Blacksmith’s Tavern, Glastonbury CT 

At  Blacksmith’s Tavern, odd things happen late at night.  Appearing most often when few people are left in the building is the ghost of a young man with dark hair wearing a  rough fabric shirt and dark colored knickers.  A former waitress told the owner that she actually talked to the ghost, and that he said his name was Bill and that he had grown up in the house, and about his dying and leaving his pregnant wife and young child.  A historian researched the building and found that the builder of the house was Benjamin Taylor and one of his children was William.  William married and had a 6 year old daughter.  He died of consumption in his twenties while his wife was pregnant.  People say he seems more lonely and worried than scary.  Some of his doings include lights going on by themselves, locked and checked doors are found wide open, and stored frozen pastries have been discovered strewn all over the basement floor.  Blacksmith’s Tavern is at 2300 Main St., Glastonbury, CT  06033  Phone: 203-659-0366

           

    The Benton Homestead, Tolland

The Benton Homestead, a pre civil war home, is now a museum. During the Civil War, Elijah, who lived in the house, left to fight in the war. He left behind his fiance Jemima, who he would marry upon his return. Unfortunately when he returned he had a fatal disease, smallpox (?) and died. Jemima took care of him until his death, risking her own life to do so. She did indeed contract the disease herself and die. A female apparition has been seen. Men's voices have been heard from the basement.  People have described a cold, suffocating feeling upstairs, and general feelings of sadness and oppression are associated with the house.  On Metcalf Rd., Tolland, the phone number is (860)872-8673.

           

    Red Brook Inn, Old Mystic 

The Red Brook Inn in Old Mystic is actually comprised of two buildings: The Haley Tavern, circa 1740 with 7 guest rooms and the Crary Homestead, circa 1770 with three guest rooms.  Guests who have stayed in the North Room of the Crary Homestead have seen a white haired elderly woman wrapped in a black shawl.  The Inn offers a full country breakfast each morning in the Keeping Room where they keep a crackling fire going in the large hearth during the fall and winter months.  Nearby are the Mystic Aquarium and the Seaport Museum as well as historic atmosphere  and antique shopping.  Phone:  860-572-0349    e-mail:  Redbrookin@aol.com

And if you're already in Mystic, by all means visit the Mystic Seaport where you can even go onboard the whaling ship, the Charles W Morgan, which some say is haunted.  According to the Boston Globe (6/26/06) three people have independently  written to a local paranormal research group telling them that they had been very surprised to hear after their visit that there were no period dressed staff on the ship. Each email recounted a similar description of seeing "a man dressed in period clothing sitting on a pile of rope and smoking a pipe." All of the sightings were below deck in the room where the whale blubber would have been stripped from the whales.  So enjoy some history, keep an open mind and bring your camera!