Tour highlights 'Off-kilter' tales of Norwichtown

Norwich native Zack Lamothe traces his love of history and folklore to his early childhood, when family road trips included places like Edgar Allen Poe's tomb in Maryland. "I didn't realize that most 8-year-olds didn't go to Amherst to visit Emily Dickinson's grave instead of going to Disney," Lamothe said. Now an adult, Lamothe is sharing his love of local travel and folklore whenever he can. On Saturday, it was as a tour guide, leading a group through his historic childhood neighborhood in Norwichtown to tell tales of history sprinkled with rumors of hauntings in a walk called "Off-Kilter Tales of Norwichtown."About 17 people joined the hike across the Norwichtown Green, through historic neighborhoods and into Old Norwichtown Burying Ground where Hannah Arnold, mother of the infamous traitor Benedict Arnold, was buried in 1759. As the story goes, Benedict Arnold rides through the cemetery on a white steed on Halloween to visit his mother's grave. Why Halloween? Lamothe said he isn't sure, but that's part of the fun and mystery surrounding tales such as this. Other tales from the region are included in his two books, "Connecticut Lore: Off-kilter and Full of Surprises" and "More Connecticut Lore: A Guidebook to 82 Strange Locations." Some of the stories were passed down to Lamothe from his grandmother, who grew up in the nearby Bean Hill neighborhood. He also spoke with a medium, who has been in most of the Norwichtown homes visited during Saturday's walk. At the historic former home of Simon Huntington, for example, passersby have spotted people looking out through the windows. One owner reported seeing Huntington himself staring back at him in a bathroom mirror. When the man said, "Hello, Simon," the image disappeared. People visiting other homes have reported moving items, unusual smells and even the appearance of apparitions. On a chimney at the Samuel Huntington Mansion, built in 1783 at 34 E. Town St. for one of the city's most well-known citizens, there is a bust of Uncas, sachem of the Mohegans. It's an oddity and something that likely was cause for some controversy at the time it was installed, Lamothe said. One of the last stops on the tour was Lamothe's childhood home, built in 1752 for Samuel Abbott. It was about 45 years ago that a guest reported waking up to a scene of a wake from a bygone era. There is also a story about a man found decapitated in the nearby swamp. His body was recovered but his head was not, Lamothe said. The woman who witnessed the wake was in fact a college roommate of Lamothe's mother. Linda Lamothe joined her son's walking tour on Saturday and described the hallucination as a peaceful experience. The story about the decapitated man can be traced to a old newspaper clipping she said she found in the attic. For Chris and Jacinta Jewel of Sprague, Saturday's walk was a great time to enjoy the mild autumn weather and soak in some local history. "I love all of this history stuff. To see so many eras of history in one place is amazing," Chris Jewell said. Linda Troeger, who also joined Saturday's tour, grew up in Norwich and said Lamothe just scratched the surface of the rich history of the area. "I loved it," Troeger said of the tour. "It was a new way of hearing some of these stories." Zack Lamothe, who now lives in Plymouth, Mass., teaches high school special education and history. He is the author of five travel books, including "A History Lover's Guide to the South Shore" and "Distilled in Boston: A History and Guide with Cocktail Recipes." When he is not busy with his three children, Lamothe maintains the website and podcast Backyard Road Trips, where he said he tries to highlight "meaningful travel on a local level." The website and podcast can be found at www.backyardroadtrips.com.Saturday's walk was part sponsored by the Norwich Historical Society and part of the 34th Annual Walktober, a celebration of sites across the northeast. Visit www.thelastgreenvalley.org for more information. g.smith@theday.com