I was looking around to see if our haunted places here in the Berkshires would make any of the national lists as far as being really haunted and two of the locations here in the Berkshires kept on popping up in some top ten lists including Thrillist.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, love all the dressing up and, parade and the spookiness that has always been here in the Berkshires but this time of year these locations seem to be a lot more active with people visiting them both.

If you want to get your spook on here is a place you might like to check out.

IMR Films/YouTube

We start with the Hoosic tunnel, which was built in 1851 and finished in 1875. Supposedly 200 hundred people died even before a train ran through the tunnel.  Some people who have visited the tunnel have said they have seen ghosts. I am not talking about one or two people but over a dozen have claimed they have seen and heard strange happenings inside the tunnel.

IMR Films/YouTube

Some had died from the explosions, on October 17, 1868, which was the worst disaster in the tunnel's history. Thirteen miners died in a gas explosion that blew apart a surface pumping station.

J-MASS/YouTube

Supposedly after that disaster, “The ghostly apparitions would appear briefly, then vanish, leaving no footprints in the snow, giving no answers to the miners' calls. This kept on till they retrieved the bodies of the dead miners.

So many accidents occurred and so many men died.

Hoosic Tunnel /Google Earth
Hoosic Tunnel /Google Earth
loading...

All different types of sitings have occurred over the years.

Rock Excavated to make the train tunnel was around 2 Million tons.
Remember there are warnings posted that you should follow if you attempt to check out the ghosts there.

This also made the top ten list of scariest places in Massachusetts it has also received national television attention in the past.

Houghton Mansion / Facebook
Houghton Mansion / Facebook
loading...

Houghton Mansion

The Houghton Mansion is one of the most interesting haunted houses in the Berkshires, so many paranormal groups and tv shows have filmed and tested the house  There used to be group tours,  haunted sleepovers, and paranormal-themed weekend conferences.

So why is the Houghton mansion so attractive to paranormal people? A lot of it has to do with history. Even the Travel Channel's “Ghost Adventures,” featured it.

The mansion is the place where four people died there in 1914.
The mansion started getting a paranormal reputation in 1918 when the Gallup Family bought it.

Houghton Mansion / Facebook
Houghton Mansion / Facebook
loading...

All kinds of stories were coming out then about haunted happenings at the home including, hearing voices, slamming doors, loud knocking noises, cold spots, lights turning off and on, and frequent experiences of being touched or pushed by something invisible. (Kinda sounds like a house I lived in as a teen, but that is for another time.)

Travel Channel/Youtube

One of the psychics who visited the home believes that Mary Houghton and John Widders were lovers and that her father Mayor Houghton forbade the match. The psychic believes their three spirits are locked in an ongoing Victorian battle the psychic believed that was at the root of the angry paranormal happenings in the house.

Paranormal Channel? Youtube

Oh but there are other stories too connected to the home. Some say an accident was behind the haunting. This is one I think most of us here in the Berkshires know best.

In the spring of 1914, Houghton purchased his first car, a seven-passenger touring vehicle. On August 1, Houghton asked his newly trained driver, loyal servant John Widders, to bring the Pierce-Arrow around for a trip to Vermont.

Going for the ride that day were A.C., his daughter Mary and family friends Dr. and Mrs. Robert Hutton of New York with their daughter, Sybil.

So on their ride, they ended up in Pownal, Vermont, climbing a street now called Oak Hill Road. Work repair on the right side of the road they were on was happening while driving.

Widders pulled Houghton's car over to the left in an attempt to drive around the construction crew. The car's tires hit a soft dirt shoulder, where the driver lost control and sent the vehicle tumbling down a steep embankment.

Everyone was thrown from the car except Mary, the Pierce-Arrow rolled on top of Mrs. Hutton and she was killed instantly. Mary had serious injuries and died a few hours later at North Adams Hospital.

Houghton's trusted servant couldn't forgive himself for the deaths. Early on August 2, Widders went down to the basement and shot himself, taking his own life.

A.C. Houghton suffered no serious physical injuries during the accident, but the tragic events broke his heart. He died 10 days after the crash that took his daughter's life.

Years later it became the Masonic Temple, where people said they would hear footsteps on the second floor.

You used to be able to stay and tour the house but that is no more, The Houghton Mansion is now closed to the public.

Have any of you had any experiences in the Houghton House?

Get our free mobile app

."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":33554688,"11":4,"28":1}">

Celebs Share Their Personal Paranormal Stories

 

LOOK: The states with the most UFO sightings

For each state, we’ve also included details of famous UFO sightings in that state. Of note is that almost three-quarters of all UFO sighting reports in the United States occur between 4 p.m. and midnight, and tend to peak between 9 and 10 p.m. Food for thought next time you're out scoping for alien life. Keep reading to see which states have had the most UFO sightings.

."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":33554688,"11":4,"28":1}">

READ ON: Weird, wild UFO sightings from throughout history

 

 

More From WNAW AM