Cold Spots: Country Tavern Restaurant and Pub
Nashua, New Hampshire – It sits in an unexpected place, a rustic and quaint farmhouse between a car dealership and other modern businesses. While some may look upon it with curiosity, the cars in its parking lot are very telling. Outside one can smell delicious food as it is prepared, and it is hard to imagine that anything could possibly be wrong within the restaurant’s walls.
As with any other place that was built nearly three hundred years ago, history has a way of reminding the present that things were not always so serene. This quiet little farmhouse has seen tragedy. But unlike many, what it saw was so angry, so brutal, it left a mark in the form of a woman who can never rest.
What would be the greatest sin? Infidelity? Murder? Infanticide? And to what limits would a person go in a jealous rage?
There are no words to describe the emotions a person endures when confronted with betrayal because none seems quite strong enough. In many such cases where words just won’t do, what happens is an animalistic expression of rage and pain.
Those left alive are forced to deal with the aftermath. Those who die, sometimes, must still endure. Their rest can never be assured until that cycle of pain is broken. Many houses and buildings see this kind of mark in their history. The symptoms are eerily similar, no matter the exact circumstances. But no matter the origin, the result is the same. The house is haunted.
History
Originally built in 1741, the home that would become the Country Tavern was, at one point, owned by English sea captain with the last name of Ford. As was the custom at the time, Ford married a woman who was much younger than he, a twenty-two-year-old beauty named Elizabeth. It was her charge to stay and care for the house while he was away. However, being young and full of life, she was unprepared for the life of the wife of a sea captain. His journeys took him away from the home, often for months at a time, leaving his young wife alone. As was inevitable, the young woman began catching the eyes of other men in the community.
After one excursion, which kept him away for almost a year, the captain came home to find his wife had given birth to a baby girl. Unfortunately for his wife, he knew there was no way he could have fathered the child. In a rage, Captain Ford locked his wife in a closet and murdered the baby, which he buried somewhere on the grounds. When he released Elizabeth from the closet, she went mad with grief over the death of her child and attacked the captain. He stabbed her to death and threw her body into a well on the property. No mention of the captain’s fate is found, but one can assume he got away with his crimes.
Ghosts
Whether verifiable or not, the story of Elizabeth Ford left a lasting impact on the building, made all the more poignant because of the many sightings and phenomena that have occurred there over the years. Most often described as a “woman in white,” she continues to walk the grounds and inside the restaurant, seemingly in search of her dead daughter. Employees and guests most frequently report items moved and disembodied footsteps from unoccupied areas of the restaurant. Others have witnessed items launched across the room where they shatter against the walls. However, most agree that she is rarely malicious and is normally fairly benign.
Her most common practices involve playing with children who visit the restaurant, but she has also been known to play with women’s hair in the restrooms. Beyond the disembodied movements, cold spots, and odd sounds, there are rare but numerous reports from people who have actually seen her. Dressed in a flowing white gown with blue ribbons in her long white hair, she’s been sighted through windows, both inside and out. Many photographs taken in the building contain odd anomalies that are not easily explainable.
Present Day
The building now operates as a restaurant and pub, one of the most successful in the city. Inside the feeling of the old world is kept with antiques and a homey atmosphere. Still, the presence of Elizabeth is felt and recognized. Although a psychic came in the late 1990’s to try to give the poor woman some peace, she has reportedly not moved on. The owners include her story on the back of their menus and even named a chicken dish (which sounds delicious, by the way) for her. The phenomena have reportedly slowed in the past few years, but they have not stopped completely.
Best Times
There appears to be no rhyme or reason to Elizabeth’s appearances or phenomena. She appears when she wants, to whom she wants. And if she doesn’t like what you’re doing, she’s the sort who will let you know in no uncertain terms. However, judging from the remarkable menu, the best time to visit the Country Tavern is whenever a person is hungry. With every night of the week themed around specials like “Beer and Steak Night” and “Martini, Chicken and Veal Night,” it seems that visiting the Country Tavern is a no-lose situation. Just remember to keep your eyes open … and to tip the waitstaff. For more information about the place, including their calendar of events and menu, visit the Country Tavern Restaurant and Pub website.
See you next time!
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Categorized:Cold Spots
