Taunton State Hospital

“The Devil himself is still here . . .”

This hospital was built on a 154-acre farm along the Mill River in Taunton, Massachusetts in 1854.

State Lunatic Hospital

The hospital initially named, State Lunatic Hospital, was designed to treat the mentally ill. It followed a plan developed by Thomas Kirkbride. He insisted the mentally ill should be treated with care and compassion.

So this hospital was built with a large campus, recreational rooms, and comfortable bedrooms. It allowed patients to be exposed to sunlight and fresh air.

All this looked good on paper, but what this hospital was for many years-- like most mental asylums in the U.S. at one time—was a place to throw away a portion of humanity that no one wanted to be bothered by.

According to a local legend the fact that thousands of mental patients suffered here have made it one of America’s most haunted.

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Some people believe the ghosts that linger are a result of the more violent patients kept at Taunton. One such patient was an infamous serial killer, Jane Toppan.

Toppan raised by a crazy relative, became a nurse. She used her patients as guinea pigs. She dosed them with a combination of drugs, which basically poisoned them.

She took a sick perverse pleasure in watching them die. It is said it aroused her. She would crawl into to bed with her victims and hold them as they slipped away. Among her victims were her foster sister, and husband.

Other lore states this hospital is haunted because of an even darker history. It is said that some of the staff at the hospital—including doctors and nurses, were involved in a satanic cult.

Stories are told of patients being used in experiments and offered up as sacrifices to appease the Devil.

It is said this happened regularly. These staff members would escort patients to the hospital basement, where they performed these rituals. 

Other staff found strange markings and blood covering the basement walls. One employee states when he went down to discover what was going on, he couldn’t get past the last stair step.

He said overwhelming feelings of pain and suffering hit him. He quit his job the same day. Years later, he still finds it difficult to talk about.

Whether one believes these stories or not, there is documented evidence that patients began to refuse to go down in the basement with staff. When they refused, they were punished.

Even today, people claim that this area is icy cold, even in summer.

Another area of that appears to have paranormal activity is in the woods that surround the old hospital.

Witnesses claim to have heard moans and cries for help. Unexplained banging sounds are heard. Others have seen strange lights and felt icy cold drafts among these trees.

A cemetery that sits within the hospital grounds is also considered haunted. This haunting began when a patient one night, escaped his room and too tired to go on, hid in this cemetery.

As he crouched near a tombstone, he felt a cold grip squeezing his shoulder. Thinking he had been discovered, he stood up holding his arms high only to find no one there. A minute later, he heard a voice whisper in his ear, “Leave.”

Terrified, this man returned to his hospital bed. Later he discovered a large bruise on his shoulder, where he had felt the hand.

Chair by moonlight
in the bedroom.

Over the years, patients and staff have spotted several ghosts in the hospital. A typical sighting is that of a man wearing white on the third floor.

He is seen walking along the corridor. Witnesses state his form fades in and out or just vanishes.

Even more creepy, he is seen slowly crawling along the wall. A shadow or his full form is seen, as well, striding across the hall in an apparent rage. 

More recent residents of the hospital state they have seen this figure in the corner of their bedrooms watching them.

His head appears in shadow or is faceless. This form disappears when the lights are turned on. Some speculate this is the Devil waiting for the next victim to be sacrificed.

Other activity reported at the hospital is lights turning on and off, doors slamming, and cold spots.

This hospital has been in continuous use since it opened in the mid-1800s. Most of the older building has burned down, collapsed or been torn down. In the 1990s, the hospital and surrounding area were placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Old abandoned buildings

The more modern buildings on the property still provides services for the mentally ill.

The Jersey Devil

They say . . . in the Pinelands of southern New Jersey there is a monster that haunts-- it is known as the Leed’s Devil. This devil when seen resembles a dragon with a head like a horse, the body of a snake, a forked tail and wings like a bat.

This devil—the Jersey Devil—wrecks havoc upon farmer’s crops and livestock, it poisons water sources-- pools and creeks and when it is seen on the Jersey shore—it is considered a harbinger—for soon after ships wreck.

So beware of this monster with the flashing red eyes.

This well-known legend is rooted in New Jersey’s past. It began with a woman’s curse.

Deborah Smith emigrated from England in the 1700s to marry a man named Leeds. The couple settled in the New Jersey Pine Barrens in Galloway Township, Atlantic County.

Their life together was not a happy one. Mr. Leeds was a lazy drunk who rarely worked. Deborah put food on the table for their twelve children by sewing shirts.

When Deborah discovered that she was pregnant with her 13^th child it is said she snapped. She cursed her ner’er-do-well husband and invoked the power of the devil.

It is said she wished her thirteenth child “may be the devil.” So revenge could rain down on Mr. Leeds.

She got her wish for soon after this child was born it turned into the dragon like creature described above and flew off. The legend states that her family was truly cursed for the Leed’s Devil not only killed her husband but several of her other children.

One dipiction of the Jersey Devil

Some believe the origin of this legend is actually rooted in a superstition widely believed in the 1700s. People during this time believed in witchcraft and they felt a child born with a deformity—which might have been the case with the Leed’s 13^th child—was a sign God cursed the child.

Regardless, the belief in the creature known as the Jersey Devil has persisted ever since. For over 200 years, there have been numerous sightings of this flying devil.

In the 1870s a Long beach fisherman claimed he saw the Jersey Devil serenading a mermaid.

A famous sighting occurred in 1909 when a councilman, E.P. Weeden in Trenton claimed that he was awakened by the sound of flapping wings outside his bedroom window. He stated he found cloven hoof prints in the snow after this.

Soon, other residents stated they also saw similar hoof prints. Within a week thousands of residents in the area stepped forward to say they had seen the Devil. Local newspapers wrote several stories about these sightings.

It wasn’t long before sightings were also reported in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

In 1978, two teens ice-skating in Chatsworth near the Barrens claimed to smell an odor of “dead fish” and then they spotted two red eyes staring at them. They didn’t stay around to see the rest.

Many more witnesses have come forward to state they did not see the Jersey Devil but instead heard it “rampaging through the woods, or emitting blood curdling cries.”

In the 1960s, strange tracks were discovered near May’s Landing—rumors stated it must be the Jersey Devil. When loud shrieks were also heard in the area local Camden merchants offered a $10,000 reward for the capture of the creature. They stated they would build a zoo to display it.

This reward remains unclaimed.

Excerpts from Spooky Campfire Tales, by S.E. Schlosser and The New Jersey Historical Society.

Ireland’s Loftus Hall

This large manor house sits on a remote section of Hook peninsula in County Wexford. Its original name was Redmond Hall named after Sir Alexander Redmond who had it built in 1350. The hall remained in his family for several generations.

 

Loftus Hall

The Loftus family, who were English planters from the area bought the hall in 1650 and renamed it Loftus Hall. They like the Redmond family owned the manor house for several generations.

In 1870, the original hall was torn down and a new one was built on its foundations.

During the time the Loftus family owned the hall rumors were spread that the manor was haunted by the devil himself and the ghost of a young woman.

One of Ireland’s most enduring and notorious legends was born--guaranteeing Loftus the reputation of being one of Ireland’s most haunted.

When the Loftus family went on an extended business trip in 1766 they brought in Charles Tottenham, his wife and young daughter to be caretakers of the hall.

The Tottenham family settled in for a long stay.

Hook Lighthouse

Near Loftus Hall is Hook “Head” Lighthouse. This lighthouse is one of the oldest in the world. It is said this spot is the graveyard for a thousand ships.

One ship that anchored along this shore during a violent storm delivered a mysterious young man to Loftus. He and Anne quickly became close. But their friendship was not to last.

One night as the Tottenham family played cards with this young stranger the manor’s butler noticed he dealt Anne’s parents three cards each but only gave two to Anne. As he started to point this out, Anne bent to the floor to retrieve a card she evidently dropped.

While below the table she was shocked to see the young man had cloven feet. She stood up, screamed and accused him of being a demon. He then rose up in a puff of smoke and crashed through the roof, leaving a large hole.

Even though this hole has been repaired many times it is stated that the damage to this spot can still be seen.

After her discovery, Anne went mad. Her parents now ashamed had her locked in Loftus’ Tapestry Room away from prying eyes.

Anne often refused food and water. She sat for hours gazing out a window with her knees tucked tightly under her chin. In one version of this story it is said she watched and waited for the mysterious young man to return.

When Anne died in 1775 they could not straighten out her body because her muscles had seized so she was buried in a sitting position.

After her death rumors spread that this mysterious man returned to Loftus Hall. He is blamed for the poltergeist activity that occurred in the manor for years afterward.

A Catholic priest by the name of Father Thomas Broaders * was brought in to exorcise Loftus. It appears he succeeded with the devil but not with the young woman’s ghost.

Over the years, many witnesses have spotted a ghost they feel is Anne Tottenham--this is believed even though the original hall was torn down. She is often seen walking down one large oak staircase in the present day hall.

In 2011, a group stated they saw Anne’s ghost while on a tour of the hall.

After the Loftus family sold the property it was renovated in anticipation of a visit by Queen Victoria --she cancelled her trip.

In 1917, it was bought by the Sisters of Providence and used as a convent and girl’s school. In the early 1980s it was used as a hotel but by the 1990s it was abandoned.

A private owner bought the property after this but the manor remains unused.

* Father Thomas Broaders is buried in Horetown Cemetery and his epitaph reads:

“Here lies the body of Thomas Broaders, who did good and prayed for all, and who banished the devil from Loftus Hall.”