Category Archives: Worcester County

Path into the Pocomoke Forest

Who or What Touched Me in the Pocomoke Forest?

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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? →

The Child Spirit at the Atlantic Hotel

Berlin, blog posts, ghosts, Worcester County, ,
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 →

Windy Brow – Orlando Harrison and Berlin Peaches

Berlin, blog posts, Worcester County, , ,

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

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Pocomoke Forest Trail
Pocomoke Forest Trail

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

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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 →

Spirit that Haunts Trimper’s Carousel

blog posts, ghosts, Ocean City, Worcester County, , ,

Ocean City Trimpers Carousel
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 →

Snow Hill Inn – My First Ghost Story

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Snow Hill Inn

 

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 →

The Odd Fellows (IOOF) – Skeletons in Their Closets

Berlin, blog posts, Easton, Talbot County, Worcester County, , , ,

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.

Berlin Odd Fellow Hall
Berlin Odd Fellows Hall

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 →