Haunted Zillow: America's Most Haunted Mansion is Up for Sale
Death, Ghosts, and Bad Decisions Included
Hello, Useless Knowledge Nation —
Pull up a chair, pour yourself something strong, and buckle up. Today’s dispatch comes straight from the haunted heart of Massachusetts, where real estate listings read like horror novels, and you can buy yourself a mansion that's already preloaded with tragedy, bad blood, and a few restless souls who refuse to leave.
In the charmingly grim town of Gardner — where the coffee is burnt and the winters feel personal — a 7,000-square-foot slice of American gothic history just hit the market. Asking price: a cool $1.2 million. Ghosts included.
Built in 1875 by furniture baron Sylvester K. Pierce (because back then, chairs could buy you a kingdom), this grand old mansion came pre-loaded with bad luck. Barely unpacked, Pierce’s wife Susan checked out of life altogether, dying just weeks after they moved in. Not exactly the housewarming party you'd hope for.
A decade later, the heirs started tearing each other apart over the place, because nothing says “family values” like fighting over who gets the most haunted guest bedroom. Eventually, the mansion became a boarding house — the 19th-century version of Airbnb, if your idea of hospitality includes freak deaths and possible cases of spontaneous human combustion. (Yes, really. A Finnish immigrant named Eino Saar reportedly went full human firecracker inside these walls.)
Over the years, the S.K. Pierce Mansion racked up a body count, a bad reputation, and enough ghost sightings to merit a few sweaty, overacted paranormal TV episodes. The television show Ghost Hunters call it one of the most haunted houses in America. Others just call it Tuesday in Massachusetts.
Current owners Rob and Allison Conti bought the place in 2011, gave it a much-needed facelift (because even ghosts deserve decent drywall), and eventually opened it to the public. But now they’re ready to pass the torch — and the tortured souls — to a new lucky owner who’s hopefully got a strong stomach and a good priest on speed dial.
I’ve executive-produced enough episodes of Ghost Hunters to know one thing for sure: I would never spend the night in this house. Anyone who buys this place isn’t just rolling the dice—they’re playing with fire.