Here are a few stories from various books, websites and people
about hauntings in New Hampshire. Please check back often
as I will be adding more stories that I come across as well
as stories that people submit to the site!
Hampton Beach Island Path ghost
Hart's Location The Notchland
Inn
Henniker Ocean-Born Mary House
Hollis Blood Cemetary
Nashua Country Tavern
Hampton
Beach
Accused of witchcraft in 1656 (the only woman accused of witchcraft
in New Hampshire), the elderly Eunice "Goody" Cole
of Island Path (road) in Hampton was found
guilty and sentenced to life in prison. After three years,
her husband petitioned the court for her release, pleading
that he had turned his property over to her and that he could
not care for himself. Her husband finally died and she was
released, as a ward of the Town, sometime prior to 1671. That
year, she was accused of witchcraft again, but was judged
not legally guilty, although it was said that there were grounds
for “vehement suspicion of her having familiarity with
the devil.” Elderly and ill, she returned to Hampton,
where she lived out her years scorned, persecuted, hated,
and feared. According to legend, she died about 1680 and was
buried by a vengeful mob with a stick, topped with a horseshoe,
driven through her heart; another legend says the body later
was removed secretly by kindhearted residents and properly
buried near today’s Meeting House Green.
On August 25th, 1938, the selectmen of the town of Hampton
declared 'Eunice "Goody" Cole Day.' All documents
and items pertaining to Goody's case were burned due to the
belief that she was unjustly accused of witchcraft, and her
citizenship in Hampton was restored to her name.
Still today all along Island Path, where Goody lived, there
are reports of figures appearing in the fog, lights flickering,
and objects moving by themselves.
Thanks to the Lane Memorial Library website
with info from 'Hampton: A Century of Town and Beach, 1888-1988'
Directions: Island Path is located off of
route 1A in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, which is in Rockingham
County. From route 1A, take Highland Ave (north of A Street)
and then take a left onto Brown Street. Island Path intersects
with Brown Street. county
map
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Hart's
Location
Oddly enough, there is a tombstone
in the front parlor of The Notchland Inn,
inscribed with the words "1778. Nancy Barton. Died in
a snowstorm in pursuit of her faithless lover." One border
of the property is Nancy Brook, which comes from Nancy Pond,
which is atop Nancy Mountain -- all named after Nancy Barton.
Nancy was betrothed, but her husband-to-be
ran off with her dowry. Knowing the route he usually took
on trips to Portland and Boston, she followed him on foot.
The gentleman often camped where the inn now stands. Nancy
found that he had made a stop here but had already moved on.
Nancy may have been tired and slept for awhile or for some
other reason got caught in a snowstorm at this spot. Friends
found her frozen body lying next to the brook that now carries
her name.
According to guests and employees,
there seems to be a presence in some of the guest rooms, and
there have been several strange occurences. An inkeeper says
that one couple took a nap in mid-afternoon, and when they
awoke the name "Abigail" was written in the steam
on the mirror in their bathroom. But no one had taken a shower
or bath in that room for several hours. The inkeeper also
tells about another guest, the husband of a couple who have
stayed there several times, woke up after an afternoon nap
and noticed that someone had brought fresh flowers into the
room while he was napping. He went into the bathroom, and
someone had written "Happy Anniversary" on the mirror
in lipstick. He went back into the bedroom, but the flowers
were gone. He turned back into the bathroom, and the writing
on the mirror had disappeared.
Directions: The
Notchland Inn, nestled within the White Mountain National
Forest in Carroll County, is located on Route 302 in Harts
Location, NH. You can visit their website at http://www.notchland.com/
or call them at 800-866-6131. county
map
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Henniker
The ghost of a woman born on an Irish immigrant ship in 1720
still haunts the Ocean-Born Mary House, where
she lived her final years. Captain Don Pedro, a notorious
pirate had captured the sailing ship "Wolf" in the
waters off of Massachusetts. When he saw a red-haired baby
born on that same day on the ship to the ship's captain, he
promised to spare the ship and passengers in the child were
named after his mother. This is how Ocean-Born Mary got her
name, Mary Wallace. She grew up happily, married and had four
children. Sadly, Mary was widowed at an early age and life
was difficult. Years later, Captain Pedro retired to a large
mansion on a hill overlooking Henniker. The captain set out
to search for and found Mary, and when he found her, he proposed
marriage to her. They married and Mary and her children lived
happily with him for several years together in the mansion
on the hill. Then one day she found the bludgeoned body of
her husband, Captain Pedro, in the garden. Someone murdered
him, perhaps over treasure. She laid her husband's body to
rest under a huge hearthstone in the kitchen. Mary died in
1814 at age 94. The deserted mansion fell into ruins. Since
then, the apparition of a tall, red-haired woman with glowing
green eyes has appeared in the upstairs window and on the
central staircase. Some reported seeing Mary's apparition
in the yard, throwing something down the well. Later, the
house was renovated and and new owners moved in. Many occupants
reported feeling Mary's presence. Her ghost was once seen
helping family members repair a garage during a fierce storm,
and several subsequent owners believe her presence protects
the house from harm. Recently, two New Hampshire State Troopers
reported seeing the ghost of a tall, red-haired woman wearing
colonial clothing crossing the road just below the old mansion.
Update:
Okay, some sad news to burst your bubble... this story, however
intriguing and even though there have been several witnesses
to attest to the fact that this house is haunted, is not entirely
accurate. Take a look at the "Truth
about Ocean Born Mary" article
from the Seacoast NH website, and also check out the Ocean
Born Mary article direct from the Town of Henniker, NH
website for the real facts behind Ocean Born Mary. She did
exist, but, well... read away and decide for yourself!
Directions: Henniker is in southwest New
Hampshire, in Merrimack County, on Highway 114. Mary's wood
frame, two-story house is now a private residence, so PLEASE
do not set foot on the property without permission! Mary Wallace
is buried in Centre Cemetary behind the town hall in Henniker.
county
map
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Hollis
Blood Cemetary is
the nickname for the Pine Hill Cemetary in Hollis. The cemetary
gets its nickname after the ghost who haunts it, Abel Blood,
who was buried in this cemetary in 1867 next to his wife,
Betsy. There is a hand carved into the headstone that points
upward towards heaven with its index finger, and people say
that the stone changes at night and the hand and finger point
downward. Strange tapping sounds also have appeared on sound
recordings near the grave. See the photos
page to take a look at the gravestone.
Directions: Pine Hill Cemetary is located
in eastern Hollis in Hillsborough County, on Pine Hill Road
near the eastern boundary with Nashua. From the south, take
Route 3 north to exit 6 and merge onto 130 east. Blue Hill
Avenue is off of 130, which becomes Pine Hill Road. county
map
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Nashua
The ghost of Elizabeth Ford haunted the Country Tavern
in Nashua, which dates back to 1741. She was murdered by her
sea captain husband, who returned after 10 months at sea to
find his wife had just given birth. The enraged man is said
to have buried the bodies of Elizabeth and her illegitimate
child not far fron the house. Elizabeth's playful ghost has
been known to help out with housecleaning and move small objects
such as glasses and plates. She also likes to lift the hair
of the women in the ladies room and hide their personal possessions.
Elizabeth's ghost has been seen in the upstairs dining room
and staring out a window in a part of the building that used
to be a barn. She is about five feet six inches tall with
long, white hair and wears a flowing, white gown.
Directions: Nashua is northwest of Boston
in Hillsboro County on Route 3. It is located at 452 Amherst
Street in Nashua. The phone number is 603-889-5871. county
map
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The information is only as
reliable as our readers' reports. We assume no credit for
your adventures, and accept no liability for misadventures.
Use common sense. Before visiting any "haunted"
site, verify the location, accessibility, safety, and other
important information. Accessibility may become limited without
our knowledge, due to excessive visits by curiosity seekers.
Never trespass on private and/or posted property without specific
permission from the authorities. Okay, we're done. :-)
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