Episode Recap: Nine Men's Misery

When a site has a deadly history going back to the 1600s, you can bet there are going to be some lingering spirits in the area!

TAPS investigates the Cumberland Library and Monastery in Rhode Island, where so many things have happened in the past that it's hard to pin the activity to any single historical event.  In the 1600s, new colonists were settling the land and angry Native Americans were not pleased.  The Native Americans lured nine men into the woods and massacred them- skinning them alive, posting their heads on spikes and hanging their bodies from trees.  The men were buried by a monument titled Nine Men's Misery, which is considered by some to be the first veteran's memorial in the new land.

Later, the Catholic Church purchased the land and built a monastery where monks lived and died for generations, until the building caught fire.  When the monks moved to a new location they disinterred the bodies of their dead to move with them. 

All of these shifted souls could well be uneasy about how they died and how they were treated after death.  Now the building is a library, and TAPS is asked to find out which souls are responsible for the experiences staff and guests are having.  Reports are of books opening and closing on their own, doors banging, disembodied voices, shadows of monks floating around the gardens and stairwells, loud doors slamming and an elevator that has a mind of its own. 

The investigation does well in confirming most of the claims.  Jason and Steve hear voices, giggling and even have a conversation with a ghost using a vibration detector.   Meanwhile, Amy and Adam encounter something in the bathroom that is able to turn water on and off!  Super creepy!

Outside, Britt and Adam use and EMF detector and as they read names of the deceased nine men the EMF levels spike!  How crazy is that?! Later Samantha and her dad hear the book noises reported, and all the teams experience loud banging and shuffling sounds. 

It's hard to say which potential spirit is responsible for the haunting without more concrete evidence.  Library Director Celeste Dyer speculates that it is the monks, but no one can be certain.  The good news is the team was able to present evidence that the staff was not crazy with the claims they are reporting and there is no evidence that anyone is in danger. 

This was an investigation for the books!