Slightly Odd Fitchburg

  Have you ever have one of those nights where everything seems fine, and then, boom! Your best friend betrays you, people get murdered, and now you’re a ghost forever wandering the rocky shores of a forgotten island? No? Well, welcome to Smuttynose Island, where the vibes are bad, the history is worse, and everything feels like the plot of an experimental indie horror film your pretentious cousin swears is life-changing. Let’s set the stage: it’s 1873. You’re a Norwegian immigrant trying to carve out a peaceful life on a chunk of granite in the middle of the Atlantic. Smuttynose, they call it. A name that sounds suspiciously like a bad insult from a Victorian middle schooler. But hey, it’s home. And if you squint hard enough, the rocky coastlines, endless sea, and isolation are kind of charming. It’s like Little House on the Prairie, except the prairie is made of sharp rocks, and you’re way more likely to die from exposure.   The Smuttynose Murders — A Real-Life Gothic Horro...

This post was originally shared as a Facebook and Instagram "DID YOU KNOW" post. I share them and you can get in on the fun by liking my page at  Facebook.com/TheNewSlightlyOddFitchburg  and following me at  Instagram.com/SlightlyOddFitchburg ! Now onto the haunting story! DID YOU KNOW the USS Salem is hella haunted? Commissioned in 1949 as a heavy cruiser for the U.S. Navy, the USS Salem wasn’t just any ship. It was the flagship of the Sixth Fleet which is, you know, fancy. This 717-foot-long hunk of ship patrolled the Mediterranean during the Cold War. Although the Salem never saw combat, it had its fair share of dark moments. It served as a floating hospital for victims of a devastating 1953 earthquake in Greece. Hundreds of wounded and deceased were brought aboard, beginning a spectral legacy that ghost hunters just can’t ignore. The ship was decommissioned in 1959, but its story was far from over. In 1994, it became a museum, and that’s when the weirdness began. Visi...

This post was originally shared as a Facebook and Instagram "DID YOU KNOW" post. I share them and you can get in on the fun by liking my page at  Facebook.com/TheNewSlightlyOddFitchburg  and following me at  Instagram.com/SlightlyOddFitchburg ! Now onto the haunting story! DID YOU KNOW that Georges Island has a Civil War ghost? Yeah, so on a cold December night during the Civil War (the one where the blues fought the greys), Fort Warren on Georges Island became the setting for a tragic ghost story with some light crossdressing thrown in. The tale goes that Melanie Lanier, the wife of a Confederate soldier imprisoned there, disguised herself as a man and snuck onto the island to free her husband. Unfortunately, her plan was foiled, and she was captured. She probably stuck out as the only man who didn't smell like rat urine and sepsis.  Anyway, the legend says Melanie was sentenced to death by hanging, still wearing the black mourning dress she was forced to change int...

The Murdered Sailor of Blue Posts Inn Portsmouth has a dark side. It’s a side filled with legends of ghosts, hauntings, and unsolved mysteries. One such tale is that of the Blue Posts Inn, a long-gone establishment infamous for a gruesome murder that has left its mark on the town to this day. This is the story of the murdered sailor, a restless spirit said to haunt the streets of Portsmouth long after his life was taken in a bloody confrontation at the Blue Posts Inn. Portsmouth at the time was a bustling port, with ships constantly coming and going, and the Blue Posts Inn served as a watering hole for the hard-drinking sailors who frequented the town. But it wasn’t just a tavern; the inn also offered rooms for rent, catering to those who needed a temporary place to stay while they were on shore leave. By day, the streets around the Blue Posts Inn were filled with vendors, children playing , and the general business of a colonial town. But by night, the atmosphere shifted. ...

The paranormal encounters of Point of Graves Cemetery   One of the most well-known spirits said to haunt Point of Graves is that of Ann Clark, a young woman who died in the early 1700s. Ann’s grave is one of the most prominent in the cemetery, marked by an elaborate headstone that bears her name and the date of her death. According to local legend, Ann was a beautiful and beloved young woman who died tragically at a young age, possibly due to illness. Her spirit is said to linger in the cemetery, unable to rest. Visitors have reported seeing a spectral figure , believed to be Ann, wandering among the graves or standing near her own headstone. Some have even claimed to hear her ghost weeping softly in the night, mourning the life she lost so soon, throughout the haunted cemetery. Another ghostly figure often associated with Point of Graves is... Read the Rest on Patreon ! So, what's this all about? Well, you'll have to join us on Patreon to find out! If you decide to join the c...

This post was originally shared as a Facebook and Instagram "DID YOU KNOW" post. I share them and you can get in on the fun by liking my page at  Facebook.com/TheNewSlightlyOddFitchburg  and following me at  Instagram.com/SlightlyOddFitchburg ! Now onto the sad story! DID YOU KNOW that Ruth Blay was the last woman hanged in New Hampshire?   Say hello to Ruth Blay. She was the last woman to be hanged in New Hampshire and all she did was give birth to a stillborn child out of wedlock. There’s a lot going on here, so I’d like to talk in more detail later, but here’s a quick rundown:   Ruth Blay was a teacher and seamstress in 18th-century New Hampshire. She was born on June 10, 1737, and remained unmarried into her 30s. That would turn out to be a very bad thing for her.   She came down with a severe case of being pregnant in late 1767, which was a taboo thing for an unwed woman to do back in olde timey days. She continued to teach and carry on with her life u...