Ghosts in the haunted Pierce Mansion

Home » Blog » Uncategorized » The Spirits of the Pierce Mansion

The Spirits of the Pierce Mansion

When the S.K. Pierce Mansion was built, it was meant to be a stunning home for the most powerful businessman in Gardner, Massachusetts. However, after a string of tragic deaths, the house ended up serving as a reminder of everything the Pierce family had lost. Today, several spirits from the Pierce family have remained in the mansion, threatening anyone who gets too close to their legacy. 

While Gardner has its own ghost stories, it can’t hold a candle to the spectral tales that haunt its neighbor, Boston. As one of the original cities of the United States, our founding fathers regularly walked the streets of Boston — and some still do. To see the most haunted locations in all of Boston, book a ghost tour with Boston Ghosts

Who Haunts the Pierce Mansion?

Mansion ghost
Copyright US Ghost Adventures

While several members, young and old, of the Pierce family haunt their former mansion, there are also some unrelated spirits who roam the large halls. 

From former staff to a victim of an impossible death, sightings of otherworldly activity occur quite often within the mansions’ rooms. 

The History of the Pierce Mansion

Sylvester Knowlton (S.K.) Pierce built a furniture empire during his lifetime. His business, S.K. Pierce and Sons Furniture Company was so well-known that the entire town of Gardner became known as “Chair City.” 

After amassing his fortune, Pierce wanted to move his wife, Susan, and son to a home that thoroughly reflected their wealth. So, in the 1870s, Pierce commissioned the construction of a grand Victorian mansion. Measuring nearly 7,000 square feet, the 10-bedroom estate was one of the largest building projects the city had ever seen. 

Every corner of the mansion was built using the highest quality materials, with nearly everything being handcrafted. It was state-of-the-art, too, with running water and gas lighting available in every room. 

One can only imagine how excited the Pierce family was to move in after the lengthy construction process. Yet, just days after moving in, Susan contracted a flesh-eating bacteria. The disease progressed quickly, killing her before she was able to fully enjoy the new home. 

The Downfall of the Pierce Family

After Susan’s death, Pierce remarried Ellen, a woman 30 years younger. Together, they had two sons, who they raised alongside Pierce’s oldest son. 

The family seemingly happily enjoyed their lives in the home. They had many esteemed guests, including President Calvin Coolidge, P.T. Barnum, and Norman Rockwell. The house also served as a meeting place for the Freemasons, of which Pierce was a member. 

After Pierce’s death several years later, Ellen continued to entertain in the mansion. After her death some time later, the house was passed to the three sons. 

Immediately, the sons engaged in a bitter battle over who should inherit the marvelous abode. The disagreement drove the brothers apart, with the two eldest brothers physically moving away. This left the youngest son, Edward, to claim ownership of the mansion once and for all. 

Yet, tragedy seemed to plague whoever lived in the home. Edward’s two-year-old daughter, Rachel, died in the house not long after moving in. 

By the 1930s, Edward couldn’t keep up the expensive house and converted it into a boardinghouse, allowing activities like gambling, drug use, and prostitution to take place under his roof. 

By the ‘60s, Edward was forced to give up the house to a friend, where it fell into disrepair for many years before being fixed up by a private couple who wanted to live in the home. Quickly, however, they realized just how active the Pierce Mansion ghosts were — and moved out shortly after. 

The Spirits that Haunt Pierce Mansion

Woman ghost
Copyright US Ghost Adventures

S.K. Pierce, his wives, and his sons can be seen around the mansion. They may also be responsible for much of the strange phenomena that takes place within the home. 

Many of the otherworldly experiences are things that make the visitors to the house jump with surprise. Doors will slam out of nowhere, and screens will fly off windows. People have heard everything from low chanting to a house-shaking lion’s roar. Furniture will move suddenly one moment, and the next, there will be an overpoweringly bad smell in the air. 

The temperature will suddenly spike or drop as people hear the footsteps of invisible bodies run past. This is all in addition to the sightings of full-blown apparitions and shadow people throughout the home. 

However, some of the spirits seem to actually want to hurt those who visit. One person described feeling like they were pushed toward the stairs, while another was nearly shoved out of a third-story window. 

Yet, amongst all these stories, there are some specific ghosts that stick out in the crowd. 

The Man Who Spontaneously Combusted

Eino Sauri was a World War II veteran who lived in the boardinghouse in the 1960s. Inexplicably, Sauri was lying in his bed when his mattress caught fire — burning him alive. Remarkably, the rest of the room was relatively unscathed, leading some to conclude that the only explanation for the strange cause of death was spontaneous combustion. 

People who stand in the room describe smelling something burning for just a moment before it fades away. 

The Strangled Woman 

During the years as a bawdy boardinghouse, there are rumors that a prostitute was strangled in her room. Her killer was never found, and it seems her death may not have even been reported. 

The couple that remodeled the home found women’s pelvic bones buried in the basement, which may have belonged to this young lady. If not her, who knows how many other people were killed in the Pierce Mansion? 

The Young Spirit

The recent owners described seeing a little boy with yellow hair running between their windows. Others have heard a little girl laughing, who many believe is Rachel Pierce. 

The Former Nanny

Another regular spirit is Maddie Cornwall, a young nanny who cared for the Pierce children long ago. Many people believe Cornwall felt safe within the Pierce home, so she decided never to leave. 

A Dark-Haired Woman

The couple who lived in the home described seeing a woman with an evil smile and dark hair. She would try to lure the couple into dangerous situations, possibly even trying to possess the woman who lived there. 

Haunted Boston

The Pierce Mansion is regarded as one of the most haunted houses in the United States, and this may have to do with its position being in one of the most haunted states: Massachusetts. Between the witch trials of Salem and the long, dark history of Boston, there is plenty of spirit-sighting to see while on a visit to the Bay State.

If you’re staying in Boston, you’re in the heart of some of the oldest hauntings in the entire country. When you book a ghost tour with Boston Ghosts, you’ll get to learn about the dark history behind some of the most famous landmarks and spot any out-of-the-ordinary details for yourself. Venture out tonight and see what (or who) you spy around the dark streets of Boston. 

Want to learn about other haunted houses and mansions around the United States? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for more chilling tales. To read about other haunted sites around Massachusetts and Boston, check out our blog.

Sources:

  • https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a38046654/sk-pierce-haunted-victorian-mansion/
  • https://bostonghosts.com/
  • https://skhauntedvictorianmansion.com/
  • https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/s-k-pierce-mansion-massachusetts

Book A Boston Ghosts Tour And See For Yourself

Get an unfiltered look into Beantown’s most petrifying hauntings and learn how Boston’s bloody past resurrects nightly in the most terrifying ways.

Join Boston Ghosts for a haunted history tour through the city’s darkest moments, unearthing the gruesome events that produced the harrowing hauntings permeating Boston’s streets.

King's Chapel and Burying Ground
Chat