Submitted by Meghan Rodgers
I have been particularly interested in the stories that the community has to tell. Stories of the past help us learn about our community today, the community I call home. Stories are a large part of discovering our history. Since I was a little girl I can remember being told scary stories about designated areas in the community. The story of “Goat Cove” is one I will always remember. Goat Cove is an area in between Portugal Cove – St. Philips. Its original name was “Goat Cove”, before amalgamation of the communities. My elementary school was directly above the area, so I had to pass it everyday on the school bus. Since I was a little girl, I’ve heard the same story from many people in the community. First the children in school and then I learned from many members and elders they know the same story.
A lady that said to have been killed there in a box car. In this particular area of road, in the small area called “Goat Cove”. At a certain time of night they say you can see her crossing the road. This is the same story I have heard growing up or a variation where the girl falls out of the back of a truck in that area and died. A elder in the community informed me “I’ve seen her; I don’t know how many have… But she just crosses the road” (Mr. Doe). There are apparently many stories surrounding this area, an area located just below Beachy Cove Elementary. These are stories of ghosts, headless horsemen and fairies.
As a child I was frightened by this story. Once I became a little older and I or my friends could drive we would dear each other to get out and stand on the road to see what would happen. We thought off it as a joke. When it was my turn my friends left me their, it was only a minute, just to turn around in the Beachy Cove parking lot and come back. At that point, I, “who was not scared,” was running as fast as I could up the road. It definitely frightened me but it was a lot of fun and a great source of entertainment. We gained a thrill from visiting were the legend came from.
