New Hampshire is one of the oldest states, so it’s not
surprising that it’s home to a good number of urban legends. From hauntings to
mysterious and terrifying creatures, these urban legends are creepy in many
different ways. Whether you’re a believer in the supernatural or a hardcore
skeptic, you’ll find yourself taking another look over your shoulder when you
hear a rustle in the woods after you read these tales.
The Legend of Goody
Cole
Massachusetts gets most of the attention for the witch
trials, but Hampton's Goodwife Eunice Cole was convicted of witchcraft in 1656.
In 1670 she was released and returned to Hampton, but her neighbors accused her
yet again, and she suffered through another trial. Though she was found
innocent, she never forgave her neighbors, who treated her like an exile and
forced her to scrounge for berries to survive. Legend has it that since her
death she has been responsible for a number of Hampton tragedies, including the
sinking of a ship that killed 8 people. However, the town exonerated her in
1938 and finally set up a grave marker in her honor in the 1960s, and since
then she has been a much more harmless spirit.
The Wood Devils
Go far enough north in New Hampshire - right up into the
woods along the Canadian border - and you just may run into a "Wood
Devil." Imagine a slimmer, swifter Sasquatch - a quick, elusive two legged
creature about 7 feet tall covered in light gray fur.
The Devil Monkeys
Even scarier than the Wood Devils are the Devil Monkeys,
primates with dog-like noses and fierce teeth that emit an unearthly howl.
Sightings in the woods go back to the 1950s, and in 2001 a dozen people in
Danville saw the creature.
The Smuttynose Murders
In 1873, two Norwegian immigrant women were brutally
murdered with an axe on Smuttynose Island. A third woman escaped to tell the
tale, and a man was hanged for the murder. Nevertheless, doubt and alternate
stories have persisted over the years, blaming figures from the woman who
escaped to her husband. The murder inspired Anita Shreve's novel "The
Weight of Water."
Cocheco Mills
Haunting
Cocheco Mills in Dover nearly burned to the ground in 1907,
killing several workers. Since then, the buildings have been refurbished and
turned into offices and apartments, but reports of ghostly activity persist,
and residents have reported hearing the sounds of old mill equipment operating.
Chase House,
Portsmouth
This former orphanage is said to be haunted by the ghost of
one of its unhappy wards, who in the 1800s hanged herself in the building.
People hear her screams to this day.
The Legend of
Chocorua
The story goes that the proud Indian Chief Chocorua
befriended a white man and left his son in his care while he traveled - but
when he returned his son had died in a horrible accident. Chocorua, in his
rage, killed the family of the white man, who was not home, starting a deadly battle
for revenge. The white man chased Chocorua to the top of a nearby mountain,
which the Indian chief threw himself off rather than give in. As he did, he
uttered a powerful curse. The mountain, now known as Chocorua, has seen a
number of strange occurrences for which many blame the curse.
Be careful out there – and watch your back in the deep
woods. You never know what’s lurking in the trees. Can you still visit New Hampshire?!
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