247 years ago on September 21, 1776, a young man by the name of Nathan Hale would be captured in New York City by the British army and ordered to his death by hanging the following morning. His crime? Spying for General Washington.
He was only 21.
His name is captured in history when he allegedly spoke his famous last words "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."
Whether he actually spoke them or not has been of some debate but his bravery and patriotism are not. He is considered a national hero and the pride taken in his story extends even to our little corner of East Haddam, Connecticut.
Hale was born in Coventry, Connecticut and would go on to serve as a Captain in the Continental Army under General Washington, a Yale graduate, and a teacher. He was a direct descendent of the minister John Hale who served as a Puritan pastor during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. Though Reverend Hale initially supported the trials and punishments, he would later retract that support when his own wife stood accused of being a witch.
Witchy side note: Wethersfield, Connecticut actually serves as the first hunting and execution grounds for witches in New England, pre-dating the Salem trials by forty-five years. Between 1647 and 1663, eleven people, 2 men and 9 women, were accused of "keeping company with the dark" and executed by hanging. Some of these hangings took place at the gallows of Meeting House square in Hartford where the Old State House now exists. As of 2023, Connecticut senators voted in favor of absolving the 11 victims of their accusation and issued a formal apology for the "miscarriage of justice."
Trekking back to our map, we come to Icon #7 - the Nathan Hale Schoolhouse that now sits on a East Haddam bucolic knoll above the Connecticut River. It was built in 1750 and for 50 years it served as the "Frist Society School". During the 1800s, it became a private residence for the Attwood family. It was then moved in 1900 to its current location and has been a historic landmark ever since.
How it earned it's name as The Nathan Hale Schoolhouse is due to our patriot Nathan Hale having taught there in 1774 for a year.
After Hale left Yale (no, I didn't intend the rhyme1), he moved to Moodus and in a letter to a college mate, he described the area as a "remotte wilderness" but apparently appreciated the reclusivity and natural beauty because he also went on to write "if you departed this life at Moodus, you stood but a narrow chance of gaining a better."
However, though he appreciated the scenery and his teaching position, it would not prove to be rewarding enough. Hale would move onto New York City where he felt he could better serve his country by enlisting in the army and becoming a spy against the British.
The setting where the schoolhouse rests now, which is well kept up by several interested groups including the Daughters of the American Revolution and town history enthusiasts, is unique. It's viewpoint, especially in winter when the trees are bare, showcases a spectacular display of the Goodspeed Landing, the Swing Bridge, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church and it's famous bell, and the River View Cemetery. You can also see the Rathbun Library, the Post Office, and Higher Grounds Coffee Shop from this vantage point. We have attended a few history walks and talks over the years in this location and especially fun are the graveside reenactments of the lives and deaths of local notables interred at River View Cemetery.
It was during one of these walks I had my own paranormal experience at the Nathan Hale
Schoolhouse and why it was included on the EHMT map.
I had heard from locals that shadow figures, disembodied voices, apparitions, and odd feelings had been experienced near the schoolhouse and the cemetery below. The interior of the schoolhouse is sparsely decorated with period furniture. Wooden tables and benches fill the one room space. When I was there, the location was not open to the public for tours, so I peered through the window. I saw a man standing on the other side of the room, a sillouhette in front of the light streaming in through the far side set of windows. His back was to me, and he appeared to be staring out the window towards the trees on the other side of the house. I turned to tell my husband the site must be open, someone is inside, but when I looked back, the figure was gone. I was standing near the only doorway to the schoolhouse and no one had exited it. I still question who and what I saw that day!
When you walk around the grounds of the schoolhouse, you will also see a large monument in honor of Major General Joseph Spencer, another Revolutionary War hero and East Haddamite.
There is a geniunely creepy feel to this monument anytime I go up there, even more vibey than the Schoolhouse it stares at. The general was born in East Haddam and is a direct descendent of one of the first family settlers in1662. He would be in residence when the town of East Hadam was officially founded and named in 1734. Though he was originally buried in the Millington Cemetery across town near his family home, he and his wife were re-interred here at the Nathan Hale Park in 1901 when they erected the monument to him. It is the highest point and looks over the River Cemetery below.
The cemetery below the Nathan Hale Schoolhouse also has strange sightings and sounds reported. One report that is common is the sense that you are not alone when strolling through the headstone pathways. I have experienced this several times and find myself turning around to see who is following me. No one ever is. I have also staked the area out at night and have seen a few strange wisps of light moving around the stones. Even on warm nights up there, I often get goosebumps. Not always, but enough to let me know, someone is watching.
Once you finish with the schoolhouse and cemetery, walk over to the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church front yard and look up towards the steeple.
There has been an ongoing debate about the origins of this bell, when and where it was cast, and if it is the oldest steeple bell in our nation. One story states that it was cast in Spain in the year 815AD and through time it would end up as a war spoil of Napolean's raiding army.
It makes its appearance in East Haddam by way of captain William Wylis Pratt who was related to the Attwoods living in the old school house. It was procured for East Haddam between 1834 and 1835 but t would not be hung at the church until September 11, 1904. Prior to it's hanging it took up residence in a few locations including in front of the Gelston House and on a wall near St. Stephen's.
Where this bell was for a thousand years between it's alleged casting date of 815AD and East Haddam's procurement of it has been the focus of much speculation by many historians, locals, and church officials. If this bell could only tell us it's tale!
As for spooky connections, some locals have reported to hear the bell ring on quiet nights, when no one is around to pull it's cords. It echoes lonely tones along the river bank and rolling hills surrounding it.
Prior to this mystery bell, another bell was in residence at the Episcopal church. In 1798, it would come loose while being rung for services and fall upon the head of Amasa Brainerd Jr. He was considered a non-believer by some locals and rumor spread the bell fell and killed him because of his lack of faith. He is buried in the River View Cemetery nearby. Some have speculated the one of the apparitions spotted in the area is Mr. Brainerd.
With such a rich history on this spot, who haunts it or how many is anyone's guess. Enough sightings have been experienced and reported to lend believability including my own. I don't know who I saw that day in the Nathan Hale Schoolhouse. I don't know what I feel up there by the Spencer Monument or who is following me around the Cemetery. Maybe it is a spectre of a previous resident or perhaps Nathan Hale himself, wishing he had spent more time here.
Who would blame him?
To get to the Nathan Hale Schoolhouse in East Haddam, head to 31 Main Street. There, you will find a grassy driveway up the left side of the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. Follow it to the top and park to the left along side the driveway. There is a chain across the entrance to the grounds of the schoolhouse. You can get a coffee across the street and spend the afternoon checking out the view and history.
Happy Haunted Trekking!
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