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List of haunted locations

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Haunted locations or haunted places are sites of reported ghost activity. The reports of these hauntings are often referred to as ghostlore. Ghostlore is fueled by history and legends and is a part of folklore. These accounts can be subjective in nature and there is no commonly accepted objective evidence that ghosts or similar phenomena exist.

Australia

  • The Alkimos is a shipwreck of a former U.S. Navy ship from World War II that occurred off the coast of Western Australia in 1964.

  • Border Inn Hotel (Flanagans) in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria - This 1850's hotel was instrumental to the introduction of coach services to the Ballarat goldfields. Reports include the sensing of a presence, items moving, a piano playing unattended and people being touched.

  • Coach & Horses Inn in Clarkefield, Victoria - This 1857 hotel is the site of many reports of ghosts, especially during the 1970-80's. The site was once referred to as Australia's most haunted hotel. One owner reported being pushed down the stairs by an unseen force and badly fracturing his ankle.

  • At Fremantle Prison in Western Australia the face of Martha Rendell, the only woman to be hanged at Fremantle, appears in the window of the church regularly. The face seems to be caused by ripples in the glass that reflect light in an unusual way, but the resemblance is uncanny.

  • J Ward - Old Ararat Gaol in Ararat, Victoria - The site served as a gaol from 1859 and in 1887 became J Ward of the larger Aradale Mental Hospital and used to house the criminally insane. Various stories tell of ghostly occurrences. The site is now a museum running regular tours.

  • Monte Cristo homestead in Junee, New South Wales. Various ghost groups have reported sightings due to the death of seven people in the 1800s.

  • The Old Geelong Gaol (HM Prison Geelong) in Geelong, Victoria - This 1853 gaol is thought to be haunted and various paranormal research groups have visited the site.

  • Port Arthur, Tasmania: The prison settlement has had several reported sightings of ghosts: The Rev George Eastman, The Lady In Blue and the ghost of Charles O'Hara Booth, an early commandant of the prison.

  • Port Fairy Public Cemetery in Port Fairy, Victoria has served the area (previously "Belfast") since 1849. Legend tells of the ghost of Lloyd Rutledge who may be seen on the anniversary of his death which occurred in December 1858.

Canada

  • The Ceperley House, Burnaby, British Columbia - Near Deer Lake and the Burnaby Heritage Village, this house, now an art gallery, is said to be haunted by its former mistress Mrs. Ceperley.

  • Forbidden Plateau, near Courtenay-Comox-Cumberland in Strathcona Provincial Park. A Comox legend says this plateau swallowed all the women, children and elders of the Comox people without a trace, and it has been taboo forever after.

  • Gibraltar Point Lighthouse - The ghost of a murdered lighthouse keeper is reported to haunt this abandoned building.

  • The Hycroft Mansion, Vancouver, British Columbia. The ghosts of General A.D. McRae, his daughter Lucille, and murdered nursemaid Janet Smith are said to haunt the mansion.

  • Nicholas Street Gaol, in Ottawa, Ontario, is said to be haunted by the ghost of a man wrongly accused of murder and executed. The building is now a youth hostel, but the top floor is as it was one hundred years ago.

  • Quesnel and District Museum and Archives, Quesnel, British Columbia - This museum is home to a doll named Mandy who is reported to be or have been possessed. It is unknown who or what possesses Mandy; or if it still possesses her. The doll however, remains a huge tourist attraction for the museum.

  • The Screaming Tunnel, Niagara Falls - It is said that if one stands in a tunnel in one of the woods and lights a wooden match in the middle of the tunnel (at midnight), they will hear a scream when it blows out. The scream is said to be of a little girl who was burned alive by her deranged father, who lost a legal battle over the girl. Also, some have reported seeing the ghost of the father, sometimes carrying a lantern. There is a rumor stating that the ghost will stalk people, and that whoever gets caught by it will die suddenly.

China

  • Tuen Mun Road, Hong Kong - Over the years, hundreds of people have claimed that this highway is haunted. Since 1978, many lives have been lost due to car accidents on that expressway. The high death toll is blamed on ghosts because they supposedly pop up in the middle of the road when people are driving, thus causing them to make extremely sharp turns to avoid them and then end up crashing. The ghosts of past victims are said to be seen there at night and some drivers have even claimed that they lost complete control of their vehicle several times.

Denmark

England

  • Airfields around the country are said to have paranormal activity arising from the spirits of airmen who died in World War II. Airfields include :

  • Bochym Manor is resident to two ghosts, the short pink lady, and an unnamed ghost who stands at one of the bedroom windows.
  • Belgrave Hall in Leicester, attracted attention in 1999 when a white figure was captured on CCTV. One theory is it is the daughter of a former owner.

  • 50 Berkeley Square is reputed to be the most haunted house in London.

  • Blue Bell Hill in Kent, specifically the A229. This has been the site of a female phantom hitchhiker. Cars have stopped to pick up a female hitchhiker, only for her to vanish to the drivers' disbelief

  • Borley Rectory in the village of Borley, Essex, England. Many sightings have been reported since 1885. The house burned down in 1939, and remains a huge source of controversy.

  • Chingle Hall in the village of Goosnargh, near Preston, England. Chingle Hall, previously known as Singleton Hall, was built in 1260 by Sir Adam de Singleton. It is reputably haunted by more than one spirit.

  • Crowley Hall in the north of England, is supposedly haunted by the spirit of Dr. Bernard Leys. Leys ran the hall for a number of years before dying under mysterious circumstances in 1952. Sightings of ghosts have been reported since the 1970’s.

  • In Dorset an axe wielding ghost riding a horse bareback is described by witnesses as looking like a stone age warrior.

  • Hampton Court Palace, home of King Henry VIII of England, whose fifth wife, Catherine Howard, is supposed to be heard screaming in the "Haunted Gallery". On December 21, 2003, CCTV footage allegedly showed someone in 16th century clothes and no face closing a firedoor that, though locked, was constantly being opened without anyone near it.

  • Minsden Chapel in Hertfordshire is reported to be haunted by a monk climbing stairs which no longer exist.

  • The Old Bailey, London's main criminal court. A figure (of unclear sex) supposedly appears in the building during important trials. These appearances have been allegedly witnessed by judges, barristers and policemen.

  • The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall has been sighted quite a few times over the years. She is so called because of the brown brocade dress she is supposedly seen wearing while wandering the halls and staircase. In 1849 a Major Loftus and a friend named Hawkins claimed to see the ghost one night after retiring to bed, saying they were amazed by the old-fashioned clothing she wore. The next night Loftus claimed to see the figure once again, saying he took note of her empty eye-sockets. The incident resulted in several members of staff resigning and a full investigation of Raynham Hall involving local detectives.

  • Samlesbury Hall in Preston, Lancashire, is supposedly haunted by Lady Dorothy Southworth, known as the "White Lady". Weeping is often heard, and her ghost has been seen wandering near where her lover was buried.

  • Temple Newsam is reported to be the most haunted house in Yorkshire, with the most famous ghost being Mary Ingram, commonly known as "the Blue lady", who in her life became deranged after an attack by highwaymen. Ghosts linked with the more famous residents of Temple Newsam include "the White lady": this is said to be the ghost of the "nine days queen", the unfortunate Lady Jane Grey. She was executed by Mary I.

  • Windsor Castle — home of English and British royalty for 1,000 years. Numerous ghosts are supposed to have been seen, including Queen Elizabeth I. Her mother, Anne Boleyn is also said to haunt Windsor castle, and supposedly runs down a corridor screaming. Among those who claimed to have seen the ghost, who sometimes is said to be carrying her head, are King George VI, William Ewart Gladstone and Andrew, Duke of York.

Germany

  • Babenhausen Barracks (German : Babenhausen Kaserne) - now a museum - The ghosts of German soldiers, some in World War II era uniforms, have been reported. Lights are said to turn off and on by themselves and voices are heard in the basement. Footsteps and commands are allegedly heard at night, supposedly without physical cause. Legend has it that if a soldier happens to visit the museum and pick up a telephone, a woman will at times be heard "talking backwards", unintelligible, in neither German nor English. The town was the site of a witch burned at the stake in the 19th century, and her ghost is said to have seduced, and then killed, several German soldiers since then.

  • Osnabrück, Haste - die Karlsteine (the stones of Charlemagne) - In ancient times, the location which is now Osnabrück was the site of a large pagan temple and burial area. When Charlemagne mustered the strength to force the Christian faith upon the Germans in the area, his forces killed the priests and desecrated the graves; it is rumoured that he himself broke the largest altar stone to prove the supremacy of the Christian God over the pagan gods. According to stories, the magic remained infused in the site and on the winter solstice and summer equinox strange orbs of light are seen over the centuries, screams are heard, and stains appear on the stones in the apparent absence of physical cause. This has been attributed in local legend to the murders of the priests.

  • Reichenstein Castle - According to local legend, Dietrich von Hohenfels and his nine sons were robber barons who used the castle as a stronghold. His sons were caught by the authorities and killed; Hohenfels was captured the next day. He asked that he be hanged and his sons' lives be spared, but upon seeing that they were already dead, his head fell from his body. All ten bodies were buried in St. Clement Chapel, in the castle, and the ghost -- headless -- is said to haunt the castle. Reichenstein Castle was visited by the Ghost Hunters International team where, while several had personal experiences, they caught no "ghostly activities" with their equipment.

Himalayas

  • Mount Everest - The ghost of a climber has allegedly been seen by other climbers, two of whom in 1975 claimed to have shared a snow hole with the ghost during their climb. Some who have seen him believe this is the ghost of climber Andrew Irvine, who disappeared in an attempt to summit the mountain with George Mallory in 1924.

India

  • Bhangarh, Rajasthan - Bhangarh Fort is supposedly one of the most haunted places in India and, by government orders, staying after sunset is strictly prohibited in the area. According to the myth, the place was cursed by a tantrik that there will be such an incident that everybody in the palace would die and their souls will stay there for centuries without rebirth.

  • Hyderabad - Ramoji Film City - It is alleged the hotels in Ramoji film city are haunted.

  • Hyderabad - Warasiguda House - It is alleged that the house in Warasiguda locality in Hyderabad is haunted. It is about one kilometer away from Secunderabad.

  • New Delhi Sanjay Van (near Qutab Institutional Area) - Sanjay Van is a forest area spread over 10 km. Located there is a cremation ground where many people have allegedly reported having seen a lady dressed in a white saree appearing and disappearing suddenly.

  • West Bengal - Kurseong - Dow-Hill - The forests are alleged to be haunted.

Indonesia

  • Pelabuhan Ratu - The legend says that Nyai Loro Kidul (Nyi is a Javanese old pronunciation of Madame), daughter of King Prabu Silwangi, is the Queen of the South Sea. She is supposed to have committed suicide by jumping off the cliff and into the sea. Rumors say that if someone wears green when swimming (the Queen's favorite color), he or she will be pulled by her ghost into the sea. Room 308 at the Samudra Beach Hotel is set aside for the Queen.

Japan

  • Aokigahara, the forest at the bottom of Mt. Fuji, is a popular location for suicide. This gives rise to a widespread belief that it is haunted.

  • Okiku's Well at Himeji Castle is often said to be haunted by the ghost of Okiku. She is supposed to rise from the well at night and count to nine before shrieking and returning to the well. Some stories, however, locate the haunted well in the Canadian embassy in Tokyo's garden.

Philippines

  • Baguio City - The Diplomat Hotel was rumored to be haunted by elementals and evil spirits. It was a Seminary during the early 1900's. During the Second World War, several priests and nuns were killed and beheaded by Japanese occupying forces. This was converted into a hotel after the war. In it self it was pretty eerie, big rooms with king-sized beds with bibles at the side tables. The rooms are dimly lit. Clerks, bell hops, and hotel guest, complain of wailing sounds even during day time. During nighttime, apparitions of headless priest roam the corridors. Some even say that they see ghost carrying their heads on a platter. Hauntings are not limited inside the hotel for when you stroll outside the compound you would see neighboring houses with crosses painted on their doors and windows, and are kept shut when darkness falls.

  • Baguio City - Philippine Military Academy Several ghosts haunt this place. Sometimes late at night a platoon can be heard marching in the parade grounds. A ghost of a cadet dressed in parade uniform and left in one of the lockers still appears. A ghost of a priest who was beheaded during the Japanese occupation period appears here as well as the ghost of a white lady.

  • Balete Drive - Balete Drive is a residential area in Katipunan, Quezon City famous for the apparition of a white lady. It is told that there was a teenage girl who was raped by a cab driver in the 50s in that area. It is possible that the lady of Balete is seeking revenge.

  • Manila Film Center - When the construction of Film Center at the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex was rushed in the early 1980s for a film fest, the ceiling scaffolding collapsed killing several workmen who fell to the orchestra below. Rather than halt construction to rescue survivors and retrieve the bodies of dead workmen, cement was poured into the orchestra, entombing the fallen workmen. Some of them were buried alive in the orchestra. Various ghostly activities were reported on the site including mysterious sounds, voices and poltergeist activity. In the late 1990s a group called the Spirit Questors began to make visits to the film center in an attempt to contact and appease the souls of the workmen who were killed in the building. Some of these spirits claimed to have moved on but a few allegedly remain.

  • Ozone Disco - Once there was a disco in Manila and it caught on fire. People tried to get out but people were pushing and panicking so no one got out. Some people near the location hear ghostly disco music in their houses at night and see faint people dancing.

Scotland

  • Edinburgh Castle: The castle has many ghosts, including a drummer who only appears when the castle is about to be attacked and a piper who disappeared in the tunnels between the castle and the High Street.

United States

  • Alcatraz is a former maximum security prison on an island in San Francisco Bay in the United States. It is no longer used as a prison. Visitors and tour guides have made claims of hearing screams, slamming cell doors, and footsteps.

  • Andleberry Estate in Clovis, California, is a mansion that used to be part of a sanitarium. The mansion, which is allegedly haunted by ex-residents of the sanitarium, will soon be transformed into a haunted hotel called The Wolfe Manor Hotel. The owner, Todd Wolfe, has heard ghosts walking and talking. He has even felt the ghosts breathing on him. Many paranormal investigators have visited the mansion. They claim that it is home to 22 different spirits. LiveSciFi.TV sent a group to spend the night inside the mansion. A couple of strange events happened, including a door that slammed shut by itself. A local news station did an over-night investigation for Halloween (of 2007) and recorded an EVP. Several other EVP's and orbs have been caught on audio/video by investigators.

  • Athens, Ohio is said to be one of the most haunted places in the USA, and is reputed to contain many ghosts. When drawing a line from each of the five cemeteries around Athens, it forms a pentagram with the center being Ohio University. Ohio University is also considered by some to be the most haunted campus in the USA, as is the former state hospital, Athens Lunatic Asylum, located right near campus.

  • Belcourt Castle, a French Renaissance-style château in Newport, Rhode Island, is alleged to be the location of numerous paranormal phenomena and events, including moving chairs, moving armor, ghostly apparitions, a possessed statue and various other sightings.

  • Big Bay Point Light, in Big Bay, Michigan, is reputedly haunted by the red-haired ghost of its first keeper, Will Prior.

  • Bobby Mackey's Music World, a country-western nightclub in Wilder, Kentucky (in the Cincinnati, Ohio metro area) is reputed to be "a gateway to Hell.

  • The Boston Athenæum is said to be haunted by the scholarly Rev. Harris, who was seen there by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

  • The Brinton Lodge in Douglassville, Pennsylvania is locally famous as a reputedly haunted house. The original structure, built in the early 1700s, was a one-room building which was operated as a tavern/roadhouse stop along the Schuylkill River Canal System. It was later expanded into a summer home, then remodeled into a gentlemen's club, and today is operated as a bar and restaurant. Legend has it that at least five spirits inhabit this property, including Caleb Brinton, "Dapper Dan," an older woman, and a "lady in white.

  • The Brown Grand Theatre in Concordia, Kansas has stories of a ghost that haunts the theatre, especially during the opening season.

  • Chestnut Lodge in Rockville, Maryland, was a private facility treating mental patients for over one-hundred years. Closed in 2001 and now under renovation for resale as upscale condominiums, separate recent investigations claim paranormal activity.

  • Hot Lake is a supposedly haunted hotel in eastern Oregon. The hotel is known for a fire, suicides, and hauntings from ghosts during its days as a sanitorium.

  • Hotel Chelsea in Manhattan, New York City is said to be haunted by a few different ghosts. Dylan Thomas, Eugene O'Neill, Thomas Wolfe, and bassist Sid Vicious supposedly haunts the elevator .

  • Huntress Hall of Keene State College located in Keene, New Hampshire is supposedly haunted by its namesake, Harriet Huntress. One of the schools residence halls, students often report strange noises coming from the building's attic, where Huntress' wheelchair remains to this day.

  • Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri - There are said to be sightings, sounds, and lights flickering on and off in the arena late at night from a former WWF wrestler named Owen Hart who died in 1999 by falling 78 feet (24 m) to his death from the ceiling of the arena . There are also said to be sightings of him still in his Blue Blazer suit at the top of the arena looking down with the cable hooked up to him.

  • The Lemp Mansion in St. Louis, Missouri is said to be one of the most haunted buildings in the United States. Four members of the Lemp family killed themselves, three in the mansion. There are said to be apparition sightings, glasses flying off of the bar, pianos playing by themselves, etc. The mansion is now open as a restaurant and bed and breakfast.

  • The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, Massachusetts, which is now a bed and breakfast, is claimed to be the most haunted house in the USA. It is the site of a double murder, one of the most famous in US history, claimed ghost sightings and noises.

  • Los Angeles, California has numerous sites that are believed to be inhabited by the spirits of deceased celebrities. Some apparitions have been reported as being sighted at more than one location in the city.

  • Ohioville, Pennsylvania - A mile long stretch of Kelly Road, nick-named Mystery Mile by former residents, is reported to be the site of supernatural activity. Animals along this road turn from docile to violent without explanation, often chasing after people and each other. The thick forest that the road cuts through is known for unexplained noises and white apparitions. The origin of these events is unknown, and speculation ranges from some kind of curse on the land to cult activity once tied to this region.

  • Old Louisville, said to be "America's Most Haunted Neighborhood", is one of the largest historic preservation districts in the country - and supposedly the largest Victorian neighborhood in the nation. It is also said to be home to dozens of haunted mansions and local ghost stories.

  • Point Lookout Lighthouse, at the southern-most tip of Maryland's western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, has seen numerous shipwrecks, bodies washed ashore, and plenty of paranormal activity, as documented over the centuries.

  • The Polish Museum of America in Chicago is believed to be haunted by ghost of famous pianist Ignace Paderewski. The staff recounts a number of incidents related by a number of people, including the cleaning crew who have claimed to experience ghostly-related phenomena late at night. The Ghost Research Society was even brought in by the museum staff to investigate these claims.

  • The Regent Theater in Allegan, Michigan is said to be haunted, and witnesses claim to have seen moving forms and felt physical touching.

  • Southgate Anderson High School in Southgate, Michigan is supposedly haunted by a boy who had drowned in the pool,people have seen him there trying to keep people from drowning.

  • The Stickney House in Bull Valley, Illinois has a unique design due to Stickney's belief in Spiritualism. It is thought that he and his wife wished to communicate with their dead children. Today the house is the local police department, and it is claimed that police report strange sounds, objects moving around, lights turning off, and door knobs turning and doors opening by themselves. Other homes in the area are also rumored to be haunted. The nearby Holcombville cemetery includes tombs of the Stickney children and a person killed in the crash of American Airlines Flight 191.

  • At the Story Inn in Story, Indiana, a guest room is supposedly haunted by a ghost known as "the Blue Lady". Little is known of who she might be, or why she might haunt that room, but her alleged presence is mentioned in many separate guestbook entries. According to some, she seems more likely to appear if a certain table-lamp is turned on.

  • In Sunnyvale, California many Toys "R" Us employees have reported seeing unusual rearranging of toys in the aisles, and reported sightings of a man in his thirties dressed in old clothing. His name is believed to be Johan, and is believed to be a farmer who used to live on the site of the Toys "R" Us and is just keeping "an eye on the old place". The store still remains open today; most customers are completely unaware of this legend.

  • Union Cemetery in Easton, Connecticut, which dates back to the 1600s, is touted as one of the most haunted cemeteries not only in Connecticut, but in the entire country. Many haunts have been said to exist on the grounds of the cemetery. Several visitors who have photographed the cemetery are later surprised to see orbs, light rods, ectoplasmic mists, and on rare occasions even full apparations appear in their photographs that were not visible at the time the photo was taken. The most well-known haunt is a spirit known as "The White Lady". The identity of the spirit is not known, but sightings of her didn't occur until the late 1940s; meaning she must have died sometime before then. People have photographed and even videotaped her. Not only have people seen her with their own eyes, but some passers-by have even "hit" her with their cars as they drove past the cemetery.

  • Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Kentucky - A former tuberculosis hospital, Waverly Hills has been of strong interest with paranormal investigators, some calling it "the most haunted place on Earth". There are unconfirmed reports of more than 60,000 deaths at the site, and the property owners, workers, and investigators have claimed that at almost anytime you can see strange lights, phantasms and shadows moving around the corridors and rooms of the building.

  • The Whaley House in the "Old Town" section of San Diego, California, is reportedly a haunted house. The house was one of the region's first court houses as well as hanging grounds before being converted to a residence.

  • The White House in Washington, D.C. is riddled with stories of different hauntings.

  • The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California, is supposedly haunted by the ghost of its eccentric builder, Sarah Winchester. Ironically, she is said to have built the rambling mansion to protect her from the spirits of all those killed with her late husband's famous line of rifles.

Books

United States

Alabama

  • The Face in the Window and Other Alabama Ghostlore, Alan Brown, University of Alabama Press (1997), ISBN 978-0817308131

Kentucky

  • Ghosts of Old Louisville: True Stories of Hauntings from America's Largest Victorian Neighborhood, David Domine, McClanahan Publishing House (2005), ISBN 978-0913383919

Michigan

  • More Haunted Michigan: New Encounters with Ghosts of the Great Lakes State, Gerald S. Hunter, Lake Claremont Press (2005), ISBN 978-1933272016

South Dakota

  • The South Dakota Road Guide to Haunted Locations, Chad Lewis, Terry Fisk, and Michael Thomas Coffield, Unexplained Research Publishing Company (2006), ISBN 978-0976209935

Vermont

  • The Vermont Ghost Guide, Joseph A. Citro, University Press of New England (2000), ISBN 978-1584650096

Multistate

  • Weird Hauntings: True Tales of Ghostly Places, Joanne Austin, Mark Moran, and Mark Sceurman, Sterling (2006), ISBN 978-1402742262

See also

References

External links



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