SMALL, BUT SCARY: A list of RI’s haunts

We reach a point in the Autumn Equinox where the veil is thin and spirits take flight. As we wander this Earth, most of us rarely look for signs of history from the deceased past; time and people dissolve into space as darkness comes quicker at night. How can we convey messages from the past? Where do we look to understand what we thought was a dream and interpret what we see? Visiting places that hold spirits of souls that still roam can shed light or fright onto the beholders of stories left untold or unknown.
The Providence Athenaeum: The historic library and its collections are the haunting grounds for legendary authors Edgar Allan Poe, Sarah Helen Whitman, and H.P. Lovecraft.
Howard Phillips Lovecraft’s grave at Swan Point Cemetery: Lovecraft was the pioneer for cosmic horror or Lovecraftian horror.
Benefit Street and College Hill: Historical homes and old burial graves line the “Mile of History,” with the presence of a long history of colonial-era activity.
Forlorn artist at the Fleur De lys’ (artist studio): accomplished artist Angela O’Leary was a scorned mistress who allegedly killed herself. She is said to roam the halls, as reported by RISD students, here and a few doors down from the Providence Art Club.
Nathaniel Greene Homestead: Spell Hall offers tours revealing unmarked graves and stories of ghosts and children’s screams.
Artillery Company, Newport: It is said if you take a full frontal photo of the building, you might capture a figure lurking in the second window from the left on the top floor.
Belcourt Castle, Newport: One of the places that brings wealth and history for all to visit. Elegant rooms, jib doors around every corner, including 4 in the library, 2 in the lower hall, one in the upper hall, some in bedrooms, and a drawing room. There is also a connecting tunnel to the stables. There is a haunted ghost tour and you can experience the property grounds at night.
General Stanton Inn, Narragansett: An indigenous tribal princess was abducted and the land was gifted to Thomas Stanton, then on to Joseph Staton III, and later Joseph Staton IV. History from over 300 years ago included gambling, underground railroad traffic, gangsters, Block Island Ferry rum runs, and scandals encompassing the 6.7-acre property. It sports fifteen guest rooms, 5 dining rooms, and a tavern. Paranormal activity has been reported in room 9, the colonial suite, the attic, and between rooms 6 and 7 you may find an unexplained energy.
The Carriage Inn, Tower Hill Rd., North Kingstown: Established in 1760 as a tavern for stagecoaches to stop at. A brothel, voices whispering, and a catastrophic fire have caused it to change owners over the years. Women have reported being pushed, and hair being pulled, while working behind the bar. This paranormal activity could stem from women being behind the bar, bwhere they were historically not allowed.
Mercy Brown’s Gravesite, Chestnut Hill Cemetery, Exeter: Historic cemetery #22 has held a vampire dwelling since 1892. Mercy was placed in an above-ground vault due to frozen ground at burial. Mercy’s story goes that after many of her family members fell ill or died, Mercy died at 19. After 10 years, local superstition led her corpse to be exhumed, decayed, her body shifted from the original position, and when the examiner cut out her heart it dripped blood. A blue electric orb has been reported hovering above the grave, and the stone was stolen once in 1996, only to be replaced 15 feet away. Now the tombstone is under lock and key.
Providence Ghost Tour & Boat Tour: Take a guided tour through Providence by boat on the Providence River or walk through the city streets. It’s all haunted, especially the ghost of the old waterbed.
The Old Arnold Estate, The Conjuring House: Satanists and sacrifices were known to hang out, as it were, at this house in Burrillville.
Seaview Terrace, Carey Mansion, Burnham-by-the-Sea: Owned by Edson Bradley, a whiskey millionaire in 1907, his wife is said to still roam the estate since her death in 1929. It is known for playing the role of Collinwood Mansion in the “Dark Shadows” soap opera.
Providence City Hall: Since his death in 1886, the ghost of previous mayor Thomas Doyle haunts the massive building constructed between 1875 and 1878.
Rough Point Mansion, Newport: Historic tragedy and rough waves gave this place its name. Newport Restoration Foundation offers tours of this eerie ground previously owned by Doris Duke, and it is questionable if this property is haunted by an accident or murder.
Cumberland Monastery/Public Library: “Nine Men’s Misery” is a monument dedicated to Colonists who were captured, tortured, and killed in 1676 during King Philip’s War by Native Americans. Their cries have been heard on trails surrounding this location.
The Ladd School, Exeter: Founded in 1908, this school for the feeble minded was inhabited with criminals, intellectually and developmentally impaired, and those sexually distraught. Human rights violations, forced cruelty, and even murder bestowed this property. Closing in 1994, the Ladd School was demolished in 2014, and ghosts are wandering from trauma untold.
The Breakers, Newport: This mansion was built by Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1895, because the original house burned down. Cornelius built this mansion out of steel and buried the furnace under the street. Since 1934, reported paranormal activity in this 70 room mansion covering 14 acres of seafront property is said to be from Cornelius’ deceased wife Alice Vanderbilt.
Purgatory Chasm Tuckerman Ave., Middletown: This 160 foot cliff overlooking Second Beach in Middletown is known as Lover’s Leap. Ghosts of those that took the leap for their lovers are trapped in the depths of this great divide.
Ramtail Factory, Foster: Scattered ruins of a haunted industrial mill and water wheel wool factory built in 1799 by William Potter. Peleg Walker, night watchman of the factory, was found hanging from the bell tower. The property was said to have paranormal activity and Potter shut it down in 1850 due to lack of workers. It burnt down in 1873 and remains can still be seen in the woods of Foster.
Crescent Park Loof Carousel Riverside, East Providence: This historic park is said to be the location for a brutal murder of a 30 year old woman. The victim’s lover confessed to the homicide and her ghost is seen roaming the beach. Anger and jealousy can be felt in the air, and some say ghosts of other patrons ride the carousel.
Westerly Library: Paranormal activity from multiple specters. Both the spirits of a 12 year old boy died in a railroad accident, and a yard master was beaten to death by a mob for the death of the boy on the library grounds in 1950. Julia Spencer, wife of the library benefactor Richard Spencer, was seen floating down the hall of the library.
Seaside Shadows, Westerly: A walking tour of the haunted history and supernatural stories along the Pawcatuck River.
Haunted Blackstone Ghost Stories River Tour: The boat tour operates from Central Falls Landing, narrated by paranormal expert Tom D’Agostino who has shared stories of ghosts and paranormal activity along the river for over 39 years. •