THE PARANORMAL WORLD DATABASE       nEW HAMPSHIRE   1875 INN (TILTON) BACKGROUND: The original inn was built in 1875 and has hosted a few famous guests including Thomas Edison and Henry Ford.  The building has burnt down three times in the past all with a span of approximately 100 years separating them. PHENOMENA: Legend has it the hotel is haunted by the ghost of a 12 year old girl named “Laura” who died in a fire in a rooming house when one was located on the property over 100 years ago. She is said to be a playful, welcoming spirit who has been known to stroke the hair of guests, open and close doors and in one case, jumped over a male guest’s head as she was leaving the room in a great hurry. One female guest complained her shower as interrupted by a teen aged girl and a biker staying there during the Loudon rally said he walked behind her as she climbed the stairs, opened a door and went inside the room. Later, housekeeping found an indentation in the bedspread though no one was registered there. ALTON TOWN HALL (ALTON) BACKGROUND: The current Town Hall was constructed in 1894 at a cost of $15,098. The brick edifice with its tower brings the building height to eighty-five feet high. At the top is the Thomas E. Howard clock which has hands more than three feet long on all four sides. The clock strikes every hour on the hour. At one time the Fire Whistle was also contained within the Tower and a jail cell in the basement. Today the Town Hall houses Administrative Offices, Land Use, Tax Collector, Town Clerk and the Supervisors of the Checklist. In past years, the lower level was used for the Police and Fire Departments. Other uses at the Town Hall included a Bank and Library. Some remember it as the Opera House, with plays, movies, live shows, dances and graduation ceremonies being held in the auditorium. The basement area now composes a room for the town's computer servers and other related equipment. PHENOMENA: Staff especially have heard heavy, disembodied footsteps when it’s certain no one else is responsible for them, doors will open on their own, phantom voices are heard when staff are alone in the building and furniture has been reported moving on its own accord. AMOS J. BLAKE HOUSE (FITZWILLIAM) BACKGROUND: The Amos J. Blake house, built in 1837, was designed to be a store with living quarters attached. The Blake family purchased the house in 1865, and Amos, a community leader and state legislator, set up the front rooms to use as his law office. Eventually, with the death of Amos, his son Leroy moved his insurance business into the down stairs offices. The house remained in the Blake family until 1966, when the last living family member made a gift of the house to the Fitzwilliam Historical Society. The only stipulation was that the name "Blake" always be associated with the property. Historical Society members took charge of restoring and decorating the rooms, so that each reflects a different aspect of life in Fitzwilliam. (http://www.fitzwilliam.org) PHENOMENA: A phantom cat has been known to make its presence known to some here and objects like toys have been known to move from place to place. In the schoolhouse room, lines have been witnessed drawn on a blackboard with certainty no one living was responsible for them. The apparition of a young boy has also been spotted in the museum and some visitors report a general sense of uneasiness when they enter. Odd noises are often heard, including what sound to some like sleigh bells. BALSAM’S GRAND RESORT HOTEL (COLEBROOK) BACKGROUND: Located along the old Coös Trail (now Route 26) through Dixville Notch, it first opened just after the Civil War as the Dix House, a 25-room summer inn established by George Parsons. In 1895, it was purchased by Henry S. Hale, a Philadelphia inventor and industrialist who had been a regular guest. He renamed it The Balsams, and over time enlarged and augmented the facilities. In 1918, Hale completed the Hampshire House, the towering wing which doubled the resort's capacity to 400 guests. The Ballot Room of The Balsams is where Dixville Notch's presidential primary votes are cast just after midnight on the day of the New Hampshire primaries since the 1960's. These votes cast by Dixville Notch residents are among the first to be cast, counted, and reported nationally. As of 2017 The Balsams is closed for renovations after being purchased by new owners for $2.3 million in December 2011. In 2014, former American Skiing Company head Les Otten joined the Balsams redevelopment effort. PHENOMENA: It’s said there are bodies buried in the basement here but that may or may not be legend more than fact. There is a ghost here called “The Vanishing Lady”. Around midnight one night, a doorman who was going up the stairs reached the halfway mark when he saw a beautiful woman sitting on a chair near the landing.  Because of the hour and the style of clothes she was wearing he knew immediately he had encountered a spirit. As he retreated, he looked back to see she had disappeared. She had also been seen in the John Dix Room and in the lobby enjoying the social activity there but again, vanishes when people seek her out. Her reflection has been seen in mirrors, but when the observer turns to see her, no one is there. Another resident spirit goes by the dubious name, “The Naked Man”. It’s said that a couple were staying in room 120 when the wife was awakened to see a naked, translucent man standing at the foot of their bed. Her husband also woke to see this figure just before he vanished from sight. This room is also prone to the sound of objects moving and disembodied voices when no one is inside. Shadowy figures are also seen near the Sun Room and like those of the aforementioned entities, they quickly disappear as soon as they are observed. Otherwise, toilets flush by themselves, a ghostly one-armed man has been seen on occasion and there are three elderly ladies who appear to be laughing but fade from sight after a few seconds. BEAL HOUSE INN (LITTLETON) BACKGROUND: Built in 1833, the original builders successfully farmed the valley and raised generations of family in the classic Georgian home.  Widowed in the middle of the Depression, Mrs. Beal opened her home to travelers and lodgers as a rooming house in 1933. She also ran a successful antiques business out of the attached barn and carriage house (now dining rooms). Many of her customers traveled from all over the country and stayed at the inn while they conducted business with her. In time she remarried, but continued to run the business under the name Beal. She retired to Florida in 1980. Mrs. Beal sold the Inn to the Clickenger Family. They were the first to operate the inn as a B&B while also maintaining the antiques business. They raised their two girls here before selling to move on to the next phase of their lives. The 90s were a tough time for the Beal house as a succession of owners came and went, most lasting less than two years. In 2000 the inn was purchased by Katherine and Jose Pawlek, who enjoyed great success and made the Beal House a destination for fine dining. The Pawleks moved on in 2006 and once again a succession of owners came and went. The inn is now owned by Adam and Lori Alderin. (https://tournewengland.com) PHENOMENA: Guests are often awakened by the sounds of doors slamming and heavy footsteps going up and down stairs with no living soul responsible for the activity. A housekeeper doing some painting reported feeling something pressing on her hip. Moving to one side to allow whoever it was to pass, she soon realized there was no one there with her. A disembodied male voice has been heard speaking inside the Common Room and shadowy figures are said to appear around the basement. Pillows have been witnessed floating above furniture, noises and voices are heard in unoccupied rooms and items are sometimes found out of place for no reason. One new staff member quit after a week because he refused to be in the building anymore. BLASERS FIRESIDE TAVERN (HOPKINTON) BACKROUND: Most currently known as “The Number 5 Tavern”, the restaurant’s name was derived from the town’s history. According to a previous Monitor article, before Hopkinton got its name, it was simply called town number 5 when it was first incorporated in the late 1700s. Blasers is currently up for sale awaiting a new owner. PHENOMENA: Frank Mills, the son of the man who built the house, is said to haunt his former home. His wife died in 1924 and, despondent, shot himself in 1926. Visitors report disembodied footsteps and voices, candles extinguishing themselves and chairs being tossed about. His apparition has been seen sporting a checkered coat and striped pants. His spirit isn’t thought to be malicious, just playful as glasses will fall off a table, lights turn off and on and silverware is rearranged. He can helpful as well such as the time an oven was opened so biscuits being baked wouldn’t burn. CHASE HOUSE (PORTSMOUTH) BACKGROUND: Chase House was built about 1762 by John Underwood, a mariner from Kittery. Underwood sold the house to his in-laws, the Dearings. This may have been when much of the finish work was done on the house, especially the elaborately-carved woodwork, inside and out as Ebenezer Dearing was a noted local ships’ woodcarver. In 1766, only three weeks after repurchasing the house, Underwood mortgaged it to Barlow Trecothick and John Thomlinson, London merchants and English agents for the province of New Hampshire. The house remained part of the Trecothick estate until 1799 when it was purchased by Stephen Chase, a successful Portsmouth merchant who had been living in the house for a number of years with his family. When Stephen Chase died in 1805, his widow and two sons, William and Theodore, both merchants, continued to live in the house. The last Chase to live here was William's widow, Sarah Blunt Chase, who died in 1881. At that time Theodore Chase's son, George, a railroad magnate and philanthropist of Boston, bought the house and donated it as a home for orphaned children. They sold the home to the wife of Thomas Bailey Aldrich, whose former home, two doors down on Court Street, had been her famous husband’s boyhood home. PHENOMENA: The spirit of a young girl who was said to have hung herself while a resident there is reportedly seen in the hallway where she took her own life.  Her screams are especially chilling as is her tendency to vanish from sight when approached. Locked doors are said to open on their own and lights and ceiling fans will turn off by themselves. COCHECO FALLS MILLWORK (DOVER) BACKGROUND: The mills occupy a site at a bend in the Cocheco River that has been the site of industrial activity since at least 1822, when the Dover Cotton Factory was built there. The present mill buildings were built between the 1880s and the early 20th century. The mills were operated by the Cochecho Mill Company until 1909, when the plant was purchased by Pacific Mill Works of Lawrence, Massachusetts. In addition to textile processing, Pacific operated the Cocheco Print Works on the premises. Competition from textile processors in the American South, combined with the effects of the Great Depression led Pacific to shutter the complex in 1937. The city purchased the complex at auction in 1940. The buildings have since been home to a succession of smaller enterprises, primarily engaged in manufacturing. There are four main mill buildings in the complex. In January of 1907 a fire broke out in this mill on the 4th floor. The sprinkler system was turned off for repairs so the fire spread quickly. Many workers were trapped on the 4th and 5th floors. The power was shut down, leaving these panicked employees to escape through the darkness and smoke. In the end, six lives were lost and the million-dollar building was partially destroyed--3 stories collapsed into each other, taking tons of machinery down with them. PHENOMENA: The old mill was renovated and used to manufacture fire engines and then rifles. Today it houses offices and apartments. Strange lights were often seen in the upper floors of the building when no one was inside as well as in the basement, which was blocked off at the time. Disembodied voices are often heard throughout the building, but especially in the stairwells of the mill towers. Witnesses to the event have reported the sounds of machinery running inside the mill, even though at the time the old machinery had been removed. The sounds of children’s laughter has been heard by multiple members of the custodial staff who have also seen chairs in an auditorium located inside in the open position which is highly unusual as they are spring-loaded to close when unoccupied. EAGLE MOUNTAIN HOUSE (JACKSON) BACKGROUND: Built in 1916 and enlarged in 1929, it is one of the few surviving grand mountain resort hotels in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The town of Jackson had by the 1840s developed a reputation as an artists colony, for the rugged scenery of the area. Tourism in the area expanded significantly with the arrival in the 1850s of the railroad at nearby Glen. By the 1880s Jackson had five large hotels, one of which was Eagle Mountain House. It was established in 1849 by Cyrus and Marcia Pinkham Gale, on land first settled by her ancestor, Captain Joseph Pinkham. Originally little more than a farmhouse, it was expanded to house as many as 125 guests before it was destroyed by fire in 1915. The oldest portion of the present building was built in 1916 by the Gales' son Arthur Pinkham Gale. PHENOMENA: A ghostly Lady in Red makes occasional appearances here, according to reports. She’s said to stroll the hallways. lobby and the hotel grounds. Objects are said to move on their own, lights turn themselves on and off and the sound of disembodied footsteps are often heard. The ghostly form of a little boy has also been reported at the hotel. He is often accompanied by the sound of whispering and the feeling that you are not alone. FORT CONSTITUTION HISTORIC SITE (NEW CASTLE) BACKGROUND: Fort William and Mary was a Colonial fortification in Britain's worldwide system of defenses, manned by soldiers of the Province of New Hampshire who reported directly to the royal governor. The fort, originally known as "The Castle", was situated on the island of New Castle, New Hampshire, at the mouth of the Piscataqua River estuary. It was renamed Fort William and Mary circa 1692, after the accession of the monarchs William III and Mary II to the British throne. On December 14, 1774, local Patriots from the Portsmouth area, led by John Langdon, stormed the post (overcoming a six-man caretaker detachment) and seized the garrison's powder, which was distributed through several New Hampshire towns for potential use in the looming struggle against Great Britain. On December 15, 1774, patriots led by John Sullivan again raided the fort, this time seizing numerous cannons. The fort was renamed Fort Constitution in 1808 following rebuilding. The fort was further rebuilt and expanded through 1899 and served actively through World War II. Since 1771 the fort has been home to a lighthouse. The current installation, the Portsmouth Harbor Light, was completed in 1878. On July 4, 1809, an explosion at the fort when a spark on an ammunition chest caused over 300 pounds of gunpowder to ignite. Nine people in total were killed PHENOMENA: Among the paranormal claims registered at the fort are shadowy figures, the imprint of oil-soaked footprints and disembodied voices throughout the location. Apparitions, mists and strange lights have been caught on film and numerous visitors report the smell of fresh gunpowder. TRIVIA: The fort was visited by SyFy’s Ghost Hunters in 2008. GILSON ROAD CEMETERY (NASHUA) BACKGROUND: Gilson Road Cemetery probably started as a family cemetery in colonial times. According to legend, the stone wall enclosed a farmhouse. Then, the house burned and some of the fire victims were buried in a small plot near the charred remains of the house. Another house was built on the site, but it burned to the ground, as well. Like the previous fire, its victims were buried close to the home. After that, people gave up on the location and turned it into a rural cemetery. Early records suggest that the Gilson Road area was the site of at least two large Native American battles. Nations from the north (Penobscots, among others) and from the south (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and beyond) met near Gilson Road and engaged in bloody warfare. (https://hollowhill.com) PHENOMENA: Reports surrounding the cemetery are of strange lights, orbs, disembodied voices, and a strange fog that appears. One driver claimed to see a man dressed in 1800s period clothing sitting on a stone wall staring at him as he drove by. When he stopped about 300 feet down the road and turned around, the man was gone. A black-hooded figure has also been seen on the grounds. There is said to be a green mist that forms above the grave of Joseph Gilson and another Gilson, Betty, is the subject of a local urban legend. Urban legend alert >> It’s said if you walk up the road from the cemetery and say, Betty, I have your baby”, her ghost will appear. Some say cars have had to swerve around her when she appears in the middle of the road. HUNTRESS HALL (KEENE) BACKGROUND: Built in 1926, Huntress Hall has been rumored to be haunted by the ghost of the building’s namesake and board of education director Harriet Huntress [1860-1922] for decades. Huntress Hall was an all-female residence hall until the beginning of World War II, when KSC was still known as Keene Teachers College. At this time, the US Navy began training pilots in Keene and used the residence hall to house male American naval trainees. (http://kscequinox.com) PHENOMENA: During the time of pilot training. residents began to report hearing strange noises in the attic described as that of a wheelchair rolling back and forth. Harriet’s wheelchair was kept in the attic at that time. It’s thought she objects to men being in the building and especially couples engaging in sex. She will move objects in bathrooms while a man is in here and at least one resident has heard a blood- curdling female scream, but found no one outside her room when she checked. Harriet also takes any laugh or disrespect at her expense quite seriously and has been known to trip students or otherwise make life miserable for them. Four students wheeling a cart down a hallway mocking her wheelchair all suffered accidents. One in his car, another slipping on ice, the third a broken leg and the fourth extensive car repairs all within a week’s time. ISLES OF SHOALS (PORTSMOUTH) BACKGROUND: Some of the islands were used for seasonal fishing camps by indigenous peoples and first settled by Europeans in the early 17th century. They became one of the many fishing areas for the young British and French colonies. This was one of the most northern fishing ports, the closest one to the south being Rockport. The Isles of Shoals were named by English explorer Capt. John Smith after sighting them in 1614. The first recorded landfall of an Englishman was that of explorer Captain Christopher Levett, whose 300 fishermen in six ships discovered that the Isles of Shoals were largely abandoned in 1623. In 1628 the Plymouth Pilgrims exiled Thomas Morton on the island due to his libertine activities with the Indians at Merrymount.  Star Island is located in New Hampshire within the borders of the town of Rye and is the only island served by a commercial boat from the mainland. It is a religious and educational conference center, owned by the Star Island Corporation, which is affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ. PHENOMENA: There is said to a ghost ship, the Isidore, that wrecked in 1842 that has been seen from the islands. Though only visible for a few seconds, it has been seen as far away as Rye, NH. The Oceanic Hotel is a prime hot spot of activity, especially on the third and fourth floors. There are sounds of furniture moving and doors will open and close by themselves. A spirit is often seen inside the first floor men’s restroom. It’s also thought that the murderer of two young Norwegian women may haunt the location of the killing, Smuttynose Island. The infamous pirate Blackbeard was said to have buried treasure on Lunging Island and it’s said he remains there protecting his treasure. Legend has it his wife was abandoned here and reveals herself in the form of a white figure. The sounds of a female crying and screaming have been heard and it’s thought this might be the ghost of a woman named Betty Moody, who was said to have killed her crying child while they were hiding from Native American warriors rather than reveal herself to them. The ghost of a man named Phillip Babb, who made a living in the fishing trade, was known to haunt the now destroyed Appledore House which is now the Shoals Marine Laboratory. He would appear with a butcher’s knife in hand wearing an apron, and it’s said his unrest was in large part due to the hotel bowling alley being built over his grave. At the Boon Island Lighthouse an unknown ghost lingers, creating disembodied footsteps and opening and closing doors TRIVIA: The island was visited by the TV show Ghost Hunters in 2009. KIMBALL CASTLE (GILFORD) BACKGROUND: The former summer estate of railroad magnate Benjamin Ames Kimball. It is located on a prominent hill overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee. Kimball, a director of railroad companies operating in the region, built the castle and estate outbuildings beginning in 1894, and used it as his summer estate until his death in 1920, in his home in Concord. In 1960 Charlotte Kimball, Benjamin Kimball's daughter in law and last remaining heir, died and in her will donated the land to the Mary Mitchell Humane Foundation (an adjunct to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), to manage the property as a wildlife preserve and sanctuary. Over the next several years, the funds left to carry out the wishes of Charlotte Kimball went missing, and the Mary Mitchell Humane Foundation attempted to sell the entire estate. During this period, the property fell into disrepair and the buildings became subject to extensive vandalism. The town of Gilford took over as trustees in 1981 under the directives of the court and performed a study as to how best carry out Charlotte's wishes. The master plan recommended that the land be subdivided and a portion of the land, including the castle, be sold to a private party for commercial development with the intent that proceeds of the sales be used to replenish the missing funds and carry out Charlotte's wishes of managing the remaining land still held in trust. The castle has been condemned by the town of Gilford as unsafe, and the town has issued a make safe order to the owners requiring them to keep it fenced in until they raze the castle. PHENOMENA: A full-bodied apparition has been seen in the living room of the house and caretakers have reported the sound of what resembles a horse banging on the wall in the area of the stables. Doors open and close themselves and lights will switch themselves on and off. Antique clocks, long since unworkable have started functioning again for no explainable reason. Shadowy figures and cold spots are experienced as well as items vanishing, books falling off shelves and plants being knocked over. TRIVIA: The castle was investigated by SyFy’s Ghost Hunters. MARGUERITA’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT (CONCORD) BACKGROUND: The largest privately owned Mexican restaurant chain in New England. The proper name of the restaurant is "Tío Juan's Margaritas Mexican Restaurant", but it is most commonly referred to as "Margaritas". The concept originated when several Chuck's Steakhouse locations owned and run by Kukai, Inc were converted to Mexican restaurants and renamed "Margaritaville" in the late 1970s and early '80s. John Pelletier, an employee and manager of Chuck's Steak House in Concord, New Hampshire, opened his own Mexican restaurant in Concord, calling it "Tio Juan's". The first Tio Juan's restaurant, located in Concord, New Hampshire, is situated within the city's old police station and jail. The dining room is located in the area of the actual jail cells. The restaurant uses this to good effect, placing tables within cells to create atmospheric and semi-private dining areas. PHENOMENA: The Concord location is claimed by some to be haunted by a ghost named "George" who some believe (undocumented) is a former inmate at the jail.  George has been known throw food, hide people’s leftovers, move furniture and table settings around and occasionally drink a patron’s beverage. Employees report hearing disembodied voices and strange noises when the restaurant is empty. Objects have been known to literally fly around the kitchen. MOUNT WASHINGTON HOTEL (BRETTON WOODS) BACKGROUND: The hotel was constructed between 1900 and 1902 at a cost of $1.7 million (approximately $51,197,000 today) by Joseph Stickney, a native of Concord, New Hampshire who had made a fortune before the age of 30 as a coal broker in Pennsylvania. In 1881 Stickney and his partner, John N. Conyngham, had purchased the Mount Pleasant Hotel nearby from lumberman John T.G. Leavitt, a large early hotel that was later demolished. Subsequently, Stickney began work on his Mount Washington Hotel. Construction started in 1900 on the Y-shaped hotel, which opened on July 28, 1902. At the opening ceremony, Stickney told the audience, "Look at me, gentlemen ... for I am the poor fool who built all this!" Within a year he was dead at the age of 64. His wife, Carolyn Stickney, summered at the hotel for the next decade, adding the Sun Dining Room with guest rooms above, the fourth floor between the towers, and the chapel honoring her late husband. Under its capable first manager, John Anderson, the hotel was a success. But the advent of income tax, Prohibition, and the Great Depression curtailed the hospitality business. In 1936, Mrs. Stickney's nephew, Foster Reynolds, inherited the hotel, which closed in 1942 because of World War II. The Mount Washington Hotel and Resort is one of the last surviving grand hotels in the White Mountains and includes an 18-hole Donald Ross-designed golf course, as well as the hotel's original 9-hole course designed by A.H. Findlay. PHENOMENA: It’s been said the ghost of Caroline Stickney haunts the hotel with staff and guests reporting seeing her apparition looking over the balcony of the hotel where she used to stand comparing what female guests were wearing in order to out dress them all. She has also been spotted descending the stairs. In room 314, her former room, guests have awoken in the middle of the night and seen her sitting at the foot of her bed, brushing her hair or heard the sounds of walking around the room. Her voice has been recorded there on more than a few occasions. She is known to knock on doors and on occasion, borrow guests belongings that appeal to her before ultimately returning them at a later time. Over the years, Caroline’s presence has been witnessed by so many people that the hotel began leaving a seat for her in the hall during the evening meal, a tradition which still continues to this day. The Tower Suites are also thought to be the focus of unusual phenomena as lights turn on and off, the smell of perfume permeates the rooms and bath tubs have been known to fill up by themselves. Another female spirit is said to haunt Room #206 and is known to be very unwelcoming and phantom babies crying have been heard coming from the Madison Room. TRIVIA: The hotel was featured in two episodes of the television series Ghost Hunters, when it was searched by the TAPS paranormal investigation team on February 6, 2008. NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE HOSPITAL (CONCORD) BACKGROUND: It began simply in 1842 as the seventeenth such mental institution in the country to cater to the state's mentally ill population with the main administration building with two symmetrical wings: the female ward to the left and the male ward to the right. In 1892, Dr. Charles Bancroft had the Bancroft Building constructed as a residential dormitory for female patients. The mansion used European-style architecture to create a more homelike feel for patients. The Twitchell House was built two years later in 1894 for the same reason but for male patients. 1941 brought about the construction of a new geriatric facility, the Dolloff Building, named for Dr. Charles Dolloff. The Thayer Building was converted into geriatric housing in the 1950s when the population of elderly increased. The facility closed its doors in 1989 and all services were moved to the new, state of the art hospital, named the New Hampshire Hospital. The former buildings became state offices with a myriad of organizations operating out of the former hospital campus. The Bancroft Building, however, remains abandoned, as well as the Kent Annex and Peaslee Annex wings of the Main Administration Building. PHENOMENA: Reports of phantom footsteps and disembodied screams are quite common among visitors and staff alike. Elevators will activate on their own, cold spots are always present and items are often pushed off tables or shelves. Visitors claim to have a sense they are never alone in the building. Even when they are. There are some reports of apparitions as well. OCEAN BORN MARY HOUSE (HENNIKER) BACKGROUND: Mary Wilson Wallace (July 26, 1720 – February 13, 1814), better known as Ocean Born Mary, is a folklore figure of New England. Born on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean on July 26, 1720, the daughter of James Wilson and Elizabeth Fulton Wilson, Mary grew up in Londonderry, New Hampshire, where she married James Wallace on December 18, 1742. She had four sons, Robert, William, Thomas, and James Wallace, and one daughter, Elizabeth. During the voyage to the United States, the ship (reputedly called the Wolf)was overtaken by pirates who threatened to loot the ship and sink it with all on board. When the pirate captain heard the cry of an infant, he went below to discover Mrs. Wilson holding her newborn daughter. The pirate captain told Mrs. Wilson that if she would do him the honor of naming the baby after his own mother Mary, he would spare the ship and depart peacefully. Mrs. Wilson agreed, and the pirates departed, but not before the pirate captain briefly returned to the Wolf with a bolt of green brocade silk, which he presented to Mrs. Wilson, stating that it was for little Mary's wedding gown. While Mary did in fact wear the brocade on her wedding day, she may not have been the first to do so, as when her mother remarried the cloth may have been used on that occasion as well. Ocean Born Mary was described as being a handsome woman over six feet tall, with red hair and bright green eyes. While reports of her physical appearance cannot be verified, all her sons were known to be very tall, red-haired, and green-eyed, which might lend credibility to the description. She was said to be elegant in her manners, resolute and determined, of strong mind, quick of comprehension, sharp in her conversation, and very witty, with a strong brogue. PHENOMENA: Mary's claim to fame is as a reputed ghost, though Mary herself never lived in the house she is said to haunt. There were two Wallace houses in the town of Henniker, one the home of Mary's son Robert, the other home to her son William. After her husband's death, Mary lived with William, but she did not care for Robert and rarely visited his home. William Wallace's house became the town poorhouse in 1840, and in 1923, it burned to the ground. Robert's home, built in 1760, still stands and is said to be the location of the haunting. Urban legend alert >> The story of the haunting was begun by Louis Roy, who owned the Robert Wallace house. According to Roy's story, the same pirate captain who spared Mary's ship reunited with her in her widowhood, and she took him into her home and cared for him in his old age. Allegedly the captain was murdered under Mary's roof, and Mary buried him and his treasure under the hearthstone in accordance with his instructions. Her ghost was said to haunt the house in order to protect the hidden treasure. Lost strangers stopping at the house to ask for directions were said to be met at the door by a tall red-haired woman in colonial dress, who they assumed to be an historical re-enactor. Roy claimed to have seen her sitting in her old rocking chair. Others claim to have seen a similar figure in the yard or walking on the road into town. No evidence of either treasure or human remains has been found at either Wallace house, and the story is considered by townsfolk and historians to be entirely invented. PINE HILL CEMETERY (DOVER) BACKGROUND: Also known as “Blood Cemetery, it was first used as a burial ground in 1730 by local Native Americans. The town of Dover, needing a public burial spot, established it as such in 1763. PHENOMENA: Many believe the ghost of Abel Blood wanders the cemetery as if searching for someone or something and all indications are he appears to be lost or confused. Urban legend alert >> Some have reported seeing the carved hand pointing up towards the heavens on his grave mysteriously point downward at night. It’s been said that the spirit of a young boy who - along with his family - was murdered in the 1800s, appears to motorists on a road running alongside the cemetery. He is seen trying to flag down drivers, but disappears when the vehicle comes to a stop. Unexplained tapping sounds and anomalous balls of light have been witnessed as well. TRIVIA: Also at Pine Hill can be found the tomb stone of Lucy Hale. Lucy was the daughter of Senator John Parker Hale, who is also buried at Pine Hill. What makes her story so interesting is that she was secretly engaged to Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth, much to the despair of her Father, who was a well known abolitionist of the time. PLYMOUTH STATE UNIVERSITY (PLYMOUTH) BACKGROUND: The school was founded as Plymouth Normal School in 1871. Since that time it has evolved to a teachers college, a state college, and finally to a state university in 2003. PSU is part of the University System of New Hampshire. It was founded as a teachers' college, and it still retains a teaching program/major to this day. Since that time, however, it has diversified its academic profile, adding many new majors and fields of study. PHENOMENA: Students who live in Mary Lyon or Blair Hall have seen or heard of the story of The Tunnel which connected the two halls. Co- eds would use the tunnel in inclement weather so as not to get their skirts and blouses dirty or wet. One day, two girls encountered a male in the tunnel who proceeded to kill them both and then himself. It’s said the girl’s screams can be heard in the tunnel to this day. There are noises and phantom footsteps that originate from behind the door that leads to the tunnel. Then there is the“Silver Ghost” that haunts the Silver Center, which is the performing arts center. There have been many odd experiences, cold spots, and actual sightings of the ghost around the Studio Theater and costume shop. She’s described as being around 19 years old, having black hair and dressed in white. Either she, or a totally different spirit, is know to play classical music on a piano inside the Center, but the music stops when curious individuals approach the source of the sound. TRIVIA: The university's campus newspaper, The Clock, was the first college newspaper in the nation to have a Sudoku puzzle. Plymouth State gained national attention in 1985 when Sports Illustrated featured PSU student and football player Joe Dudek as their favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. Dudek, a running back for the Panthers, earned the attention for breaking Walter Payton's mark for career touchdowns. PORTSMOUTH HARBOR LIGHT (PORTSMOUTH) BACKGROUND: The station was established in 1771 and was the 10th of 11 light stations established prior to the American Revolution. The first tower was a shingled wooden structure with an iron lantern and copper roof. Its light source was three copper oil lamps. The first tower was replaced in 1804 by an 80-foot octagonal wooden tower approximately 100 yards east of the 1771 tower. In 1851, twenty years after the establishment of Whaleback Lighthouse, the tower was shortened to 55 feet. Three years later, in 1854, the tower was fitted with a Fourth Order Fresnel lens. In 1878, a new 48-foot cast-iron, brick-lined lighthouse tower was erected on the same foundation as the 1804 tower. When the new tower was completed, the surrounding remains of the 1804 tower were removed. The current light is a fixed green signal that is visible for 12 nautical miles. The light is made green by an acrylic cylinder that surrounds the lens. Other structures at the light station that are still standing are the 1903 oil house (restored in 2004) and the 1872 keeper's house (currently United States Coast Guard offices). PHENOMENA: Joshua Card, a man with a great sense of humor, was the lighthouse keeper 1874 to 1909 and failed to activate the light only once in all those years of service. He reluctantly retired and ultimately passed away in 1911 at the age of 86. Today his spirit haunts the lighthouse displaying his typical genial manner. Personnel stationed at the Coast Guard building have reported a shadowy form roaming the grounds at night and a woman reported seeing a figure in broad daylight wearing an old-fashioned keeper’s uniform standing on a wooden walkway before he vanished in plain sight. When she was in the Coast Guard building relating her story to them, she identified a picture on a wall as the man she had seen. It was Joshua Card. People have also reported the sound of disembodied voices among other activity such as slamming doors and odd knocking in response to questions. TRIVIA: In October 2008, the Ghost Hunters team of Jason Hawes, Grant Wilson and others investigated possible paranormal activity at the lighthouse, keeper's house, and Fort Constitution. R.G. SULLIVAN BUILDING (MANCHESTER) BACKGROUND: RG Sullivan's 7-20-4 cigars were the most popular thing going, and his Manchester factory, built in 1906, was a thriving hotbed of the tobacco trade. Named for the address of the iconic factory that still looms large over downtown Manchester today, the company was at one time among the largest producers of cigars by volume in the world. Selling his smokes all of the country, Sullivan's company began in 1874 and kept on making cigars until 1963 when the Cuban Embargo cut off the tobacco supply and forced their doors to close. In 2006, Kurt Kendall, a New Hampshire based cigar retailer with 2 terrific retail stores and an avid historian and collector of tobacco memorabilia who had long dreamed of creating his own line of premium cigars, decided to revive the brand name as an homage to the past. (https://www.7-20-4.com) PHENOMENA: There have been reports of the apparitions of young children along with their disembodied voices. It’s thought these may be the spirits of former child laborers. Doors will open and shut on their own, defying explanation. SEACOAST REPERTORY THEATER (PORTSMOUTH) BACKGROUND: Constructed in 1892, the Bow Street Theater building originally was designed for beer and grain storage. It was built with walls up to two feet thick for insulation from winter cold and summer heat. In 1979, a glass enclosure for the lobby area was added when the facility was renovated as a theater. PHENOMENA: Actors and theater staff have reported seeing ghostly people sitting in the upper level theater seats, electrical cords being unplugged while in use and being thrown over hanging pipes and the sound of disembodied voices. The entity deemed responsible for all, if not most of this, has been nicknamed “Precocious” with several staff members reporting the sighting of a shadow man roaming about the theater. Other activity centers on microphones being switched into the wrong ports after a thorough check of the wiring. TRIVIA: The theater was featured in an episode of Biography Channel’s My Ghost Story. SISE INN (PORTSMOUTH) BACKGROUND: Now known as The Hotel Portsmouth, it was built in 1881 as the home of John E. Sise and his family and is a classic example of a Queen Anne Victorian architecture. The Stick Style mansion is located in historic Haymarket Square and is a monument to Victorian success. Later owned by one of the Sise daughters and her husband Alfred Gooding, the antiquarian minister of the South Church (who doubled the size of the original house), the mansion was expanded again in 1985 and opened as the Sise Inn. In the 1930s the property was sold and then used as business and doctor’s offices. It later was a beauty salon and then was converted into apartments. By the 1950s the home was being used as a halfway house for the mentally ill. An elaborate, historically sensitive, six month renovation of the property was completed in April 2014 prior to re-opening as The Hotel Portsmouth. (www.thehotelportsmouth.com) PHENOMENA: It’s believed that two ghosts haunt the hotel, a male and female. Doors and not just opened and closed which is a common denominator for haunted locations, but they will also lock and unlock as well. They do so on their own time, too, as one night even a passkey would not open one couple’s room (204) and for two hours it did not until a locksmith was called, upon which the door opened when he used the key in it. The elevator is another source of puzzlement as it will activate on its own with no human intervention. Then there the second floor ice machine. Ice has been found strewn across the hallway and even found inside some guest rooms. One night desk employee reported hearing the ice machine being used and went up to check it out. She saw a trail leading to (again) room 204 which was vacant at that time. Upon opening the door, she saw a pile of ice inside the door. One guest watched is astonishment as a plant sitting on a table began to levitate by itself. He checked out quickly. It’s not unusual for items to be found moved from their rightful place to another. The male ghost is a bit frisky as women have reported their backsides or hips being grabbed or pinched and one woman awoke to see a man lying down with her in bed. One maid claimed to feel a pair of hands on her hips which then tried to pull her into a closet. THREE CHIMNEYS INN (DURHAM) BACKGROUND: Part of the original settlement at Oyster River Falls, this property is a "living" record of over three centuries of cultural and commercial development, having passed through four significant families prior to 1987, when Sagamore Hill, Inc. obtained the property and completed restoration in 1997. Valentine Hill and Thomas Beard were granted the fall of Oyster River to set up a sawmill with accommodations of timber for the mill. In 1649 Valentine Hill built the original homestead, much of which was ferried up the Oyster River by gundalo. The house was single story with a basement and an upstairs living area-kitchen combined. The house survived the Indian attack of 1694 that destroyed many of the nearby homes and was equipped, in 1699 with "Indian Shutters" for protection. During the revolutionary war, according to the story, the home was a storage place for munitions that were taken from the British Blockhouses in Portsmouth and hidden for use by Revolutionary troops. After a revival period in the early 1900s, the building and grounds passed from hand to hand and were left, essentially, to fall to ruin. (www.threechimneysinn.com) PHENOMENA: The spirits here are a bit mischievous as they will rearrange silverware or hide it for a period of time or lock doors to antagonize the living. A guest reported clearly hearing a woman whisper in her ear but found she was very much alone at the time. Furniture will be heard moving around in the upper floors in rooms that are otherwise vacant at the time. It’s thought one spirit residing here is named Hannah and she drowned in the Oyster River. Visitors and staff report hearing her footsteps in hallways and on occasion, her shadowy figure roaming the building. One employee claims to have been awoken one night to someone playing with her hair. One group having dinner in the tavern watched as a wine glass levitated off a table and crash to the floor. Another awakened to the sound of footsteps in the parlor and in going to to investigate, found every drawer and cabinet opened in the room by the same amount of space (1”). One morning, the staff discovered a woman’s muddy, barefoot footprints across the dining room. The prints were oddly also discovered underneath rugs. A video of this exists. Hannah is said to also resent technology as devices (even hand-held ones) are often rendered unusable for a period of time. WINDHAM RESTAURANT (WINDHAM) BACKGROUND: First operated as a farm in 1729, the present Colonial style house was built in 1812 and was extensively restored at the turn of this century. The restaurant occupies an old house built around 1812 by The Dinsmore Family. The house was home to Isaac and then Horace Dinsmore for many years. Three Restaurants have occupied the house. The first was a Thai restaurant, then a French, and finally The Windham Restaurant. PHENOMENA: The spirits singled out the blond waitresses of the French restaurant. They would feel their hair being played with by some unknown entity and would feel their jewelry unclasped. Sometimes, when the staff would come in early in the morning they would find the chairs on the second floor turned around facing the window and place settings would be moved so the forks and knives were crossed like an “X”. Empty boxes wrapped like Christmas gifts were once found suspended from wall to wall (in mid air) above the staircase on the third floor. Another time the mock Christmas boxes were stacked like towers. A key to the third floor door disappeared only to turn up later - jammed in a window frame. Customers also report seeing the spirits. A little boy was seen in the second floor wait station. A girl was seen wandering around the restaurant, and “Jacob” (a name given to the spirit by the wait staff) was seen several times. Expensive dishes have flown off kitchen shelves and shattered. Wine glasses in the bar sailed across the room and smashed onto the floor. Windows that were closed would later be found opened. Lights would turn on - seemingly of their own accord. Electrical problems plagued the restaurant. The owner saw what she thought was a man falling down the stairs, but when she ran to help him, he had disappeared. Footsteps and little children’s voices can sometimes be heard reverberating from the second floor, but when the staff goes upstairs to investigate, there is no one to be found. In the cellar, a man’s voice has been heard by the employees calling out to them. (http://www.windhamrestaurant.com) BACK TO TO PARANORMAL DATABASE