Good Morning, Taunton
Let me tell you a cautionary tale of hauntings and spooks — one that has lingered along our back roads for decades, whispered between towns, repeated by locals, and never quite explained.
A Rural Road with a Reputation
If you’re from the area, you already know that Taunton and Rehoboth sit side‑by‑side, connected by the long, rural stretch of U.S. Route 44. Once you leave the glow of Taunton behind, the darkness settles in quickly. The trees crowd close, the houses disappear, and the road becomes the kind of place where you can drive for miles without seeing another car. Some might even call it deserted.
Providence is the nearest city, and after a full day of shopping and errands, it had gotten late. I was heading home, tired, ready to call it a night. My radio was playing softly — just enough sound to keep the quiet from feeling too heavy. It must have been after 10 p.m. The sky was moonless, the woods were deep, and there wasn’t a single streetlight on that stretch of 44.
A Figure on the Shoulder
For reasons I couldn’t explain, I felt uneasy. Not frightened — just aware. I kept my eyes on the edges of the road, watching for deer. They’re known to leap out from the woods without warning, and I’ve had more than one close call along that route.
But then I saw something ahead.
A figure. Standing on the shoulder. A man — or at least the shape of one.
A hitchhiker. At this hour?
I slowed down, instinctively, thinking maybe he needed help. As my headlights swept across him, I saw his hair — unnaturally red, almost glowing in the darkness. It didn’t look right. It didn’t look real.
And then he was gone.
Just gone. One moment there, the next… nothing but empty road.
The Voice in the Static
I pulled forward, heart thudding, trying to make sense of what I’d seen. That’s when the radio cut out. The music vanished, replaced by static — sharp, loud, crackling through the speakers. Beneath it, a distorted voice began to form. My name. Spoken slowly. Drawn out. Wrong.
“Stop the car,” it said.
But I knew — deep down, in a way you don’t question — that if I stopped, I would never make it home.
I had just encountered the Redheaded Hitchhiker of Route 44.
So if you ever find yourself driving between Taunton and Rehoboth late at night… don’t pick up any hitchhikers.
Long before diners filled these rooms, the site belonged to Salem’s First Church, a congregation whose earlier meetinghouses stood witness to the uneasy tensions of 1692. Within that lineage, John and Elizabeth Proctor were questioned during the 
🕯️ Where Past and Present Share the Same Room
