Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Cold ghosts of Bethel

The Boston Globe did a neat article about Bethel's haunted history on Halloween.
Maine town appears quieter than its ‘spirits’
By William A. Davis, Globe Correspondent
October 31, 2010

BETHEL, Maine — Centuries ago it was widely believed that Halloween, the evening before the Feast of All Saints, was the one time in the year when spirits of the dead freely roamed the earth. There are still people who believe in ghosts and some who think there are places where numbers of these restless spirits are present all the time.

One such reputed haunt haven is Bethel, an old resort town of some 2,400 year-round residents on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. “I think we have a dozen ghosts here, maybe more," says Stanley Howe, research director of the Bethel Historical Society.
[...]
At The Oaks, now part of the Bethel Inn but built in the 1890s and once used as a clinic dormitory, there have been sightings of a mysterious woman in black along with sounds of high heels where no one could be seen.
[...]
The Chapman Inn, which like the Bethel Inn looks out on the common, is said to have at least one but possibly two resident ghosts. One is suspected of being the daughter of the building’s original owner, a girl named Abigail Chapman, who died in her teens in the house after a long illness; and the other a woman who had been her paid companion.

“We kept hearing from guests about strange things such as the sound of women’s voices coming from empty rooms, a mysterious black cat, and a girl in a white dress who disappeared,’’ says Fred Nolte, who runs the inn with his wife, Sandra Frye.
[...]

Read full article, including info about visiting the sites, here:
http://www.boston.com/travel/explorene/maine/articles/2010/10/31/maine_town_appears_quieter_than_its_spirits/

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