Haunted Places in Massachusetts: Captain John Stone’s Inn
There are several haunted places in Massachusetts, but one of the most interesting is a place that is commonly referred to as “Captain John Stone’s Inn”. Formally, it is called “Stone’s Public House”. The structure was constructed in the year of 1832, so it has an expansive history, and the spirits of this house seem to want to share it with visitors on a regular basis. Back in the day when the railroad decided to put some tracks in Ashland, a wealthy man by the name of Captain John Stone elected to construct the building near the station where the train stopped and turn it into an inn. While there are many haunted places in Massachusetts that you can visit, here I will tell you of the hauntings of the Stone’s Public House.
In the early days of Stone’s Public House, the structure was called “The Railroad Boarding House”. It is said that it was a huge hit among travelers and locals alike and that when it opened; there were hundreds of people waiting to be lodged. John Stone really enjoyed his time at the inn, but decided to operate only for a few years time. At the time in which he decided to lease the hotel, he transferred the structure to his brother, Napoleon Stone. In the meantime, Stone elected to reside on the property. He continued to live on the property until he died in the year of 1858. In the year of 1868, an interested individual by the name of W.A Scott purchased the property.
Over time, the property eventually became a mess and was in dire need of repair. While W.A Scott had the best intentions for the property, he simply could not maintain it the way that it needed to be maintained. In the 1970’s a man by the name of Leonard Fournier, who was often referred to as “Cappy” became interested in the property. Finally, in the year of 1976, he decided to purchase the building and the land that it sat on. It was at this time that the possibility of paranormal activity was occurring at the establishment. Fournier took a great interest in discovering if his assumptions about the inn being haunted were accurate or not.
The first apparent haunting that seems to occur at Captain John Stone’s Inn is that of the Captain himself. There is a distinct picture of this man that hangs over the fireplace in the establishment. Many have claimed that they get an eerie feeling of being watched when they are near the photograph. In addition to this, several people who work in the building, and even those that have visited the building have claimed that they smell what appears to be cigar smoke lingering in the air, but that there is no one present who is smoking tobacco. They believe that this is the Captain himself, looking over the guests and employees at the haunted inn.
In the year of approximately 1845, it is believed that there was an accidental murder that occurred in the building. It happened when Stone and a few other guys were playing a game of cards for cash. A man won against Stone, which resulted in a loss that exceeded three thousand dollars. Stone firmly believed that the man cheated. As a result, a fight broke out and Stone simply hit the man over the head. It was not his intention that he should die, but it did, in fact, kill the man. Stone and the witnesses took the body downstairs into the area of the basement and buried the man. It is believed that the spirit of the buried man, as well as those who swore never to tell of what occurred, still linger in the establishment.
A little girl is believed to haunt the Stone’s Public House. It is believed that her spirit is attached to a dress that is kept in the attic. Many have claimed to see her staring out of the upstairs windows. One female employee actually took the dress home, and when she did, it appeared to cause so much chaos to enter into her home and her relationship that she became frightful of the apparel. She quickly returned the dress to where it originally was, and her life retained a level or normalcy.
As you can see, there are several unique hauntings that are believed to occur at Stone’s Public House, or Captain John Stone’s Inn. The inn no longer accepts overnight guests and is now a restaurant and lounge. If you want to visit haunted places in Massachusetts, this should be at the top of your list! Simply go to the town of Ashland, and then visit Main Street. This haunted inn is located at numeric 179.
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