Old Nantucket islanders tell spooky stories of spirits they call "setstills", which are ghosts that sit still on cemetery fences, waiting for people to walk by...at which point they grab the passerby, dealing him or her a hefty scare. It's the stuff of local legends, perfect for giving school children a fright as they walk by any of the island's graveyards.
One such cemetery that provides the perfect atmosphere for setstills is the Old North Cemetery, home to some of the oldest gravestones on the island (it is widely reported, but not easily proven, that the first burial in the cemetery took place in 1709). Whether you believe in the legend of the setstills, or simply enjoy strolling amongst ancient headstones, a visit to the Old North Cemetery is sure to enhance any haunted Nantucket trip.
Haunted Houses
The wealth of ghosts on the island reside in private residences, and even organizers of ghost tours admit that many of these houses are closed to public intrusion. So the stories remain and flourish, many of which can be read in The Ghosts of Nantucket: 23 True Accounts, even though the present-day happenings are kept behind closed doors.
Fortunately, several haunted residences have become bed & breakfasts over the years, and visitors to these places can catch a glimpse of their supernatural side while sheltering in them. One "haunted" bed & breakfast is the Sherburne Inn, a luxurious hotel right in the heart of Nantucket's historic district. While the inn's official web site makes no mention of ghostly residents, one doesn't have to look very far to find stories of hauntings at the inn.
The Deep, Dark Sea
More mundane, but no less haunting, are the countless tales of disaster and tragedy at sea that have plagued the island and its residents forever. Ghostly maritime stories significant to Nantucket range from the horrific tales of the ill-fated crew of the whaleship Essex (who had to resort to cannibalism in order to survive), to the modern-day "curse" of the Italian liner the Andrea Doria, which sank 50 miles off Nantucket, and which continues to claim the lives of divers who try to reveal the secrets of her watery grave.
Nantucket's charming whaling musuem holds countless artifacts of a bygone era, one of incredible peril and brutality. Not only was the practice of whaling cruel to the whales, but it was very dangerous for the sailors involved, many of whom never made it back to Nantucket. When you cast a gaze to the old "Nantucket grays", wooden houses and cabins made gray by the endless onslaught of wind and salty air, you cannot help but notice the occasional "widow's walk". It does not take a large stretch of imagination to visualize the unfortunate women for whom the architectural addition was named, pacing in the cramped quarters with scopes to their eyes, hungrily searching the horizon for signs of their lost loved ones.
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