The former home of Albert Charles Houghton and his family, the Houghton Mansion is now being used as a Masonic temple. Nestled in the heart of Berkshire Mountains, it is considered one of the most mysterious and most haunted buildings in the state of Massachusetts.

Undoubtedly, the most popular ghost in the Houghton Mansion is that of Albert Houghton’s daughter, Mary. She died in a tragic car accident on the 1st of August 1914. Masons who have been using the building for more than half a century have reported witnessing various supernatural occurrences. They speculate that the original owner as not left his residence at all. Mary is also still there, remaining true to her promise of looking after her father.

One Mason who has been at the lodge for 28 years have not seen anything unusual but he does report a few things which he could not explain. The second floor in the records room is where he had his most profound experience.  He was looking through some old records when he and his wife heard the sound of rustling papers somewhere else in the room. The noise got louder and louder and he and his wide ran out of the building.

There is also another story of another Mason who has been in the lodge for 2 decades.  He had heard a lot of scary stories about the building but never gave of them that much thought until one night when he and another man was in the lodge. There was 2 feet of snow and then they heard the side door open and shut. They heard someone stomping, as if to get snow of their boots and heavy footfalls came down the hall although there was no one who came around the corner. The two mean checked the side door but saw no one there. There were also no footprints in the snow. He became a believer that night.

Brief History

The Houghton Mansion was built by the first mayor of North Adams in 1890, Albert Houghton. The structure is located at 172 Church Street and is now a Masonic temple. Albert Houghton was born in Vermont in 1844 and he was the president of Arnold Print Works. The building which Arnold Print Works used to occupy is still standing today and it has been converted to a museum.

When Albert turned 61, he vowed to change his lifestyle and dedicate most of his time at home. His daughter, Mary, decided to devote her life to caring for her sickly father. In the spring of 1914, Albert bought his very first car. Mary Houghton died in days after a car accident which also killed Mrs. Hutton. The trusted servant who was driving the car, when the accident happened, could not forgive himself for the deaths and on the morning of August 2, he went to the basement of the house and shot himself.

Albert did not suffer any physical injury during the accident but the deaths of his beloved wife and daughter broke his heart. He died 10 days after the crash. The mansion remained in the family until 1926 when it was sold to the Freemasons.

The Masons hold their secret meetings and rituals in a temple which they have built attached to the mansion.