9 Disturbing Cemeteries In Massachusetts That Will Give You Goosebumps

Massachusetts is one of the oldest states in the nation. That means that we’ve had plenty of time to build up a collection of truly creepy cemeteries and burial grounds. Whether or not you believe in spooks, you can’t deny that there’s something haunting about these Bay State graveyards.

Flickr/Goodharbor

This cemetery in Salem is said to be haunted by the victims of the infamous Salem witch trials. In particular, the ghost of Giles Corey, a suspected witch who died by torture when he refused to answer the questions of his interrogators, is thought to roam the headstones here. The legend goes that he cursed the town before his death and was seen walking the streets before the Great Fire of 1914. (Howard Street, Salem)

Wikimedia Commons/Millylang

This was the fourth cemetery established in Boston and is full of famous folk from the earliest days of Massachusetts history. However, it is also home to a grisly mass grave – the remains of over 900 British soldiers who died during the occupation of the city were unearthed during the 1894 construction of the Boston subway. The bodies were buried in a mass grave in the cemetery and sightings of the soldiers' restless spirits have been frequent ever since. (5 Boylston Pl., Boston)

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Flickr/Gerald Azenaro

The Old Hill Burial Ground, Newburyport is the source of a particularly ghastly local legend. The Pierce family crypt has been broken into three times over the course of the last century. In 1925, a gang of young boys broke into the tomb, undressed and unbandaged the corpses, propped them up and ran through the streets wearing the old clothing of the corpses. A 1985 break-in saw a group of teenagers perform "unspeakable deeds" with the interred, while the third incident involved a man stealing the head of one of the corpses and using it to scare his friend before being caught by the police.

With all this activity, locals saw that the ghosts of the Pierce family stalk the grounds of the cemetery and beyond, searching for those who offended them. (7 Hill Street, Newburyport)

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Flickr/Tony Fischer

Myles Standish Burial Ground in Duxbury is home to the Mayflower's most famous passenger, Myles Standish himself. The graveyard is also reportedly the final resting place of several very restless ghosts, including that of an old woman who groans throughout the night and a man who rushes at evening visitors. (57-97 Chestnut Street, Duxbury)

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Flickr/Mike Schaffner

This is supposedly one of the most haunted spots in the state. Samuel Adams, Paul Revere and John Hancock are all buried here, but it appears to be haunted by the ghost James Otis Jr., a local lawyer who was struck by lightning and is said to still prowl the cemetery after dark. (Tremont Street, Boston)

Harvard Shaker Village

This historic graveyard is dotted with markers that look curiously like lollipops. With over 300 of the cast-iron markers, a large number of the area's early Shakers are interred here. One particular ghost is said to sit at the edge of the burial ground and sing in a low voice.

Flickr/Janhatesmarcia

This Leicester cemetery has a particularly spooky name and reputation. Spider Gates Cemetery is officially known as Friends Cemetery, but received its peculiar moniker due to the odd wrought-iron gates that lead into the burial ground. Reports of devil-worshiping rites and a portal to another dimension are common local tales, and ghost sightings are frequent. (Earle Street and Manville Street, Leicester)

Flickr/Bill Ilott

Meeting House Hill Cemetery is known for one particularly heartbreaking tale. On April 14, 1755, Martha Keyes sent her two oldest daughters to Wachusett Pond to gather sand for cleaning. Her third daughter, 4-year-old Lucy Keyes, followed the older pair and was shooed back to the house. Lucy was never seen again. Her mother Martha was said to be driven mad by the loss and spent the rest of her days calling out for Lucy in the woods near Wachusett Pond. Her spirit is said to still scream out for her daughter at this cemetery. (63 Mountain Road Princeton)

9. Dean Hill Cemetery, Fitchburg

Dean Hill Road Cemetery in Fitchburg is more commonly known as “The Rev” due to the large number of Revolutionary War soldiers buried there. Reports of figures with glowing eyes appearing between midnight and 3 a.m. abound, and local legends tell of strange sexual rituals that were performed at the cemetery in the 1960s. The corpse of a burned body was also supposedly found in the road just outside the graveyard. (304 Caswell Road, Fitchburg)

For even more creepy cemeteries in Massachusetts, check out our earlier list here.