After one of our trips (and subsequent posting of photos) to the Worcester Memorial Auditorium, we were contacted by someone who works with one of the historical associations in Massachusetts. They complimented our photos, and asked us if we knew about the ghoul who lived in the pipe organ inside the Aud. This is their story:
“Though the building, or rather, the item that is now haunted inside the building, didn’t actually exist until the 1930’s, the story begins back in the 18th century. At that time, the area around Lincoln Square (the land around the Worcester Memorial Auditorium) was rural farmland, though it was slowly being surrounded by the mills that were to become part of Worcester’s industrial heritage.
One sunny morning (unexpected, I know, as most stories of this nature take place under cover of darkness in the dead of night), a laborer was working the land around Lincoln Square and, as does happen when people use heavy equipment, an accident occurred. The laborer found himself not just trapped under the equipment, but seriously wounded and unable to call out for help. At best, he was able to moan, which he did, for a good portion of the morning and most likely into the early afternoon. He was found later in the day, but it was too late. The man had expired.
Now, no one really knew who the man was, or exactly where he came from, which was not unusual with laborers. Many of them traveled from job to job and didn’t put down roots. It was rumored that the dead man had come to Worcester from New Hampshire to find work, but no one knew for sure. Without a name and no way to notify the next of kin (if, indeed, there had been any to notify), the man was buried just about on the spot in a makeshift, unmarked grave. He most likely would have remained there in peace if it hadn’t been for the groundbreaking that began in September 1931.
As workers began clearing the land, all manner of things were unearthed- including bones of deceased animals and those of the unknown worker. No sooner was the rubble carted away than the near misses and small accidents began on the job site. Workmen walked through cold spots, even on the hottest of days. One can imagine that the spirit of the unknown worker, which had laid so long in restful slumber, was active and probably confused. Slipping inside the massive stone monument, it’s easy to picture him hovering high above in the corners of the ceiling while waiting for a cozy place to go back to rest.
The cornerstone of the building was laid in April of 1932, and in 1933, a new Kimball pipe organ was installed. There were numerous organ concerts over the years, as well as reports that the organ was also making noises that were ... not all that harmonious in nature. Over time, the wheezing and wailing were credited to the spirit of the long passed workman, now known as the Pipe Ghoul.
All of this was told to me by someone who made the history of the building and the organ their pet project. To be honest, all of it sounded a little... too fantastic, and to someone interested in ghosts, too good to be true. I was lucky enough to talk my way into the building so that I could check it out myself. I wandered the building for quite sometime, but, alas, neither saw nor heard anything out of the ordinary. The building was beautiful however, and I could have spent many more hours exploring it. I reluctantly headed towards the exit. As I did so, a low moan that turned into a droning wheeze began, and I quickly walked back to the organ. The wheeze turned to a groan, and the pipes gave a final whooshing sound before falling silent. I waited a moment, peering at the instrument, and then I left. The Pipe Ghoul, I figured, had settled in to rest.”