Updated 4/09/05
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As far as ghost stories about West Island go, this one is the oldest I know of, going back to the early 1970's.
The story is known as " The Woman in White" or "The Lady in White." I know of several people who were there the night she emerged from the waters at the West Island Town Beach.
She first appeared in the 1960's and usually appears around the beginning of June, mostly on foggy nights.
The largest group to witness her was in 1971 or 1972 when she appeared during a Fairhaven High Class party on the east side beach known as Crescent Beach. She walked down Crescent Beach from Monastery Rock, barely noticed at first. When she reached the small dirt road conecting the parking lot and and the beach some of the group began to see her, not giving much thought to her presence. What gave them concern was the fact the sighters said that she was visible if you didn't look directly at her, and if you turned towards her she vanished. As you turned away she would reappear, continuing on her pilgrimage.
Wearing all white, she was dressed in a flowing sort of robe. Supposedly she drowned, or WAS drowned at Crescent beach and would leave the scene of her demise (the sea), perhaps in search of her lover who commited the foul act. The appearances occur sometime in the first few days of June, right around sunset on a foggy night.

There is also the supposed Marsh Men who appear farther down towards Bass Creek in the marsh between Monastery Woods and the woods on the West side of the marsh. They travel back and forth between the two woods toiling away the night. It has never been known why they carry out their tasks or what they were carrying, if anything, and which way they were moving their goods, east to west or west to east, as no one was ever succesful in sneaking up close enough. They can be seen on any random night in the summer as dimly glowing silhouettes when the fog rising up through the marsh grass cloaks their endless drudging, back and forth and if you get close enough, you can hear their feet sloshing through the mud.

The next one is not for the squeemish. It's a true story of a New Bedford woman who predicts her own demise and ends up murdered by her husband.

This story is the property of the author. Not to be reprinted without permission.
Man Slays Wife


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