Lums Pond is a staple of Delaware – with a beautiful, large pond for fishing, kayaking, peddle boats, camping, and many other family activities. Lums Pond State Park is located at 1068 Howell School Rd, Bear, DE 19701. The waters initially flowed from by the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal on St. Georges Creek.
Before Lums Pond became what it is today, it was wild, unprotected, land in New Castle County. Many people would visit the site and do their local fishing and outdoor recreational activities there even before becoming an official state park.
Other dark stories of Delaware include: The Urban Legend of Cat Man in Smyrna, Devil’s Road and the Duponts in Chadds Ford, The Truth About Devil’s Road, The Story of Patty Cannon, and many others.
What You May Not Know...
But what many people don’t know today, is that Lums Pond was the location of a gruesome murder case in the late 1800s. Still to this day, locals tell stories of the lake being haunted. Legend has it that people can feel sudden cold spots on warm days, and hear screams out of nowhere. The screams belong to the woman who was violently murdered in the woods surrounding the pond.According to the Delaware Archives, the murder took place in the late 1800s, whereas some sources have said it was in the 1900s.
A young woman was living in unhappy home conditions with her family in New Castle County and one day decided to leave everything behind and run away. She ran to the woods of Lums Pond where she could have some peace and quiet to clear her head. “She ended up seeking refuge in the woods near what’s now the Swamp Trail at Lums Pond State Park.”
The Young Woman Was Not Alone...
Soon after, she realized she was not alone on Swamp Trail. In the open woods was a man who had been camping there for some time. Upon seeing her, he abducted her and assaulted her. Then, he murdered the young woman in the woods.Swamp Trail at Lums Pond is a hiking trail that many visitors of the state park travel still to this day. Some may know of the murder that took place, while many walk right where it happened without ever knowing.
Police and state officials of Delaware found the young woman’s body shortly after she was killed and issued a search to find the man who was responsible. Unfortunately, the man was never found and the police were unsuccessful in their manhunt.
Legend has it, people can still hear the ghostly screams of the young woman who continues to spend her time searching for the peace and refuge she tried to find at Lums Pond.
