A Land of Rolling Hills, SpookyTunnels and Phantom Lights

According to Wikipedia, the Bershires are a highland geologic region located in the western parts of Massachusetts and northwest Connecticut. The term "Berkshires" is normally used by locals in reference to the portion of the Vermont-based Green Mountains that extend south into western Massachusetts; the portion extending further south into northwestern Connecticut is grouped with the Connecticut portion of the Taconic Mountains

The Berkshires may represent a scenic part of Massachusetts however it is also a place that has become famous for alleged hauntings. This is how Robert Oakes, author of the 2020 book "Ghosts of Berkshires" described it to the Boston Globe: "The Berkshires has that deeper resonance, electricity in the air, and a strong feeling of presence."

An example of what he is referring to is the Hoosac Tunnel dubbed the "Bloody Pit" located in North Adams. The Hoosac Tunnel, the first ever major rock tunnel built in the United States, is a railway tunnel that runs through Hoosac Mountain of the Berkshire Hills.

The tunnel was built through the mountain as a result of the need of Massachussetts based mill owners to ship their products to the west. When plans to build a canal system failed, it was decided to burrow a railroad tunnel through the mountain in order to facilitate the transportation of materials and people inland.

Despite the fact that it is only 4.75 miles long, it took nearly 25 years to build due to various reasons such as the rock-tunneling techniques used to carve out the passage as well as political and financial factors ($20 million price tag).

A shocking number of deaths have occurred in and around the railroad tunnel during the course of its building and after. According to onlyinyourstate.com, 190 men lost their lives over the 25 year period it took to build the tunnel, and another 30 lost their lives in freak accidents following the completion of the tunnel. If that was not enough, yet another 13 miners were killed in a gas explosion which took with it a surface pumping station leading to the flooding of a 538- foot shaft with water.

This is how an article describes the horrific accident: "One of the most chilling incidents was the central shaft accident. The tunnel has a 1,000-foot vertical chimney for exhaust to escape, and on October 17, 1867, fumes ignited, causing an explosion that destroyed a hoist used to lower men, equipment, and supplies. The accident rained equipment, supplies, and flaming hoist parts down onto 13 men who were working at the bottom of the 583-foot-deep unfinished chimney. The pumps were also destroyed, flooding the shaft."

Consequently, the Hoosac Tunnel became a hotspot for ghost sightings and paranormal activity. Due to the tragic loss of life at the tunnel, workers have been known to walk off the work site on account of hearing mournful cries and seeing phantom lights in the tunnel. Some claim it is the ghosts of those who perished in the tunnel.

One such sighting was reported as follows: In 1868, a cavalry officer and engineer named Paul Travers examined the tunnel because the workmen complained of hearing a man’s voice cry out in agony. He heard what sounded like a man groaning out in pain. “I haven’t been this frightened since Shiloh,” he wrote.

Although the tunnel has been in operation since 1875, it does not see much traffic anymore except for the occasional freight train and explorers.

Visitors to the Hoosac Tunnel are warned to stay off the tracks as it may be difficult to hear the oncoming train as they round the curves which can take the unwary by surprise and lead to horrific consequences.

A version of this article originally appeared on NewsBreak