I'm Liz Sower and this is ghosts in the burbs, a podcast of ghost stories from Wellesley, Massachusetts, a warning adults who use adult language told me these frightening tales. These ghost stories aren't for kids. And I just recorded this entire episode truly, I said the last line, I started fussing about adding the music, moving stuff around. Like I always do everything bleached out fine. It's gone. It's just, it's gone, It doesn't exist and I know I was saving it. So shit happens.
We're going to rerecord right now. Okay, here we go. We sort of blew past episode 100 with all the extra stuff I've been releasing and it feels like a big milestone five plus years in and I still can't believe anyone is listening to this. So here's to 100 more episodes.
I hope every single one of them yanks you into this spooky little town and distracts you from whatever truly terrifying reality you currently find yourself in our next terrifying tale can be told in one episode, this family has been through hell and back and we need to really dive in with them. Their story deserves at least two and maybe three episodes. We're just going to see where it takes us. Here's Ghost Story # 62. The Estate part one. Yeah, mm hmm I do love her new house, I do.
It's a little quirky having been a pool house and all, but honestly pool house is a relative term at Wellesley, it's a good sized home with a garage and everything, but it wasn't meant to be lived in full time. So the layout is challenging. It's cute though, unique. Best of all our yard is surrounded on three sides by woods which believe it or not is something I've always wanted. My ultimate dream is to be tucked away in the forest with a bottomless cup of coffee and a stack of mysteries.
Zero interruptions, zero responsibilities, safer updating my good rates account. So, you know, close enough. At least I'm in the woods unlike our last three neighborhoods where you couldn't get away from everyone if your life depended upon it, which I found quite charming. The houses here are much further apart. The neighbors are friendly, but everyone does their own thing around here minding their own backyards, if you will.
The girls and I occasionally walked down to the end of the cul de sac and aside from the construction crews and landscaping trucks zipping to and fro, we don't really see anyone. I kind of suspect the houses on our street are empty most of the time this past winter, Right around New Year's Eve, chris noticed a really strong gas smell outside. He walked down the street and heard a hissing sound coming from one of the houses.
Long story short an ice sheet had fallen from the roof and hit the gas meter pipe. Hell if I know what the hell broke off, but gas was just streaming out into the neighborhood. Someone came out from the gas company and fixed it. Nothing happened though. The man seemed pretty freaked out by the whole thing. The reason I mention this is that no one else was around it was evening and all the houses around us were silent and dark.
Apparently the people who owned the house were out of town for the month. How long would that gas have seeped into the neighborhood if we weren't home body Recluse is right. So that was weird but not like paranormal weird. It just kind of illustrates that while we're in a neighborhood, no one's really around. Something happened yesterday afternoon Actually, that reminded me of that fact. Again, I was eating lunch and watching an old Dead Files episode when I heard this booming voice outside.
It didn't let up. I went to the patio and heard NPR blaring through the neighborhood. A house a few doors down apparently has an outdoor speaker system and someone was blasting talk radio. At first I thought it was silly. Then I wondered how long it might go on. Then as I sat back down to my Franken berry cereal, my anxiety ridden true crime saturated brain whispered maybe it's a distress call. So I spiraled.
I got it in my head that the entire family in that house was under attack that someone had broken into their home. Either a stranger or more likely someone with a grudge maybe against the dad or maybe one of the kids which reminded me that this one time in high school there was this guy in the class above mine who was horrifically bullying this other kid. That kid, the one being bullied, hired two of the instructors, instructors, excuse me at his karate studio to beat the bully up.
They duct taped him to a chair and beat him to within an inch of his life. My point is, my brain pulled up. That memory mixed it with all the true crime stories I've read and listened to and created the story that a violent home invasion was happening on my street. And that may be the woman in the house had somehow managed to slip away and turn on the outdoor speakers in hopes of alerting someone in the neighborhood that they were in distress.
I flipped off the dead files and went back to the window and stood there with my cereal bowl listening to the booming tones of NPR radio. Should I go knock on the door? No, if they weren't being attacked, how would I explain what if they thought I was being a Karen complaining about the noise. I went back outside and recorded some video, then sent it to crist. What should I do? Nothing. They probably don't even realize it's on.
He soon returned home with a salad and moments later the radio turned off. See they probably didn't even realize it was on or they're all dead. I muttered. Now I get that my mind leans towards the scary side of things more than the average person and I have good reason. But I think anyone would admit that this neighborhood is a little spooky, I wouldn't have jumped to that conclusion that the people were in the midst of a violent home invasion in any of the other neighborhoods we've lived in.
I would have assumed one of the neighbors, kids had flipped the switch on the outdoor speakers by accident or even that the neighbors were just being rude and playing their radio too loud, but not here. There's a vibe here. It's not inside my house, inside my house feels cozy and calm. I mean I'm not calm. I'm an anxious mess, but that's beside the point.
The ground here, the land, the forest, the trees, the lake up and over the hill behind her house and that river so close by all of it adds up to a sort of insidious, creepy fairy tale vibe and the sunshine, it's fine on a cloudy day less so, but at night we don't go outside at night. I've learned how to turn the dial way down on my ability to see and interact with ghosts when I'm home and I can sort of minimize my like beacon. So ghosts aren't that drawn towards me.
It's made for a much calmer existence. But of course I've taken a little look see around the neighborhood and I haven't encountered anything too weird save for that sinkhole in aunt's backyard and kelly's whole time warp situation text in brackets, ciego story number 58 come again and brackets, but I have this nagging sense that things are just plain weird around here and it isn't ghostie type feeling.
It doesn't feel demonic either meeting anne and her sister in law forced me to face this vibe straight on. Had I not known about that sinkhole in her backyard, I probably would have continued to chalk up my suspicions to my overactive imagination, but of course I couldn't be that lucky.
I know there's something up here and I suspect it has something to do with the estate that was here in the late 18 and early 1900s an and Carly were not the first to mention the baker estate to me it was time warp kelly who first asked me if I knew that we all live on his old estate, but like so many other things, the whole idea just fell out of my head after I spoke with her, blame it on the back to school.
Whirlwind anyhow, I googled it and found a pretty cool article about the whole thing on the Needham historical Association website. That town is just a stone's throw from our house. Actually, I ordered a book and a DVD containing a short film about the whole thing from that website. We don't have a DVD player anymore, but you know, damn well one will show up at the dump swap eventually so I just have to be patient.
I've only read a few chapters of the historical associations text titled The baker estate or Bridge Hill farms of Needham, but it was enough to get the gist of this curious William Emerson baker. I suppose you would describe him as an eccentric, a kind, generous and rather idealistic one at that. He bought up over 900 acres between Needham and Wellesley and created a circus amusement park. Fairyland of the beautiful and bizarre as the book describes it.
I swear to God I must be manifesting or law of attraction in these things into my life at this point. Right. I mean, who else would blindly land smack dab in the middle of something like this. Anyhow, there were two bear pits. Word around the neighborhood is that someone on the other side of the lake actually discovered the remnants of one of these bear pits when they were landscaping their backyard.
There are lots of horses, waterside attractions, A bowling alley, a deer farm, a bunch of pretty monuments and such that he bought up from state fairs and had translated transplanted to his estate beautifully kept gardens and underground caverns. The book came with a large pull out map and it appears that the entrance to those caves was just beside the lake. According to the text. The caves are no longer accessible to which I say. Sure jan It's not just me though. Right.
A late 1800s amusement park. It's creepy. And it feels just about right. No, I'm not saying that this baker guy did anything nefarious here. By all accounts, he was just a quirky person who liked sharing his quirks with everyone else godspeed. But do I think it's a coincidence that he set up his amusement park here? No, this place is weird.
Do I think that he may have unintentionally stirred up some spook by digging that lake and creating those caverns and all the other attractions including the Wellesley Hotel, which just happened to burn down. Yes, I do. My proof. We're about to hear from another set of neighbors. My neighbors who are dealing with something really scary on their property and just coincidentally diagonal from their place right across the lake is the location of the old now defunct cavern attraction entrance.
So circling back or I mean at this point zigzagging wildly back to an sinkhole. Claire was right. I lied. I absolutely heard something when I peered over the edge into that seemingly bottomless pit. And the voice was just as an had described gravelly and wet it said what was done cannot be undone. They never should have come here at the time. I assumed they wanted an and her family out of there. I say they because that wet gravelly voice was actually made up of at least three of those things.
All speaking together, shivers as the whole experience things in. I'm beginning to think that you was more of a you all as in you all never should have come here and here didn't just apply to ANn's property. They were referring to this whole area. I can't explain why I'm so certain that this was their meeting, but I've learned not to second guess my gut in these matters. I don't think people are supposed to live in this part of town. Mm hmm.
Our street is long and ends in a cul de sac upon which sits three very large houses. If you're staring straight into the cul de sac to your right, there's an old colonial with a tasteful new addition and a very large sport court. The center houses unique and let's just say century specific. It actually overlooks Sabrina Lake and the house on the left is the one that Betty and I went to visit.
I suppose McMansion is the most accurate way to describe it and it sits atop a little hill painted a neutral gray with white trim, black roof, some brick detailing along the facade and black shutters. The house is about as pretty and unassuming as it gets. It's homeowners are the type to hire seasonal decorative landscapers, a phenomenon that before moving to Wellesley I thought only businesses did for autumn.
This looks like artfully placed haystacks, multicolored gourds and pumpkins, tall grasses and tasteful, Halloween decorations like wooden wooden signs and such. You should see it at christmas, anyhow the day, biddy and I went to meet heather and josh Squire was a quintessential new England Autumn morning. Betty parked at my house and we decided to walk down to the Squire so she could catch me up on their situation.
Life had been so crazy as of late that we really hadn't connected at all about the haunting. Our street is quite long and as I've mentioned when the girls and I take walks, we rarely see neighbors. So I've never really noticed the house before walking up the driveway, it became apparent just how massive the place was. It's top level, presumably the third floor attic was lined with six dormers. How many kids do they have? I asked. As we climb the front steps.
Two boys, teenagers, but he replied, reaching for the door bell. Before she had the chance to press the button. The door swung open and a middle aged couple greeted us. We thought we could sit on the screen and porch out back. Are you comfortable with that heather? Asked. We were, so we followed them through a grand entryway passed a sweeping staircase and into a surprisingly gloomy kitchen. A spread of muffins, fruit and coffee sat atop a brown granite countertop with gold and black flecks.
I grabbed a coffee and a pumpkin muffin topped with those great cinnamon sugar crumble thingies. The screened in porch was just off the kitchen was rather large room overlooking the woods. After the right. I could see a slice of Sabrina Lake. The vibe was very lighthouse. All wood and plaid. And believe it or not, there's a fireplace. It's a little chilly. Shall I light a fire? Josh went to the mantle to flip a switch and the gas fed fire came to life.
We sat in four scotch plaid upholstered chairs arranged in a semicircle before the fireplace above, which was mounted the antlers of some very large animal. I mean it must have been a deer, but who knows. Outside the morning was autumn gray and the trees whose leaves were about halfway through their seasonal wardrobe change swayed in a crisp breeze. It was one of the prettiest rooms I've ever been in now that we were facing each other. I could see just how exhausted wrung out really.
The couple appeared to be. I am embarrassed. We haven't had the chance to meet before. Me too, I replied. We've just been so consumed. Heather continued, glancing at her husband. This is all new to us. He explained nothing like this has ever happened to us before. Thank God we're grateful that you're able to help. But uh, he shifted in the seat. We do hope to remain anonymous. Heather put a hand on his arm. She's going to record this. That's part of the deal.
I don't have to share your story in my blog. That's totally up to you, I explained quickly. No josh said firmly, we agreed to this and we aren't going back on it. If anyone else is going through something similar, we would hope our story might find them. And right, he interrupted his wife after she interrupted him. We just don't want our names or anything specifically identifying to be included in the story. Of course I reassured them.
I haven't had the chance to tell Liz much about what your family is going through, Betty cut in. But I think it would be helpful for all of us if we start right at the beginning. Can I be totally honest? Asked Heather. Sure. I'm really afraid of what you'll find here. My eyes slid over to the dark woods at the edge of their lawn. I had already sensed there was something off about the place. If I were being totally honest, I was afraid of what we were going to find in their house.
It's just another continued. I'm afraid it will get worse If we talk about it. It might be, he replied frankly. But it's the only way we can determine how to best help you, josh let out a deep sigh. How long have you lived here? I asked almost 10 years. Have you been dealing with the problem the entire time. No, no, no. It started last fall actually. Heather looked to her husband for confirmation. That's right. Last september, Right around the time the boys went back to school.
Do you know of anything that happened around that time? That might have caused the problem? Ask Betty. The couple exchanged a look. Our neighbors moved in last summer. Things started happening shortly after they arrived. They're lovely. People heather added quickly. I could see the edge of their neighbors house through the trees. As I stared at it, a loud ringing began in my ears. Pulling my attention back into the room, I realized that everyone was staring at me heather and ford in her seat.
Are you seeing something right now? No, not yet. Sorry. I don't completely let my guard down until I know what I'm walking into. I'd keep that guard up if I were you said Claire nervously did. He shot me a concerned look. Tell us from the beginning, what's happened here, josh kind of sunk back in his seat while heather leaned forward, josh noticed the problems. First she began, it's all sort of a blur. But we can tell you that there have been two distinct stages to this whole nightmare.
The first indication that we were dealing with something paranormal happened outside in the woods. Josh clarified. That's right, heather agreed. I'll say Claire muttered, josh was working on the porch. She motioned towards the screen door behind them, through which a wooden deck was clearly visible. It was late september right, josh nodded in confirmation. He was in a zoom meeting when one of his co workers made a comment about our kids.
He wanted to know why they were home from school, josh added. Right. And you were confused because you thought the boys were at school? They were at school. Tom A guy worked with saw someone walking back and forth behind me on the porch. The way he said it, he goes then who's that kid zipping around behind you. Well, it scared me to be honest. I had my back to the woods and you know what? I had this spooky feeling that I was being watched. The way my laptop plugged in and all.
It's just the way I had to sit but I've been uncomfortable the whole call. It was impossible that anyone could have been on that porch without me knowing there are at least 10 stairs down to the yard. I would have heard them on the steps spooky I offered. I had the same feeling of being watched. I mean when I was out back gardening one afternoon, right around the same time, I have some raised beds off to the right there, you can't see them from here but they're close to the trees.
I eventually gave up gardening altogether. It began to feel as though someone was about to run out of the woods at me heather shivered. We keep all the curtains drawn, otherwise it just feels like eyes are always on you. There are eyes on us, josh pointed out bitterly there sure are claire whispered just then there was a knock on the screen door. A quick knock knock, knock. It sounded so natural. I swore I'd look over to see someone standing on the porch waiting to be let in.
Oh shit, Betty and Claire said at the same time I gripped the edge of the cozy chair and put my coffee mug down. Can you see it? Heather asked in a low voice as she peered behind her at the door. See what I replied in a shaky voice. I don't know whatever it was. It just knocked. Does that happen a lot constantly josh replied. I noticed that he hadn't even bothered to turn around. Are you getting anything Betty asked. Besides the feeling of sheer terror, I want to say. Instead.
I said really bad vibes. Then aside from the knocks and feeling watched what else is going on here? Okay, well voices, um footsteps, strange noises outside. Something dug a hole in the backyard and there are cold spots in the house. Heather listed. Why don't you tell Liz what happened to you in the backyard? But he prompted looking at josh, he scrubbed his face and ran his hands over his bald head. I was out back last year just before thanksgiving. I was breaking up some leaves.
The landscapers had MS and heard someone called to me from the woods, you know there's a trail back there. Right. I nodded, he gave me a hard look. You shouldn't use it. Don't bring your kids back there. Done, I replied. Well I thought maybe someone had come up through our woods off the lake path. So I walked back into the trees a bit and called hello. After a minute I heard my name again. Where are you? I said back here. They said only they sounded a little further away.
So I asked if everything was alright and took a couple more steps in. It got quiet, so I called out again then right behind me and I mean close. The voice said, nothing will ever be all right. And he said it like he was laughing and he had this horrible gravelly voice and there it is, said Claire, I jumped a mile, josh went on. But when I turned around there was no one behind me. I got out of those woods and locked all of our doors and haven't been back out since.
We forbid the boys from going back there. But it hasn't been easy. We don't think Derek intentionally goes into the woods. Heather explained obviously when he's sleepwalking he can't have any control over his actions. That's right, josh conceded we've done everything we can to keep him them away from the woods. The alarm systems. The camera locks, Heather reached out and took josh's hand.
The boys have had a hard time chad has been staying at friends and Derek, he seems to be the most affected, out of all of us, josh explained, can we speak with them, I ask, because Claire wouldn't stop demanding that. I absolutely must talk to the boys if you think that's necessary. Heather replied nervously. I hesitated because I was trying to listen to what Claire was telling me.
Biti stared at me, eyebrows raised, then said yeah, I think it would be helpful to hear about the whole family's experience. Okay, we'll arrange for a time for you to meet the boys. Thanks, Betty replied kindly. Is it just noises or have you seen anything out there? We all stared out at the trees. The wind had picked up. The gray morning seemed to have darkened. I wish that we had driven. I wasn't looking forward to the walk home.
I wasn't worried about rain, being anywhere near those woods, made me extremely nervous. I saw something heather said quietly. I was coming back up the driveway from the mailbox. I should have grabbed the mail before driving up to the garage but I didn't think of it. When I got about halfway up the driveway I looked up and this thing was standing on the stone wall beside the garage. It was big bake for a dog anyways, but it wasn't really a dog.
I thought coyote at first but that wasn't right either. It jumped down and began walking towards me. I tried to shoo it away but it just kept coming. It had very dark brown mangy fur. It looked like a huge german shepherd, but mixed with a bulldog. I started yelling for help. I was backing away from it down the driveway but I hit a patch of black ice and fell right onto my butt. I thought that was it, that it was going to attack me.
So I covered my face with my arms and just curled up into a ball and waited for it to happen. I was in the office when I heard her screaming josh cut in. I ran outside and found her like that in the driveway. I didn't even know I was still screaming until he basically lifted me off the ground. Did you see it? I asked him, he shook his head. It just disappeared. Heather explained, Was that the only time you saw that thing? Ask Betty. Yes, the couple replied in unison. What about the boys?
I asked at Claire's prompting. There was a pause before josh answered, chad has seen. Shadows were not completely clear on what Derek has seen. You mentioned that there have been two distinct phases to this haunting. I said, Was all of this? Just in Phase one. The couple exchanged their 1000th worried glance of the day we built over the garage. Heather said as though she were confessing some horrible deed.
Actually we tore down the old garage added to it so that it would hold three cars and then built our master suite above it, josh clarified. They opened up the house. Claire ground. You think the renovation stirred up even more activity? Ask Betty, we know they did heather nodded emphatically before we knocked down that garage at least everything was out there. But once construction started, that's when they got inside, josh said in a little voice.
Mhm. A huge thank you to everyone who ordered a cozy ghost in the burbs t shirt. We should expect them in the mail around October 15. They said mid October so that's what I'm betting on.
There was such an incredible response that once the funds are released I intend to donate $500 to 1 of my favorite charities heading home, heading home provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, permanent housing and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness and formerly homeless families and individuals in and around boston. So hooray head on over to ghosts in the burbs dot com and click on the tell me a story tab.
If you if you happen to have something spooky to share, I have another spooky listener stories episode ready to go for next week and you've all been so great about sending in your tails that there are more episodes to come. I have decided that I will be continuing to comment throughout these stories because it feels like then we really are just listening to the to them together for the first time. And I don't know, it was hard to just stay quiet and listen to that last round.
So that's that finally I've made a commitment to keep our space ad free. But if you are interested in doing something priceless to help the show, please tell a spooky like minded friend about it. Rate and review it wherever you listen and follow me at ghosts in the burbs on instagram. Those three things are incredibly valuable. And while you're at it, do it for the other podcasts you enjoy. That's all for now. Good night. Sleep tight. And don't forget your nightlight. Mm hmm. Oh yes!