Hammond Castle in Gloucester, Massachusetts, is one of the lesser known haunts of the New England coastline. Built by John Hays Hammond, Jr. from 1926 to 1929 to house his incredible collection of medieval art and architectural features, the castle today is run as a museum. But there was an underside to Hammond and his castle that is not widely known.
Eccentric Inventor John Hays Hammond
Hammond was quite a local character in his day. An inventor by trade, he expressed his eccentric streak in a number of unusual ways. He once sent a pilotless, remote controlled fishing boat zooming around the harbor, scaring the fishermen.
His eclectic collection of art, antiques, and curiosities include the skull of one of Christopher Columbus’ crewmen, numerous tombstones and grave markers from Europe. Hammond used to wander the grounds in a long monk’s robe with the cowl drawn up over his head.
He was a frustrated writer who had been steered away from publishing by his domineering father. Hammond wrote numerous horror stories and bawdy plays that were performed by his guests during wild parties.
Hammond the Spiritualist
An avid spiritualist, Hammond was fascinated with the occult. Terry L. Milner, in his December 27, 1996, MindNet article, “Ratting Out Puharich," Hammond conducted frequent séances in the Castle and invited psychics to the Castle to participate in scientific experiments designed to prove that psychic energy really existed and to enhance it if possible.
During one of these experiments, he constructed a Faraday cage to isolate noted psychic Eileen Garrett. According to local legend, it may have been during this experiment that a spot on the floor of the Great Hall was bleached out.
Investigations Into the Occult
The circular library was one of Hammond’s favorite places and he spent a lot of time in there. He owned an extensive collection of books on the occult, which are still on the shelves. Caretakers have reported finding these books opened and lying on the desk or carelessly thrown onto the furniture. Disembodied voices are often heard in here, as well as throughout the rest of the castle.
Hauntings in the Castle
Hammond secretly married local divorcee Irene Fenton in 1926. Irene suffered frequent depressions and gradually became reclusive and unhappy in the marriage. An accomplished artist, she painted the walls of her bedroom with lush scenes of animals, trees, and flowers - and then painted a wide railing over it showing how trapped she felt. Guests often see her gazing out through a window in the Italian villa front that overlooks the Roman pool.
Today the castle is often the setting for weddings. These weddings are often attended by unknown and uninvited figures that circulate among the guests, vanishing when anyone tries to get close to them. Additionally a shadowy figure frequents the balcony above the organ.
Irene died in 1959 and was interred in the above-ground mausoleum that Hammond had built for himself. Steps run from the tomb’s door down directly into the sea. Hammond was also buried in the sepulcher, interred with some of his Siamese cats which had been preserved in formaldehyde; visitors to the tomb have reported hearing the muffled sounds of crying cats. Guests touring the castle have reported feeling a small animal brush up against their legs.
Final Resting Place?
In 2008, against Hammond’s express wishes, his body was removed and re-interred in a bronze vault inside the Cat Garden, a walled enclosure which is part of the immediate Castle grounds. According to an article in the Gloucester Daily Times, the mausoleum property will be sold off to pay for Castle upkeep. It remains to be seen what effect this move will have on paranormal activity at the Castle.
