SK Pierce Haunted Victorian Mansion

Welcome to the Haunted Victorian Mansion in Gardner, MA, also known as the S.K. Pierce Mansion. When you think of haunted places in New England, one place that comes to mind is the very haunted Victorian mansion in Gardner, MA. Built in 1875, it has a long and colorful history, including rumors of murder and suspicious deaths. It is no wonder that many of its inhabitants are ghosts who have decided not to move out. Sylvester Knowlton Pierce was, by the middle of the 19th century, one of the richest men in the entire county. He was born in Westminster, MA, on April 11, 1820, the seventh child of Jonas Pierce. Because his father died when the boy was but three years old, S.K. Pierce had a hard life ahead of him, which formed his character and paved the way for his success. He and his brother bought a factory at age 20, and in a few short years he was a multi-millionaire ($2.5 million in sales in the 1870s and 80s). Mr. Pierce was to become the founder of the SK Pierce & Son Chair Company. In 1875, S.K. Pierce built a 3-story mansion in the town of Gardner, still celebrated as the furniture capital of New England, about 60 miles from Boston. He purchased a circa 1820 house on the corner of Union Street and West Broadway, moved the house and built his mansion on its foundation. The mansion took 1.5 years to build, with 200 men working around the clock. After its completion, the mansion was considered a modern marvel of its time, complete with a cistern that caught rainwater in the attic for the various sinks throughout the house. Mr. Pierce also had a tunnel constructed in the basement of the mansion that led directly underneath the front entrance to his chair factory across the street. S.K. Pierce spared no expense in creating the perfect home for his family. The massive ornate windows incorporate several different types of exotic wood for their design.