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. View all posts by Mindie Burgoyne →

Spirit of Little Annie Conner Haunts Cry Baby Bridge

01/15/2015blog posts, ghosts, Marion Station, Somerset CountyAnnie Connor, child spirits, Cry Baby Bridge, Crybaby Bridge, Marion Station, Somerset county mdMindie Burgoyne

The spirit of little Annie Conner is said to haunt Cry Baby Bridge near Tulls Corner in Marion Station, MD. People have heard the faint sound of what sounds like a child crying when all is quiet by the bridge. Annie Conner drowned near this spot in 1875 when a cart she was riding in was cast into East Creek by a horse that was spooked by lightning.

Annie Florence Conner was born on December 10, 1871. One July morning she and her mother were riding to in a wagon on what is now called LQ Powell Road. They were coming from the direction of St. Paul’s Church toward their home in Tulls Corner. It started to rain and just as the horse was pulling the cart over the bridge that crossed East Creek – formerly called “Mill Dam Bridge” a large clap of thunder spooked the horse and it reared up. The wagon was overturned and fell into the rushing waters. The waters quickly carried little Annie downstream and he mother couldn’t reach her. Annie was just 3 years old.

According to the newspaper, they didn’t find any that day. It was over 24 hours before her little body washed up way down the creek. Continue reading Spirit of Little Annie Conner Haunts Cry Baby Bridge →

My Scary Night at the Robert Morris Inn in Oxford

01/08/2015blog posts, ghosts, Talbot CountyHotel Ghosts, Oxford MD, Robert Morris InnMindie Burgoyne

The Robert Morris Inn in Oxford, MD

I knew the Robert Morris Inn was haunted, but I never expected to have my own ghostly experience there. Out of the 140 + ghost stories I’ve collected on the Eastern Shore, I’ve only had a handful of personal experiences at these sites. The Robert Morris Inn is one of those places.

The Robert Morris Inn in Oxford, Maryland has been an anchor for the town since 1710 when it was built – and Oxford was one of the largest ports in Maryland. The building was always an inn or tavern, and was there long before Robert Morris ever set foot in the place. It only took on his name once the wealthy developer moved into it.

In my post Robert Morris Inn – Guest Flees in the Night, I tell the story of a guest who fled Room 1 in the middle of the night because of the ghostly happenings that went on in the room. She left a note that described some of what happened. What a great story that was! I figured the guest was some kind of psychic medium who was in touch with spirits. Those kinds of things rarely happen to me. Continue reading My Scary Night at the Robert Morris Inn in Oxford →

The Haunted Triangle at Adkins Hardware

12/02/2014Berlin, blog posts, ghosts, Worcester CountyAdkins Hardware, Berlin, ElementalMindie Burgoyne

Adkins Hardware – Home of the Elemental

When I got my first ghost story about Adkins Hardware in Berlin, I headed right to see this place for myself and start collecting facts. I took several photos but was underwhelmed. The empty lot across from the hardware story was allegedly home to an “elemental” or non-human spirit that had presented itself to an informant … and lots of teenagers who wanted to scare themselves.

I was scoping out sites for the Berlin Ghost Walk and I wasn’t sure this vacant lot was going to make the cut. It wasn’t much – not in the daylight anyway.

Continue reading The Haunted Triangle at Adkins Hardware →

The Child in the Mirror

11/25/2014blog posts, Cambridge, Dorchester County, ghostsCambridge, child ghosts, josiah baylyMindie Burgoyne

The Josiah Bayly House – Oldest House in Cambridge

Josiah Bayly House - Oldest House in Cambridge. Originally built in Annapolis, then dismantled and brought to Cambridge by barge adn rebuilt.

When new owners moved into the Josiah Bayly House in the 1990s they found shackles on the walls in the attic. They believe the shackles were to constrain enslaved people held by early residents. These same owners found the attic full of stuff left from owners over the past 100 years.

One of the items found was a cheval mirror (a full-length mirror on a stand that allows it to swing and lock into the desired angle for reflection). The woman who’d bought the house cleaned it up and put it in her bedroom. She reported that on occasion she would see the reflection of a little girl in the mirror – a reflection that would quickly vanish, but the child’s facial features were discernible… and it was always the same child. Continue reading The Child in the Mirror →

Who or What Touched Me in the Pocomoke Forest?

11/21/2014blog posts, ghosts, Pocomoke, Worcester Countyhaunted pocomoke, haunted worcester county, Pocomoke Forest, pocomoke riverMindie Burgoyne

by Mindie Burgoyne – owner, Chesapeake Ghost Walks

In fairy tales and ghost stories, the two most haunted settings are forests and swamps. The Pocomoke Forest is both. It’s a swampy forest, and it lives up to the eerie expectation. It’s undoubtedly the most haunted forest in Maryland with over a dozen tales of witches, devil worshippers, elementals and human spirits that roam the dark forest – especially at night.

The word Pocomoke is said to be an Algonquin Indian term meaning “black water.” And the Pocomoke River does appear to be black in color because of the sap secreted by the bald cypresses in that line both sides of the River from Pocomoke all the way into Delaware. Continue reading Who or What Touched Me in the Pocomoke Forest? →

Confederate Ghost at the Sullivane House

11/18/2014blog posts, Cambridge, Dorchester County, ghostsCambridge, Dorchester County, Sullivane HouseMindie Burgoyne

The Sullivane House in Cambridge is haunted by a Confederate soldier – or at least it was when the previous owner saw the soldier in the yard and later in her hallway. Built in 1763 from brick brought over from England, the Sullivane House has been standing in this spot on High Street for over 250 years. It has a strong history of owners who served in the American military and in Dorchester County politics. Continue reading Confederate Ghost at the Sullivane House →

The Child Spirit at the Atlantic Hotel

11/17/2014Berlin, blog posts, ghosts, Worcester CountyAtlantic Hotel Berlin MD, Berlin MD, Haunted HotelsMindie Burgoyne

Atlantic Hotel. Nothing like it on the Eastern Shore — Atlantic Hotel in Berlin, Maryland

THE ATLANTIC HOTEL – in Berlin, MD has been anchoring the downtown since it was built in 1895 and it has its share of ghosts. Beautiful as it is with its porch rockers and veranda, there’s more to the Atlantic Hotel than meets the eye, and the most interesting spirit – and there are plenty – is the spirit of a little girl.

The Little Girl Who Haunts the Second Floor

People staying on the second floor as well as staff have reported hearing the laughter of a child and what sounds like a ball bouncing down the hall. No one knows who the child is – or could be. Continue reading The Child Spirit at the Atlantic Hotel →

Robert E. Lee in St. Michaels – Who Knew?

11/11/2014blog posts, ghosts, St. Michaels, Talbot Countykemp house, Robert E. Lee, St. MichaelsMindie Burgoyne

Col. Joseph Kemp built this Georgian home around 1805 on this prominent spot on Talbot Street in St. Michaels. Kemp was a war hero, famous for his role in the Battle of St. Michaels where he commanded a cavalry near San Domingo Creek.

Years later, Oliver Sparks, a Confederate sympathizer occupied the house with his wife. During the Civil War, Sparks entertained General Robert E. Lee and tradition states that General Lee spent two nights at Kemp House.

The house has been a popular Bed & Breakfast for several years and both staff and guests have had encounters with something – or someone in the house. Some believe that the spirit of General Lee comes forward from time to time. Continue reading Robert E. Lee in St. Michaels – Who Knew? →

5 Reasons Why We Don’t Cancel Ghost Walks

09/25/2014About the Ghost Walks, blog postscancellations, rainMindie Burgoyne

Ocean City Board in the Rain — Boardwalk in the rain – Ocean City, MD

When the weather forecasters predict bad weather, ticket-holders start calling to see if the ghost walk for that night is still on. We always tell them what we have written on every page of our website … “We walk in the rain. We love the rain. We only cancel a walk if the weather presents a threat to public safety.”

The truth is … that it rains all the time on the Eastern Shore and the weather is sporadic. Trying to dodge the wind and rain is like trying to dodge the mosquitoes. It’s best to just buy some insect repellent and focus on taking in the magical Eastern Shore landscape in its present state. Rain can be quite beautiful.

5 reasons why we don’t cancel ghost walks due to rain

Continue reading 5 Reasons Why We Don’t Cancel Ghost Walks →

Wish Sheppard’s Handprint on the Jail Cell Wall

08/23/2014blog posts, Caroline County, DentonCaroline County Jail, denton jail, haunted jails, wish sheppardMindie Burgoyne

One of the Eastern Shore’s most famous ghost stories is about the hand-print that Wish Sheppard left on the jail cell wall just before he was pulled from the cell and taken out behind the jail to be hanged in front of hundreds of people.

The Caroline County Jail has been haunted by the ghost of Wish Sheppard since the 1940s – at least the testimony from the Sheriffs and jail wardens say so. Even today when we do our Denton ghost walks, there’s always someone on the walk who either works in the jail or knows someone who does. And they will pour fourth the stories of file cabinets in empty rooms slamming shut, gates blowing in the wind, security alarms going off, furniture rearranging, books and items on shelves dropping like dominoes.

The scariest testimony I every heard was from Warden Charles Andrew who recently retired. He was the son of a Sheriff and the grandson of a Sheriff. Charles has seen the hand-print and he talked about many strange happenings. But the scariest tale Charles told wasn’t about the hand-print. It was when the staff at the 911 dispatching office seeing the red eyes of Wish Sheppard peering through an internal window. Continue reading Wish Sheppard’s Handprint on the Jail Cell Wall →