Out and About and a Ghostly Bit

The last week has been full of being out and about speaking to various groups. We had amazing turnouts at our talks at the Sandy Spring Museum and the Goshen Historical Society. On Saturday we went to the Hyattstown Mill Arts Project’s annual St. Paddy’s Day Poetry and Potluck. Dorothy read a modified version of the Little Bennett story and we enjoyed a lively, creative evening of poetry, prose, music and art. You can’t ask for more than that!

Hyattstown Mill, ca. 1918. From HMAP.

One of the the things we really enjoy about speaking at different groups is that we almost always come away with a lead or two for new stories or more about some of the stories that are already in the book. I would have expected no less at Sandy Spring and Goshen, two of the best represented, most haunted places in ISOMG:MC, but we had nothing for Hyattstown,  or much in that part of the county. We went with great hopes that someone would have a tale to tell and we were not disappointed! So, in the spirit of St. Paddy’s Day, I have decided to share with you our story writing process; how we find a story and where we begin. This is not the finished product, but what happens at the beginning, when we know just a little history and have been given the briefest of paranormal tales. The rest comes after much research is done and some colorful prose has been crafted.

The Hyattstown Mill, a grist mill, was built in 1918 on the site of an older mill complex, ca. 1790. It ceased operations in the 1930s. The mill is located in Little Bennett Regional Park and is operated by the Hyattstown Mill Arts Project.  One day, one of the artists that works at the mill was alone on the second floor when she saw an apparition of a woman.

And there you have it. The beginning of a new story. Perhaps something for volume 2…

 

Putting Flesh on the Bones of a Ghost Story

Thanks to my friend Shellie, I have a guest blog on the writer’s blog, The Rockville 8, on inserting history into a ghost story. I hope you enjoy it! http://rockville8.blogspot.com/2012/10/putting-flesh-on-bones-of-ghost-story.html

Honeysuckle Hill

Also in Goshen is Honeysuckle Hill, home to two tragic spirits. Near the house is the family cemetery. The cemetery is very overgrown, but we did manage to find the tombstone  for  Annie Linthicum. She is one of the ghosts of Honeysuckle Hill. Her stone reads ‘”Though he slay me, yet, will I trust in him. ”

You can also see my children, Mira and Jered, climbing over the wall that surrounds the cemetery. The step ladder is there because there is no gate or entrance to the cemetery. The only stairs are on the inside of the wall. Has anyone heard or seen something like this elsewhere? These photos are thanks to my friend Joanna, who managed to take much better photos of the cemetery than Dorothy or I.

Old Goshen Church

The Old Goshen Church dates back to 1790, although current building was built following the Civil War. It was originally a Methodist meetinghouse. There have been multiple sightings of a skeletal ghost near the church. Another story prominently features an oak leaf motif. We searched the graveyard looking for a gravestone that had what could be called a stylized oak leaf. We found many different kinds of leaves, but this is the only thing that came close. What do you think?