• About

Where the Ghosts Live

~ The Haunted United States

Where the Ghosts Live

Tag Archives: Ayer High School

One of the Most Haunted Places in New England

10 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by weiselcantlin2 in Hoosac Tunnel, MA, Massachusetts

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Alvah Crocker, Ayer High School, Fitchburg Massachusetts, Hoosac Range, Hoosac Tunnel, Massachusetts, New England, North Adams MA

History of the Hoosac Tunnel:

During the early 1800’s there was no direct route that connected  Boston’s railroad to upstate New York.  The completion of such a route was being sought in order to increase the transport of goods from businesses back and forth from these areas.

In 1825 a route was proposed by a man named who Laomi Baldwin surveyed the land for the proposed canal route but it was shot down.  It was determined they would have to bore a hole through the mountain and that would be far too costly a venture.

Alvah Crocker, a paper mill manufacturer from Fitchburg, MA opened his Fitchburg Railroad in 1845 which traveled from Boston to Greenfield.  In order to connect the railroad to New York, there would need to be a way through the Deerfield River Valley and somehow pierce through the Hoosac Mountain that stood in the way.

Tragedy in the Tunnel

Mr. Crocker obtained state funding in 1854 to start burrowing through the mountain near North Adams, MA, but many problems ensued.  There were many issues including political, monetary, structural, engineering, etc.  Thirteen years later, the tunnel, still under construction, met with tragedy.  There had been deaths prior to this but on October 17, 1867, an explosion killed the 13 people inside the shaft.  There are approximately 200 deaths in the Hoosac Tunnel, later nicknamed, “The Bloody Pit.”

The Haunted Hoosac

According to the book, “Haunted Massachusetts,” two of the deaths occurred due to an explosion during a premature detonation that was set off by a man named, Ringo Kelley.  Kelley was never convicted of a crime.  On the one year date of the anniversary of the explosion, Kelley was found strangled in the tunnel in the very spot the two men had been killed.

After this incident, many workers walked off the project because they stated they were hearing agonizing voices of people who were not there.  The project almost came to a halt due to the number of employees who would not return so investigators were hired to put their minds at ease.  It was an unsuccessful effort due to the investigators also hearing moans coming from the tunnel.

Phantom workers have been reported to be seen by many as well as mysterious lights, chilling voices, whispers and other unearthly happenings.

My son, Austin took a trip to the tunnel with his freshman class as part of a class called, “mountain classroom” at Ayer High School.  He states they walked a little ways into the tunnel before coming out.  He and his friends did not have an experience nor did they see anything unusual.

There is no trespassing in the tunnel so if you go, please be aware that it is still used as a functioning railway and police patrol the area.  (I do believe the class had been given permission to enter when they did so there may be a way to contact someone for permissions.  You may try the museum if you  have a group or class who would like to go.)

If you or anyone you know have been to this location, please feel free to share your experiences or stories that you have heard about the location.

West Tunnel Portal

West Portal Hoosac Tunnel EastPortal2007

Above: East Tunnel Portal

Additional Information:

The first train passed through the 4.75 mile, $20 Million tunnel in February of 1875 with the official opening July 1, 1876.  A room was carved out in the center of the tunnel for walkers.  Passenger service was suspended in 1958.

The Heritage State Park Museum & Visitors Center is located in North Adams, Massachusetts and houses many artifacts from the construction, an audio/visual presentation of the construction process as well as other educational material about the area.

Please visit the sidebar for more haunted locations.  Feel free to share this post and head on over to my other blog site for inspirations, tips and tools on how to reduce stress and increase your peace and happiness at, The Peace and Happiness Project – Missy Bell.

Sources:

  • The History of the Hoosac Tunnel – Marc Howes – A Recap of the Book, “A Pinprick of Light” by Carl R. Byron
  • Heritage State Park Museum
  • Book, “Haunted Massachusetts – Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Bay State,” – Cheri Revai
  • East Tunnel Picture found at New England Depot Website
  • West Tunnel Picture found at Panoramio Website
42.700915 -73.108715

Share this awesome post with friends:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 143 other subscribers

Recent Posts

  • The VERY Haunted HMS Queen Mary Luxury Liner – Long Beach, CA
  • Top Haunted Posts Chosen by Readers
  • Slater Mill – Pawtucket, RI
  • The Amityville House – NJ – The Controversy
  • The Origins of Halloween

Categories

Where The Ghosts Live – The Haunted United States

Where The Ghosts Live – The Haunted United States

Words That Touch Your Heart

Words That Touch Your Heart

Cannot load blog information at this time.

Blog Stats

  • 87,199 hits

Cannot load blog information at this time.

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Where the Ghosts Live
    • Join 45 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Where the Ghosts Live
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: