From Haunted Hill to 13th World

For more than two decades, Cumberland had a place where an October walk in the woods was supposed to get your heart racing.

Haunted Hill turned the woods at Diamond Hill Park into a Halloween destination, growing from a local fundraiser into the attraction later known as 13th World. Its Cumberland run stretched from 2002 through 2025—nearly a quarter century of scares. This fall, that chapter has closed, but the attraction continues in Palmer, Massachusetts.

Founded in 2002 to support Cumberland’s Drop Zone Teen Center, Haunted Hill grew through the work of Rich Vaillant, Zeke Fortier, the town’s recreation operation, and a dedicated volunteer crew. What began with a community purpose became an October tradition.

Haunted Hill gave Cumberland more than goosebumps and a good reason to sleep with the lights on. Proceeds helped support CHS scoreboards, playgrounds, and athletic fields—giving back to the community long after October.

As Haunted Hill became the privately operated 13th World, Vaillant and Fortier remained central to the experience. The name changed, but familiar hands were still building the scares.

The former ski grounds supplied a setting made for a ghost story. An old 13th World promotion described spirits haunting the slopes after a supposed fatal chairlift collapse. That was promotional storytelling, not a verified local tragedy—but it gave visitors one more reason to look over their shoulders.

The next chapter began before Cumberland’s last season. In 2022, 13th World opened a second location in Palmer, where more land and parking offered room to grow into a larger Halloween destination.

Today, 13th World Fright Park welcomes visitors at 1701 Park Street in Palmer, with haunted houses, midway entertainment, and themed food and drinks. Dates and tickets are available at 13thworld.com.

Back in Cumberland, Haunted Hill leaves a legacy measured in more than its years on the calendar. Volunteers built it, visitors sustained it, and the proceeds helped put something back into Cumberland. That is a local success story worth remembering.

The next scare may be waiting in Massachusetts, but Haunted Hill’s lore will live on in the woods of Diamond Hill for years to come—especially on those late October nights.