It seems strange that a lot of the New England legends focus
on local cemeteries. I believe that cemeteries are a resting ground
only! However Gilson Cemetery has captured my interest. Much like Vale End
Cemetery this location has numerous ghost stories and tales behind its
creepy visage. This grave yard was once located by on an old undeveloped
road in Nashua, NH. However development of homes on the road has taken away
some of its eerie quality. There are numerous reports of activity, and
apparitions in this local cemetery, along with strange occurrences. This
location was once famed because there is a child's gravestone that has a
strange hole in the center of it. No one knows how this hole got there, or
why. I believe that someone drilled the hole with a special drill bit to
create this "strange" effect. One popular claim is when you enter the gates
it feels as if you are treading through water. There is also reports of a
heaviness in the air that makes the visitors very uncomfortable, shadows
darting around the exterior of the cemetery, strange lights, cold
sensations, strong electro magnetic field energy, and nausea. Some visitors
also claimed to have witnessed people practicing strange rituals in the
cemetery. After reading about these encounters I decided to visit this
cemetery, and find out how much fact there was behind these claims.
I have been to this cemetery a few times and I am rather surprised
at how small it is. Usually when you hear stories of haunted cemeteries, you
think of huge gothic looking tombs and half sunken grave stones on land that
stretches for miles. This Cemetery is no bigger than the layout of my
apartment. I thought the investigation would disappoint and I quickly
debunked something that could be mistaken for paranormal activity. I
discovered that there was a stop sign on the corner of the road across form
the grave yard. If a car was to pull up to it at night the headlights would
hit the stop sign creating a flicker of red light. If this light is seen out
of the corner of your eye it can seem paranormal. However after I stayed
longer I began noticing activity that was abnormal. There were noticeable
temperature changes. It felt like there were small icy patches here and
there. You can feel it come and then go, especially in the left lower corner
of the cemetery. Wind can create this sensation; however the cold spots were
small and icy cold feeling. I would compare it to sticking your hand into a
fridge. I didn't feel unnerved or threatened at all, but that could be
because I'm use to visiting places with paranormal activity. I did, however,
feel a watchfulness about the cemetery. It seemed like it was coming from
the boundaries of the stone walls. There was a lot of a non-audible movement
in the woods. I began to see shadow type figures moving around. I tried not
to get too excited about this because the woods can be very illusive at
night. The simple movement of a branch can cause this effect. However, I was
seeing these shadows head on. I made my way to the corner of the cemetery to
get a closer look. I wanted to debunk anything that could fool my eyes (a
tree branch, animal, or even a person) I didn't tell the group what I had
seen. I wanted to see if they would experience the shadows too (that way
there was no power of suggestion.) As I moved closer to the boundary I was
still seeing the shadows move very quickly (as if they were running) . As I
was waiting to see what was going to happen next a friend of mine said they
were seeing strange shadows in the woods. There was no way it was an animal
because there was no noise coming from the woods, and the shadows were the
size of a person. There are similar stories from the locals saying they have
seen shadows move around the boundary of the cemetery. That night I didn't
have any equipment, not even a camera. I wish I had brought one, but the
trip was so sudden we didn't think to grab any stuff. We just wanted to look
around the cemetery and come back at another time. Sean (TrueGhost's
equipment specialist, and founder of MGHS) had gotten really good pictures
at Gilson on a separate trip (which you can see on the message board and
upcoming pictures page) There are streaks of colored light in the photos
creating an airbrushed look. There was no light source creating this wispy
colored effect. I think the pictures are comparable to the wisps of light in
the entity photos from a 1970's paranormal investigation. We decided to
leave after about an hour, because the activity seemed to dissipate. I was
quite impressed with the activity. I truly thought this cemetery was just a
small old grave yard with a creepy story behind it. After my visit I found
out there was a urban legend that a brutal war between Native American
tribes and colonists occurred on the land where Gilson Cemetery sits. The
shadows that people report seeing in the cemetery boundaries are thought to
be that of the Native American's. Upon research I did find there were many
Native American tribes around the location of Nashua. The Amoskeag Tribe was
located around the banks of the Merrimack River as well as many other tribes
located near and around Nashua. The only documented war I could come across
that occurred in Nashua was Queen Anne's War; where 10 colonists were killed
by the Native Americans and an undisclosed amount of people captured.
However the exact location of this battle is not clear. I have been back
there since and almost every time I have experienced the same activity. This
will be an ongoing investigation for myself. In the mean time Sean has some
awesome pictures you can see on the message board under ghost information
discussions on
www.trueghost.com.
In conclusion I do believe Gilson Cemetery has unique activity. There is
something there that isn't so easy to explain away. One could argue the
shadows are a trick of the eyes in a dark eerie environment. However I saw
the shadows as clear as day with both my eyes. The fact that many other
people report this and have experienced it says that there is something
worth looking into at Gilson Cemetery. Not only have people reported
activity at the Graveyard there are other reports of activity from the
surrounding areas and new housing developments. Remember to go to these
places with a level head. If you decide to go with other people, the group
should also be very calm and collected. If anyone is scared or worried THEY
SHOULD NOT COME WITH YOU!! I can't express this enough!! The paranoia one
person brings will be distracting, and it can also bring negative attention
to you by homeowners near the property and the cops (you don't want that to
happen). Going to places such as this is not for a cheap scare. You should
only go if you are truly interested in researching and investigating! As
always be safe, and respectful!!