Category Archives: blog posts

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 →

Windy Brow – Orlando Harrison and Berlin Peaches

08/02/2014Berlin, blog posts, Worcester CountyBerlin Ghost Walk, Harrison Brothers Nurseries, Orlando Harrison, Windy BrowMindie Burgoyne

WINDY BROW – ORLANDO HARRISON ESTATE

Berlin - Windy Brow — Windy Brow, the home of Orlando Harrison, Berlin, MD.

The old home-place of Orlando Harrison, built in 1899 sits near the railroad tracks in Berlin, Maryland. It’s not haunted, but if ever there was a house that held the spirit and charisma of a family it would be Windy Brow. It’s a stop on the Berlin Ghost Walk where we stand near the old railroad depot across from the house and tell the story about how a family made Berlin famous.

It’s the story of Orlando Harrison and peaches and rail cars and the people who worked for the Harrison Brothers Nurseries . Hundreds of Worcester County residents and thousands of their descendants have been impacted, and futures shaped by what Orlando Harrison began right from this location. Because it’s so significant to the the character of the Town of Berlin, and because many of the the ghosts that are still hanging around the town engaged with the Harrisons…it’s worth a stop and reflection.

It is also a wonderful “tale of the dead.” Continue reading Windy Brow – Orlando Harrison and Berlin Peaches →

Ghost Walk into the Pocomoke Forest

07/31/2014blog posts, ghosts, Pocomoke, Worcester CountyCellar House, Haunted Forests, pocomoke, Pocomoke ForestMindie Burgoyne

Have you ever taken a night-time walk into a haunted forest? The Pocomoke Ghost Walk trail meanders 1/4 of a mile into this thick cypress swamp while the guide tells stories of the haunted forest and spirits that lurk there.

The Goat Man of the Pocomoke River

One such story is Goat Man of Pocomoke Forest. For years it’s been seen – a kind of Big Foot character who has a man’s body with the head of a goat – with horns. He runs through the swampy forest very light on his feet. He survives by eating small animals and fish he catches in the Pocomoke River. You hear the Goat Man as he steps on brush and twigs in the swamp. You know hear that noise and know that the area where it came from is nothing but marsh mud and quick sand. No man or heavy animal could walk there. But the Goat Man can. Continue reading Ghost Walk into the Pocomoke Forest →

The Hungry Ghost Moon

07/12/2014blog posts, full moons, Pocomoke, Worcester CountyFull Moon, hungry ghost moon, pocomoke, pocomoke river, super moonMindie Burgoyne

The Hungry Ghost Moon is the name the Chinese gave to the full moon in the seventh month of the lunar year – which happens to occur today, July 12, 2014.

Hungry Ghost Moon

In the Chinese tradition, the time of the Hungry Ghost Moon is similar to how the ancient Irish perceived Samahain, a feast marking the beginning of the Irish Winter (October 31st – Halloween in North America). It was a time when spirits could move freely from this world into the Other world or the Eternal world. The veil separating the worlds was “thin.”

The Chinese believed that some spirits would return to where they were happiest, so it’s a time when you might see or feel the presence of your ancestors — or the people who formerly populated the landscape surrounding you. But it is also a time when mischievous spirits make trouble and people can be more susceptible to bad energy from the spirit world.

Continue reading The Hungry Ghost Moon →