History and Haunts

One of the perks to studying and investigating claims of ghostly encounters is that many of the cases have fascinating connections to history which frequently turn out to be even more interesting than the experiences themselves.

This is especially true here in Connecticut, where our history is filled with haunting stories ranging from Revolutionary War sites, to popular theaters, to homes of famous Americans. Over the 15-year history of our organization we’ve found that history and haunts go hand-in-hand around here!

If you’re looking for some well-documented ghost stories then you’ll be happy to know that every corner of our state is home to some of the greatest historical haunts. And we’re not just talking your run-of-the-mill apparition haunting a house or strange encounters in cemeteries either!

Here in Connecticut you can find a spectral figure that plays a pipe organ, a phantom ship that is spotted on Long Island Sound, and the spirits of P.T. Barnum’s circus animals, which are said to roam a Bridgeport cemetery. And that’s just along the coastline!

In addition to the hundreds of recognizable locations with ghostly tales about them, there are countless private ones that people have confided in us knowing that they will never be made public, and these are some of the most interesting cases for us.

When a public location has a haunted history and is willing to allow for an investigation to be conducted the results can be quite spectacular, especially if documentation seems to support the claimed experiences. But often times it’s the lesser-known locations that yield some of the most interesting tales.

Our Field Team has conducted investigations of many private residences and businesses, both located in structures that are old and new, and several times through these investigations we have uncovered unknown pasts about these sites.

At times this has been aided by the use of one of our Intuitive Investigators - an individual that has demonstrated any number of abilities considered to be extrasensory or psychic in nature. They may “pick up on” or “identify” a name, date, or an area that after further research reveals something that even the owners of the location were unaware of. And that is exciting!

People share stories with us because they know we are not going to turn around a post them online, or spread it around town that their location has been reported to have a resident ghost. In fact, the majority of investigations and research that our Field Team conducts is never seen by the public, and that’s perfectly fine with us because the stories we hear and the history that we learn about is always captivating.

Whether we uncover documentation that suggests a site is haunted or not, there’s nothing quite like having the opportunity to spend some time in Connecticut’s most historical places. When it comes to these sites, the old saying that “they don’t make ‘em like the used to” is absolutely true.

From the very beginnings of the SGRA we have appreciated the need to support historical preservation. We feel that it is important for anyone - seeking ghosts or not - to realize that if these sites are forgotten about, than the stories connected to them will become lost as well.

Perhaps this is why so many historical places seem to have spirits from the past that act as reminders to those in them to keep the history alive! After all, an afternoon visit to a local historical cemetery is one way to feel the presence of the past.