As a nonfiction writer, I honed my chops writing about the weird, the paranormal, and the odd. This came full circle when a post from two years ago about Primitive Crow, an antiques and primitives store in Bozrah, Connecticut, recently saw an upsurge in website traffic. This is because the Primitive Crow was featured on the television show Ghost Nation. The episode explored the unusual goings-on at the store. I won’t give too much away since the program is definitely worth watching. It did make me reflect on some of my own adventures while backyard legend tripping.
Folklore was my first real impetus for writing for fun. Sure, I enjoyed in high school the research and writing process of extensive history papers, but my career as an author truly began when I took my thesis paper on folklore that I had written as an American Studies undergrad at Boston University, rephrased it to be more reader-friendly, and submitted it as a book proposal. This paper made me travel to Holy Land USA in Waterbury and to cemeteries and abandoned mental hospitals throughout New England. Featuring only the Connecticut sections of the paper, this became the groundwork for my first book, Connecticut Lore: Strange, Off Kilter and Full of Surprises.
My first book and the sequel, More Connecticut Lore, have been described as “offbeat travel guides.” Both contain more than strictly paranormal experiences, but most chapters do include something spooky in them. After writing these and time went on, I found myself wanting to step outside of the strictly scary stories realm. At times though, especially after recalling my own events at Primitive Crow, I’ve found that it’s fun to go back to my roots.
Backyard Legend Tripping.
I’ve said it a thousand times, but the idea of a backyard road trip has been ingrained in me since I was a child, as my parents schlepped me all around New England for trips that were equally for them as for me. We would stop at a toy store or a zoo, but also a historic home or nature preserve. As soon as I got my license, I started taking road trips of my own. These trips though were to investigate the “most haunted” places in Connecticut. These included trips to Burlington to find the Green Lady, to Easton for the White Lady of Union Cemetery, and to Hubbard Park in Meriden to search for the black dog. Eventually, my paranormal adventuring became literal research for my folklore essay and, years later, my books.
c/o of Jim Wheeler
Giving talks all across Connecticut for years in support of the Connecticut Lore titles, at most book readings, I was asked questions about my own experiences. Sure, there are a few tales that I relate from my own house, but those occurred before I was born. Ultimately though, my take on the paranormal is about the journey, just like searching for an out-of-the-way brewery. I love the adventure of legend tripping. I’m a bit of a skeptic when it comes to the actual stories, but the history and the investigation is what thrills me. It’s like solving a puzzle, finding where all the pieces fit.
My own experiences backyard legend tripping
Even though most of the time I can write off unusual happenings with logical explanations, there are a few that I cannot. Truthfully, the most vivid experience that I have had took place at the Primitive Crow. If you watch the episode of Ghost Nation and see the footage of a ball moving, I was there for that. Primitive Crow has been the site of investigations by TAPS, The Atlantic Paranormal Society, which became famous due to the Ghost Hunters television program.
During the first event, led by Traci Boiselle and Cody Desbiens, nothing very unusual happened until the very end when a distinct knocking was heard coming from the attic door. Fast forward two months and TAPS was back. Again, Beth Coletti, the owner of the Primitive Crow, had me come back to sign books in conjunction with the event. This time my wife joined us.
What’s in the attic?
While in the attic, my group was led by Cody. Speaking to a spirit, he asked a few questions. Loud footsteps could be heard walking on the attic’s wooden floorboards, becoming louder and softer as they moved. Knocking and footsteps were just the beginning though. The attic’s temperature was mild on that October night, although the thermometer reading of one section of the attic was significantly lower than the other side, a phenomenon I witnessed firsthand.
The most startling experience was when Cody placed a cat toy that lights up when manipulated on the ground. When Cody asked questions, the ball began to light up. At one time, it rolled in a circular fashion. Seeing this, after years and years of reading about and researching but altogether being skeptical of the paranormal, it was quite the experience. I even recorded the footage with a video camera. It wasn’t scary at all and even though I did witness it, the skeptic in me still finds it hard to believe. The clip below is via Youtube and is from that same event that I witnessed.
Seemingly Unbelievable
Paranormal experiences are interesting. For those that I tell this story to, many look at me as if I’ve had one too many craft beers before the event. I have one friend who swears by a truly startling experience he witnessed in upstate New York. He’s not the kind of guy to make stuff up. Another person that I was in close contact with when writing More Connecticut Lore, was a medium. He relayed a host of events that he was witness to, some of which seemed far-fetched but others that were eerily correct.
No matter what, my backyard legend tripping has brought me places I never knew existed, introduced me to folks whom I wouldn’t have known otherwise, and was the catalyst to my writing career.
If you have any scary stories to share, feel free to leave a comment or email me at backyardroadtrips@gmail.com. Make sure to visit the New England Specter Scribe website for all things creepy in New England. The website is that of webmaster extraordinaire, Lauren Middleton (who manages the Backyard Road Trips site). (Who I originally met through a book reading of mine a few years ago.)
