12 Creepy Abandoned Places in Massachusetts You Can Still Visit

Given that Boston’s hallowed ground gave way to the roots of the country, it’s no surprise that Massachusetts has plenty of mysterious abandoned places—dating as far back as the 1600s. Some, hidden in plain sight, were eerie insane asylums established in the 1800s—an age where mental health was sorely misunderstood, to put it extra mildly. From decaying concert halls in the heart of Boston to abandoned navy bunkers and wooded pig farms, Massachusetts is a wonderland of abandoned curiosities.

Choose your adventures wisely. Some of these locations are far off the beaten path and the stuff of haunted folklore. Luckily; other spots are bedazzled with vintage rocking horses and next-level graffiti. Whether you’re a history buff, adventure seeker, or amateur photographer, these are the wildest must-see abandoned places in Massachusetts.

Boston Theater District
It would be an understatement to say that Steinert Hall has seen better days. The Beaux Arts-style concert hall served as the crown jewel of Boston's uber-sophisticated Piano Row District during the early 1900s until new legislation in the wake of the devastating 1942 Cocoanut Grove Nightclub fire forced the spot to close its doors for good. The once-palatial auditorium still sits on its original grounds, doomed to wither away through decades of neglect.

Lincoln
By day, the weather-worn rocking horses have a vintage ambiance—odd as the sight may be. By nightfall's murky moonlight, however, the scene has all the makings of a Stephen King movie. In 2010, one lone horse appeared in a small grassy clearing along Old Sudbury Road. Since then, more (and more) horses have appeared—and, at times, have been rearranged. Longtime residents of Lincoln have conflicting theories, but the owners of the patch of land, James Pingeon and his wife, Elizabeth Graver, are delighted. Graver told the Boston Globe, "There [is] something lovely about it being anonymous, and now every time we go away, another one appears."

Gloucester
You won't find any canine companions in Dogtown—in fact, you won't find much at all since this mid-1600s settlement has been empty since 1828, abandoned by its inhabitants once Gloucester Harbor became a post-war safe haven. Very little remains of the village today, but visitors should keep their eyes peeled for the Babson Boulders, a collection of 36 rocks adorned with inspirational phrases dating back to the days of yore. Nowadays, the 3,600-acre area draws hikers, geocachers, and those curious about the stories of its hauntings.

Holyoke
Weathered by the elements and clad in a thick layer of graffiti, it's tough to believe that this 56-foot stone tower was once one of Holyoke's most popular mid-20th-century attractions. While it's certainly lost most of its luster in the modern era, Scott Tower is still worth a visit today thanks to the spiral staircase and top deck, a covered lookout point that provides visitors with gorgeous vistas of the surrounding countryside.

Boston
The MBTA is home to a network of abandoned train lines, stations, and tracks, including the streetcar loop at Maverick station, the Court Street station (closed in 1952), the lost station at Northeastern, and the abandoned Tremont Street Subway segment. The end of the streetcar era also caused the abandonment and partial demolition of the Green Line's A branch—because, no, the MBTA didn't just skip the first letter of the alphabet in their naming scheme. The A Line ran through BU down Brighton Avenue towards Watertown, and some tracks still remain today.

Taunton
The majority of Massachusetts State Lunatic Hospitals (thankfully since-renamed) have been leveled, but this one—built to deal with overcrowding at the state mental institution in Worcester—still stands. Most of the crumbling Kirkbride complex was destroyed by fire and demolished in 2010, but many of the newer buildings remain on the campus, along with an underground system of rails for laundry and other maintenance operations.

Hingham
This decommissioned military bunker system held ammunition during the World Wars, as well as parts for the Navy's first nuclear depth charge. As of 2021, most of the bunkers and buildings have been razed and filled in to create hiking trails and parkland, but one building, several large wooden barricades, and some railroad tracks have stuck around.

Waltham
This Victorian sanatorium was originally named The Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded, horrifically using its over 2,500 residents as test subjects for radiation experiments. There were many reports of severe abuse throughout the institution's history, and the lack of informed consent for participation in invasive medical procedures was just scratching the surface. And while it continued to operate within more appropriate protocols through the 1990s and 2000s, the facility was permanently closed in 2014 due to the rising cost of patient care.

Becket
Now part of the state's parks system, this quarry produced granite for monuments and commercial buildings up until the 1960s, when it was unceremoniously left to its own devices. Much of the machinery is still in place, from railroad tracks and rusted trucks to specialized quarrying equipment. It's one of this list's most visually stunning sites and is free to visit year-round.

Lovell’s Island
Of the Boston Harbor Islands, Lovell's is often overlooked despite its lovely swimming beach, picnic grounds, and extensive overgrown bunkers. But maybe it's the creepy history of shipwrecks on the island that gives people the heebie-jeebies. In 1786, a betrothed couple was found dead and clinging to each other after their ship crashed just off the coast. So, lest you decide that "Lovers' Rock" sounds like a great date destination, trust us: it's not.

Sterling
The Kristoff family's 600-acre farm cranked out dairy products, corn, apples, and pumpkins throughout the 1950s, which went to feed the surrounding population and their prized pigs. Kristoff pigs were apparently so coveted by pork distributors that, at one point, there were more pigs in the town of Sterling than humans. Sadly, the farm fell into disrepair, but many of its structures still stand. One such spot, commonly referred to as The Temple of Doom, may have been a loading dock, but the mammoth stacked stone foundation—covered in vines—is giving Indiana Jones vibes.

South End
This dilapidated South End building once represented the lap of luxury in turn-of-the-century Beantown. The 50-room residential hotel was purchased by the Church of Scientology in 2008, but when the organization couldn't raise enough money to restore it, the hotel changed hands once again. 2019 saw plans to refurbish the building and convert it into a boutique hotel, but the pandemic's devastating hit to the hospitality industry put those plans to rest, and the property went back on the market.

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