All posts by Mindie Burgoyne

About Mindie Burgoyne

Mindie Burgoyne is a travel writer, tour guide and tour operator living on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. She is the author of Haunted Eastern Shore: Ghostly Tales from East of the Chesapeake and operates Chesapeake Ghost Walks and Thin Places Mystical Tours.

The Haunted Dome of the Maryland State House

blog posts, ghost story, ghosts,

Is the Spirit of Thomas Dance Still Hanging Around?

The Maryland State House in Annapolis has so many superlatives – the oldest this, the biggest that. But the 96-foot tall, all-wooden dome that caps the building in the center of State Circle also has a legendary ghost – the spirit of Thomas Dance, a plasterer who tragically fell to his death while plastering in 1793 before he got paid for his work and evidently … still holds a grudge.

But here’s some historical commentary on the dome itself and the State House to frame this ghost story.  Continue reading The Haunted Dome of the Maryland State House →

Maggie’s Bridge – Woodland DE

blog posts, ghost story, Sussex County DE, , ,

Maggie's Bridge - Woodland DE

Headless Woman Haunts Woodland Bridge – Maggie Bloxom

Sometime in the late 1800s Maggie Bloxom was traveling by horse and carriage down the Woodland Church Road about a mile south of the Woodland Ferry landing. When the carriage was crossing a bridge that went over a small branch of the Nanticoke River, the horse got spooked. It reared up and the carriage went over the side of the bridge and into the water.

It was a horrific accident, and young Maggie was decapitated.

The local legend has many different versions of what happens when you call out to Maggie from this bridge, but most say that the call must be made at midnight or during the witching hour (between midnight and 1 am). You call, “Maggie, Maggie, Maggie” and you might just hear the hooves of the horse on the roadway coming toward you. Call again, “Maggie, Maggie, Maggie” and you might see a shadow coming out of the woods near the bridge. Call a third time, “Maggie, Maggie, Maggie” and she’ll emerge from the woods with her head in her hand, wanting you to reconnect it…wanting you to bring her back to life.

One local resident said, “Maggie can be best seen on the night of a blue moon. When her name is called, a strong breeze comes whistling through the trees and little flashes of lights, which appear to be lighting bugs come from the woods, which have been known as the Ghost Pits. They come closer and closer with each flash. You really have to see it to believe it.” There are other accounts of people’s cars acting strangely. They won’t start or will shift out of gear, or they start to move after the engine has been turned off.

When is the next Blue Moon?  Will Maggie appear?

NOTE: If you’d like to know a much more detailed version of this ghost story, consider snagging a copy of Maggie, I Have Your Baby: The Haunting Of Maggie’s Bridge by Kelly Lidji.  She’s a local and a good friend of mine (Mindie Burgoyne)

Do I Need an EMF Meter?

blog posts, Ghost Hunting Gear,

EMF Meter

Electromagnetic Field Meter – EMF

An EMF meter, or electromagnetic field meter, is a device that is designed to detect and measure electromagnetic radiation in its surroundings. Some believe it’s a powerful tool for detecting the presence of paranormal activity.  The EMF meter be used in a variety of settings, including industrial, scientific, and medical fields, as well as in personal and home settings.

EMF meters are also commonly used in the field of paranormal research. In this setting, the device is used to detect and measure electromagnetic radiation that is believed to be produced by ghosts or other supernatural entities. Many paranormal investigators continue to use EMF meters as a tool in their investigations. Continue reading Do I Need an EMF Meter? →

DeeDee Wood

Dee Dee Wood is 2023 Storyteller of the Year Copy

NEWS

Chesapeake Ghosts is excited to announce that Dee Dee Wood has been named Storyteller of the Year for 2023.

This is the third year in a row for Dee Dee who leads the St. Michaels ghost tour and also leads ghost tours in Cambridge, Denton,  and Easton. Dee Dee has also filled in on the Pocomoke ghost tour.

Currently, Dee Dee’s serves as the Director of the Milton Delaware Historical Society, and formerly she was the Director of the Talbot County Historical Society’s Museum Store in Easton.  She is also an antique appraiser and dealer — and clock fixer (so many awesome attributes).

Dee Dee received a lovely plaque commemorating her achievement along with a $250 bonus. Congratulations, Dee Dee.

DeeDee Wood

Dee Dee Wood is 2023 Storyteller of the Year

blog posts

Chesapeake Ghosts is excited to announce that Dee Dee Wood has been named Storyteller of the Year for 2023.

This is the third year in a row for Dee Dee who leads the St. Michaels ghost tour and also leads ghost tours in Cambridge, Denton,  and Easton. Dee Dee has also filled in on the Pocomoke ghost tour.

Currently, Dee Dee’s serves as the Director of the Milton Delaware Historical Society, and formerly she was the Director of the Talbot County Historical Society’s Museum Store in Easton.  She is also an antique appraiser and dealer — and clock fixer (so many awesome attributes).

Dee Dee received a lovely plaque commemorating her achievement along with a $250 bonus. Congratulations, Dee Dee.

Smallpox Cemetery on the Nanticoke River

blog posts, ghost story, Sussex County DE, ,

Town of Woodland DE Suffers Smallpox Outbreak 1903

Woodland Ferry Nanticoke Delaware
The Woodland Ferry crosses the Nanticoke River in Woodland Delaware

There was a smallpox outbreak in the little village of Woodland, Delaware in 1903. The outbreak was carried in newspapers all over the country because a large percentage of while most outbreaks in the early 1900s involved one to three people in a village, Woodland had over twenty-five, and that was a fourth of the town’s total population. the population contracted it and the village was quarantined.

On December 9, 1903, the Evening News in San Jose, California ran the story that it had picked up on a newswire, “Dover, Del., Dec 9. – An epidemic of smallpox prevails at Woodland, a town near Seaford, Del. Out of a population of about 100 persons there are twenty-five cases of the disease. The town is quarantined.”

Hal Roth, in his book You Still Can’t Get to Puckum writes that a lifelong resident told him, “My grandfather was living on the other side of the river at the time and traveled by shad barge between his farm and Seaford, paddling upriver on the flood tide and returning on the ebb. He stayed close to the other side of the river hoping he wouldn’t catch it.” The same resident also told Hal that his grandfather wouldn’t help turn the dirt for the graves for all the money in the world because they believed that smallpox never dies. And this belief was one of the reasons so many died in Woodland. Continue reading Smallpox Cemetery on the Nanticoke River →

The Town Dog Killer in Denton

blog posts, Caroline County, Denton, ghost story, , , ,
The Taylor House now known as Turnbridge Point. Former resident was the town dog killer.
The Taylor House now known as Turnbridge Point. Former residence of the town dog killer.

Denton, Maryland’s Town Dog Killer

The most beautiful house on the Caroline County’s Courthouse Square in Denton sits on the corner of Gay and Second Streets. It’s a Second Empire Victorian style with its hipped roof, center cupola, iron fence and ornate trim sets it apart from every other house on the square. The ample corner lot runs straight down to the Choptank River, which is wide and placid at this northern end, some thirty plus miles from where it empties into the Chesapeake Bay.

When a long time owner of the property moved out in 2000, a real estate agent showed the property to a potential buyer who lived out of state. The owner wasn’t present during the viewing, and the potential buyers took several photographs of the house. About a month after they had looked at the house, they returned to Denton hoping to find the owner. When they knocked on the door, there was no answer, so they visited the Town Hall hoping to get help with locating the owner.

These potential buyers had decided not to buy the house. But when they reviewed the photographs they had taken, they noticed a strange anomaly in one of them. It was disturbing. It was a view of the house from the outside that showed the front with all of its beautiful features and ornate trim. But it also showed the image of a child looking out of the third-floor window. The owner wasn’t present when the couple viewed the house, and they’d been told that no children lived there.

Child’s Face in the Window

The couple had also gone through that third floor, and they saw no sign of a child – no toys, Continue reading The Town Dog Killer in Denton →

Mary’s Ghost at Old Salty’s – Hoopers Island

Dorchester County, ghost story, ,

Hoopers Island Ghost in an old School Building

by Mindie Burgoyne

Old Salty's on Hoopers Island - home of Mary's Ghost
Old Salty’s on Hoopers Island – home of Mary’s Ghost

Old Salty on Hoopers Island ‘s is a popular destination restaurant housed in a renovated old school building. It is also haunted and home to “Mary’s Ghost.”

I didn’t know about the ghost until I ran into an employee at an event in Cambridge. The employee said it was haunted and that he’d had a few experiences. So I asked the owner, Jay Newcomb, who said several of the employees there had experienced strange things … voices, crashing sounds, vanishing customers, objects being moved. Continue reading Mary’s Ghost at Old Salty’s – Hoopers Island →

Big Lizz and the Swamps of Dorchester

Dorchester County, ghost story, ,

Decoursey Bridge and the Ghost of Big Lizz

Greenbriar Swamp - haunts of Big Lizz
Greenbriar Swamp – haunts of Big Lizz

If you ever ask anyone to tell you a ghost story about the Eastern Shore, the tale of Big Lizz and the Greenbriar swamp will likely be the first story shared. The story has been around since the Civil War and has developed immense popularity with both locals and visitors. Every book written about ghosts in Maryland will feature a piece on Big Lizz.  Today, teenagers still travel to DeCoursey bridge at midnight to tempt Big Lizz to emerge from the woods with her eyes glowing from the bloody head she holds in her one hand.  The other hand she uses to motion you into the swamp… to find the buried treasure she help her master hide before he decapitated her.

Greenbriar swamp is about ten square miles and is located near the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge. It is set in the most beautiful landscape on the Eastern Shore.  Big Lizz is an unseen image in that landscape. Continue reading Big Lizz and the Swamps of Dorchester →

10 Haunted Inns on Maryland’s Eastern Shore

blog posts, reviews, ,

10 Amazingly haunted places to stay

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Consider a Stay in a Haunted Inn when you visit the Eastern Shore

If you’re into spending time with spirits in an intimate way, consider staying in one of these haunted inns on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.  Don’t worry … all of the spirits are pretty friendly.

River Gem B&B - aka The Littleton Clark House - Pocomoke City

 

The River Gem Bed and Breakfast – Pocomoke City

This is a beautifully restored Victorian house with wide porches located just one block from the scenic Pocomoke River. It was built just before the Civil War by the young merchant, Littleton Clarke. He and his wife Jane moved in with three small children and then had two more. Within a year Littleton died as did four of his five children. Some say the spirits of the children still roam the house – very comfortably and happily, and according to one guest even “appear” in the late night hours.
Continue reading 10 Haunted Inns on Maryland’s Eastern Shore →