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 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.
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
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?
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 ESTATE
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
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.
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
Probably one of the weirdest things about the Easton Ghost Walk is the elevator riding ghosts of Easton. Within two square blocks in the downtown there are five historic buildings whose occupants report strange occurrences with the elevators. Continue reading The Elevator Riding Ghosts of Easton
The Trimper’s Carousel in Ocean City Maryland is believed to be haunted by the spirit of a lady who loved the carousel very much. Sometimes when you’re standing close to the carousel, be still and reach out in your mind to her. Ask her to let you know she’s there … and you might just get a whiff of her perfume.
The Trimper’s Carousel is the oldest continually operational carousel in America. It’s been operational – sitting in the same spot since Daniel Trimper purchased it in 1912 from the Herschell-Spillman Company in New York. It has 47 animals, 3 chariots and a rocking chair – all intricately carved by German artists over 100 years ago. Today Trimper’s employes a mechanic and artist who both specialize in antique rides and machinery. The Carousel is located in the “Carousel House” near the inlet on the Boardwalk along with Trimper’s other antique rides. Just checking out the artistry in these rides is worth a trip to Ocean City. Continue reading Spirit that Haunts Trimper’s Carousel
The Snow Hill Inn was the first haunted building I ever wrote about. I became interested in the stories of unexplained events, candles lighting themselves, people getting locked in rooms, beds shaking in the middle of the night, strange reflections appearing in mirrors and windows opening and shutting at will shortly after I took a job working for the Town of Snow Hill in 2002.
REGISTER FOR A SNOW HILL GHOST WALK
The Snow Hill Inn was open for lunch and dinner and conveniently located in the historic downtown. I heard many of the haunted stories from people who had actually experienced something. Local people called this ghost “J.J.” and told about how the Inn was his childhood home and how he committed suicide by cutting his own throat. His daddy was a mean old town doctor and J.J. was failing out of Pharmacology school. So he ended it all in a bloody mess right after he penned a note to his father saying, “…it is useless to keep me at school…” Continue reading Snow Hill Inn – My First Ghost Story
Easton and Berlin are two of the towns on the Chesapeake Ghost Walks that have lodges built by the Independent Order of the Odd Fellows (IOOF) and both are reportedly haunted. Maybe “haunted” is the wrong word. Mystical better describes these buildings.
The Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a fraternal organization that was founded in England in the 1600s. At that time people in society were class conscious and few helped their neighbors. When people got sick or their loved ones died, they were left to fend for themselves. Many didn’t have enough money to bury their own dead. Continue reading The Odd Fellows (IOOF) – Skeletons in Their Closets