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stay protected. Keep your main number safe and out of harm's way. Ready to take back your phone? Visit line2.com slash audio or download Line 2 in the App Store today. Welcome to the vault. Good to have you here in the vault where this week we're going back to the dingle hole. It's funny every time you say it. It is. It doesn't get old. First aired September 10th, 2020. Enjoy.
All right, so here we are in the middle of a millist neighborhood, Jeff. Yep, that's right. And we're looking for a paranormal hotspot that dates back centuries. So there's plenty of houses all around us. These houses don't look old at all. I mean, maybe they go back about a century or so. But for the most part, I'm guessing a lot of these homes date back to maybe the 1960s or so. Yeah, I'd agree with that. This looks very much like New England suburbia. Trees, streets, swing sets. It's all here. Exactly. What kind of...
ancient paranormal legend could possibly be set in a place like this. It's the story of the devil, a headless ghost, and of witches who can change into the shape of animals. And the home of a bottomless pit where the most frightening sound you can possibly hear... Oh my god, what was that? A spirit bell, Ray. That's the very sound we're trying to avoid. We're in Millis, Massachusetts searching for the Dingle Hole. Dingle Hole
Hello, I'm Jeff Belanger, and welcome to episode 160 of the New England Legends podcast. If you give us about 10 minutes, we'll give you something strange to talk about today. And I'm Ray Ogier. Thanks for joining us on our mission to chronicle every legend in New England one story at a time. And we can't do it without the help of our Patreon patrons. So true. These legendary people kick in just three bucks per month to help us grow and bring you new stories each week.
They get early access to new episodes, plus bonus episodes and content that no one else gets to hear. Just head over to patreon.com slash new england legends to sign up. And if you don't already subscribe to our show, you should because it's free. You can get it anywhere where you get your podcasts. Just hit the subscribe button and we'll bring you a new strange but true tale each week. Would also appreciate it if you'd post a review for us. It really helps a lot.
The Dinglehole. I know, I know. That's what this place is called. Somehow, I don't think Jordan Peele is going to call us to turn this episode into his next horror masterpiece. Yeah, I know. The name doesn't exactly strike fear into your heart, does it? No, it doesn't. Yet, the story behind it has been told for centuries, and it's really a little freaky.
I found this tale in a book that came out in 1885 called The History of Medway, Massachusetts, 1713 to 1885, edited by Reverend E.O. Jameson and published by the town. But wait, Medway is the next town over from Millis. That's...
Very true. But up until 1885, where we're standing right now was still Medway. The town lines were redrawn that year. All right. Got it. So you said the devil dwells here near a bottomless pit? That's the story. In fact, the bottomless pit is pretty easy to spot. Oh, where? Where? We're standing right next to it. Okay. I see a small pond by the side of the road. I mean, it's really small. Yeah. Maybe 100 feet wide and 50 or 60 feet across. Some say that pond...
is bottomless. That's the Dinglehole. Wow. This is ground zero for this story and all of its creepy weirdness. All right, I'm ready to check this out. Let's head back to the year 1713 to the very earliest days of Medway.
It's the early fall of 1713, and we're standing by a small pond located on the edge of Oak Grove Farm. It's a place that most locals avoid. Reverend Jameson explains why. This place is the rendezvous of witches and of the evil one, the place where Satan meets with his disciples. It is here they pledge themselves to his service. Unearthly sounds are heard.
Then strange lights are seen, glancing about in this uncanny place. Ray, check out that big pine tree standing over the pond. It looks like the top branches have been twisted into a kind of gnarled crown. Yeah, that's kind of creepy. And the water in the pond is black and still. It's strange how it doesn't look murky so much as inky black. Its name is derived from the dingling or tinkling of a bell, which is frequently heard here on dark, misty evenings.
The bell is supposed to be rung by the hub goblins of the place, and then it's called spirit bells. Now check out how the road splits to encircle this small pond on all sides. There's definitely a weird vibe here. And night is falling. It's dark out here. There's no moon at all. Hey, look over there. Someone's walking up the road. Tsk, tsk.
On this particular night, the spirit's bell was most sonorous. Strange lights and globes of fire playing about the dingle hole. Look at that! It looks like tiki torch flames flying over the water. The benighted traveler is astonished and almost petrified when he sees the apparition of a man without a head.
The man is unceremoniously walking around the circular road without advancing him a step on his intended journey. Okay, I'm officially freaked out. That man has no head, Jeff. Yeah, I know. And it's not like there's some bloody stump. I see a shirt and just darkness where his head and neck should be. It was anciently the custom of the good people in the vicinity of this terrific glen on approaching the dingle hole in the night to say their prayers.
It was believed that on the pronunciation of certain words, the bell would cease its tinkling, the lights vanish, and the man without a head disappear in the deepest recesses of the woods, and there wait until the arrival of a more ignorant or less pious traveler. Looks like this traveler knows the prayers, because the headless man and lights? They just vanished.
If the Headless Ghost isn't spooky enough, you said that this place is also where Satan meets his minions? The place is infested with witches in the shapes of raccoons, weasels, and other little odoriferous animals, none of which could be caught or slain by ordinary means.
So if you see an animal, there's no sure way to know if it's just a passing critter or actually a witch. Reverend Jameson told us about another strange account involving a particular witch here at the Dingle Hole. Look over there. A well-known hunter is approaching this strange pond with the gnarled pine trees. Suddenly, he sees a large raccoon sitting on a low branch just watching him. The hunter can't resist such easy prey, so he shoulders his hunting rifle. He takes aim...
and fires right at the raccoon. Oh, but it looks like he missed. But not only that, the raccoon hasn't moved. The animal wasn't even startled by the gunshot. The hunter reloads as the raccoon watches from the tree branch. The raccoon's stare is almost mocking. The hunter shoulders his rifle again. He takes the most careful aim he possibly can, holds his breath, squeezes the trigger...
Oh, he misses again. I have no idea how. He was so close. And again, the raccoon didn't even flinch. Now the hunter senses something is wrong here. That last shot had to have hit the raccoon right in the bread box. He knows. He knows. There's witchcraft afoot. But look over there by the road. The hunter sees a witch hazel bush growing nearby.
Thinkin' quick, he cuts a sprig of the witch hazel. He loads the sprig into the barrel of his rifle, and once again, he takes careful aim at the raccoon. He's aiming right for the animal's face. He takes a deep breath, squeezes the trigger, and...
What? The raccoon just vanished. It's gone. The hunter's perplexed. Though he's not sure what just happened, one thing is certain. There was witchcraft happening here because the raccoon was clearly hit in the head, yet there's no trace of the animal. The unfortunate raccoon was never seen after this final shot. And it was rumored the following day that Mrs. Murky Mullen, an elderly and somewhat unpopular lady in the neighborhood...
Locals will tell you that Murky Mullen is just one witch who pledged her loyalty to the devil at the Dingle Hall. There are others, which is why you can never be too careful if you see any kind of critter around this pond. And everyone agrees, if you hear the dingle bell nearby...
Run. And that brings us back to today. And now this dinglehole pond sits among all of the houses. Kids riding bikes, babies in strollers, and guys cutting their lawns. This is one of those obscure legends that not everyone knows. As we said earlier, the story is first mentioned in that 1885 book,
because that was the same year that the town lines were redrawn and Millis was incorporated as its own town. So you could be living in this neighborhood, and maybe you've even heard of the story of the dinglehole, but heard it was somewhere in Medway, the next town over. Right. So you think, this can't be it. But it is. This is the place. A small pond right by the side of the road in modern-day Millis. And the most frightening part of the tale is that according to Reverend Jameson's book, those prayers that keep the hobgoblins and ghosts away...
They've been lost to time. So, we're sitting ducks right now. Pretty much. And speaking of ducks, I see two in the pond just down the hill. Yeah. Am I crazy, or do they seem to be staring at us? That is a little unnerving. I think we should get out of here. ♪
If you want to check out the Dingle Hole for yourself, be sure to download our free mobile app on your smartphone. There's an interactive map offering you driving directions to all of the locations we've covered over the years. Plus, our entire archive of stories and...
A way to get in touch with us for your own story leads are there on the app. Just search for New England Legends in your app store. We'd like to thank Michael Legge for lending his voice acting talents this week. In fact, Michael is the person who first tipped us off about the Dinglehole story, so we're glad he could be part of this one. And of course, our theme music is by John Judd. Hi, this is Carl Johnson from North Providence, Rhode Island. Until next time, remember...
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Wait, did we just hit a million orders stage? Whatever your stage, businesses that grow, grow with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 a month trial at shopify.com slash listen. It's such a great slam on somebody. You dinglehole. You're a dinglehole. Oh, I love it. No, you're a dinglehole. Still funny. Still great. So as we mentioned, there's a book called The History of Medway Mass 1713 to 1885 by Reverend E.O. Jameson.
And that's where it first mentioned all the great details of the story. The October 31st, 2003 Milford Daily News, not far from Millis slash Medway, interviewed a woman who lives in the house behind the dinglehole. And she says that lots of people ask her about the witches. This is back in 2003. Mm-hmm.
But the scariest thing she's heard are the bullfrogs. Oh, yeah. Ribbit. Gross. I did a little deeper dive into the newspaper archives, and this one, I want to say, was from the late 1800s. I have the clip in front of me, but I forgot to throw the date on it. May 23rd. I don't think anyone's going to do any fact-checking. Oh, fine. It was the Boston...
Boston Globe or Boston Evening Transcript. Well, that you should know. I'm sorry. I know. No, I've already... All I had to do was jot down, which I have it back home. But anyway, the headline is, Made by Indians, Extensive Fortifications in the Town of Millis, Some Eight Square Miles Enclosed by Trenches, Brook, River, and Swamps. And the last sub-headline says, Interesting Investigation by Party of Harvard Professors. Anyway, it goes on to mention...
There's a part about the Dinglehole, right? They said, so hold on, I'm skimming it. They basically said that this, by one of the inspecting parties most extensive known outside the Ohio Valley, lots of Native American stuff. And within this section, it's okay. Okay. The works extended from the Millis pumping station westward to the swamp land known all through the section as Dinglehole.
So they're more or less implying that this was, well, it was Native American land. That's no surprise to anyone. But this was an extensive fortification site. And maybe these legends go back a lot further is the point. Maybe there was something to it from Native American legend and lore that then sort of bled into the colonial times. We pin a lot on the Native Americans. Just look at Poltergeist 1 and 2. Yeah. You know, I mean, that was to blame. They were to blame for that. Yeah.
And now the dingle hole, just because it's old and it came from the old country, doesn't mean that the Indians are responsible. Of course not. But... Well, when we're talking in present tense, let's say Native Americans, of course. Something starts from somewhere, right? So if someone says like, hey, that's a bad, scary area. Now it could be like swampland is dangerous. People don't, I think a lot of people, we don't spend a lot of time thinking about swamps. We just avoid them. Mosquitoes, bugs, snakes, no thanks, right? Sure.
But a swampland can literally like suck you in. You know, if you step in one spot, it's six inches deep. Your feet are wet. So what? Keep walking. The next step could put you down to your waist. Yep. And then mud could just, right? Suck you right in. Suck you right in. And so swamps in general are dangerous areas. They're tough to navigate. They're slow going, full of animals and critters that could bite you or whatever. Yeah. So they're sort of inherently, and it's, let's face it, it's rot. Mm-hmm.
We need them. They serve a huge ecological purpose. But at the same time, like, there's foreboding, you know? There's a printer I work with nearby, and whenever I pass it, there is this swamp. It is just death. Like, it's just all these dead trees and all this swamp land. And you look at it, and you're like, that's a horror movie. I went by the other day, and there was, like, these gray clouds. And I'm just like—I mean, if you took away the street and the houses, if you just saw that, you're like, this is the end of the world. Right. This is apocalypse. Yeah.
Yeah, and it's not presented well in movies and TV, except the Muppet movie when he's playing in the swamp. Anything Kermit related. Of course. But Dom DeLuise is canoeing through and an alligator almost attacks him. So there's even the Muppet movie gave it some negativity. If you can get a canoe or a flat bottom rowboat out there.
Great place to dump a body. Absolutely. Perfect. Yeah. And like you said, people walking through it, there may have been people who have disappeared, taken the wrong step, being sucked down, and now they're never to be found. And nobody's going to search for anybody in a swamp. We've said too much.
That's where the bodies are hiding. Yeah. But yeah, so you get this great story that sort of sticks around and makes the news, makes our podcast, and gets bantered around, and it goes back. The Native American thing, you're totally right. It's a catch-all. How'd it start?
Right. Exactly. You know what else is burial ground? All of it. Yeah. Like people lived here for 10,000 years. Right. Your backyard. Yeah. Probably if you dig deep enough, you'll find something. Someone passed away somewhere along the way. Yeah. 10,000 years. It's a lot of history. Right. And we only know about a couple centuries of it.
I've never really thought about that. I mean, we could be on sacred ground, for one thing. Could be. But we could find dinosaur bones. We could be sitting above dinosaur bones. Absolutely. Now I want to go dig in my backyard. But we've talked about that. We've talked about digging a lot. Digging a hole is no easy task. No. At our age, we could... Yeah. No. But it was fun. Yeah. Yeah.
But this time we wouldn't be looking for treasure. We'd be looking for bones. Right, right. And then have some explaining to do. Yeah. Oh, those are the ones that I buried. Oops. That one's fresh. I do have two cats in my yard that I wouldn't want to start digging because I know exactly where they are. Sometimes death is better. Yeah.
It all comes back to you. Wow, yeah. And that was Indian burial grounds, right? Of course. I think that went back to Indians. It's a cliche. Jeez. Kills you. Like, hey, people died. They had to be buried somewhere. We have a lot to apologize for with the Native Americans. Yes, of course. And that being just scratching the surface of what we need to apologize for. But the thing about it from like a legend perspective, right, is that in working on Ghost Adventures for 17 years, I can't tell you how many times someone was like, oh, and our house is Indian burial ground. And you're like, oh, come on.
Of course it is. Of course it is. Oh, you just watched Poltergeist again, didn't you? So the irony is we filmed at the Poltergeist house not that long ago. Oh, yeah. And I can say that because it was already on Instagram and stuff. Yeah. But yeah, at the same time, you're just like, it's such a cop-out, right? You're just like, why is this haunted? Why is this haunted?
Indian burial ground, but like I don't really know. Yeah, so I'll just throw that out there because you can't prove it or disprove it Yeah, that's true, you know and I'm like come on we can do better You know and who's to say that after so many thousands of years they don't mind being built upon anymore Yeah, if I'm you know, I can tell you this right now We have this this notion that like burial ground should be sacred and they should be right there should be something to that we should honor our dead and in some way and
But at the same time, like there's billions of us. That's a lot of space. Yeah. And to your point, everything is a burial ground or we don't know, but it could be. Right. I mean, there's no, it's not sectioned off. Right. They didn't put a fence up back then and say, by the way, in the future, you'll know that this is the sacred burial ground. Yeah.
And how far do we go with saying this is sacred ground of any kind? For example, Gettysburg, right? Like Gettysburg is, and I agree with, I love Gettysburg. I think it's wonderful that it's preserved, that you can go there and visit it and see where this incredible battle took place at a time when America was truly divided. Like that's what division looks like. So important for sure. Still important, still relevant.
But will it be relevant in a thousand years? Right. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. I mean, right now, of course it will. But maybe it won't. Right. A thousand years ago, we were a little bit closer to Native... Well, obviously, Native American. It was Native. It was Native American. Yeah, there was no European answer. So three, four hundred years ago, say. Right. But even then. Yeah. Enough time passes and...
you know, you, you, uh, a historic event is just not relatable anymore. You know, like that's just, that's how it works is that it's just, yeah, that's why we need to be reminded. That's why like ghost adventures, what you do on ghost adventures is so important because you've covered, yeah, right here. You've covered Gettysburg, right? And, uh, you've told the stories. We,
We have. And keep it alive. Yeah, and I think that's important. But like, so when you go to like a Europe or an Italy where they have historic sites that are 2,000 years old, right? Like you can still see the ruins of stuff that's 2,000 plus years old. Or go to Egypt, go look at, you know, stuff that's, you know, 4,000 or 5,000 years old.
The pyramids. Nobody has any idea how they got there. Well, they built them. Well, they built them, but who built them? And how did they build them? Aliens. Come on, Greg. I'm sorry. That's fact. I forgot that they proved it. They just beamed them into existence. But that's the thing, right? So at some point, history gets far enough back. But...
Egypt's probably the best example of preservation that goes back the furthest, right? There's other sites around the world that are really old, thousands of years old. But at some point, I mean, humans have been around for hundreds of thousands of years, right? We have no connection to anything that's like 50,000 years ago. 10,000 years ago. Humans first started farming. They found a few sites that like this could be one of the earliest farms when we first started farming 10,000 years ago.
we don't know what their life was like. Right. We have no idea. There's nothing left. It's all speculation. That we can piece together other than this is roughly where people said like, let's make a go of trying to grow food here and stay put. But after that, it's just... So if we built a house there... No, no, excuse me. If we built a fast food restaurant there...
Who cares? Right. Right? Like, who's going to haunt us? Who's going to haunt us? How is it going to affect us now? Right. Who's it going to hurt? That kind of thing. Yeah. These are the questions. And so there is definitely a life cycle to all these legends. And at some point you get far enough away where, I mean, I just, they just don't, we're not connected enough and they don't, doesn't feel relevant anymore.
The only connection we have is that we can call people dingleberries. I mean, dingleholes. Dingleholes. Dingleberries is another one, but dingleholes, yeah. That's the connection we took from that history. If nothing else, this left us a wonderful insult.
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