By Sidney Perley, published March 1899 in the Essex Antiquarian "Moll Pitcher," the famous fortune-teller of Lynn, has no birth record. So the place of her first appearance in life cannot be thus determined. The tenement house, known as the " Old Brig," situated at the junction of Pond and Orne streets in Marblehead, is the reputed birthplace. The … Continue reading Moll Pitcher, the fortune-teller of Lynn and Marblehead
Peg Wesson, the Gloucester witch
An old legend about the Gloucester witch Peg Wesson is often mentioned, but never was it told in such detail as in this story, written by Sarah G. Daley and published in the Boston Evening Transcript, October 14, 1892. It was carried in papers throughout the country. It was March, 1745, and the company raised in Gloucester to join the … Continue reading Peg Wesson, the Gloucester witch
Haunted houses of Ipswich
These ghost stories were shared on Facebook. A friend of mine mentioned that a few years ago a realtor was getting ready to go out the front door at the Jonathan Pulcifer house on Summer Street, when he noticed a stack of old publications sitting on the bottom step, and oddly enough, on top was … Continue reading Haunted houses of Ipswich
The Witchcraft Trial of Elizabeth Morse of Newbury, 1680
Elizabeth Morse of Newbury was accused and found guilty of being a witch. She was initially sentenced to be hanged, but the execution was never carried out and, after spending a year in the Boston jail, Elizabeth Morse was sent home to live with her husband on the condition that she was forbidden to travel … Continue reading The Witchcraft Trial of Elizabeth Morse of Newbury, 1680
The Legend of Goody Cole, 1680
In Myths and Legends of our Own Time, Charles M. Skinner wrote the following story, based on two poems by John Greenleaf Whittier. Goodwife Eunice Cole, of Hampton, Massachusetts, was so "vehemently suspected to be a witch" that she was arrested in 1680 for the third time and was thrown into the Ipswich jail with a chain … Continue reading The Legend of Goody Cole, 1680
A romantic tale from the Great Snow, Feb. 12-24, 1717
Joshua Coffin’s history of Newbury recounts the romantic tale of Abraham Adams who walked three miles to visit his new wife Abigail, snowbound in her parents' home during the Great Snow which began on the 21st of February, 1717.Snow fell up to six feet deep, with drifts as high as 25 feet, covering some houses over as high as … Continue reading A romantic tale from the Great Snow, Feb. 12-24, 1717
“A Good Heat,” a short tale from Newburyport
From Reminiscences of a Nonagenarian, by Sarah Anna Emery In the latter half of the 18th Century, Mr. Gordon had a shipyard forge between Atkinson Common and Cashman Street. This gentleman was somewhat economical in his household and shop. At that period, cheese was a customary appendage of the dinner table, being considered an accessory … Continue reading “A Good Heat,” a short tale from Newburyport
Dogtown, its history and legends
Dogtown is an area in central Gloucester of about five square miles, or 3600 acres, stretching from the Riverdale section of the city, north of Route 128, into Rockport, and including the Goose Cove and the Babson Reservoirs. Development is banned in this protected municipal watershed. Dogtown is known for its woods and for its … Continue reading Dogtown, its history and legends
Wreck of the Hesperus, January 6, 1839
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem was inspired by the Blizzard of 1839, which ravaged the North Shore for 12 hours, starting on January 6, 1839. Twenty ships and forty lives were lost during the storm. The probable subject of the story is the schooner Favorite, which sank on a rock called Norman's Woe off the coast of Gloucester, … Continue reading Wreck of the Hesperus, January 6, 1839
Col. Doctor Thomas Berry, “Last of the Ipswich Aristocracy”
Thomas Franklin Waters wrote that in the first half of the Eighteenth Century, Col. Thomas Berry was the most conspicuous citizen of the Town, "Autocrat of his time, Magistrate, Military leader, Physician and Statesman." Born in Boston in 1695 and a graduate of Harvard, he married Martha Rogers, daughter of the Rev. John Rogers of Ipswich in … Continue reading Col. Doctor Thomas Berry, “Last of the Ipswich Aristocracy”
