Fitch Bits: Fort Warren's Woman in Black

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 into after her capture. She's said to haunt the fort to this day, wandering its cold stone halls in her dark gown. Visitors have reported hearing footsteps echoing in the empty corridors, feeling sudden chills, and even glimpsing a shadowy figure in black haunting the fort.

Next time you visit Boston Harbor, keep an eye out. December nights seem to stir her restless spirit.

Anyway, thanks for reading!

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