Real Haunted Stories – A Haunting in Martha’s Vineyard

When you think Martha’s Vineyard first thing that comes to mind —- go!

– WASP?

– Presidential vacations

– American dream

– ghosts

wait – what? Well, now that it’s Halloween season, I figured there is no better time than to share my first paranormal experience.  Welcome to Stephanie’s first Real Haunted Stories – A Haunting in Martha’s Vineyard. Was it real? Well, let me just tell you what happened to me and you can decide for yourself.

Real Haunted Stories – A Haunting In Martha’s Vineyard

Some friends of mine had a cottage for the weekend in Martha’s Vineyard back in August and asked me if I wanted to join. Ummmm hello – free house in Martha? Who turns THAT down. I made sure Claudio had a few Jets games coming up to even out the trade and booked my RSVP.

Everything about Martha’s Vineyard is picture perfect  – in fact, it’s so perfect, I referred to is as “so perfect you want to puke.” Everything from the manicured lawns, to American flags on every front porch, to the perfectly pruned flower pots, to the just-faded-enough beach signs hanging outside every store. Seriously – there wasn’t a flaw to be found. Until I went to sleep.

When we first got our cottage it too was picture perfect as well. A cute two-story cottage next to the water by the ferry to Chappy. (If you don’t know Chappaquiddick is where the infamous Ted Kennedy murder happened too – it’s where he ‘supposedly’ couldn’t get help in time after going off a bridge-  just more Real Haunted Stories). It had the customary white-picket front porch, and the old musty smell when you walk in. The bedrooms were on the bottom, and the staircase swirled around to a kitchen up top, and open living room that had a patio deck. ADORABLE. Until 4 am.

It is eerily quiet in Martha at night. Dead silence. So when I heard the first noise that woke me up, I figured it was just because of the silence, I could hear anything. Then it happened again – it literally sounded like someone was moving the kitchen chairs around upstairs – just like someone was pulling it out to sit in it, and then get up, and push it back. W. T. F. It did this about 4 different times or at least at that point my heart was beating so loud it drowned out anything else. I was so scared I couldn’t sleep. I was TRYING to not hear it but my adrenaline was pumping and ANY little sound was setting me off. Needless to say I didn’t get much sleep and woke up looking like this…

I asked Lydia and Matt if they had heard anything?Nope. And these are New Yorkers too? How were they sleeping through such quiet at night??

So we went about our day – and I tried to forget about it. Martha is so beautiful it’s easy to forget quickly – from renting American-style bikes (cue the Summertime Song),

to jumping off bridges,

to lunch with the Attorney General

and Dinner with President Obama  – ghosts were the farthest thing from mind.

Until we went back to our hotel. Now, the hotel is ENORMOUS and has a bunch of rooms in the main hotel as well, and then has the mini cottages scattered around in the back. It also has this creepy, never-updated bar in the far back bottom of the hotel.

After dinner with POTUS, we decided to grab a drink here and check it out. I felt a little like Anthony Bordain at this point, and after a few glasses of $20 wine and some blueberry beer, I grew some balls.

I asked the bartender straight up – “Tell me the truth – this place is haunted isn’t it.” Now, being that we’re tourists I figured he’d shrug his shoulders, kick around some dirt on the floor and then rush over to help other patrons. Instead – he quickly added, “of course it is! Everything on this island is haunted! You want to hear some real stories? let me get some of the maids that live here all year …”

My mouth dropped. Lydia was laughing. Maybe we shouldn’t have been strolling in the local cemetery the moment we got into the island.

Then this little Dominican maid came over and told us how a sailor comes and showers in  her quarters regularly. Ummmm WHAT THE FFFFFFFFFF? She said the FIRST TIME she saw a man walking out of her bathroom and it freaked her out. There was even water AND sand in the shower like someone had just used it. She mentioned this to the management and they said – oh, that’s just one of the sailors that used to live here. He’s a nice ghost.

She then informed us there are a lot of ghosts that move around the island as well, and you’ll see them and/or hear them, if you happen to be looking or listening for them. WELL THERE GOES MY SLEEP FOR THE NIGHT. ANOTHER BEER PLEASE.

And it happened again. 4 am. The. Exact. Same. Thing. I heard the chairs shuffling around upstairs. OH MY GOD THIS IS REAL. I looked over at Lydia – knocked out cold. “LYDIA!” I yelled in a whisper – and nothing. I was alone on this one again. Why was I the only one hearing it? Was it REAL?? It moved again. I was pinned with fear. This HAD to be real. THERE WAS SOMETHING UPSTAIRS.

So what does one do when having a paranormal experience?

Ride it out. I mean, what was I supposed to do? Run outside and see MORE ghosts? Swim across the ocean to the main land? F MAN – it was the WORST TWO NIGHTS OF MY LIFE.

When I tell people this story they ask me why I DIDNT go upstairs to investigate. Ummmmmm sorry I am NOT getting paid thousands of dollars by the Discovery Channel to go upstairs with a camera crew and EVP machine to see what’s happening. The LAST THING I wanted was to see some creepy demon with laser beam red eyes glaring at me for being in ITS home. No thanks. (unless wink wink you WANT me to go back Discovery Channel – we could try to summon the spirits again haha).

And I still had ONE MORE NIGHT TO GO!

This lead to a wild island hunt of sleeping pills and making sure the dehumidifer worked. I would drug myself and drown out ANY sounds this night to finally get some sleep. And what happens? At 4 am I KID YOU NOT the dehumifier starts beeping because it’s full of water. Lydia immediately jolts awake for this – “What IS THAT? WHAT”S HAPPENING??” I am groggy from the sleeping pills and trying to figure it out… I think it’s full of water?

She says to unplug it let’s go to bed but I CAN’T! Ironically I am awake again at 4 am and now it’s dead silence again? I HAVE to get this thing working. However, I am so out of it, I am trying to FILL it with MORE water wondering why it’s still beeping??? FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SOMEONE HELP ME OUT HERE!

And then I finally realize I need to DUMP the water in our shower. Ahhhhh – loud, humming bliss. And I left the bathroom fan running too. And the light. Only 3 more hours to go…..

We packed up that morning and headed off for the ferry. I looked back at the island as it got smaller and smaller in the distance and wondered if I would be leaving my night demons behind as well. Needless to say, I haven’t had ANY issues since. But it makes you wonder – 4 am every night? Seems to concideidental to be true. I have convinced myself it was just a happy sailor eating breakfast before heading off to sea, but FORGET it if you think I’ll sleep in THAT house again. (But if Lydia asks me to go back and try ANOTHER room in the Kelley House – I am game. I’ll just be sure to bring a fan, sleeping pills and TONS of Jack Daniels. Maybe an EVP machine).

 

Have you ever been to Martha’s? Have you experienced anything similar or just had a paranormal experience in general? I’d LOVE TO KNOW! I really hope I don’t stand alone here and am going crazy in old age!

Want to read more creepy stories?

Well, since I have only ever had ONE paranormal experince, I don’t have any others to share – but I HAVE become a little obsessed with ghosts, and you can read my:

Amityville Horror House Expedition on Brunch with my Baby coming up this week!