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Old Town Cemetery
In the center of Watertown lies the very historical (and
some say very haunted) Old Town Cemetery. Erroneously called the Main Street Graveyard on other websites, Old Town Cemetery
is said to be the site of a multitude of paranormal activity, including "small orbs of light, low to the ground, floating
around," the sounds of "little girls crying and telling you to leave", as well as "doctors talking". There is
reportedly also the infrequent appearance of a soldier in a "dirty, torn war uniform" who follows you as you walk.
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| Don't do it ! |
The History
The cemetery is the final resting place of many Revolutionary War soldiers
and is, in fact, currently maintained by the Sarah Whitman Trumbull-Porter Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution
(DAR). The cemetery is rather large and appears to be populated in three of four quadrants, the fourth quadrant virtually
empty except for a monument and a grave map of the cemetery. Signs upon the upper entrance of the cemetery prohibit
the practice of gravestone rubbing in the interest of historical preservation. GHOST team
members primarily agree that other websites may not have the cemetery's proper name due to the fact that it's not posted upon
the more prominent, public gate on Main Street, but behind the cemetery at the rear entrance. The lower unoccupied quadrant
is the lowest ground in the cemetery and it is curious as to why it is almost completely devoid of stones, particularly when
the quadrant directly above it is excessively crammed with gravestones.
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| A view to the top |
The Evidence
On this day, Creepy Connecticut
staffers took video, photographic, audio, and EMF equipment to the site in order to substantiate the stated claims of the
hauntings. A sweep was done of the west, south and east borders of the cemetery, the north being lined by private residences.
Since the cemetery was closed to visitors, GHOST opted to walk the perimeter and film the proceedings.
Along the south side, toward the southeast corner, we had an unusally
high EMF fluctuation. We attempted to locate an obvious interfering source, but were unable to find one. At this
area, GHOST noticed that the old stone wall had been recently repaired, refurbished, or reconstructed
to include drainage pipes. We're not sure if this was the reason for the EMF fluctuations; nevertheless, this recent
construction was worth noting.
The gravestone that seemed to be attracting much of the EMF activity
was that of Daniel C. Foote (died December 16, 1853, aged 44) which sat just inside the south wall perimeter halfway down
French Street.
Since the sun was low, the video revealed the shadows of the videographer
and the EMF technician in the frame. Oddly, although they were the only GHOST members in
the vicinity at that time, there appeared a third shadow in the frame just behind the other two, just as the camera began
panning away from the area. This series of frames were slowed down and scrutinized closely before it was determined
that the third extra shadow was, in fact, being cast by a rather tall headstone as the westering sun touched its crown.
Phew! For a moment, we thought we had a rogue ghost soldier following behind us.
When all was said and done, GHOST found
no exceptional evidence to suggest paranormal activity . . . no orbs, EVPs, or apparitions.
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| The grave of Daniel C. Foote |
What's Next?
This evidence (or lack thereof) does not indicate, definitively, that
Old Town Cemetery is not haunted. However, it does put into question the reliability of the claims made previously.
Barring a higher than normal EMF reading, paranormally, this was an unexceptional site. Creepy
Connecticut will return to this site for a follow-up in the future.
GOOSEBUMP FACTOR: 0
Barry A. A. Dillinger
November 7th, 2005
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