perhaps even poisonous. This could be from the time in the early 1800s though, when Dudleytown was a mining community.

If not because of a family curse, could it be because they disturbed the natives sacred land, thought to be a burial ground? No one can say for sure, but the legends surrounding Dudleytown and Dark Entry Forest certainly persists.

The Forbidden Dark Entry Forest

Dudleytown, veiled in the shadows of the Dark Entry Forest, remains a spectral enigma that captivates the imagination. The locals talk about it all being nonsense, as well as there are locals that claim there is something going on in the woods.  

Today the woods are closed off and you can suffer a huge fine of around 100 dollars if you enter it and police claim they find trespassers many times every month, mostly people in search of ghosts. So because of this, we have to fear the rumors of it from a distance. Perhaps just as well. 

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References:

THE VIEW FROM: DUDLEYTOWN; A Hamlet That Can’t Get Rid of Its Ghosts – The New York Times 

Dudleytown, Connecticut – Wikipedia 

“curse” on Dudleytown 

The Dudleytown Curse, Connecticut’s Village of the Damned – New England Historical Society 

10 Creepy Secrets about the Town That Never Existed – Listverse 

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The Ghost of Little Ottie on Bluff Mountain in the Appalachian Range

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It is said that the ghost of Little Ottie is said to haunt the wilderness of the Appalachian Trail after he tragically died on the freezing night on top of Bluff Mountain in Virginia. Hikers tell about the crying help from the little boy that just vanishes on the trail. 

Deep in the Appalachian Mountains, Bluff Mountain emerges as more than just a scenic wonder; it harbors a mystique that transcends the beauty of its rugged terrain. The Appalachian Trail is today one of the longest hiking paths in the world and runs through Virginia as well as 14 other states with over 2 million people wandering through it every year. 

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There are many legends and stories about these parts on The Appalachian Trail, being an old and wild trail far from everything else. Some of the most talked about legends is the Snarly Yow Beast were people started to report seeing this wolf-like creature all along the Appalachian Trail, although most sightings occur in West Virginia.

There are also reports about strange disappearances of people that have taken a hike that are never heard about again. Some are found dead however, and one of these tragic victims is said to haunt the mountain where he died.

The Landscape of Bluff Mountain

Bluff Mountain, with its ancient forests and hidden valleys, exudes an aura of secrecy. Bluff Mountain is not the most impressive mountain to look at, but don’t be fooled as the path to the summit is long and steep. From a distance it looks like a forested ridge though. The dense canopy of trees and the winding trails that crisscross the landscape create an otherworldly atmosphere, making it a perfect canvas for the mysteries that have enshrouded the mountain for generations.

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On the top of the mountain a fire lookout tower was built in 1917, now called Tower Hill. Although the tower is now gone, just a stone throw away is a memorial of stones for the child that once got lost and died on the trail. 

The Legend of Ottie Cline Powell

The ghost said to show up on the trail on the mountain is the ghost of four year old, Ottie Cline Powell. He was the fifth child out of eight and grew up with his family on a farm near Dancing Creek close to Lexington in Virginia. And although he was said to have been a bright child, a child nonetheless and powerless against the freezing weather on top of a mountain.  

November 9 in 1891 Little Ottie went to school and together with his classmates in the one room school he was attending together with his siblings. At recess he was gathering firewood to keep the warmth in the classroom, it is even said he did so barefoot. When recess ended, he didn’t return with the other classmates and they started to look for him. All the locals marched through the woods in search of him. 

Time was of the essence here, as winter was coming, an ever looming threat. The week before the first snow had fallen and the day he disappeared ended with rain and a coming storm in the mountains. 

Several weeks went by, and although they searched for him, no trace of him was found. When winter came in full no one thought to search the mountain, because how would the little boy, just shy of his fifth birthday, climb it? 

It wasn’t until the following April hunters crossed the mountains on a side path to Bluff Mountain’s summit they found him after the snow had finally thawed. Their dogs kept barking and dragging the hunters to the remains of the little boy that had probably died from exposure already on his first night missing. 

Supernatural Forces at Bluff Mountain

Beyond the tangible realm, stories abound of supernatural forces that allegedly roam Bluff Mountain. Some claim to have heard disembodied whispers carried by the wind, while others report glimpses of shadowy figures moving between the trees. Most people seem to agree that the ghost haunting the trail is no body else than Little Ottie.

Some have even claimed to see the spirit of the blue eyed little boy with his fair complexion on the trail as well as in the forest around Bluff Mountain. And a hiker claimed that in 2009, it had to be the ghost of him that had folded his clothes when he spent the night on the trail. 

Hikers have also reported seeing a little boy seen close to the Punchbowl Trail Shelter whimpering and sometimes even asking for help before wandering away, still trying to find his way down the mountain. 

Because of the legends of the trail being haunted and that the little boy never found peace, hikers have now started to leave little things on his memorial, little toys to try to appease the spirit. Because although there are no reports about the spirit hurting anyone, perhaps they feel it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Memorial of Little Ottie: Source

The Haunted Appalachian Trail

As the mist settles on Bluff Mountain along the Appalachian Trail, and the last echoes of the day fade into the night, the haunting mysteries persist of Little Ottie who ended his days too soon on the mountain trail. Whether fueled by folklore or genuine supernatural occurrences, Bluff Mountain stands as a testament to the inexplicable forces that weave through the Appalachian Range. 

The next time you find yourself amidst the misty peaks and whispering woods of Bluff Mountain, remember that every rustle in the leaves and every gust of wind may carry with it a tale from the beyond, adding another chapter to the haunting legacy of this enigmatic Appalachian gem.

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References:

Ottie’s Bluff Mountain Monument Ghost Stories WereWoofs.com 

Emmet Powell, known as Ottie, was lost on Bluff Mountain. Now his ghost haunts the area. 

Bluff Mountain holds the mystery of the fate of 4-year-old Ottie Cline Powell | Cheryl E Preston | NewsBreak Original 

The Lonesome Death of Ottie Cline Powell – Blue Ridge Country 

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Ghosts of the Taj Mahal Palace — India’s Grandest Hotel

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The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai is one of the city’s most luxurious places to stay, and even through horrible tragedy and decay, it has always come out on the other side shining. Still, there are some haunted stories echoing through the halls where one of the architects is lingering as a regretful ghost. 

The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai is one of the most iconic hotels in India. The five-star luxury hotel has been the preferred destination for celebrities, dignitaries, and even royalty since it was built in 1903 next to the Gateway of India. 

The hotel known as The Taj has been witness to some of the most significant events in India’s history, including being a military hospital during WWII and the country’s struggle for independence. It has also been the site of tragic incidents, such as the 2008 terrorist attacks that left the hotel scarred and at least 167 people were killed. 

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Over the years, many guests and staff members have reported eerie experiences and sightings of ghosts roaming the halls and rooms of the hotel. From the ghost of a former chief engineer to the spirit of a young girl who drowned in the hotel’s pool, the Taj Mahal Palace’s paranormal tales continue to fascinate and intrigue visitors from all over the world. 

The History of the Taj Mahal Palace

The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel was built by Jamsetji Tata, a prominent Indian industrialist, as a response to the British-only hotels in the city. The hotel was designed by Indian architect W.A. Chambers, and was opened to the public on December 16, 1903. 

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Since then, the hotel that is named after the Taj Mahal in Agra has undergone several changes and renovations, and after a period in the 50s and 60s where it was neglected and became a bit run down, it has retained its grandeur and elegance.

The Story of the Ghost of the Architect

One of the most popular legends associated with the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel is the legend of the ghost of the architect, W.A. Chambers. According to the legend, Chambers was so guilty of a mistake in his creation that he couldn’t bear to leave it even after his death. 

According to legend, he approved some blueprints of the hotel before going back to England for a short trip. When he returned to Mumbai though, he realized a mistake he had made in the design. Apparently the building was built facing the wrong way that it was intended. 

He could never let this mistake go and it is said that he took his own life by jumping from the 5th floor of the hotel. 

It is said that his spirit still roams the hotel, checking the quality of the work done by the staff. Many guests and staff members have reported seeing a man who matches Chambers’ description walking around the hotel’s corridors.

Some even claim that a staff member was knocked out by his ghost when the staff was trying to steal some of the silverware. 

Who was Really the Mastermind Behind the Taj?

Now, how much of this enduring legend of the hotel is actually true? It is true that English Engineer W.A Chambers did work on the Taj Mahal Hotel, although perhaps not as much as the legend gives him credit for. 

The project actually came from the Parsee Indian, Jamsedji Tata with a vision to build a hotel Mumbai, (Bombay at the time,) worthy and used as much steel to build the dome as the eiffel tower did. It was also the first building in Mumbai to be fully electrified. The original architects were Siddhesh S., Sitaram Khanderao Vaidya and D. N. Mirza. However, Chambers, Tata’s friend, came in and completed it after Vaidya died. 

A Seafront View: The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel with the rooms pointing out to overlook the water. Could the whole haunted story just be based on an architectural misunderstanding? Or is it really something about the rumours surrounding the Taj?

When talking about the mistake of where the hotel faces, it actually looks like it was Tata that wanted the rooms, not the entrance to look out to the sea, something very uncommon in India. Although it also made it easier for the horse carriages to pull up to the entrance. 

As for Chambers, death, well. Although not concluded with evidence, at least the reasoning for his suicide we can conclude not true. 

Check into The Taj Mahal Hotel

The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel is a grand and iconic landmark that has stood the test of time. However, behind its opulent façade lies a darker side of history, filled with spooky tales of ghosts and hauntings. The hotel has been witness to some of the most significant events in India’s history, and it continues to fascinate and intrigue visitors from all over the world.

Despite the ghostly legends that surround it, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel remains an important symbol of India’s rich heritage and culture.

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References:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/dec/03/taj-mahal-hotel-mumbai

(The Almost Complete) History of Taj Mahal Palace Hotel & Tower, Mumbai – The Creativity Engine Haunted India: The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Mumbai

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Haunting of the Native Burial Ground in Robinson Woods

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After the Native Burial Ground was disturbed in Robinson Woods in Illinois, people have started to notice strange things happening in the woods. Shadow figures and mysterious lights are accompanied by the Tom-tom drum.

In Robinson Woods, Illinois, lies a forest preserve with a haunting past that stretches back to the era of the Fort Dearborn Massacre. Once granted to the family of Alexander Robinson, a chief revered for his heroic deeds during that dark chapter in history, the land now carries whispers of an unresolved promise and a restless spirit.

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Robinson Woods is mostly wooded, with some scattered remnant prairies along the Des Plaines River. About half of 265-acre Robinson Woods. The site includes the Robinson family homestead and burial grounds.

The Noble Deeds of Chee-chee-pin-quay

Alexander Robinson, chief of multiple Native American tribes, played a crucial role in saving lives during the Fort Dearborn Massacre. This was his English name though and he was really named chief Chee-chee-pin-quay of the Potawatomi, born in 1787 with a Chippewa mother and a Scottish father.

After he helped save the white settlers in the massacre, he was also a translator and negotiator between the settlers and the natives. In gratitude, the land was bestowed upon him in 1872 with the assurance that he and his family would rest there for eternity. However, the city reneged on its commitment, breaking the promise to bury Robinson and his kin within the woods.

The Native American Burial Land

Many sources state that it was because Robinson himself was denied burial on his land, but this is not true, he was. In the forest there are two large stones marking his final resting place together with his family. Although, the true story of what happened after is much more upsetting. 

Burial Ground: Although the headstones of the graves was lost for a long time, big stones marks the burial ground inside of Robinson Woods. // Source

His family and descendants continued to live on his land, and at his homestead for decades. This was until 1955 when a fire broke out and burned the family home down. His granddaughter, Mary Boettcher had no means to rebuild their home and had to live elsewhere, thereby relinquishing their family claim to their land. 

The same year three boys were found dead in the Robinson wood that would go unsolved for 40 years. Around this time, tales of paranormal sightings became rampant. It isn’t really said that the murder has anything to do with the haunting, but after the murders as well as what happened with the Robinson Homestead and Burial Ground, people started to talk about the strange things happening in the woods.

In 1973 The Forest Preserve District didn’t allow anyone else to get buried on their family burial and when Robinson’s stone was taken to be restored, it was lost for years until it returned to the family in 2016. It turned out that it was The Forest Preserve District that had the headstones in storage all along, as the stones were so frequently vandalized. 

The Haunting inside of the Forest

Legend has it that Robinson’s spirit, denied its rightful resting place to his people, lingers among the ancient trees, casting an otherworldly presence upon the woods. Visitors have reported a pervasive feeling of an unseen entity, an unexplainable heaviness that hangs in the air. As daylight surrenders to the night, the forest awakens with spectral activity — mysterious knocks echoing through the trees, distant screams haunting the stillness, and elusive dark shadows that dance in the moonlight. Even the sound of the tom-toms drums have been heard according to reports.

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Some claim to have encountered apparitions that vanish as quickly as they appear, leaving behind an eerie silence. Some even claim to have seen strange lights, or mist and even smelled violet and lavender, even when it was in the middle of winter. 

On Haunted Holy Land in Robinson Woods

Robinson Woods, now a tranquil forest preserve, conceals within its depths a tale of broken promises and a chief’s unsettled spirit. As the whispers of the haunted past persist, those who traverse the winding trails of Robinson Woods may find themselves caught between the realms of the living and the spectral, where the legacy of Alexander Robinson and the enigmatic haunting of the woods endure.

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References:

Robinson Woods | Chicago Illinois | Real Haunted Place 

Alexander Robinson (chief) – Wikipedia 

Robinson Woods – Forest Preserves of Cook County 

Headstones From Plot Belonging To Prominent Early Chicagoan Alexander Robinson Returned To Family – CBS Chicago 

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Leamaneh Castle and the Ghost of Red Mary

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In the 1600s, the red-headed mistress of Leamaneh Castle in Ireland was run with an iron fist. Red Mary and her dark reign still looms over the area and it is said she is haunting the place after her horrible death. 

Smack in the heart of County Clare, Ireland, Leamaneh Castle stands looming in both the splendor and the sinister secrets of its past. Among the myriad of haunted castles that dot the Irish landscape, Leamaneh Castle has earned a reputation as a place steeped in notoriety and ghostly lore. 

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Today only the ruins of the 15th century tower house turned into a 17th century mansion still stand. The castle name “Leamaneh” is believed to be derived from the Irish léim an éich meaning “the horse’s leap” or léim an fheidh  that means “the deer’s leap“.

Red Mary and her Dark Reign

At the center of the legends of the castle is the infamous figure of Red Mary—a name both aptly descriptive and ominous foreboding. The red-headed Mary was born in 1615 or 1616 came into a substantial amount of wealth after her husband died. 

Her real name was Máire Rua O’Brien and known for her fiery locks that matched the tempestuous spirit, Red Mary wielded authority over Leamaneh Castle with an iron fist, her reign drenched in darkness and cruelty according to legends. Her presence still lingers, like a ghostly echo, within the castle’s ancient walls.

Leamaneh Castle: Today there are only ruins of the Leamaneh Castle amidst the green in County Clare in Ireland. It is believed that the castle is haunted by its former mistress, the Red Mary. //Source: Jerzy Strzelecki/Wikimedia

The tales that surround Red Mary are steeped in the kind of brutality that chills the soul—stories of servant girls hanging from the castle’s windows by their own hair, their lives taken at the whim of their merciless mistress for petty mistakes. 

She also had a stallion in her stable according to the legends that she challenged visitors to ride on. Once released, the stallion would run towards the Cliffs of Moher where the poor victims would be thrown off and into their death. 

The Marriages of Red Mary

Remarkably, Red Mary found herself married an astounding twenty-five times, each union a testament to the fleeting and treacherous nature of her affections. That is according to legend though, but fact tells us she was at least married three times. 

Red Mary is said to have joined her second husband, Conor O’Brien, on raids against English settlers together with the Royalists, but when he died in a rebellion against them, she flipped sides. Fearing that she would lose her estate, she married a Cromwellian soldier to keep it. 

Máire Rua O’Brien: The Irish noblewoman, Máire Rua O’Brien, more known as Red Mary is perhaps known more for her legends than her actual life. According to legend, she married countless times, was a merciless killer and was brutally murdered by her enemies. But how much of it was really true? The remaining legend about her is that she is haunted her castle ruins.

Her husbands met fates as grim as her reputation; legend has it that one unfortunate spouse met his untimely demise at her own hands. The Cromwellian officer, Cornet John Cooper, her third husband once made a comment about her ex-husband and she was so furious she jumped from her bed and kicked him in the stomach, which he died from. 

Whether this is true or not is up for dispute, as sources claim they were married to her death in 1686, although it was said they lived apart. 

Starved to Death

Unsurprisingly, Red Mary’s trail of brutality left a trail of enemies in its wake. The many lives she had ruined and the blood she had spilled eventually caught up with her. In a twist of fate, her adversaries succeeded in capturing the ruthless widow, imprisoning her within the hollowed-out confines of a tree. 

In her captivity inside of the hollow tree, Red Mary suffered the cruelest fate of all, slowly wasting away as she succumbed to starvation. It is said that the tree was at the avenue of Carnelly Forest. 

Other legends claim that she was flung from a horse into a forked branch of a tree where she choked, or hung by her own hair from a tree. But was this really the case, as her death was recorded in 1686, when she was in her 70s?

Records show that she died of natural causes though as she was in poor health in her final years where she died comfortably in Dromoland Castle where her son moved the family. 

The Ghost of Red Mary

Leamaneh Castle stands as a haunting reminder of Red Mary’s dark legacy no matter how she died. The ruins of this once-mighty fortress bear the weight of her tormented spirit, with echoes of her anguished screams reverberating through the ages. 

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She is said to appear in two different places. The first is close to her castle, the other one is at the Druid’s Altar that is near Clare Castle, and as we don’t have the exact location of where she is buried, some place it around those parts. Some say she is buried in Ennis Abbey, next to her first husband she always loved according to legend.  

The Haunted Ruins of a Leamaneh Castle

Leamaneh Castle, County Clare’s enigmatic relic, invites those who dare to explore its haunted halls to uncover the truth behind Red Mary’s reign of terror. No one is tending to this castle anymore and it is slowly crumbling as time passes as the son of Red Mary abandoned the castle in 1686. 

After a series of occupying the castle though after Red Mary’s reign, it was completely abandoned at the end of the 18th century and left to ruin. 

Her lingering presence serves as a grim reminder that even the most beautiful castles can conceal the darkest of secrets, and the past is never truly buried beneath the sands of time.

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References:

History of The Burren: Leamaneh Castle 

Leamaneh Castle, County Clare, Ireland 

Leamaneh Castle – Wikipedia 

Red Mary – The Ghost of Leamaneh Castle – The Irish Place 

Leamaneh Castle – Manoir du Burren • Go to Ireland.com 

Visiting Leamaneh Castle in County Clare, Ireland 

History of The Burren: Leamaneh Castle 

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The Mysteries of The Bennington Triangle on Glastenbury Mountain

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People have always feared the wilderness. This is also the case of the area around Glastenbury Mountain where several strange disappearances have made people think that it could be something strange going on in what has been known as The Bennington Triangle. 

Deep within the picturesque landscape of Vermont lies a region cloaked in mystery and shrouded in eerie tales—the Bennington Triangle. An area encompassing the southwestern part of the state, the Bennington Triangle has become synonymous with a series of unexplained disappearances, ghostly encounters, and inexplicable phenomena that have perplexed locals and intrigued paranormal enthusiasts alike. 

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The Bennington Triangle has been compared to the similar Bridgewater Triangle of Bermuda Triangle, a place where strange things happen. The phrase was coined in 1992 by the author Joseph A. Citro, who wrote about this in his books, Shadow Child. Citro has also called the area as a “Yankee Shangri-La”, a place where people go to never be seen again. 

The area is said to be around the Glastenbury Mountain and Long Trail, encompassing towns like Bennington, Woodford and Shaftsbury as well as once thriving logging towns, now abandoned ghost towns of Somerset and Glastenbury. 

It is said that strange disappearances started way back and that from 1920 to 1950, as much as 10 people vanished in these parts. At the heart of the strange things said to go on in the triangle is a series of disappearances from 1945-1950:

The Disappearances of the Bennington Triangle

The unsettling reputation of the Bennington Triangle stems from a series of unexplained disappearances that occurred between 1945 and 1950. Five individuals, including a seasoned hiker, a college student, and a war veteran, vanished without a trace within the confines of Glastenbury Mountain—a prominent feature within the triangle. 

Disappearing People: Circulated photograph of Paula Jean Welden; clipping from missing persons flyers. Her case in particular drew a lot of media attention.

The first incident occurred on November 12, 1945, when 74-year-old Middie Rivers vanished during a hunting trip in the mountains by Long Trail Road. Despite an extensive search, the only evidence discovered was a rifle cartridge in a stream. 

A year later, on December 1, 1946, Paula Jean Welden, an 18-year-old sophomore at Bennington College, disappeared during a hike on the Long Trail. An elderly couple said they saw her in front of them on the trail. She turned a corner, and when they turned the same, she had vanished. Despite a substantial search effort and FBI involvement, no trace of her was found. Her disappearance got a lot of attention, and it even inspired the Shirley Jackson novell from 1951, Hangsaman.

On December 1, 1949, James E. Tedford, a veteran from the Bennington Soldiers’ Home, vanished mysteriously while on a bus from St. Albans. According to the stories, he vanished into thin air between the last stop and Bennington, leaving all of his belongings in the luggage rack with an open bus timetable on his seat. Skepticism surrounds claims that he “dematerialized” as he wasn’t reported missing until a week later.

In 1950, the mystery continued with the disappearance of 8-year-old Paul Jepson, left unattended near a local highway for an hour as his mother fed some pigs. He was wearing a red jacket at the time and were supposed to be clearly visible in the greenery, but not a trace was found. It is said that just in case, people don’t wear red clothes in the area because of this. 

Lastly, 53-year-old Frieda Langer, who vanished during a hike near Somerset Reservoir. Frieda Langer’s body was found seven months later, three and a half miles from the campsite, with no determined cause of death.

Other than the area they disappeared in and the time period, they found no other connections between the five disappearances.   

The Bennington Monster

So what happened in this time period? Some claim it had to be UFOs, perhaps even Bigfoot himself. Others say that the forests of the area have become haunted and people claim to hear strange noises and voices. 

The place has been known as a place to avoid since colonial time with people encountering strange lights and even monstrous animals in the wilderness. 

The legend of the “Bennington Monster” dates back to the early 1800s when a stagecoach encountered a washed-out road. The stage driver discovered massive footprints in the mud, distinctly larger than human. Suddenly, the coach was assaulted by a colossal creature, toppling the vehicle on its side. Terrified passengers glimpsed only a pair of eyes before the monster emitted a roar and vanished into the forest. Subsequent sightings portrayed the creature as a towering, hairy figure, dark in color, and exceeding six feet in height.

There is also a story about a man named Carol Herrick who in 1943 went missing while hunting. He was found three days later near Glastonbury, crushed to death, surrounded by big footprints.

Native American Legends

There are also early colonists that have retold native american stories and Algonquin legends that called the Glastenbury Mountain a human eating rock. An evil stone on the mountain that would open up and swallow those standing on it. 

Legends tell of ancient Native American curses and supernatural entities that haunt the region and that they wouldn’t step on the land unless to bury the dead. They said that the “four winds” met there in an eternal struggle, which has some truth to it, as the wind on Glastenbury Mountain is prone to sudden shifts, and even the plants grow in weird angles because of this. 

The Vortex of The Bennington Triangle

While the disappearances of the 1940s and 1950s remain unsolved, the Bennington Triangle continues to captivate the imagination of those intrigued by the unknown. What could it be? Some from the native tribes legends? Could it be a monster like Bigfoot roaming the place, or perhaps even a serial killer wandering the mountain?

Ghost hunters, paranormal investigators, and curious seekers venture into the depths of the triangle, searching for clues and attempting to unlock the secrets that have eluded explanation for decades.

Today as well as in the old days, the wilderness of Glastenbury Mountain and the surrounding Bennington Triangle makes us afraid for what could be in the vast and wild area where a person can disappear without a trace. 

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References:

Bennington Triangle, Vermont – Legends of America 

The Haunting of Glastenbury Mountain 

https://eu.southcoasttoday.com/story/lifestyle/1996/11/23/vermont-mountains-haunted-by-disappearances/50617656007/

Bennington Triangle – Wikipedia 

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El Parador de Cardona Castle Haunted Hotel

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In a former castle turned hotel in Catalonia, Spain, it is said that more than one of the rooms are haunted. Most haunted is room 712 in El Parador de Cardona Castle where the duke’s daughter died in the tower because of her love for the wrong man. 

Parador hotels are a type of state funded hotels that are found in old and historic buildings such as castles, former hospitals, fortresses and mansions. Spain has some of the most beautiful and historic hotels in the world, but some of them come with a spooky twist. If you’re looking for an eerie adventure, consider staying in one of Spain’s haunted hotels.

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Spain

El Parador de Cardona in Catalonia is said to be a haunted hotel that used to be an old fortress with a 11th century Romanesque church and the first construction on the hill was built by Wilfred the Hairy in 886. 

From the 14th century it was the fortress of the dukes of Cordona that was the most important family in the Kingdom of Aragon and often called Kings without Crowns as they owned a lot of property and had a lot of power. 

The Haunted Historic Hotel

This former castle is now a part of the National Parador Hotel chain that takes historic sites and turns them into hotels you can stay in and experience the rich history of the building. Spain is renowned for its stunning landscapes, rich history, and unique cultural heritage. Among the many treasures that the country holds, Parador Hotels stand out as true gems. 

These hotels are often housed in historic buildings, such as castles, monasteries, and palaces, offering visitors a chance to experience the past in a truly immersive way. Now, the former fortress is turned into a huge historic hotel a 100 kilometers outside of Barcelona with a view to the Cardener Rivers as well as the Saline Valley. 

In the Middle Ages the Cardona Castle was used as a prison and torture place, and it is said that the former prisoners are haunting the halls still. 

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It is also said that the place is haunted, and the backstory for these ghosts haunting the now historic hotel is a tragic love story that happened centuries ago. 

The Girl in the White Dress in El Parador de Cardona

Some claim to have seen the ghost of a girl wearing a white dress walking around the El Parador de Cardona hallways in the night. Who could this ghost of Cardona Castle be?

According to the legend, people think that this could be Adales, the daughter of Viscount Raimon Folch that died tragically in the Cardona Castle a long time ago. 

The Tragic Love Story of Prince Abdala and Adales

Many centuries ago the Duke of Cardona invited the Berber prince Abdala to a party at Cardona Castle and the muslim prince went. 

During the party, the duke’s daughter, Adales, was walking in the castle gardens where she met the prince. They fell in love and swore they would be together no matter what. 

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They started to meet up in secret, because they knew her Catholic parents would never approve of them being together and that the two towns would go to war if their secret was discovered. But of course they were discovered and her father didn’t take it well at all. 

She planned an escape, but her father was planning her engagement with another nobleman. But the rumors of the young girl’s affair with the boy spread and her fiance broke their engagement off. 

With the breaking of the engagement, they also broke off their support for the viscount, and he was furious. He decided to teach his daughter a lesson and imprisoned her inside one of the towers in Cardona Castle. While being imprisoned in Torre Minona she was only given bread and water for weeks as they tried to break her spirit. The servant that brought her the food was also blind and mute so that she wouldn’t be able to talk with anyone while she was serving her time in the tower. 

Even with this torture, she never once asked for forgiveness for her love, even though her prince was forbidden to ever entering Cordona ever again and according to the legend, she died inside of the tower. 

According to the legend, you can see Abdaka roaming outside of the tower of Cardona Castle on horseback, as he came back in his afterlife to look for his eternal love Adales. 

The Haunted Room 712 in Cardona Castle

Back at the El Parador de Cardona hotel, even some of the rooms are said to be haunted. Especially room 712 is said to have the most paranormal activity in the hotel. 

Because of all the troubles the El Parador de Cardona has had with this room, they decided to never rent out the room except if the visitors are there for the ghosts and specifically asks for it. And it looks like there have been more than enough curious guests that have asked for this room. 

It is said that it is the ghost of Adele that is haunting the room. It is believed that this was her room back in the day.  
The room had a rumor that the furniture would move by itself and for many years the furniture were pulled and ended up in the center of the room each night. 

Today the ghost in room 712 in Cardona Castle seems a bit more relaxed though as it has been a long time since there have been reports of any unofficial remodeling of the room. 

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References:

Torre de la ‘Minyona’ – Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre

Spooky Spain: Paradores’ Haunted Hotels

Mysterious and Haunted Places in Spain

Visiting Spain’s Most Haunted Locations | Right Casa Estates

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The Darkness Haunting Bor Forest in Czech Republic

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For many years now, Bor Forest in the Czech Republic is said to house many haunting stories. Everything from strange ghostly legends from Slavic folklore to strange things that went down during the communist regime after the second world war. 

Bor Forest, also known as Branišovský les, stands as a silent witness to a myriad of chilling legends and mysterious occurrences in the heart of South Bohemia, near České Budějovice. Bor means pine and the forest is spanning approximately 300 hectares, this mixed forest has gained notoriety for its tragic events, whispers of supernatural entities, and inexplicable phenomena.

It has undergone significant transformations throughout time, serving various purposes such as an excursion forest park, shooting range, and military area close to the Polish border. The landscape features diverse tree species, with the northeastern part covered in spruce mixed with oak, while the southwestern region is dominated by pine trees.

Bor Forest’s reputation for paranormal activity rests on numerous legends and reported encounters. The forest is believed to be haunted by a variety of entities, each contributing to the eerie aura that envelops the area.

The Military Tragedy in Bor Forest

Once upon a time, often set to the 1960 to 80s, there was a military base stationed in Bor Forest to guard the local storage for their ammunition. It is said that four soldiers were patrolling close to the former guard post and one of the pair was taking over the nightshift when something happened. According to the stories, one of the soldiers started to change, like another being, something monstrous. Another version tells that the soldiers got scared from “The Horror of the Forest”. 

This caused chaos among the soldiers that started shooting and three of them ended up dead and the last one died from the wounds later at Budweiser Military Hospital where he managed to tell a little bit about what happened, but not enough to end the mystery. 

What really happened then is hard to tell. Some say it was more of an internal thing and that stress caused some of the soldiers to take their own life. Some say that it really did happen, but it was in a completely different place and was an argument and jealousy that caused the shooting. 

There were no writings about this in the newspapers or other media. Seeing that the Czech Republic was under the Soviet Union and heavily censored could also be an explanation as to why there is not more written about this except from the local gossip. Even to this day, a lot of these documents are still classified.

But what could it have been, this horror from Bor Forest that the story talks about. As it turns out, there could be more than one supernatural and dark thing that the soldiers came face to face with. 

The Haunted Swamps and the Vodník

Czech Vodník

References to Bor Forest go back at least 400 years. One of the stories circulating around the Bor forest is about the swamps and waters in the forest. They used to be much bigger than today, and many travelers ended their life in these waters throughout time. It is said that the souls of these people were trapped close to the waters and they stayed to haunt them, trying to lure bypasses to join them in death. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Haunted Forests around the world

Some of the early swamps or waters were also said to have a Vodník living there, a sort of sea spirit, or water man from Slavic folklore living in water, much like the German nixon or the Scottish kelpie. 

Vodník was said to look much like a man with green hair, but his bride was often a mermaid or a girl he drowned. He was also known for luring children and women to the water by hanging colorful ribbons or mirrors around or shapeshifting to a child and then drowning the one trying to rescue him.

The Black Man

The Black Coloum were the Black Man is said to often be spotted in Bor Forest.

A sound often reported on in Bor Forest is the sound of footsteps in the dry leaves or heavy snow. The sound of the steps have chased many people through the forest and many believe that it is most likely the step coming from the Black Man. 

Described as a tall figure with a broad black hat and a flowing black cape, the Black Man is also called the Black Knight and even The Lord of the Forest. He has been witnessed floating above the ground, moving with unnatural speed. Some claim to have heard soft music preceding the appearance of this enigmatic figure, accompanied by a sudden drop in temperature.

The first written reports about the entity was in 1993, and the nest in 1994 and he is mostly sighted around The Black Pillar, a memorial for something people don’t remember. Today it is an integral part of the lore of the Forest.

Another story coming from the 90s is also the rumor for people seeing mysterious red eyes hovering about two meters above the ground after nightfall have been reported by witnesses. The first written account was in 1998. Contrary to explanations attributing them to car taillights, some claim these eyes approached them or even pursued them through the forest.

The White Lady

As with most haunted places in Europe, it wouldn’t be complete without its own Woman in White, and the haunted Bor forest is no exception. 

The apparition of a woman in white is tied to a tragic tale of a murdered resident haunting a nearby building, unable to find peace even in death.

It is also said that a young girl is haunting the woods after taking her life in an abandoned farmhouse between České Budějovice and Branišov. Although there is not really any proof that such a thing ever happened in the farmhouse.

The Hanged Man’s Tree

Another story told about Bor Forest is the strange tree said to have taken the lives of many. In 1927 a young couple checked into the new and luxurious Hotel Praha in Branišov. The building is today used as an office for the city council. 

The couple went on their way on a hike into the forest, but never returned. When a search party was sent out, they found them hanging in a tree in the midst of the forest. Not much was said about the tree itself until another woman was found hanging in the same tree not too long after. 

Mr. Kříž was a local man and decided to take matters into his own hands and went into the forest and cut the deadly branch from the tree and brought it home to burn it. Not too far after this, he ended in an accident and his hand he used to cut the branch off with ended up paralyzed. This alarmed the rest of the townspeople that went to the tree, cut it all up and burned it to the ground. 

Although the descendant of Mr. Kříž claims there was no paranormal story connected to the tree, or that there were no accidents after he cut off the branch, the story about it lives on. The tree is gone, it is said that people have heard a voice coming from the place where the tree once stood. The voice is beckoning them to it, encouraging whoever is passing to take their own life. 

Time Warps and Unexplained Events:

One of the most perplexing phenomena reported in Bor Forest involves time warps. In the 1960s, one of the residents of U Pěti zlodějů (also named Jednoty, on older maps) was cycling home from České Budějovice, around 6:00 p.m. As he rode through the dusty, unpaved Bor Forest, he experienced an unusual phenomenon. 

The entire forest seemed to undulate before him and he got off his bike. He noticed that the road and gravel beneath his feet were in motion. Exiting the forest and passing through Branišov, he was surprised to find no lights in any of the windows, even though it was barely 7:00 p.m. Upon reaching home, he discovered it was 3:00 a.m. The one-hour journey had inexplicably taken nine hours.

The Strange City

Another story about time is when two women walked through Bor, and one of them suddenly ran into the bushes. When she didn’t return for a prolonged period, the other went to look for her. To her surprise, there was no trace of the friend. Just as she wondered where she might have gone, the missing woman reappeared seemingly out of nowhere. 

She recounted a strange experience of a green mist enveloping her, parting to reveal an unknown landscape filled with vibrant, intense colors and a distant golden city. A man in black approached her, placed a hand on her forehead, and pushed her back into Bor Forest. While she spent a few minutes in an unfamiliar place, her friend waited in the forest for three-quarters of an hour. 

The UFO-Crash

It is certainly a strange place with a lot of old legends. But the strange and mysterious stories from newer times are just as haunting, especially as a lot of information from its time as a closed off communist country hides a lot of the information. 

One time, there was an unknown object that crashed in the area and it was closed off for a year by a special unit. Even the local military was denied access to it. When the area finally opened again, many of the trees looked damaged, like something had crashed close to them. What could it be? The firemen claim that the trees caught fire around the year 2000. A witness said that it could have been more likely an airplane or helicopter that crashed in the area, although of course the local gossip is that a UFO landed there, and that the information surrounding this is still top secret. 

Branišovský les and its Haunting Allure

Bor Forest, with its haunting mysteries and supernatural tales, invites those brave enough to explore its depths. As legends intertwine with the natural beauty of the landscape, Bor Forest remains an enigmatic realm where reality and the paranormal blur into a tapestry of chilling narratives. Venture forth, if you dare, and immerse yourself in the unsettling allure of Bor Forest’s haunted legacy.

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References:

Vodník – Wikipedie 

Branišovský les – Wikipedie

paranormaltym.cz – Paranormal Investigation – Case No.12 | Forest Bor (2015)  

Mysteriózní les si zřejmě poslední oběť ještě nevybral, buďte při návštěvě raději opatrní

Nejstrašidelnějším lesem je Branišovský. Zlo tam prý střeží strážce v plášti a klobouku | Radio Prague International

Branišovský les děsí svými záhadami místní i turisty. S čím se tady už lidé naučili žít? | ČtiDoma.cz  

Strašidelný Branišovský les: Proč se mu lidé vyhýbají obloukem? – Lifee.cz 

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Hauntings and Legends from the Pocomoke State Forest

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Ghosts of locals from the Pocomoke State forest as well as mysterious balls of light and impossible dark legends, the countless tales from this haunted forest in Maryland keep piling on, making this perhaps one of the most busy as well as haunted forests in America. 

Between Snow Hill and Pocomoke City in Maryland, the Pocomoke State Forest harbors more than just the natural beauty of the landscape on the Eastern Shore. The over 18 000 acre big forest comes with a chilling reputation that locals often share in hushed whispers, this forest is deemed off-limits after sundown, as tales of eerie encounters and ghostly apparitions weave through the trees.

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The forest is often called the true Blair Witch Project forest, as it is perhaps the most well known haunted forest in Maryland where the iconic horror movie also took place. Pocomoke State Forest is shrouded in unsettling stories, with reports of women’s screams and infants’ cries echoing in the night. When people get out of the forest, they find strange marks on their cars, like the mark of a hand and at night, the forest closes. 

Its reputation is further steeped in creepy urban legends, including accounts of mysterious fireballs illuminating the darkened woods. However, it’s the tales of ominous disappearances and untimely deaths that send shivers down the spines of those who dare to explore.

The Drowned Ghosts of Pocomoke State Forest

The very word, Pocomoke comes from the Agonquian language to mean broken ground. Historically though it was thought to mean Black Water and it is said that the water is totally dark thanks to the light not passing through the bald cypress trees. 

Many tales of the ghosts haunting the forest are said to be the souls of those that drowned in the river or the swampy waters. Like the case with Joby Emmons and his son who were getting on their boat, but the son fell into the water and couldn’t get out. The father jumped in after him to rescue him, but they both got trapped under the boat and drowned. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Haunted Forests around the world

People claim that they have seen the spirit of Joby Emmons and his son walking along the river of Pocomoke State Forest. 

Source: Flickr

Another group of people haunting the swamp areas are the children between the slaves and slave owners. There are countless of stories where the slave owners raped their slaves and if there was a child born, they took the children out into the swampy forest and drowned them. Many hikers claim to have felt the touch of something small or seen little shadows gliding through the trees. 

The Sea-Captain and his Family Haunting the Forest

Many hikers and campers claim that they leave Pocomoke State Forest with mysterious handprints on their cars. What is strange is that the handprints look like it got six fingers, something a vicious Sea Captain who lived around these parts was said to have. It is believed to be him haunting the forest after his death after he murdered his family.

The place of the haunting is said to be centered around Cellar House Plantation that are still standing. It was built in 1666 and was said to have been built by a French Sea Captain for his wife, or at least bride to be. 

He came back from the sea once though and found her pregnant, or having a child already, one that wasn’t his. It was a local man from Pocomoke City. He threw her out of the house and told her to never return. 

She did though, as she had no place to go, trying to beg him for forgiveness. She had her baby with her and came down on a raft in the water. It tipped close to the house though and her baby drowned. She managed to swim to shore though, but was not saved.

In some versions of the story, the Captain was even the one drowning the child by throwing the baby into the river. Her estranged husband dragged her to the bedroom where he stabbed her to death and fled the scene of the crime into Pocomoke State Forest, never to return and be seen ever again. 

As mentioned, one of the recurring things that people report they hear in the haunted forest is the sound of a woman screaming as well as a baby crying, reliving their final moments. What happened to the Captain after he murdered his family is uncertain, but he is rumored to be haunting the forest still. 

The Heavy and Cursed Bible

Deep in the Pocomoke State Forest there once was an old church called Nazarene Church at the entrance to the Pusey Branch Nature Trail in the forest. It was a Methodist Church at the end of the 19th century. Today there is only an abandoned cemetery left as the building of the church was moved to Furnace Town in 1980. 

According to the legends, there was perhaps a cursed Bible found inside of the old church, or perhaps just a little bit haunted. Many people tried to steal this hidden Bible when they found it and ran through the forest with it, but they never got far. 

Apparently the Bible got heavier and heavier with each step you took until you dropped it and it ended up where it originally was. Whether the Bible even existed is uncertain as well if it came with the building to Furnace Town, or were left someplace at the old site. 

The Haunted Furnace Town

But what is really Furnace Town? This part of the Pocomoke State Forest has many spirits lingering where people come back with tales of seeing ghostly figures, hearing disembodied voices and other paranormal things. 

The ghost town that now is turned into a museum, and was built around the Maryland Iron Companies Nassawango Iron Furnaces in 1832. At its height Furnace Town used to employ hundreds of people. They also used slaves to do the hard labor and most ghosts seen are said to be the spirit of the slaves. 

Most known ghost said to haunt this place is the former slave, Sampson Hat, or Sampson Harmon. It is said that he was one of the slaves that worked in the mines and smelting ore in the big furnaces. By 1847 the furnaces closed down and people started to move away and the town started to be a ghost town. 

The only one who didn’t move was Sampson Hat who lived in the abandoned Furnace Town alone. The civil war came and passed, freeing him, but he still didn’t leave. According to some historical accounts he was born in 1790  at Nassawango Hills and was a free man working at Furnace Town to take care of his wife and children. 

He came to think of Furnace Town as his true home and it is said he stayed at the same place, even when his family left. He lived there until his death at 107 or 104, depending on who is telling the story.

Before he died he spent a year at the Alms House in Snow Hill. Before passing he said he had to be buried at Furnace Town, but after his death, his wishes were not heard and his body was buried elsewhere. But according to the local legends, his spirit remains and is still haunting the old town as well as Pocomoke State Forest. 

It is also said he is followed by his cats he collects and brings with him as his companions. You can hear him wandering around, calling out for Stormy which he calls the cats.

Reports about him were told a lot during construction of the former ghost town when they started to restore the town and turned it into a museum from the 1960s.

The Ball of Fire

Another strange thing reported in Pocomoke State Forest is the sighting of different elementals and no human spirits haunting the forest, taking different shapes and forms. One version told is the haunting of a big fiery ball. One version talks about the priest Paul Walker holding a revival in the forest around Pine Ridge in 1921. Some husbands were unhappy about their wives’ conversion and gathered to get the priest. They went to the church to burn it down and beat the priest up, but when the leader of the group opened the door to the church he stopped. 

A ball of fire came from the rood and split in two and went down on each side of the church. This sight scared the men and they ran off. 

The story about a fiery ball is also recounted in a legend about a man driving through Pocomoke State Forest going to Snow Hill. Ahead of him was a bright object that came close until it was around 30-35 yards from him. 

The car stopped suddenly and he was too afraid to say anything or do anything as the object looked like a bright yellow box. He was trapped in this standstill for around 15 minutes before the object drifted into the woods and off the road. As soon as the object was gone, the car started again and he managed to drive away. 

The Goat Man

Any haunted forest needs its monster stories. Like the Bigfoot or The Jersey Devil Pocomoke State Forest has the Goat Man of the Pocomoke River. It is said to be a creature with a mans body, but the head of a goat with horn.

The creature runs through the forest, eating the fishes in the river and the small animals in the forest. Not many sightings have been done of the Goat Man, but it is said you can hear him stepping on twigs and bushes in places that no man can walk. 

The legend about the Goat Man is told throughout Maryland and also thought to live in Pocomoke State Forest around Prince George’s County in Maryland. The story about the Goat Man has been told for decades, perhaps even longer. In the 1970s, a student did a project about the lore behind the creature where they also discussed that the origin of the Goat Man could be traced back to the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center.

According to this version of the legend, the Goat Man was once a scientist working there called Dr. Stephen Fletcher.. During an experiment it mutated the scientist into the creature. It is said that he was attacking cars around Beltsville, around two hours drive from Pocomoke State Forest.  

The Classic Urban Legend of the Boyfriend’s Death

Another thing with Pocomoke State Forest is that it is said to be the place of many famous urban legends from modern day America. 

One unsettling narrative involves a couple stranded with an empty gas tank in the heart of the forest at night. As the boyfriend ventured out to fix it, the girlfriend dozed off in the locked car, oblivious to the scratching noises on the car roof that started sometime during the night. 

When she awoke it was the next morning and her boyfriend had still not returned. She finally heard the sound of the scraping on the roof. She got out of the car and a harrowing sight awaited her – her boyfriend hanging by his feet over the car, his feet scraping the roof. His head was placed on the trunk of the car.

This urban legend is a pretty worldwide phenomenon by now, and has been so for decades now. According to Snopes, the earliest documented version of this legend was in 1964 by a student studying at the University of Kansas. It still is an all time favorite to tell in Pocomoke State Forest

Hook Man of the Pocomoke State Forest

This urban legend has also been told with the story of the Hook Man that has been told as far back as the 1950s, possibly being even older. In this legend, they were driving or parked somewhere in the woods as a news bulletin comes on the radio and warns them about a mental asylum patient having escaped and can be recognized with a hook as a hand. In this version it is from the Cambridge State Hospital. 

In this version of the urban legend, he is mad at those who disturb the Pocomoke State Forest. The girlfriend gets scared and makes her boyfriend drive her home. As they are in the forest they hear strange things in the bushes and when they get home, they find a hook wedged into their car door handle.

The Bus Driver

Another urban legend told is coming from Pocomoke State Forest is the haunted bus. A school bus was taking a shortcut through the forest once when they experienced engine troubles and the bus had to stop. The bus driver went outside and tried to fix it, but strange things started to happen to the bus. 

The sound of something walking on the roof of the bus started to scare the children and they saw ghostly and monstrous faces in the windows. The teacher accompanying them told them all to close the windows and went to the front of the bus to find the bus driver and get them out of there. The only thing the teacher found was a skeleton by the front of the bus. 

The teacher slammed the door shut and got into the driver seat and drove them all back to the school when the bus started working again. 

This story is a little bit more difficult to pinpoint where it comes from though.

A Stay at the Haunted Pocomoke State Forest

The trees seem to reclaim the old legends and places, but the spirit and ghosts remain. Pocomoke State Forest becomes a realm where the line between the living and the supernatural blurs, beckoning both the curious and the cautious to delve into its haunted mysteries.

Urban legends coexists with old ghost stories and both human spirit as well as something inhuman are said to roam around the trees. 

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References:

The Haunted Pocomoke Forest and its Urban Legends – Chesapeake Ghost Tours 

https://www.cellarhousefarm.com/

Haunted Delmarva: Pocomoke Forest – 47abc

GHOSTS OF FURNACE TOWN — American Hauntings  

Sampson Harmon: Furnace Town’s Resident Cat-Collecting Ghost | Shorebread 

14 Myths and Legends Surrounding Maryland’s Haunted Pocomoke Forest 

Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center – Wikipedia 

Goatman (urban legend) – Wikipedia 

The Hook | Snopes.com 

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The Haunting of Mumbai’s Tower of Silence

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The sky burial method by the Tower of Silence for the Zoroastrian in Mumbai has been up for debate after the vulture population started to decline. There has also been a rise of haunted horror stories in later years circulating online, but just what is supposed to haunt the ancient burial place?

Right by the exclusive neighborhood of Malabar Hill in Mumbai lies a centuries-old structure shrouded in mystery and macabre legend – the Tower of Silence. This imposing structure deep in the 54-acre forest has long been associated with the Parsi community’s unique funeral customs, which involve leaving the dead on the tower’s rooftop to be devoured by vultures. 

Read more: Check out all of the ghost stories from India

However, reports of strange sightings and eerie happenings surrounding the Tower have sparked widespread speculation about the supernatural. Some say that the spirits of the departed are haunting the Tower, while others believe that darker forces may be at play. Is there something behind these rumors, or are they only fancy tales about a dwindling minority?

History and significance of the Tower of Silence in Mumbai

The Tower of Silence is a circular structure located in Mumbai’s Malabar Hill area. This particular tower was built in 1672 by Seth Moti Hirji and the Parsi community who practice the Zoroastrian religion and is not meant for outsiders to come and see, but for the community to bury their own. 

Read more: Check out more ghost stories from cemeteries around the world

The Tower is a significant part of the Parsi community’s funeral customs that date back 3000 years, which involve the disposal of the dead in a sky burial. The concept of the towers are as old as 900 years. The Parsi religion believes that the body is impure after death and should not be buried or cremated. Instead, the dead are taken to the Tower of Silence, where they are left on the rooftop to be consumed by vultures.

The Zoroastrian religion and its beliefs around death

The Parsi community is an ethnic and religious minority in India that came to India around the 8th or 10th century AD after escaping from the rise of the Islamic Empire. In 1941 there were around 114 000 of them in India, but today, they estimate around 50 000. This does have something to do with 40 % of Parsi marrying outsiders, but you are only considered Parsi if you have a Parsi father. The women are often ostracized if they marry outside of their community. 

The Parsi follow the Zoroastrian religion, which originated in ancient Persia and is one of the world’s oldest faiths that possibly dates back to the 2000 BCE. The Zoroastrian religion has a unique view on death and the afterlife compared to most religions. This comes from the prophet Zarathushtra that believed that the soul is immortal and will eventually reunite with its creator. 

The Faravahar: also known as the Foruhar or the Farre Kiyâni, is a well-known symbol of Zoroastrianism. There are different interpretations of what the Faravahar represents, and there is no definite agreement on its meaning. However, it is commonly believed that the Faravahar is a Zoroastrian depiction of the fravashi, or personal spirit. The Faravahar is widely recognized in Iran and is often worn as a pendant. Although it has religious origins, it has also become a secular and cultural symbol for Iranians.

However, the body is considered Nasu which means impure after death and should not be buried or cremated. Instead, it should be left to decompose naturally. Not only was there the danger of spreading diseases, but it was also believed that corpses would attract evil spirits to possess them, also known as the Nasu Daeva, the body demon that infects the bodies. 

The Parsi community’s funeral customs involve taking the body of the deceased to the Tower of Silence, where it is left on the rooftop to be consumed by vultures. This funeral process is known as “dokhmenashini,” which means “to place the body in the Tower of Silence.”  and the towers themselves, called The Dakhma, originated in ancient Persia around 900 AD.

The process of disposing of the dead at the Tower of Silence

The process of disposing of the dead at the Tower of Silence is a unique and complex one. When a Parsi person dies, the body is taken to the Tower of Silence and placed on the rooftop in the dakhma, which is the funerary tower. The rooftop has three concentric circles, each with a specific purpose. The outer circle is for men, the middle circle is for women, and the inner circle is for children.

The Tower of Silence in Mumbai: A late 19th century engraving of a Zoroastrian Tower of Silence in Mumbai. Engraving from 1886 book “True Stories of the Reign of Queen Victoria” by Cornelius Brown.

Along with placing the body in the Tower of Silence, they recite the Vendidad which is a religious chant against the demons. 

Once the body is placed on the rooftop, it is left to decompose naturally. The vultures consume the body, leaving only the bones behind in a matter of days. The bones are then collected and placed in an ossuary, which is a receptacle for human bones.

Controversies and debates around the Tower of Silence

The Tower of Silence has been a subject of controversy and debate for many years. Some people believe that the Parsi community’s funeral customs are inhumane and should be abolished. They argue that the Tower of Silence is a health hazard and a breeding ground for diseases, especially after Mumbai’s urban growth closing in on the once isolated sky burial sites. In Iran, they were banned in the 1970s after urbanization declared it a health hazard. 

There was also the case of a shortage of vultures in India that made the burial method a controversy. After the drug Diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory medicine was introduced to livestock in the 1990s, it killed off 95 % of the birds as it was toxic for them to feed on the carcasses. It was banned in 2006, but the damage was already done.

On the other hand, the Parsi community argues that their funeral customs are an essential part of their identity and cultural heritage, although many Parsi have started to use cremation or burial instead, especially during Covid when the Tower of Silence was closed. 

Entry Forbidden: An old photograph of the Dakhma from around ca. 1880 – ca. 1890. Today it is found inside of a dense forest and is off limit to outsiders.

They believe that the Tower of Silence is the most natural and respectful way to dispose of the dead. But when a woman named Dhun Baria took pictures of the piled up corpses in the dakhmas, they saw for themselves that their ancient way of purification didn’t work as it should after the vulture shortage. The rumors about the delayed decomposing of the corpses and a smell coming from the forest, although not confirmed, took hold over the narrative of the ancient tradition. 

In recent years, there have been efforts to preserve and renovate the Tower of Silence, trying new and modern ways of decomposing. Like how they use solar power to speed up the process and work toward vulture conservation. The Parsi community has been working with the government and other organizations to ensure that the Tower is properly maintained and preserved for future generations.

Theories and speculations surrounding the macabre mystery

Now, perhaps this ancient and mysterious and different practice of disposing of the dead is what makes the place sound a little eerie and makes people question if there is something going on there. Perhaps it is the dwindling population that is leaving the Zoroastrian ways behind in the modern world that makes it all seem a bit out of place in modern Mumbai?

Or perhaps it is even the controversies and the difficulty the community had of disposing and honoring the dead after the vultures almost died out? Perhaps it is what the prophet said that the corpses are more vulnerable to attracting evil spirits and that is what is happening surrounding the legends and folklore of this cemetery?

There have been numerous reports of strange sightings and eerie happenings around the Tower of Silence. Some people have reported seeing apparitions of the deceased, while others have reported hearing strange sounds and voices. There have also been reports of unexplained movements and objects moving on their own.

The Tower of Silence’s Future

The Tower of Silence is a unique and fascinating structure with a rich history and cultural significance. It is a testament to the Parsi community’s unique customs and beliefs, which have been passed down through generations. Despite the controversy and speculation surrounding the Tower, it remains an essential part of the Parsi community’s identity and a significant landmark in Mumbai. 

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References:

Tower of Silence: The Vanishing Practice of Zoroastrian Sky Burial | Parsi Khabar 

Why India’s Parsi Population Is Shrinking Dramatically – The New York Times 

This is what you should know about the haunted ‘Tower of Silence’ in Mumbai..! 

Death in the city: How a lack of vultures threatens Mumbai’s ‘Towers of Silence’ | Cities | The Guardian