In Episode 384 Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger search for an ancient ghost haunting Saybrook Point in Connecticut. Today there’s a park that holds the remains of an old railroad roundhouse that was haunted by a ghost that threw objects and men around one spooky night. The event made the newspapers. Locals had a prime suspect, the spirit of a woman who was once buried nearby.
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Produced and hosted by: Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger
Edited by: Ray Auger
Theme Music by: John Judd
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:
*A note on the text: Please forgive punctuation, spelling, and grammar mistakes. Like us, the transcripts ain’t perfect.
[OCEAN SOUNDS]
RAY: Though it’s a chilly day, it’s still nice to be by the ocean in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.
JEFF: I agree. We know warmer days are ahead. We’re standing in Fort Saybrook Monument Park right next to the marina at Saybrook Point. The marina is mostly empty, but it’s easy to imagine how it will look in just a few months when the weather warms up. But yeah, for now there is a chill in the air.
RAY: I don’t like the way you said chill.
JEFF: Yeah, this week we’re chasing a real chiller here on Saybrook Point. Though today this is an affluent area with nice and expensive homes, a little over a century ago this park was home to a train depot that was involved in moving goods and people to and from these busy docks.
RAY: Yeah, this region used to be huge for shipping. Old Saybrook is just that. OLD. Given its location at the mouth of the Connecticut River, it’s got a nice harbor, access to water, and good land.
JEFF: It does have all of that. Today it’s picture-perfect New England coast. But back to that train depot. They say it was built on land that used to be a cemetery and maybe there was at least one below-ground resident who didn’t take kindly to being relocated. We’ve come to investigate Fort Saybrook Monument Park because according to a newspaper account this place… is haunted.
[INTRO]
JEFF: Hello, I’m Jeff Belanger and welcome to Episode 384 of the New England Legends podcast.
RAY: And I’m Ray Auger. Thanks for joining us on our mission to chronicle every legend in New England one story at a time. We’re always on the hunt for ghosts, monsters, roadside oddities, strange legends, and anything else that bumps in the night.
JEFF: A quick reminder that our annual Zombie Prom is happening Saturday, February 22nd at the Double Tree Hotel in Milford, Massachusetts. It’s $30 dollars at the door to get in and all proceeds go to benefit the Community Harvest Project and the great work they do. You can find more information on the event on our website or in the link in our episode description.
RAY: We’ll go searching for the ghost of Fort Saybrook Monument Park right after this word from our sponsor.
SPONSOR
RAY: So this place is called Fort Saybrook Memorial Park because just a couple hundred feet from where we’re standing in the parking lot is the square outline of what used to be a fortification that dates back to the 1600s.
JEFF: That square of land no doubt has its own storied history, but today we’re focused on this piece of land in front of us.
RAY: So this is pretty cool. There are a bunch of stone slabs on the ground in an arc. There are a couple of railroad tracks on two of them, and here’s a set of railroad wheels on the track. So this must have been the old round house.
JEFF: That it is. And ground-zero for this haunting.
RAY: As I said before Old Saybrook is indeed old. For many centuries this land was home to the Nehantic people. The Nehantic were conquered by the Pequots in 1590. Then Europeans arrived 1614 when Adrian Block sailed up the Connecticut River to explore for the Dutch. In 1631 the Earl of Warwick hooked up 11 of his closest friends with some prime real estate here in this region. One of those friends was Col. George Fenwick and his remarkable wife, Lady Alice Fenwick. The English were eager to beat the Dutch in settling this prime harbor town at the mouth of the river.
JEFF: The British did indeed succeed in settling here. George Fenwick served as its governor for a while. After some early turbulent years, Saybrook grew up into a busy harbor town. With more goods and people coming and going, the best way to get them in and out was a railroad. And this spot right here was perfect for a depot and railroad roundhouse. Close enough to the water and ships, nice level land. There was only one problem.
RAY: What’s that?
JEFF: There was a cemetery in the way. In 1871 in the name of progress, the cemetery was dug up and moved, and the depot, roundhouse, and turntable were built in its place which would open up Old Saybrook to the rest of New England and the rest of the country.
RAY: A roundhouse and turntable is a kind of stable for train engines. The engines can roll in, the giant turntable rotates, allowing the train to move into a stall, and then turn again to allow a different engine to pull out or pull in. Kind of like a parking lot for trains.
JEFF: Right. A busy and noisy place in its prime when it was in full operation. But at night… that’s a different story. So let’s head back to the year 1900 and investigate this haunt.
[TRANSITION]
RAY: It’s January of 1900 here in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. William McKinley is president of the United States, “I’d Leave My Happy Home for You,” by Edward M. Favor is the number one song, and life on the coast of Old Saybrook is bustling.
[RAIL SOUNDS, STEAM, BELLS]
JEFF: That it is. The roundhouse is a busy place. Being Friday, everyone is trying to get all of the trains in place before the weekend.
[RAIL SOUNDS FADE OUT]
JEFF: It’s about midnight and all is quiet here at the rail yard. There’s something about midnight that leaves us unsettled when we’re not safe in our beds and sleeping through it. It’s a time they say the graves yawn and give up their dead for at least a few hours.
RAY: We’re inside the train depot office. Sitting here is the night watchman, Charles Belcher. It’s quiet out there tonight. There’s not much for Belcher to do but keep himself awake.
[TICK TICK TICK OF CLOCK]
[WOOOSH]
[THUMP]
RAY: Did you just see that?!
JEFF: A large book on the shelf behind Belcher just flew off the shelf almost hitting his head, and landing on the floor.
RAY: That was really weird…
[WOOOSH]
[THUMP]
JEFF/RAY: Woah!
RAY: Another book from a different shelf just flew off and landed on the floor beside the first one.
JEFF: Belcher is in shock. He’s staring at the books on the floor. Like him, I have no idea what to make of what just happened.
RAY: Belcher is getting up from his chair and looking around. I mean there’s no one else in here. (BEAT) He’s bending over to pick up the books and setting them back on the shelf. He keeps looking over his shoulder. He’s clearly rattled.
[DOOR OPENS]
RAY: Belcher is heading outside to tell one of his coworkers what just happened. Or maybe it’s that Belcher doesn’t want to be alone right now.
[WALKING ON DIRT]
JEFF: We’re heading over to the nook where…
[MAN YELLING/FALLING]
[THUMP OF MULTIPLE BOXES]
JEFF: Did you see that?!
RAY: I did! That was Arthur Beebe. He was lying in a nook against the wall asleep and something tossed him from the shelf he was lying on.
JEFF: And some of the crates on the shelf were tossed on top of him. (BEAT) Arthur… are you okay?!
[GROAN]
JEFF: He’s getting up now.
RAY: Yeah, he’s fine, but definitely confused. And look at poor Charles Belcher.
JEFF: Belcher just watched Beebe get tossed just like the books in his office a few minutes ago. While Beebe may be confused, Belcher is petrified.
[TRAIN BELL RINGS THEN STOPS]
RAY: Was that?….
[TRAIN BELL RINGS THEN STOPS]
JEFF: Those are train engine bells coming from the round…
[TRAIN BELL RINGS THEN STOPS]
JEFF: …house
[RUNNING ON DIRT]
JEFF: Okay, there’s no one else in the roundhouse
[MANY TRAIN BELLS LOUD]
RAY: I’m completely freaked out now. Books and people are flying… train bells are ringing on all of the train engines.
JEFF: Did you see that over there?!
RAY: It looked like some kind of shadowy figure just darted by one of the train engines.
JEFF: I think I hear running footsteps out there too.
RAY: The night watchman and the other rail workers here on the overnight shift have gathered in the middle of the roundhouse. They plan on staying put until dawn.
JEFF: It’s been a long night. As Saybrook begins to wake up Saturday morning, word travels fast about the supernatural happenings that occurred here last night. These men, including Belcher and Beebe, are men of solid character, as are the other workers here. Plus, Saybrook already has its share of haunted houses where strange things bump in the night and cause a stir. So many aren’t shocked as to the roundhouse being haunted.
RAY: But the roundhouse is less than 30 years old. It’s not some ancient home where people have bene murdered or died.
JEFF: Some locals have their theories as to who is haunting the roundhouse and depot office.
RAY: Who do they say is haunting the railroad depot?
JEFF: More than a few have mentioned it must be the ghost of Lady Alice Fenwick.
RAY: Why her?
JEFF: So Lady Alice Fenwick and her husband, George helped found Saybrook colony way back in the 1630s. Lady Fenwick was beloved by all of her neighbors. She grew lush gardens and was considered a healer. She’d mix roots and herbs for the sick and many people got better. She not only had a way with plants, she was also a crack shot with a hunting rifle, and she could sail small boats with ease. Sadly, Lady Fenwick died during childbirth in 1645. Heartbroken, her widowed husband George buried his wife on Tomb Hill, then returned to England with his motherless kids.
RAY: Okay… this is getting clearer. Tomb Hill used to be located just outside the railroad roundhouse. But those graves had to be moved in 1870 to make room for the train tracks and new buildings.
JEFF: They did. When they were exhuming the body of Lady Fenwick back in 1870, she was still quite the local legend. The patron saint of Saybrook. Many people came to take a gander at the grave. When her casket was opened, they were shocked at how well preserved she was 225 years later. Even her fiery red hair was preserved. Some locals wanted a piece of her. A literal piece of her.
RAY: What did they do?
JEFF: They cut small locks of her hair, and took pieces of her rotting clothes as if she were a saint and these were relics. Her grave was then moved just a few hundred feet down the road to a new cemetery, and the train tracks were laid down the following year. Some people believe because her mortal remains were desecrated and her grave moved, her spirit now walks the earth, and maybe last night the ghost of Lady Fenwick made her presence known by causing a stir inside the train roundhouse and office. And that brings us back to today.
[TRANSITION]
RAY: The train tracks are long gone, as is the roundhouse. All that’s left are these stone slabs and a few monuments. And now Saybrook Point is a pretty and affluent residential area.
JEFF: Considering we’re so close, I do feel like maybe we should pay our respects to Lady Fenwick in her new final resting place. Well, new since 1870. It’s just up College Street here a little ways.
[WALKING]
RAY: So we’re entering Cypress Cemetery. There are a bunch of monuments here on acres of well-maintained land.
JEFF: But that’s the one we’re looking for over there.
RAY: There’s a strange group of stones with a larger stone resting on them it looks almost like a stone bench. The whole thing is surrounded by an oval wrought iron fence. I can see why they wouldn’t want people to touch the stonework. It looks fragile.
JEFF: Go ahead and read the sign, Ray.
RAY: It says: This tablet is erected to the memory of Lady Alice Fenwick who died in 1648. Daughter of Sir Edward and Lady Elizabeth Apsley. Widow of Sir John Boltier, wife of George Fenwick, Esquire, governor of Saybrook Colony 1639-1644.
JEFF: Some think the ghost of Lady Fenwick still roams Saybrook Point. Though the railroad roundhouse is long gone, there are just enough remains to stand where something spooked a bunch of hearty men at midnight when the graves yawn and let out the restless spirits lying below.
[OUTTRO]
RAY: A spooky place for sure. And that takes us to After the Legend where we dig deeper into this week’s legend and sometimes veer off course.
JEFF: After the Legend is brought to you by our Patreon patrons! Our patrons are the inner circle. They help us with all of the many and growing costs it takes to bring you two stories each week. We can’t do this without them, and we could do even more if you joined us. It’s just $3 bucks per month and for that you’ll get early ad-free access to new episodes, you’ll get bonus episodes and content that no one else gets to hear, you’ll get discounts on merch and tickets, and you’ll be part of something great. Just head over to patreon.com/newenglandlegends to sign up.
To see some pictures of the remains of the old roundhouse, click on the link in our episode description, or go to our website and click on episode 384.
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We’d like to thank our sponsors, thank you to our patreon patrons, and our theme music is by John Judd.
Until net time remember… the bizarre is closer than you think.
