by Maureen Wood
Hammond died in 1965, and now the castle is a museum with a life of its own. Voices and eerie noises percolate through the castle walls. Unexplainable cold spots send chills up the spines of unsuspecting visitors. And a ghost or two has been known to make an appearance within the castle's halls and corridors. But what about Hammond?
In life, he always expressed interest in reincarnation, wishing to return as a cat. Oddly enough, since his death, a black cat has appeared. It roams freely throughout the castle and seems to prefer John's favorite haunts. One can only wonder if his wish has been fulfilled.
TERRIFYING TIDBIT
John Hays Hammond Jr. holds over 400 invention patents, second only to Thomas Edison.
FEBRUARY 13, 1748 THE LADY LOVIBOND
Kent, England
Goodwin Sands lie several miles off the coast of Kent. Legend tells us that the sandbanks were once part of the mythical island of Lomera, but they are most known for the damage they have caused to British shipping. The shifting sands have sunk many a vessel and devoured their crews. In 1748, The Lady Lovibond, a three-masted schooner under the command of Captain Simon Peel, cut through the cold seas not far from the sands. On board were Captain Peel and his new wife, Annette. It has always been thought by seafaring men that bringing a woman on board a ship was bad luck.
The first mate was a man named Rivers, a romantic rival of the Captain. Seeing the Captain and Annette together drove him mad. In a fit of rage, he murdered the helmsman and steered The Lady Lovibond into the deadly sands, sinking the ship and killing all on board. But this was not the last time The Lady Lovibond sailed the seas. Fifty years later, in 1798, on the anniversary of its sinking, several ships in the same area spied the schooner. Every fifty years after its tragic demise it has been spotted by reputable sources, the last time in 1948. However, with great media scrutiny, it failed to appear in 1998. Perhaps it is finally at rest.
FEBRUARY 14, 1929 THE ST. VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE
Chicago, Illinois
On Valentine's Day in 1929, a police car pulled up in front of the S.M.C. Cartage Company. The brick building was a garage and warehouse for Bugs Moran's bootlegged liquor. Inside the building were six members of Moran's mob, a mechanic, and a dog. Five men, three in police uniforms, exited the squad car and entered the building. Thinking it was a raid, the gangsters didn't resist and lined up against a brick wall of the building. But instead of being arrested, they were brutally gunned down in a hail of machine gun fire. When it was all over, only the dog survived. As it turns out, they weren't cops at all, but rather hit men hired by the notorious Al Capone. The bloody massacre shook Chicago and ultimately ended in Capone's downfall. The ghost of one of the men killed, Bugs Moran's brother-in-law, James Clark, began to haunt Capone almost immediately after the massacre. In 1931, Capone hired a medium to exercise the spirit, but that failed. Until his death on January 25, 1947, Capone could not escape the torment of Clark's ghost.
The building was eventually torn down and a park was built in its place. But there have been reports of phantom gangsters dropping in at the adjacent nursing home. And dogs have been known to bark and growl as they walk by the park. Is the park haunted? Some believe not. Yet it's hard to deny the numerous reports of visitors to the area. The echoes of machine guns and men gasping for their last breath still affirm the horrors of that fateful Valentine's Day in 1929.
TERRIFYING TIDBIT
In 1967 the S.M.C. Cartage Company was demolished. Canadian businessman George Patey purchased the bullet-scarred bricks, while others were reported stolen. The bricks were sold as memorabilia. It is rumored that the bricks are cursed, bringing ill health, financial ruin, and even death to those who purchased them.
FEBRUARY 15, 1814 OCEAN-BORN MARY
Henniker, New Hampshire
Ocean-Born Mary is one of the most famous ghost stories in New Hampshire. It is so legendary that it is hard to separate the facts from the fiction. What we do know is that Mary was born at sea. Her mother, Elizabeth Fulton, and her husband were immigrating to America from Ireland when pirates off the New England coast intercepted and boarded the ship. When the pirate captain heard the cry of a baby, his gruff demeanor softened, and he told all on board their lives would be spared if they named the baby after his own mother, Mary. Elizabeth agreed, and the legend of Ocean-Born Mary was born. The pirate cap-tain also gave Mary a gift, a bolt of light green brocade silk fabric to be used for her wedding gown. Then the pirates released the ship.
The father died shortly thereafter, and Mary and her mother moved to Henniker, New Hampshire. In 1742, Mary, now a beautiful tall redheaded woman, married James Wallace, and she wore a dress of green silk. After living a full life with James and their children, Mary passed away in 1814, at the ripe old age of ninety-four.
In 1917, a man by the name of Louis Roy purchased the famous Ocean-Born Mary House. However, contrary to the legend, she had never lived in it. Roy, trying to turn a profit, charged a fee to dig in the backyard for alleged buried treasure. Renowned paranormal investigators, Hans Holzer and Ed and Lorraine Warren have all claimed that the house is haunted, but that's not what the current owner says. He has gone out of his way to prove that this was all a hoax. According to him, there is no ghost of Ocean-Born Mary. However there are many credible reports of a tall red-headed apparition seen in the area and even looking out the windows of the Ocean-Born Mary House; it seems the legend may have taken on a life of its own.
FEBRUARY 16, 1945 THE CORROSION HANGAR BAY
Kanagawa, Japan
Used by the Japanese kamikaze pilots, this hangar on the Astsgi Naval Air Base dates back to World War II. When Japan surrendered to the Allies in 1945, many pilots, shouldering the weight of their disgrace, committed suicide (harakari) in the hangar. Today the hangar is haunted. A pair of floating red eyes has been witnessed by some of the base's personnel. The nighttime opening and closing of doors can be heard as well. One evening, a guard saw a Japanese man dressed in a World War II–era uniform walk through the hangar, strutting right past him to the back exit. By all accounts, the ghostly officer was totally oblivious to his surroundings. Some believe that because of their disgrace the kamikaze pilots are bound to the hangar, waiting to avenge themselves. Terrified of what they may encounter, many a serviceman has refused to venture into the hangar after dark.
FEBRUARY 17, 1974 HEADLESS CATHERINE
Franklin, Maine
Motorists driving between the towns of Franklin and Cherryfield often see the ghostly specter of a headless woman. The picturesque mountainous road that winds around Fox Pond then slowly crests the top of the mountain is appropriately named Catherine — as is the phantom young woman that attracts the attention of many a traveler. Legend has it that if you are driving down the short stretch of Route 182 and come across the headless torso of Catherine, you had better pick her up. If you don't, you will meet with a disastrous fate. One story tells of a traveling salesman who drove past the headless ghost. As soon as he had he done so, he looked into his review mirror, and there in his back seat was the phantom woman. He was so distraught, he lost control of the car and swerved into a tree. He died on impact. But who is this ghost and why is she haunting that particular stretch of road? The story goes that Catherine and her boyfriend, driving back from their prom, lost control of the car and hit a tree. Catherine, beheaded, died immediately; her boyfriend's body, on the other hand, was never found. Is Catherine wandering aimlessly looking for her boyfriend? Perhaps. Then again, does it matter why Catherine haunts the area near Fox Pond? Just remember that if you find yourself driving through the beautiful valleys and picturesque mountains of Maine and happen to spy the specter of Catherine, pick her up. Lest you lose your head.
FEBRUARY 18, 1374 THE TOOLMAKER OF TOMASSKA STREET
Prague, Czech Republic
While traveling down Tomasska street in Prague, you may run into the skeleton of the toolmaker. Back in medieval times there once was a toolmaker who hired a young apprentice
. The apprentice was a handsome man who took a fancy to the toolmaker's wife. Without the toolmaker's knowledge, the two began a torrid affair. Afraid that the husband would find out, they decided to murder him. One night while he slept, his wife drove a nail into the toolmaker's skull, killing him. They quickly buried him, and a year later, the murderous pair married. Then the toolmaker's ghost began appearing in his workshop, but nobody thought much of it until they dug up his coffin, as tradition dictated, for reuse of the grave. Lifting the lid, the undertaker found his skeleton with a rusty nail in it. He reported his discovery to authorities, who arrested the apprentice and his wife. They were tried, convicted, and executed. The toolmaker's remains were reburied with the nail still in. Today his skeleton wanders the streets looking for a brave soul to pull out the nail so that he can rest in peace.
TERRIFYING TIDBIT
In many cultures, bodies were only buried for a short period of time. To save space in cemeteries, they were dug up so the plot could be used again. The bones were placed in a vault or catacomb called a bone house. Even more disturbing is that some of the coffin lids revealed scratch marks, denoting that the bodies were buried alive.
FEBRUARY 19, 2000 JACOB FUNERAL HOME
Kokomo, Indiana
In 2000 a local man purchased the old Jacob Funeral Home. It was the only black-owned and -operated funeral home in central Indiana. Dating back to the early 1900s, it had a strange past, and what the new owner found when he began remodeling was even stranger. In the damp basement behind some rubble was a small storeroom. In it were moldy stacks of cardboard boxes labeled “Personal Belongings.” The rotting cartons contained the personal items of the deceased that were supposed to be buried with them, but “somehow” got misplaced. They contained a variety of items from wedding bands to children's stuffed toys, and always a photograph of the person who died.
As the remodeling progressed, a series of strange events afflicted the building. Lights and water faucets would turn on and off by themselves. Whispers could be heard echoing in the halls. And the sound of a “high-pitched drilling noise” emanated from the basement, where the boxes had been found. But the creepiest experience of all was the black shadows lurking in the corners, darting back and forth through the building. A minister was called in for a blessing, but things only deteriorated. Psychics refused to enter the building, and heavy and sullen moods began to affect its inhabitants. Finally, the owner decided to sell the items found in the basement on eBay with hopes that the ghosts would go with them. That might be fine for him, but what about the purchaser?
FEBRUARY 20, 1922 ISLE OF THE DEAD
Venice, Italy
Five miles off the coast of Venice is Poveglia, a rather small island with a deadly history. During the Roman era, the island was used much like a leper colony. When the bubonic plague came to Europe in the Dark Ages, with almost a third of Venice's population dead or dying, victims were sent to the island for quarantine. Men, women, and children all met their untimely death on the island, and thousands were thrown in an open plague pit or burned in bonfires. The island was abandoned until Napoleonic times, when it was fortified and used as a supply station.
TERRIFYING TIDBIT
The sound of church bells ringing was said to drive away demons. And when epidemics and diseases plagued cities, the air was thought to be cleared of the illness by the ringing of bells.
In 1922, a mental institute was built on the island, a formidable looking building with a tall bell tower. The inmates began to see and hear the tormented lost souls of the island. Terrified, they reported their complaints to the doctors, which were casually dismissed as symptoms of their condition. One particularly cruel doctor was assigned to the hospital at this time. He began experimenting on the patients, performing lobotomies and other crude procedures, killing and injuring many. He too began to see the ghosts. His own sanity slipping away, one night he went to the top of the bell tower and fell to his death.
The hospital was eventually abandoned and the bell removed. Today few Venetians dare to step foot on the island. The bones of the dead wash up on the beach, and the soil is so impregnated with the remains of humans that many fear to breathe the dust. The bell from the empty tower continues to toll, but for whom does it toll?
FEBRUARY 21, 1704 THE EUNICE WILLIAMS COVERED BRIDGE
Greenfield, Massachusetts
The village of Deerfield, Massachusetts was savagely attacked by a band of Mohawk Indians in February 1704. Reverend John Williams and his family were among the 100 captives who were herded together like cattle. The Indians drove their prisoners toward their camp in Canada, striking down any who couldn't keep the brutal pace. The reverend's wife, Eunice, having just given birth to another child, realized she was too weak to survive the ordeal. Coming to terms with her fate, she handed off the newborn baby to her husband, praying at least some of her family would survive the attack. As the captives crossed the river in Greenfield, Eunice, too weak to continue, fell. One of the warriors struck poor Eunice with a tomahawk, killing her instantly. Her family was forced to watch in horror as Eunice's blood flowed into the river. Unable to go to her aid, they and the remaining captives continued onward. Finally, after enduring two years at the Mohawk camps, they were released. The grieving Reverend Williams returned home with all but one of his children. His eldest daughter, also named Eunice, growing so accustomed to the Indian ways, refused to leave. To her father's horror, she married one of the tribesmen.
Today, Eunice's ghost still haunts the bank of the river in Greenfield. It's also been said that if one stands in the covered bridge and calls out the name of Eunice Williams, she will appear. Many believe her soul remains because of the brutal way in which she died. Others believe her spirit is at unrest, eternally waiting for her namesake, the child that betrayed her, to return.
FEBRUARY 22, 1884 BOOT HILL GRAVEYARD
Tombstone, Arizona
The old “Tombstone Cemetery” was nicknamed “Boot Hill Graveyard,” because the majority of its 250 inhabitants, buried beneath mounds of cactus and strangling growths of crucifixion thorns, died with their boots on.
Not all graves tell a tale; however, those that do speak to Tombstone's violent past. Boot Hill, used primarily during 1878–1884, became the final resting place of dozens of prospectors, outlaws, and prostitutes alike. Others that are laid to rest at Boot Hill include five men hanged for the “Bisbee Massacre,” the men who took their last breath at the famous gunfight known as the “O.K. Corral,” and the poor soul that was hung by mistake.
Since its restoration in the 1940s, Boot Hill has grown in popularity and become a favorite among tourists. Some believe cemeteries to be serene and quiet. After all, burial plots are our final resting place, right? Not so for Boot Hill. Considering the numerous reports of strange lights and odd noises said to emanate from within, it's definitely the exception to the rule. In fact, there have been many tourists who, after taking sightseeing pictures, are later surprised to discover they've captured more than their eyes could see. From the ghostly images appearing in the photographs, it seems, the poor souls that have been laid to rest are doing anything but!
FEBRUARY 23, 1836 THE SIX MONKS AT THE ALAMO
San Antonio, Texas
The spirits of restless souls still wander the grounds of the Mission San Antonio de Valero, better known as the Alamo. Are these spirits a residual haunting from the famous battle that raged for thirteen days? Or do these ghostly apparitions communicate with the living? If you could reach back in time and ask Colonel Sanchez, you would have your answer. As Sanchez and his detail approached the Alamo to destroy the mission as General Santa Ana had ordered, they were greeted by six screeching monks waving flaming swords above their heads, yelling, “Do not touch the Alamo!” Stunned, Sanchez and his men made a hasty retreat. He returned to the camp and reported to the general what had happened. Not believing his story, Santa Ana accused him of cowardice and decided to take matters into his own hands. He personally retu
rned with additional troops and a cannon. As the gunners were preparing to fire upon the mission, once again the six ghostly monks with their flaming swords appeared. The general was thrown from his horse, and his men fled in fear. Evidently he became a believer because the Alamo and its hosts of ghostly inhabitants still remain today.
FEBRUARY 24, 1555 SMITHILLS HALL
Bolton, England
The roots of Smithills Hall can be traced back to the reign of King John in the early 1200s. During the rule of “Bloody Mary” Tudor, the hall was in the hands of magistrate Sir Roger Barton. Mary was attempting to reintroduce Catholicism in England and worked feverously to quash the Protestant faith. In 1555, an Anglican minister, Reverend George Marsh, was brought before Barton for questioning. He was taken to the “Green Room” where his interrogation began. Frustrated at the proceeding, Marsh fled from the room and ran down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, he stopped and stamped his foot on the fieldstone floor, declaring, “If I am true to my faith, God shall leave his mark.” He was taken back to the room and ordered to stand trial for heresy. Convicted, he was sentenced to death and burned alive.
But that couldn't stop Marsh's ghost from returning to Smithills Hall. The spectral image of the minister has been seen on the staircase and in the Green Room, haunting the manor that sealed his fate. Today, if you look at the stone in the floor where he stomped his foot, you can clearly see a rough imprint of it, an enduring reminder of his persecution. Once the owner of the manor removed the stone and placed it outside. Late that night a storm of poltergeist activity rattled the mansion until it was returned. And every year on the twenty-fourth, it is said that the imprint turns red and sticky, a reminder of Marsh's plight.