Hollow Hill

Hollis, NH – Blood Cemetery ghosts

Blood cemetery graves, Hollis, NH “Blood Cemetery” is the local name for Pine Hill Cemetery in Hollis, near Nashua, NH. That nickname refers to the ghost of Abel Blood, who supposedly haunts the graveyard.

Urban legends claim occult connections to Abel Blood. However, history portrays him as a solid, very Christian and philanthropic member of the community. We have no reason to believe otherwise.

Whoever (or whatever) haunts Blood Cemetery… it’s probably not Abel Blood.

Pine Hill Cemetery (aka “Blood Cemetery”) is a lovely place to visit, but it doesn’t have a dramatically “haunted” feeling that we find at other ghostly sites.

However, our own experiences and reliable stories from others lead us to believe that it has some paranormal activity. We recommend this cemetery for daytime ghost hunting only.

Here are some of our reports. (Some links may not be available while we’re redesigning this website.)

The Haunting of Abel Blood (10/1999)
An odd misty photograph (10/1999)
How it felt in the cemetery (10/1999)
HALLOWEEN 1999
- The Small Grey Ghost, a true story of the paranormal.
- Halloween night, a baffling experience
- November 1st, a possible Otherworldly explanation?
More eerie events at Blood Cemetery
Blood Cemetery’s Gothic headstone inscriptions
Yes, it is silly: “Ghosts tampered with my gas gauge?“

To visit Blood Cemetery – Take Exit 6 (Rte. 130) from Rte. 3, go west to Nartoff Rd., and then travel north on Nartoff (which jogs right and then left) to reach this very haunted cemetery near the crest of the hill. The cemetery will be on your right. A low wooden sign suspended with chains says “Pine Hill Cemetery.” Park at the side of the road, but off the pavement to allow cars to pass easily.

Locals call this “Blood Cemetery” for its most famous ghost, Abel Blood. According to many visitors (and one of our most reliable Hollow Hill researchers, who’s seen this), Abel Blood’s headstone changes at night so the finger on the stone points down instead of heavenward.

However, the cemetery is closed dusk to dawn; the police patrol steadily, especially around Halloween. They’ve even approached us when we were photographing (legally) from the roadside.

Also, many Hollis residents don’t like the nickname “Blood Cemetery.” (We’ve had enough angry emails, thank you. We didn’t invent the nickname; we simply report the stories and folklore.) If you ask locally for directions, be sure to call it “Pine Hill Cemetery.”

There’s another reason to call the cemetery by its correct name: The Blood family name was large and widespread in New England. Many cemeteries, especially in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, include members of the Blood family.

So, if you use that name when asking for directions, you may be sent to a totally different cemetery… with its own ghost stories and Blood family graves. They all seem to be nicknamed “Blood Cemetery.”

If you’d like to visit a website dedicated to Blood Cemetery (alternately spelled “Blood Cemetary”), we recommend Blood Cemetery (Pine Hill Cemetery).

Haunted Texas and Its Ghosts

Texas is a huge state with many hauntings.

If you’re looking for ghosts, you’ll find them easily in Texas. From strange lights — including “bluelight” cemeteries — to eerie tales of the early West, there are all kinds of ghosts throughout this huge state.

Mostly, my Texas research focused on the Houston area, where we lived from mid-2003 through early 2008.

I verified many local legends, debunked a few others, and found some great unreported sites as well.

For an overview of the city’s most popular ghosts, as well as my earliest reports, see Ghosts of Houston, Texas

However, Houston is just one city in a huge state. Here are a few of my reports about other Texas hauntings.

Austin – Shoal Creek Curse – Notes from my book, The Ghosts of Austin, Texas.
Ghosts of Columbus, Texas
Columbus – ghost orbs
Columbus, Texas – ectoplasm

For more Texas ghost stories, see Haunted Places > USA > Texas, or use my search form for “Texas.”

Below: Photo taken at Galveston Old City Cemetery, B’way, Galveston, TX.

In this photo, you’ll see a bright light at the upper left, and a second spot at the lower right where it apparently highlights a grave.

When I took this photo, it was entirely pitch black out. The orange-ish light in the distance is a street light; it was the only light we could see that night, and it did not affect this photo.

It’s possible that the light at the lower right is a reflection from a bug. The upper left light cannot be explained.

After I’d seen this photo, we went back to that cemetery to see if anything could have been overlooked—a streetlight, a low-flying airplane, something reflective—but there was nothing at all.

When we took this photo, we did not see any lights except the distant street lamp. The light at the upper left—and possibly its highlight on the grave at the lower right—are anomalies.

Port Townsend – Fort Worden, WA – the man in blue

One of Hollow Hill’s most popular real ghost photos was taken near the Guard House at Fort Worden, in Port Townsend, Washington, near Seattle on the night of April 4th, 2003.

When this photo was taken, colorful orbs and sparkles appeared all around me. Most of them were to my right and left, and I did not see them through the viewfinder of my camera.

I knew that I was getting some great photos that night in April 2003, but until I saw this print, I had no idea that I’d captured something this startling. Man in blue - Fort Worden ghosts, Port Townsend, Seattle, Washington

According to local legends, Port Townsend (near Seattle) is one of America’s most haunted towns. With Fort Worden–a former military base–plus the town’s colorful pirate history, you can expect ghosts… and plenty of them.

This real ghost photo was taken at Fort Worden’s haunted Guard House. Local stories claim that a soldier was assigned to the Guard House, but the loneliness of the work began to bother him. Whether it was carelessness or something else, the despondent soldier accidentally shot and killed himself at the Guard House.

His ghost lingers there today, and manifests often.

In two investigations, we found him to be a shy and sometimes angry ghost. This is our only clear photograph of him, taken during our 2003 investigation with artist, ‘Zanne B.

Read the full story of that investigation, with additional photos, in a two-part report starting at Fort Worden ghosts, part one

Fort Worden is a lovely park and conference center in Port Townsend, Washington State, about an hour from Seattle. Fort Worden is an ideal place to vacation, with a hostel and a campground on the property. Other haunted areas of the park include the Schoolhouse, the bunkers, and–maybe–the wooded area next to the cemetery.

Port Townsend, WA – Fort Worden ghosts, pt 2

The story so far:

In April 2003, I was at a conference at Fort Worden in Port Townsend, not far from Seattle, Washington. I’d heard the Fort Worden was haunted, and took this opportunity to investigate its ghosts. On the previous page of this report, I describe Fort Worden’s cemetery, a nearby wooded area, and the history of the haunted Guard House.

To read that report, see Fort Worden ghosts – part one.

My report continues here:

I took several rolls of film that night, in addition to some digital photos. Many of these photographs had extraordinarily large orbs in them: Fort Worden ghost photo
Multiple ghost orbs at the Fort Worden Guard House

While we would usually discount any photo with car lights in it, we have dozens of other photos taken at the same time from the same angle with the same car lights… and no orbs. These orbs are not caused by a “lens flare” or other reflection.

In one photo, a clear, brilliant blue ghostly figure was standing in front of me just outside the Guard House. I did not see this figure–or any other–when I took the photographs. I only knew that the “sparkles” were exceptional, and I was probably photographing other anomalies. As I expected, this ghost showed up on the negative and in the print. It is my only clear photograph of him. Fort Worden ghost photo - Man in blue
Blue figure outside the Fort Worden Guard HouseRead more about this photo at Fort Worden – the man in blue

The anomalies were so vivid, I looked for someone else to witness what was going on. Another conference guest, an artist named Z’anne, accompanied me back to the Guard House.

At first, there were no “sparkles” and nothing of note. Then, on impulse, Z’anne began talking to the ghost, encouraging him to appear. As if acting on command, the anomalies resumed.

Note: Many ghost researchers believe that direct communication with the ghosts produces the best results.

Because the manifestations responded to our voices, we consider this an active haunting. That is, there is some entity–probably what most people would call a “ghost”–reacting to visitors. There may also be some residual energy at the Guard House as well.

It’s hard to explain how we can get bored with steady anomalies. However, it was a cold, windy night. After about ten minutes, we were eager to see what other phenomena we could find at this former military base.

PARADE GROUND

Our next stop was the parade ground. Again, there was little activity at first, and then Z’anne addressed the ghosts and we saw very good sparkles. The Fort Worden parade ground doesn’t have the high energy of the Guard House, but still notably haunted. It’s probably residual energy, not an active haunting.
Routine “ghost orbs” at the parade ground

FORT WORDEN DORMS

Finally, we paused at a dormitory that was being restored. In a couple of photos, we detected small, faint orbs. Like the parade ground, this is probably the result of residual energy, not an active haunting. Haunted Fort Worden dorm - ghost photos
A few normal “ghost orbs” in both photos

Note: Fort Worden is the location of a campsite, hostel and conference center near Seattle, Washington State. The park has specific hours when it is open, and you should not trespass on this property at night without specific permission of the Park Manager.

Gilson Road Cemetery, NH – Ghost Hunts 2000 – 2003

Gilson Road ghostly streak of light — Ghostly streak of light at Gilson Road Cemetery.

Starting in 1999, several of us continued to visit Gilson Road Cemetery regularly, sometimes several times a week during good weather. Though the site is more active sometimes than others, it’s been a consistently good place to train new investigators, and to test EMF meters and other equipment.

Gilson Road Cemetery investigtaions - 2000 - 2003 These are a few notes from 2000 – 2003. After that, we stopped reporting our investigations at Gilson Road.

Frankly, very little changed during those years. We still encounter a wide range of phenomena, including strange lights, noises, and voices that only our clairaudient researchers hear. Our photos show unexplained orbs, weird streaks of light, and misty images on dry evenings.

30 Apr 00

Who: Several ghost hunters

When: Arrived before dusk Purpose: To more formally investigate Gilson while it’s still “haunted.”

Results: EMF activity. The energy at Gilson started dropping as soon as the construction work began across the street from the cemetery.

However, we did a more formal investigation of the site on Walpurgis, April 30th.

The results were inconclusive. There were no clear patterns to the experiments with pendulums. Our main EMF meter flared dramatically throughout the southern half of the cemetery for several minutes, the meter did not react the same way during our follow-up visit the next day.

(During EMF flares, we routinely check our meters against cell phone activity, cameras that use considerable electricity, and so on. In this case, we could not artificially create the flare.)

23 Oct 00

Who: Several reporters, casual investigators, photographers, and one ghost hunter from Hollow Hill.

When: Arrived at about 6 p.m., stayed until about 8 p.m. Purpose: Investigation and photographs, for October 27th Nashua Telegraph articles.

Results: Unsettled and inconclusive energy. We hiked into the Gilson area at dusk. The energy was very low. Compass readings by skeptics reached only a 10-degree shift, max. This is still anomalous, but not so exciting as Gilson used to be.

There was a brief and very minor “cold spot” next to one stone. The headstone glowed slightly more than it should have as night arrived, but it was mostly a big disappointment. If I hadn’t been actively looking for these usually-reliable manifestations, I wouldn’t have noticed them at all.

However, the gate glowed more than we’ve seen in the past, well past dark. Maybe they’ve painted it with a more reflective paint?

My “sparkles” camera showed inconsistent sparkles in the woods. Maybe one out of five flashes produced the silvery images. (A year ago, the ratio of successful flashes would have been nine out of ten, or better.) However, the newspaper staff commented about the sparkles in the beam of light from the flash, inside the cemetery walls.

We compared these with flash results from two other cameras and there were no sparkles with them. Even if we try to explain the sparkles as dust motes in the air, they should have appeared consistently with all cameras within, say, a two-minute period.

Listening intuitively, there was far more rustling in the woods. It sounded like people brushing against branches or evergreens. However, even on a psychic level, there were no corresponding sounds of footsteps.

Listening naturally, with one’s ears, the woods were (pardon the pun) dead quiet. Except for an unusually brief serenade by the frogs in the swampy area, there were no animal noises at all. No owls. No birds shifting weight as they slept. No scampering little animals, even at dusk. It was eerie. Usually, there are far more natural noises at Gilson.

Mostly, the visit was uneventful. The gate creaked and moaned once; it’s never made a sound in the past. Branches fell in the woods across the street from the cemetery. A couple of cars raced past the cemetery, illegally, and did not slow down even to look at our flashlights in the cemetery.

At about 7:30 p.m., something felt very wrong when the photographer was setting up his tripod, lights, etc. However, that energy subsided as the evening progressed. My impression in hindsight is, perhaps a spirit was nervous about what we were going to do, and then calmed down once it was obvious that we weren’t malicious.

2001 – 2002:

As Tanglewood Estates (the new subdivision) moved in across the street, accessibility to Gilson Road became an issue. In addition, the energy would surge one week and then drop the next. Sometimes it seemed more haunted than ever, and then we were convinced that the ghosts had left.However, during 2002, the energy seemed to stabilize. If anything, it seemed as if Gilson Road was more haunted than it had been before the construction.

As of late 2003:

Gilson is still a “sure thing” or as close as it gets, at least for anomalous activity with a compass, day or night. Any hiking-type compass will work. We’ve had success with an L.L.Bean zipper-pull compass (but not cheaper counterparts), and with the $8 Coleman compass available at Target and WalMart. What’s key is to make certain the needle doesn’t tend to “stick” as it floats. Also, be certain to pause if the needle swings, so it’s not a false reading from simply motion as you walk. Make certain you’re holding the compass level, too. Walk through the cemetery and watch north seem to shift directions, from ten degrees on a tame day, up to 90 degrees on a high-energy day.

You can do this at any time of day, but the later in the day, the better the results. You’re likely to get positive results anywhere in the cemetery. The “hot” compass regions seem to change from one day to the next.

We find the most consistent anomalies in the vicinity of the Walter Gilson stone (with the hole in it), near the break in the stone wall (back left corner of the cemetery, which people seem either repelled by, or drawn to), and towards the left front of the cemetery.

By contrast, the EMF meter reads most often at the headstones nearest the gate.

Reminder: When visiting any isolated spot — but particularly cemeteries frequented by teens who are drinking — it’s never wise to go ghost hunting alone.

We’ve said it often: The biggest risk for ghost hunters is not the dead, but the living. Gilson Road Cemetery is no exception.

Wilton, NH – Vale End’s ‘Blue Lady’ Ghost

vale end cemetery — The “Blue Lady” gravestone, Vale End Cemetery, Wilton, NH.

New Hampshire’s ghosts are among our specialties at Hollow Hill, but this is one ghost story that we removed from our website for several years. Now, we’ve decided to reveal everything that we know about the ghosts — and possibly demons — at Wilton’s beautiful Vale End Cemetery.

The ‘Blue Lady’ is one of Vale End’s most famous ghosts. We’ve never seen her, but we’ve sensed her many times. Her headstone, shown in the photo at the top of this article, is broken but still majestic. It bears her maiden name — Mary Ritter — as well as the married name of her widower’s second wife, Mary Spaulding. (The second Mary Spaulding was Mrs. Mary Flynn Colburn before her marriage to Isaac Spaulding.)

Mary Ritter Spaulding was the mother of seven children between her April 1795 marriage, and her April 1808 death. Her husband, Isaac Spaulding, was a tanner and a descendant of an early Jamestown settler.

According to folklore, Mary Ritter Spaulding was a good, church-going woman who healed with herbs and prayer. No one is certain why she haunts Vale End Cemetery (and possibly Langdell House, where she may have lived), but her appearance is dramatic.

Many Wilton, NH, residents have seen Mary Ritter Spaulding as ‘the Blue Lady’ over her grave. She appears on warm, foggy nights, especially in the spring and fall, especially around Halloween.

According to one witness, she manifests as a bright, pale blue column of light, similar to a transporter beam in the TV show, Star Trek.

The column of light is about three feet wide, and starts a foot or two over her grave. It is about six feet tall. It seems to vibrate with energy.

(However, when I asked the witness whether the light vanished abruptly or faded away, he looked at me with amusement and replied, “I don’t know. We were having an egg fight.”)

We’ve checked nearby roads, houses, and outbuildings, and there is no logical reason for this column of light to appear at all, much less as often as reported.

Real ghosts’ stories – Notes from the other side

Mary Ritter Spaulding remembers her life as a series of pregnancies, during which she was uneasy about something that she never defined. When her last child was born, it was a turning point for her. However, while genealogical records show Lyman (born 1806) as her youngest child, she insists that James was her last.

We have found no records of a son named James, and perhaps that has something to do with her haunting.

Since her death, there has been something — perhaps a lie — that she has not resolved. I’m not sure if it was her own deceit, or a lie that someone told to (or about) her. She seems to be more troubled than angry or upset.

Vale End landscape, Wilton, NH — Vale End Cemetery, around 2003.

However, Mary Ritter Spaulding is not alone at Vale End Cemetery, and she may remain there to defend her family — or perhaps the living — from less pleasant spirits at Vale End and nearby Wilton, NH.

One more note about the grave of ‘the Blue Lady’ is important to note: From time to time, people perform Vodun-style rituals at her headstone. Near it, you may see shiny coins or other evidence of this. Please do not remove anything from her grave; that would be disrespectful and… well, it’s inviting trouble.

Next, real-life ghost encounters, and a list of the other spirits at Vale End Cemetery: More ghosts at NH’s Vale End Cemetery.