HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
Plymouth Antiquarian Society house museum investigated on 'Portals to Hell'
35 North Street, Plymouth, MA 02360
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Plymouth Antiquarian Society house-museum admission; check the society's site for seasonal hours and tour fees.
Access
Limited Access
Historic 1725 and 1894 buildings with stairs; second-floor access limited
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1725 · Plymouth Antiquarian Society Property · Colonial and Victorian House Museum · Portals to Hell (2022)
The Taylor-Trask Museum sits on North Street in Plymouth and is one of three properties run by the Plymouth Antiquarian Society, the local historical organization that preserves the town's built heritage. The complex pairs the 1725 Taylor House with the 1894 Trask Museum, and the society uses the buildings to display Victorian furnishings, household objects, and decorative arts collected over its history.
The museum drew wider attention in April 2022, when the Travel Channel series 'Portals to Hell' filmed an episode there. The show's hosts, Jack Osbourne and Katrina Weidman, were brought in by the museum's caretaker, Jan Williams, who also runs the Dead of Night ghost tours in Plymouth. Local reporting from WBSM and coverage in the Boston Globe noted that the buildings had not previously been investigated on television.
As a working house-museum, the Taylor-Trask is open seasonally for daytime visits, and its collection and architecture remain the primary draw apart from its more recent reputation on paranormal television.
Sources
The paranormal reputation of the Taylor-Trask Museum rests largely on accounts from its caretaker, Jan Williams, and on the 2022 'Portals to Hell' episode. Reported activity includes furniture sliding across the second floor, a grandfather clock said to open on its own, doors slamming hard enough to rattle the walls, footsteps, and disembodied moans and groans.
WBSM's coverage of the episode added the tale of a haunted wicker baby carriage, or pram, said to move on its own, which the article called one of Plymouth's better-known ghost stories. The caretaker reportedly called in the show's investigators because activity in the two buildings seemed to increase after a basement well was filled in.
No independent investigation has verified these reports beyond the television production and the tour operator's own accounts, and the museum's standing remains primarily that of a historical-society collection.
Media Appearances
Tour the 1725 Taylor House and 1894 Trask Museum during the Plymouth Antiquarian Society's seasonal open hours. The two buildings hold the society's Victorian furnishings and decorative-arts collection. The museum also appears on the Dead of Night ghost-tour route run by its caretaker.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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