Published by The History Press
Charleston, SC
www.historypress.com
Copyright by Thomas DAgostino and Arlene Nicholson
All rights reserved
Photography by Arlene Nicholson except where noted.
Cover illustration by Jason McLean.
First published 2021
e-book edition 2021
ISBN 978.1.43967.286.0
Library of Congress Control Number: 2021934109
print edition ISBN 978.1.46714.897.9
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.
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would sincerely like to thank everyone who helped make this book possible. First and foremost, thank you to our dear friends Bob and Vickie Hughes for adventuring with us and taking photos of some of the places in the book; Magin and Greg Wood, who were always up for an adventure and creating illustrations for our books; authors Jim Ignasher, Joseph Citro, J.W. Ocker, Jeff Belanger and John William Tuohy; the Cavendish, Vermont Historical Society; Highlife Ski Club in Chittenden, Vermont; the Foster, Rhode Island Preservation Society; Emeritus Connecticut state archaeologist Nicholas Bellantoni; the Berkshire Eagle; the New England Historical Society; Terry McDermott, curator of the Wilmington, Massachusetts Town Museum; the Wilmington, Massachusetts Historical Society; Irene Morgan of the Franklin, Connecticut Historical Society; the Brattleboro, Vermont Historical Society; the Burrillville, Rhode Island Historical Society; the Cumberland Public Library; the Greenville Public Library; the Observer Valley Breeze; and many others who were instrumental in the making of this book who chose to remain anonymous.
INTRODUCTION
Arlene and I have been asked on many occasions to compile stories of some of New Englands most extraordinary and captivating people into one book; this is a compilation of their stories. Included in this book are some of the most incredible characters in the regions often bizarre history. In many cases, you will read about people who may seem to jump out of the most outre fiction, while in other cases, the local legend may have made them larger than life.
New England is a magical place where fact and fantasy seem to roam hand in hand. Legend and lore abound in this ancient region where stories of the devil, witches, vampires, ghosts and pirates are plentiful and ripe for the telling. Although some of the following accounts may be more common in New Englands history, many others have slipped through the scribed leaves of time, becoming almost completely forgotten. This does not mean their accounts are less valuable or interesting. In some cases, you will not believe what you read while perusing through the following pages. On many occasions, we were astounded by the people who once lived and rambled the New England highways and byways. Yet, thorough research turned up records and accounts that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that these people once lived and were a staple of the New England culture. From the veiled minister to the old Leather Man and even the evil and immortal Dr. Benton, these are the characters who were once the main topic of pubs and public gatherings around the region. These people and many more you will become familiar with as you enjoy this compilation of the strange and wonderful accounts etched into the fabric of what we call New England.
Some people in this book are part of an incident that became engraved into the areas history. To this day, their stories are told, perhaps in front of a crackling campfire with coyotes howling in the distance, setting the tone for the strange accounts rambling off the storytellers tongue. Their lives may not have been remarkable, save for the one defining moment that made them part of the New England legends landscape. This is why some of the accounts in this book are shorter than others, but the shorter tales are no less captivating than those that are more voluminous. Enjoy!
WITCHES, WIZARDS AND VAMPIRES
TESSA
The St. John River in northern Maine is the scene of this legend regarding witchcraft and the devil. The main character is a woman named Tessa.
Tessas mother was believed to be a minion of the devil, having practiced witchcraft and spells. Her name was known far and wide, and the locals kept a wary eye on her, as they were sure the devil himself possessed her. When she died, the communitys fearful folk decided to bury her in the local burying yard instead of unhallowed ground, for fear she may come back and curse them if they did otherwise. Several years later, the townspeople decided to relocate the cemetery. They exhumed the bodies for re-interment. Most had gone to bone and dustall except Tessas mother, who remained the same as she was when they first committed her to the earth. When they opened her coffin, the smell of lilacs permeated the air. Tessa was so amazed by this strange unearthly occurrence that she took a piece of her mothers flesh and placed it in a bottle on a shelf beneath a portrait of her deceased mother.
Tessa began to notice that on occasion, the portrait would be wet with tears, as if someone was weeping over it, and the bottle below would reek of lilac perfume. Neighbors soon became worried that Tessa was also a witch, as she used to disappear into the woods for long periods at a time. The deep woods of northern Maine were perfect for conjuring spells or meditating away from prying eyes. On one occasion, a neighbor walking by the river near her home found Tessa under the rivers ice, smiling up toward the sky. This was when the townsfolk became convinced that she, like her mother, had become possessed by the dark one.
Meanwhile, in Tessas home, windows flew open for no reason, and furniture would topple over. Any door with a crucifix above it would not open until the cross was removed. A black cat perched itself on her windowsill and could not be coerced away from its roost until a priest came and exorcised the known familiar of Satan. Tessa claimed that invisible demons began to claw at her. Witnesses who saw the marks left on her skin by these creatures believed it was the devil or one of his demons that caused the injuries.
Her father, who also witnessed these events, eventually died, and Tessa moved away to live with her uncle. The journey was not without several mishaps. The wagon wheels refused to stay fastened to the axles no matter how many times they stopped to repair them. At various times, the horses stopped and could not, under any condition, be coerced to plod forward. When she finally arrived at her new home, the house shook violently as if a great storm had taken to it.
It was only a few nights later that Tessa passed away of unknown circumstances. While the family prepared for her interment, her corpse mysteriously vanished from her room. Two years later, her body was found in a nearby old abandoned home, perfectly preserved. When the family came to claim it, they were overwhelmed by the smell of lilacs.
