A couple members of the MA Ghost Hunters payed Clara Bonney a visit in the spring of 2001. They apparently were a bit surprised that they got an EMF reading ranging from 4-7, and several spikes, when with no electricity around they should have got a big goose egg. For more details on their story check out this webpage (
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Well, that's all very well and good, but I don't know much about EMF readings. What I do know is when I lived on Fort Hill Ave., just down the road from the Lowell Cemetery, I used to walk through all the time, it's a nice quiet place for a walk. But I never used the main entrance.
I first came across the cemetery quite by accident. You see, one day I had made my way to the top of Fort Hill (
visit link) and as I was making my way up I felt something weird, probably that EMF stuff... Anyway, once I got to the top I decided to make my way through the woods and see where it came out to and found myself at the edge of a small cliff overlooking the Lowell Cemetery.
After a period of time I decided to check out the cemetery, and found Clara Bonney. At the time I didn't know she was a witch. It wasn't until I'd met some students at college when I learned a little about her.
Not much fact, but much lore. Bonney, as she is known by those who believe, was supposedly a witch. Her parents were Authur and Emma Bonney and Clara married a man named Charles Sumner Lilley. That's about as much factual information I can tell you. The rest is up to you.
The legend of Witch Bonney is this. When her dress falls to her waist, she will be reborn. She will be found in the hollow of a nearby tree. Now, to believe this, you would have to believe her dress made of cast metal, bronze I believe, can somehow fall to her waist.
People, mostly those into the occult sciences pray to her and leave Bonney all sorts of offerings, from flowers to jewelry to beer cans. They tend to leave what they bring either at her feet, or under her arms, or in the front of her dress. Some of these people believe it is the energy of all these people who may be effecting the statue.
The other part of her legend is there is another statue, this one of a lion in white marble (I nicknamed him Kimba). The legend goes that the lion is her guardian and when she returns the lion statue will crumble. If you make it out to see Bonney's statue follow her line of sight, it'll lead right to the lion.
On one particular winter's day before I'd heard of the legend, I'd gone with my camera (check out this forum on folks who's batteries have died going to take her picture [EMF?] (
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to take some shots, but I couldn't find the lion. I went over to Bonney and looked toward where I thought he should be and started walking. Still, I found nothing. Then for the first time ever, and the only time, I ran into a groundskeeper. He told me in the winter time they assemble a small shed over the lion to protect him from the snow (acid rain in a frozen state, was the explanation I got).
So while many people say it's a bunch of hocus pocus, the groundskeepers protect the lion from erosion during the winter and are also ever vigilant on the quick removal of any tree that starts to show signs of hollowing out. This of course can simply be chalked up to efficient workers.
As far as Bonney's dress? I had a friend who grew up in Lowell, and knew the stories but wasn't into that kind of thing. So I asked him to come with me and to see what he thought. We pulled into the main entrance, a first time for me, and meandered our way through until we came up on her. We hadn't even got out of the car when I could feel the hair on the back of my friend's neck stand up!!! Not a majorly noticible difference, but it sure did seem that Bonney's neckline had a bit more of a plunge to it than my friend remembered.
If you're sensitive to this kind of thing, or carry around equipment fancier than a GPS, go and let me know what you experience. Just be sure to treat her and the rest of the cemetery will respect. And tell Bonney Doug says hello.