Most Haunted Places in America

Paranormal Sites in the United States

Dotted throughout the United States are numerous locations that have become particularly famous in certain circles and for others these locations may hold no special significance at all…that is until they learn the stories behind them. Despite the fact that many people who visit some of these locations with the mind of a skeptic it doesn’t take long for many of them to have ghostly encounters of their own and walk away with a whole new view on the afterlife. Whether or not you believe in the afterlife or the existence of the paranormal isn’t so much of a question when visiting the United States most haunted places, what is more appropriate to ask is whether you think you will make it home in one piece! While there are certainly hundreds of well known spirit infested locations around the United States that have made it in to the books of ghost hunters worldwide the ten that follow are undoubtedly some of the most spiritually active spots according to believers.

1. Myrtles Plantation, St. Francisville, Louisiana

The Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana is knows as one of the country’s most famous haunted homes. The plantation was built in 1806 by General David Bradford who lived there alone for a few years before moving his wife and five children to live with him years later. The plantation would later be run by Bradford’s daughter Sara and her husband Clark Woodruff after Bradford’s death. The plantation changed hands a few times before ending up in the hands of Sarah and William Winter who lived there with their six children, one of which died at age three from typhoid. Kate, the child who passed away, was not the only one to see the end of their life on the plantation, however, years later her father, William would be shot to death on the front porch years later. The plantation continued to change hands over the years and eventually would fall in to the hands of John and Teeta Moss who currently run the plantation as a bed and breakfast hotel.

The Myrtles Plantation is known for a variety of ghost spirits; however, the most famous ghost who, stories claim has even been caught on camera, is Chloe. Chloe was a slave that was owned by Clark and Sara Woodruff during their ownership of the plantation. Legend tells that Chloe had hard feelings towards the Woodruffs, although various stories exist as to why, some tell of her being forced in to being Mr. Woodruff’s mistress and others tell of her having her ear cut off for listening at the keyholes of the plantation. However it occurred, Chloe took her revenge by baking oleander leaves in to a birthday cake; however, when only Sara and the children ate the cake and died, Clark ensured that Chloe met her fate by hanging her from an old tree on the plantation.

Other ghostly apparitions at the plantation include sightings of Sara Woodruff and her two children that were poisoned by Chloe; they are believed to be trapped within a mirror within the plantation. William Winter’s spirit is also believed to have been sighted roaming the home, usually crawling up the stairs as he is believed to have done after being shot on the front porch of the plantation!

2. Alcatraz Prison, San Francisco, California

Alcatraz prison in San Francisco, California is a widely known tourist attraction on the west coast, however, what many of the tourists don’t know when they step on to Alcatraz is that the island is reportedly haunted by the spirits of those who died there years ago. As one of the largest and most notorious maximum-security prisons of the time, Alcatraz served as the home to some of the nation’s most vicious criminals of the time. Enclosed within the walls of Alcatraz during the peak of its era were some of the more unsavory characters of society including mass murderers, gangsters, kidnappers, and bank robbers. While many of these characters died during their time within the walls of Alcatraz, apparently no one informed their spirits that their time had been served because tourists of the island commonly experience the spirits of those inmates long since departed. Among spiritual encounters that have been experienced by tourists of the island are disembodied voices from within cell walls, ghostly figures walking through cellblocks and rowdy echoes of voices within the old cafeteria.

3. Bobby Mackey's Music World, Wilder, Kentucky

Bobby Mackey’s Music World in Wilder Kentucky currently stands as a dance hall but once upon a time in the 1850’s Bobby Mackey’s was a slaughterhouse. As legend tells the basement of the slaughterhouse was commonly used by devil worshippers who used animal blood in their rituals and called forth evil spirits. Story tells of one ritual in which a woman named Pearl Bryan was actually beheaded and according to recent sightings Pearl still walks the halls of Bobby Mackey’s.

In addition to the ritualistic murder of Pearl Bryan, Bobby Mackey’s was also the site of numerous mob murders according to its history as a speakeasy that was frequented by mobsters of the 1920’s. The spirits of those who found their end in Bobby Mackey’s are known to be some of the more rambunctious spirits in any haunted building within the country and some have even been told to have physically assaulted patrons of the dance hall that inhabits the building at this time.

4. Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast, Fall River, Massachusetts

The Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast in Fall River, Massachusetts wasn’t always a bed and breakfast, at one point it was the home to Lizzie Borden and the Borden family. The legend of Lizzie Borden is generally well known but for those who are unfamiliar with the tale it goes something like this:

In 1892 Lizzie Borden lived in her family home with both her father and her mother but on August 4^th of that same year Lizzie’s parents were murdered by an axe wielding murderer. Many believe that it was Lizzie herself that murdered both of her parents by repeatedly hacking at them with an axe, yet when she was tried for the murder she was acquitted of the murder charges. The amount of evidence produced by the prosecution in the Lizzie Borden trial was plentiful and yet after an hour and a half of deliberation the jury acquitted Borden. To date the identity of the murderer who took the lives of Lizzie’s parents is unknown although many believe that it was Lizzie herself despite the court findings in her trial. Lizzie Borden would live until 1927 when she died of pneumonia.

Today the Borden house stands as a bed and breakfast where guests frequent the house in addition to ghost hunters who still seek to find answers to the murder of the parents of Lizzie Borden. Among sighted ghosts in the home is Lizzie’s mother who has reportedly been seen tucking guests of the house in to their beds.

5. Athens Lunatic Asylum, Athens, Ohio

The Athens Lunatic Asylum in Athens, Ohio served as a home to hundreds of mentally ill patients from 1874 to 1993 and during its time as an asylum Athens was the site of hundreds of lobotomies. At the early time of its existence the doctors of the asylum believed that a lobotomy was a medically advanced method of relieving mental disorder and illness. As it happened many of the lobotomy’s that were performed drove patients absolutely crazy and that is only in those that survived the devastating surgical procedure. Athens did not only serve as a home to the mentally compromised, however, it often served as a holding place for violent criminals who were believed to be mentally disabled although this often time included alcoholics and drug addicts who exhibited symptoms of mental illness through their addiction.

During its time as an asylum, Athens saw many deaths and many of those deaths were due to violent or neglectful situations and many believers in the spiritual will explain that this often leads to prime haunting conditions. Among spiritual sightings at the Athens Lunatic Asylum are disembodied screams, ghostly apparitions that walk the halls and a ghostly blood stain on the floor of an abandoned ward where a patient reportedly became trapped and died due to exposure.

6. Joshua Ward House, Salem, Massachusetts

The Joshua Ward House in Salem, Massachusetts is another one of the United States most haunted houses. The house itself was built on top of the foundation of what was once the home of George Corwin. George Corwin was the sheriff of Salem during the witch trials which brought a devastating end to many innocent lives. Among all of those put to death during Corwin’s time, perhaps the most notable is that of Giles Corey. Giles Corey was a Salem local who was accused of practicing witchcraft; however, when he was arrested and charged with witchcraft Giles Corey would not enter a plea. Sheriff Corwin then tortured Corey in an effort to make him admit to his witchcraft practice by placing a board on top of him and placing a large pile of rocks on top. Despite the torture Giles Corey refused to speak and under the weight of the rocks that were continuously added on to the board Giles Corey was eventually crushed to death. According to the legend after his own death George Corwin was buried under the foundation of his own home and local ghost hunters have attested to seeing both Corwin and Corey’s spirits haunting the Joshua Ward House that stands on the old Corwin house foundation.

7. Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois

Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois I perhaps most famous for being the dumping ground of bodies for the famed Chicago gangsters. The cemetery itself has a large lagoon that runs through it and this lagoon served as a notorious dumping location for bodies of those who met their end at the wrong end of a gangster’s gun. No one knows just how many individuals’ bodies came to rest in the bottom of that lagoon but various tourists and ghost hunters will attest to the sheer number of spirits that still believe that they are free to walk through the cemetery unaware of their life in the afterlife. One of the most common occurrences in the Bachelor Grove Cemetery is the complete failing of electrical equipment for any ghost hunting crews who endeavor to capture paranormal activity on camera. Ghost hunting crews aren’t the only ones who have witnessed the spirits of the cemetery though, other visitors have come in to contact with unexplainable lights, disembodied noises and voices, ghostly apparitions, ghostly appearances in photographs taken in the cemetery and ghostly hitchhikers on nearby roads.

8. The Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, California

The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California is perhaps one of the most recognized haunted locations in the United States. This kooky house is most well known for its sheer size as well as the peculiarity of the numerous doors and staircases within the home that lead to nowhere. The Winchester House began as the home of Sarah. After Sarah lost both her daughter and her husband she sought the advice of a medium to help her to cope with her grief; however, the medium informed Sarah that she believed the family was cursed due to the destruction that the Winchester gun had caused in so many lives. The psychic convinced Sarah that the ghosts of those who had died at the hands of the Winchester gun would all seek their vengeance on Sarah. The medium told Sarah that if she were to escape the wrath of the angered spirits she must build a new home for herself as well as the spirits and continue to build this new home for as long as she lived, and for as long as she continued building she would continue living.

The prophecy of continued life was not true; however, Sarah Winchester gave it her best effort and continued to build on to the home for some thirty eight years. Before part of the home was lost to the 1906 earthquake it stood some seven stories tall and at one point the property stood on 162 acres. The house is well known for the trick doorways that sometimes open up to the outside of the home and could lead to a nasty fall as well as stairways that lead to nowhere but the ceiling of the room. This kooky house is not just characterized by these strange oddities; however, many people have claimed that the ghost of Sarah still walks throughout her mystery house in an attempt to continue her lifelong work of building her mansion to escape the spirits that plagued her.

9. The White House, Washington, D.C

The White House in Washington, D.D is perhaps not the first place that comes to mind when thinking of haunted locations in the United States; however, it is actually known for being a hub of paranormal activity. During its lifetime the White House has served as the home to a wide variety of leading men of the country and many of those men suffered great tragedy in their lives. It is believed that due to the fact that the White House served as a home to some of the nations most important figures it is the favored haunt of the spirits of many of these great men, particularly those who met untimely and violent ends. Stories that contribute to the haunting of the White House generally bring up the fact that Lincoln’s widow who had ties with the occult, performed séances within the White House in an attempt to contact her husband. Mary Todd’s husband isn’t the only presidential figure that has been noted as haunting the halls of the White House, however, also noted as making a ghostly appearance are Andrew Jackson, Abigail Addams and Dolley Madison.

10. Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Louisville, Kentucky

Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Kentucky has perhaps become most famous for ghostly haunting as a result of the numerous paranormal investigations that have taken place there after its closing. During its time the Waverly Hills Sanatorium stood as one of the most advanced institutions for treating those with tuberculosis; however, many of the treatments that took place within the institution only served to speed up the deaths of those who did not succumb to tuberculosis naturally. The sanatorium underwent various construction projects which added wards and further beds on to the hospital so that more patients could undergo treatment as the number of those affected by tuberculosis continued to increase.

One of the most publicized features of the Waverly Hills Sanatorium is the “death tunnel” which was built on to the sanatorium in order to hide the dead that were wheeled out of the hospital on gurneys. Physicians at the sanatorium at the time believed that if the patients did not see the dead leaving the hospital they would have more hope for recovery and so the death tunnel was used to transport dead bodies to awaiting hearses. This death tunnel is now rumored to be one of the most haunted locations in the sanatorium and one in which many tourists and ghost hunters alike absolutely refuse to step foot. The death tunnel isn’t the only haunted place within the hospital though, guests who have walked through the abandoned halls of the institution claim to see shadow figures walking the halls, disembodied voices calling for nurses, singing voices emanating from nowhere, shadow creatures zipping from one wall to another across the ceiling and clothing being tugged and pulled.

Ghostly Locations Aren’t Just for Those Who Believe in the Paranormal!

Of all of the haunted locations in the United States the ten listed above are considered to be some of the largest hubs of paranormal activity by people from all walks of life. Even those individuals who went in to these locations with doubt in their mind sometimes find that they have their opinions changed by a haunting voice that whispers in their ear or a ghostly child that tugs on their arm. Whether you believe in these spiritual manifestations or not these top ten most haunted places in America are worth the visit regardless if even for a few lessons in American history.

More Haunted Places Throughout the United States - Update Published February 21, 2012

When it comes to haunted places throughout the United States there are plenty more to visit! If you have already worked through the ten most haunted places in the United States why not try one of these other ghostly locales!

Bell Witch Cave in Adams Tennessee

The Bell Witch Cave sits where the Bell Farm once was, a farm owned by a family haunted by the witch for some four years. It is said that from 1817 to 1821 the Bell family was haunted by the Bell witch and now that the farm is gone the neighboring cave is inhabited by the witch herself. So well known is the story of the witch that General Andrew Jackson sought out the witch himself upon a visit to the area. It is not only the witch who is said to haunt the caves however, the area had long been associated with pioneers and Native Americans, many of whom are said to have had homelands that lay in the area of the farmlands. Visitors to the caves not only claim to experience the antics of the Bell Witch but many of them also experience apparitions and voices within the cave. Some even believe that one who takes anything from the cave will be cursed with bad luck until they return the item that they took. The Bell Witch cave is still available for touring along with the former farm, both are now privately owned.

The Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

From 1829 to 1971 the Eastern State Penitentiary operated as a prison in which the first separate confinement policy was put in to place. The basic premise of the new system was designed to help prisoners to become reformed rather than to be punished but the system was not entirely effective. While prisoners experienced separate confinement they also experienced twenty three hour lock downs in their cells. It was not only the lack of communication that was allowed between prisoners that led to uprisings but also the harsh punishments doled out to inmates who dared to break the rules. So torturous were many of the punishments used in the Eastern State Penitentiary that often inmates would die before their torture period was finished. These days the penitentiary is no longer a torture chamber for the living, rather it is said to hold the spirits of many of the tortured prisoners who once breathed within its walls. These days the penitentiary has been declared to be a U.S. historic landmark and is open as a museum which offers tours. Among the sounds heard by visitors within the penitentiary are crying, whispering and laughing and once in a while those sounds will be accompanied by a ghostly face within one of the cells.

Lemp Mansion in St. Louis, Missouri

The Lemp Mansion in St. Louis, Missouri very often makes it on to the list of the most haunted locations within the United States. Over the years the once prestigious building has played host to a number of roles but most all of them have involved tragedy. The Lemp Mansion was built by the father of William Lemp in 1868 and over the years the Lemp family would be stricken by tragedy on a number of levels including: the death of William’s favorite son, the death of William’s best friend and the eventual suicide of William Lemp himself. The Lemp family continued to be plagued by tragedy and scandal, much of which can still be seen today as apparitions have been noted to appear in the mansion reminiscing over their unlucky past fortune. Included among the apparitions that have been noted in the Lemp Mansion by visitors is the illegitimate son of William Lemp Jr. who was born with down syndrome. In the days of the Lemp family it was an embarrassment to a family to have a special needs child and as such he was hidden away only to show his face again in the afterlife as he seeks the attentions of visitors to the mansion. What is the mansion now? Well it stands as a fine restaurant and bed and breakfast, however, ask anyone who has spent any time there and they will tell you that it also serves as host to a number of spiritual apparitions!

The Moore Home Ax Murder House in Villisca, Iowa

The Moore home, also known as the ax murder house in Villisca, Iowa is a home that sends chills down the spine of anyone who hears its story. On June 19, 1912 the small Iowa town of Villisca was shaken to its core when eight people were found murdered in their home. It is said that the owner of the home, Josiah Moore were at church one afternoon when an intruder crept in to their home and sought shelter in the attic just waiting for the family to return. Later that afternoon the family of six along with two of the neighboring children did return and went straight to bed only to be hacked to death by the mysterious axe wielding stranger who had been hiding in their attic. The brutal murders were never solved although many suspects were fingered in the murders. Today the home stands in place and tours are offered for those brave enough to step through its doors. Many paranormal sightings have been connected with the Moore home, most often these sightings center on young children talking and laughing. In addition to the mysterious childlike voices the house is said to host a poltergeist which not only moves objects around the home but also bangs within the home. Paranormal investigators have come out of the Moore home with a wealth of photographic and audio evidence which points to the vacated Moore house still teaming with paranormal life. With eight unsolved murders it’s no wonder that the Moore home is screaming out for attention, take a look around if you dare.