The Most Haunted Places In Salem

Posted: 03.11.2025 | Updated: 03.11.2025

Was it a ploy to grab land from targeted settlers? Or did a real brash of witchcraft and devilry thrust Salem, Massachusetts, into a bout of madness? The controversial witch trials that plagued the small coastal town left over 20 dead and even more with blood on their hands. Darkness permeated throughout the settlement, emboldened by the natural energies of the nearby Salem Harbor.

Centuries may have passed since the last alleged witch was hung, but that negative energy still lingers. Like a conduit for the tragically deceased, it’s the source that binds the souls of the persecuted to the historic burgh. As many who have toured Salem’s oldest architecture will attest, restless apparitions remain trapped in the New England city. 

Secure your chance at reaching out to these unsettled spirits with a Salem Ghosts tour. On it, you’re sure to hear all about the specters in Salem’s most haunted places. 

What Are The Most Haunted Places in Salem? 

Even among Salem’s most haunted, some buildings are more active than others. The Witch House is the most ominous. Its history is directly tied to the tragic witch trials. 

Steps away, the Ropes Mansion is a regal estate that simply couldn’t escape the grip of death, leaving several of the Ropes family to perish in painful ways. 

The extent of Salem’s spectral energy stretches to just off the harbor, at the House of the Seven Gables, where shadowy figures and apparitions congregate to retell another side of Salem’s history.

The Witch House

Once home to Judge Jonathan Corwin, the Witch House is an undeniably haunted treasure of Salem’s horrid past. Corwin played a direct role in the persecution of Salem’s alleged witches. Records show that his children were afflicted during the ordeal. Allegedly at the hands of Tituba, an enslaved Native American.

The sinister building resonates with the memories of the trial and the tragedies that soon struck Corwin’s household. It’s believed that nearly all of the judge’s family died within the home, including the judge himself, his wife, and eight of his 10 children. Riddled with death and connected to the witch trials, it’s no surprise that the ominous home is named Salem’s most haunted hotspot.

House of the Seven Gables

The storied past of this estate spans multiple families, from the ill-fated sea captain John Turner to Susan Ingersoll, second cousin to Nathaniel Hawthorne. In fact, it was the mansion that inspired the location for Hawthorne’s The House of the Seven Gables.

The property changed appearances over the years, eventually being restored to its original glory, complete with the namesake gables and a secret staircase built during the witch trials.

Today, the former Turner property embodies an eerie elegance. Several spirits are said to romp through the large abode. Among the are Ingersoll and a strong male presence believed to be John Turner.

Those who walk by the House of the Seven Gables may also feel eyes peering down at them, as a young boy has been spotted watching passersby from the attic. For the living, the historic property is part of a philanthropic effort to welcome a diverse community.

Ropes Mansion

As if plagued by a curse that befell Salem after the trials, the Ropes lineage suffered generations of tragic deaths. Judge Nathaniel Ropes met a grim end from smallpox. Then, years later, Sally Ropes’s sister, Abigail, succumbed to burn injuries sustained after accidentally catching fire. Even Sally’s daughter, Elizabeth, was taken by tuberculosis, just as her father had been 24 years earlier.

Though the mansion underwent several renovations and alterations, one thing always remained: the spectral energy that manifested with each tragic death.

Abigail tends to have the heaviest presence. Her spirit eternally unsettled as she believed the mansion’s servants could have saved her had they responded to her screams. Visitors should expect to encounter at least one of the Ropes sisters or even Nathaniel himself, who lingers to watch over his striking mansion.

Salem and The Bridgewater Triangle

Here, the land of the living and the otherworldly realm converge as if drawn by an unseen vortex. The infamous Bridgewater Triangle isn’t the typical Salem attraction you’ll hear about on a tour.

There are no witches or cursed bloodlines. Rather, it’s a span of land where the weird and the unexplainable are commonplace. With points near Freetown, Rehoboth, and Abington, the heart of the triangle is Hockomock Swamp, a burial site for the Wampanoag Natives.

UFOs, cryptids, wandering apparitions, cult sacrifices, satanic rituals — you can expect signs of many peculiarities during a visit to the Bridgewater Triangle.

The Pickman House

The Pickman House, formerly owned by mariner Samuel Pickman, is a historical marvel. Unlike so many structures from early American settlements, this small home still sits atop its original foundation. It’s within this foundation that the memories of yesteryear have accumulated.

For much of its existence, the Pickman House was unremarkable, serving as a residence for its namesake owner and several others after, including Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Bay Colony Benjamin Lynde, Jr. 

The troubling tale of a young girl forever trapped on the property lures many to the home. The apparition is said to be that of the daughter of a man who had gone mad, possibly from demonic possession. He tortured and eventually murdered his wife and daughter.

The young apparition stares longingly out a window as if to try and summon help against her murderous father.

The Merchant Hotel/The Joshua Ward House

The former home of merchant Joshua Ward, this Georgian-style building is believed to have horrifying skeletons in its closet. Though the merchant commissioned the house in the late 1700s, it’s said that High Sheriff George Corwin owned a building on the property during the witch trials.

While you’ll hear tales of a visit from George Washington when the land was owned by Ward, its 17th-century past is far more sinister.

Legend has it that Corwin, who earned the nickname “The Strangler,” used the basement of the original building, which would have later been demolished, to torture the accused. The boutique hotel is plagued by what very well may be the sheriff’s victims. Guests have reported anguished cries and violent interactions with the living, likely residuals of Corwin’s monstrous ways. 

Old Town Hall

Do a series of tunnels beneath Salem’s former town hall hold the secret to the building’s haunts? It’s a good place to start looking, as the former municipal building was built long after the witch trials and has had no known tragedies or incidents. The specters of the event space could also be one man: Elias Haskett Derby.

Derby commissioned the large building as his home and quickly established himself as an important part of Salem. Eventually, he earned the name “King Derby.”

It’s not unthinkable that he’d want to return to a place where he was so highly revered. Multiple apparitions have been spotted at the site of the Old Town Hall, some stating they’ve seen a woman in period garb. Other visitors have heard strange noises, though can’t ever seem to find a source.

Visit Haunted Salem

When it comes to haunted destinations, Salem is often at the top of every list. The witch trials left an eternal stain on the city’s past, a darkness that feeds the otherworldly phantoms. Centuries-old ghosts share Salem’s darkest secrets, making for the perfect setting for an eerie and chilling Salem Ghosts tour.

Read more spooky content about the depths of Salem’s darkness on our blog, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.

Sources:

• https://amyscrypt.com/salem-witch-house/
• https://hauntedhouses.com/massachusetts/house-of-the-seven-gables-museum
• https://historyofmassachusetts.org/ropes-mansion-salem/
• https://allthatsinteresting.com/bridgewater-triangle
• https://www.salem.org/blog/the-merchant-history/