The Haunted Church of Eternal Light in Bristol, Connecticut

A shadowy figure looms above the bell tower which was once rung to round up the children from recess in this former schoolhouse. Whenever the thirteenth of the month falls on a Friday, candle lights can be seen flickering on and off through the windows of this present day church. The Church of Eternal Light is no ordinary spiritualist church but what it is well known for is its ghosts.

This small white clapboard church on Hill Street in Bristol, Connecticut may seem out of place, nestled among homes in a primarily residential suburb. Nearby many people in the city will drive up to Chippens Hill to observe any eclipses or fireworks during July 4^th. Located near the Burlington town line, this church now is home to a pagan congregation which holds psychic fairs. The church was built in 1884 and started out as a one-room classroom (think "Little House on the Prairie"), surrounded by trees which makes one feel at home with nature, a perfect setting for a pagan group to worship and be at one with the Creatrix. It is hard to imagine that this once named Mount Hope Chapel was a non-denominational Christian church in 1889, but by then other churches were built closer to the center of town.

The Church of Eternal Light has long been reputed to be haunted, but nobody knows quite sure by who. Some people think the ghost of Hattie Utter, the woman who taught there in the late 19^th century, might still be walking the grounds to make sure it is well maintained. Hattie eventually left teaching to get married, and that was when the small building converted to a church in 1889. The plaque with this year remains attached to the front of the building.

But there is the belief that someone else may be responsible for the hauntings, someone who was once struck with a bolt of lightning while standing on the stone steps that lead to the front door of the church. It is not certain how this story began, but there is no record of any parishioner having been hit by a bolt of lightning after leaving Sunday services. The building has remained the same since it was first built, although its present steeple and bell were added in 2000.

Since it became the Church of Eternal Light in 1982, the present congregation claims any ghosts that did reside on the property have been exorcised, and that the building is a happy home to a tranquil group that lives in complete harmony with the earth. Scrying, tarot readings and crystal healings are regularly conducted here. While the exterior of the church looks like it could house a ghost or two, the Church of Eternal Light is actually very welcoming to anyone who wants to honor and live close to the earth.

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