Plymouth Man Leads Patriots End Zone Militia, Then Hunts Ghosts

Every Sunday home game at Gillette Stadium, Captain Geoff Campbell commands a squad of revolutionary re-enactors, standing ready to fire their muskets in celebration of every New England touchdown.

By night, Captain Campbell of the Patriots End Zone Militia turns into the Plymouth Ghost Hunter.

It may seem like an odd dichotomy, but for someone who loves history like Campbell does, paranormal investigation is just as much of a way to remember the past as dressing in Revolution-era garb and cheering on the Pats, as he's done since 1996.

"Men and women re-enactors, dedicated to the craft, show up regardless of snow, freezing rain, or blistering heat. In all types of weather, dressed in replicated scratchy woolen waistcoats, colonial tricorns, boots with buckles and other uniform regalia," the gregarious Campbell said about the elite group that has become not a prop but a centerpiece of attraction at Patriots games in Foxboro.

While the End Zone Militia serves at every Patriots and New England Revolution home game, as well as other special events, Campbell is immersed in history 365 days a year.

Over the past 20 years, he has led nighttime ghost tours in Plymouth, Freedom Trail Boston tours and the Salem Witch experience.

"This is the worse time of year to visit Salem, because everybody in the world wants to be in the epicenter of Salem," Campbell said. "But they'll get a more noteworthy guided tour if they booked for early September or mid-November, when the maddening crowds are gone and you can walkabout on the sidewalks again."

Campbell is often asked about the fatal endings of the 19 innocent women and men stemming from the Salem Village Witchcraft Trials.

"Did these young women practice witchcraft? Probably not," he said. "With the research I've conducted, these girls were victims of mass hysteria, and already convicted in the minds of the local people and authorities."

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As a local Plymouth historian, Campbell finds time between firing off his musket in Foxboro to conduct ghost tours, especially around Burial Hill, where strange, unexplainable things have occurred. His Plymouth Night Tours are notable for not only sharing the ghost stories of America's Hometown, but for also allowing people to use ghost hunting tools to seek out spirit activity along the way.

"Plymouth is basically built on Native burial grounds," he said. "A lot of the paranormal activity is a result of this."

As for the story of Thanksgiving, Campbell said it's more legend than truth.

"Let's just say, the story we were taught in elementary school was a myth. Yes, there was some sort of feast, but not the way we were taught," he said. "The truth is out here. All you have to do is look for the truth – that's all."

Even after decades of enjoying two of the most bewitching jobs imaginable, Captain Campbell, is there anything that surprises him?

"Yes, finding out something you always thought was true, isn't!" he said.