Night of mystery, ghosts and history in Freedom

A fire at an Ossipee Lake cottage, the body of a woman, a sensational murder trial and reports of a ghost. These are the elements of a night of mystery and history scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 9 at 8 p.m. in Calumet Conference Center in Freedom as an Old Home Week event.The free program is part of 'Tales of Ossipee Lake,' a series of public presentations on the human and natural history of Ossipee Lake, sponsored by Ossipee Lake Alliance and Green Mountain Conservation Group. The trial of Frederick Small for the murder of his wife at their Ossipee Lake home in 1916 was a sensational news story that kept New Englanders in suspense for months. Small, who was an Ossipee insurance salesman, had been in Boston on a business trip when his home burned to the ground. The death of his wife Florence, initially thought to have been a tragic accident, was later ruled a homicide after a forensic investigation.Years later, a new home was built on the foundation of the burned cottage and reports circulated that the house was haunted. Among those who felt a presence in the house were relatives of author Janice Petrie, who decided to write a book about the long-forgotten murder case with assistance from Ossipee historian Barry Hill. Petries Perfection To A Fault was published by Seatales Press in 2000. At the Aug. 9 presentation, Hill and Petrie will describe what life was like on the lake in 1916 and discuss the trial and the reports of the ghost. The presentation will be illustrated by slides of Ossipee and Freedom in the early years of the 20th century and will end with a videotaped report on the ghost that was produced for Bostons Chronicle television program. Several autographed copies of Petries book will be given away at the event and others will be available for sale, with a portion of the purchase price going to the Ossipee and Freedom historical societies. There is no charge to attend the event, which is part of Freedom Old Home Week.