Est. 1990 · Charles River basin (Cambridge/Boston) · Lechmere Canal, Cambridge
Charles River Boat Company was founded in 1990 as a family-run business offering narrated sightseeing, architecture, sunset, and private-charter cruises on the Charles River and into Boston Harbor. The company is a listed member of the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce and the Cambridge Office for Tourism, and is recognized as a women-owned business. Its dock sits at the Lechmere Canal behind the CambridgeSide Mall in Cambridge, near the Charles River basin between Cambridge and Boston.
Alongside its regular sightseeing programming, the company runs a seasonal "Ghost Tour of The Charles River" cruise each fall, produced in partnership with Boston History Company, which supplies a costumed guide for the narration. The 90-minute cruise runs a limited schedule of late-October and early-November evening departures.
Sources
- https://charlesriverboat.com/tours/ghost-tour-of-the-charles-river/
- https://cambridgeusa.org/listings/charles-river-boat-company/
- https://business.cambridgechamber.org/list/member/charles-river-boat-company-inc-257
ApparitionsReported Ghost Stories Tied to Riverfront Deaths
The operator describes the cruise as featuring "chilling tales of ghostly apparitions, mysterious deaths, and the haunted landmarks" visible from the river, delivered by a costumed guide from Boston History Company, and explicitly frames the tour as "historical and fictional haunted stories" rather than a haunted-attraction experience. Independent reviewers describe stories told on the cruise touching on Harry Houdini, a death by fire, and a reported murder connected to Harvard University, alongside scenic river views and themed cocktails.
All of this is the tour operator's own marketing material and third-party review description, not documented history independently verified for this listing; it is included here as a description of what the tour covers, not as an endorsement of any specific claim.
Media Appearances
- Boston History Company (guide partner)