paranormalct - Tumblr blog

[paranormalct]

Fairfield Hills Hospital, Newtown, CT

Fairfield Hills Hospital is an abandoned psychiatric hospital located in Newtown, CT. Many who visit the property enjoy walking along the scenic walkways, or paying a visit to the NewSylum Brewing Company. But what most don't know about the hospital is that it’s gained the reputation for being one of the most haunted locations in the entire state.

Although now shut down, Fairfield Hills operated from 1931 until 1995, receiving over 4,000 patients at its prime. The hospital originally opened and admitted its first patients on June 1, 1933, after overcrowding occurred at the other two state hospitals. Fairfield Hills had a total of 16 buildings, some of which are now the home of the NewSylum Brewing Company, the town’s board of Education, The Reed Intermediate School, and the new community center. 

Fairfield Hills utilized many treatments while it was functioning, some of which being hydrotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy, frontal lobotomy, and insulin shock therapy… The hospital is said to have been the first hospital to perform a lobotomy in the United States.

In 1941 alone, there were 86 deaths at Fairfield Hills Hospital. Some of which were patients passing of old age, others from illness, but some were lost to suicide, accidents, and other darker causes. Patients were said to have been strangled, beaten, and tied down when they were to act up, hence the painful energy that circles around the grounds.

After Governor John Rowland closed Fairfield Hills down in 1955, it has been a prime ghost hunting and graffiti spot amongst tourists and teenagers. An article by Eugene Driscoll, posted on The New Times on September 28th, 2004 said: “On Sept. 17, a 21-year-old Newtown resident along with two teens were stopped by police at about 10:30 p.m. The trio said they were "ghost hunting," police said.” And how right they were to do so… Many visitors to the buildings report hearing disembodied voices, and have reported seeing people dressed in white that are believed to have been apparitions of the former employees and patients of the hospital. An ex-employee on Damned Connecticut explains the horrors of the hospital. “The hair on my body would stand right up, and the sense of other[s] being hurt and suffering would overwhelm me.” He also mentioned that in the hospital, he would have sleepwalking episodes, claiming he’s never slept walked a day in his life other than during his time at Fairfield Hills. Other hospital workers also claimed that you never felt alone in Fairfield Hills, as you could almost almost hear footsteps trailing behind you. “They had the exact cadence of a person walking in what sounded like heavy boots,” says another commenter on damnedct.

[paranormalct]

Union Cemetery, Easton, CT

Union Cemetery has been a popular spot for paranormal investigators for many years, with gravestones dating back to the 1700s. Demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren - the world’s most renowned paranormal investigators - paid many visits to this popular spot in Easton, Connecticut, and have a book called “Graveyard: True Hauntings from an Old New England Cemetery” written about their experience.

Reports of ghost sightings in this location have been high for many years, being this is one of the most haunted graveyards in the country. Union Cemetery is home to many spirits, but the most popular being “The White Lady'' and “Red Eyes.” Nobody knows how exactly the White Lady died, or whose spirit she belongs to. Some prefer to say she died during childbirth and is still searching for her child from the afterlife, while others prefer to say she was a murder victim of the 1940s, killed after taking her husband’s life. The White Lady is the cemetery’s most popular paranormal sighting. She is said to be wearing a long white nightgown and a bonnet. Occasionally she is seen at night, wandering the cemetery. But more often than not, she is seen on Route 59, spooking drivers and causing mayhem. The other popular sighting is of Red Eyes. Red Eyes is the spirit of a man named Earlie Kellog, who was said to have set the street afire in 1935. Visitors who are in Red Eyes’ presence report feeling watched, and often hear footsteps behind them. Many claim they’ve seen red eyes peering at them from the bushes.

A reviewer on Damned Connecticut, who lives directly across the cemetery, claims they saw “unexplainable blurry bodies (dozens of them) floating around the cemetery and by the church.” Apparently it was so concerning that the household was forced to call the Easton Police Department after the blurs were seen to be moving up their driveway. Some other visitors report hearing their names spoken by unknown voices, catching the presence of spiritual orbs in photographs, and feeling cold chills.

I paid Union Cemetery several visits in November and December of 2021, after I discovered an article about it. I did not have my drivers license at the time, so I drug my poor father with me for my first visit. We had decided to drive out at night, with only the glow of the full moon to illuminate the cemetery, because we believed this would lead to an overall better experience. The first thing I noticed was the heavy energy at the back and right side of the cemetery. Truthfully, it kind of freaked me out.

The sight of me, trudging slowly through the cemetery with my camcorder, was not a sight I'm necessarily proud of, but I believed I was looking pretty professional at the time. There were several instances that I felt cold chills pass through me. This may have just been because it was late fall/early winter, but on this particular day, it just so happened to be fairly warm outside. Another thing I noticed was the amount of times I felt tapping on my shoulders, or tugs on my hair, or even the faint noise of something, or someone, trailing behind me. But the thing that topped off the night for my father and I was the anomaly we saw while walking by the chapel next to the cemetery. He decided we should explore the entirety of the grounds, as well as around the Easton Baptist Church, which lies next to the cemetery. As we were walking to the back, I peered into one of the windows just in time to see a transparent woman in her 20s or 30s walk by. She had long dark hair, and was clutching a candle. That was definitely the tipping point for the night, because we both started walking very briskly to the car after I made him aware of what I had seen.

Overall, my experiences in this cemetery have all been action-packed, and I look forward to paying this place another visit soon.

Please be aware that Union Cemetery is closed to the public after sunset, and police officers enforce this rule by patrolling the grounds. These particular few nights we did not happen to see any officers, but we were respectful to the grounds and the gravestones in it, and were sure not to make any noise. If you feel the need to investigate at night, please be sure to do the same.

[paranormalct]

Working on an article about the well-known Union Cemetery (Easton, CT) right now… Stay tuned.