New England has many offbeat attractions to offer. Our A to Z guide to New England oddities continues...
- Jumbo's Ashes - P.T. Barnum's promotion of Jumbo as the "Largest Elephant on Earth" made him a legend among pachyderms. Tragically, at the height of his circus career, Jumbo was run over by a freight train. Thanks to the wonders of taxidermy, Jumbo's 1,500+-pound carcass was stuffed and displayed at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. Ah, but tragedy struck again, and a 1975 fire destroyed the over-sized stuffed animal. Jumbo's charred remains are now safely locked away in a peanut butter jar in a safe at the University's athletic department. If you visit Tufts, you can see a small statue of Jumbo in the Quad.
Kennebunkport, Maine's Captain Lord Mansion is a bed & breakfast inn with a bonus: a ghost! Built in 1812 by shipbuilder Nathaniel Lord, the house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and features an octagonal cupola, a four-story spiral staircase and 14 fireplaces. No wonder his widow, Phebe, doesn't seem to want to leave! To book your haunted getaway, call 207-967-3141.
Lizzie Borden Murderabilia - Massachusetts' Fall River Historical Society is the proud keeper of all of the great artifact clues in the 1892 mystery of whether Lizzie Borden really whacked her folks, including Lizzie's hatchet, Ma and Pa Borden's stomachs, pillow shams dotted with blood, locks of the victims' hair and crime scene photos. If that's not creepy enough for ya, stay in the house where it all took place--now the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast! The Historical Society is at 451 Rock Street in Fall River, Massachusetts, and the Lizzie Borden B&B is at 92 Second Street. Call 508-675-7333 for B&B reservations.
Mummies in New Hampshire - North Woodstock, New Hampshire, is home to an intriguing rock formation known as "The Mummies." It used to be a roadside attraction, but now it's more difficult to access. These photos from Strange New England will give you a glimpse of this mysterious site.
Nut Museum - Old Lyme, Connecticut, was once home to the Nut Museum... and the Nut Lady, the late Elizabeth Tashjian, who you may have seen on Letterman and other television talk shows. The nation's only shrine to nuts housed the world's largest nut (a 35-pounder!), nut crackers, nut art, nut music and more. In 2003, however, the Nut Lady was found unconscious and was relocated to a care facility, and her home was sold at auction. Her nut collection, however, was adopted by the Museum Studies program at Connecticut College in New London. For more information, contact Christopher Steiner at 860-439-2797.
Orgonon - The Rangeley, Maine, home and laboratory of Wilhelm Reich is now a museum. A student of Sigmund Freud, Reich claimed to have discovered a previously unknown form of energy--orgone--and he even developed the Orgone Energy Accumulator, later labeled a fraud by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, to make it accessible to people who needed a boost. The museum and the Orgone Energy Observatory are open Wednesday through Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. in July and August and Sundays only in September from 1 to 5 p.m. Private tours are available year-round by appointment. Admission is $6 for those over 12. Call 207-864-3443 for more information.
Phantom Fires - Anawan Rock, located in Squannakonk Swamp off Route 44 in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, is the reported setting for a number of phantom fires. A sign on the rock identifies the location as the spot where Wampanoag Indian chief Anawan surrendered during King Philip's War. Neighbors have reported seeing and smelling smoke in the area, without any accompanying signs of fire.
Quabbin Reservoir - Built in the 1930s, the Quabbin Reservoir is one of the largest man-made reservoirs in America. Beneath its tranquil surface lie the "lost towns" of Dana, North Dana, Greenwich, Enfield and Prescott, Massachusetts, all flooded and destroyed so that metropolitan Boston could have additional water supply. Though the towns no longer exist, their history and fate is preserved by the Swift River Valley Historical Society at the Whitaker-Clary House in New Salem, Massachusetts. For information, call 978-544-6882.
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