Unearth The Voyage
Massachusetts is one of the most haunted states in the U.S., shaped by centuries of dark history from the Salem Witch Trials to unsolved murders and abandoned institutions. Across the state, you will find places where visitors report ghost sightings, unexplained sounds, and chilling atmospheres tied to real historical tragedies.
If you are drawn to the supernatural or just curious about the darker side of New England, these 8 eerie locations are not for the faint of heart.
The Lizzie Borden House (Fall River)
Forty whacks may be a myth, but the horror inside 92 Second Street in Fall River is very real history. In 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were brutally murdered with an axe, and their daughter Lizzie became the most infamous suspect in American criminal history.
She was acquitted, but the mystery was never truly solved.
Today, the house operates as both a museum and a bed-and-breakfast, which means brave guests can actually sleep where the murders happened. Overnight visitors have reported hearing footsteps on the stairs, whispers with no source, and seeing shadowy figures believed to be the Borden family still wandering the rooms.
The most active room is reportedly the guest bedroom where Abby Borden was killed. Staff members say objects move on their own and cameras sometimes capture unexplained shapes.
Tours run regularly and cover the full crime scene history in chilling detail. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, spending the night here will absolutely mess with your head.
Salem Witch House (Salem)
Built in the 1600s, the Salem Witch House is the only structure still standing in Salem with a direct connection to the 1692 witch trials. It was the home of Judge Jonathan Corwin, one of the magistrates who interrogated accused witches before their executions.
Walking through its low-ceilinged rooms feels like stepping into one of history’s darkest chapters.
Visitors frequently describe a heavy, oppressive energy inside the house that is hard to explain. Some report sudden chills, a sense of being watched, or feelings of intense sadness that seem to come out of nowhere.
Paranormal investigators have captured unexplained audio recordings and strange electromagnetic readings during visits.
The house is open to the public as a museum, and guided tours provide fascinating historical context about the trials and the people who suffered through them. Over 200 people were accused of witchcraft during those terrifying months, and 19 were executed.
The weight of that history seems to linger in every corner of this old wooden structure. Salem gets especially atmospheric around October, making a visit during Halloween season an unforgettable and deeply unsettling experience.
Hoosac Tunnel (North Adams)
Locals nicknamed it the Bloody Pit, and once you learn its history, you will understand why. The Hoosac Tunnel stretches nearly five miles through a mountain in the Berkshires, and its construction between 1851 and 1875 was one of the deadliest engineering projects in American history.
More than 200 workers lost their lives to explosions, cave-ins, and accidents during those brutal decades of digging.
Today, the tunnel is still used by freight trains, but paranormal investigators and ghost hunters flock to its entrance hoping to experience the supernatural activity it is famous for. Visitors standing near the opening have reported hearing faint voices echoing from deep inside, along with moaning sounds that seem to have no physical origin.
Some have described seeing shadowy figures moving in the darkness near the walls.
Three workers named Ringo, Brinkman, and Nash died in a particularly horrific explosion inside the tunnel in 1865, and their spirits are said to be among the most active presences reported by visitors. One worker named Frank Webster survived that blast only to disappear mysteriously, and some believe his ghost still roams the tunnel searching for his lost crewmates.
Standing at that entrance after dark is genuinely unsettling.
Danvers State Hospital (Danvers)
Opened in 1878, Danvers State Hospital was designed with good intentions but quickly became a symbol of institutional neglect and human suffering. The facility was built on a hilltop using the Kirkbride plan, a Victorian architectural style meant to promote healing through light and space.
Within decades, severe overcrowding turned those ideals into a nightmare.
At its peak, the hospital housed over 2,000 patients despite being designed for far fewer. Treatments used there included lobotomies, electroshock therapy, and physical restraints that would be considered deeply inhumane today.
Patients died in large numbers, and many were buried in unmarked graves on the hospital grounds. That history has left a mark that many visitors say they can physically feel.
Most of the original building was demolished in 2006 and converted into luxury condominiums, which is somehow even creepier. A portion of the gothic main structure was preserved and is visible from the road.
Ghost hunters who explored the site before demolition reported shadow figures, disembodied voices, and sudden drops in temperature throughout the building. The horror film Session 9 was actually filmed inside Danvers State Hospital, capturing its terrifying atmosphere on screen before the wrecking ball arrived.
The Omni Parker House (Boston)
Opened in 1855, the Omni Parker House holds the title of the longest continuously operating hotel in the United States, which means it has had plenty of time to accumulate a few permanent guests who never checked out. Its list of famous visitors includes Charles Dickens, Ho Chi Minh, and Malcolm X, all of whom spent time within its storied walls.
Apparently, some guests liked it so much they decided to stay forever.
The hotel’s founder, Harvey Parker, is said to still roam the premises, particularly around the third floor where his old office was located. Guests and staff have reported seeing a well-dressed older man who vanishes when approached.
Room 303 has a particularly spooky reputation, with reports of unexplained laughter, cold drafts, and objects shifting position overnight.
Beyond Harvey Parker, the ghost of a former actor named John Wilkes Booth is said to appear occasionally, as he stayed at the hotel just days before assassinating President Lincoln in 1865. Whether that connection is real or just good storytelling, it certainly adds to the atmosphere.
The hotel staff are refreshingly candid about the hauntings, and the building’s rich, layered history makes every creaking floorboard feel loaded with meaning.
USS Salem (Quincy)
Steel corridors, flickering lights, and the distant sound of footsteps when nobody else is around sounds like a horror movie set, but the USS Salem is a very real ship docked in Quincy. Commissioned in 1949, this heavy cruiser served the U.S.
Navy during the Cold War era and was also used as a hospital ship during disaster relief operations. Its medical bays treated victims of the 1953 Ionian earthquake in Greece, and some of those patients did not survive.
The ship is now a museum open to visitors, but many who tour the lower decks report feeling deeply uneasy, especially near the old medical and dental areas. Cold spots appear suddenly in rooms with no ventilation issues, and several visitors have reported hearing their names called out in empty corridors.
Ghost hunting groups have recorded unexplained audio during overnight investigations aboard the ship.
The USS Salem has been featured on multiple paranormal investigation television programs, which helped cement its reputation as one of the most haunted vessels in the country. Crew members who worked on the ship during its active service years have also shared unsettling stories about strange experiences below deck.
Touring a massive warship is fascinating on its own, but knowing what might be lurking in the dark makes it something else entirely.
The Mount (Lenox)
Edith Wharton designed and built The Mount in 1902, pouring her considerable creative genius into every detail of the house and its formal gardens. The celebrated author of The Age of Innocence and The House of Mirth lived here until 1911, finding inspiration in the rolling Berkshire landscape.
It is a beautiful property by day, but after the sun sets, something shifts in the atmosphere.
Staff members who work at The Mount have shared stories of hearing footsteps in empty hallways and seeing lights flicker in rooms that are locked and unoccupied. Edith Wharton herself reportedly believed in the supernatural and wrote several ghost stories during her lifetime, which feels like a very relevant detail.
Some investigators believe her spirit and those of her servants may still inhabit the estate.
The ghost of Henry James, Wharton’s close friend who visited The Mount regularly, has also been reported by visitors who claim to see a tall, heavyset man wandering the library. The paranormal investigation group TAPS explored the property and documented several unexplained findings during their visit.
Guided tours of the house and gardens run throughout the warmer months, and evening events held there take on a distinctly eerie quality as the shadows grow long across the manicured grounds.
Gallows Hill (Salem)
For over 300 years, the exact location of Gallows Hill was debated by historians, but a 2016 research project finally confirmed the site where 19 innocent people were hanged during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The location turned out to be a rocky ledge near Proctor’s Ledge in Salem, a spot that had been hiding in plain sight for centuries.
Knowing that makes standing there feel genuinely heavy.
The executed included men, women, and even a man named Giles Corey who was pressed to death with heavy stones when he refused to enter a plea. These were not criminals but ordinary people caught in a wave of mass hysteria fueled by fear, religious extremism, and personal grudges.
Their stories are heartbreaking, and the site carries that weight in a way that visitors consistently describe as palpable.
A small memorial park now marks the confirmed location, offering a quiet place for reflection and remembrance. Visitors often leave flowers, stones, and small tokens at the memorial as gestures of respect for those who died.
Some people report feelings of deep sadness and unease when standing at the site, particularly after dark. Salem takes its witch trial history seriously, and a visit to Proctor’s Ledge is one of the most genuinely moving and haunting experiences the city offers.
