US State Urban Legends

New Hampshire Urban Legends

New Hampshire is one of the oldest states, so it's not surprising that it's home to a good number of urban legends. From hauntings to mysterious and terrifying creatures, these urban legends are creepy in many different ways. Whether you're a believer in the supernatural or a hardcore skeptic, you'll find yourself taking another look over your shoulder when you hear a rustle in the woods after you read these tales.

The Legend of Goody Cole

Massachusetts gets most of the attention for the witch trials, but Hampton's Goodwife Eunice Cole was convicted of witchcraft in 1656. In 1670 she was released and returned to Hampton, but her neighbors accused her yet again, and she suffered through another trial. Though she was found innocent, she never forgave her neighbors, who treated her like an exile and forced her to scrounge for berries to survive. Legend has it that since her death she has been responsible for a number of Hampton tragedies, including the sinking of a ship that killed 8 people. However, the town exonerated her in 1938 and finally set up a grave marker in her honor in the 1960s, and since then she has been a much more harmless spirit.

The Wood Devils

Go far enough north in New Hampshire - right up into the woods along the Canadian border - and you just may run into a "Wood Devil." Imagine a slimmer, swifter Sasquatch - a quick, elusive two-legged creature about 7 feet tall covered in light gray fur.

The Devil Monkeys

Even scarier than the Wood Devils are the Devil Monkeys, primates with dog-like noses and fierce teeth that emit an unearthly howl. Sightings in the woods go back to the 1950s, and in 2001 a dozen people in Danville saw the creature.

The Smuttynose Murders

In 1873, two Norwegian immigrant women were brutally murdered with an axe on Smuttynose Island. A third woman escaped to tell the tale, and a man was hanged for the murder. Nevertheless, doubt and alternate stories have persisted over the years, blaming figures from the woman who escaped to her husband. The murder inspired Anita Shreve's novel "The Weight of Water."

Cocheco Mills Haunting

Cocheco Mills in Dover nearly burned to the ground in 1907, killing several workers. Since then, the buildings have been refurbished and turned into offices and apartments, but reports of ghostly activity persist, and residents have reported hearing the sounds of old mill equipment operating.

Chase House, Portsmouth

This former orphanage is said to be haunted by the ghost of one of its unhappy wards, who in the 1800s hanged herself in the building. People hear her screams to this day.

The Legend of Chocorua

The story goes that the proud Indian Chief Chocorua befriended a white man and left his son in his care while he traveled - but when he returned his son had died in a horrible accident. Chocorua, in his rage, killed the family of the white man, who was not home, starting a deadly battle for revenge. The white man chased Chocorua to the top of a nearby mountain, which the Indian chief threw himself off rather than give in. As he did, he uttered a powerful curse. The mountain, now known as Chocorua, has seen a number of strange occurrences for which many blame the curse.

Be careful out there – and watch your back in the deep woods. You never know what's lurking in the trees. Can you still visit New Hampshire?!