The Lady in Black

Massachusetts · United States · Execution site

Her husband was a prisoner here. She came to Boston, dressed as a man, and crossed to the island on a moonless night to get him out.

Fort Warren on Georges Island in Boston Harbor was a prison for Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.

The story concerns the wife of a lieutenant held there. She travelled north to Boston, cut her hair, dressed as a man, and came onto the island on a night with no moon, carrying a pistol, intending to get her husband out.

They were cornered.

What happened then is the reason she is called the Lady in Black, and it is the best known ghost story in Boston Harbor. She is said to have been hanged, and to have asked to be executed in women's clothes, which were found for her from theatrical costume kept at the fort.

No record of any such execution exists in the fort's papers, and it should be read as legend.

Soldiers garrisoned here through two world wars reported her regularly.

The island is a state park and the fort is open in season.

FAQ

Where is The Lady in Black located?

The Lady in Black is in Massachusetts, United States.

Image: Eric Kilby from Somerville, MA, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons