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Odds Are Good You'll See A UFO in New England
A group called Casino.org has analyzed decades of UFO sightings and come up with some fascinating data about those strange objects we see in the sky. Casino.org usually analyzes data about the gambling...
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The Ghostly Nuns of Dudley Road
Haunted roads. Doesn't that phrase sound magical? There's just something really evocative about combining those two words. There's real synergy there; the whole is greater than its parts.Haunted roads...
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The Lumberjack and the Devil-Fish: A Story from Maine
Here's a weird story I just found in Haunted Maineby Charles Stansfield Jr. There are a lot of ghost and folklore books out there, but Stansfield's has some crazy legends I haven't read before. Like...
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Brookline's Old Burying Ground: Slaves, Smallpox, and Witch Trials
The other day I visited the Old Burying Ground in Brookline, Massachusetts. Brookline is a very well-maintained, genteel town right next to Boston, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Old...
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Colonel Buck and The WItch's Curse
I've read a lot of New England folklore in my time, and here's one thing I've learned: if a gravestone looks weird it will probably have a strange story attached to it. Is there a cage around the...
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Magical Mullein: Witches, Love and Captain Marvel
Well, summer is in full swing. One nice thing about living someplace with long winters is that I really appreciate all the vegetation when it finally appears in the summer. Everything here is bare for...
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H.P Lovecraft and The Witch from Boston
Rhode Island native and horror writer extraordinaire H.P. Lovecraft liked to incorporate New England history and folklore into his stories. He was particularly fond of local witch-lore, which shows up...
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Encountering Fairies at Mount Monadnock
One of the many nice things about this blog is that people tell me stories about the strange things they've encountered. I've heard quite a few ghost stories, but it is very rare that people tell me...
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On The Road: Elves in Iceland
Don't tell anyone, but last week I actually left New England. I know - it's shocking! I went to Iceland. And while this blog is called New England folklore, I thought you might enjoy reading some of...
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On The Road: Troll Legends in Iceland
Last week I went beyond my usual New England focus to write about elf-lore in Iceland, which I had recently visited. Please indulge me one more time, as I discuss Icelandic trolls. Next week I'm back...
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Something Grisly From Cape Cod: The Forgotten Bonnet
I was on Cape Cod recently and had dinner with friends who live in Wellfleet. I really recommend visiting Wellfleet if you can. It has beautiful old buildings from the 18th and 19th century, a bustling...
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A Mountain Lion in Brookline Massachusetts?
If you ever want to read strange things you should look through your town's police blotter. Many unusual occurrences happen every day and most people don't even notice - except for the police. For...
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Death's Head, Cherubs and Urns: Gravestone Art in Bradford Burial Ground
This past Saturday was cool and pleasant, and you could sense that fall is on the way. So why not get into the autumnal mood and visit a historic old cemetery? We decided to visit Bradford Burial...
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Malicious Pixies on the North Shore: A Story from Marblehead
What comes to mind when you hear the word 'pixie?' I tend to think of cute things that are boyishly feminine like pixie haircuts or manic pixie dream girls like Zoey Deschanel. I remember from my...
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Did H.P. Lovecraft Witness An Alien Autopsy?
Did H.P. Lovecraft witness an alien autopsy? I cannot tell you how happy I am to type that sentence. It's an absolutely insane question even to pose, but it brings together two things I love: horror...
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Cat Folklore, Part I: Do Cats Suffocate Babies?
My family had dogs and cats as pets when I was young. I loved them all, but for some reason I always thought of myself as a 'dog person' for many years. Maybe it was because dogs are friendly in such...
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Cat Folklore, Part II: Black Cats at Halloween
Despite New England's rich history of witchcraft and ghosts, Halloween has only been celebrated here since the mid-19th century. The first English settlers were Puritan and abstained from celebrating...
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A Gargoyle Sighting in Massachusetts?
Most paranormal reports fit into a few categories. There are your Bigfoot sightings, your ghostly encounters, and your UFO sightings. Those are the big three. Then there are also regional categories,...
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Peabody's Witch Rock: Occult Symbols Connected to The Salem Witches?
Do you have an extra $600,000 sitting around? Are you interested in New England history or witchcraft? If so you might want to purchase the house at 348 Lowell Street in Peabody, Massachusetts, which...
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Halloween Love Magic and Summoning Demons
People in 19th century New England often celebrated Halloween by performing love magic. Halloween did have the spooky supernatural aspect we love today but it was also a time for romance and...
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