Haunted Rhode Island

In 1524, Italian navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano was the first European to visit any part of what is now Rhode Island. He came to what is now Block Island and named it "Luisa" after Louise of Savoy, Queen mother of France. When the founders of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations surveyed the land, they thought that Aquidneck Island was the place. A mistake occurred in 1690, when Luisa was charted by the Dutch explorer Adriaen Block, after whom Luisa was renamed by the Dutch West India Company; however, their motives in doing so are unknown The official explanation by the State of Rhode Island is that Adriaen Block named the area "Roodt Eylandt" meaning "red island" in reference to the red clay that lined the shore, and that the name was later anglicized when the region came under British rule. Wiki

I have a personal theory and have heard the theory before well it is that the original 13 colony's of The USA as well the areas with most native Americans are more likely to be be even more haunted. i do not just say this because of human life but rather human emotion human crime human passion sadness fear war and the longest history of death. There is also the recording theory's stones recording the past we have a lot of granite and other stone that are said to be able to record history the more violent, emotional and loud the better the recording, This is when you see a repetitive event that happens over and over again,Like a women walking past a certain tree several people seeing the same thing over the years (most often known as a residual haunting) this is more a scientific theory. well I am not sure why Rhode island has so many Hauntings and stories but it has been interesting finding out all I can..

During the late 18th and 19th centuries the belief in vampires was widespread in parts of New England, particularly in Rhode Island and Eastern Connecticut. There are many documented cases of families disinterring loved ones and removing their hearts in the belief that the deceased was a vampire who was responsible for sickness and death in the family, although the term "vampire" was never actually used to describe the deceased. The deadly disease tuberculosis, or "consumption" as it was known at the time, was believed to be caused by nightly visitations on the part of a dead family member who had died of consumption themselves. The most famous, and most recently recorded, case of suspected vampirism is that of nineteen-year-old Mercy Brown, who died in Exeter, Rhode Island in 1892. Her father, assisted by the family physician, removed her from her tomb two months after her death, cut out her heart and burned it to ashes.

Wiki.

Here are a few Haunted places in RI What is nice about Rhode Island is how small the state is you can get from one end to the other in little time they say Ri island is huge for such a tiny state well again here are a few of the spooky things

Featured in travel channels scariest places Slater Mill Pawtucket, RI is top for haunted Mills using child labor in the old days they say children can still be heard it has been investigated by ghost hunters and has had tours since my husband was a child you can still schedule tours.

Providence - Fairfield Inn by Marriott
very old ghostly man seen in Colonial era clothes who comes right up to you and talks

Newport - Hotel Viking
In the back part of the hotel a phantom party that sounds as if it originates from an unused part of the hotel awakens guests

Barrington - Saint Andrews School-headmaster haunts the halls noices shadows cool brezes wisp through the halls

Exeter - Joseph P. Ladd Center crumbling former psychiatric institute 10 buildings with very heavy activity one of the top most active spots in Ri investigators have benn here some finding alot some finding little most finding somthing

Block Island - Harborside Inn Room 302 is haunted by a woman in black Victorian era clothing. Staff reports the sensation of being shoved or grabbed.

Cumberland -wets Wrentham colonial house reports of dreams and sitings

Cumberland- tower hill RD many reports of ghosts on the road most of the time a ghosts of little children the road narrow twisty and deadly also some aperitions in the the woods and feilds people report feeling uneasy on the road. see video below

Block Island south -strange sitings and sounds of a childs cry there is a story of a ship that caught fire that they think links to the activity.

Newport - Agassiz Mansion at Castle Hill Resort
haunted by a female apparition for the past several decades. Dishes have also fly from the shelves

Belcourt Castle a French Renaissance-style château
haunted chairs, ghostly armor, apparitions, a statue that has
been declared as possessed, and a haunted mirror see video below GH hunters at the castle.

Newport - Hotel Viking
party that sounds awaken guests.

Newport La Patite Auberge Restaurant, Newport, RI - This restaurant, the boyhood home of Stephen Decatur,and so he haunts- Staff report sightings of a uniformed man, and clanking & rattles of silver for no apparent reason.

Cranston - Sprague Mansion
This mansion's namesake, Amasa Sprague, was murdered in 1798, and visitors report hauntings throughout his residence. As early as 1925, a female apparition was seen on the staircase by the woman who lived there. A "lady in black"
seen in the ballroom.
The Doll Room has had reports from visitors of footsteps when no one is around, and the wine cellar as well has a spirit

Cranston- RI Prison a man is seen jumping off the side of the building

Cranston- park veiw middle schooli man haunts the halls story of a man drowning in the pool

Exeter - Vampire's Grave
An accused vampire's (most famous Mercy Brown) grave is supposedly located here;more below in vampires in Ri section

she is said to appear on the road in front of you as you cross the second bridge.
Mercy Brown's grave is
RI Historical Cemetery No 22 in Exeter, RI on Route 102.

Warwick - The Aldrich Mansion
This mansion, which is now rented out for weddings, is haunted by one of the Aldrich family daughters who killed herself jumping from the balcony

Coventry - Nathaniel Greene Homestead
phantom lots of noises footsteps, door slams
cold spots, cannons and screaming.

Coventry - Phoenix (Harris) Fire Station

central falls Mansion nursing home a little girl haunts the place pacients will be seen speaking to her in French also you will hear noises and see shadows

Bristol - Colt State Park
Formerly a family farm, a hired hand died in what is now the park office. Staff complains of lights that shut themselves off, door slams, the apparitions of two
children giggling

Bristol - Roger Williams University Dance theater Made from two renovated barns, the students have nicknamed their resident theater ghost
Legend says farmhand froze to death one winters night cold spots, whisperes and moving curtains

Mapleville Burriville -woods in maureen Cir_ the swamp bride a true story of a women mudered inthe 1800s by her jelouse lover she died in her rocker and you can still hear her rocking in her chair.

Narraganstt Old wedderburn house women in veil has been seen
Narraganstt SO. county museum things moviing full aperitions

Newport - Elks Lodge The portrait of the woman and child at the top of the staircase is reported to indicate that the child's ghost is walking about the building when the image of the child in the painting becomes blurred. People report a child's apparition on the second floor, lights go on and off. and hear footsteps

Providence - Benefit Street a fav of mine
seen ghostly horse drawn carriage, an old woman in attic window of one of the buildings, and even the ghost of Edgar Allen
Poe - who had a girlfriend who lived here. there is quite a lot about Poe on providence haunted tours.

there are many more

tours
haunted Newport
http://www.ghostsofnewport.com/

Providence ghost tours
http://www.providenceghosttour.com/

haunted houses
http://www.horrorfind.com/Haunted_Houses//Rhode-Island/

haunted labyrirth
http://www.hauntedlabyrinth.com/

haunted History Tour hope will return this year
http://www.dealbase.com/Warwick-RI/Radisson-Hotel-Providence-Airport-deals/Providence-Haunted-History-Tour-2746

information from my personal knowledge and multiple RI site listings

This is actually a very very sad story myself would love if they let her rest in peace she was just a lady the legend says she haunts the cematary her home was near by .

Foster - Dolly Cole's Grave Site - Dolly Cole, a suspected witch, lost her daughter to a house fire set by her neighbors thinking Dolly was in the house. She swore revenge on them all, and is seen wondering along the dirt road near her gravesite.

Ghost Hunters the Tv show with Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson well I ad them because I would say they are a big part of haunted Ri wouldn't you say? lol. they are from Warwick RI well there offices I mean and had done many investigation here before going on through the country and becoming famous with there TV hit.

Plumbers during the day and ghost hunters by night today of course mostly ghost hunting once they moved into the taps office from there back yard trailer they where originally using we drove by many days on our way to stores or appointments and asked ourselves i wonder what would happen if we knocked on the door well we found out we went to a magazine signing with Steve funny it wasn't in Ri we saw he was at a comic book store near my aunts house in NH and we had been visiting and saw the sign so i got a taps magazine signed we told him we where from RI he said stop in sometime and meet the rest of us we have not of coarse but it was nice of him to say we could.
well the show has become a huge hit and helped to create many ghost hunting paranormal investigating groups.

The Official TAPS website
http://www.the-atlantic-paranormal-society.com/

syfy channel ghost hunters http://www.syfy.com/ghosthunters/