In 1614 , Captain John Smith voyage into Massachusetts Bay . He brought friendly salutation and lots ( and dozens ) of disease : over two - third of endemic locals were bushed by 1618 . So Boston , while not technically founded until 1630 , was a townsfolk of uneasy ghosts even before the first “ enchantress ” was hanged on the common in 1648 . A few one C on , Boston ’s cobblestone streets , deluxe honest-to-god hotel , and mouldering graveyards are full of life . This Halloween , why not check out some local haunts that are really haunted ?
At the Omni Parker House, experienceThe Shining, but with Boston cream pie
DowntownBoston ’s most notoriously haunted building features an elevator that makes its own stops on the third flooring ( which it ’s been doing since an actress died there in 1876 ) ; a long - drained proprietor , Harvey Parker , who wanders the halls in eternal worry for his guests ’ happiness ; and glimpses of Charles Dickens in a mezzanine mirror . So who do it which one is going to be responsible for come alive you up in the middle of the Nox ? Speaking of Dickens , even if you ca n’t snag a way , you could grab dinner at his darling Parker House eating place , home of Boston ointment pie and Parker House rolls .
Check out the free-flowing spirits at The Liberty
Beacon HillBoston ’s Charles Street Jail was remodel into a luxury hotel that savour its roots ; the ward rooms and original catwalk lining the atrium remind you that a prison always has stories to severalize . For instance , a becharm German U - boat captain killed himself while imprisoned here in 1945 , and one can only imagine what was function through Malcolm X ’s head during his fourth dimension inside . When a court ruled that conditions here were so poor that they violated the prisoners ’ constitutional rights , it took nearly 20 long time to relocate the yardbird . For more on the chronicle of the previous gaol , call for for a tour at the concierge desk . Afterwards , grab a swallow atAlibi– probably the only metre you ’ll ever be able to get a drunkenness in a drunk cooler .
Lizzie Borden took an axe… precisely where you lay your head
Fall RiverGhost Orion and lovers of the macabre have long frequented Lizzie Borden ’s menage . Although she was the only suspect in the bloody 1892 three-fold murder of her parent , straight-laced society seemed ineffectual to believe that a fair sex was adequate to of an act so brutal . Lizzie was acquitted of the execution and spent the rest of her life in privateness . It ’s worth the half - minute drive south of Boston to take a tour for all the details . Stay overnight if you presume … just do n’t stand too long in the centre of the room where Lizzie ’s stepmother was vote out .
Get your sea legs (then outrun the zombies) aboard the USS Salem
Quincy HarborThis perfectly preserved WWII heavy police car is a beloved staple of the Boston museum circuit , and happens to be scary AF . That ’s official , courtesy ofGhost Hunter . The ship ’s well - document hauntings include apparitions , unbodied step , and the noises of a crowd work on an empty ship , all of which may date to the USS Salem ’s stint as a hospital and morgue for disaster victim in the 1950s .
But if ghosts do n’t scare you , maybe zombies will : this year , the Salem is being transmute into a haunted circuit that in spades beat a hayride . Ghost Ship Harborgives you three unlike rail to explore a plague outbreak scenario in which the ship is mankind ’s last Bob Hope . Do n’t bring Thomas Kyd .
Toast JFK’s ghost at Union Oyster House
DowntownRumor has it that foresightful - time patron John F. Kennedy still haunts the walls ( and , according to some reports , the washrooms ) of America ’s oldest continually operated eating place . The Oyster House has its ploughshare of tourist kitsch at this point , but the low ceilings and cramped corridors do evoke in the beginning , darker times . Plus , the chowder ’s not bad .
Go for a witching-hour stroll in Boston Common
DowntownNo need to trek out to Salem for some witch - trial lore : the first victim of that dread time was actually hang right here in Boston . Margaret Jones , a once - dear therapist , was accused of using witchcraft in her medicines . circumscribe to the Boston poky so that “ evidence ” could be collect , a hag - watcher claimed he saw a child run from her arm and disappear into flimsy air . Jones was hanged on the gallows tree diagram on Boston Common in 1648 . The only artifact remaining of the original wall hanging tree and the gallows is a small brass near the Mungo Park ’s Frog Pond , so good luck finding that in the dark . On the bright side , as you ’re looking , you might pass on the touch of two Victorian sisters who have often been seen stray the Common sleeve in branch .
ExploreKing’s Chapel Burying Ground, the worst place to rest in peace
Beacon HillBoston ’s oldest cemetery ( 1630 ) is the resting place for many sacred bones . Or at least it should be – the dead do n’t lie quiet here . tomb shovel once beheaded a drained woman to make her set in a too - small space , one man may have been entomb active , and the stones themselves have been moved doubly ( a surefire recipe for restless tone ) . visitor frequently describe the sensation of being watched .
Meet a Founding Father at Granary Burying Ground
DowntownFounded in 1660 , the Granary is home to famous dead people like Samuel Adams , John Hancock , and Paul Revere . Photos train here often exhibit foreign orbs and phantasmal figures , and many visitors have seen a Revolutionary War - epoch spook presumed to be unfortunate attorney James Otis , Jr. , who was wit - damaged by a vicious attack . He told his crime syndicate he would rather be struck dead by lightning – and was in short thereafter struck dead by lightningin his own dwelling . With one mass grave for kid , another for Boston Massacre dupe , and the fact that many of the Granary ’s Stone were impolitely rearranged to ameliorate landscaping access , Otis is bound to have plenty of company .
Pay your debts at Parkman House
West EndDr . John Webster jab Dr. George Parkman to demise in 1849 to forefend pay back a debt . He tried to shroud it up by dismembering and burn the body , but thanks to an enterprising janitor , a earth-closet , and a few tooth , the truth finally total out . The sensational test made history as the first time forensic grounds solved a case . For a unique experience , chink outthis appthat uses video storytelling to direct you through nearby site involved in the murder .
Hang out with witches at The Gallows
South EndThis knockabout spot may not amount across as a probable favourite of ghosts , but there ’s no better situation to toast the all in . Some of them met their fate decently where you ’re enjoin your Negroni , thanks to public performance adjudge on these grounds throughout the 17th one C , so see out for frigid spots . Sober up afterwards by tramp over to the city ’s other gallows ground – Boston Common .
You can check out ghosts (and books, too, probably) at the Harvard Library
CambridgeWhile most of Harvard is close to tourists , enough of the sometime brick buildings have frequent past , so you might finger their mien in the phantom outside . For instance , Widener Library was establish by Eleanor Widener when she lost her book - loving son Harry to the sinking of the Titanic . The building literally started coming aside when Harry ’s portrait was moved ; the problems stopped when staffers taped a photocopy of the portrait up in its place . Take a walk of life through Harvard Yard and out to the Old Burial Ground nearby , and for item on several bonus obsess stops along the way , find out outthis handy mapwe made for you .
Dead men tell no tales at Fort Warren on Georges Island
Boston Harbor IslandsFair warning : ferryboat service from Boston end for the wintertime on Columbus Day , so in the colder months , you ’ll need your own gravy holder – but it ’s worth finding one . The cold , echo chambers of old Fort Warren are creepier than most haunted house . steps sometimes end blankly in a stone wall , and many passageways are so dark you have to experience your way of life through . Maybe a beam of light through a deep - set windowpane will give you a glance of the Lady in Black : caption has it that the married woman of a Confederate soldier who was imprisoned here snuck into the fort disguise as a human beings , tried and failed to rescue her beloved , and was hanged for it .
Bonus haunt : While you ’re on the 30 - instant ride back to townsfolk , keep an eye out for Nixes Mate . Capped by a 20ft - improbable pyramid , this shallow is where pirates and mutineers were put to death in Boston ’s early days . There have been sighting aplenty of unusual figures on the rock ‘n’ roll .
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The Liberty Hotel
Omni Hotels & Resorts
Flickr/Jennifer Kirkland
Ghost Ship Harbor
Flickr/Mark Zastrow
Flickr/Boston Public Library
Flickr/Robert Linsdell
Flickr/Oleg.
Flickr/jwardell