Middleborough Town Hall

This building, located just down the road from the Lizzie Borden House, has hosted many notable figures over the years, including John F. Kennedy and George Wallace. But it’s no concert hall or event venue – it’s a town hall, of all things. 

Specifically, the Middleborough Town Hall. It’s a well-known historical building in Massachusetts, and, apart from its notable visitors and its distinctive eight-sided bell tower with an air whistle to signify when schools close, it’s also known for a great deal of haunted activity in and around it.  

If you do end up staying at the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast (and we encourage you to do so), be sure to check it out during your trip. After you’re done, we’re sure you’ll want to learn even more about haunting Massachusetts stories. The best way to do that is by booking an in-person ghost tour with Lizzie Borden House and asking our guides. 

Who Haunts the Middleborough Town Hall?

It’s a complicated question and there’s no easy answer. But that’s mainly because there’s not just one specific ghost that haunts the place. There are quite a few of them – a whole jail’s worth, some say! 

Middleborough History

Middleborough, Massachusetts, has quite a rich and storied history. It was originally a colonial settlement established all the way back in 1661. Like many of the colonial towns of the time, due to the vast amount of conflicts like King Phillip’s War and the wooden structures, it burned down a few times before its layout had been formally established. 

In a bit of foreshadowing for what was to come in just a few years with the Civil War, Middleborough experienced its own division in 1853. At the time, the town had grown to be quite large, so much so that the western portion of it broke away and formed the separate town of Lakeville. Frustratingly, Lakeville, as its name might imply, took away Middleborough’s access to the freshwater lakes that were used for fishing. 

However, this did not leave Middleborough without any industry. It had quite a specialization when it came to the economy. 

It was once known as the “shoe capital of the world,” given its large number of shoe warehouses, manufacturers, and distributors there. Although they no longer hold this title, they still are home to the Alden Shoe Company, one of the last remaining shoe manufacturers in America and the creator of Indiana Jones’ iconic boots. 

These days, however, they’re more known for their produce than their footwear. Middleborough is known as the cranberry capital of the world, hosting the corporate headquarters of Ocean Spray Cranberries and the local  Cranberry Harvest Festival. And, of course, cranberries and shoes aside, Middleborough has also gained recognition for a certain building in the center of the town.

Hauntings at Middleborough Town Hall

The iconic Middleborough Town Hall was constructed around 1872 as a memorial to the town’s many heroes of the Civil War and as a symbol of its Victorian aspirations for the town (its Victorian architecture was indicative of the town’s dream). 

Fittingly, it was designed by a local architect named Solomon K. Eaton. Eaton had an expansive plan for the place as he envisioned it becoming the center of municipal life in Middleborough.

Tragically, Eaton would die before he could see his beloved building complete. Perhaps, his premature death would be an omen of things to come, for Middleborough Town Hall has garnered a reputation for being a rather haunted building.

This haunted reputation (and the ghost stories that have followed) has endured, even while the Town Hall building has served various community roles, including as a high school, public library, bank, courthouse, a morgue, and even a jail. In fact, while it was serving in the latter role, a riot occurred in town in 1903 when drunken locals stormed the cells during the town’s Fourth of July celebration.

Perhaps the souls that were housed within those jail cells are the ones that are said to linger in the Town Hall. It’s as compelling a reason as any, given that the identity of the ghosts in the building is not widely known. 

In fact, during a recent psychic investigation, a researcher experienced a chilling vision of a man trapped in the former jail cells, screaming and mentally disturbed while looking around the building’s ballroom. Other workers at Town Hall have claimed to have heard disembodied voices whispering at them while on their shifts. 

Other Ghostly Activity

But it may not be just the old jail cells and prisoners that infest the Middleborough Town Hall with haunted energy. Many employees have reported experiencing glowing orbs, normally in the ballroom. These orbs seem to match up with the will-o’-the-wisp phenomena, commonly sighted in haunted areas. 

These will-o’-the-wisps typically take the form of floating orbs of light, dancing around the darkness. Although they’re not usually directly malevolent, some believe that their presence indicates that there are ghosts around. Others think that if you follow their dancing light, they’ll lead you to a dangerous area, unaware of how fragile human bodies are. 

But there’s even more danger lurking around the halls of The Town Hall. Although the ballroom is generally agreed to be full of joyful spirits and floating lights, the building’s basement has a more terrifying reputation. 

It was here that the paranormal researcher first had his vision of the former prisoner screaming out in terror, and it’s also been said to host shadowy figures that disappear into the darkness at the first sign that a human is looking too closely at them. Sometimes, a woman in a high-necked dress is occasionally seen on the stairwell leading downstairs before she, too, disappears from sight. 

The reason for all these hauntings might be the town hall site. You see, when Eaton was designing the building, he had the building site set right on top of ancient Wampanoag burial grounds. Whether it’s fact or fiction, right now, it’s the best explanation we have for all of the strange phenomena plaguing the Middleborough Town Hall. 

Stay at the Haunted Lizzie Borden House

The Lizzie Borden House and the Middleborough Town Hall, right down the road, are all excellent additions to any vacation, whether you’re into history or hauntings. If you’re into the latter and really want to get up close and personal to Borden’s house, we encourage you to book a stay there with us. 

If you liked this story and want to learn similar tales, check out our Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. They spotlight other offbeat ghost stories all over the United States. Checking our blog is another good way to stay up-to-date with all the latest ghost stories and haunted spots in Massachusetts. 

If you want to explore Middleboro ghosts up close, a ghost tour with Lizzie Borden House is the best way to do that. Our guides are knowledgeable and enthusiastic and can provide even more information on the area. 

Sources:

• https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/news/local/the-gazette/2018/11/30/middleborough-x2019-s-historic-town/7975015007/
• https://www.middleboroughma.gov/304/History
• https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/archive/2014/10/26/who-is-haunting-middleboro-town/36077607007/
• https://www.enterprisenews.com/story/news/2017/10/25/a-look-into-middleboro-s/17930066007/