Dunn Pond State Park

Massachusetts · USA · Haunted site

Lights over an island in Gardner, and the reader who took the trouble to explain them.

Dunn State Park in Gardner, Massachusetts is a small pond with a beach, a walking loop and an island near the middle. For years the island carried a reputation. Bright lights were reported hanging above it after dark, and the explanation offered locally was a burial: a Native man was said to have been laid to rest on the island, which had been his favourite fishing spot.

We are keeping this entry because of what happened next, which is rarer in this archive than any apparition. A reader who knew the park took it apart. The pond is not old and it is not natural. It was dug in the middle of the twentieth century, no earlier than the 1950s and most likely in the 1960s, which leaves no room for a grave predating it. And the lights have an address. Stand on the far side of the beach and the park facilities building sits directly behind the island, with a sodium vapour lamp mounted on its flank. From that angle the lamp appears to float above the water.

So the island is not haunted, and it is worth going anyway. Stand where the story says to stand, watch the light come up over the water exactly as described, and see how completely convincing a wrong explanation can be. Most of the entries on this map have never been checked this carefully.

FAQ

Hvor ligger Dunn Pond State Park?

Dunn Pond State Park ligger i Massachusetts, USA.