Halloween in Massachusetts

This post is all about Halloween in Massachusetts, Boston, Cambridge, and especially Salem, which might be the Halloween Capital. It is the witches’ Capitol. You might not have the courage or can’t make it to Salem, MA. In that case, there are plenty of places in and around Boston to bring in Halloween. It might bring young and old into the spirit, especially on Halloween.

South End

36 Union Park, the homeowner, plans to decorate their home for a year. Every year is different, but the only thing that is the same is that it is always over the top. Union Park is a beautiful street any day of the year, but on Halloween, it is a great spot for trick-or-treaters due to low car traffic.  

Waltham Street is another street that goes in Halloween mode. In the past year, 74 Waltham has tripped out of their brownstone.

Rutland St is a great street to take little ones trick or treating since it is usually car-free every year on Halloween.

Sparrow Park often tends to be a gathering area for Halloween.

Back Bay

Marlborough Street is one of the best places for trick-or-treating, and houses quickly sell out of cotton candy and giant chocolate bars.

Clarendon Street Playground, during Halloween, typically has an annual gathering for trick-or-treaters to show off their costumes.

Back Bay Halloween Hauntings 

4 Charlesgate East in Back Bay has a haunted reputation that residents often avoid discussing. Before becoming a condo, the building housed Boston University and Emerson College students. Before that, it was owned by members of the mafia in the early 1900s, and several executions took place there, including three people shot in the elevator during and after the Great Depression. Boston University later purchased the building in the 1940s for a women’s dorm, and in the 1960s, there were reports of multiple student suicides. Emerson students claimed to see the ghosts of these individuals haunting the halls, rooms, and the elevator where they died.  Others experienced cold drafts, slamming doors, alarms going off every morning without being set, and music playing from unused machines. Other unexplained events include people reporting toilets flushing randomly and seats slamming in empty stalls. Many events remain unexplained. 

 

Beacon Hill

This old Boston neighborhood dates back to 1635, and it’s been the city’s creepiest crown jewel ever since. At night, you can sneak past spooky decorations, follow the glowing orange lights, and glimpse the famous Alice and Wonderland-painted pumpkins. You’ll also find possessed scarecrows, giant tarantulas, and cobwebs galore.  Some of the best streets that get into the Halloween spirit are

• Louisburg Square
• West Cedar Street
• Cedar Lane Way
• Pinckney Street and
• Mount Vernon Street,

Beacon Hill Halloween Hauntings 

The Liberty Hotel has a history of being once a jail.  Before its rebirth, as we know it now, it was once called the Charles Street Jail. It was operational from 1851 to 1990. It closed due to its size not being large enough.  Some reports have stated that former inmates make their presence known. Whether you spend Halloween at Clink or Alibi, you will have a chilling experience. One particular spirit was the captain of a German U-boat who was captured and brought to the Charles Street Jail. The conditions at Liberty Jail drove him to take his own life. His spirit has lingered.  Visitors often hear moans and groans echoing through the atrium late into the night.

The Parkman House is said to be haunted due to the murder of George Parkman on November 23, 1849. The story says that on November 30th, 1849, a janitor at Harvard Medical School found Parkman’s dismembered and partially burned body. His remains had been hidden in a privy located in Dr. Webster’s lab. Years later, the toilet on the 3rd floor of the Parkman House would often overflow, sending water down the stairs. Many believe Parkman’s restless spirit haunts the house to this day, possibly unsettled by his tragic death. Parkman and Webster had been in a dispute over money, and although Webster was convicted of the murder, some people believed the janitor who found the remains was the real culprit.

Downtown 

The Omni Parker Hotel has reported haunted happenings not just on Halloween but throughout the year. The Omni Parker House features not only an elevator possessed by the spirit of an actress who died at the hotel in 1876, stopping the elevator on the third floor randomly but also a long-dead past owner named Harvey Parker, who eternally wanders the halls in concern for his living guest’s satisfaction.

Downtown Hauntings 

The Kings Chappel: This cemetery is not for the fate of the heart. Boston’s oldest cemetery, established in 1630, the King’s Chapel Burial Ground, is a resting place for hundreds of souls, or it should have been, at least. As one of the most active haunted locations in Boston, it is known that the dead have not been treated kindly here, with grave diggers beheading a woman’s corpse to make her fit into a too-tight space, a man is reported to have been buried alive, and the stones themselves have been moved around by planners – twice—a recipe for restless and angry spirits. Visitors on the grounds report feeling watched and almost stalked.

Granary: Founded in 1660, the Granary is home to many famous passed-on folks such as Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Paul Revere. Photographs taken here often exhibit strange orbs and unexplained figures. Visitors report seeing a Revolutionary War soldier presumed to be the lawyer James Otis Jr, who had a brain injury from a vicious attack. Afterward, he told his family that he would instead be struck dead by lightning… and his wish came true after that when he was struck by lightning in his own home. Granary Park is also home to a children’s mass grave, as well as another for Boston Massacre victims.

Theater District 

The theater district is not a part of Boston for trick-or-treaters but has some haunting history. Located close to South End and Back Bay, it’s a great place to spend part of your Halloween night. 

Theater District Halloween Haunts 

Emerson Cutler Majestic Theater, One of the most famous theatre guests, is one of Boston’s former mayors. It’s been said that he came to enjoy an evening at the theatre, not knowing that it would be the last performance that he would ever see. The mayor tragically died in his seat that night, and some say he’s been there ever since. 

People have reported that the former mayor is sitting in his seat waiting for the show to start. He’s the most popular spirit to be seen at the theatre. Oddly, there are no vital records or news story evidence of any mayor of Boston ever dying in the theatre, making these sightings even more mysterious. 

Cambridge

Cambridge has some great places to get your scare on. Dudley and Brattle Street are great places to get in the spirit with ghosts and goblins with a ghoulish flare. 

Cambridge Haunts 

The Porcellian Club is one of the school’s oldest, secretive final clubs in Cambridge. A group of men wanted to trick a skeptical man into believing ghosts were real. 

A man dressed as a ghost woke the other man up, who then swallowed his tongue and died. The man now allegedly haunts the halls as a warning.

Charlestown

Charlestown is one of the Boston Historical areas. It is home to one of the oldest taverns; with all that history, there are plenty of haunted sites. Monument Avenue is ideal for trick-or-treaters since it is often car-free on Halloween. Monument Square is usually where Halloween events take place.

 

Charlestown Haunts 

Warren Tavern is a great spot to grab a pint, just as Paul Revere and other historical figures likely did. But it’s not just known for its drinks—it’s also rumored to be haunted. Many staff members have reported seeing the shadowy figure of a woman in a black Victorian dress, usually lingering in the front room. Some speculate she’s waiting for a loved one to return from the Battle of Bunker Hill, while others think she might be tied to one of the many businesses that occupied the building in the 19th century. No one knows who she is or why she remains, only that she’s never left.

Perhaps the most intriguing ghost is Dr. Joseph Warren, the tavern’s namesake. His shadowy figure, dressed in a colonial wig and tights, has been spotted standing near a porthole window, revealing himself to those open to seeing him. Another common experience is the sound of heavy boots walking through the building, approaching unsuspecting people from behind—only for them to turn around and find no one there.

Brookline 

This area is only a mile from Boston.  Brookline is an excellent place for trick-or-treaters, and many homes throughout Brookline are decorated for the Halloween season, but Beals Street tends to be a viral street trick-or-treaters visit on Halloween.

Brookline Halloween Haunts 

Pine Manor College offers higher education. However, that is not all it might provide students and visitors. People say this Brookline Education school is known for haunted, ghostly sightings. Students at this college claim that the lights along the pathway near the Main House (the administration building) turn off as they approach and then turn on again as they pass by. Mists have been seen in the woods nearby, and people have reported a disturbing feeling that something is watching them.

Quincy 

USS Salem Quincy Harbor—Ghost hunters have visited this place and experienced some paranormal activity firsthand. The Boston Museum circuit and city residents believe the perfectly preserved WWII heavy cruiser has well-documented hauntings, including solid apparitions, disembodied footsteps, and even noises of spectral crew members hard at work. The USS Salem was once used as a hospital and morgue for disaster victims in the 1950s, and many of the souls that died here remain.

Salem 

Salem—The Halloween Capitol or Witch City. There are so many places to go trick-or-treating in this area of MA, where Halloween starts on October 1. You can take in a Salem witch trial reenactment throughout the year, but there is fun for young and old on Halloween. In the downtown area, there is something to get you into the spirit of Halloween. The Salem Witch Museum holds the reputation as the most famous haunted house in Salem. As the only building connected to the Witch Trials, the Witch House garners much attention from people visiting Salem. Proctor’s Ledge was the site of the hangings of the Salem Witch Trials. Now, the hauntings here start to make sense.

For over 200 years, rumors have circulated through Salem that Proctor’s Ledge is haunted. Now that we know many innocent people were hanged there, we have ideas about who might be haunting it. We have ideas about who might be haunting it.

The Old Salem Jail has a haunted past. Old Salem Jail doesn’t exist anymore. A luxury apartment complex now stands where the Old Salem Jail, built in 1813, once stood.  In the early days of the Federal-style jail, prisoners most commonly met their death by hanging. Most tally the hangings at an estimated 50 over the years–hangings, which allegedly took place in the prison’s dining area. Not all the hangings were done as punishment for a crime. On more than one occasion, inmates sought to take their own lives because of the terrible living conditions. In 1893, the Fitchburg Sentinel reported that one Charles Kenney of Lynn hanged himself in his prison cell. A correctional officer found Kenney strung up by a towel, which he’d hooked to the wall and thrown his weight against.

For nearly 177 years, the Old Salem Jail, known as Essex County Correctional Institute, symbolized misery despite a massive renovation and expansion in 1884/85.  

Sargent promptly set out to conform the Old Salem Jail to the new Victorian aesthetics, adding the infamous octagonal cupolas on the slate roof and several prison cells. But while Sargent managed to marry the Federal and Gothic styles, the prison’s interior remained a cesspit.

In 1892, a little over a decade after the prison’s expansion, newspaper reports accounted for an overflow of prisoners at the Salem jail. The reason behind the overcrowding was that the country recently passed an anti-alcohol law, and the drunks were now all in prison. There was concern that they would enlist against their will to build a new jail unless Essex County repealed the drunk law.

By the 1960s and 1970s, the prison still lacked modern indoor plumbing. Inmates were forced to use five-gallon buckets as personal chamber pots. Once per week, prisoners were allowed to leave to use one of the two operating toilets throughout the property.

Poor Conditions Not Just for Inmates

Inmates weren’t the only ones paying for a jail low on the state’s priority list. Correctional officers and security guards were forced to pay for their badges and uniforms. Former corrections officers had to live the same way the inmates lived. The roaches crunched under guards’ feet in the same way as prisoners. Guards, officers, and prisoners had to smell the same body odor and stink they did.

Closure Of The Jail 

In 1991, the time came to see the Salem Jail shut its doors. Inmates trashed the jail.  Inmates threw food and trash everywhere. They lit things on fire, and the five-gallon urine buckets were hurled at walls. According to the Salem Evening News, one inmate wrote we won in toothpaste. They smashed the TVs, broke the windows, and destroyed everything.

By the time the riots quieted, the Old Salem Jail was a fractured shell of its former self. For the next decade, the property sat vacant—a playground for vandals, teenage miscreants, and squatters—until the City of Salem purchased the abandoned jail in 2001. People who have visited the spot have seen lights flicker. Eerie screams were heard at all hours of the day, and those who were brave enough to step within its abandoned walls often were witnesses to shadow people lurking in the halls. One person we might have heard of is the Boston Strangler, who spent time at the old jail.

Hawthorne Hotel 

People book their hotel rooms a year or more in advance at the Hawthorne Hotel on Halloween. It is one of the most haunted hotels in America. Room 612 at the Hawthorne Hotel. Guests have reported seeing a ghostly woman in the halls. Other guests have reported Unexplained sounds, including a baby crying and water faucets turning on and off. Room 61 isn’t the only room to be haunted, but Room 325 is the most haunted in the hotel. Staying at this hotel will get in the spirit of Halloween. It has one of the best Costume parties.