SK Mansion added to National Register of Historic Places

GARDNER – It’s official.

The S.K. Pierce Haunted Mansion has been entered into the National Register of Historic Places.

Bob Conti, who purchased the home in 2015, said the path to obtaining official recognition of the mansion as a historical place had been a long time in the making.

“It had been our primary goal from day one to get the house on the National Register,” Conti said.

A voluminous file containing as much information about the home’s architecture and history that could be found was sent to Public Archaeology Laboratory in Rhode Island, which, after reviewing the documents nominated the mansion for inclusion in the National Register, he said.

“It took probably between five or six years in order to get all the paperwork done and the nomination prepared,” Conti added. “And once it was ready, we submitted the nomination and were pleased to get added to the National Register.”

The designation will be commemorated with a plaque or certificate on the property, he added.

Having the iconic mansion officially designated as a historic place worthy of preservation was something of a relief, Conti added, especially since there had been talk of tearing the building down before he purchased it.

More:Brothel? Spontaneous human combustion? Debunking rumors about the S.K. Pierce Mansion

“It was discussed,” Conti admitted. “And a few people who I know that are involved in the paranormal field joked about saying they would chain themselves to the front of the house to avoid that from happening. But I’m happy to say that now we know the house isn’t going anywhere.”

One of the criteria used to determine whether a building is eligible for the National Register, Conti explained, was just how much of the original structure remained, including floors, doors, windows, and woodworking.

“And one thing about the mansion is that it’s very original,” he said.

Historic designation a tribute to mansion's longtime curator Kenneth Watson

Conti said official historical status was a testament to the efforts of the mansion’s longtime curator Kenneth Watson, who died last September.

“The majority of the restoration was done by Ken over the past five or six years, and he did it without a crew,” he said. “And Ken took such pride in this home that he made sure that everything was perfect, right down to the smallest detail. We definitely could not have done any of this without him.”

Watson, who authored a book about the S.K. Pierce Mansion’s history, was also instrumental in collecting the historical information necessary to nominate the house for the National Register, Conti said.

More:New book details history of S.K. Pierce Mansion

“All that data, including the genealogies of people who lived there, sales of the home, and even finding out where the wood (to build the house) was shipped from, Ken was able to find out,” Conti said “We had records about which companies provided the sheetrock, who laid the foundation, how many men were on the job – we had all that information. The knowledge Ken had about this house was pretty extensive.”

Public tours of the historic mansion 'overwhelmingly popular'

The listing on the National Register caps off a successful year for the mansion, which opened to public tours in September. Conti said the overwhelmingly positive response to the tours had exceeded his expectations.

“We’ve had a lot of people come through the house. We hired 10 wonderful tour guides who have become very knowledgeable about the house. We’ve brought in some guest tour guides, and the response has been great – during October we pretty much sold out every tour,” Conti said.

More:Welcome guests and ghosts to Chair City's haunted mansion

Conti said plans were still in the works to have a bed-and-breakfast in the mansion, but that it was still at least a few years away from becoming a reality.

“(A bed-and-breakfast) is still the goal, but for now we’re going to concentrate on the tours until we can get that rolling,” Conti said.

The three-story house was built in 1875 by Westminster resident Sylvester Knowlton Pierce, who owned the S.K. Pierce Chair Factory across the street. A tunnel was built under the road so that Pierce could visit his factory on rainy days and not get wet, and to carry steam heat from the factory into the home during the colder months.

The mansion, which has been featured in several popular 'ghost-hunting' television shows over the years, has become a favorite destination for historians, architecture buffs, and paranormal investigators from around the world.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: S.K. Pierce Mansion listed on National Register of Historic Places