Massachusetts
Treasure mystery: Who found the gold statue in Mass. woods — and who gets the bounty?
We now know the identity of the clever treasure hunter who tracked down a gold statue worth more than $25,000 — though whether he gets to keep tens of thousands more in bounty money apparently remains up in the air.
Dan Leonard, a meteorologist in Andover, Massachusetts, was identified as the winner, not by the founders of Project Skydrop, but by NBC affiliate News Center Maine, which actually introduced Leonard and the people whose puzzle he solved in the woods of Wendell State Forest.
Leonard described the moment to founders Jason Rohrer and Tom Bailey like this: “I’m kind of in disbelief that this is happening. I see the camera so expertly hidden in that stump, and I think, ‘Oh my god.’”
The digital treasure hunt for the gold statue whose value was appraised at $26,536.25 sparked widespread speculation from puzzle enthusiasts and more. The founders created clues to make the search hard, but not too hard, specifying an area where the 10-ounce, 24-karat gold statue could be that shrank every day. People could also pay $20 to receive a daily clue, which helped fund the bounty.
People are searching for a golden statue worth more than $25,000.
The circle was centered roughly on Greenfield, Massachusetts, north along the Connecticut River from Springfield.
The person who tracked the statue down was seen on cameras grabbing the puzzle off the floor, but the Skydrop organizers didn’t hear from him until News Center Maine reached out. Leonard explained that he narrowed down where the treasure could be based on the temperature recorded in the camera, plus the cloud cover and plant life seen in the stream.
Project Skydrop
When they did meet, Leonard learned there was a catch to claiming the bounty, as News Center Maine reported: the prize could only be accessed by solving clues written onto the trophy itself, which technically meant that anyone with access to the statue could crack the code and claim the money.
Leonard was surprised, but not particularly bothered, saying, “Let’s say I don’t get it: I still had a really good time and got a treasure out of it.”
Rohrer shared more about the circumstances around Leonard’s victory in a message to the game’s official Discord server, a social media chat site where players were able to get more information about what happened.
The winner’s name is Dan Leonard. A news channel up in Maine figured out who he was, based on their meteorologist connections. They connected us with him, and we got to talk to him on camera yesterday. That encounter should appear on the news soon.
Dan joined Project Skydrop for $20 on October 25. He explained how he solved it. Along with weather patterns, temperature data, and cloud cover stuff from the trail cameras, he also depended heavily on the aerial image clues. He said it would have been impossible to solve if:
- He had no aerial clues
or - We had cropped the temperature sensor data off the camera images.
The aerial clues helped him in two ways. First, they showed him that the treasure was in a large, deciduous beech grove, and there aren’t many large beech groves in the Erving area. Second, they showed him a “map” of what the scene looked like around the treasure (the logs, etc.)
He never had an exact GPS coordinate figured out. He was simply walking the (few) large beech groves in Wendell, looking for the distinctive logs that he saw in the clues.
The temperature sensor data and weather patterns just helped him narrow down the area.
Also, he actually stared right at the treasure and didn’t see it. He walked away, thinking he had found the wrong logs. He was about to leave (he walked off-camera for 1 min and 30 seconds), and then he came back to take one more look, because those logs looked like such a close match. Then, staring at the leaves in the spot he had already checked, he suddenly saw that the treasure was there after all. He said it was almost impossible to see.
A ghost in a haunted Gardner mansion appears to be having a ball
A ball left on the staircase inside the S.K. Pierce Haunted Victorian Mansion appears to move on its own in this video.
Provided by John Godino
Ready to celebrate Halloween next week?
While preparations for the holiday typically include buying candy and watching spooky movies, if you’re a true horror fan, you’re probably looking for ways to celebrate the more scary aspect of the holiday. Luckily, Massachusetts has plenty of haunted places you can visit this spooky season, including restaurants, hotels, cemeteries and even ships.
Here are 10 must-visit haunted places in Massachusetts to check out this fall.
Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast
For those who love true crime, this Fall River bed and breakfast allows you to eat or stay at the scene of a historic murder. The Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast is the former house of Lizzie Borden, the primary yet exonerated suspect in the unsolved axe murders of her father Andrew Borden and stepmother Abby Gray in 1892.
Guests can stay in the rooms where the murders happened and eat breakfast in the very room where the first autopsies were performed. Many report a chilling dining experience, with guests often seeing apparitions of Lizzie or her deceased parents.
Room rates at the Lizzie Borden House typically range from $200-400, with breakfast for an additional $20 per person. To secure the room option you want, it is recommended to book as far in advance as possible. The hardest months to get a booking are August and October.
If you don’t want to sleep with ghosts but still want to visit, the Lizzie Borden House also offers daily tours from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at $30 a ticket, nightly ghost tours from 7 to 9 p.m. at $25 a ticket and nightly ghost hunts from 10 p.m. to midnight at $40 a ticket.
Location: 230 Second St., Fall River
Omni Parker House
Founded in 1855, the Omni Parker House is one of the oldest continuously operating hotels in the country, housing names like Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawhorne, Ulysses S. Grant, John F. Kennedy, Judy Garland, James Dean and more.
However, the most popular name at the Omni is Harvey Parker, who is believed to haunt the hotel he once founded. Guests have reported seeing an apparition of a older man with a mustache wearing clothes from the 1800s floating through the hallways or standing inside guest rooms, according to the Omni Hotels’ “Unpacked” blog.
Other ghostly encounters include noise complaints for empty rooms, a lingering smell of whiskey and the elevator traveling to the third floor – the floor where Charles Dickens once stayed – by itself.
If you want to see Parker with your own eyes, make a reservation to stay at Omni Parker House online.
Location: 60 School St., Boston
S. K. Pierce Mansion
Back in the 1800s, this historic mansion was built for thriving local businessman Sylvester Pierce. Pierce’s wife died just weeks after moving in, and the building eventually became a boarding house known as The Victorian, which filled the property with drinking, gambling and prostitution.
The mansion has been certified as haunted by six mediums and paranormal experts, according to The Gardner News. During an episode of “Ghost Hunters” filmed at the property, it was determined that Pierce Mansion is inhabited by a trio of ghosts – a 19-year-old girl, a five-year-old boy and a resident who died in a fire.
Today, the mansion offeres guided tours on weeknights and weekend afternoons for $40 per person. For the brave of heart, Pierce Mansion also offers ghost tours and overnight stays. Tickets and scheduling can be found online.
Location: 4 W Broadway, Gardner
Turner’s Seafood
Of course, many of the state’s haunted restaurants are in Salem. One of these is Turner’s Seafood located in the historic Lyceum Hall, home to famous visitors like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Frederick Douglass, Henry David Thoreau, John Quincy Adams and Alexander Graham Bell, who gave the first demonstration of the telephone in Lyceum.
However, the history of this restaurant reaches back even further. Before the grounds were Lyceum Hall, they were the site of an apple orchard belonging to Bridget Bishop, the first woman killed in the Salem Witch Trials.
Visitors report seeing a figure believed to be Bishop in windows, mirrors and staircases while wearing a long, white gown. Whenever guests in the dining room get a strong whiff of apple, it is believed that Bishop is lingering nearby.
See if you can sniff Bishop out in the main dining room from noon to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday or noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Guests can request a table online, but walk-ins are welcome.
Location: 43 Church St., Salem
Spider Gates Cemetery
Spider Gates Cemetery, also known as Friends or Quaker Cemetery, lies deep in the woods of Kettle Brook Resrvoir out near Worcester. Legend says that the former entrance to the 18th century cemetery is the eighth gate to Hell, according to ghost tour company Boston Ghosts.
A 2024 report from the Worcester Telegram shares the stories of various hauntings on the cemetery grounds: a Hanging Tree haunted by someone who took their own life among its branches; a second cemetery across the street that disappears after you see it once; the river Styx running underneath a cave where a young woman was murdered; and the voice of Marmaduke Earle, who speaks to those that rest their head on his gravestne at midnight.
Location: 15 Earle St., Leicester
Wayside Inn
The oldest hotel in the entire country, The Wayside Inn dates all the way back to 1661, when John How, one of the first settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, was granted a license for a house of public entertainment, or “pub,” in Marlborough, which began a multi-generation tradition of family innkeepers.
The first two-room dwelling was built in 1703, acting as the How family house until 1716, when four Sudbury selectmen granted Samuel’s son David How permission to keep a house of entertainment for travelers.
Today, the inn is believed to be haunted by former resident Jerusha Howe, who ran the inn with her brother Lyman until her death in 1842. According to Boston Ghosts, Howe died from a broken heart after the man she was supposed to marry never returned from England, and now she haunts the hotel looking for male companionship. Male guests of rooms nine and ten – Howe’s former living quarters – have reported feeling her presence or finding her at the foot of their bed in the night.
Double-occupancy rates at The Wayside range from $220-240 per night, and reservations can be booked by calling the front desk at 978-443-1776.
Location: 72 Wayside Inn Road, Sudbury
Hoosac Tunnel
Looking for a ghostly encounter without staying the night? Take a drive by the Hoosac Tunnel in the Berkshires. Running along the Deerfield River, this tunnel is believed to be haunted by the 200 deaths that happened during its 24-year construction, earning the tunnel the nickname of “the bloody pit.”
While only freight trains can drive through the tunnel, past travelers have repoted hearing voices and seeing orbs from outside, says US Ghost Adventures.
Location: Eastern portal at 239 River Road, Drury
Warren Tavern
Established in 1780, Warren Tavern is the oldest tavern in Massachusetts and one of the first buildings to be erected after Charlestown was ransacked and burned by the British in 1775. Many founding fathers visited the tavern, including Paul Revere and George Washington, whose funeral speech was given there.
The tavern is named after Dr. Joseph Warren, a major general in the Revolutionary War who sent Paul Revere on his messenger ride and lost his life in the Battle of Bunker Hill. Bar guests have reported seeing a man in a colonial wig and tights and hearing the click of Colonial-era heeled boots, leading many to believe that Dr. Warren’s spirit still resides at his namesake tavern. Another female entity, possibly a relative, has been seen hanging around the front room in Victorian clothing.
Warren Tavern is open for dining from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily. Reservations are not required, but can be made by calling 617-241-8142.
Location: 2 Pleasant St., Charlestown
The Mount
The Mount, the former home of author Edith Wharton, is believed to be haunted by various spirits, according to haunted research company Haunted US. Paranormal activity may date al the way back to when Wharton was alive, as the frightened author frequently claimed she was followed by “formless horrors.”
In 1942, when the estate became the Foxhollow School for Girls, students began to complain about hearing strange noises and phantom footsteps. Visitors have also reported apparitions, both of a young house servant wandering the halls and of Wharton herself reading books.
The Mount offers ghost tours about these stories and more on select dates from July through October. Tickets, which can be bought online, cost $30 per adult or $25 per child. The estate also offers ghost tours for children and regular house tours.
Location: 2 Plunkett St., Lenox
USS Salem
Quincy is home to one of the most haunted ships in the nation, the USS Salem. Once the most powerful vessel in the United States Navy, the USS Salem treated over a thousand civilians after a powerful earthquake in Greece during August of 1953. Many of the patients suffered mortal injuries, and it is believed that they still roam the passageways of the ship alongside her many former sailors.
On select Friday and Saturday nights from 7 p.m. to midnight, The Greater Boston Paranormal Associates offer guided paranormal investigations aboard the ship for $50 per person, which includes state-of-the-art equipment. The ship is also open for general admission self-guided tours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday through Nov. 23.
Location: 549 South St. Pier 3, Quincy
U.S. Marshals in Worcester arrested a woman wanted for child rape in Hawaii.
Authorities arrested Coleen Kuamo`o, also known as Malama Kuamo`o, 43, who is wanted in Hawaii for one count of sexual assault in the first degree, three counts of sexual assault in the third degree and one count of use of a computer in the commission of a crime. Authorities say that she assaulted a child in Wailuku, Hawaii.
“Anyone who thinks they can flee across the country to avoid facing justice is mistaken,” said Acting U.S. Marshal for Massachusetts Kevin Neal. The U.S. Marshals Service is committed to ensuring fugitives face justice – no matter where they run.”
The Maui Police Department and the Marshals Service in Hawaii contacted the Massachusetts Marshals Service in Massachusetts because they believed the fugitive was hiding in the Bay State. Marshals tracked her down in Worcester Thursday.
Incident summary
Between 10 a.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday, the Boston Police Department reports that its officers responded to 299 incidents. Those included two robberies, six aggravated assaults, five thefts from vehicles, two stolen cars, and 25 instances of miscellaneous larceny.
Arrests
All of the below-named defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
– Shaneya Hollins, 2053R Columbus Ave., Roxbury. Operating a motor vehicle in violation of license class.
– Devin Hines, 10 Forsyth St., Chelsea. Possession of burglarious instrument.
– Daniel Rosario, 2030 Columbus Ave., Jamaica Plain. Municipal violation: Drinking alcohol in public.
– Tomongo Bey, 107 Devon St., Boston. External warrant arrest.
– Dayquan Hardy, 31 Oak Grove Ave., Springfield. Larceny under $250.
– Kerri Dunbar, 444 E. Third St., Boston. External warrant arrest.
– Dominique Hines, 106 Heath St., Boston. Felony possession of a firearm.
– Luis Abreu-Shanlatte, 250 Margaretta Drive, Hyde Park. Shoplifting over $100 by concealing.
– Terrell Harris, 64 Lithgow St., Dorchester. Shoplifting by concealing.
– Chamelea Miller, 378 Centre St., Dorchester. Shoplifting by asportation.
– Alex McGee, no address listed. Trespassing.
– Stanley Winn, 1352 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester. Trespassing.
– Jailson Gomescarvalho, no address listed. Criminal operation of a motor vehicle with suspended license.
– Jailene Rentas, 145 Navarre St., Roslindale. Operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol.
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