There's A Terrifying Haunted Cave In Massachusetts And It's Not For The Faint Of Heart

Massachusetts is filled with spooky corners and haunted spots, but this eerie cave may be among the creepiest.

Located in Lynn Woods Reservation in Lynn, the Dungeon Rock cave has curious history and a ghostly reputation. Visiting here is not for those afraid of the dark or tales of things that go bump in the night.

YouTube/New England's Insomniac Theater

Dungeon Rock has a history that seems to be equal part fact and fiction. In the summer of 1658, accounts state that an ominous-looking ship sailed into Lynn Harbor. The vessel was painted black and bore no markings nor flew a flag. The locals looked on in horror, as it seemed a pirate raid was imminent.

Instead, a small boat was dispatched from the ship and rowed up the Saugus River. The next day, workers at the Saugus Iron Works found a note nailed to a door that requested a supply of tools and hatchets be left in a secret location in exchange for a chest of silver.

YouTube/New England's Insomniac Theater

Hearing of this, British soldiers made their way to the spot where four of the pirates were encamped (now known as Pirate’s Glen) and attempted to capture the buccaneers. Three of them were caught and killed, but a fourth, Thomas Veal, escaped into the forest. Supposedly, he took the hoard of silver with him.

Curiously, Veal reportedly found refuge in the cave now known as Dungeon Rock and lived there for some time, eventually becoming part of the Lynn community. However, the former pirate met a grisly end when an earthquake dislodged a large boulder from above the cave and sealed Veal within the cave with his pirate treasure.

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YouTube/New England's Insomniac Theater

More than 200 years later in 1852, Hiram Marble purchased the five acres of land around the cave because he had heard the legends of the lost pirate treasure. Marble was a Spiritualist, which meant that he believed he could commune with the ghost of the pirate Thomas Veal and discover the location of the hidden hoard.

Hiram and his family built a number of structures near the cave and began their hunt for the silver. They blasted, drilled, and excavated much of the area around the cave. Marble became increasingly convinced he was being guided by spirits on his search and would change tunneling directions suddenly when he thought the ghosts of the cave were directing him to do so. When Hiram died in 1868, his son Edwin took over the search until his own death in 1880. Today, you’ll find a large pink rock near Dungeon Cave that marks the grave of Edwin Marble.

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YouTube/New England's Insomniac Theater

Obviously, Dungeon Rock has been a reported hotbed of ghostly activity for hundreds of years. The trapped spirit of Thomas Veal is said to howl for help within the cave, while the clanging of shovels and pickaxes has been reported to echo through the woods after dark. Some people have observed a phantom dressed in a red robe stalking amongst the trees, though it’s not clear if this apparition is related to the cave’s known history or perhaps dates from an even earlier time.

Explorers who aren’t deterred by the cave’s spooky past can head into the woods and investigate the many cellar holes, wall fragments and ruins of the Marbles’ home. Check out the video below by New England Insomniac Theatre for a peek inside the cave.

If you can’t get enough of the spooky side of Massachusetts, check out some of the most terrifying spots in the state here.