THE HAUNTED CAPE
by David Gallagher
Originally published in Inside Cape Cod, October 2002
They are stories that are passed down from generation to generation -- often told by the flickering light of a beach bonfire in the summer, or by a warm hearth in the dead of winter. They are tales we tell our children, which raise the hairs on our own necks too. They are the ghost stories that can be found in every town and village on this narrow peninsula -- tales that can make the blood run cold and the heart race.
These tales of the haunted Cape range from the frightening to the merely playful. Let’s peer closer at a few of these stories -- a fitting pastime when autumn nights cool towards the deadening chill of winter. Pull your seat a bit closer to the fire -- let’s visit the Haunted Cape.
The Dillingham House, Sandwich
This four-bedroom home stands on Main Street in Sandwich, and is one of the oldest houses in the area. The house is believed to have been built in the Sagamore area in 1726 by Simeon Dillingham and moved to Sandwich in the early 1800’s by his grandson, Branch Dillingham. Branch lived in the house with his wife and nine children until his suicide in 1813. His wife died shortly thereafter, leaving all nine young children to fend for themselves.
Throughout the years, the Dillingham House has generated its share of ghost stories. Legend holds that guests have seen apparitions of children running up and down the back staircase. Others have seen a woman in Victorian dress in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Years ago, one police officer investigating a tripped alarm found no one, but witnessed a rocking chair rocking on its own. These supernatural sights seem to be more active in October, around the harvest moon.
For much of the 1970’s the house was left vacant, and police were called several times after reports of strange lights in the house. It seemed that someone, or something, still walked the abandoned halls of Dillingham House. One creative officer, James Foley, penned the following as an addition to a 1979 report:
“It is highly recommended that any officer entering this house act according to his or her feelings. In other words, if you feel like running, please do so. Screaming will also be allowed. It is requested however that upon exiting the house you at least slow down enough to open the door and not go through it.”
Since then, the Dillingham House has been renovated, used as a bed and breakfast, and is currently a private home. Owner Ryan Griffin does not seem to mind her ghostly guests.
“It has been a great house for us,” said Griffin. “We knew when we bought it that there had been some activity, but the place was filled with such good energy that we weren’t worried.”
After she first purchased the house, Griffin started to notice something strange. One peculiar occurrence was the emergence of familiar odors.
“During renovations,” said Griffin, “we smelled some peculiar things, like alcohol and meat cooking when nothing was being cooked. Later, some guests heard footsteps, insisting that it sounded like someone walking upstairs. There was no one staying upstairs that night.”
Island Ghosts
Residents and visitors to Martha’s Vineyard can learn more about the spooky happenings on their island too. Oak Bluffs resident Holly Nadler has written Haunted Island, an impressive collection of true ghost stories on Martha’s Vineyard, and has even developed a popular “Ghosts of Edgartown” walking tour. The tour runs on Tuesday and Saturday evenings, starts at the upper landing of Memorial Wharf at 8pm, and visits many of the reportedly haunted sites in Edgartown.
The Edgartown Inn is a good example of the kinds of haunted homes found on the island. Built in 1798, the house has seen its share of famous guests, including Daniel Webster, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and John F. Kennedy.
One room in particular seems to be the focus of a supernatural presence. One evening, two women were sleeping in this second-floor guestroom, when one woke to see a thin old woman trying to make the bed with her in it. She turned on the light and woke her friend who was sleeping in a second twin bed, but the apparition had already vanished. The woman turned out the light again, and her friend was soon asleep. The woman couldn’t sleep, and was soon staring again at an old woman, dressed in white, trying to make the bed. Inn staff believes that the ghost is Ellie, a chambermaid who had been fired over 30 years ago because of old age.
The Outdoor Type
Old inns and homes are not the only haunted places on Cape Cod. Some ghosts, it seems, are more prone to walk the night alone. With miles of lonely coastline, abandoned bays, salt marshes and eerie bogs, many of the Cape’s open spaces lend themselves to stories of ghosts, witches, and mysterious sightings.
One such story -- as told in Edward Lodi’s book Haunters of the Dusk: A Gathering of New England Ghosts -- is of Black Johnny’s Pond in Wareham. The pond is located in a swampy area behind the cemetery on Great Neck Road. Legend holds that Black Johnny used to travel the town on his horse and wagon collecting trash, his faithful dog by his side. Back in the days before environmental awareness, trash was often disposed of in swampy areas, and that’s just what Johnny did, emptying his trash into the quicksand in and around the pond, where it would sink out of sight.
One hot August day, Johnny made the mistake of getting too close to the quicksand. His wagon firmly mired in the mud, he made his second and final mistake -- jumping down to assist his horse. Soon, old Johnny, his wagon, and his horse had sunk out of sight. Only his dog managed to escape.
At least that’s what the townsfolk thought had happened when they went looking for Johnny. They searched the swamp, and found only Johnny’s poor dog sitting by the pond’s edge, howling mournfully.
Despite all their efforts, Johnny’s dog would not leave his master’s side, even in death. The dog starved to death there, by the edge of the water.
And now, every August, some people still hear the howling of Johnny’s dog. When the few souls brave enough to investigate this strange noise venture to the pond, they find nothing...except for those who have seen a ghostly shadow of a dog. A dog walking over the waters of Black Johnny’s Pond.
Not For the Faint of Heart
For the truly brave, there are ways to learn more about the ghost stories throughout the Cape. Sandwich resident Mark Jasper has recently written Haunted Cape Cod and the Islands, a comprehensive book that covers hauntings from the canal to the tip of Provincetown, and everything in between.
“I do a lot of public speaking, and people always come up to me afterwards, telling me that they have a ghost. Most of my book consists of interviews with the owners. I wanted first-hand accounts. I also did a lot of research at Cape Cod Community College, searching through old newspaper archives for the history of these places.”
So what scares the man who has heard all these ghost tales?
“These stories can be truly chilling,” said Jasper. “One, titled ‘Something Evil in Chatham’ in the book, has kept me up nights.”
It seems that every town on the Cape and Islands has at least one tale of a haunted house or area. The sheer numbers of stories are bewildering. They include:
The Daniel Burgess House in Plymouth -- Built on the site of Massachusetts’ first execution for murder, this house stands across the street from an old cemetery. John Billington, who had come to the New World on the Mayflower, was hanged in 1630 for killing a fellow settler with a blunderbuss. Residents of the house report a child’s voice singing and objects vanishing.
The Village Green Inn in Falmouth -- For years, guests at this 200-year old Victorian inn have been reporting strange noises, lights turning on and off by themselves, and apparitions.
The Crocker Tavern B&B in Barnstable -- This 1754 tavern was the meeting place of local patriots during the Revolutionary War and saw a duel between a British soldier and a Minuteman. Guests report seeing and hearing the ghost of an old woman, probably Lydia Crocker, the original owner.
The Ocean Edge Resort in Brewster -- Guests and staff of this lavish resort have seen an apparition of an older woman in 19th Century attire walking the halls of the Carriage House. Others have smelled perfume and heard noises emanating from empty rooms.
The Dead Poets Guesthouse in Provincetown -- This restored 19th Century guesthouse lives up to its name. Guests and staff have seen ghosts in the basement and in the William Shakespeare room. One guest reported that her door opened four times in the night, even after it was locked. Others have heard voices or felt the presence of another person when they are alone.
Tall Tales or Proof Positive?
Are these stories true, or simply tall tales told to frighten children or weary travelers on a dark night? While some occurrences could be attributed to an overactive imagination or an old superstition gone wild, some cases surely do warrant further investigation.
At least that’s what a local group of ghost hunters believes. The Cape and Islands Paranormal Research Society (CAIPRS) was formed in 2001 by Derek Bartlett. The nonprofit group has searched for ghosts in various locations on- and off-Cape, and list no fewer than 54 haunted locations on the Cape and Islands on their website, www.caiprs.com.
“Cape Cod is a very active area for ghosts and hauntings,” said Bartlett. “We have some of the earliest settlements in the country, with lots of cemeteries dating from the 1600’s. This kind of energy is created by and attracted to water, and we are surrounded by it. There seems to be more energy built up around this area.”
The group’s ghost hunting equipment includes an electromagnetic detector, Geiger counter, and thermal scanners. They also use video and audio tape recordings, photographic evidence, and specialized computer software to analyze the hauntings.
“Picture a ghost as a mini-weather system,” explains Bartlett. “They expand and contract energy. We try to record these energy changes, and eliminate any possible physical explanation.”
Whatever this ghost-busting group finds, there is no denying the lasting appeal of a good ghost story. Whether these are just stories or something more, they serve to remind us that the world can be a mysterious place, and that we can never know all that there is to know about the universe. And even if they are just good stories...
...you might want to keep the light on tonight, just in case.
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On-Cape Publications: 1-877-662-5839
SIDEBAR: MARK JASPER
For those interested in further research, pick up a copy of Mark Jasper’s spine-tingling new book, Haunted Cape Cod and the Islands. The book recounts several tales of haunted inns, homes, and even a haunted bookstore.
Jasper’s interest in the supernatural seemed to coincide with his moving to Cape Cod in 1996.
“I read a book my mother had given me years ago about ghost stories on Nantucket. I liked the idea of being able to visit these haunted places, and went to the bookstore to find a book on haunted Cape Cod inns. I found none, and joked with the store owner that I would have to write it myself. She told me I should -- and that she’d sell it.”
That conversation resulted in Haunted Inns of New England, Jasper’s first book. After his initial success, he realized that there were many more stories of haunted locations on the Cape, and wrote Haunted Cape Cod and the Islands.
Interest in his work has been tremendous. In 2001, Jasper participated in a Home and Garden Television special, Ghostly Homes of Cape Cod. He has just finished his second television program, this one for the Travel Channel called Secrets of Haunted New England. With Halloween approaching, Jasper’s schedule does not seem to be slowing down.
“In October, I participate in the Ghost Tours out of the Sturgis Library. We go into some inns and houses along 6A, and learn about the stories behind the homes.”
Jasper will also be continuing a lecture series, incorporating video so that the audience can see and hear haunted locations around Cape Cod. In the spring, he hopes to start a series of walking ghost tours in various locations on Cape Cod.
Jasper tries to take his newfound fame in stride.
“It’s funny. When you get started, all you really hope for is a book deal. I thought that there would be an interest, but I never knew that it would be this big. It’s been fantastic.”
After everything he has heard and written about, does Mark Jasper believe in ghosts?
“I’ve never seen a ghost, but I’m jealous of those who do. After doing all of these interviews, I do believe that there’s something going on. I don’t know what, but I don’t want to know. That would take the mystery out. That’s the fun of it -- the mystery.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Haunted Cape Cod & the Islands, by Mark Jasper, published by On Cape Publications, 2002
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