Come Meet Some Ghosts (But Leave Little Ones At Home)

Be prepared to meet some real town ghosts on this guided tour! Tours last for about an hour. 

Tickets:

• Adults - $5
• Children under 12 - $3
• Family - $15

It might be a good idea to leave the little ones home for this spooky tour. 

(Raindate is Oct. 29)

From the Madison Historical Society, here are some of the ghosts you might meet:

"Captain Edward Griffin (1762-1802):  Captain Griffin was not a nice guy!  He was thought to have been a slave trader, a dishonest merchant, and an abusive father to his son.  He lived in the finest house in Madison, but he spent most of his time at sea where he ran his vessels from Boston to Haiti.  At the end of his life, he retired to land and operated a mill on the Hammonasset River, but neighbors and family learned to steer clear of the Captain, especially if he was in a bad mood.  

Daughter of Sebequanash (c. 1625 - ?): Although the name of this Hammonasset Indian Princess is lost, it is known that she married the great sachem, Uncas, about 1640 and became one of his many wives.  After their marriage, Uncas sold the lands belonging to the Hammonasset Indians to the English and moved the small tribe from their native lands to the Niantic River.  The Indian maiden returns to haunt the shoreline and hills of Madison where she spent the happy days of her youth before the arrival of the English.   

Anna Pavelka (1871-1907): Born in Hungary, Anna immigrated to New York where she married a fellow Hungarian, Paul Pavelka, Sr.  After a son was born, the couple moved to Madison and purchased a farm.  Life was hard on their new farm, and Anna found it difficult being a foreigner in the new country.  In 1907 Anna died tragically when she fell on a pitchfork.  Was it an accident?  Coincidentally, very soon after Anna’s death, Paul married a very young and beautiful woman.  Even though she was dead, this new marriage did not sit well with Anna!

Lieutenant Ichabod Scranton (1717-1760):  A local militia man, Scranton was recruited during the French and Indian War to join the British Army in the 1760 expedition to Montreal.  At the end of the expedition, Scranton and his men started the long march home to East Guilford (now Madison.)  Unfortunately, they were exposed to smallpox in Albany, and by the time they reached the borders of East Guilford, many of the small troop had fallen ill. They were forced into quarantine, sequestered on a plot of land that had been set aside for those with the deadly disease.  One by one, the men died and were buried on this piece of land now known as “The Smallpox Cemetery.”      

Reverend Herbert H. Hayden (1850- c. 1920): Hayden was a Methodist minister in North Madison in 1879 when he was accused of the violent murder of Mary Stannard in the Rockland area of Madison.  The community was stunned; how could the gentle, mild-mannered man of God possibly have committed such a heinous crime?  Hayden’s trial for murder was covered by newspapers across the country. He proclaimed his innocence with his young wife, Rosa, standing by his side.  In the end, the courts could not find enough evidence to convict Hayden.  Many wonder, to this day, if the young minister got away with the murder of Mary Stannard."