Ghost Stories and Legends

              I I I II ,
('·"~11 · .. Ttl()St
,",. .
~; . " .'
. ,, " ',','
;s''':'Y 1<13 .
. ' '.,. ' ... ' I .
: 11' 1 II I III
::,
. " ,
INTRODUCT IOI-l
Through interesting and extensive interviews, ghost
tales and legends of times gone by were uncovered to be
shared with all.
Many hours of interviewing, writing and typing were
needed to ensure the successful production of this booklet.
The following pages contain stories about unexplained
events that have occurred in the houses and on the streets
of your very community.
Please sit back, relax, and enjoy the words printed
within the covers of this ghostly edition.
Adella Pinhorn Penny-- A. King ,
-Lower Trinity South
Development Association
Denise Ryan
The Precious Jug
Mr. Allan Legge Heart's Content
Mr. Allan Legge of Heart's Content has encountered many
strange events. The Following were told to him as a young boy.
Allan's uncle purchased a beautiFul ceramic jug For his mother
while in St. John's. When he returned home with the jug his mother
was overjoyed. For many years she cherished the giFt From her
son, it held a special place within her heart. Later she grew
to be very ill and passed away, leaving her loved ones to Feel
sad and tormented over her death.
Days aFter her passing, her son was still very upset. At
night, while trying to sleep, he would hear strange knocking
noises on his bedroom door. The third morning when he awoke
he opened the bedroom door and there it was, the beautiFul
ceramic jug that his mother had loved so much, placed careFully
on the Floor beside his room. No one could explain how the jug
had gotten there and to this day it still remains a mystery.
Three Knocks
Years ago, Allan's wife was very sick and confined to
bed. One night in particular while their son was asleep
in his bedroom) he was awakened by the sound of footstep s
throughout the house. He got out of bed to see if it was
his mother and to ask if she needed any h~lp, only to find
his mother resting peacefully in her room.
Meanwhile, Allan, who was in the bathroom, heard three
knocks on the wall. He was startled and confused since
everyone was supposedly in bed and asleep.
A couple of days later, Mrs. Legge passed away. Mr.
Legge and his son considered the events that occured only
nights before her death to be a token of their beloved wife
and mother.
Snow White
One night in the d e pth of wi nter Allan' s brother, Fred,
wa s r e turning home from a walk to the Cove i n Heart's Content.
His face was red from being out side fo r s uc h a long time.
Suddenly he saw a woman appear out of the darkness gnd as
she drew nearer he recognized her to be a woman who was
lying dead over ln the Cove. All color drained from his
face and he took off for home as fast as his legs could
carry him.
When he reached his house he met Allan in the porch.
Allan immediately took notice of the unusual whiteness of
Ered's face and jokingly asked him if he had seen a ghost!
The Ghost of Birchen Hill
Mrs. Edith Burrage New Perlican
For as long as I can remember a lady haunted Birchen Hill,
a spot halfway from Heart's Content to New Perlican, but is
now bypassed by a new highway.
This story was told to me many years ago by a gentleman
that met this lady not once, but three times the same night.
Here is his story.
This man had a sister married in Heart's Content who he
visited once or twice a week; and being way back before cars,
he walked three miles to her house.
Well this night he had stayed later than usual before he
started for home. His nephew walked to the end of the settlement
of Heart's Content. When he turned to go back he called out
to his uncle:
"Watch out for the woman on Birchen Hill." His uncle laughed
and said, "Don't worry, I'm not afraid."
He walked on without a care in the world until he got to
the bottom of the hill and he bec~me afraid for no apparent
reason. The further he went the more scared he became, until
he reached the very top and there coming toward him was the
lady walking on the side of the road.
Being a good man he said to himself, "Well there she is
and I have to pass her." So he walked on the opposite side
as far as he could and she passed on. He was now on a level
road we call the Barren when all of a sudden there she was further
out on the road, but with plenty of space between them.
"Well," he said, "What is happening to me tonight and what
does this woman want?" Willing himself together he walked on
and the lady passed and went on.
By now the gentleman was so scared he didn't know what
to do. He was still over a mile from home.
So he pulled himself together and started to run, when
10 and behold right before him there she stood again and this
time she was so close that he could see her fingers as she passed
close by him.
Then he started to run and lost no time getting home.
He never ever said again that there was nothing on Birchen Hill
and he never ever stayed to his sister's home after dark.
This man has been dead many years now but he said this
was a true story.
Reprint: The Newfoundland Herald
The Divided Garden
Mr. Cyril Ryan Turks Cove
Mr. Ryan grew up in Turks Cove and still resides there today
with his family. He told us the following story while visiting
with him one evening.
Each day Mrs. Margaret Conway and family would tend to
their garden to mend the fence, pull the weeds, and water the
vegetables. The family would be sure everything was in proper
order before they left for the supper meal. The evening tasks
were completed and Mrs. Conway and her family settled into bed
for a restful night.
The next day everyone went out to tackle the daily chores.
Upon returning to the garden they found that the vegetables
had been flattened and the fence pickets were knocked to the
ground. The mending took place once again and the family returned
home for the day.
The next time they returned to the crops, the same damage
was observed again. Members of the town were confused and
bewildered by the incident. A few of these same people
believed that a ghost had roamed through the garden each night.
This explanation became very popular since the graveyard was
located directly across from the garden. It came to be believed
that a ghost or some thing would travel in a straight line down
from the graveyard and through the Conway's garden each night.
The Red Stranger
Mr. Leo Ryan Turlcs Cove
Mr. Leo Ryan grew up in Turlcs Cove and just last year
moved to Hant's Harbour where he now resides.
Leo recalls as a young boy that he attended many times(dances)
in New Perlican. One night in particular as Leo was waiking
home, he came upon a ghastly sight. There directly in front
of him, dressed in red, stood a strange figure which prevented
him from entering his house. As he approached the garden gate,
the figure blocked his passage causing him run to a nearby
roclc. He cl imbed on to the roclc and used it to jump the fence
where he fled to the safety of his home.
Leo was so frightened that he shook uncontrollably and
decided to keep that terrible incident to himself. Two days
later Leo learned that a member of the community had passed
away which led him to believe that the figure he saw may have
been that very same person.
Fairy Tales
In earlier times many people believed that Fairies lived in
the woods surrounding their communities.
On a return trip From wood cutting one evening, a group of
young men From Turks Cove were walking home together. AFter
walking For a while, they heard what they thought were people
behind them so the young men decided to wait For the others to
catch up. The group of men sat down on a rock and had a cigarette
while they waited. The voices kept getting closer and closer
but no one ever appeared. By this time the men were growing
restless and decided then to carryon their way home. A short
time aFter they resumed their journey, the voices could be heard
again not Far behind. The group did not stop walking but kept
going until they reached the road. As soon as they crossed the
road the voices stopped and were not heard again.
The only explanation that could be made For the strange
voices was that Fairies were lingering in the distance as they
made their way to the saFe haven of their home.
Great Balls OF Fire
One evening as Mr. Ryan was returning home From New Perlican
with a sack of Flour For his mother, he stopped on Spicer's Lungers
between Turks Cove and New Perlican to allow his goats to take
a drink. Out of the corner of their eye the goats noticed a
small light, almost like a ball of Fire, approach From out of
nowhere. Leo soon realized what had caused the goats to become
restless. He saw this light as it came closer and got smaller
W8eo it neared him. The Fire ball crossed the road and suddenly
disappeared out of sight. The two goats began to run and when
they reached home they were shivering with Fear. It has been
said that this ball of Fire is a spirit who watches over the people
of the community.
or bad.
It is not known whether the spirit is good
Old Hollies
Mr. Henry Pinhorn Winterton
Mr. Henry Pinhorn, a resident of Winterton, has many years
of experience with the waters around Trinity Bay.
As a young boy Mr. Pinhorn fished off Baccalieu Island with
Mr . John Reid. On one morning in particular they filled their
boats with fish and later that afternoon decided to hunt birds
for their Sunday dinner. Due to the boat full of fish, only one
man could go for the birds. The one chosen was Mr. Reid. He
went out but was not successful so decided to return to the boat.
Henry was not discouraged, even though it was getting dark, he
convinced Mr. Reid to give it one more try. Together they returned
to the Northern end of Baccalieu where they shot twelve birds.
On their return home they heard a loud racket down in Notre Dame
Gulch. There were blocks banging, chains rattling, voices bawling
out and sails flapping.
Henry said, "That's a schooner down there!"
"No , " Mr. Reid replied, "come on, that's not a schooner."
"Didn't you hear it?" Henry asked.
"Yes," he said, "I heard it."
Henry wanted Mr. Reid to , fire the gun in order to alert the people
that help was near. Mr. Reid declined and urged Henry to hurry
along. After they crossed the gulch and came to a grassy patch
on ~he hill, they stopped and sat down, but they could still hear
the bone chilling cries. Mr. Reid then informed Henry that what
he had actually heard were the "old hollies." The two men then
went into the lighthouse and reported their encounter to the
keeper. They asked him to have a look around when he got a chance.
The next morning the lighthouse keeper went down to the gulch
but there was no sign of a grounded schooner.
Henry learned some time later that there was a passenger
vessel called "The Bear" lost with all hands in Nortre Dame
Gulch. Mr. Reid had encountered this phenomena before and
knew that if he had fired the gun, the shrill cries wouid
engulf them.
Older people at that time believed this occurance to
be an omen of an easterly gale and warning people to stay
off the water.
On The Horizon
It was a beautiful, calm morning on the water when
Mr. Pinhorn and some friends went out squid jigging just
off of the Sugar Loaf before daylight. While there, one
of his buddies called for everyone to look at a steamer
that was on its way up through Trinity Bay.
The lights from the amazing ship glistened and shone
all _across ·the water as daylight was breaking. The men
were taken aback by the ship and watched it carefully
as it continued up the bay in the twilight • . As the , dawn
completely unfolded the ship disappeared!
Mr. Pinhorn and his crew were dumbfounded. The
morning was very clear and they could see for about 12
to 15 miles in the distance, but there was not a ship
in sight.
They didn't get fishing that day due to an easterly
gale, supposedly forecasted by the phantom ship.
Double Take
Mrs. Elizabeth Pinhorn Winterton
On March 18, 1953 Mrs. Elizabeth Pinhorn of Winterton
experienced a peculiar event. That morning her husband,
who had been sick for some time, made his way to the local
store, E.J. Green's &Co. to purchase a pair of long underwear.
After being gone for a lengthy period, a · man stopped by his
house where Mrs. Pinhorn was waiting patiently for her husband's
return. Looking out the window she noticed her husband approach
the house and informed the man that he would be there moment- .
arily. Some time had passed and Mr. Pinhorn had not arrived,
thus leading Mrs. Pinhorn to believe that he had stopped
into Pitcher's Store.
Again, she looked out the window and saw her husband
making his way towards the house. When he finally arrived
she: asked him where he went the first time he went across
theLbridge. His reply was that he had just then left E.J.
Green's and walked directly home. He denied walking over
the bridge anytime previously that day.
Mrs. Pinhorn is sure that the person she saw was her
husband; she vividly remembers his air force blue jacket,
his grey and white double-knit mitts, and his grey hat.
Older people in the community believed that if a person
lived longer than a year after the sighting of their token
(spirit) they would live a long and healthy life. Mrs .
. Pinhorn marked the .date off on her calendar and waited nervously
for the end of the year to pass.
Th e Undi sc overed Mu seum of Mr . Sa muel Lod er .
Mr. Samuel Loder
Hant's Harbour
One citizen who deserves to be recognized for his interest
in our heritage and culture would have to be Mr. Samuel Loder.
Few people, unless they originate from Hants Harbour know of the
many treasures found in Mr. Loder's basement.
He spe~t 13 years after his retirement collecting a rtifacts
and memories from all parts of the world. He has thing s in his
bas em e n t fro m the fir s tWo r 1 d Wa'r and be for e .
It wbuld be well worth your tim~ to see the many things
that he takes great pride in . Mr. Loder gave us a wond erful
tour of his 'museum' and will always extend a warm welcome to
anyone passing through who wishes to indulge and immers e themselves
in the past.
The Grave of Richard Pelley - and the Story of
" l'A, un t L yd i a's P r a ye r . "
Hant's Harbour
Richard Pelley was born in 1764 -in Hants County, Dorset,
England. He came to Nfld as a 7 young man and settled in Hants
Harbour where he lived with his wife, Lydia, until his death
in 1836, at the age of 7~.
Richard Pelley's grave is located behind Clarence King's
house (a resident of Hants Harbour). It is rumored that Richard
Pelley wanted to be buried in his potato garden.
Mr. Pelley's grave is the oldest grave found in Hants
Harbour with ~ a ~ headstone.
Richard Pelley is the husband of Lydia Pelley who became
famous for her legendary' Prayer for Fish.'
Durin~ the summer of 186 8 , the fishery of Hants Harbour
began to dwindle. Lydia Pelley was called upon by Parson Fox
to hold a" special prayer meeting for the occassion of th e
dying fishery in Hants Harbour. Following 'Aunt Lydia's' prayer,
Mr. Fox and his wife were walking home when Parson Fo x remarked
to his wife: "Sister Lydia excelled herself tonight--- Mark
my words, there wi 11 be an answer to that prayer." And there
was.
The morning following the prayer by
the enthusiasm seemed to have dissipated.
went fishing.
Aunt
Not
Lydia, alot of
a single person
There was an exception,and his name was Jeremiah Pelley,
who was known as the Doubting Thomas of the town.
Jeremiah Pelley said he 'didn't like such goings on , and
that the church was no place to be talking about spurts of
fish.' He didn't believe that prayer could have any effeact
on fish and he was determined to prove it. Jeremiah Pelley then
launched his boat and rowed out to the fishing grounds . It was
shortly after he dropped his hook in the water that the line
jerked so haed that it was almost pulled from his hand.
It was in less than two hours that he had filled his boat.
The news of Jeremiah's success spread like wildfire. It was
within an hour that every boat was out on the water. For
several weeks, headers, cut-throaters, splitters, and salters
hardly allowed themselves any sleep.
It was the winter of 1869 that there was a great revival
and among the first to be converted was'Doubting Thomas'
himself, Jeremiah . Pelley.
The Church in Hant 's Har60ur whue the prayer meeting
_ ._ ' _ ' _ _ 'TJ._. . ~CI" ,~h '''I!'I.c ll:lfl!T_ t Dt:.n _aD.\AXJ
Tick Tack
Mr. Lloyd Belbin New Chelsea
Mr. Lloyd Belbin was born and raised in New Chelsea, Trinity
Bay and still resides there today with his wife Rita. One day
while visiting with him, he shared with us a few tales.
In the year of 1924 Mr. Belbin's grandmother and her servant
girl had just finished preparing a child for bed. As they were about
to lay her in the cradle .Mr. Belbin's grandmother witnessed a pendulum
of a huge clock swinging outside the kitchen window. The pendulum
swung three times back and forth and on the fourth stroke
it hit the glass, not breaking it but making a very loud
noise while the servant girl stood by paralysed with fear.
The two women, who were very frightened, picked up the child
and hurried upstairs to the bedroom where they barricaded themselves
for most of the night. It wasn't until later that night that
Mr. Belbin's grandmother was awakened only to be told that
her father had passed away just a few short hours ago. This
news led them to believe that the swinging pendulum outside
the window was a sign of her father's impending death.
Severing All Ties
Rumor has it that many years ago the lonely road between
Hant I s Harhour and Ne\v Chelsea was the scene of a very tragic
accident. On the trail that once led to Little Islands a man
and woman were travelling by horse and cart. The driver of
the cart became mad at the lazy horse and struck with the
horsewhip to make her trot. Surprised by the smack, the horse
took off and the quick jolt of the wagon threw the woman to
the ground. In a matter of seconds the double wheels of the
carriage severed her head from her body.
Years later, many people have reported seeing a ghost
of the headless woman wandering back and forth the lonely road.
Upon approaching the woman on the road, she disappears into
the night until the next unsuspecting person walks by.
:
The Devil's AdvDcate
Mr. Helbin told us of a story his father had shared with
him numerous times throughout his life.
Lloyd Helbin's father, uncle, and step uncle used to play
cards numerous times per weelc in the unfinished rooms of their
new home. At that time in the early 1900's, card playirig was
considered to be very sinful and the work of the devil. It
was believed by the lady of the house that anyone who did play
cards would sureiy not gain entry into heaven.
One night after a good game of cards they retired to their
rooms. Shortly after falling asleep they were awakened by
the sound of footsteps up over the stairs and and all around
the room where they played cards. A few moments later they
heard a very loud crash as if someone had thrown a turn of
lumber on to the floor. This episode frightened the three
men so much that they never played cards in the house again
for fear of the mysterious noise returning.
A Chilling Sensation
Mr. & Mrs. Clarence Sparke s Sibley's Cove
The Sparkes family have deep roots in the quaint Trinity
Bay town of Sibley's Cove and a long history of travel to
Boston, Mass.where they went in search of greener pasturei.
Our visit with Mr. Clarence Sparkes began with him
telling us a story that was told to him by his father many
times as a young boy. In those times Clarence's father,
James, didn't have far to go to set a few rabbit snares.
On one morning in particular, James was checking his snares,
near to where Kelleher House is located today, when all of
a sudden an unusual sense of fear swept over him. It became
so intense that his hair literally stood on end!
James immediately raced home, only to be greeted by
a messenger bringing n ews from Boston - his brother had
been killed in a tragic accident.
See The Light
I n the year 1874, on a beautiful, clear night, the
schooner Effie M. left Trinity; little did they know that
night would result in severe tragedy. During the voyage
out of Trinity Bay to Baccalieu a gale began to blowout
of the southwest, the night grew dark and cold as a dense
fog filled the air and a chilling mist surrounded the boat.
The schooner was tossed about in the rocky harbour
known as Big Brook and the waves cascaded the ship as she
was smashed against the shore. Violent screams were heard
as the men cried for he~p. The lights soon disappeared
as the Effie M. disintigrated into the sea.
Many years later, under the same conditions as on that
dreadful night, people have reported hearing the chilling
cries and seeing the mysterious lights through the fog,
rumored to be those lost on the Effie M.
Farewell My Friend
Mrs. Louise Sparkes also had a tale to share with us.
While her and her husband were going on vacation they failed
to make a visit to a very close friend who resided in St.
John's. She believed that her friend was on vacation ln
Niagra Falls but in reality she had returned after a sho+t
stay due to severe illness.
Later during their trip Louise experienced an unusual
dream, whereby she was awakened to find a woman dressed in
a camel-hair coat and sitting outside the bedroom door.
She recalls touching the womans hand and feeling a great
sense of peace and warmth. When Louise actually did get
up from her sleep she received a phone call from her daughter
informing her that her good friend had passed away.
To this very day Mrs. Louise Sparkes feels that her
friend was wishing her farewell on her journey into heaven.
.••"••
. \
--- -.- -- t
- --I
If'
•,'A• ••
.' . •••• Ill • •
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We, the authors/researchers of "Ghost Stories and Legends"
would like to thank the many people who have helped us to collect
and publish the stories you have just read. We apologize for
any oversights or mistakes that we may have unintentionally
made.
Special thanks goes out to the following:
Mr. Allan Legge Sr. Mr. Allan Legge Jr.
Mr. Donald Grant Mr. Leo Ryan
Mrs. Elizabeth Pinhorn Mr. Henry Pinhorn
Mr. Walter Piercey Mr. Samuel Loder
Mr. Norman Loder Mr. Lloyd Belbin
Mr. Clarence Sparkes Mr . Cyril Ryan
Mrs. Louise Sparkes L. T. S. D. A.
Mrs. Edith Burrage The Newfoundland Herald
Mrs. Jeanette Stevens Ms. Wanda Tuck
Mrs. Tracey Harnum