Maries Halloween Magazine

Lizzie Borden's House (92 Second Street, Fall River, Massachusetts) Now known as the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast, you can rent and sleep in the rooms where Lizzie and the rest of the family slept. The debate rages on as to whom committed the infamous murders, but most agrees this is still an active location.

People have reported seeing a mist-like human figure form above a couch in the area where Andrew Borden took the last nap of his life. Apparitions of Abby Borden and Lizzie have reportedly appeared in the basement and bedrooms in front of startled guests and staff.

The Houghton Mansion (172 Church Street, North Adams, Massachusetts) The story at this haunted location is about a 1914 car accident, the death of a beloved daughter and that of a devoted father a few days later. Add the tragic suicide of the chauffeur, and you have the sordid tale of the Houghton Mansion. The mansion was the home of wealthy businessperson, Albert Houghton. A pleasure drive resulted in an accident that killed his adult (and youngest) daughter and caused Albert to die a few days later, reportedly of a broken heart. Family servant John Widders was at the wheel and committed suicide later by hanging himself.

Today the three-story mansion is home to the Masons and also serves as the base for the Berkshire Paranormal Group. Activity includes doors opening on their own accord, audible footsteps, overwhelming feelings of sadness and anger, cold spots and EVPs. The Hoosac Tunnel (North Adams, Massachusetts) The name 'Hoosac' means 'forbidden' in Native American. This tunnel was the first tunnel of the time to be built using nitroglycerin. Subsequent accidents, deaths, cave ins and fires earned the location its nickname, 'The Bloody Pit'. Over two hundred men died during its construction, and sighs, apparitions, strange lights, sounds and voices have been seen and heard from the 1800s to this day. Be careful - this is still an operating railroad line and tunnel.

Saint Thecla Retreat House, Dudley Road (77 Dudley Rd., Billerica, Massachusetts) The Retreat House is the private property of the Daughters of St. Paul Convent. Dudley Road in front of the house is a public road and has seen its share of ghostly nuns, strange lights and sounds. It remains a perfect spot for EVP, digital recorder and camera work.

Beckett Land Trust/Historic Quarry (Becket, Massachusetts) The Beckett Land Trust was a stone quarry from the 1850s through the 1960s. To this day, it looks as though the workers put down their tools and just walked away. There is a reason to be cautious around the abandoned machines and piles of stone. The sounds of working machinery can be heard as well as disembodied voices, and there are cold spots.