By LANNAN M. O’BRIEN
Even the most picturesque, family-friendly tourist destination isn’t without the occasional ghost story. It could be argued, even, that Cape Cod is particularly prone to hauntings because of its rich history. Whether you’re a believer or not, there are certain locations on our man-made island that seem to be a bit scarier than others—and as a result, have become the subjects of local legend. Curious? Read on to learn about three of the most famous, but be prepared to be spooked!
SAGAMORE CEMETERY
On Sandwich Road at the corner of Ben Abbey Road is a small cemetery that, even if you don’t know it well, you’ve likely passed it by countless times. The Sagamore Cemetery serves as the final resting place for many old Cape Cod families. Here, you’ll find headstones bearing the names of sea captains and war veterans, including Civil War soldiers.
But for some of those buried here, it wasn’t their first resting place.
It is the subject of a story retold by the Enterprise just last year, and covered by a number of other media sources (including the 2004 book “Cape Encounters: Contemporary Cape Cod Ghost Stories,” by Dan Gordon and Gary Joseph). During the construction of the Cape Cod Canal in 1909, 62 bodies were moved from two small cemeteries to the Sagamore Cemetery. But in the process, some remains were paired with the wrong headstones, and it is said that the souls of some of those affected haunt the cemetery.
One is the spirit of Isaac Keith of Keith Car Works, who was properly identified and buried at the turn of the 20th century. Supposedly, he has still not rested, along with the soul of Emory Ellis, who attempted to halt the digging at Ellis Cemetery, a family plot, during the construction of the canal. Those who visit the cemetery have reported cold sensations and the scent of cigar smoke (both Keith and Ellis are said to have smoked cigars).
DILLINGHAM HOUSE
Formerly the home to one of Sandwich’s founding families, the Dillingham House is the source of chilling tales. Originally built in the 1650s at the location of the Dunbar Tea Room, the house was moved to 71 Main Street and was then occupied by Branch Dillingham—the grandson of Edward Dillingham, a founding father of the Cape’s oldest town—and his family. Tragically, both Branch and his wife died in 1813, leaving their nine children to care for themselves.
Exactly what happened to the children is not known, but local lore says that the ghosts of the family have remained in the house ever since. Lights turning on and off, door latches mysteriously lifting and strange odors have been reported in the house over the years, both while it was vacant and for a period of time when it operated as a bed and breakfast. On occasion, even police officers have witnessed strange occurrences.
Crystal LaPine, formerly a Sandwich police officer, is quoted in “Cape Encounters” about her experiences checking the house for alarms in the 1980s. Previously a ghost story skeptic, LaPine described doors opening, lights turning on and even a microwave oven turning on by itself. In the book, she says she distinctly heard footsteps on other floors, and she and another officer saw a rocking chair rocking, as well as lace curtains blowing with no breeze, open window or even a heat source. LaPine is quoted as saying, “I’ve searched my brain high and low for a reason. I just know that it doesn’t end when they put you in the ground. That’s the only certainty that I’ve come away with.”
BARNSTABLE HOUSE
There is one local home that doesn’t shy away from its spooky reputation: The Barnstable House, located on Main Street in Barnstable’s historic district, was featured on the show “Ghost Hunters” in 2015. Today, The Barnstable House website (www.barnstablehouse.com) proudly shares its haunted history and is even available for private tours.
The house was built in Scituate around 1713 and moved to Barnstable only a few years later. It was owned by James Paine, the grandfather of Robert Treat Paine, who was among those who signed the Declaration of Independence. In the years since, the building changed hands several times, with each of its occupants contributing to a fascinating, and sometimes unsettling, history. Now known as “the house of 11 ghosts,” the building was even visited by the New England Society of Paranormal Investigations, which reportedly recorded a woman humming in the attic.
Visitors have claimed to see a woman wearing a flowing gown with a high collar. According to the Barnstable House website, there was a fire at the house in the 1970s, and three responding firefighters saw a woman of this description in the window—but when they attempted to rescue her, they found no one inside.