By GAIL LOWE
What makes author Sam Baltrusis tick?
For starters, he’s passionate about the paranormal and claims to be a clairvoyant, someone who has a supernatural ability to perceive events in the future or beyond normal sensory contact. For another, he is a prolific writer, having recently released his 17th book on the paranormal.
This latest volume, titled “Ghosts of Concord’s Colonial Inn,” contains 100 pages of five sections detailing the history of the Inn, which includes the Battles of Lexington and Concord, The Players, Hauntings, Legends and Neighbors. Black and white photos accompany the text on many of the pages.
In The Players section Baltrusis writes that based on paranormal investigator Joni Mayhan’s research, a location like Concord’s Colonial Inn could become more haunted over time because of its proximity to the Old North Bridge.
He quotes Mayhan: “Places where ghosts are known to linger become almost a waystation for other ghosts who are drawn there by the spiritual energy. The original haunting was probably focused around the Revolutionary War, but over time, others have joined the colony.”
In the book’s foreword, Mayan tells readers about an encounter with a contemporary ghost at the Inn, built in 1716, that left her perplexed.
“I found her quite by accident,” Mahan says. “At one point during the investigation I left the room we’d rented and began exploring an upstairs hallway. As I rounded the corner, I felt a strong presence lingering directly in front of me. It was a young woman. She was dark-haired and frantic. Her energy was hysterical and difficult to interpret. Something bad had happened to her, and she was still caught in that moment. While I didn’t actually see her, I felt her and saw a clear picture of her in my mind. I quickly pulled out my digital recorder and turned it on, capturing a faint plea. ‘Help’ was all she told me.”
Baltrusis began work on the book by immersing himself in the inn’s location once every week during the pandemic.
“I let the ghosts guide me,” he noted in a recent phone interview. Room 24 on the second floor of the Inn apparently is considered to be the most haunted.
One incident the author will not soon forget while working an overnight shift was seeing a woman dressed in clothing circa 1800s take off her bonnet while seated in a chair at the Inn. A few seconds later, he looked again, only to find that she was not there. This is not the first time he has experienced a strange occurrence. He has also felt what he described as a ghost cat rubbing up against his leg.
In The Players section of the book, Baltrusis mentions Henry David Thoreau and the possibility that his ghost might be “still sticking around” near the iconic cabin in the woods. He cites what “Storied Waters” author David A. Van Wie had to say on the subject. “My guess is that if I were to encounter Henry’s ghost, it would be on the Concord River, paddling with John (his brother) on an eternal, joyful outing, there on the waters close to home.”
Baltrusis also cites paranormal-themed author Richard Estep who believes that “wherever one finds very strong emotion, one tends to find ghosts. Battlefields are the epitome of strong emotion, most often terror, rage, regret and pain. That makes for a very potent mixture of energy which, some theorize, spirit entities may be able to derive power in order to manifest.”
Soldiers from the Lexington and Concord battlefields were brought to the Inn where many of them died.
In The Hauntings section, Baltrusis reports that a front desk employee at the Inn saw items flying off of shelves and witnessed inexplicable power surges.
The Inn is just one of many places Baltrusis has experienced the paranormal. While serving as a docent at the Shirley-Eustis House in Roxbury, he heard the voice of former occupant Caroline Langdon Eustis whisper his name in his ear. She died in 1865.
Other luminaries discussed in The Legends section of the book include Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Baltrusis also writes about the horrific stories of a slave named Black Mark and Phillis, a female slave. Read the book to learn more about their tragic deaths in Cambridge.
Asked if the death of a pet can bring about a ghostly encounter, he said that the strong bond between an animal and its owner can, indeed, give way to such an encounter.
In his book, he quotes paranormal author Gare Allen: “It doesn’t surprise me when someone shares their encounter (with a deceased pet), especially those that we formed a bond with during their corporeal lives.”
In addition to “Ghosts of Concord’s Colonial Inn,” Baltrusis has written “Ghosts of Salem,” “Mass Murders,” “Ghosts of the American Revolution” and many others. He has also been featured on several national TV shows, including the Travel Channel’s “A Haunting,” “Most Terrifying Places, “Haunted Towns” and “Haunted USA.”
He is also brought in to guest speak at libraries and paranormal-related events across the country. In the past, he has worked as a regional stringer for the New York Times.
Readers interested in the paranormal might consider “Ghosts of Salem.”
Baltrusis is a descendant of the witch-hanging Putnams and the accused hatchet-wielding Lizzie Borden and confronts the spirits still lingering in the shadows of his bloodstained family lineage. He tries to make amends for the unspeakable sins committed by his distant relatives.
In 1692, 20 innocent men and women were accused and executed during the witchcraft hysteria.
What will Baltrusis focus on next? He plans to visit New Orleans in October and stay at a haunted hotel. Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown in New York state and possibly the Hotel del Coronado on Coronado Island in San Diego County, California are also on his radar.
“My purpose is to give stories to people who have no voice, people who have been overlooked in history, including women and people of color,” he said.
“Ghosts of Concord’s Colonial Inn” was published by Haunted America, a Division of the History Press. The paperback is available on barnesandnoble.com and Amazon.com.