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We’ve already profiled the most haunted forest in Massachusetts, but this state is home to another equally eerie natural landscape. The Harold Parker State Forest is located near Andover about 20 miles north of Boston, and is a hotspot for bizarre happenings and terrifying encounters.
The stories that people tell about this place range from unusual…to absolutely spine-tingling.
This old state park has over 35 miles of forested, shady trails and roads. Between its ponds, swamps and rocky outcroppings, evidence of its former life as 18th-century farmland can still be found.
Some say that the spirits of the families that once lived in the forest have never left. Others claim that something more sinister lurks in the shadows of the wood.
According to historical records that remain from the days when the area was first being settled, there are a large number of unmarked graves in the woods.
The ruins of old houses and crumbling foundations can be found throughout the park. Before English settlers moved in, the forest was inhabited by the Pentacook native people. Some people claim to have seen a ghostly, weeping woman wading out into the waters of a small pond in the park, gradually moving farther into the water until she is completely submerged. The crying then stops.
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Perhaps the eeriest stories of all are those about the disappearing bridges.
A few visitors have reported encountering bridges made of birch branches and twigs that span small creeks. According to the visitors' reports, once they cross a bridge and move away from the area, they are unable to relocate the bridge. It doesn’t matter if the hiker carefully marks her path, or even retraces his footsteps exactly – the bridge (and in some cases, the stream) will simply disappear. This phenomenon has been reported most frequently in the area surrounding Berry Pond.
You'll have to be brave to camp here, but the payoff is worth it.
This state park boasts 84 campsites spread across over 3,000 acres of forest. There are plenty of places to partake in top-notch hiking, mountain biking, fishing, canoeing, hunting, horseback riding and picnicking. Your GPS can find the campground at 133 Jenkins Road in Andover.
Do you know any other creepy or haunted spots in Massachusetts? Let us know below.
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