It’s nearly Halloween and that means its time for spooky stories, ghostly tales and exaggerated lore becoming legend.
Two Worcester County locations notoriously known for being “haunted” have made a list of Massachusetts’ most creepy locations.
The list — The Creepiest Haunted Places in MA — is put together by the travel and enterainment website, Thrillist.com. The article features two nearby locations worthy of their tall tales: the Spider Gates Cemetery — or Quaker Cemetery — in Leicester and the SK Mansion in Gardner.
The “Spider Gates” cemetery gets its names from the spider-shaped gates at the entrance and can be located between the Worcester Regional Airport and the Lynde Brook reservoir.
Here’s what Thrillist had to say:
Spider Gates Cemetery, or Quaker Cemetery or Friends Cemetery, was founded in 1740. The black metal arms of its iron gates, which arrived in 1895, were meant to resemble the Sun’s rays, but instead remind people of spider webs. Hence the name.
You can even visit the Eighth Gate To Hell here, if you’re interested. Legend says if you go through the other seven gates of the cemetery (which aren’t really there), then enter Spider Gates, which is the eighth door, it will lead you to another dimension. “The Altar” is allegedly the site of satanic rituals, and someone was allegedly hanged there. Spider Gates is also home to Marmaduke Earle’s gravesite, where people leave coins to hear Marmaduke talk. Leave some change, say his name 10 times while walking around his grave, then listen.
The SK Mansion is located a 4 W. Broadway St. in Gardner. The first owner of the home — Sylvester Pierce — made his mark with the successful S.K. Pierce and Sons furniture company, in turn giving Gardner the nickname “Chair City.”
And yes, you can actually spend a night in the mansion.
Here’s what Thrillist said:
Houses rumored to be haunted can be a tough sell on the market, but caretakers of the SK Pierce Mansion in Gardner have embraced its mysterious past. The Victorian-style home, built in 1875 by Sylvester K. Pierce, has 10 bedrooms and 11-foot-high ceilings, just enough room for ghosts and orbs to roam freely.
The book Bones in the Basement mentions homeowners Edwin Gonzalez and Lillian Otero, who bought the home in 2009. They heard the stories, but weren’t convinced. In the fall of 2011, they moved out. Get the book to find out what made them flee. The SK Pierce Mansion is now a haunted attraction — you can even spend the night there, though you probably shouldn’t.
Check out Thrillist’s full list of the most haunted places in Massachusetts here.
Lead photo credit: Spider Gates Cemetery by Bree Bailey/Flickr
Follow us on The016.com, the social network for Worcester and you!
