The Dark Side of Cape Cod

Cape Cod is known for it’s beautiful beaches, charming shops, picturesque towns and relaxed lifestyle. Would you believe us if we told you that the Cape is also known for its haunted houses and ghosts?

One of the Cape’s most well known haunted establishments is the Orleans Inn. It wasn’t until after purchasing the Inn in 1996 that the owner Ed Maas discovered it was haunted. Apparently, three ghosts have been identified as a constant presence in the Inn. Fred, a bartender in the 1950s who hung himself in the cupola, Paul, a dishwasher in the 1970s who hung himself in the basement, and Hannah, who was murdered in the Inn during the 1920s.

The haunted Orleans Inn has been featured on the show “Ghosthunters,” where producers took over the Inn for two weeks to record paranormal activity. Voices were heard, shadows were seen and footsteps were heard in empty rooms. The episode featuring the Inn showed the most chilling footage of the ghost ‘Hannah.” After filmmakers asked Hannah a question she responded by turning on and off a flashlight. There is apparently a full conversation with the ghost recorded as well. According to the owner of the Inn and guests, the ghost presence is more of a special and interesting aspect of the hotel, rather than scary.

The next stop on the haunted house hunt is the Windy Gates house in Martha’s Vineyard. The house is located in the woods a few feet from the Wequobsket cliffs in Chilmark. The story begins with Lucy Sanford, a beautiful and wealthy widow who moved to the island in the late 1890s. Her husband built a house on land at Windy Gates and after his death she turned it into a manor. Unfortunately, Mrs. Sanford lost all of her wealth due to her extravagant lifestyle, and soon after more tragedy struck. Mrs. Sanford’s daughter’s husband disappeared, and soon after Mrs. Sanford’s daughter herself and another man who lived in the home (Mr. Seales) died. Both of these deaths were mysterious to say the least and Mrs. Sanford eventually left the property without a word.

To this day the disappearances and deaths at Windy Gates remains a mystery. People have said that there are unexplainable sights and sounds at Windy Gates, such as lights turning on and off and strange voices. It has also been claimed that apparitions have been seen in the home. People have noted a man dressed in clothing from earlier centuries lingering in the home and the surrounding grounds. There have also been sightings of a woman ghost who threw herself from the cliffs after learning that her husband died at sea. The Windy Gates is probably the last place that you want to be on Halloween.

These two ghost stories are only a small part of the haunted history that exists on the Cape. Believe it or not, Cape Cod is said to be one of the most haunted areas of the country. Most of the ghost stories and haunted houses that exist here have become just another part of what makes the Cape such a special place.

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