Ghosthunting Southern New England. Andrew Lake
the Fearing family for two hundred years. It would also play an important part in the history of Wareham.
The old Boston Post Road, known today as Elm Street, ran right in front of the Fearing Tavern. Stagecoaches would stop here and unload their weary travelers for food, drink, and a place to spend the night. The tavern’s Tap Room, or Publik Room, was not only a place for passengers to refresh themselves, but also a place for town business to be discussed by Wareham’s selectmen. Grog, the common drink in those days, was served to the town officials during these meetings at the taxpayers’ expense. People were not the only important cargo carried by the stagecoaches; mail was also delivered and picked up here, making the tavern also the town’s post office. The small room that served as the post master’s office is still in place on the first floor as is the well-restored Tap Room.
From the early 1940s to the late 1950s, the Akins family owned the property and ran the aptly named Akins Diner. They also lived in the old Fearing homestead while running their business. No one from the Akins family will go on record about whether anything “strange” went on in the old tavern while they lived there, but locals say they have heard rumors of such happenings.
In 1957 Ernie Blanchard bought the tavern and adjacent diner from the Akins family. Ernie replaced the original wooden diner for an O’Mahoney model, but found it too small, so he changed it out for the larger one that is there today. The Blanchards chose not to live in the Fearing Tavern because it was badly in need of repair and had no modern conveniences, although they appreciated the significance of the historic building and felt it should be saved. In 1958 Mr. Blanchard donated the tavern to the Wareham Historical Society and so began the difficult task of polishing this amazing gem.
A successful campaign to raise funds allowed the historical society to hire building contractors skilled in the art of restoring old homes. Their talents are evident the moment one approaches and enters the building. All the rooms are furnished with eighteenth- and nineteenth-century pieces, some of which are original to the home. The tavern is almost exactly the way it was in the days the Fearing family owned it. There is no plumbing and only a few electric lights. The museum has a telephone, but it is well hidden from view and is only used for necessary communications. Some of the best paranormal investigators in southern New England believe the Fearing Tavern holds more than just material objects from its past. This writer agrees.
On the evening of September 24, 2008, the historical society allowed the hosts of Spooky Southcoast Radio to conduct the first-ever paranormal investigation of the Fearing Tavern Museum. The host of the program, Tim Weisberg, and his science advisor, Matt Moniz, invited along an expert in electronic voice phenomenon (EVP for short) named Mike Markowicz, as well as local paranormal enthusiast Carlston Wood and me to help out. Earlier in the evening, I hung out with the team at the diner to hear tales of strange happenings in the old tavern. Besides whispers that the Atkins family had experiences they kept to themselves, I was told about unearthly lights seen moving about the building when it was unoccupied. Those who witnessed these lights did not believe that the energy producing the brightness was nothing more than flashlights used by people exploring the empty house.
The Toy Room. A strange little light was captured on infrared video coming out of the wall on the left and traveling to the dolls on the shelf.
Carlston Wood’s daughter, Ashley, stopped by to tell us about an exceptional moment she and a girlfriend shared one summer afternoon while on a guided tour of the museum. The two teenaged girls were taking up the rear as the tour group exited one of the upstairs bedrooms, their guide leading the way. They both turned to take one last look at the room, and as they turned back to walk through the doorway, their eyes met. “I think we must have had the same expression on our faces. We turned to look back into the room and she was gone, but the rocking chair was still moving. We looked at each other without saying a word and then we caught up with the group downstairs.” They later told the guide what they had seen; the translucent form of an old woman, sitting in the rocking chair, knitting. The guide told the two girls she believed them and left it at that.
As for our team’s investigation that night, we did not go home disappointed. We felt honored to be given first crack at catching any evidence (or as we like to call it, data) that could back up the claims that the tavern is haunted. Just to be allowed into this fantastic museum, at night, with all our equipment, was a thrill in itself. We were, of course, not left alone in the tavern. A member of the historical society, Carol McMarrow, was there to keep an eye on things, just in case. When you see for yourself the wonderful antiques held within the place, you will understand why. In addition to Carolyn, a few other people from the society dropped by to check out the investigation.
After we had taken in the whole layout of the house, members of the team and the folks from the historical society took a walk down Elm Street to see the Tremont Nail Company. The only living souls left behind were Matt Moniz, Carolyn, and I. Since the house was now quiet, I took the opportunity to conduct an EVP session in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Matt and Carolyn were downstairs talking about the society’s need for volunteers. Later, when the audio recording was played back, the unmistakable sound of someone “shushing” Matt and Carolyn could be heard. It happened right as the two of them were speaking at the same time.
The other interesting bit of data caught by my equipment was a strange, flickering ball of light. I had placed a video camera recorder on infrared in the small room above the Tap Room. This was where the tavern would have stored spirits for the bar. The museum uses it to display period-piece toys and dolls. More than an hour into the recording, a small, almost shimmering light came out of the wall, moved slowly through the air, and went into an antique doll on a shelf. All who have seen the footage agree that it is not dust, nor is it a bug. It is just plain weird. Whenever I consider this pixie-like light I can’t help thinking about one of the startling class A (meaning absolutely clear) EVPs recorded by Mike Markowicz that night. It is the voice of a young girl asking, “Wanna play dress up?”
Some believe the building’s confusing architecture, created over the years by the several additions to the original house, was used to hide escaping slaves on the Underground Railroad. There is even a tale of a British soldier who hid in the house from the local militia by taking advantage of a space found on the second floor, between the first and second structures. It has also been said there was a tunnel which led from the tavern’s cellar to the Tremont Nail Company. In 1977 the founder of the Wareham Historical Society, the late Raymond A. Rider, recorded his doubts about the Fearing Tavern being used as a station on the Underground Railroad. He also stated that he and the builders found no evidence of a tunnel during the restoration. However, another EVP recorded by Mike makes us wonder if the tales are really true after all. It is a male voice with a slight southern accent saying, “We got’em mouse holes in here.” The term “mouse hole” can sometimes mean a place of hiding.
Towards the end of the night, Tim, Mike, and I were in the attic using a “ghost box,” which is nothing more than a digital radio, altered to constantly scan the AM band. The theory behind this device is that it lets one hear EVPs live as they are captured, instead of waiting later to listen to an audio recording. I am skeptical about this method of catching spirit voices, but what we heard come out of the radio’s speaker made our jaws drop. While getting some intriguing responses to Tim’s questions, I stepped in and asked, “Are we talking to a red man or a white man?” and the almost immediate response was, “Black woman.” As ghosthunters and New Englanders, the team and I all agree that the haunted Fearing Tavern is one of our favorite locations.
CHAPTER 3
The Lizzie Borden Bed-and-Breakfast/Museum
FALL RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS
ON AUGUST 4, 1892, the city of Fall River, Massachusetts, became the center of media attention when the bodies of Andrew Borden and his wife, Abby, were found brutally murdered in their home at 92 Second Street. It is believed that the killer used a hatchet to mutilate the heads of both victims. Investigators concluded that Mrs. Borden