We visited historic Belmont Manor, in Elkridge, MD, in search of ghosts, as part of Howard County Parks & Rec programs one evening in March. This wasn’t a ghost tour, where you’re led around and told ghost stories. This was a ghost hunt. We were excited about the opportunity to see this lovely historic manor, […]
haunted
Beautiful Ruins, Beautifully Preserved
On a hilltop overlooking the Patapsco River Valley, stabilized ruins sit serenely in a park just above Ellicott City. I’ve known vaguely that these are the former Patapsco Female Institute, which was founded in 1837 as an elegant finishing school for young women. Despite living in Ellicott City for almost two decades now, only recently […]
Getting to Know the Ghosts of Gettysburg
Gettysburg is as known for its ghost tours as the battle itself, which caused so much alleged paranormal activity. The ghost tours are everywhere! Stroll along Baltimore Street or Steinwehr Avenue at 7 or 9 pm and you’ll see multiple groups. There are now more than a dozen to choose from, a ridiculous number for […]
Visiting Maryland’s Ghost Town: Daniels
Good friends of ours offered to take us to some “local ruins” that were “only a short hike.” They had me at “ruins.” I lept at the chance, and so a windy, blustery late October Sunday found us hiking off of Hollifield Road, following what’s left of old Alberton Road into the ghost town of […]
My Top 7 Haunted Places
Periodically I’ll post my top picks. Links to the original posts will be embedded in the text. Let me know what you think of this new blog feature!My Top 7 Haunted Places the Blog Has Accidentally Visited*7. Fort FrederickHistorical reenactors in the fort have frequently reported a presence or hostile feelings coming from the front right […]
Oh Say Can You See… Fort McHenry and the Star Spangled Banner
Francis Scott Key was always sort of a hometown hero for me: I grew up in Frederick, MD, where Key is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery as he desired, “in the shadows of the Catoctin Mountains.” Thus, Fort McHenry has always been a favorite destination for me. It’s a lovely place to walk along the […]
The Sunnyside of Sleepy Hollow: Visiting Washington Irving’s Home
The mention of Sleepy Hollow conjures up creepy images of the Headless Horseman riding at midnight after poor, silly Ichabod Crane. But there’s a sunnier side of Sleepy Hollow/Tarrytown, NY! In American Lit in college we studied, among others, Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859), who was an American author, essayist, biographer, […]
Ellicott City: Quant and Small, There’s Something for Everyone
For a town* that stretches barely a mile long, there’s an impressive array of things to do. Booze it up in the bars, sit down for fine dining (preferably before you booze it up), spend an afternoon shopping the variety of boutiques that line Main Street, explore local rail history at the B&O Museum, take […]
Favorite Places: Cunningham Falls
There are some places I like to return to over and over again; Cunningham Falls, in Frederick County’s Catoctin Mountains, is one of those places. I’d tried to bring the boys there a year ago, during a lovely cool spell in August, but we were turned away because I hadn’t realized the summer-no-dog policy in […]
Working in the Coal Mine!
Coal fired America’s Industrial Revolution, and helped shaped the country we live in today. Anthracite coal was the heating and iron-making fuel of choice, and Pennsylvania’s coal mines, which produced anthracite coal, thrived in the late 19th and early decades of the 20th century. To fill all the jobs necessary to mine coal, companies employed […]
Capitol Hauntings: Taking a Washington Walk Around Capitol Hill
Ghost tours are always intriguing — they’re a little bit of sight-seeing, a little bit of ghost story, and usually a lot of history. It’s a good way to get to know a city or town and the people who once lived there. Ghost stories start with people and usually a tragedy, a life cut […]
Eastern State Penitentiary
How do you describe a place that is intentionally ugly, intentionally horrible, intentionally built that way? How do I describe a place that having visited a couple of years ago, still haunts me? The Eastern State Penitentiary Museum and Historic Site initially captured my interest in the early 1990s, when I worked at the American […]
Hampton National Historic Site
Hampton National Historic Site is an historic house whose owners witnessed and formed the history of Maryland and the young United States as it unfolded; a grand old home that was much loved by its owners, who eventually made the decision to save it (because of declining financial fortunes) by opening it up to the […]
Ghostly Orbs: Evidence of Hauntings During Annapolis Ghost Walk?
Looking for something low key and romantic to do, I talked Hubby into joining me for the Annapolis Ghost Walk. Annapolis is a frequent destination for us — just 30 minutes away from Columbia, MD. The historic capital of Maryland’s harbor draws us on many a hot summer’s night, as nothing is more fun or […]
Mount Olivet Cemetery: More History than Ghosts
I’ve discovered that when I tell some people I just toured a cemetery and had a lot of fun, the expressions on their faces cause me to wonder whether they think I’m a creepy death-obsessed devil worshiper. Other people exclaim “Cool! Why didn’t you bring me along?” A couple weeks ago, my friend and I […]