The Most Haunted Places in Massachusetts
Massachusetts has 139 documented haunted locations in the HauntBound index.
Top 10 identified after source-level analysis of the 30 strongest Massachusetts candidates.
By the numbers
- Total documented
- 139
- Museum / Historical Site
- 29
- Cemetery / Burial Ground
- 24
- Haunted Hotel / Inn
- 20
- Family-friendly
- 131
- Bookable
- 41
- Oldest documented site
- Cole's Hill (1620)
- Most-reported phenomenon
- apparitions
Ranked
- 1. Stone's Public House HauntBound identified eight distinct published accounts at this operating restaurant and bar, across four kinds of published source. Three later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include disembodied voices and objects moving. 8 original accounts · documented across 2 decades, 2004-2021 · retold in 3 later publications
- 2. Concord's Colonial Inn Timothy Minot's 1716 home became an operating room for wounded soldiers after the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, with Room 24 serving as the treatment space where some men did not survive their care. Ralph Waldo Emerson lived in part of the property. The first paranormal report came in 1966, when a honeymooning couple left and wrote to the innkeeper describing flickering lights; guests since have reported floating lights and Colonial-era apparitions. 4 original accounts · documented across 2 decades, 1966-2005 · retold in 4 later publications
- 3. Hoosac Tunnel HauntBound identified five distinct published accounts at this outdoor site, across four kinds of published source. Four later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include a sensed presence and apparitions. 5 original accounts · documented in 1900 · retold in 4 later publications
- 4. USS Salem (United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum) HauntBound identified five distinct published accounts at this museum site, across three kinds of published source. Four later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include apparitions and cold spots. 5 original accounts · documented in 2019 · retold in 4 later publications
- 5. Danvers State Hospital Danvers State Hospital opened in 1878 as a Kirkbride Plan psychiatric facility and closed in 1992, standing empty for over a decade before most of the complex was demolished in 2006 for apartments, leaving only the administration building's brick facade. During its abandonment, investigators and urban explorers reported footsteps in empty corridors, doors closing unassisted, and figures glimpsed at upper windows. Since the redevelopment, reports have faded to occasional unexplained sounds around the retained facade. 5 original accounts · retold in 3 later publications
- 6. Dogtown HauntBound identified six distinct published accounts at this outdoor site. Two later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include apparitions and cold spots. 6 original accounts · documented in 1984 · retold in 2 later publications
- 7. Spider Gates Cemetery (Friends/Quaker Cemetery) HauntBound identified six distinct published accounts at this burial ground, across three kinds of published source. Four later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include disembodied voices. 6 original accounts · retold in 4 later publications
- 8. Hawthorne Hotel HauntBound identified seven distinct published accounts at this working hotel, across three kinds of published source. Five later publications retell those accounts. Reported phenomena include apparitions and phantom smells. 7 original accounts · retold in 5 later publications
- 9. Joshua Ward House This 1784 Federal mansion was built for merchant Joshua Ward on the foundation of Sheriff George Corwin's home, where Corwin oversaw the 1692 execution of Giles Corey during the Salem witch trials. Washington stayed there in 1789, and the building now operates as a boutique hotel, The Merchant. Guests and staff report a female figure called the Lady in Black on the staircase, cold pockets in warm rooms, and unexplained scratches on overnight guests. 5 original accounts · retold in 5 later publications Disputed by a historical authority. The Salem Witch Museum's own history of the site states there is no evidence to substantiate the legend that Sheriff George Corwin tortured prisoners in the house, or that he or his victims haunt it, while noting the story persists as popular tradition.
- 10. The Red Lion Inn Silas Pepoon opened this Stockbridge tavern in 1773, and Continental soldiers passed through during the Revolution. An 1896 fire destroyed the building; it reopened in 1897, and Jack and Jane Fitzpatrick bought it in 1968 to preserve it as the Red Lion Inn. Guests in Room 301 describe a man in a top hat who dissolves into white mist, and report sheets pulled from the bed and an unseen touch. 4 original accounts · documented in 2023 · retold in 6 later publications
By city
- Cambridge: 13 documented sites
- Boston: 13 documented sites
- Salem: 10 documented sites
- Plymouth: 6 documented sites
- Worcester: 4 documented sites
- Nantucket: 4 documented sites
- Barnstable: 3 documented sites
- Taunton: 3 documented sites
- Provincetown: 3 documented sites
- Gloucester: 3 documented sites
- 70 more across the rest of Massachusetts
Press images
- Stone's Public House DaveFrancis1971, CC BY-SA 3.0, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stone%27s_Public_House,_Ashland,_Massachusetts.jpeg hauntbound.com/images/locations/massachusetts/stones-public-house/hero.jpg
- Concord's Colonial Inn John Phelan (Faolin42), CC BY 3.0, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colonial_Inn,_Concord_MA.jpg hauntbound.com/images/locations/massachusetts/concords-colonial-inn/hero.jpg
- Hoosac Tunnel Detroit Publishing Company hauntbound.com/images/locations/massachusetts/hoosac-tunnel/hero.jpg
- USS Salem (United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum) Sswonk hauntbound.com/images/locations/massachusetts/uss-salem/hero.jpg
- Danvers State Hospital Unknown photographer, c. 1893 hauntbound.com/images/locations/massachusetts/danvers-state-hospital/hero.jpg
- Dogtown Daderot hauntbound.com/images/locations/massachusetts/rockport/hero.jpg
- Spider Gates Cemetery (Friends/Quaker Cemetery) janhatesmarcia, CC BY 2.0, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quaker_Cemetery_(Spider_Gate)_Leicester_MA.jpg hauntbound.com/images/locations/massachusetts/spider-gates-cemetery/hero.jpg
- Hawthorne Hotel Round 2 re-vet, CC BY 2.0, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hotel_Hawthorne,_Salem,_Massachusetts_(52002751376).jpg hauntbound.com/images/locations/massachusetts/hawthorne-hotel/hero.jpg
- Joshua Ward House Swampyank, CC BY-SA 3.0, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joshua_Ward_House_in_Salem_MA.jpg hauntbound.com/images/locations/massachusetts/joshua-ward-house/hero.jpg
- The Red Lion Inn Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA, via https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stockbridge,_MA_-_Red_Lion_Inn_02.jpg hauntbound.com/images/locations/massachusetts/the-red-lion-inn/hero.jpg
Images listed here may be republished with the credit shown; all other HauntBound images are not offered for press use.
Superlatives
- Oldest documented site: Cole's Hill Documented since 1620.
- Most documented: Stone's Public House 8 distinct published accounts.
- Top haunted stay: Concord's Colonial Inn Overnight stays bookable.
- Most family-friendly: Nantasket Beach Family Comfort rating: High.
Methodology
For purposes of the HauntBound Index, "most haunted" means the location with the strongest documented record of reported haunting phenomena. We evaluate the quantity, independence, persistence, and documentary quality of published reports. We do not attempt to determine whether paranormal phenomena are real, and we never count a source that only establishes a building's history as evidence of haunting claims. Repetitive coverage is subject to diminishing returns, so a story retold many times does not outrank a story independently documented. Rankings never consider commercial relationships.
The 2026 Index reflects sources identified and classified as of September 15, 2026.
Updated September 29, 2026: documented totals now exclude the private homes, operating hospitals and venues with nothing left to visit that were withdrawn on September 25 and 26. The ranked ten are unchanged.
Updated October 19, 2026: listings that could not be sourced, or that are private or have no public access, were withdrawn after an October review, so some of the state's town counts are lower. The documented total stays as published until the November update.
Updated October 23, 2026: more listings were withdrawn after a dignity and sourcing review, so some of the state's town counts are lower. The documented total stays as published until the November update.
This is a documentation ranking, not a visitation guide; sites not open to visitors are marked on their entries.