The
Dingman House is located on Dingman Road between Wellington Road and Highbury Road.
The first story that I heard about the house was that the original owners (a farmer, his wife and three children) built
it around 1856. I do not have any actual facts as to what happened to the family
but have heard many hazy incomplete accounts that say it was tragic, deadly and at the very root of the hauntings. All that is left of the 19th Century house is a pile of burnt remains. The fire was attributed to vandals many years ago. The barn
is all that still remains standing near the house. The house was said to be active
with numerous sightings of ghostly presences and paranormal activity.
I heard at one time that a cult of 15 or more teenagers were discovered on the property in the late
90's performing disgusting animal sacrifices and obscene satanic rituals. They were charged with trespassing and cruelty to
animals. The teens thought this would be an excellent spot to perform their rituals because of the haunted reputation of the
house.
One of my favorite stories about the house is:
A girl left a party one evening and took a short cut through a field. Unfortunately
the short cut took her right passed the Dingman House which seemed to appear out of nowhere just ahead of her. She stopped
to get her bearings and called her boyfriend from her cell phone to let him know that she was running late. He asked: “What is that I hear in the background?” The girl replied: “I don’t
hear anything.” He then tried to ignore any background noise and attributed
it to a bad connection. The background noise continued as she spoke to him. Finally getting annoyed he told his girlfriend to tell whoever was with her to stop
singing. She replied that she was alone near the old abandoned house. He told her maybe she should get out of there and that it sounded as if someone was singing near by
her. She asked him what he was talking about.
He said it sounded like a young child singing: “Ring around the Rosy” in a very gentle quiet voice. The girl laughed at her boyfriend until the singing gradually became louder and not
so gentle and she heard it as well! Although she heard someone singing
she saw no one. The singing kept pace with her as she left the area in a panic,
no longer interested in what her boyfriend might be saying or hearing on the cell phone.
These are just a few of the stories I have heard since I moved into the area. I live within walking distance of the house (maybe two minutes) and I decided it might
be fun to investigate the place for myself. Not having any belief in ghosts one
way or the other, I figured I would be safe enough.
Around 11:30 pm I walked down the road with my flashlight in hand, and decided
to cut through the field towards the old burnt out house. I cut through some
low laying bushes and when I emerged, suddenly, just like in the stories the barn seemed to loom over me from out of nowhere. I really didn’t know what to do next since this was a new experience for me. I figured I’d just sit around for a while and see if anything would happen. Time seems to drag on when you’re out in the dark alone with no one to keep
you company. Five minutes passed and all was quiet, except for normal sounds
like crickets and a slight breeze stirring the weeds. Ten minutes, still the
same. Fifteen minutes later, still quiet.
Here I was sitting around in the dark because of a bunch of stories I heard.
What did I really expect to happen? Twenty minutes, and there was no change. Being bored I Decided to walk up closer to the barn.
Twenty-five minutes later, still nothing. I decided to wait five more
minutes. Thirty minutes later and I was disappointed. Nothing had happened at all. Really, what did I expect? Oh well it was a good walk and no harm done.
I started to walk away from the barn and noticed that it has much quieter. No
crickets, no breeze. Something hit the ground with a dull thud right beside me! I turned my flashlight on the area but I could see nothing. Another thud sounded to the left of me! One hit the ground
in front of me! Another thud sounded over there. And still another! I was pretty much spinning around with the flashlight searching the ground but still I saw nothing that
could have made the sound. It sounded as if someone was throwing stones or rocks
all around me. The sound continued and I kept search but could find no stones
or rocks on the ground. The air had grown thick I felt a malevolent presence. That was enough for me. I definitely
felt unwelcome and decided it would be in my best interest to make a hasty retreat.
As I ran back to the road I thought I could hear whispering on either side of me!
The run back to the road
seemed much longer then it did when I walked it earlier. I never returned to
this house and I feel a chill creep over me every time I think about what happened that evening.
Thank you for giving me the chance to
post my story. You must check this house if you dare!
