The Haunts of Boston Common: Ghosts of America's Oldest Park

Boston Common is the oldest public park in the United States, and it may also be one of the most haunted. Long before it was a place for picnics and ice skating, it was a cow pasture, a military camp, a burial ground and, by most accounts, a place of public execution. Here are the haunts of Boston Common, and the very real history behind them.

By day, the Common is a sunny 44-acre green at the center of the city. After dark, when the paths empty out and the old elms throw long shadows, it's easy to see why so many Boston ghost stories begin here.

A Brief History of Boston Common

In 1634, Boston's Puritan settlers bought the land from William Blackstone, the area's first European settler, and set it aside for common use. For nearly two centuries, residents grazed their cows there, until the practice was ended in 1830.

The Common has served many other roles since. In 1775, during the British occupation of Boston, more than a thousand Redcoats camped on it, and troops marched out from it toward Lexington and Concord. In later centuries it hosted rallies, speeches and celebrations, including civil rights gatherings led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II in 1979. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

But there's a darker chapter, and it's the one that fuels most of the ghost stories.

The Great Elm: Boston's Hanging Tree

For generations, an enormous elm stood near the center of the Common. Known as the Great Elm, it was already old when the Puritans arrived; when it finally fell, its rings suggested it dated back at least to the 1630s. Tradition holds that many of Boston's early executions took place on or near this tree, earning it a grim nickname: the hanging tree.

Criminals, pirates and deserters are all said to have met their end there, along with people condemned for their beliefs. The Great Elm came down in a powerful storm on February 15, 1876, and Bostonians rushed to collect pieces of it as souvenirs. A small plaque now marks the site.

Ghost lore says the tree's victims never really left. Visitors walking the Common at night have described seeing figures where the old elm once stood, especially around Halloween.

Mary Dyer and the Quaker Martyrs

One of the Common's most haunting stories belongs to a real woman. Mary Dyer was a Quaker who repeatedly defied Massachusetts Bay laws banishing Quakers from the colony. In October 1659, she was led to the gallows alongside two fellow Quakers, William Robinson and Marmaduke Stevenson. The two men were hanged; Dyer was reprieved while standing on the ladder.

She returned to Boston anyway, and on June 1, 1660, she was hanged on Boston Common. Today, a bronze statue of Mary Dyer stands outside the Massachusetts State House, honoring her as a martyr for religious freedom.

Local legend holds that a woman in plain colonial dress has been seen on the Common, and that weeping can sometimes be heard where there's no one to be found. Many who tell the story believe it's Mary Dyer.

Goody Glover and the Witch Panic

Four years before the Salem witch trials, Boston had its own tragedy. Ann "Goody" Glover, an Irish immigrant woman who spoke Gaelic and limited English, was accused of bewitching the children of a Boston family and was hanged on November 16, 1688. Popular tradition places her execution on the Common. Three centuries later, in 1988, the Boston City Council proclaimed November 16 as Goody Glover Day in her memory.

The ghost stories say her laughter, or her screams, still carry across the grounds on quiet nights. Whether or not you believe that, her story is a sobering reminder of what fear can do to a community.

The Central Burying Ground

Tucked into the Common's corner near Boylston and Tremont Streets is the Central Burying Ground, established in 1756. It's the final resting place of the painter Gilbert Stuart, whose portrait of George Washington is on the dollar bill, and composer William Billings. British soldiers who died during the Revolution are buried there too, along with American patriots.

The ground beneath the Common holds even more. When workers dug the Tremont Street Subway in the 1890s, the line that would become America's first subway, they unearthed human remains near the Boylston Street end of the park. Those remains were reburied in the Central Burying Ground.

It's no surprise that the burying ground is a favorite of ghost hunters. Visitors have described shadowy figures among the trees, the feeling of being touched when no one is near, and a woman with long red hair who appears and vanishes among the slate headstones. Others whisper about a Redcoat soldier who lingers near the Boylston Street station.

Visiting Boston Common Today

Boston Common is a free public park in downtown Boston, bordered by Tremont, Park, Beacon, Charles and Boylston Streets. It's the starting point of the Freedom Trail, and its visitor information center sits along Tremont Street. In winter, you can skate on the Frog Pond; in summer, it's the city's backyard.

The Central Burying Ground is open daily during daylight hours, roughly 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please treat it as the historic cemetery it is: stay on the paths, don't touch or do rubbings of the fragile stones, and be respectful of those buried there.

Frequently asked questions

Is Boston Common haunted?

It has a long reputation as one of Boston's most haunted places. Visitors report shadowy figures, disembodied voices and apparitions, often tied to the executions that tradition places at the Great Elm and to the Central Burying Ground.

Were people hanged on Boston Common?

Yes. Public executions took place on the Common in the colonial era, including the hanging of Quaker Mary Dyer on June 1, 1660. Tradition associates many early executions with the Great Elm, which fell in 1876.

Who is buried in the Central Burying Ground?

Notable burials include painter Gilbert Stuart, composer William Billings, British soldiers from the Revolutionary War, and American patriots. It also holds remains unearthed during subway construction in the 1890s.

Is Boston Common the oldest park in America?

Yes. Established in 1634, Boston Common is considered the oldest public park in the United States.

Boston Common is only the beginning. The city's old taverns, cemeteries and cobblestone streets are full of stories just like these. Grab a drink and hear them for yourself on a Nightly Spirits Boston haunted pub crawl.