8 Eerie Truths About Hanna Cranna, Connecticut’s Real-Life Wicked Witch That Haunted My Childhood!

The Haunting Legacy of Hanna Cranna, Connecticut’s Infamous Wicked Witch

Unearth the chilling secrets that were hiding right in my own backyard. New England’s most infamous “witch” will make you rethink every ghost story you know! Dare to dive in?

With Halloween fading into the background in everybody’s calender, I’m pulled back to a hometown horror that no haunted house could match:

Hanna Cranna, Monroe’s own “Wicked Witch.”

Though I’ve since moved far away from those New England nights, her eerie story still chills me.

Growing up just down the road from her grave, I heard it all:

Her husband’s suspicious death, her strange demands for pie, her house that kept burning down, then reappearing, each time a little smaller, like a demon possessed Russian Matryoshka Doll, and those eerie burial instructions that left the whole town on edge.

Before you pack up the skeletons, let me introduce you to the woman who made even the bravest kids pedal a little faster past her grave…

1. The Witch Who Was Buried Right Down My Street

Growing up in Monroe, the name “Hanna Cranna” wasn’t just folklore, it was practically whispered on the autumn wind that swept down Spring Hill Road.

You’d pedal past her grave a little faster if you had to get home after dark, especially if you were alone.

This wasn’t just any old grave, it belonged to “The Wicked Witch of Monroe,” and the ghost stories practically oozed from its mossy headstone.

But Hanna wasn’t always buried in mystery.

Her story began on a windswept hill and took a sharp turn after her husband’s tragic, suspicious death.

And that’s when the town learned to fear her…

What happened to make her so feared? The answer may chill you to the bone.

2. A Death That Defied Gravity, or Did It?

Hanna married Captain Joseph Hovey, a local man who somehow fell to his death off a cliff he had navigated a hundred times before.

In a town that thrives on rumor and superstition, whispers flew that she’d “bewitched” him right over the edge.

It didn’t help matters that Captain Hovey was much older than his bride either…

This was the turning point for Hanna’s reputation, and she seemed to revel in it, acting the part with her mysterious ways and her pet rooster, Old Boreas.

Now, I’m not saying I believe she did it, but let’s just say Captain Hovey wasn’t her last victim…

Who else fell under her spell? The townsfolk have a story to tell.

3. The Midnight Crow of Old Boreas: Hanna Cranna’s Unusual Sidekick

Every witch needs a loyal (and creepy) companion, but Hanna Cranna wasn’t one for the classic black cat.

Instead, she had Old Boreas, a rooster with a taste for drama.

Unlike any other bird in Monroe, Old Boreas crowed at midnight, piercing the quiet, windy nights with his eerie calls.

Imagine being tucked into bed, only to hear that haunting crow in the dead of night.

It was enough to give even the bravest townsfolk the shivers.

As his reputation grew, Old Boreas became more than just Hanna’s pet.

Locals swore he was her supernatural accomplice, her partner in hexes and curses, adding yet another layer of mystery to Monroe’s resident “Wicked Witch.”

But if you think a midnight-crowing rooster was strange, wait until you hear what happened to the neighbors who dared to cross Hanna Cranna…

4. Spooky Stories That Made Hanna Cranna a Legend

Hanna’s eerie reputation didn’t come from Old Boreas alone.

Tales of her “unique” interactions with the locals spread through Monroe like wildfire.

Here are just a few stories that made people think twice before crossing her path:

1. The Cursed Pie Lady
One neighbor, known for her delicious pies, dared to offer Hanna a small pie instead of the large one she requested. Bad move.

Hanna cursed her, and from that day forward, the poor woman’s baked goods turned into disasters.

Her pies flopped, her cakes sank, and her cookies crumbled, all because she shortchanged the town witch on dessert.

2. The Fish That Got Away Forever
A bold trespasser once tried his luck fishing in Hanna’s brook.

She caught him, cursed him, and from then on, he couldn’t catch so much as a minnow.

Word spread, and no one dared drop a line in her waters again.

3. The Ox Cart Curse
Two men thought it’d be funny to stop their oxen-drawn cart in front of Hanna’s house and demand a “magic show.”

Hanna, never one to pass up a chance for a little revenge, promised they’d get their wish before they reached the next tree.

Sure enough, the oxen halted, the wheels fell off the cart, and the men had to hoof it home.

Lesson learned: don’t taunt the local witch unless you’re prepared for a walk.

But when Old Boreas finally met his end, something even darker was waiting.

Hanna sensed it, too, predicting her own death and leaving strict, spine-chilling instructions for her burial.

5. The Prophecy That Sent Monroe into a Panic

As if the stories of witchcraft and curses weren’t enough, Hanna left instructions that sent the town reeling.

She demanded her coffin be carried by hand to the cemetery after sunset, no matter what.

This wasn’t just superstition, it was the town’s final showdown with her spirit.

When Hanna did pass, a blizzard swept in, making it impossible to haul the coffin. But when they attempted to use a sled, it kept slipping off the path.

The town had no choice but to honor her wishes, carrying her coffin by hand. As the sun dipped below the horizon, they laid her to rest.

And what awaited them when they returned to her home?

Something burned in the night, leaving Monroe forever changed.

6. The Flames That Sealed Her Legacy

The night Hanna was buried, the townsfolk trudged back to her cottage only to find it engulfed in flames.

The fire devoured the house with an unnatural intensity, erasing her final abode from the earth as if to say her spirit had indeed been laid to rest, or had it?

That was the last anyone saw of her in the flesh, but her legacy left a far more lasting scar on Monroe.

Even decades later, if you dared to walk down Spring Hill Road at night, you’d feel that eerie chill, as though Hanna herself was watching, daring you to doubt her power.

And believe me, there’s more than one reason her gravestone keeps “mysteriously” vanishing…

But why does her gravestone keep disappearing? There’s a theory that might just keep you up tonight.

7. The Grave That Refuses to Stay Put

Growing up in Monroe, we all knew that Hanna’s gravestone had a tendency to wander off. It was there one week, gone the next.

Some say it’s just bored kids playing pranks, but others believe Hanna’s spirit wants to keep moving, never allowing the world to truly lay her to rest.

Here is her simple yet eerie headstone in the daytime…

If you were lucky (or unlucky, depending on who you ask), you’d catch a glimpse of it on a fall night, barely illuminated by the streetlights.

People started reporting strange things on misty nights, car engines stalling, lights flickering.

And then, there’s what happens to those who disrespect her grave…

But what happens to the people who disturb her rest? Let’s just say it’s not exactly “sweet dreams.”

8. The Curse That Lingers on Spring Hill Road

It’s one thing to live near a “witch” as a kid. It’s another to feel her legend haunt you long after you’ve left.

Even today, some locals swear they’ve seen her shadow in the mist, wandering around Spring Hill Road.

They say if you’re unlucky enough to see her, bad things are bound to follow.

For some, it’s car trouble. For others, a streak of misfortune that’s harder to explain.

And so, year after year, Monroe kids grow up hearing the same stories, passing down the same legends, and adding their own midnight encounters with Hanna Cranna’s ghost.

I know I’ll never forget the thrill, and chill, of pedaling home on a foggy autumn night, heart pounding as I neared her resting place.

She is buried at Gregory’s Four Corners Burial Ground in Trumbull, CT.

Although, my family would later move on to New Mexico, it would not be my last run-in with witches.

Stay tuned….