The South Shore is known to be home to many haunted places. Here are some of the spookiest sites that will give you chills and thrills this Halloween season.
Cohasset Town Hall
41 Highland Ave., Cohasset
Cohasset is believed to have countless haunted buildings throughout the town, including the town hall. Cohasset’s Italianate-style town hall was built in the mid-19th century and was renovated in the late 1980s.
Over the years, many paranormal investigators have studied Cohasset Town Hall. Some reported two or three ghosts haunting the building. The old jail cells, which are still in the town hall basement, are believed to be haunted by a prisoner from the past.
A spirited bunch:Meet the ghosts of Cohasset’s past
Sun Tavern restaurant
500 Congress St., Duxbury
Ever wonder which wine pairs well with a ghost? If so, the Sun Tavern restaurant may be your next reservation. The Sun Tavern, built in 1741, was originally a home before becoming a tavern in the mid-1900s.
Former owner Lysander Walker shot himself in the house on Oct. 3, 1928. Several owners of the restaurant and guests said have experienced strange happenings, suspecting it to be Walker’s ghost. Guests have reported hearing footsteps behind them and cool breaths on their necks. Former owner David Wells said a candle in the dining room would relight itself every night.
Friendly ghosts:Cozy Duxbury tavern has some spirited guests
Walker wasn’t the only one who died in the house. Mary and Elizabeth Williamson, two little girls, died of scarlet fever in the house in the 1700s.
But, fear not. By all accounts, these seem to be friendly ghosts.
Alden House
105 Alden St., Duxbury
In 1627, land was given to Mayflower passengers John Alden and Priscilla Mullins Alden and in 1653 the Alden House was built. The couple were praised in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem ”The Courtship of Miles Standish” as a great love story.
The home is believed to be haunted by Charles Alden, who gave tours in the 1920s. It is also said to be haunted by Aunt Polly, who died at 93 in 1882. In recent paranormal activities reported, a child is said to be standing in a window saying, “Where are they going?”, and crying children or women come down the stairs.
Minots Light/Minots Ledge Light
Cohasset
Minots Ledge Light, also known as the “I Love You Light,” was drilled directly into the most dangerous rocks around Boston Harbor. In April 1851, the lighthouse collapsed in a storm, killing two young lightkeepers, Joseph Antoine and Joseph Wilson. The light was rebuilt in 1860 and 1947.
Spooky South Shore:A dark side to local lighthouses
Some visitors say they have seen the ghosts of the two men. Lightkeepers and visitors have reported hearing tapping on the pipe, the same way Antoine and Wilson communicated.
The Bridgewater Triangle
The Bridgewater Triangle, an area of about 200 square miles with Abington, Freetown, and Seekonk serving as the points of the triangle, covers 17 towns. Hauntings are widespread on the land, from Hockomock Swamp to Dighton Rock to Solitude Stone.
Dare to read more?:‘A paranormal Disney World’: The Bridgewater Triangle has scares for everyone
This area boasts more than ghosts. UFOs and foreign creatures have also been reported. People, including those in the Norton Police Department, have claimed to see giant birds with wingspans of 8 to 12 feet in Hockomock Swamp and neighboring Taunton and Easton.
Winslow House
34 Careswell St., Marshfield
The Isaac Winslow House, also known as the Winslow House Museum, was built in Marshfield around 1700 on land granted to Gov. Edward Winslow two generations before. It was opened to the public in 1920.
Members of this famous local family are rumored to haunt it. Sudden cool breezes and unexplained noises are blamed on the friendly spirit of Penelope Winslow, the mother of original owner Isaac Winslow. She is believed to wander through the home. Others don’t believe it could be Penelope because she never lived in the house.
Burial Hill Cemetery
School Street, Plymouth
Burial Hill Cemetery is not only the site of passed souls but also reportedly haunted by spirits of Pilgrims and native people. Several passengers from the Mayflower are buried there, including William Bradford, Mary Allerton and William and Mary Brewster. The cemetery is said to have more than 2,500 people buried there.
Ghost stories:Make no bones about it, Burial Hill cemetery is scary stuff
In 1778, disaster struck when the brigantine General Arnold began to take on water, forcing the crew to seek refuge in Plymouth Harbor. Two days later, 70 of the 100 crew members were found dead, frozen in grotesque forms. The bodies were buried in 60-foot-wide graves on Burial Hill. Tour guides and guests have reported seeing white figures believed to be the crewmen vanishing in plain sight.
The USS Salem
1549 South St., Pier 3, Quincy
The USS Salem, nicknamed the Sea Witch, is a preserved World War II heavy cruiser built in 1945 in the Quincy shipyard. In 1949, the heavy cruiser became the flagship for the Navy’s 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea during the Cold War. In the 1950s, it was a hospital and a morgue.
Don DeCristofaro, a founding member of the Greater Boston Paranormal Associates, has led ghost-hunting tours on the Salem for 20 years. DeCristofaro said it is rare that nothing spooky happens during his tours. Guests often hear unexplained footsteps and unknown voices throughout the ship.
Dare to board?:History and mystery on the USS Salem
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Reach Sarah Idieu at Sidieu@patriotledger.com.
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