1. Parkman House: 33 Beacon St
A man named Dr. George Parkman lived here in the 1800s, before he was killed in 1849. Dr. John Webster, the murderer, stabbed Parkman to avoid paying back a debt. Webster dismembered and incinerated the body to cover his tracks, but a janitor discovered the truth. This was actually the first time that forensic evidence solved a case.
2. Granary Burying Ground
This downtown cemetery was founded in 1660. Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Paul Revere are buried here. Visitors have reported seeing a ghost that is presumed to be James Otis, Jr., a lawyer in the Revolutionary War-era. He was brutally attacked which left him with brain damage, and reportedly told his family that he would rather be killed by lightning. Soon afterwards, he was fatally struck by lightning while inside his house.
3. King’s Chapel Burying Ground
This cemetery is also located downtown, at Tremont and School Sts. most of the headstones were moved in the early 1800s, and according to legend this confused the spirits, who now wander around the graveyard looking for their stones. Additionally, one woman’s corpse was beheaded in order to fit into a too-small coffin, and a man was possibly buried alive in the cemetery (which wasn’t an uncommon occurrence back then).
4. Omni Parker House
This downtown hotel is famous for its restless spirits. The elevator makes random stops on the third floor (an actress died there in 1876), the ghost of a deceased owner Harvey Parker has been spotted roaming the halls, and guests have reported seeing Charles Dickens in a mezzanine mirror.
5. Metropolitan State Hospital
Located in Waltham, this mental hospital was established in 1927 but shut down in the 1990s. The buildings were abandoned and some still stand today. You can also find pictures online of the rotting hospital that are positively chilling. During the hospital’s operation, at least one murder took place when a patient used a hatchet to kill a nurse. Allegedly, you can sometimes hear children singing at the site of the ruins.
6. Emerson’s Cutler Majestic Theater
Patrons at this theater have seen a ghostly married couple walking around the grounds, a girl who takes hidden items, and the spirit of a mayor who died during a show.
7. Margaret Jones Hanging at the Boston Neck Gallows
Margaret Jones was the first woman to be killed for witchcraft in New England. She was a healer from Charlestown who was executed in 1648 at Boston Neck Gallows, which is located at the modern-day Washington St in the South End. Fun fact–the Boston Commons is also an execution site.
Sources:
https://www.thrillist.com/lifestyle/boston/most-haunted-places-in-boston-to-visit
www.celebrateboston.com/ghost/
https://www.society19.com/most-haunted-places-in-massachusetts-to-visit-if-you-dare/