As the fog rolls off the Charles River and settles into the hollows of Boston Common, a particular chill often takes hold near the site of the old Great Elm. While Boston is famous for its revolutionary heroes, the park’s oldest resident is said to be a woman who died four years before the Salem Witch Trials even began. Ann “Goody” Glover was the last person to be executed for witchcraft in Boston. But many believe she still delivers her vengeance, haunting the Common almost 350 years later. 
Who Was Goody Glover? The “Last Witch” of Boston
Long before she was a fixture of New England folklore, Ann Glover was an Irish immigrant. Historians believe she was deported to Barbados with her husband during Oliver Cromwell’s occupation of Ireland in the 1650s. Her husband died there, in the West Indies, as a result of his loyalty to the Catholic faith. Now a widow, Ann moved to Boston with her daughter in the 1680s and settled in the North End. There, the Irish immigrant got a job as a housekeeper and laundress for John Goodwin and his family of seven. The events that led to the 1688 Boston witch trial began with a simple domestic dispute. In the summer of 1688, the Goodwins’ eldest daughter, Martha, accused Goody’s daughter, Mary, of stealing laundry. Goody, known for her fierce temperament, responded with a volley of “bad language” upon Martha. Not long after Martha got b_tch_d out by Goody, she began to have fits. And as Puritan luck would have it, three of her siblings followed suit. The claims were that the children were suddenly stricken dead, dumb, or blind. They displayed odd movements in their joints and would lie together as if they were attached. Perhaps the most eerie were their cries of physical abuse that nobody could see, and the sudden, creepy head twisting. Luckily for the family, these wicked afflictions of malefic witchcraft never happened after 10:00 PM. Doctors were consulted, and the consensus was “nothing but an hellish witchcraft” could be the cause. Next came half a dozen ministers to pray for the children as a legal investigation took place. That’s when young Martha had an “aha” moment and told everyone that all of this wickedness began just after Goody verbally assaulted her. It was then determined that Goody had bewitched the Goodwin children. Goody Glover was summoned and then jailed with her daughter. As an Irish Catholic peasant, Goody only spoke Gaelic, unless in prayer, when she spoke Latin. So, when the Puritans demanded she recite the Lord’s Prayer in English, she failed. So, in comes every favorite finger-wagging Puritan, Cotton Mather.
The Trial of a “Scandalous Irishwoman”
Minister Cotton Mather was unsurprisingly Goody Glover’s primary antagonist. Mather saw the Glover case as a prime opportunity to study the “wonders of the invisible world.” Goody’s trial was a nightmare of cultural and religious misunderstanding, and she struggled to defend herself in English. To the judges, this linguistic barrier was proof that the Devil was “blocking her tongue.” “The court could have no answers from her, but in the Irish, which was her native language,” Mather later wrote. He described her as a “scandalous old Irishwoman… obstinate in idolatry.” A witness testified that Goody had complained the night before her trial that her “Prince” had deserted her. When the judges asked Goody if she had anyone “to stand by her,” Goody answered that the only one she had was her “Prince.” Many speculate that the magistrates made the fatal assumption that she was referring to the Prince of Darkness instead of the Prince of Peace. The tribunal ordered a search of Goody’s home, where they confiscated “several small images, or puppets, or babies, made of rags and stuffed with goat’s hair, and other such ingredients.” Then there was the testimony of a woman who claimed six years earlier, one of Goody’s neighbors was “bewitched to death.” Coincidentally, the woman testifying was a friend and neighbor of the Goodwins. Goody Glover was an elderly Irish Catholic in a sea of Puritans, and didn’t stand a chance in Hell, or in Boston. Even when a physician stepped in to argue that her mind was feeble, she was already considered guilty. Ann Goody Glover was sentenced to death. On November 16, 1688, she was marched to the gallows at Boston Common. Boston Merchant, Robert Calef, had stood by her throughout her ordeal and accompanied her to the gallows. The crowd clamored “to see if the Papist would relent.” It’s noted that “her one cat was there, fearsome to see. They would destroy the cat, but Mr. Calef would not permit it.” It is said that the old woman died forgiving those who had persecuted her. In a religious irony, a local Boston historian says research shows that where her procession ended is now occupied by Holy Cross Cathedral. Where she mounted a scaffold, now stands the holy water in the font. Goody’s daughter, Mary, sat in prison awaiting her trial until her mind cracked. She died in the spring of 1869.
The Haunting of Boston Common: Sightings and Legends
For over three centuries, sightings of a spectral woman in 17th-century attire have persisted in America’s oldest public park. These accounts have turned Goody Glover’s ghost into one of the most enduring legends of Haunted Boston.
The Weeping Woman of the Frog Pond
Many witnesses report seeing a woman hunched over, weeping or muttering in a language they don’t recognize (presumably Gaelic), near the Frog Pond. This area is close to where the Great Elm—the city’s primary hanging tree—once stood. Spectators often describe a feeling of intense sorrow and “heavy air” that accompanies the sighting.
The Rattle of Chains
In the quiet, pre-dawn hours, park rangers and early-morning commuters have reported the unmistakable sound of rattling chains near the Central Burying Ground. Records indicate that Glover was “loaded with irons” while in prison, and many believe the sound of her shackles remains as a residual haunting, echoing through the centuries.
From Witch to Martyr: A Legacy Reclaimed
For centuries, Glover was remembered as a villainous “hag.” However, as the religious and social prejudices of the 17th century faded, her story was re-evaluated. In 1988, exactly 300 years after her death, the Boston City Council officially declared November 16 as “Goody Glover Day.” She is now widely recognized not as a witch, but as the first Catholic martyr in Massachusetts, a victim of religious intolerance and xenophobia. Visiting Haunted Boston: How to Find the Goody Glover Sites We encourage you to create your own self-guided ghost tour of Boston!
Memorial Photograph by Jessolsen
Here are a few of the essential locations to visit:
- The Great Elm Marker (Boston Common): Located near the Frog Pond, this is the most likely site of her execution and the epicenter of the sightings.
- Cathedral of the Holy Cross (South End): 1400 Washington Street, believed to be where her hanging procession ended
- St. Stephen’s Church (North End): Home to the commemorative plaque dedicated to her martyrdom.
- The Central Burying Ground: While she was likely buried in an unmarked grave, the energies of the park are strongest near this historic cemetery.
Whether you are a skeptic or a believer, the story of Ann Goody Glover remains a poignant chapter of Boston’s history. Her spirit—real or legendary—serves as a reminder of the human cost of fear and the enduring power of one woman’s refusal to renounce her identity.