9 Real Haunted Houses In The Bay State: Only In Massachusetts

Only In Massachusetts is an occasional series where Patch tries to find answers to questions about life in Massachusetts. Have a question about the Bay State that needs answering? Send it to dave.copeland@patch.com.

When SlotSource released its list of "scariest states" last October, Massachusetts didn't even crack the Top 10. The rankings were based on "scariest hauntings and most phantasmagoric happenings," and clearly failed to take into account that Massachusetts is home to the Witch City, Lizzie Borden and loads of places where the unexplained has happened.

Just in time for Halloween, Patch has compiled the following list of the Bay State's most famous haunted houses, including two stops in Salem and, of course, the home where Lizzie Borden may — or may not — have killed her mom and dad with an ax.

The Jonathan Corwin House, 310 Essex St., Salem: The Witch House was home to Judge Jonathan Corwin and is the only structure still standing in Salem with direct ties to the 1692 witch trials. Corwin was one of the men who investigated allegations of witchcraft, which led to the execution of 19 people. The house is open for self-guided tours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Joshua Ward House, 148 Washington St., Salem: Also known as the George Corwin House, the Federal style home was built in 1784 for Joshua Ward, a merchant. The house is said to be haunted by Sheriff George Corwin and Giles Cory. George Corwin was the 25-year-old nephew of Judge Jonathan Corwin. His duties included escorting women convicted in the witch trials to the execution site on Proctor's Ledge.

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The Lizzie Borden House, 230 2nd St., Fall River: The house where Lizzie Borden lived with her parents sold for nearly $1.9 million earlier this year after extensive renovations. Borden was accused, and eventually acquitted, of killing her parents with an ax in the house on Aug. 4, 1892. The house is currently a tourist attraction with daily tours and, for the brave, the chance to sleep over in the site of New England's most famous unsolved double murder.

George C. Gardner House, 141 Main St., Nantucket: Reports from prior residents hearing disembodied footsteps and seeing silverware move didn't prevent the home from being listed for sale for nearly $10 million in 2014. The 19-room home was restored in 2005 after falling into disrepair while locked up in a bitter divorce case in the late 1990s.

The Mount Estate, 2 Plunkett St., Lenox: The state's most famous ghost may be Edith Wharton, who, along with her late husband Teddy, reportedly haunts her old home in the Berkshires. Other suspected ghost sightings include one of Wharton's servant girls and a man believed to have been Wharton's lover.

Thaddeus Clapp House, 74 Wendell Ave., Pittsfield: Playwright Peter Bergman, who died in 2012, claimed to have seen the ghost Thaddeus Clapp while rehearsing in one of the home's drawing rooms. Thaddeus Clapp was the president of the Pontoosuc Woolen Mill.

Houghton Mansion, 172 Church St., North Adams: The chauffeur of former North Adams Mayor A.C. Houghton reportedly still haunts this house, which is now used as a Masonic temple. The chauffeur died by suicide after a crash that killed Mayor Houghton's wife and only daughter.

Bellingham-Cary House, 34 Parker St., Chelsea: During the Civil War, Samuel Cary's daughter had two lovers: one from the Union Army, one from the Confederate Army. The two men ended up killing each other on a staircase in the home, which is now a private residence. Rumor has it you can hear laughter, clinking glasses and voices each year on the Carys' wedding anniversary.

S.K. Pierce Mansion, 4 W. Broadway, Gardner: P.T. Barnum, Norman Rockwell, Bette Davis and President Calvin Coolidge were all guests at the house, which was originally located at 21 Union St. before being moved to its current location. Sylvester Knowlton Pierce, who founded a lucrative chair manufacturing company, and his wife are said to haunt the house. There have also been reported sightings of a nanny and a prostitute dating from the time when the house was a brothel.

Dave Copeland is Patch's regional editor for Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island and can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).