New England Oddities

Mt. Auburn Cemetery

Founded in 1831, Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts is considered to be America’s first garden-style cemetery, with plots and stones arranged amongst landscaped hills, rather than in the rigid lines found in churchyards of prior periods. The garden style cemetery emphasizes peaceful rest, rather than sorrow, and represented society’s changing attitudes toward death and the afterlife.

This is one of the largest and most elaborate cemeteries we have had the chance to visit, and those of you who may have visited this site before know that we’ve seen many!  One could walk for days and not see everything there is to see, as the cemetery covers around 175 acres and contains over 10 miles of roads.  In addition to beautiful monuments and chapels, Mt. Auburn is also famous for it’s 700 varieties of trees and numerous species of birds.

Photography by Katie Harper:

 

Photography by Chris Kwarciany:

 

A New England Summer

Occasionally, while out exploring history and hunting legends, we at New England Oddities do get an opportunity to stop and smell the flowers!  These are the results: a celebration of New England in the Summer.

Happy Labor Day, everyone!

Photography by Chris Kwarciany:

 

Photography by Katie Harper:

 

Enders Falls

Enders Falls is a series of six waterfalls along a 1/4 mile long stretch of river in Granby, Connecticut. Though none of them are especially large, all together they form an impressive landscape with lots of opportunities for photography.

Armed with a camera, a tripod and a polarizing filter, I set out to explore the falls over two days this Summer. These are the photos I took.

 

The New England Oddities Photography Meetup – Member Photos!

The New England Oddities Photography Meetup has been out to some awesome spots so far this Summer, and I thought it was time we shared more member photos. If you like what you see here, please support the photographers by visiting their sites. As always, click any photo to view full size.


Celia Chan – Celia Chan’s Blog
The Old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts

Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts

 

Heather Katsoulis – HLKphoto.com
Old Newgate Prison in Granby, Connecticut

 

Steven Eazarsky – Flickr, Myspace
Old Newgate Prison in Granby, Connecticut

 

Felipe Lopez – Email
Old Newgate Prison in Granby, Connecticut

 

Exploring the Forgotten

There’s something about a forgotten space that holds a definite appeal for many people, be it the look into the lives of those who have gone before us, the raw emotion evoked by an abandoned locale, or simply just the thrill of the forbidden, of being somewhere one really should not be.

The word “urbex”, which is a shortened form of the phrase urban exploration, is defined by Wikipedia as the “examination of the normally unseen or off-limits parts of urban areas or industrial facilities”.  In the face of the myriad dangers native to urban exploration, such as asbestos inhalation, tetanus, falling through floors compromised by flooding and rot, transient encounters, and in some cases a ticket for trespassing, there is a growing segment of photographers and other artists who can’t resist the siren song of abandoned spaces.   They see the beauty in the way the light from a broken window hits a rusting  hinge or a strip of peeling paint and they find art in a solitary chair in an empty room.   They see the symbolism in grass sprouting up through the cracks of a forgotten highway or in the way the forest quickly begins to reclaim the stones of an abandoned foundation.

I have always been one such photographer.

As we consider ourselves to be journalists as well as explorers here at New England Oddities, we have not trespassed or otherwise compromised our principles to get these photos.  We have always obtained permission where necessary.  We bring these photos to you with the recommendation that you not compromise yours, whatever they may be.

An Abandoned Factory – Easthampton, Massachusetts:

 

An Abandoned Train Station – Holyoke, Massachusetts:

 

The Hudson-Chester Quarry – Becket, Massachusetts:

 

Sideling Hill Tunnel on an Abandoned Stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike

Ok, so this isn’t actually in New England, but I’m going to share it anyway!  If  you find yourself in central PA someday, definitely check this out.

 

Post Apolcalyptic Suburbia – Somewhere in Western Massachusetts

(This location is rare, as it is not just one abandoned house, but 13! This is an entire development in varying stages of completion, just left to rot. I’ve not had any luck discovering the exact reason why, and no, I’m not going to tell you exactly where it is. But I’m sure you can find further information elsewhere on the internet.)

 

In Search Of Puckwudgies

Recently, we journeyed to Freetown, Massachusetts, a small community located in a portion of the state known as The Bridgewater Triangle.  The triangle has gained notoriety as a hot spot to paranormal investigators, UFO hunters and crypto-zoologists across the country.  And apparently this area has been a locale for strange phenomena before the first European settlers arrived.

The Wampanoag tribe has a long oral history of this area going back some ten thousand years.  Among the lore is an interesting tale of a creative giant named Maushop, who, according to legend, was responsible for creating Cape Cod and performing other great deeds for the Native Americans of Massachusetts.  But in all of this joy and happiness lies a hidden malevolence: a pint-sized model of rottenness driven by jealousy and revenge known as the Puckwudgie.

Continue reading In Search Of Puckwudgies…

The Springfield Cemetery Walk

On Sunday, March 22nd, several members of the New England Oddities Photography Meetup assembled for our very first photography outing! The Springfield Cemetery in Springfield, Massachusetts has always been one of my favorite cemeteries, as frequent readers of this site can certainly attest. This beautiful, secluded spot right in the middle of the city spans generations, containing Springfield’s oldest stones as well as many recent monuments. The photographers who accompanied us certainly didn’t disappoint; a sample of their work is below.




Heather Katsoulis, HLKphoto.com

Susan Meagher, The Northeast Spectral Science Society

Chris Kwarciany, New England Oddities’ resident historian

And, finally, two of mine

Please feel free to leave comments for our guest photographers, or visit their personal sites. If you would like to explore New England with us, hit the link below and join the New England Oddities Photography Meetup!

Calling All New England Photographers!

Do you want to meet fellow photographers near you, and participate in photography outings to some of New England’s most interesting locations? We at New England Oddities have created a group on Meetup.com for just this purpose.

Join us and explore all New England has to offer. Photograph natural and man-made oddities, cemeteries, and fascinating locations while hunting legends and discovering history with the group.

Participants will have the opportunity to have their work seen by a wider audience, as we will be featuring group photos here on www.newenglandoddities.com.

All experience levels are welcome! The only requirements are a camera (digital or film) and an adventurous spirit.

What are you waiting for? Hit the link below and come discover New England with us!

New England Oddities Photography Meetup

Hag Attacks and Psychic Vampires

The sun has set, and after a long day you lay down for a good night’s sleep.  Some time later you wake up. There is an unseen source of pressure concentrated on your chest. With every breath, the weight gradually increases and your fear swells. Your eyes search, darting from left to right, as a shadow emerges from a dark corner of your room. The phantom’s shape resembles that of a human wearing a black cloak; your heart beats faster and faster as the dark mass comes closer. A purple hue emanates from around the creature and a noise that sounds like rushing air fills your ears. The sound becomes deafening. Instinctively the flight response hits and your body attempts to move away from danger, but you are paralyzed. You move just your eyes to see, and suddenly the menacing shadowy figure is next to the bed.

Continue reading Hag Attacks and Psychic Vampires…

News & Latest Projects!

As promised in the last post, Chris and I have some exciting news to share!

After many months of hard work, Chris and I, along with four other talented paranormal researchers, are excited to launch our new paranormal group, The Northeast Spectral Science Society.  You can check out our new site by clicking the banner below, or going to www.nespectralscience.com.

If you are a MySpace user, you can check out our page at www.myspace.com/nespectralscience.

Chris and I are still going to be working on the New England Oddities project, and will continue to bring you the history, culture and photography that you have come to expect over the past year. We welcome your questions and suggestions, and thank all of you for your support.

If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to email us:

Chris – chris@newenglandoddities.com
Katie – katie@newenglandoddities.com