Here are just a few “haunted” colleges in New England and vicinity.
(If you know of others that are profoundly haunted (not just a single ghost encounter), please let us know. Use the Contact Form linked above.)
Connecticut
New Haven – Yale University, Woolsey Hall. A ghostly organist plays music in this hall, and it has been heard by students and staff alike.
Massachusetts
Boston – Charlesgate Hall. Since 1996, this has been a private residence. However, during its many years as a college dorm, it was haunted by several ghosts, including a student who reportedly hung himself in the stairwell.
To get there: Turn onto Beacon Street from Massachusetts Avenue (”Mass Ave”) and head west. You are immediately in the Back Bay region, near Charlesgate Hall. (We choose not to be more specific than that.) Please do NOT disturb the current owners.
Cambridge – Harvard University, Thayer Hall. This building was once a textile mill. Today it is visited by ghosts in Victorian clothing, sometimes seen entering and leaving the building through doors that no longer exist. Most actively haunted in winter.
To get there: Go to Cambridge’s Harvard Square, and get a map of the campus. Really. That’s the easiest way to find it.
Cambridge – Lesley University. Sprawling and rapidly-expanding Lesley University (in North Cambridge) has reports of a ghost in one of the buildings on Avon Hill. Can anyone fill in the details…?
Devens – Fort Devens, Hale Hall (Military Intelligence School). No longer used as a military base, the top floor of this school building was reportedly haunted.
To get there: Take Rte. 2 west past the town of Harvard. “Devens,” formerly called Fort Devens, is being redeveloped, but much of it is still isolated and eerie. Lovely scenery nearby, worth the drive in foliage season.
Haverhill area (the town of Bradford) – Bradford College. Several ghosts and haunted areas, including: Academy building, second floor; Danforth, upstairs; Greenleaf Hall, top floor; Tupelo East and Tupelo West. Read about our March 2000 investigation at Summary: Ghosts at Bradford College.
To get there: From Rte. 3 or Rte. 95, take Rte. 495 towards Haverhill. From Exit 48, you will be turning left at the intersection. Ask directions, and whether or not the site is open to visitors.
New Hampshire
New London – Colby-Sawyer College, Colgate Hall. A male ghost in a hat appears at Colgate Hall, a woman walks the halls of Best dorm, and more.
To get there: Take Rte. 93 north to Rte. 89, exit at New London, NH. Colby-Sawyer is on the main street. Colgate Hall this the large building in the center as you approach, and it is where the college’s main offices are.
Vermont
Burlington – University of Vermont This large college has reported at least two haunted buildings: Converse Hall, and Bittersweet House.
To get there: Take Rte. 89 north, exit at Hwy. 7 in Vermont, near Lake Champlain.
For more information about haunted colleges, some of these pages may still be online. (Sadly, many ghost websites appear and disappear even more often than their subjects do. Mine is one of the few paranormal websites to survive over 15 years.)
Artistic rendering of the Amityville Horror house, based on a photo by Seulatr.
Was the Amityville Horror real?
Without a doubt, parts of the story are entirely true. In fact, reports may have understated the severity and scope of what happened at that house.
The current owners of the home insist that the house is not haunted. Since I’ve seen how some people can — without any effort — counteract even the most intense paranormal activity, I believe the house may not seem haunted right now.
I’m equally convinced that, based solely on the murders, it’s unlikely that the house is clear of residual, ghostly energy.
Did the house retain potential ghostly or malicious energy? Were the Lutzes telling the whole story? I’m not sure.
This week, I watched a documentary questioning the hauntings at the ‘Amityville Horror’ house.
On one hand, I try to be very respectful of researchers’ subjective and psychic experiences.
On the other… Well, several years ago, I explored another classic “ghost story,” the Ocean-Born Mary tale, supposedly haunted by Mary Wallace.
My extensive research is described at The Truth about Ocean-Born Mary’s Ghost. Some of the historical information was true, but most of the hauntings cannot be attributed to Mary Wallace.
(That said, I’ve heard from the daughter of the psychic who went to Henniker, NH with Hans Holzer. She is confident that something haunts the famous house. I haven’t done enough research to identify who that spirit might be. We only know that it’s probably not Mary Wallace.)
Since that Henniker, NH research, I tend to be extra skeptical about sensational hauntings.
The Amityville documentary was inconclusive. Each side — believers and skeptics — maintain the truth of their claims.
I’ve been skeptical ever since I read that the Lutz family let their children sleep in the same beds where the previous residents’ children were murdered.
Was that true? I don’t know.
As a parent, I can’t even think about doing that… even under the most compelling financial circumstances. But, it certainly increases the horror level when the story is told.
That possibility (if it is true) makes me question whether the Amityville “horror” was planned as a hoax from the start.
Oh, the interviews with Mr. & Mrs. Lutz seemed sincere and compelling. They probably believed the story (or most of it) as they told it. And, it’s a very good story.
I also believe that they could have been working with false memories, which are a volatile area of psychological study; I’m reluctant to say that anyone is lying.
Also, during the show, Ed Warren commented that ghosts are seen telepathically. I want to clarify what he was probably talking about:
In most cases, it’s rare to see a full figure, solid-looking ghost. Most of our perceptions aren’t visual… not in the way we usually see the world around us.
However, many of us have seen ghosts and briefly confused them with actual, living people. For example, I’ve seen two ghosts that looked like real people at Gilson Road Cemetery in Nashua, NH.
One of our team researchers — with a third-degree Black Belt in Karate — was so convinced that one of the Gilson Road Cemetery figures was real, he tried to physically block the figure from attacking me.
So, that ghost was not seen telepathically, but in real life and by several of us at the same time.
The Amityville documentary emphasized the importance of physical evidence. While no proof will be enough to convince a determined skeptic, it can tilt the scales when someone isn’t sure about a haunted site.
I’m still not sure about the Amityville house. Even the police reports raise questions.
(For some time, it seemed that there was an unreported body among the victims. Later, the police said it was a filing error. That kind of dramatic mistake – in the records of an infamous case – is an anomaly in itself. I don’t know what to think of it, but it’s odd enough to be significant.)
Ghost hunting remains a subjective study until we have more proof. When the Amityville house was a sensation, ghost investigations were handled very differently from today’s research.
Although paranormal studies can be fascinating and personally meaningful, researchers should always collect as much evidence as possible. From EMF to EVP to ‘ghost photos’, it’s key to document everything that provides proof of anomalies in haunted settings.
As the Amityville house reminds us, there may not be an opportunity to collect additional data, later.
By now, most people know what’s fact and fiction in the 1999 movie, The Blair Witch Project.
The Blair Witch.. didn’t impress me. Here’s what did.
Frankly, as an actual ghost hunter, the movie didn’t impress me. Sure, The Blair Witch Project was stylish in its own way, but a lot of it didn’t make sense to me.
I mean, in that era, only idiots went camping without a map they could easily read, and a hiking compass, and…
Okay, that’s the tip of the iceberg. I won’t even mention the ending, which made no sense and had no real context.
Despite that, I felt drawn to the location where it was filmed: Burkittsville, Maryland.
There was a certain vibe… an odd energy that seemed to lurk beneath some scenes in the Blair Witch film.
Even today, few seem know the actual haunted history of Burkittsville.
It has layers and layers of paranormal and unexplained phenomena, going back centuries.
The tension may have started with a feud.
The town began as “Dawson’s Purchase” in 1741. In the 1790’s, Joshua Harley and Henry Burkitt arrived in the area. From the start, they competed to control and eventually name the town.
Although Burkitt owned three-quarters of the land by 1810, the competition seemed concluded in 1824 when Harley secured the official Post Office as “Harley’s Post Office.”
However, Joshua Harley’s death in 1828 left Burkitt with the last word. He named the town Burkittsville before he, too, died in 1836.
The participants in this 40+ year rivalry may haunt the town, but there are far better explanations for Burkittsville’s ghostly spirits.
In fact, paranormal events and tragedy cover more than 100 years of Burkittsville’s history.
Even earlier, a genuine monster was reported nearby. And, according to reports, it’s still there.
As early as 1735, nearby Middletown was settled by German immigrants.
According to legends repeated in the Middletown Valley Register in the early 20th century, the community was terrorized by a monster called a Schnellegeister.
The word means “fast spirit or ghost” in German, but neighbors nicknamed it the “Snallygaster.”
Whatever its name, its colonial reputation mixed the half-bird features of the Siren with the nightmarish features of demons and ghouls.
The Snallygaster was described as half-reptile with octopus limbs, and half-bird with a metallic beak lined with razor-sharp teeth. It can fly. It can pick up its victims and carry them off. The earliest stories claim that this monster sucked the blood of its victims.
It is disturbingly similar to the movie’s descriptions of the Blair Witch.
No one knows whether the Snallygaster caused the hasty sale of most of “Dawson’s Purchase” (later Burkittsville) in 1786, and the remainder in 1803.
However, George Wine, who bought the final acreage, did not live to confirm the purchase. His death may be part of the story.
The name “Snallygaster” was a joke to some in the 20th century, but the monster been documented in the Burkittsville area as recently as 1973.
Another 18th century German settlement, Zittlestown, a mere seven miles north of Burkittsville, was also plagued with supernatural events.
Like Middletown, residents feared a large and vicious animal-spirit which was rarely seen.
An 1880’s book by anti-suffragist Madaleine Vinton Dahlgren (widow of Admiral John A. Dahlgren), documented the troubles of that community.
That’s ample evidence that something terrifying lurked in the Burkittsville area. It was certainly an ideal location for the Blair Witch Project.
However, most of Burkittsville’s actual ghosts are men who lost their lives in the Civil War.
Learn those stories, from an unscrupulous Civil War gravedigger, to spectres of the dead who push cars uphill today, in The Real ‘Blair Witch’ Ghosts – Part Two.
Where the “Blair Witch Project” was filmed has all of those from Civil War times.
By 1862, wounded and dying Civil War soldiers in this area were placed in as many as 17 makeshift hospitals. Some of those “hospitals” were actually Burkittsville homes and businesses, including the town’s tannery.
Those soldiers’ ghostly voices are still heard throughout the town.
… But the site of Burkittsville’s tannery may be the most haunted.
The tannery was torn down, but the site is still haunted.
Anyone who parks his car there overnight may find the vehicle marked with footprints from soldiers’ boots, where the car was kicked or even trampled by the ghosts of marching men.
But there are other ghosts in the area, too.
Stories — loudly proclaimed as “fiction” by some Burkittsville historians — explain why the area may be haunted.
In one account, the retreating Confederate Army paid a man named Wise to bury approximately 50 bodies.
Mr. Wise accepted the money.
… But then he tossed the bodies in an abandoned well.
Shortly thereafter, he began seeing the ghost of Sergeant Jim Tabbs of Virginia, who complained to Mr. Wise about being uncomfortable.
Mr. Wise returned to the mass grave and discovered that the body on top was that of Sergeant Tabbs, and the corpse was face down. Mr. Wise turned the body so it was facing upwards.
He thought that would be the last of it.
He was very wrong.
Perhaps the spirits of these men revealed the truth to the local officials. Whatever the cause, the authorities confronted Mr. Wise. They forced him to dig up–and properly bury–the fifty bodies that had been left in his care.
Stories say the ghosts never bothered him again, but did they truly rest in peace?
Many other fallen Southern soldiers were left behind as a necessity of war. The good people of Burkittsville recognized that something must be done for the dead, so they buried them in shallow graves. The local residents expected that, once the fighting stopped, the troops would return to bury the men properly.
When the fighting stopped, no one returned for these comrades’ bodies. Finally most — and perhaps all — of the bodies temporarily buried in the older section of Burkittsville’s Union Cemetery, were exhumed in 1868 and re-interred in Washington Confederate Cemetery.
Was this sufficient to put their souls at rest? According to Troy Taylor in his book, Spirits of the Civil War, there have been odd and ghostly occurrences in the vicinity of those shallow graves. Many nights since then, eerie lights from long-extinguished campfires appear in the nearby open fields, and dot the mountainside.
However, the mountainside is also the source of a ghostly energy that visitors to Burkittsville can experience even now. Its history is one of the great stories of the Civil War.
At sunrise on Sunday, September 14, 1862, both the Union and Confederate soldiers expected to surprise each other with an attack. It was later known as the Battle for Crampton’s Gap, but the location is now called “Spook Hill.”
On that fateful morning, the Union soldiers carried only rifles into battle. They were able to travel faster than their Confederate counterparts, who were still pushing cannons uphill when the fighting began. The Union Army’s First Division, Sixth Corps, were overwhelmingly successful in battle.
Many Confederate soldiers died struggling with the heavy cannons. Their lingering spirits are the “spooks” of Spook Hill.
The site of this battle can be found at the edge of Burkittsville, near the Civil War Correspondents’ Memorial Arch, in Gathland Park. If you stop your car at Spook Hill and set it in neutral, you will feel the car being pushed by the spectral hands of the Confederate troops.
They are still struggling to push their cannons to the top of the hill, and achieve victory in the battle which they lost over 130 years ago.
In public, Burkittsville residents claim that this is merely an optical illusion. However, a local resident, Stephen, quietly assures me that the road has been tested using construction levels and transits. Cars do indeed roll uphill, though not as readily as they did before the road was recently repaved.
Others insist that the hill is magnetic, and that force is what pulls the cars towards the top. No one has successfully tested that theory yet.
If Spook Hill contains massive amounts of a magnetic ore, this would explain why Heather’s compass did not work properly in the movie, The Blair Witch Project.
Nevertheless, with ghostly campfires, bodies in dry wells and shallow graves, footprints at the former tannery/hospital, and the events at Spook Hill, the tale of what happened to three college students in The Blair Witch Project seems almost pale by comparison to real life.
For more information about haunted Burkittsville and vicinity, ask your local library for these books and videos:
Is “Pig Man” – a creature with the head of a pig – actually a ghost? An urban legend? Or something weird, usually hidden, and – perhaps – widespread, like Bigfoot?
I’m leaning towards this being an urban legend.
But, well… These stories are a little quirkier than the usual “urban legends.”
So, here’s what I’ve learned.
Where to find Pig Man ghosts
If you’re interested in “pig man” ghosts, you may want to start your research in Tennessee. That state’s hiking trails can be spectacular… or spectacularly haunted.
One of them… well, one reason I think this is an urban legend is: In 2016, a similar story was part of “American Horror Story: Roanoke.”
But where do these stories start, and do they have any basis in fact? Is there are real pigman? Or are there many of them, each with the head – and perhaps other features – that look like enormous pigs?
The 2018 article says:
“… Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park is located in Germantown, Tennessee, on the western side of the state. It’s a beautiful place that boasts over 13,000 acres of land.”
According to that article, the area’s most infamous ghost is “Pigman.” If you think he’s just some spectral figure with an unattractive nose or tiny, piercing eyes, think again.
The article says:
“The most well-known ghost is that of a man who worked at a local explosives plant during the second world war. He was horribly, wickedly disfigured during an accident, and was given the nickname ‘Pigman.’
“It’s just the right kind of scare to offset such deep Tennessee beauty. There are stories of the Pigman, that he wanders around in the dead of night wearing the face of a pig.
“He is said to be looking for his next victim. “
Even more Pig Man ghosts in Tennessee
Another version of the story – also located in Tennessee – describes Pig Man as a deranged recluse who put dead pigs’ heads on pikes around his property, to scare away visitors. (He killed visitors who weren’t scared away… and then put their heads on pikes, too. Sounds a lot like Dracula.)
And, in death, he’s still up to his old tricks, scaring people.
Yet another story says that Pig Man was a circus animal trainer. He was mauled when his pigs turned on him and killed him. I’m not sure why he’d haunt with a pig’s head on. (Apparitions usually look exactly as the ghosts want to appear to you… and a pig’s head doesn’t seem a likely choice.)
The Tennessee story seems more detailed than counterparts in other areas, which could give it more credibility.
Or maybe that’s just a reporter’s creative writing. It needs to be verified in the actual areas where Pig Man has been reported.
But, no matter who Pig Man (or “Pigman”) was, or where he lived, the rest of the story is the same:
After death, he’s appeared with a human body.
People note the vile stench, even before he appears.
He’s wearing a pig’s head. (Not a mask, but an actual pig’s head instead of a human one… or maybe it’s wrapped around his head.)
For safety, stay far away from him
Approaching him is not advised. In fact, if anything looks or smells like him, get out of there as fast as you can.
(That’s true whether he’s a real ghost or someone playing a sick prank.)
A ghost like this…? It might not be a ghost. It could be something more sinister.
Of course, some researchers will explore this version of the Pig Man story. (It’s a good excuse to visit some spectacular locations, right…?)
From my research, the Tennessee pig-faced ghost is usually seen around “Pigman Bridge” in Millington (TN).
According to reports, if you park in the middle of Pigman Bridge and shout, “Pigman!” three times, he’ll appear. (Some claim it helps to flash your lights three times, as well.)
More haunted bridges and related urban legends
First of all, no one should ever park their car in the middle of a bridge, especially at night. That’s a major safety concern, and probably against the law.
According to those Houston stories, dead Civil War soldiers tap on cars.
Some say the sound is from rifles or canteens, or something else metallic, carried by each soldier, and hitting the car as they pass.
Others say the soldiers are tapping as if to say, “Move along, it’s not safe here.” After all, those soldiers died, and some may have encountered something other than a human enemy.
Yes, I’ve heard the tapping on my car at Bear Creek Bridge, when no one was around. The taps were noisy and intermittent. The sounds came from my car. The metallic sound was definitely on my car, not inside and not from the bridge itself.
Each time, I rolled my window down to be sure nothing (like a persistent, hard-shelled insect) was actually there. But the tapping repeated.
They were single taps, and then two or three taps in a row, and so on. I can’t explain it, but it was real, and someone else (someone usually skeptical) witnessed it. I’m still looking for a reasonable explanation that fits what happened, but – for now – that ghost story seems true.
Nashua, New Hampshire’s Colonial Ghost
The Tennessee “pigman” legend also resonates with a Gilson Road Cemetery (Nashua, NH) story: Supposedly, if you’re on Gilson Road, the ghost of Betty Gilson can be summoned by shouting three times, “Betty Gilson, I have your baby.”
Most frequent reports claim she’s dressed in Colonial garb – complete with a mob cap – and dashes out from behind a nearby tree. Or, she just peers out from behind it, so you just see her cap, some of her hair, and her glowing eyes.
I’m skeptical of that story, but I’ve heard it – as a first-person encounter – from many people. I’m not sure what to think of it.
Haunted University Mirrors
Various universities have stories similar to the “Betty Gilson” legend.
At those colleges & universities, student claim if you summon a spirit while looking in a haunted mirror, calling the ghost’s name three times, she’ll appear.
I’ve seen ghosts in mirrors, but these university tales seem silly, and possibly dangerous. (Those dangers – of mirrors and possible demonic doorways – are a topic for another article.)
Sometimes, the name of the ghost is just “Bloody Mary.” That may (or may not) summon the grisly ghost of Mary Tudor (the Queen of England before Queen Elizabeth I).
Most related university legends give this advice:
At night, around 10 PM, turn off all lights in the room with the mirror. (Usually, the mirror is in a dorm.)
Then, look in the mirror and say, “Bloody Mary” either three or five times. (The number varies with the storyteller.)
The ghost’s image should appear within seconds.
If that doesn’t work, say “Bloody Mary, I have your baby,” or “I stole your baby, Bloody Mary.” (This references Queen Mary Tudor’s faux pregnancy.)
Other college and university haunted mirror stories advise using the name of a deceased student who – according to the stories – died by suicide. (Some Bradford College ghost stories described a student’s ghost in a mirror. Apparently, there really had been a suicide in that dorm.)
Additional “haunted mirror” ghost stories include different names and different tragic stories that explain them.
Usually, whether it’s Bloody Mary or some other spectre, the face of the ghost is a gruesome image. Luckily, it’s there for less than a second, and rarely appears more than two or three times, per night.
There are at least two major problems with these stories:
Ghosts usually appear as they want to be remembered. I suppose a spirit might be bitter enough to remind people of his or her gruesome death, but that’s very rare. I’d guess they’re less than 1% of all reported apparitions. Most ghosts appear as attractive young people, or as beloved elderly archetypes.
Ghosts rarely travel from one place to another. In fact, I know of only a few in the U.S. and the U.K. I can’t think of a single good reason for England’s Queen Mary Tudor to appear in American university mirrors.
That’s why I’m leaning towards these stories being urban legends.
LEARN MORE ABOUT MIRROR GHOSTS
More Pigman Tales?
One of the biggest problems with the Tennessee story is this: An almost identical tale is told about Pigman Road in Angola, New York. It has a similar history, including heads on spikes, and a lingering, pig-faced ghost hiding in the woods, waiting to kill teens.
I don’t watch “American Horror Story,” but a Mental Floss article (linked below) suggested the TV “Pig Man” episode was based on the NY story.
So, maybe it’s more credible than its TN counterpart.
I wanted to get to the bottom of this, so I searched Tennessee newspapers for a reference to “pig man” – with or without a reference to Millington – and found nothing.
A similar search of New York newspapers, with “pig man” and a reference to Angola, New York, turned up nothing, either.
So, at this point, I have no historical support for either legend.
However, I did uncover a “Pig-faced woman” legend… though it’s from the 17th century, and appeared in Holland, England, and France.
Initially, I thought this was parody, insulting some particular woman. Further research suggested that – in western Europe – several, reclusive people had “pig heads.”
Was it the result of a disease? A deformity? Were they aliens, or some version of “mole people”?
I have no idea. But, whatever it was… maybe that’s the basis of the New York, Tennessee, and other stories.
These Pig Man sites may still be haunted
The Pig Man story is an interesting tale, but – being a little cynical – I wonder how many communities are trying to attract tourists who watch “American Horror.”
Or, maybe the current “pig man” stories evolved from earlier, sordid ghost stories in each area.
It’s possible. Sometimes, a colorful ghost story may be fictional, but its roots might be authentic.
So, I wouldn’t dismiss the basic concept: a malicious entity with a grotesque, pig-like face. And, I wouldn’t go looking for one.
Like Bigfoot, Pig Men might appear (or even dwell) at multiple locations, and behave similarly in each one… complete with pigs’ heads on pikes.
Is he a ghost…? He doesn’t fit the usual profile. Not even close.
If he exists, I’d probably categorize him with other crypto-zoological creatures like Bigfoot.
And that’s a “best case” scenario. When I first read about “Pig Man,” I immediately thought of demons.
For example, in the Bible, there’s a story of Jesus casting demons into a herd of pigs: Matthew 8:30-37; Mark 5:1-20; and Luke 8:27-38.
In Homer’s The Odyssey, Circe turned some of Odysseus’ men into pigs.
A casual search of “men turned into pigs” will show many similar references, across multiple eras & cultures.
Those kinds of stories often have a very real foundation. What I don’t know is… why pigs?
Should you investigate Pig Man? Maybe.
To verify this story, I’d investigate the Tennessee location because it sounds lovely… whether or not an unattractive ghost is in the woods.
By contrast, Angola, New York, was the site of a well-documented 19th-century tragedy. So, there’s provenance (credible evidence) for ghosts in that area.
If that “Pigman” site is truly haunted – and it might be, at least with residual energy – I’m not likely to investigate it. What happened there is just too sad.
(But that’s my personal preference. You may have more tolerance for research at disaster sites.)
Of course, those axe-wielding, pig-related legends are difficult to believe, without some first-person stories to support them.
That’s another reason to visit areas where “Pig Man” has been reported: To find out if anyone has a credible, first-person story of seeing him.
This might be an interesting example of how urban legends migrate, nearly intact.
Or… maybe all the stories are true. (Cue the Twilight Zone music…?)
If you’ve seen “Pig Man” in Georgia, New York, Tennessee, Texas, or Vermont, or know a similar ghost story – true or urban legend – please leave a comment at this website.
Illustration credit: Pig-faced woman, By Anonymous – Print given free with the 7 January 1882 issue of Illustrated Police News, reproduced in Fortean Times, April 2007, PD-US, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28115837
The “Gray Man” (or, as many locals spell it, the “Grey Man”) has made another appearance. He’s a gray, ghostly figure that appears before each devastating hurricane in the Carolinas (USA).
According to most stories, he’s a young man who died in a devastating storm that – on September 27, 1822 – made landfall around Charleston, South Carolina.
The man been abroad for two years and was rushing home to his fiancée. Her family’s home was near Charleston.
But, seeing an approaching storm, the young man made a fatal decision. He took a shortcut to his fiancée’s home, and that shortcut included a piece of land with quicksand as deadly as landmines.
In his hurry, the young man drove his horse and carriage into quicksand, and – trying to save his horse as well as himself – both were lost. (In another version, his horse threw him, and the young man landed in quicksand. He died grasping at sand and grass, unable to save himself.)
Ever since then, his shadowy figure has appeared – usually around Pawleys Island, just south of Myrtle Beach – before every devastating hurricane.
Credible stories date back to 1989 and 1954. Other stories – passed down from one generation to the next – describe the Grey Man’s appearance before every major storm that sweeps across the area.
Multiple Gray Man reports have surfaced in the past few days, as Hurricane Florence approaches. I hope it’s just an odd cast of the light, mixed with anxieties over the frightening hurricane approaching the Carolinas.
Who’s the Ghost?
Some people insist he’s Percival Pawley, the first settler. In 1711, he received land grants to develop Waccamaw Neck, including all the land from the river to the sea. Part of that land included Pawleys Island, named after Percival’s son.
Obviously, that Percival can’t be the young man who lost his life in 1822. From my research, the original Percival (also spelled “Percivell”) Pawley died in South Carolina on 14 Nov 1721 (or 1723, in some records).
I also searched South Carolina death records, and the only Pawley who died in 1822 was Martha “Patsy” Pawley, a descendant of Percival Pawley.
Interesting note: The name “Percival Pawley” also appears in many records from Salem, Massachusetts, aka “Witch City.”
I think we can rule out Percival as the victim who died in quicksand.
Other speculate that the Grey Man is Edward Teach. Again, that’s a great story… but impossible. Edward Teach – aka “Blackbeard” – died in North Carolina, and in 1718.
So, for now, the identity of Grey Man is a mystery. (And yes, I like the Grey spelling better.)
More Ghosts on Pawleys Island
One of the more famous ghosts of Pawleys Island makes a regular appearance at his former home, Litchfield Plantation. The ghost is Dr. Henry Norris, who renovated the house in the 1920.
Several ghosts – including two Boston Terrier dogs, a gray figure, and a woman dressed in gingham – have been reported at the Pelican Inn. (Some want to believe the gray figure is the Grey Man, but I think that’s unlikely. Spirits that appear at very specific times and places don’t usually show up in other locations, in the interim.)
A third ghost is Alice Flagg, whose spirit looks for the engagement ring her brother tore from her lifeless body, and discarded. She’s buried in All Saints Episcopal Church Cemetery on Pawleys Island, but she’s been seen in several nearby locations.
Here’s a YouTube video about Pawley’s Island ghosts.
The Grey Man isn’t the only spirit who warns of danger.
Of course, there are banshees, but they’re usually heard, not seen. Also, each of them “haunts” (I prefer to say protect) their descendants and relatives. In most cases, they don’t warn strangers of imminent disaster.
“Green ladies” also predict danger and possible destruction, but they usually protect their former homes and castles.
Some ghosts not only warn of danger, but lend a hand when the location (or people) they protect is in danger. One example is the ghost of Ocean-Born Mary, who – according to reports – joined a bucket brigade to save her New Hampshire home during a late-night fire.
Other Grey Men
South Carolina’s Grey Man isn’t the only “Grey Man,” either.
In the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland, people report a “Big Grey Man” (Fearlas Mor, aka Am Fear Liath Mòr) near the top of Ben MacDhui. With few exceptions, he’s usually sensed, not seen.
The first written report was by Professor Norman Collie, who encountered the “Big Grey Man” in 1890. Much later, a similar story was confirmed by Dr. A. M. Kellas, though he and his brother, Henry, thought they saw a giant figure in the distance.
To me, that’s interesting. Most ghosts with a lengthy history have a name and a consistent description.
In the case of Scotland’s “Big Grey Man,” he’s most often heard and sensed as a presence. (Only a few, rumored sightings have ever been reported, and – to me – they sound like Bigfoot: tall and covered in short hair. Could there be two – or more – creatures identified as the “Big Grey Man”?)
One video described – and attempted to debunk – Scotland’s “Big Grey Man.” I wasn’t terribly impressed.
That YouTube video - now removed - was about 3 1/2 minutes long: The URL was https://youtu.be/p_D9dSvC9fA
Here are some related videos:
A well-told story:
A Nephilim connection?
That apparition reminds me of a North Carolina creature dubbed the “Unseen Tracker.” Like at least one “Big Grey Man,” this entity is heard and sensed, but not seen. According to the book, Monsters Among Us, North Carolina’s “Unseen Tracker” sounds as if he walks on two feet and is heavy. He’s heard/sensed around Charlotte, NC, in broad daylight, on land formerly held by the Catawba tribe.
What connects those stories? A consistent unexplained, emotional reaction. First, the person is uneasy, then feels a murky sense of depression, and then… panic.
Many of the witnesses try to explain the depression in a variety of ways. To me, it sounds like they’re desperately grasping for a logical answer.
Note: In reports of “shadow people,” I don’t usually hear anything about depression. So, I don’t think the Grey Man is a typical shadow person.
But, that feeling of panic – a very deep “uh-oh,” beyond being startled by an unexpected figure – is consistent with 2018 reports of the Grey Man of Pawleys Island.
Let’s hope that – this once – the recent Pawleys Island sightings don’t predict devastation and destruction. As I’m writing this, Hurricane Florence looks like a very dangerous storm, and it’s moving towards the Carolinas.
iers’ boots, where the car was kicked or even trampled by the ghosts of marching men.
Others insist that the hill is magnetic, and that force is what pulls the cars towards the top. No one has successfully tested that theory yet.
I searched Tennessee newspapers for a reference to “pig man” – with or without a reference to Millington – and found nothing.
Some people insist he’s Percival Pawley, the first settler. In 1711, he received land grants to develop Waccamaw Neck, including all the land from the river to the sea. Part of that land included Pawleys Island, named after Percival’s son.