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cover of episode FtV – Gardner Lake’s Phantom Piano

FtV – Gardner Lake’s Phantom Piano

2024/12/30
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New England Legends Podcast
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Jeff Belanger
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Ray Auger
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Jeff Belanger：Gardner湖流传着一个关于幽灵钢琴音乐的传说，渔民们声称从湖底听到钢琴声。这个传说背后隐藏着一个发生在1895年严冬的真实事件。通过对这个事件的回顾，我们可以了解这个民间传说的起源，以及它如何随着时间的推移而流传。虽然我们可以从历史上解释这个传奇，但这并不排除存在某种超自然因素的可能性。 1895年的冬天异常寒冷，康涅狄格州部分地区的冰层厚度达到10英寸。一位名叫Thomas LeCount的富有的杂货商计划将他的房子从Gardner湖的南岸搬到东岸。承包商想出了一个大胆的计划：在寒冷的冬季，将房子放在滑橇上，然后将其拖过冰冻的湖面。 2月10日，工人们开始准备将LeCount的房子、谷仓和浴室拖过Gardner湖。令人惊讶的是，房子里所有的家具和物品都没有被搬空，包括钢琴。2月11日，他们开始拖动房子，但不久后冰面出现裂缝，房子被卡住。当晚，Falls Mill开闸放水，导致冰面与水位之间出现空隙，房子部分沉入水中。 第二天，大部分家具和物品都被移走，但钢琴无法取出。人们来看这个奇观，甚至有人在房子周围和房子里滑冰。春天冰雪融化后，房子进一步下沉，大部分淹没在水中。随着时间的推移，房子逐渐腐烂，但一些残骸，包括钢琴，仍然留在湖底。这个事件虽然被遗忘，但偶尔人们仍然会听到钢琴音乐，仿佛历史在提醒人们这个故事。 Ray Auger：幽灵钢琴音乐据说来自湖底。民间传说会随着时间的推移而流传，有时甚至会持续一个多世纪以上。1895年严冬发生在Gardner湖的一件令人难忘的事件是幽灵钢琴音乐故事的起源。 这个故事虽然是一个幽灵故事，但没有人死亡，它是关于一个事件的幽灵，一个关于失败和损失的幽灵。我们可以想象当时人们的恐惧和绝望：房子慢慢沉入水中，冰面上的人们滑冰嬉戏，而房子的主人和工程师则从天才变成了傻瓜。这种恐惧和绝望可能留下了精神印记，导致人们听到钢琴音乐。 人们一代代地讲述这个故事，导致人们开始在脑海中听到钢琴音乐。这个故事的流传，也体现了民间传说如何随着时间的推移而演变，以及人们如何赋予事件以超自然色彩。也许，最简单的解释是鱼在演奏钢琴，或者湖中有怪物在演奏布鲁斯。

Deep Dive

Key Insights

Why is Gardner Lake in Salem, Connecticut, associated with phantom piano music?

Fishermen have reported hearing phantom piano music emanating from the bottom of Gardner Lake. This legend traces back to an event in 1895 when a house being moved across the frozen lake sank, leaving a grand piano behind. The piano remains at the lake's bottom, and its music is said to still be heard occasionally.

What happened during the winter of 1895 at Gardner Lake?

In the winter of 1895, Thomas LeCount attempted to move his house across the frozen Gardner Lake using skids and horses. The house, weighing about 28 tons, was left fully furnished, including a grand piano. However, the ice cracked, and the house sank after the lake's water level dropped due to a dam being opened. The piano remains submerged to this day.

Why did the house sink into Gardner Lake in 1895?

The house sank because the dam at Falls Mill in Norwich was opened overnight, lowering the water level and creating a gap between the ice and the water. This caused the ice to crack, and the heaviest part of the house, including the chimney and kitchen, broke through and sank several feet into the water.

What was the public reaction to the sinking house in Gardner Lake?

The sinking house became a spectacle, with people coming to see it, taking photos, and even ice skating around and through it. A postcard from Salem, Connecticut, captured the scene, and a reporter from the Day newspaper described the house as an ice house, with water frozen in its rooms and furnishings like the kitchen stove still in place.

What is the theory behind the phantom piano music at Gardner Lake?

The phantom piano music is believed to be a psychic impression or 'stone tape theory' of the intense emotions felt during the house's sinking. The event left a lasting impression on the area, and over time, stories of the piano's music became part of local folklore, with some claiming to hear it drift on the wind.

Chapters
Fishermen at Gardner Lake in Salem, Connecticut, report hearing phantom piano music from the lake's depths. This episode investigates the 1895 incident where a house, complete with furniture and a piano, was moved across the frozen lake and sank, leaving behind a lingering mystery.
  • Phantom piano music heard at Gardner Lake.
  • 1895 incident of a house moved across frozen lake.
  • House sank, piano remained.
  • Local legend developed over time.

Shownotes Transcript

Welcome to New England Legends From the Vault – FtV Episode 94 –  Jeff Belanger and Ray Auger visit Gardner Lake in Salem, Connecticut, on a quest to find the source of phantom piano music that’s said to emanate from the lake itself. What happened on this lake back in 1895? This episode first aired November 30, 2017.

 

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