The Most Terrifying Ghost Story To Ever Come Out Of Massachusetts Is Truly Chilling
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Sophia
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Massachusetts has its fair share of spooky stories and haunted houses. However, one take is more bone-chilling than most. There’s a mansion-turned-hotel in Salem that may harbor more than paying guests. Here’s a Bay State ghost story to give you a serious case of the shivers.
The Joshua Ward House in Salem is supposed haunted by the ghosts of witches and the executioner who took their lives.
The building was constructed by retired sea captain Joshua Ward in the 1780s. However, about a century earlier this plot of land had belonged to the infamous Sheriff George Corwin who condemned suspected witches to death during the Salem Witch Trials of the 1680s.
The building was constructed by retired sea captain Joshua Ward in the 1780s. However, about a century earlier this plot of land had belonged to the infamous Sheriff George Corwin who condemned suspected witches to death during the Salem Witch Trials of the 1680s.
Corwin executed at least 19 people. His victims were forced to endure brutal interrogations; the accused would have her ankles tied to her neck until blood poured from her nose, or be crushed under a pile of rocks until he confessed.
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When Sheriff Corwin died of a heart attack in 1697, he was buried for a time in the cellar of his home because his family feared angry locals would dismember his body.
After the Ward house was constructed in the 1780s, the ghost sightings began. The structure is rumored to be haunted by two of Corwin’s executed "witches." The spirits are said to cause mysterious cold spots to appear, melt down unlit candles, stomp around the upper floor, and scream loudly enough that even passerby have reported hearing their cries.
After the Ward house was constructed in the 1780s, the ghost sightings began. The structure is rumored to be haunted by two of Corwin’s executed "witches." The spirits are said to cause mysterious cold spots to appear, melt down unlit candles, stomp around the upper floor, and scream loudly enough that even passerby have reported hearing their cries.
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The building is also said to be haunted by the restless ghost of Sheriff Giles Corwin himself. One can only imagine the awkwardness between these ghostly tenants.
Corwin supposedly appears in the lower levels of the structure, appearing most often in a rocking chair by a fireplace. Some visitors have reported feeling ghostly hands wrapping around their necks or having the sensation of something heavy sitting on their chests.
Corwin supposedly appears in the lower levels of the structure, appearing most often in a rocking chair by a fireplace. Some visitors have reported feeling ghostly hands wrapping around their necks or having the sensation of something heavy sitting on their chests.
How's that for a creepy story?
Today, the Joshua Ward House is a hotel called The Merchant. Visitors continue to report ghostly encounters in what is often considered the most haunted spot in Salem.
For more spooky Massachusetts history, check out this road trip to some of the most paranormal places in the state.
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