FrightFest Bloggy #3- Folklore, Urban Legend, Ghost Stories

[ThatGirl]

Are there local legends you've heard that are not as widely recognized that you could share with us?

Being from the Northeast United States, there were a few I carried in my "baggage" until about age 16. The Jersey Devil of the Pine barrens 

(not this one)

is a popular tease for local Halloween events

and addressing letters to friends who still live in Sleepy Hollow, still reminds me of one historically significant American legend.

       

The ghost stories seemed to be in abundance along with one infamous house which people still argue over.

  

There are also many legends surrounding the MASS closings of psychiatric institutions within the tri-state area. I'd prefer not to address but only to mention that the largest of those, Pilgrim State, is most commonly mentioned as being haunted.

[NatureJunkie]

Ah, urban legends! Without a doubt, the scariest books I ever read weren't horror novels. They were non-fiction books by Professor Jan Harold Brunvand about the phenomenon of urban legends. I read four of his books in the 80s when I was working my way through college as a school janitor at night. In general I was not afraid to work in an empty school at night by myself. But after reading one of his books on my dinner break, I could hardly wait to get the hell out of there.

[Geoff]

There was a wonderful documentary/fiction hybrid that came out several years ago about a director trying to make a pilot for a projected cable series "Provincial Puzzlers." That much is true. It was gonna be an exploration of local urban legends but the pilot took a turn when the local legend failed to perform as expected. I really recommend the movie, which is called "The Hole Story". (Confusingly, there is another documentary sharing that title about mining.)

The Hole Story Trailer by indiepix

I used to go to a library, the Boston Athenaeum, that was built partly over an old graveyard, the Granary Burial Ground that dates back to about 1660. The building actually has a little notch carved out at ground level to let the graveyard extend to its fullest extent. See the little arch in the upper right of the photo? I always thought that had great ghost story possibilities.

[ThatGirl]

@Geoff - It's strange to see where graveyards end up residing as life spreads out around them.  Out here I see alot next to apple orchards, behind schools and parks and there is one in Little Silver next to a beautiful bistro's .  Reminds me of the reasons I'm going full-on ashes before the clock ticks midnight on my last day- but not until I'm ACTUALLY dead.

[S.A. Murray]

I made a video thingy :D