Hampton, New Hampshire
Hampton, New Hampshire is located in Rockingham County, about 15 miles south of Portsmouth at the intersection of U.S. 1 and NH 27. Hampton is home to about 15,000 residents.
Hampton Beach is a census-designated place with approximately 2,500 residents. It is a beach resort located in Hampton, New Hampshire along the Atlantic Ocean.
Information about the Witch of Hampton, Eunice “Goody” Cole:
Eunice “Goody” Cole was convicted of witchcraft in Hampton in 1656 (she was in her 70’s). She was flogged and spent much of the remainder of her life in prison in Boston. She was the only woman in New Hampshire to be convicted of witchcraft. According to one source, Goody Cole was a relatively harsh woman.
Cole petitioned the court to be released for the first time in 1662. She claimed that her husband, 88 at the time, was elderly and needed her to care for him. She was not released. She petitioned again in 1665. This time, she was told that she could be released on the condition that she move out of Norfolk Court’s jurisdiction. Unfortunately, Goody Cole was 80+ years old and not able to take care of herself.
Fifteen years after she was initially imprisoned, Eunice Cole was finally released and allowed to return to Hampton. Her husband and her house were gone and she thus had to live in a house at the base of Rand’s Hill. Neighbors were ordered to care for her.
In 1672, Eunice Cole was again charged with witchcraft. She went to trial in April of 1673, and waited out the decision from a jail cell. This time, she was found “not guilty”.
She returned to Hampton, where she was shunned by everyone. Eunice Cole lived out her last few years in solitude.
In 1938, the community of Hampton unanimously exonerated Eunice Cole, 300 years after her conviction. The exoneration ceremony was held at Hampton Beach and the documents accusing Cole of witchcraft were publicly burned.
Eunice Cole’s Ghost at the Tuck Memorial Museum:
The Tuck Memorial Museum was built on the site of the hut that “Goody” Cole (aka Eunice Cole) once occupied in Hampton, New Hampshire. The house was occupied for almost 20 years by Frank Fogg and his family. They claimed that the house has brought them a great deal of bad fortune. For example, the Foggs claimed that the pigs and cows behaved strangely on a regular basis and when they were behaving strangely it was difficult to work with them.
The body of Eunice Cole is purportedly buried between two large trees on the near the Tuck Memorial Museum. There is a stone monument in the front lawn memorializing her.
Ghosts and the Paranormal at the Tuck Memorial Museum in Hampton, New Hampshire;
Some Hampton locals report that the ghost of Eunice Cole haunts their small town. Apparitions have been reported frequently in the fog. Lights flicker throughout the town, for no explanation. Objects are often moved and livestock and small animals go missing regularly. The Tuck Memorial Museum, once the Frank Fogg house has been cited as a hot spot for strange activities.
Resources:
No Author (2007). Eunice “Goody” Cole: Hampton’s “Witch”. Retrieved May 8, 2011 from http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/biog/goody.htm
Burns, M. (2009). Witch Hunting in New Hampshire: Eunice Cole. Retrieved May 8, 2011 from http://www.17thc.us/nh/cole.shtml
Wikipedia (2011). Hampton, New Hampshire. Retrieved May 8, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampton,_New_Hampshire
Wikipedia (2011). Hampton Beach New Hampshire. Retrieved May 8, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampton_Beach,_New_Hampshire
Shadowlord (1998). Haunted Places Index. Retrieved April 23, 2011 from http://theshadowlands.net/places/new_hampshire.htm