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New London, NH – Colby-Sawyer College ghosts

My own story:

IS NEW HAMPSHIRE’S COLBY-SAWYER COLLEGE HAUNTED?

In my opinion, yes. I have seen the ghost at Colgate Hall, in the middle of the New London campus.

Colby-Sawyer College ghosts — Colby-Sawyer College, photo courtesy of rick kloeppel.

My experiences are from autumn 1969. I was a freshman at Colby Junior College, as it was then called. Today, it’s renamed Colby-Sawyer and has earned an even better academic reputation.

Colby-Sawyer started as a small college in the 19th century. Its ivy-laced brick buildings with white trim look like nearby Dartmouth College. The tidy campus is the jewel of a classic New England town, about two hours north of downtown Boston. The college sits on a hilltop, and sparkles in the sunlight.

When I attended Colby Junior College (we just called it “Colby”), it was primarily a girls’ college with a few hundred students.

Although there were a few local boys among the students — perhaps ten young men, total — it was rare to see men on campus.

Everyone knew each of the men who taught there, and we were always on the lookout for prospective dates, if men from Dartmouth or another college “just dropped by.”

They often did. In those days it was widely speculated that one of Colby Junior College’s roles was to provide suitable dates for Dartmouth men.

That’s why I remember the man in the hat, at Colgate Hall. He didn’t look like the usual Dartmouth student.

Colgate Hall is the main building at Colby-Sawyer. It is a large brick building, the one featured in Colby-Sawyer photos, and it is the building you’ll start at to visit the school.

I saw the ghost twice, though I didn’t realize it was a ghost at the time:

Both times, I saw the ghost in the afternoon; once in broad daylight, and the second time at dusk.

I had a clear view of the back of Colgate Hall from my dorm room. All of the dorms encircle a central grassy area called “the Quad,” and Colgate’s back door (shown above) also faces the Quad.

The first time, I saw the man from my dorm room at about one in the afternoon. I recall his rather large-brimmed hat and stylish coat which seemed theatrical and unnaturally dark on a sunny day, even in the shadows of Colgate Hall.

Because Colby offered respected theatrical productions, the college often had colorful visitors. Many were actors from professional theatres, “imported” by to fill male roles in an otherwise all-girl cast. Some were short-term instructors in subjects such as mime.

I recall hastily grabbing my shoes and a notebook (so I’d look like I was going somewhere with a purpose), and dashing downstairs to the Quad.

My plan was to saunter into Colgate and take a closer look at the visitor.

When I reached the Quad, he was still leaning over the railing by the back central door to Colgate. I could not see his face; the brim of his hat covered his features as he continued looking down.

I paused to put on my shoes, but when I looked back up, he was gone.

I wandered over to Colgate anyway, hoping to find him inside the building.

After twenty minutes of cruising the corridors of Colgate, I gave up my search. I didn’t think anything of it; he’d probably stepped into an office or even left campus.

The ghost appeared again.

Read about this and other Colby-Sawyer ghosts at: Ghosts of Colby-Sawyer College, Part Two

Also see my list of New London, NH ghosts.

Judith Thompson’s Vengeful Ghost – Tyngsboro, MA

This is part two of the story that began with The Haunting of John Alford Tyng

Judith Thompson Tyng’s ghost has lingered since the 18th century.

It started when her husband (or the man she thought she’d married) – John Alford Tyng – arranged her murder. He had their children killed, too.

The murderer was Dr. Blood – the same “minister” who’d married John and Judith, years earlier.

John let Dr. Blood into the home. Then John waited in another room as Dr. Blood killed his victims.

As Dr. Blood fled into the night, John took care of burying the bodies beneath the hearth.

Was there a reason for the murders? No one knows. Most people describe John Alford Tyng as a ne’er-do-well, a wastrel, or an outright psychopath.

Dr. Blood left town for a while, and Tyng pretended that his family had gone to visit some relatives near Boston.

That’s when John Alford Tyng’s father, Eleazar, invited his son to return home for a visit. According to some stories, Eleazar wasn’t comfortable in his home. The more guests, the better.

Why? Well, the Mansion was already haunted by the ghost of an Indian whom the Tyngs had cheated of land.

Edward Tyng's haunted grave — Edward Tyng’s grave.

That tragic history is blamed on Edward Tyng. It’s why his nearby grave might be haunted, even now.

But back in the 18th century, Judith (as a ghost) probably felt perfectly comfortable joining the ghostly party. After all, it meant she could continue to torment her husband.

Soon, Judith Thompson began her murderous revenge.

Judith Thompson Tyng sought vengeance on both John Alford Tyng and Dr. Blood.

Dr. Blood was probably the easiest to kill. And Judith may have liked the idea that Blood’s death would strike terror in John Alford Tyng’s cold, tiny heart.

Here’s the story: One night, Dr. Blood was walking alone on a country road not far from Nashua’s haunted Country Tavern restaurant.

It was just past dusk, and Blood felt uneasy when he heard footsteps behind him. When he turned, no one was there, so he kept walking.

Soon, Blood realized he wasn’t alone. He must have frozen with fear, as – in the morning – there was no sign of a fight.

According to lore, Judith Thompson’s running footsteps and her jubilant laughter were heard as far as a mile away, as she shoved Dr. Blood to the ground.

As Dr. Blood fell face forward, his weight crushed the ceramic flask that he always carried. Of course, the liquor formed a puddle.

When Dr. Blood was found the next morning, he’d choked and drowned in the liquor. Judith’s small footprint was still clearly outlined on the back of Dr. Blood’s head.

When John Alford Tyng heard the news, he knew that he was next.

He immediately moved to a third Tyng mansion. This one was also known as “the Haunted House.” According to a 19th century history, ghosts had been seen there from Colonial through Victorian times.

(This home was probably north of the more famous Tyng Mansion, near Middlesex Road – Route 3A – before it meets Westford Road. You can see it marked as “the Haunted House” on old Dunstable and Tyngsborough maps.)

That’s where Judith Thompson killed him.

The stories are consistent about Tyng’s death. After moving into the third house, Tyng became very ill. His servants took care of him for awhile, until Judith Thompson’s ghost drove them out.

John Alford Tyng’s family tried to visit him, but Judith turned them away at the door, too.

Since they didn’t know Judith was dead, Tyng’s family didn’t realize how serious the problem was.

After that, they turned to an old family friend and neighbor, Captain Joseph Butterfield.

Butterfield’s diary still exists. In it, he described what he witnessed. (As a seasoned soldier who’d fought in several battles, Butterfield’s diary has credibility.)

As a favor to the family, Butterfield called on John Alford Tyng. When Judith answered the door, Butterfield forced his way past her ghost, and rushed upstairs to the dying man’s bedroom.

Butterfield’s notes say that Tyng tried to lift himself from the bed to greet his friend, but – apparently – the effort killed Tyng.

As Captain Butterfield watched in horror, Judith Thompson’s ghost materialized and cursed John Alford Tyng.

The stories vary, but – before vanishing – Judith swore that Tyng’s name would never remain on a headstone and he’d be forgotten in history.

Apparently, her curse worked. His gravestone had to be replaced many times. The town finally gave up, and his current grave marker contains some deliberate errors. I guess that’s good enough for Judith.

READ NEXT: Tyng Mansion Ghosts. Tyng Mansion may be gone, but its ghosts remain.

New London, NH – Colby-Sawyer College ghosts, part two

Is New Hampshire’s Colby-Sawyer College haunted? I have seen the ghost at Colgate Hall, in the middle of the New London campus.

This story has been republished, elsewhere, but this is the original. And, it’s my unique story.

My story starts with Colby-Sawyer College’s ghosts – Part one (Read that first.)

Here, my story continues:

About a week and a half later, I saw him again. He wore the same hat, but I think he wore a suit instead of the flowing coat. His hat was similar to the one Alec Guinness wore at the end of “Murder By Death,” but not quite so large.

This time, I approached him from the library, close to Colgate Hall. I could see him clearly in the fading afternoon light.

I glanced both ways before crossing the slim drive that separated the library/cafeteria building from the Quad, and stepped onto the grass. When I returned my gaze to Colgate Hall, he was still there. Then the man faded from sight. It was as if I watched him evaporate slowly.

This probably took no more than one or two seconds total, but it was a startling experience.

I shook my head and literally rubbed my eyes.

At other times, before and especially after this, I saw something vanish from the tower at Colgate Hall (in photo below) as well. That happened a few times, but I figured it was just the light or something. And it may have been.

However, this fading man in the hat baffled me. It never crossed my mind that he was a ghost, and despite my doctor’s protests, I demanded glasses a few months later. It’s not that the vanishing man was a major event in my life, but I did worry about my vision. It remained a mystery that faded from my memory just as the ghost did on that autumn day in 1969.

However, collecting ghost information for this website, I found reference to a ghostly man in a hat at Colgate Hall. It was one of those “ah-ha” moments for me, solving a mystery that had remained in the back of my mind these past 30 years.

To learn more about the history of the college, visit their official site. Colby Junior College, now called Colby-Sawyer College, is in New London, NH about half an hour from Dartmouth College. Colby-Sawyer is not affiliated with Colby College in Maine.

Although I am an alumnus of Colby-Sawyer College, my information on this webpage does not represent the college in any way, or its opinions on ghosts and spirits, officially or unofficially.

However, my experiences were real, as reported above. This is not a fictional “ghost story.”

For more tales and ghostly folklore from this college, see More ghosts of Colby-Sawyer College, New London, NH.

*This story was reported — without admitting that this website was the source — in the “Everything Ghost Hunting Book.”

Ms. Ellis told the story as if she’d interviewed me, when — in fact — the story was simply copied without credit. She never contacted me, before or after the book was published. As far as I know, I’ve never met her in real life, either.

When someone plagiarizes one story, it makes me question how credible their other “ghost stories” are.

However, in this case, the story is true… just not honestly reported in her book.

Tyngsborough, MA – Tyng Mansion ghosts

This is part three of the story that began with
The Haunting of John Alford Tyng.

Walk behind Tyng Family Cemetery, Tyngsboro, MA — Path from the cemetery to the ruins of Tyng Mansion.

Ghosts still haunt the Tyng Mansion. Today, only some stairs, a stone wall, and the foundation of the house remain. They’re at the front of the property at 72 Tyng Road in Tyngsboro, MA, once owned by Boston University.

John Alford Tyng’s sister, Sarah, may have been the last Tyng to live there. The heiress married John Winslow, but they had no children.

Frantic that the Tyng name was about to die out–perhaps fulfilling Judith Thompson’s curse–Sarah offered to bequeath her fortune to a nephew if he changed his surname to Tyng.

Of course, he did.

She also supported the town minister, and funded a grammar school. In return, the eastern part of Dunstable became Tyngsborough, named after Sarah’s family.

The site of that school is among the many haunted locations in Tyngsboro, the more modern spelling of Tyngsborough.

After Sarah’s death, Tyng Mansion sat empty. However, a 19th century Nashua newspaper reported a curious story.

The ghost of Judith Thompson Tyng

Stairs at ruins of Tyng Mansion. — These stairs once led to Tyng Mansion.

One night, a carriage from Massachusetts had been traveling up the frozen Merrimack River. A suddenly, fierce snowstorm forced the carriage driver and his passenger to seek shelter.

Not far from the river, the driver spotted lights in a large home, and knocked at the front door. A beautiful woman in a green ball gown opened the door. Behind her, the men could see a large party in progress.

The woman invited the men to spend the night. The carriage driver was given a bunk in the stables, and the passenger was shown to a well appointed bedroom upstairs in the main house.

Too tired to accept his hostess’ invitation to join the party, the passenger accepted a light supper in his room, and fell into bed, exhausted.

In the morning, the passenger awoke and found that his bedroom had transformed overnight. He was sleeping in a dusty, dilapidated old room. Downstairs, the rest of the house was also empty and had clearly been vacant for a long time. His lovely hostess had also vanished.

He roused the carriage driver, who’d had a similar and strange experience as the stables – well-maintained the night before – were abandoned and in need of repair.

The two continued their journey north, and told their tale to the newspaper, which reported it the next day. Most people recognized the description of the lovely woman in the green ball gown. She was the ghost of Judith Thompson.

remains of Tyng Mansion — This foundation is nearly all that’s left of haunted Tyng Mansion.

The destruction of haunted Tyng Mansion

In 1977, the Tyng Mansion – also known as the Col. Jonathan Tyng House – was put on the National Register of Historic Places (#77000188). In the late 1970s or early 1980s, it burned to the ground under suspicious circumstances. (Reports vary between 1979 and 1981.)

Before it burned, the late historian Robert Waugh toured the empty house. He reported that he’d seen the chains and shackles, and perhaps some blood stains, in the Tyng Mansion attic. According to local lore, the Tyngs had kept their slaves in that attic, and some of the slaves may have haunted the home as well.

Today, visitors still report eerie experiences – day and night – around the Tyng Mansion site.

Google photo of the haunted Tyng mansion location

And a Native American ghost

Another ghost lingers at the huge boulder not far from the Tyng Mansion. According to legend, the Tyngs bought the Merrimack River island across from Tyng Mansion. The terms of the sale were questionable, and the Native American chief who sold it didn’t realize that he was losing his home in the sale.

Feeling remorse in later years, the Tyngs allowed the man to stay at the Mansion. Every day, he’d walk down to the boulder and sit there, staring at the island and mourning the loss of his home.

On many nights, his ghost has been seen near the boulder where he used to sit.

A wooded path, shown in the photo at upper left, leads between the Tyng Mansion and the Tyng Family Cemetery. It has its own ghost stories: John Alford Tyng’s cursed grave.

New London, NH – Colby-Sawyer College Ghosts – Building by Building

Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH is more haunted than many colleges.

Colgate Hall at Colby-Sawyer College — “ColbySawyer-ColgateHall” by Josephbrophy at English Wikipedia

In my previous article, Ghosts of Colby-Sawyer College, New London, NH, I shared one story about a popular ghost at Colby-Sawyer’s Colgate Hall.

Recently, I researched additional ghost stories from Colby-Sawyer College, New London, and vicinity. Most of these stories were reported to me by people who actually encountered the ghosts. In other words, these aren’t second-hand tales.

This is not a complete list. If you have stories to add, please leave a comment below this post.

Additional ghosts at Colby-Sawyer College

Austin Hall – Something haunts the third floor at Austin, according to reports. So far, we have no additional details.

Best Hall – Best has at least one and perhaps two ghosts.

One is a young woman. She appears to be older than a student, and dressed in a grey, diaphanous gown, perhaps from the Victorian era. Her sleeves and skirt seem to billow slightly, as if there’s a breeze, even when all of the doors and windows are closed and no air is stirring.

She seems to float through the corridors, and then turn to look at the viewer, smile slightly, and fade until she’s invisible. The entire manifestation takes just a few seconds.

According to one former CSC student, the ghost’s name is Mara or Maura. A second ghost–or perhaps the same one, manifesting differently–creates breezes when no doors or windows are open. Some have reported this as a wind that seems to hum slightly through the hallways.

Burpee Hall – A ghost of a field hockey player roams the halls, especially upstairs. She’s usually seen as just a shadow, and when you take a second look, all you see are her lower legs, but even they fade quickly.

She’s more often heard than seen.

Colby Hall – Colby is reported to have a phantom cat. Sometimes you’ll see it, but often you’ll only hear it meow a few times.

Don’t bother trying to chase it; it will disappear around a corner, or seem to walk right through a wall or closed door. I’ve heard that demonologist John Zaffis confirmed this spectre, but I haven’t checked with him to be certain.

Colgate Hall – In addition to my earlier report, I’ve heard that Governor Anthony Colby is one figure seen gazing over the campus from Colgate’s tower. He has grey hair and a stern look, like a sea captain.¹ He’s usually translucent, and a very faint image, and then he vanishes.

McKean Hall – There are stories about the ghost of Gilbert Ross, supposedly an 18th-century witch who was burned at the stake on the land where McKean is now.

Gilbert Ross is rumored to look similar to Snape, as played by Alan Rickman, in the Harry Potter movies. He’s pale and dressed in black, and you’ll see him out of the corner of your eye, or reflected in a window pane.

Like most ghosts, when you turn to look straight at him, he’s gone.

Our research suggests that no witches were burned at the stake in America. Even during the Salem Witch Trials, all of the victims were hung, pressed, or died in prison. Mr. Ross may have been hung on the McKean site, but he probably wasn’t burned at the stake.²

Page Hall – Page has almost always had a reputation for “something” in the basement. It’s not clear what that is. There are also tales of the residual energy of a student from the late 1960s, who used to walk through the second floor corridors, wearing only a loosely-draped noose and a heavy dose of Jean Nate cologne. She wasn’t a suicide, just an eccentric student.

The Quad – This tale is reported about the Quad, as well as the fields in back of Colby-Sawyer College.

According to legend, you can still hear the marching steps of students on foggy mornings, especially very early in the morning.

Around World War I, students practiced daily military drills immediately after breakfast. Some later went to war and didn’t return… except as ghosts.

Sawyer Fine Arts Center – In addition to a typical theater ghost that lingers at the back of the auditorium, a former teacher may haunt the building. He used to tap nervously on the wall or desk when he talked, and the rhythmic sound of his tapping fingers can be heard softly, especially near his old office.

Shepard Hall – Like Page Hall, Shepard has reports of “something” uncomfortable in the basement.

The old Colby Academy building is now the property of New London, New Hampshire, after the college donated it for use as the Town Office Building. However, it was rumored to be haunted by something very dark when it was used as temporary housing for professors who were snowed in at the college, overnight.

When the building was donated to the town, important papers were transferred to the Colby-Sawyer Library. This may be why the college library is haunted. Stories include the spirit of a boy in a loft area, and a ghost that rearranges history books overnight. (Yes, just the history books. It’s a unique and quirky story.)

For more ghosts of the New London area, see my article, Ghosts of New London, NH.

About 25 miles from New London, discover the Ghosts of Old Center Cemetery, Andover, NH

Footnotes and References

1. Governor Anthony Colby – A Guide to Likenesses of NH Officials. (No longer online, but you can see Gov. Colby’s portrait, by clicking here.)

2. The Witches Way – Executed during the Burning Times – a List. (No longer online.)

Ghosts of the Isles of Shoals, NH

The Isles of Shoals are ten miles off the coast of Portsmouth. On a clear day, you can see them from Rte. 1A between Hampton and Newcastle.

Celia Thaxter's House, Isles of Shoals — Celia Thaxter’s house, Isles of Shoals

Of the 18 islands reported by early explorers, nine islands make up the famous (but tiny) Isles of Shoals.

There are no camping facilities on the islands. The only hotel is on Star Island.

The Isles of Shoals has long been famous for its ghosts. In his 1852 journal, Nathaniel Hawthorne visited the Isles of Shoals and wrote:

Mr. Thaxter had once a man living with him who had seen “Old Bab,” the ghost. He met him between the hotel and the sea, and describes him as dressed in a sort of frock, and with a very dreadful countenance.

Hawthorne was staying at a hotel on Appledore Island, the probable location of this ghost.

He led us down to the shore of the island, towards the east, and showed us Betty Moody’s Hole. This Betty Moody was a woman of the island in old times.

The Indians came off on a depredating excursion, and she fled from them with a child, and hid herself in this hole, which is formed by several great rocks being lodged so as to cover one of the fissures which are common along these shores. I crept into the hole, which is somewhat difficult of access, long, low, and narrow, and might well enough be a hiding-place.

The child, or children, began to cry; and Betty, fearful of discovery, murdered them to save herself. Joe Caswell did not tell the latter part of the story, but Mr. Thaxter did.

Not far from the spot there is a point of rocks extending out farther into the ocean than the rest of the island.

Some four or five years ago there was a young woman residing at Gosport in the capacity of school-teacher. She was of a romantic turn, and used to go and sit on this point of rock to view the waves.

One day, when the wind was high, and the surf raging against the rocks, a great wave struck her, as she sat on the edge, and seemed to deprive her of sense; another wave, or the reflex of the same one, carried her off into the sea, and she was seen no more. This happened, I think, in 1846.

HAUNTED LOCATIONS AMONG THE ISLES OF SHOALS

Isles of Shoals map, by Shoaler at en.wikipedia — Courtesy Shoaler at en.wikipedia.

The phantom ship Isidore, wrecked in 1842, appears near this cluster of islands. The ghostly ship is seen for just a few minutes at time, and has been spotted from as far away as Rye and Portsmouth, NH.

(Source: Snow, Strange tales from Nova Scotia to Cape Hatteras, p. 221)

The Spanish frigate, Sagunto, may have sunk off Smuttynose Island in 1813. However, there’s contemporary evidence that the ship was actually the Concepcion from Cadiz. At least 14 men lost their lives in the disaster. No matter which ship it was, its ghost appears just off Smuttynose around the mid-January anniversary of the shipwreck.

Star Island features the haunted–and popular–Oceanic Hotel. Its ghosts manifest around the third and fourth floors of the hotel. They sound as if they’re moving furniture or actively searching through some dresser drawers. (An attic is above the fourth floor, and there’s nothing to move up there.) Sometimes, doors open and close on their own.

Another ghost has been reported in the men’s restroom on the first floor. (Official Star Island Corporation website.)

Smuttynose Island was the site of a gruesome murder in 1873, when two Norwegian girls were butchered, probably by Louis Wagner. The house where the murder took place burned to the ground just a few years later. Some claim that Wagner’s remorseful ghost haunts the site. The girls were buried at South Cemetery in Portsmouth… a haunted cemetery that we describe at Portsmouth’s South Street Cemetery, New Hampshire.

That 1873 murder was the subject of the movie, The Weight of Water.

Sam Haley’s House may be more a reminder of his life than actually haunted. But, if you’re on Smuttynose Island and want to see a great historic landmark, Haley’s 18th century home is a must-see. For more of the history and lore of Haley and his home, see SeacoastNH.com’s many articles about the Isles of Shoals and especially the Haleys.

Lunging Island may be haunted by the ghost of Blackbeard, or at least his 13th (or 15th?) wife who was abandoned there. The ghost of the wife is usually called “Lady-Ghost” and she was the subject of a 1992 children’s novel, Lady-Ghost of the Isles of Shoals. She’s sometimes seen as a milky figure, but more often heard whispering, “He will return.” (She’s also reported on Smuttynose Island.)

Blackbeard’s treasure is also buried there, according to historian Robert Cahill in his fascinating book, New England’s Pirates and Lost Treasures. Blackbeard’s ghost has been seen, either searching for his treasure, or protecting it. You can read more about a televised search for the treasure at SeacoastNH.com.

White Island has several ghosts including another of Blackbeard’s wives… or perhaps it’s the same one as on Lunging and Smuttynose Islands. This one is seen in a white dress.

A second White Island ghost is heard screaming and crying around Moody’s Cave. She was trying to hide with her baby during a 17th century Indian attack.

According to Hawthorne’s 1852 Passages from the American note-books, the story was tragic.

A third ghost may haunt nearby. Hawthorne told her story in his “note-books,” as well.

“Shipwreck hotspot” is how the Isles of Shoals is described by Northern Maritime Research’s database. These are some of the ghost ships seen around the Isle of Shoals:

(Source: As I Please – Digging into Shipwrecked Spaniards, SeacoastNH.com.)