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| Photograph ©Haunted Houses.com |
Address:
1738 Elm Street
Stratford, Connecticut 06615
Nestled in historical obscurity, the mansion was once the residence of Dr. Eliakim Phelps, a Presbyterian minister who, with his family, occupied the dwelling during the early 1900s. Little is known about the mansion itself, except that it became a stage for mysterious occurrences that left an indelible mark on its history.
The enigmatic Reverend Phelps, the former inhabitant of the mansion, is believed to be the catalyst for the paranormal phenomena within its walls. Rumors suggest that Reverend Phelps, drawn to the realms of spiritualism and the occult, engaged in numerous séances. During one such session, he purportedly summoned the spirit of Goody Bassett, a witch executed for practicing witchcraft in 1661.
The saga of paranormal activity commenced during the Phelps family's residency and is rumored to persist to this day. One particular Sunday, upon returning from church, the family was startled to discover the spectral form of Goody Bassett lying on their dining room table, only to witness its sudden disappearance.
In subsequent episodes, the family entered their bedrooms to find their clothing meticulously arranged on the beds, resembling the posture of a person lying in a coffin. At times, their garments were shaped to simulate life-sized bodies. Mysterious puppet dolls, possibly poppet or voodoo dolls, materialized throughout the house, adding an eerie layer to the inexplicable occurrences.
As time unfolded, the paranormal manifestations escalated into poltergeist activity – unexplained knocks, autonomously moving objects, levitating furniture, and items inexplicably colliding with walls. The haunting crescendoed with the children of the Phelps family being assailed at night, enduring beatings from an unseen entity. Furniture shifted across the floors, and objects were hurled out of windows, creating an atmosphere of terror.
The Phelps family's ordeal prompted them to send their children to boarding school, resulting in a cessation of the nightly torment. However, when the mansion transitioned into a Convalescent Hospital in 1947, the hauntings resurged. Over the subsequent two decades, hospital staff reported mysterious knocks, disembodied voices, and doors autonomously opening and closing.
By 1971, the mansion stood abandoned. A peculiar incident occurred when police officers, responding to a sighting, pursued a little girl within the mansion, only to witness her inexplicable vanishing act on the third floor.
Regrettably, the mansion has since been demolished, leaving behind only echoes of its mysterious past. The absence of a formal investigation perpetuates the enigma surrounding the mansion's spectral history.