Karishma Nagar
ARLT 100: Ghost Stories
11/10/11

This interview was with a very close friend of mine who used to live in Massachusetts. My friend will be referred to as “B” for the interview and I will be “K”. Her sister that is mentioned in the story will be referred to as “J”. Below is the transcript verbatim of my interview with her.

K: Hey B, thanks again for letting me interview you! Okay, so tell me first about this ghost story, you said it was from your hometown correct?

B: Yep. As you already know K, I’m from Framingham, Massachusetts, but I used to live in Ashland, Mass. Both these towns are very old, created around the colonial times. Anyways so um there was this ghost that people talk about in Ashland, and she was called the “Mary Ghost”.

K: Alright, can you tell me what exactly the premise or story is behind the “Mary Ghost”?

B: Yeah, like supposedly there was this little girl named Mary, who died along the train tracks near Main Street, which is like a large populated street in Ashland, sort of like a ‘main street’ if you will, haha. Well anyways, so Mary was a little girl, about ten years old I think, and she was playing near these train tracks off Main Street and got hit by train. People found her lying there, and they took her to this nearby hotel where she then died. Now Mary’s ghost roams around this hotel, haunting its grounds.

K: Do you know what this hotel was called?

B: Well actually this hotel was bought over, and over time it converted into a public house for people to visit. It is now called Stone’s Public House or something like that. And Stone was the original owner of the hotel when Mary had died. And so people go there to visit this public house and look around. I don’t know, I think I heard from someone say that back in the day, the hotel was actually really bad, as in like a lot of crime like murders and underground activity happened in the hotel, including acts from the owner Stone himself, so they say that there was a lot of other ghostly spirits that haunt the hotel including Mary’s. Some also say that Mary’s death could in fact not necessarily be an accident but was actually like done on purpose. It’s not really sure because a lot of people say different things.

K: Who did you hear this ghost story from?

B: Well originally I heard it from my older sis J. She told me about it, and at first I thought she made it up, but then a lot of my friends in Ashland high talked about the same ghost of Mary story too. That’s why there’s varying belief as to whether Mary’s death was an accident or on purpose as well as whether it was in fact of the hotel’s past of crime, etc. But that’s essentially everything about the actual I guess premise is what you called it haha

K: Okay cool, and what was your reaction to this ghost story?

B: Well K, you know that I am like a total skeptic. I personally never believe in ghost stories, so when I heard it from my friends and sis I thought instantly like okay this is obviously something that you totally would say to someone to spread gossip haha. But then I actually decided to check out the place for myself with some of my friends and no joke K I was horrified. I could literally feel as if someone was constantly stroking my shoulder as I walked through. But obviously when I looked no one was there. But then it was weird, because I felt this warm sensation in my ear, as if someone was right near me sort of I guess breathing on me. And it was the creepiest thing ever. Like I don’t know I think it might’ve been a ghost, because it was weird how I could literally feel this presence around me but not necessarily see anything. I don’t know. But every since then I’ve honestly been scared to go back. What’s even scarier is that I know a lot of other people from Ashland high that also went to this public house and felt a similar sensation as me, with someone stroking them and caressing their skin. They never mentioned the warm sensation though, but I felt it. Ughhhh its so weird. So I guess I do believe in this Mary Ghost. And now I’m kinda freaked out. Like it’s such a hard thing to describe only because its one of those unexplainable things. But yeah that’s essentially what I know about the Mary ghost and my experience and others peoples experiences that I know of. I hope this helps your class K, sorry that’s all the info I know.

K: No, this is great, thanks B!

My reaction to “Mary’s ghost”: I found this ghost story to be quite plausible and believable. The very idea of a little girl who died before her time touches on the theme of spirits who did not get the proper rites of life. This little girl was unable to live the rest of her life and all the milestones that come with it because she was merely 10 years old. I personally thought it was interesting that this girl could have potentially been murdered rather than an accident as well as the murderous activity that went on in the hotel, which in a way could touch upon a more moral or social justice in relation to this ghost, that could in fact be a potential reason Mary is haunting the hotel itself. It was interesting to see how B at first was completely skeptical, but I think context also played a role that it is a rather old building and she did in fact go to visit it at nighttime, and it was surprising that she is now a believer. The very idea that the ghost interaction was based primarily on touch with this ghost was also extremely fascinating, and it’s makes it very personal and realistic in a way. When B said “Like it’s such a hard thing to describe only because its one of those unexplainable things” it clearly showed the liminality that ghost really are as a subject, unexplainable. All in all, I think it was an excellent ghost story that was told and I would be interested in visiting this place.