Published by Haunted America
A Division of The History Press
Charleston, SC 29403
www.historypress.net
Copyright 2007 by Donna Kent
All rights reserved
Cover image: Artist rendering by Mashall Hudson of the Charles W. Morgan.
All photos courtesy of the author.
First published 2007
Second printing 2011
e-book edition 2012
ISBN 978.1.61423.378.7
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kent, Donna.
Ghost stories & legends of eastern Connecticut : new secrets of old lore revealed / Donna Kent.
p. cm.
print edition ISBN-13: 978-1-59629-317-5 (alk. paper)
1. Ghosts--Connecticut. 2. Haunted places--Connecticut. I. Title. II. Title: Ghost stories and legends of eastern Connecticut.
BF1472.U6K46 2007
133.109746--dc22
2007029681
Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This book is dedicated to my soul mate and the love of my life, Brian Jones, and to my two wonderful children, Chloe and Justin.
Contents
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all the members of the Cosmic Society of Paranormal Investigation for their endless encouragement and contributions in the writing of this book. Especially: Rich and Cardy Keegan, Mark Larsen, Margaret Scholz, Matt and Chris Nickerl, Leanne and A.J. Root, Brendan and Charlene Logan, Chadi Noujaim and Nicole Donzello and Jenna Santorelli. I owe more than words to Brian Jones for countless hours of writing and editing with me and to my children Chloe and Justin for bearing with me (or without me as the case may have been) while I was immersed in completing this publication. Thanks also go to my best friend, Michele Polvay, who made sure we stayed fed throughout.
Special thanks also to Faye Ringel, PhD, professor of English and Humanities at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy; Dale Plummer, town historian, Norwich, Connecticut; Patricia Sweeney, librarian of Derby Neck Library; Ann Tate, librarian of the Stonington Historical Society; Bev York of the Windham Textile and History Museum; Bob Falcone and Adam Lippman for their photo help.
The stories within wouldnt have been told without the help of Betty Cordellos of Haunted Connecticut Tours, the owners and docents of all of the haunted locations included herein and the voices of the spirits themselves, who definitely made themselves heard and guided my hand to information in order to get their respective stories straight, most times around 2:00 a.m.
Introduction
The accounts contained within this book for the most part occurred in what are now public places. These accounts discuss both the legend and the investigations conducted by my group, the Cosmic Society of Paranormal Investigation. The Cosmic Societys aim is to uncover evidence that supports the accuracy of the legends and to ascertain the identity of the spirit (or spirits) that haunt a given location. In some cases we are successful in both of our missions, while in others questions remain unanswered.
Paranormal and psychic investigation is still a developing field. Please keep in mind that this is not a how-to manual, although you will certainly learn a lot about paranormal investigation just by reading the stories. This book only paints part of the investigative picture. If you are a skeptic and only believe in scientific explanations, I remind you that science once maintained that the world was flat. Science has not yet disproved the paranormal. In fact, Ive seen scientists reach so implausibly far to find a scientific explanation for an unusual event that it requires more faith to believe in that explanation than a paranormal one! However, scientific examination remains a critical part of the paranormal investigators toolkit because it helps to rule out a potential natural cause for phenomena.
A critical aspect of paranormal investigation is the investigators mind-set. It is important to remain objective and to prevent the desire for a particular outcome from affecting the conclusions of a case. Being overly eager or overly skeptical can equally skew a set of conclusions. The best way to approach an unusual event is to keep an open mind, look for natural causes first and eliminate them one by one until a natural explanation is found or until all natural possibilities have been ruled out. It is also important to remember that even in cases where natural explanations have been excluded as causes, possible explanations do not necessarily indicate the paranormal. The paranormal is identifiable through specific activity and particular patterns recognizable as such. Sometimes cases are simply inconclusive. The only way to successfully identify paranormal patterns is to study with an experienced paranormal investigator and to continue learning through constant and evolving experience. A paranormal investigator must also learn the signs and patterns that reveal a possible negative case and know how to keep herself shielded from harm.
Orbs can look like reflections, dust particles, or moisture and rain. Orbs are very common in photos, and they can certainly indicate spirit energy. However, because they are so common and because they can be explained very easily by normal physical phenomena, the paranormal investigator has moved beyond orbs and looks for more tangible evidence. It is crucial to examine other corroborating evidence, beyond the presence of orbs, before determining whether a location is haunted.
Now, sit back and enjoy the adventures and legends within!
The Deadly Grounds of Old Trinity Church, Brooklyn
Tucked away in a small hamlet of Connecticut sits an area of land known as the Quiet Corner, Brooklyn. It is a community of Yankee quaintness and charm, perfectly groomed town greens and impeccable antique shops that suit its residents just fine. They prefer the tranquil, storybook life of attending their childrens soccer games on Saturday afternoons and church services on Sunday mornings. Serenity reigned in the area until January 1982 when the calm was shattered by the grisly discovery of a young local girls body behind the Old Trinity Church.
Tammy Williams was brutally murdered, and a man named Michael Ross concurrently entered and devastated the happy lives of Brooklyns inhabitants. That name would mark the beginning of a nightmare from which some would never fully awaken.
Ross was an Ivy League college graduate (with a reported IQ of 122) and sexual sadist who stalked, raped, tortured and murdered at least eight woman and teens in both the Quiet Corner and New York. He trapped, brutalized, raped and killed at least six regional women, many of them teenagers. Two were only fourteen years old and were killed simultaneously. The body of Tammy Williams, seventeen, of Brooklyn was found in the pond to the left and behind the property of the Old Trinity Church. While walking home from her boyfriends house on January 5, 1982, she was abducted by Ross, raped, strangled and dumped on the Old Trinity Church grounds. In her blood, on the right side of the church structure, he smeared the words I love little girls.
