Following are the most haunted places in Salem, Massachusetts, where the echoes of tragic deaths and forgotten souls linger in the darkness. These haunted spots have witnessed centuries of sorrow, and some say the spirits of the departed are not yet ready to rest.
Gallows Hill
: "Many report unknown phenomena happenings. Said to be the so called witches that were hanged there in the olden days."
The Hawthorne Hotel
: "The elevator is believed to be haunted. The 6th floor is haunted as well. There was a double murder over a lover''s quarrel. Could spots have been felt as well as chandeliers swaying with no sound."
Joshua Ward House
: "This house is associated with the Salem Witch Trials. Sheriff Corwin is said to haunt this place."
Patriot Cinemas
: "Sometimes you can smell cigarette smoke over near the projector, but you can''t smell it anywhere else. There is a room at the end of the hall which is very cold. You can see shadows moving fast out of the corner of your eye. One time there was a person reflected in the window, standing next to the projector, but no one was there. Someone had keys on a clip hanging from their pocket at hip level, and these keys somehow came unclipped, flipped around, and clipped on a wire, while this person was standing there. A little while later, they realized they were missing and after searching everywhere, found them hanging on this knee level wire. (There are at least 15 keys on this key ring, so you would have heard them if they fell off.) Another time the light upstairs was shut off, and the only way to get up there is if you have a key, someone with a key turned it back on, and then 5 minutes later when they went upstairs, the light was off again. The lights upstairs are always kept on."
Saint Mary's Cemetery
: "Very strange noises, like the sound of a dog jogging on cement, a strange light what seemed to be a white glow stick go by very fast, but the oddest of them all was the Unexplainable feeling of evil, the feeling of being watched, and being rushed and overwhelmed with a negative energy."
Salem Hospital
: "ghost of a woman that died in childbirth there is seen in the halls."
Salem Jail
: "Haunted by the spirits of civil war prisoners who were held there."
Salem State College
: "Bowditch Hall Room 222 - Known for the ghosts of all three roommates that were found murdered there in the 70''s. Reports of beds shaking in the middle of the night and loud banging on the walls that can only be heard in that room."
Salem State College
: "Mainstage Auditorium - The ghost of a little Boy named Tommy is said by theater professors and students to haunt the auditorium. Tommy is supposedly the ghost of a child that got into the area above the auditorium one night during the ''60''s. He fell through a spot in the ceiling and was found dead in the seats of the auditorium by a professor the next day. Tommy still haunts the area above the auditorium, which has long been sealed up and used for storage. He is mischievous for the most part, making noises, moving things, and causing unexplainable problems in the theater. Technicians working on tall ladders swear they can feel Tommy putting a pressure on their backs. They claim that it is Tommy trying to prevent any one else from falling. December 2003 correction:The actual story is this: It was in the ''70''s when it happened, and the boy that fell wasn''t a child, he was a teenager.The boy that died was named Tommy. Tommy and few other kids had been drinking and they snuck into the auditorium. They were fooling around, jumping on seats, rolling around on the stage, etc. When the kids where getting ready to leave, but they couldn''t find Tommy. They figured that he had left and so they left. The next morning my dad got a call saying that his friend Tommy had fallen through the ceiling of the auditorium. He had fallen head first onto the floor and died on impact."
Salem YMCA
: "The old pool. The old pool was built above the original pool. Many lifeguards at the old pool have seen movements and heard noises by the stairwell leading to the old pool. It is rumored to be from a swimmer that died there."
The Ward House
: "is haunted by the ghosts of the evil Sheriff George Corwin and witchcraft victim Giles Cory. Corwin is buried in the cellar."