Concord's Colonial Inn

If you're looking for an elegant place to stay in the Concord, Massachusetts area, filled with history and GHOSTS, look no further than the Colonial Inn! Originally built in 1716, Concord's Colonial Inn has been a private residence, a boarding house, and even acted as a variety store before becoming Concord's Colonial Inn in 1900. Over the years it has gone through multiple expansions and renovations and has picked up quite the haunted reputation throughout New England. 

One of the first recorded experiences of ghosts at the hotel comes from 1966. Newlyweds M.P. and Judith Fellenz were visiting from New York and were given Room 24 on the second floor. The next morning, Loring Grimes, the innkeeper, noticed that the bride looked pale, but didn't think much of it.  However, two weeks later, a letter arrived from Mrs. Fellenz. In the letter, she states that during her stay on June 14, 1966 she had encountered what she believed was a ghost and wanted to know if anyone else had reported similar experiences.

She claims to have awakened sometime during the night, feeling like there was an unknown presence in the room. She saw what she described as a grayish, shadowy mass standing to the left of the bed, about 4 feet away. The vaguely human-shaped mass floated to the foot of the bed where it stayed a moment before melting away. 

Since that fateful encounter, the Colonial Inn has embraced its haunted history, and proudly shares information about the hotel's ghosts on its website. Room 24 is still considered the most haunted room in the hotel...and for good reason. It seems that during the Revolutionary War, the inn was actually a private residence owned by a local doctor. Room 24 became an operating room for wounded soldiers, and many passed away, in great pain, within its walls. Interestingly, it is noted that the ghosts that roam the Colonial Inn rarely include Revolutionary War era soldiers.  Rather, it is the CARETAKERS of these soldiers and the inn that are more likely to be seen, including a nurse named Rosemary.

Rosemary is seen as an older woman who roams throughout the halls. Disembodied voices have been heard, floating orbs have been seen on camera and with the naked eye, and it's not uncommon to experience flickering lights or lights/televisions that come on by themselves in the middle of the night. Room 27 on the first floor was used as a morgue during the Revolutionary War and is also a favorite haunted hot spot for those wanting to experience something paranormal during their stay.

The Colonial Inn's haunted reputation has attracted both curiosity seekers looking for a spooky night's stay, and also seasoned paranormal investigators. Over the years, several teams have come to the hotel looking to collect evidence of the afterlife, including the team from TAPS.  Ghost Hunters filmed an hour long episode (Season 6 Episode 14) at the hotel in 2010. 

*Information and Photos for this blog came directly from Concord's Colonial Inn's website.*

Book Review for UFOs in Wartime

Title: UFOs in Wartime--What They Didn't Want You to Know
Author: Mack Maloney
Published: 2011 by Berkley Books, New York
Amazon Info

Every year I say I'm going to learn more about ufology and every year, I fall short. But, inspired by this goal once again, I bought Mack Maloney's UFOs in Wartime and surprisingly, made my way through it pretty quickly!

As the title would suggest, this book is all about UFOs that were seen during times of military conflict. A big chunk of the text is dedicated to World War II, the Korean Conflict, and the early days of the Cold War (most likely because this was the time period when modern warfare really took off and new weapons, especially nuclear, would have been a great interest to those keeping an eye on our planet), but a pretty good expanse of time is represented. Beginning in 312 when Constantine I were advancing toward Rome and ending with the 2003 invasion of Iraq, this book covers a lot of ground--understandably from the perspective of United States service men and women.

At times, this book doesn't seem to go into enough detail, nor does it do an adequate job in quoting which sources were used for which pieces of information. However, this format works well for those new to ufology. A lot of information is covered in an easy to read and understand narrative that flows well and I've already marked a dozen or so snippets that I plan on researching further.

Being basically a newbie, I was pleased that I was well aware of some of the cases presented in the book, most notably Roswell, the attack over Los Angeles, and Rendlesham Forest. There was also plenty that I had absolutely NO idea about though, and was thoroughly engaged. For example, one theory put forth states that even George Washington may have had a close encounter during the Revolutionary War!

Less than 300 pages make up this mass market paperback, a handful of which are photographs and illustrations, so its a nice quick read. I do wish that some of those images were a little more...evidence based, though. So many photographs are referenced in the work, but do not actually appear in the work. But, its still a fun read and makes a nice little primer for such a broad topic.

*Looking for more of Theresa's Book Reviews?*

NC's Dana Auditorium Has a Ghost...or Two

I don't really like posting TWO haunted locations not in the tri-state in a row, but as part of my 2013 resolutions for this site, I am determined to finally finish Round One of my Haunted America series!  I'm also determined to post more frequently, possibly once a day, and I admittedly don't have all my research together this morning for any of the the blogs I have planned out.  So, I grabbed my copy of Triad Hauntings by Burt Calloway and Jennifer Fitzsimons and picked the first location that looked interesting.  Luckily, I was able to find enough supporting evidence online to whip out today's entry:  The Ghosts of Dana Auditorium.

Dana Auditorium was built in 1961 on the campus of Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina.  It was named for Charles Dana, a local philanthropist who donated $250,000 to the college for the completion of the project, which was built on the former site of an 1891 YMCA building.  However, the land on which the Dana Auditorium stands actually has a history going back even further than the creation of Guilford or its predecessor, the New Garden Boarding School.  It has ties that go all the way back to the Revolutionary War.

The Battle of Guilford Courthouse was fought March 15, 1781 in which British troops defeated the Americans, leaving over 172 total casualties, and over 600 total wounded soldiers.  In order to assist the many wounded and dying, a field hospital sprang up nearby...directly on the site where the Dana Auditorium would be built.

Shortly after its completion, the Dana Auditorium obtained its haunted reputation.  Many believe the resident ghost is a man who they have dubbed Lucas, and who was a soldier who died at the field hospital from injuries sustained in battle.  Lucas almost always seems to make himself known at the same time each night:  2am, leaving a wake of security guards and the occasional late-night music student his prime targets.  Lucas, while seen and felt throughout the building, tends to favor only two rooms---the Moon Room and the Choir Room.  He especially enjoys playing one of the many pianos located in the Choir Room, and also messing with the locks.

In 1973, Lucas gave two security guards quite a fright, as they entered into the main auditorium to find one of the heavy chandeliers swaying on its own accord.  As they watched, the chandelier fell and crashed, leaving them both pretty shook up.

From time to time, Lucas is actually spotted.  A security guard turning a corner in the hall encountered a weathered looking man directly in front of him.  When questioned, the man said nothing, but turned and walked into the Moon Room.  Lucas has also been seen in the auditorium's balcony, along with another possible apparition. 

In more recent years, the ghost of a little dark haired girl wearing a white dress has been seen, and many say she's mischievous, and possibly, a little malicious.  One student staying late to rehearse on the piano noticed the little girl watching him in the Choir Room.  Creeped out, he immediately left.

As to the identity of this little girl, no one online has really brought forth any theories, however, it is interesting to note that Shadowlands actually has a listing for the Mary Hobbs Hall, a campus dormitory, being haunted by a little girl named Mary.  According to the legend, Mary had a slumber party with several friends in the attic of the home.  Some local boys, wishing to scare the girls, started throwing rocks through their window.  Somehow, a fire started, and Mary didn't make it out alive, and thus, now haunts the dormitory.

However, according to the college, Hobbs Hall was never this private residence as listed.  Rather, it was built in 1907 as a female dormitory and named after the wife of Guilford President, Lewis Lyndon Hobbs.  Mary Hobbs wished to improve educational opportunities for women with financial difficulties, and thus, set up Hobbs Hall as a co-op type facility where girls could live, and share the chores of cooking, cleaning, etc. as a way to support themselves.  By the 1940s, the attic of the building did house up to 12 seniors, which was considered a privileged location. 

There WAS a fire that broke out in the attic on November 29, 1976, caused by a curtain coming in contact with a curling iron. The impact of that fire, as seen in the blackened, charred remains of the attic, is still visible today, and is probably the basis of this legend.