The possible whispering of a faraway voice. The feeling of an invisible hand possibly brushing over yours. For some people, this is creepy. For others, it's a thrilling form of entertainment. And for those people, paranormal investigator Tom D'Agostino invites them to his “Dining with the Dead” tour this Halloween season.
While D'Agostino hosts these spooky suppers at a variety of haunted happenings all over New England, there's one location in particular that he comes back to more than others (and has the most dates set for fall): The Tavern on Main in Chepachet, Rhode Island. And that's because it's the most haunted places in all of New England.
Known as the most haunted restaurant in Rhode Island, D'Agostino, who has appeared on SyFy's Ghost Hunters, has done over 100 investigations at the location. There's something about the ghosts at the Tavern on Main that continues to fascinate him. Maybe it's how active they are. Or maybe it's the mystery behind their existence. It might even be their sense of humor.
At a Dining with the Dead program one time, a man behind the bar had kept chuckling at the idea of ghosts. Apparently, a ghost in the dining hall didn't quite appreciate his attitude, because a few moments later a TV on an overhead shelf was lifted up and then dropped above the skeptic. While the guy moved just in time to avoid the falling television, the message was still quite clear.
At another Dinner with the Dead investigation, an investigator was hit in the head by a washboard hanging on the wall across the room. This happened in front of 55 people. So the spirits are obviously not shy. Far from it. It's apparent that they want to be heard.
Sign inside the one and only Tavern on Main in Rhode Island to promote Tom's Dining with the Dead event. [Photo/Tom D'Agostino]
But D'Agostino is not quite sure which ghost is throwing these tantrums. Because there are so many.
In the dining room at The Tavern there are at least three known spirits. This includes a little boy around ten years old. While investigators are still unsure who he is after multiple attempts at communicating, it seems he may be looking for his parents, since he's also been found in the woman's bathroom.
“One of the waitresses that has been there for 12 years,” he recalled, “told me she was going out with a guy whose daughter went to use the bathroom. She was taking a while so they checked on her. They could hear her talking to someone in the bathroom.”
When they finally opened the door, the daughter said she had been talking with a little boy. She pointed towards thin air.
This is a ghost that many other patrons and workers have seen.
“When one of the tavern inn keepers saw the little boy standing in the dining room, he got frightened,” D'Agostino said. “The boy turned and walked through the wall.”
According to Tom D'Agostino, he has collected multiple EVPs (audio recordings) of children giggling. It adds to the mystery of the tavern's 10 year old spirit. Is he lost and looking for someone? Or is he just a mischievous little boy causing some trouble?
In the back of the dining room at the King's Table there is a ghost that has not only had “intelligent conversations” with investigators, but has been caught on film by a 15 year old boy. Widely available online, the stationary camera shows the transparent figure of a man getting up from the table and making his way along the back of the room.
There is also an infamous booth at the Tavern on Main where a spirit – which D'Agostino believes is named Alice – is visible to anyone – staff or guests – when she feels like making an appearance. And she feels like it so often, in fact, that guests leave letters and notes in a book by the booth about their haunted experience.
For people at the Tavern on Main, the food is only part of the experience. The hauntings are not feared. They are actively sought out. So much so, in fact, that the booth no longer accepts reservations because of multiple fights that have broken out over sitting at the booth with Alice, to accompany her as she weeps in the corner, forever remembering how she was slain by a jealous lover.
The Tavern on Main, built in the 1700s, is located in the Blackstone Valley, a region that D'Agostino highlights in his 12th book, “Ghosts of Blackstone Valley.” It's just one of many regions across New England that has a long history of hauntings.
“It's the birthplace of the industrial revolution,” he explained. “The first mill in the US was stationed there. Little towns and mills were all over, and popped up rather quickly. Of course, it was a dangerous life and there was a lot of accidents and disease. Strange stories. Legends. It's an interesting area we hadn't focused on until this book.”
While most investigators have different theories on why ghosts exist and how places become haunted, it's clear that in regions or buildings with more tragedy there is a lot more ghost activity. Until we know the true answer, D'Agostino and other investigators will continue to chase down the ghosts, one haunt at a time. And sometimes, people are invited to come along for the ride. And a delicious meal.