I’m not sure what to think of this eerie photograph.
In an earlier post about Blood Cemetery, I described an unusual daytime photo with a ‘ghost orb’ in it.
On that same day, at least one other photo was odd.
It’s not necessarily ghostly.
It is anomalous.
Misty, eerie photo on a crisp, sunny day. (Blood Cemetery, Hollis, NH)
The black-and-white photo above looks like it was taken on a dreary, misty New England day.
However, our photographer shot it at about 3 p.m. The sun was still bright and the sky was nearly cloudless.
There was no fog or mist at the graveyard. Most of the trees were leafless, so this wasn’t taken in a shadow.
The cemetery was grassy, with no dusty areas to create a hazy image. It was a warm day (60 degrees F), so there was no mist from the photographer’s breath, and no ground fog.
The photo below — from the same roll of film in the same camera — shows the contrast of the light and the depth-of-field from this camera. This crisp photo was taken within three minutes of the misty-looking one, and no more than thirty feet away in identical lighting conditions.
This is a slightly baffling anomaly. It’s not enough evidence to call Blood Cemetery ‘haunted’, not even close. But still, this eerie photograph is intriguing. It makes me want to return for further research, and more daytime photos.
If you’ve taken similar eerie photographs at Blood Cemetery, and can suggest what causes them (aside from spectral energy), let me know in comments, below.
No matter what you’ve seen on TV, ghost hunting isn’t filled with drama or apparitions. Most of the time, the energy is subtle and your experiences will reflect your patience and sensitivity at the site.
Headstones at Pine Hill (Blood) Cemetery, Hollis, NH
It was 2001, and Halloween was fast approaching. On this evening, I felt far more confident that I would capture something.
Also, from earlier ghost hunting experiences, I was using more sensitive film than in the past.
That evening, for some reason, I also felt more welcomed in the cemetery.
I don’t like going to cemeteries alone. That’s not because of ghosts, but because it’s foolish for a woman to be alone in a deserted place.
Also, using a flash camera can attract unwanted attention from anyone passing by.
However, on this evening – on a whim – I arrived alone.
When I arrived, another young woman was in the cemetery. She said she was taking a walk, and always liked to pause at Pine Hill Road’s Cemetery.
Remember, this was in 2001. “Ghost Hunters” TV series – which helped popularize ghost hunting – didn’t air until 2004. Ghost hunting wasn’t mainstream yet.
So, it could have been awkward to admit to looking for ghosts at that cemetery.
To my surprise, it wasn’t. My new companion seemed enthusiastic about the ghosts and spirits she regularly encountered at that cemetery.
We chatted about the history of the cemetery, its ghosts, the missing gravestones, and so on.
And then, she left.
I did not feel ‘alone’ in the cemetery this time, but I also didn’t fear whatever was with me.
Some stones seemed to attract me more than others, but I also knew I needed to click the shutter at just the right moment, to catch the ghosts’ elusive images.
I left, feeling certain that I had at least one anomaly on film. It seemed as if the cemetery was getting comfortable with me, and vice versa.
Several photos had odd lights in them; I’m fairly certain they are just reflections of an animal’s eyes in the low shrubs that surround the cemetery. The quality of them is very different from the orbs.
(Next time I will arrive earlier and wait longer before taking photos. And I probably won’t go alone, for normal safety reasons.)
Most popular Blood Cemetery gravestones and nearby areas
I particularly like the headstone of ‘Mrs. Elizabeth’ in the oldest section of the cemetery (southwest corner). It has a comforting but eerie ambience.
The young woman on that October evening walk commented that she’s drawn to the Farley sisters, whose stones disappeared several years ago. (Modern markers have replaced those stones, in the southeast side of the cemetery.)
Of course, the Abel Blood gravestone is legendary. Unfortunately, it’s been stolen (and brought back, hastily) several times. I don’t recommend spending much time around it.
At the far left, back side of the cemetery, and at the far right, front side of the cemetery, you may sense a different kind of energy. To me, it didn’t seem ghostly. It’s something else, and while it seems rather sweet, I’m not sure that I’d trust it.
In general, Blood Cemetery on Pine Hill Road (Hollis, NH) is a truly nice, rural location. Visit it when you’re near Nashua, NH. It’s a little over an hour north of Boston, Massachusetts.
This is an odd gravestone. It’s unique because I can’t find a reasonable explanation for it.
Walter Gilson’s headstone.
Gilson Road Cemetery in Nashua, New Hampshire is eerie enough. However, this early 19th-century headstone has a hole in it. The marker is very old slate and the hole is like something drilled, not a bullet hole.
Does anyone know what this might be?
The headstone says:
Walter Gilson
son of Mr. Joseph & Mrs. Lucy Gilson
died August 28th, 1811
age 5 yrs 8 mos 25 days
The stone is old and dry. There are no cracks radiating from the opening to suggest that anything impacted it. The back of the stone is not fragmented in chunks as it would be from a bullet. No other headstones or signs in the area have been shot.
Here is a b&w photo showing the opening in the stone:
And here is a close-up of the opening:
That’s lichen on the inside edge of the opening, not highlights.
The surface is quite smooth, especially considering that the stone is rugged and ancient slate.
People who’ve examined this headstone on site, believe that the hole was probably drilled. But why…?
The lettering doesn’t go around the hole, so the damage occurred after the stone was carved.
And, the stone is in the middle of the cemetery, so — even if we could explain this as a careless shot by a vandal — the stone is too far from the road for that to make sense.
It’s very odd.
This cemetery more than earns its creepy reputation.
