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PERRYMAN MANSION |
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On the Perryman peninsula in southern Harford County, there exists an old and crumbling manor house. Once the estate of the Boyer family, the sprawling mansion lies on the coastline of the Bush River. The once-extravagant multi-level mansion was abandoned by its longtime tenants decades ago when Baltimore Gas & Electric Company purchased the home along with 250 acres of land on which to build a regional plant.
The home and property was cut off from civilization for years because of its unique location and situation. Surrounded by water on three sides, the peninsula is accessible by only one road, which is closed off to the public once it reaches the BG&E plant. On one side of the peninsula runs an active railroad line and on the other side is Aberdeen Proving Ground - the heavily guarded and fenced U.S. Army post.
Situated as such, the mansion was literally cut off from human contact, rumors began to spread and its legend grew. Any Maryland ghost hunter worth their salt has heard of the Perryman mansion and its strange goings-on. There are stories of former slave quarters with shackles still attached to the stone walls. Others have seen ghostly green lights moving in patterns along the walls and heard voices and other unexplained noises. Many get chills just gazing at the imposing structure and refuse to enter its doorway.
Historical records also point to an old graveyard on the property, which was lost and now covered in weeds and shrubs. Most investigations of the mansion have uncovered death - in one form or another. Animal carcasses are commonly found along the road and train tracks leading back to the house and the ground outside the mansion is littered with small bones fragments. Those brave enough to venture into the attic - the highest point in the mansion - are greeted by the putrid smell of decay and coal-black turkey vultures have been found silently guarding clutches of bloody eggs.
Photographs taken in and around the mansion routinely capture orbs or other mysterious lights and objects. One recent investigation of the Perryman mansion did result in the positive identification of one of its reclusive inhabitants. A strange crying spooked the team and led its members upstairs where they were able to definitively pinpoint the shrill whine...a baby raccoon!
Early this spring a mysterious fire consumed much of the upper floor of the Perryman mansion. Fire fighters responding to the scene had difficulty finding the mansion in the dense woods and actually turned around and headed back to the fire house when they couldn't see smoke or fire. Eventually, the fire fighters found the house, but by then much of it had been destroyed. The suspected cause of the fire was arson, but no one was ever charged. |
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PERRYMAN MEMORIES |
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"The Perryman mansion has been almost a playground to my friends and I for more than six years. Every time I have been there something or someone has made itself known. It starts with the hike to the house. The first 10 minutes are ducking BGE lights and staying close to the sporadic trees to hide in the shadows from any disgruntled workers. This is the only area you will feel safe. As the large lights disappear you are surrounded by thick woods to your left and the train tracks to your right. Even if you feel you are brave enough and nothing can keep you from venturing on...a train goes by and drowns out everything around you. Go ahead and scream. No one will hear you. Worse than that, you can't hear if you are being stalked in those brief seconds. I have heard footsteps of man or beast along this trail. I have heard what sounded like branches being thrown about. I have yet to have been deterred. At the end of the paved trail you hang a left and become swallowed by woods. A long walk and you can see far enough ahead to trick yourself into thinking there is someone waiting beside the tree lines. As you approach the mansion itself, there are rhododendrons welcoming you through the stone entrance. A fence surrounds the house. A hole cut out to squeeze through. Or get caught up in trying to escape. There have been more than three occasions when I have heard women speaking as I made my way left of the fence. I am not the only one who heard them. Left to the house you can go the the old pier that sits sideways over the river. There is solace in the breeze. You almost forget that you are about to go into a haunted mansion and will more than likely have some sort of unexplainable experience. Let me just tell you of a couple. A group of us went into the house. Outside were bones of some sort of animal. There are always bones. We stuck together in a uniform line and decided to go through the living room and upstairs. One of us stayed behind due to fear of seeing something. I had been there so much I honestly wasn't worried about it. Until we began to walk up the steps...one by one pushing each other to go faster I heard someone whisper in a very stern and serious tone 'LOOK.' We all turned our heads at the same time as if in a bad Robert Palmer video and on the wall behind us leading up to the stairs a green glow seeped through. At first sitting still...then slowly moving up. Then back down. Then up down and side to side. A cross shape?? We saw our friend frantically shining his flashlight behind and in front of himself through the doorway about 30 feet away. He was behind a corner. His light couldn't reach the wall. Needless to say...we didn't go upstairs or in the basement. We left. Another adventure also included a large group of people. We made our way to the basement. All of us going our own ways. As we explored many of the group engaged in chatter. All of the sudden a loud thump came from the first floor. My friend and I stared at each other wide eyed. Only three of us heard it. As I saw my friends mouth open to warn the others I demanded her to not say a word. The last thing you want to do with a group of kids in an old building that is literally falling apart is to give reason to freak out and run. We kept our secret until we were safe outside. There is nothing special about the way the mansion looks from the inside. Like any other building that has been uncared for riddled with opportunity to get hurt. It is the sight of it from the fence that makes you shudder. The blank gaze of hollow windows seems to warn you. The key is the silence you keep and the places you keep your eye on that you will have a story to tell." by Melissa |
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