
The Hammond Castle Museum
Posted: 01.27.2025 | Updated: 01.27.2025
Many people are unaware that Europe isn’t the only place with famous castles. The Hammond Castle Museum is perhaps not as famous as some of its European cousins, but it’s one of the more fascinating bits of American lore. The person who built and lived in the castle is an even more fascinating figure!
The Hammond Castle resides in Gloucester, just northeast of the infamous town of Salem, Massachusetts. Salem has earned itself a bit of a reputation as a hotbed for mysterious happenings, ghost sightings, and more.
Hammond Castle is also no stranger to unexplained phenomena, and this article will explain what people have claimed to have seen here over the years.
If you like what you read here today and want to learn more about haunted Massachusetts, be sure to book our in-person ghost tour with Salem Ghosts to whet your appetite for the macabre.
Is the Hammond Castle Museum Haunted?
While the answer to this question is still up in the air, it’s hard to deny that there are some very strange things that have happened in this castle over the years, both while Hammond was alive and afterward. In many ways, the place was built to be haunted. Read on to learn exactly why that is.
History of The Hammond Castle Museum
One can’t talk about the history of the Hammond Castle Museum without talking about its larger-than-life creator, John Hays Hammond Junior. Words hardly do the man justice.
He was eccentric, an art collector, a scientist, an inventor, a prankster, and more. His friends included Thomas Edison (who was so taken with Hammond that he volunteered to be his mentor), Walt Disney, and John D. Rockefeller.
Hammond earned the title of “The Father of Radio Control” due to his countless inventions and innovations in the field, many of which are still in use today. His endeavors made him quite wealthy, and he used that wealth to travel constantly. Due to his affinity for the Renaissance, his travels mainly took him to Europe.
This love for the Renaissance manifested in his obsessive art collection and where he wanted to live. A simple American house was no good for him. Despite living in New England, Hammond desired a castle like the ones of his European heroes.
So, as Hammond was wont to do, he took a mad dream and made it happen. Hammond’s building had what you might expect from a traditional castle: a bell tower, a drawbridge, an organ, flying buttresses, and a courtyard.
However, there were also some elements of his own creation, like a rain machine if he wanted to set the mood or many secret passageways that Hammond would use to prank his guests with.
One of his most famous pranks involved his swimming pool. Of course, since it was dyed green, many guests thought it was a shallow fish pond and not a fully functional, nine-foot-deep swimming pool. Imagine their surprise when Hammond would dive in headfirst, only to emerge soaking wet and laughing at his horrified guests!
Hauntings at the Castle
As one might expect from an eccentric like Hammond, his castle very much resembles something out of a movie set. Its combination of Gothic and Renaissance architecture and design elements creates a spooky, weird atmosphere that many movies and TV shows have taken advantage of.
To date, American Castles, Fetch with Ruff Rufman, Bewitched, and Game of Thrones have each taken advantage of the place for their own special interests. And, of course, that’s not even getting into the countless TV commercials that have also used the place when they need a scary castle set.
But inside the castle is somehow even more terrifying than what Hollywood magic would suggest. Of course, there’s the famous great pipe organ that seems more fitting for a certain vampiric count than for a museum in Massachusetts.
And, of course, the dark lighting and secret passageways add to the ambiance. But there’s also the small matter of the castle’s ghosts that really makes walking down these halls a frightful endeavor.
Pinning down all of the ghosts that have been said to haunt these halls is a daunting task because they’ve been sighted since Hammond himself lived here! He and his wife Irene used to invite guests to the castle’s Great Hall and hold seances there.
The Ghost of John Hays Hammond Jr.

In an ironic twist, it’s thought that Hammond himself may have joined the ranks of the ghosts he was trying to contact. After death, he feared being disturbed and ordered poison ivy to be planted where he was buried so their (he was buried with his cat) resting place would not be disturbed.
Unfortunately, those efforts didn’t seem to be enough. Many people over the years have reported seeing Hammond’s ghost pop up around corners, a devilish smile on his face. He’ll disappear as often as he appears, perhaps utilizing those secret passageways he was so fond of in life!
The Groundskeeper and Other Ghosts
But it’s not just Hammond who haunts the Hammond Castle Museum. Other ghosts are also known to pop up and rear their heads. And sometimes, they cause just as much mischief as Hammond!
One ghost who seemed to acquire that puckish sense of humor was Hammond’s old employee. His former groundskeeper was such a dedicated worker – and one would have to be to keep up with the sprawling and bizarre architecture – that he passed away while still doing his job. In fact, he was so dedicated that some say he never actually left the castle!
The groundskeeper is said to still haunt the place. In his haunting, he is sometimes seen trimming hedges, watering plants, or polishing up an old piece of stone. However, in his off-time, he may just be the one behind all the unexplained paranormal activity in the place, like doors shutting without warning or people’s hair being pulled on!
A Restless Spirit
The groundskeeper isn’t the only one keeping Hammond company in his life after the grave. Hammond’s wife has also been spotted floating around the castle too. However, unlike Hammond and the groundskeeper, her sense of amusement seems to have been left behind on Earth.

It doesn’t seem as though she’s all that happy with her time as a ghost. Those who have seen her – and she’s far more difficult to spot than the other ghosts – say that she seems sad, almost restless in energy. She’ll float around from room to room, perhaps looking for a purpose that has so far eluded her in the afterlife.
Other ghosts have been spotted, but given the castle’s bad lighting, it’s impossible to say who these other inhabitants are. Who’s to say they’re even other ghosts at all – this could just be another one of Hammond’s classic practical jokes!
Haunted Salem
However many ghosts the Hammond Castle Museum has, it’s well worth a visit for history lovers, ghost hunters, and people interested in the weird and macabre – both of which Hammond provided in spades during his life and death.
But don’t just limit yourself to this blog. Our Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok spotlights other offbeat haunted locations in the United States, and our blog offers more information on real New England hauntings.
If you want to explore Salem specifically, it bears repeating that our ghost tour with Salem Ghosts is the best way to do that. Our guides are knowledgeable and enthusiastic and can provide even more information on Salem haunts.
Sources:
- https://www.hammondcastle.org/about/hammond-castle-museum/
- https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2020/10/hammond-castle
- https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/archive/2016/10/13/discover-ghosts-hammond-castle/24743289007/
- https://www.haunted-places-to-go.com/hammond-castle.html
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