Eagle Feathers #190 – All Hallows’ Eve

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

Halloween, the last day of October and the day before the Christian, All Saints Day, had its origin in ancient Celtic lore. It was considered a time of year when both good and evil spirits and ghosts flourished. Bonfires were lit, masks were made, jack-o-lanterns were carved out, and witches were said to have haunted the skies on brooms. Most of these fables and myths never crossed the ocean, but some unfortunately took root here.

Some say the Mystic River’s name was originated from old women who gathered medicinal and mystical herbs along its shore. They gathered them to help the sick, but suspicious minds accused them of being witches. In 1648, Margaret Jones of Charlestown was the first woman in the Massachusetts Bay Colony to be executed for witchcraft. This occurred forty-four years before the Salem Witch Trials. Governor Winthrop of Ten Hills presided at her trial.

During the American Revolutionary War, Somerville’s hills were a prison to over 4,000 prisoners of war, half British troops and half German/Hessians. Through the years, ghost stories have flourished about their stay there.

Washington Irving, the author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a Halloween classic, wrote a short story titled, The Devil and Tom Walker. It takes place along the edge of the Mystic River where he lived. In this tale, Tom sells his soul to the devil in exchange for Captain Kidd’s treasure, which is said to be buried near Ten Hills.

For fifty-seven years, The Monster Mash, by Bobby Boris Pickett, has delighted those who enjoy celebrating Halloween. Bobby was born in Somerville in 1938 and grew up on Winter Hill. He captained the Somerville High School’s basketball team and worked at the Somerville Theatre with his father. After a failed acting start in California, he joined a rock band where he produced a record … It was a smash … It was The Monster Mash and on Halloween “it’s the hit of the land!”