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1750s Horror Home In Historic Massachusetts 2

 

Several years ago, I had posted an account of my experiences in my stepbrother's childhood home, titled similarly to this one. My stepbrother is visiting for the holidays and it led us to recount our experiences in this home. I also found photos of the inside of the home, which I can share if anyone would like to see them, from a real estate listing.

To recap: the home was built in 1750, and is located in the historic seaside village in Massachusetts where I grew up. Other than my stepdad, who lived in the home with his family for nearly 10 years prior to his divorce, families have come and gone. The house has been for sale twice in the last 5 years, and never seems to be able to maintain occupancy, despite having undergone renovations. I question if this is due to the presence of other elements in the home. From the moment I stepped foot in this home as a child, I was immediately met with the sensation that the house was haunted, and I felt deeply uncomfortable being left alone in the oldest part of the home, especially upstairs. It constantly felt as if no matter where you went, there was something glaring at you or ready to jump out at you every time you entered a different room or turned the corner. I was always on high alert due to this unwavering sensation, and for the longest time, everyone had told me that I was the only person who experienced these feelings.

It turns out that is not the case, and my stepbrother and his friends, many of whom I also knew from childhood, experienced them as well. From the backyard of the house looking up at it, my stepbrother always felt, especially at night, as if there was an unseen entity in one of the upstairs windows staring at him, and he felt a constant compulsion to look up at that window as he was walking through the back door of the home. This window corresponded to the upstairs hallway, which I was deathly afraid of as a child and where I felt that the majority of the activity in the home was concentrated. I also just found out that the majority of his friends refused to be left alone upstairs in the house, openly stating they believed the house was haunted and that they would get this sensation that when they were upstairs alone, there was an entity right beside them, and although they could not see it, they could not shake the sensation that it was there. I felt this too. It was the feeling you have when you are in a room with another person, you are looking in a different direction but you know that if you look up, there will be someone there. Only there never was anything there. Sometimes, it felt as if there was someone or something inches away from your face, and even closing your eyes you would still "feel" it, with that pressure feeling in your forehead near your eyes when something is in front of your face.

I knew that my stepbrother had, at some point, moved from his room upstairs to the downstairs room in the back of the house which was part of a more recent addition, and that he did this because he believed the upstairs was haunted. But he never explained exactly what he had experienced until now. He told me that while the upstairs especially felt as if he was being watched and surrounded by unseen entities, nothing was so jarring to him until one night when he was lying in bed and was having difficulty sleeping. He had the persistent feeling of being watched which never really left you while in the home, but right when he closed his eyes and was about to fall asleep, he heard the sound of a door creak open, followed by footsteps down the upstairs hallway. He thought it was his father, so he closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep. Suddenly, the footsteps stopped right in front of the door to his room, he heard his doorknob turn, and the door to his own room start to slowly creak open. He closed his eyes and pulled his blanket over his head, waiting anxiously for someone to enter the room but there was no sound of footsteps. He lifted his head from under the blanket and saw the door wide open, but he could not see anyone or anything, only the stairs in the dim night light. All of a sudden, he felt this immediate sensation that someone, or something, was right next to his face. The temperature seemed to drop almost instantly. He swung his arms around on all sides and frantically began looking around but he could not see anything there. After what felt like an eternity and that sensation not going away, he screamed for his father, who ran into the room and convinced him it was all a bad dream and to go back to bed. The next day he moved downstairs, and only went upstairs when absolutely necessary for the remainder of time that he lived in that home.

There were many experiences I remember that I did not connect to paranormal activity until now.

One was that my stepdad's ex wife used to have this locked cabinet full of antique dolls, dishes, and plates which was in the dining room at the foot of the stairs. This cabinet was locked, and she and my stepdad were the only ones with access to the key. They made a big deal of this, because every item in the cabinet was antique and expensive. One day, I remember my stepdad went into the cabinet to remove one of the antique dolls with the intention of selling it to a collector and while doing so found that one of the plates, among the largest, most antique, and worth the most money, was broken. It was cracked almost all the way down the middle, but not enough for it to shatter. When he took the plate out to inspect it and try to ascertain the cause of the damage, it split in half right in his hand. There was no explanation for this, and no one had been in that cabinet for months. Moreover, the plate was located centrally in the cabinet and easily visible, and no one had heard or seen any indication that it was broken before this.

Another experience was when I was watching a movie with my stepbrother in the downstairs office room in the older part of the house. The sofa was against the wall and there was a window directly behind the sofa, and I always felt that there was someone, or something, watching me from outside the home, but I could not see anything. I would feel the need to lie down in just a way that I felt if something was watching me from outside, it would not see me because of the angling of the sofa. This feeling was persistent and jarring and prevented me from being able to focus on the movie. It created this prickly feeling on the back of my neck and caused my heart to race. Combined with the feeling that there were entities surrounding me within the house, staring at me from around every corner and from behind every door, from above and from below, this feeling was unshakable.

In the last year of their ownership of the home, they adopted a cat. I remember seeing this next event happen. The cat would refuse to go in specific rooms of the house and never went upstairs. One day I was watching a movie with my stepbrother in the same room as just mentioned. In the corner of the room was a table covered in a table cloth, with pictures and other memorabilia on it. The cat had crawled under the table cloth and was under the table, as cats often do, and suddenly started hissing and letting out aggressive meows. This startled us all because we thought there might be a mouse or some other animal that had gotten in through the ventilation. The cat ran out from under the table with its tail swinging back and forth and darted out of the room. I searched under the table to see what was underneath, almost expecting something to be there, but there was nothing. No sign of any animal activity, no ventilation system where something could have gotten through. The cat never went back into that room again and to this day it remains a complete mystery as to what he saw under the table.

The final experience I remember that I had not originally attributed to the paranormal was that in the creepy upstairs hallway, was a small door which was about 4 feet in height which led into a crawl space which was used for storage. I NEVER went in there nor would I imagine doing so, but my stepdad mentioned that one of the last weeks they lived in the house, he attempted to open this door to get items out of the crawlspace as they were packing, but the door just would not open. The knob would turn, but he could not push the door open, as if someone on the other side was pressing their weight against the door to keep it wedged shut. This crawl space was connected to another from another upstairs room, so he crawled around in the space and accessed the door from the other side. There was nothing blocking it, he was able to open it from the other side, and has no understanding of why it should have been wedged shut.

My stepdad refuses to believe this house was haunted. One day he sat in his upstairs room asking any spirits to reveal themselves, but nothing did. But even he admits that he would get that creepy feeling on the back of his neck where every hair stood on end and he felt as if he was being watched, but he writes it off as social conditioning. The house was 250 years old and looked haunted, so why would it not be? But the rest of us still believe.

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Comments about this paranormal experience

The following comments are submitted by users of this site and are not official positions by yourghoststories.com. Please read our guidelines and the previous posts before posting. The author, virulentpeach, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will read the comments and participate in the discussion.

Linjahaha (22 stories) (114 posts)
+3
1 year ago (2023-01-03)
V-peach,
Yes! There were 'many' times that we had where we would suddenly feel angry, or aggressive. We would fight for no reason [at] all.
Then the moment we left the house. Like for a trip to the store, or to go visiting. We would feel 'completely' different. We could never understand why we were fighting in the first place, & the warm, loving feelings would return.
However, the moment we got back home, we would feel extreme unease, or anxiety. Like I told you in a previous message. Even our poor dog was affected by all this. She was specially trained to be a guard, & attack dog. However, the incident with the walking footsteps overhead while I was reading in the living room, had the dog a shaking, nervous wreck. This dog was a German Shepard/Collie mix, & normally not fearful of anything. However, 'that' incident had her with her head buried in my lap, & trembling.
By the way. You mentioned a cabinet with antique dolls, & other items. Are you aware of the fact that even 'items' can be haunted with energy of the previous owners for whatever reasons they may have? Possibly there was residual energy attached to 1, or more of the items in the cabinet. Just giving you something to consider here.
It's good that your family is long out of there. Did you ever learn any history of the house? I'm quite sure that the house had an interesting history.
I don't suppose you could learn 'anything' now. Having been out for several years. It 'might' be very enlightening if you ever get the chance to do so though.

Like I said [at] the onset of this discussion. It's a fascinating read!
virulentpeach (12 stories) (40 posts)
+3
1 year ago (2023-01-02)
[at] Linjahaha:

That's exactly the same feeling I had in this home. It was the worst out of all the places I've been where I sensed presences, in terms of the unrelenting feeling of being followed or watched.

Did you ever have any good times in your home that you were describing where you didn't feel anxious or on edge? Or did that feeling enter your thoughts every second where you could not ever let your guard down?
Linjahaha (22 stories) (114 posts)
+3
1 year ago (2023-01-01)
V-Peach,
Yes! We 'all' had the 'feeling' that we were being watched, or that something, or someone, was behind, or near us.
The friends that would come over would later confide to us that they felt somewhat uncomfortable [at] certain times.
We heard our names called. We were touched with no one else near us. Since you read my story I'm 'sure' you read how it affected our dog.
The poor dog was terrified. She wasn't the only one.
It even took the pooch a while to settle down to normalcy after we finally moved out of that awful house.
I thoroughly understand what you experienced, & how it made you feel. However, try to understand that you 'are not' crazy when you experience these things. You yourself simply are more attuned to the paranormal. Do not fear it. Simply accept that you 'have' that ability, & deal with it on 'that' basis.
It took me a while to accept it in my case, but now I simply have a healthy respect, & an open mind in regard to these subjects.

Very best of Luck, &
Happy New Year!
virulentpeach (12 stories) (40 posts)
+3
1 year ago (2022-12-30)
[at] Linjahaha: I have read your story and found it fascinating! Did you also get that persistent feeling of being watched and like things were hiding in the corners, ready to jump out from behind doors and when turning corners? This was a persistent feeling that I felt as well as everyone who went into this home *except* my stepdad.
Linjahaha (22 stories) (114 posts)
+3
1 year ago (2022-12-29)
Hi, V-Peach,
I find your story extremely interesting. Especially since I, too, lived in a very haunted house myself. Check out my story "The House on Erie Street" if you want to compare notes.
As for your cat. I've studied parapsychology for many years, & animals are acutely aware of things 'we' cannot see/hear. Their senses are far more heightened than ours.
Don't get me wrong. I do not go ghost-hunting, or 'anything' like that. It is not a spectator sport. Ghosts do not 'perform' for us. One should respect, & be aware of them in the event they 'do' sense them.
I have had many paranormal experiences. I seem to agree with you that the house was haunted. However, look [at] the history of the place. There may have been quite a bit of residual energy there, & it was drawing off of you, & anyone else's energy.
It would be interesting if you learned more definite history of the place.
It was a fascinating read. Thank you, & best wishes!
lady-glow (16 stories) (3149 posts)
+7
1 year ago (2022-12-27)
Hello virulentpeach.

It must have been unnerving to be in that house, specially for a little kid.

In my opinion, some of the events you have narrated are not conclusive to say they were paranormal. For instance, the cat acting weird, as any cat owner surely could testify, its not odd for these animals to have fits, get puffy, walk funny, run fast, etc. For no apparent reason. How can anyone be sure that the cat never ever entered that room during the last year the family lived in that home? Perhaps when everyone was out, or during the night?

By this I'm not trying to imply that there wasn't something in the house, but it's hard to imagine that the family could be aware of the cat's whereabouts 24/7.

The other event I would take with a grain of salt would be the stuck door. Lets keep in mind that this was a very old house and, over the years, there must have been some structural settlement or swelling of the wood due to moisture, or other mundane possibilities that may have affected the door and/or the air pressure inside the crawlspace making it hard to open the door.

As for the plate, based on the information provided by your narrative, it's hard to say what could have happened not knowing if something else was placed on it, or if it was a piece that in the past was only ornamental or used constantly.

"One day he sat in his upstairs room asking any spirits to reveal themselves, but nothing did."

Well...not even Zac Bagans gets an answer from spirits every time he calls for a proof of their presence!

I'm puzzled about your following statement:

"I never actually saw any entities which implies to me that they were not malevolent"

Do you think that only malevolent entities manifest in a physical form? I'm asking because in your previous story, "Little Ghost Girl Trapped In My Friend's Apartment", your friend had a visual of a spirit she considers to be a protector against the malevolent energy residing in that place.

Https://www.yourghoststories.com/real-ghost-story.php?story=27993

"...To my great surprise, she has actually SEEN the image of a spirit belonging to a girl with that exact description, at night, peeking her head out from around the bathroom door and walking up and down the hall, disappearing into thin air if you see her for too long"

I know that my following question is not about this story but, is there any update about your previous story? Is the old lady still in the hospital or has she recovered and gone back to the apartment?

Thanks for sharing.
virulentpeach (12 stories) (40 posts)
+4
1 year ago (2022-12-25)
[at] Rajine: It is interesting you ask about the ex-wife's experiences. She absolutely had experiences in the home which were discussed somewhat in my first installment to this story. She used to hear footsteps upstairs when no one was home, and would hear a sound that resembled a marble or a coin rolling down the stairs, and one time a coin actually did roll down the stairs and she has no idea how, why, or where it came from because she was the only one home. She also expressed the general sensation that others had: feeling like there were unseen entities lurking in the corners, feeling like she was constantly being watched, etc.

I never actually saw any entities which implies to me that they were not malevolent, although there was a rumor that in the early 1900s, a woman was pushed down the stairs in the home by an abusive husband and died, so I wonder if her entity is the one haunting the home. The husband, according to legend did not die in the home.

My personal feeling is that these entities were not malevolent but that due to how old the house was and how much happened there, likely good and bad like anywhere else, the home just absorbed a lot of the residual energy, though I do think there are intelligent hauntings there also.

I visited the home one more time around 2017 when there was an open house tour when it was on the market and I still felt the presences but it didn't feel so heavy and oppressive. When I was younger, I always felt that the home felt dark even when it was light inside, but the renovations done recently alleviated some, but not all of that feeling.
Rajine (14 stories) (741 posts)
+3
1 year ago (2022-12-25)
Hi virulentpeach

It must have been nerve wrecking for you and your step brother to have had to go through that, your step dad isn't as sensitive as you two so he seems to be able to brush his incidents off easily, but a house that old, as I'm sure many will agree, definitely has its share of stories to tell, along with the ghosts of the past, literally and figuratively.

From your narrative, while being scared, you didn't mention feeling anything else from these experiences, such as malevolence or any indicator that whatever is there meant to be harmful and dangerous or just wanted to make itself known or just wanted to scare everyone for no reason. Also what was your step-dad's wife's take on the whole situation (assuming she did experience anything) I wonder if that house still exists and if so, is anyone living in it.

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