Most of the sites below are from LegendsofAmerica.com. I added a few I've seen mentioned multiple times elsewhere. Please add any others to the comments field and I'll start a new list.
Most of the sites below are from LegendsofAmerica.com. I added a few I've seen mentioned multiple times elsewhere. Please add any others to the comments field and I'll start a new list.
Alcatraz, San Francisco, California- With its centuries old history from ancient Native Americans, to Fort Alcatraz, to a Military Barracks, and most often known service as one of the toughest federal penitentiaries in the Nation, it is no wonder that this place is said to be one of the most haunted in the nation. Often described as a portal to another dimension. Alcatraz is filled with energy of those who came to the "Rock" and seemingly never left.
Today, these spirits that continue to lurk in the shadows of the often fog-enshrouded island have been heard, seen and felt by both the staff and many visitors to Alcatraz. The sounds of men’s voices, screams, whistles, clanging metal doors and terrifying screams are said to be heard within these historic walls, especially near the dungeon.\
Gettysburg Battlefield, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania - Over ten thousand men died in the battle of Gettysburg. The most violent battle of the Civil War, over 10,000 men lost their lives in July, 1863. Cited as the war's turning point, the Battle of Gettysburg effectively ended Confederate General Robert E. Lee's invasion of the North. A National Historic site today, not only does it offer a wealth of history, but is also said to be one of the most haunted places in the nation. Visitors often report ghostly encounters, many of whom initially believe they've seen Civil War re-enactors, only to find out later that no such groups are at the park. There are allegedly a number of ghosts that lurk within the park, especially at a place called Devil's Den where hundreds of men lost their lives. Many have also reported hearing disembodied screams and numerous others report malfunctioning cameras.
Lemp Mansion, St Louis, Missouri- Said to be one of the ten most haunted places in America, the Lemp Mansion in St. Louis, Missouri, continues to play host to the tragic Lemp family. Over the years, the mansion was transformed from the stately home of millionaires, to office space, decaying into a run-down boarding house, and finally restored to its current state as a fine dinner theatre, restaurant and bed and breakfast. The scene of triumph and tragedy, with a background of intrigue, scandal and suicide, visitors have reported a wide range of phenomena at the Mansion. Tales of phantom guests sitting on chairs and misty white apparitions appearing throughout the mansion are often told. Candles are said to mysteriously light of their own accord and the smell of cigar smoke fills the area in the non-smoking environment. Guests have claimed to have felt someone stroking their hair in the night and receiving phantom phone calls. Personal items have been known to disappear or be moved
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 Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - This former prison operated from 1829 to 1971 and its revolutionary system of incarceration was the first to establish the policy of separate confinement, emphasizing principles of reform rather than punishment. However, the confinement was severe, locking inmates in their cells 23 hours per day and prohibiting any communication among inmates. Punishment was harsh, including subjecting them to water baths, where inmates who broke the rules would be dunked in a bath of ice-cold water then hung from a wall for the night. They were also punished in what was called the "Mad Chair," so named because it was not uncommon for an inmate to go mad before his punishment ended. During this punishment, inmates would be strapped into the chair so tightly that it was impossible for them to move at all while sitting for days without food until the circulation in their body almost stopped from the tightness of the straps and the lack of movement. For consistently refusing to obey the no communication rules, an iron collar was sometimes clamped onto the tongue of the inmate, then chained to his wrists which were strapped high behind their back. Called the Iron Gag, any movement would result in the tearing of the tongue and severe bleeding, from which many died before their torment ended. Notorious criminals such as bank robber Willie Sutton and Al Capone were held within its walls. Today it is currently a U.S. National Historic Landmark, which is open to the public as a museum for regular tours as well as haunted tours. Today, visitors and staff report hearing unexplained eerie sounds throughout the prison, as well as whispering, laughing and weeping and seeing tormented faces in the cells. |
Lemp Mansion, St Louis, Missouri- Said to be one of the ten most haunted places in America, the Lemp Mansion in St. Louis, Missouri, continues to play host to the tragic Lemp family. Over the years, the mansion was transformed from the stately home of millionaires, to office space, decaying into a run-down boarding house, and finally restored to its current state as a fine dinner theatre, restaurant and bed and breakfast. The scene of triumph and tragedy, with a background of intrigue, scandal and suicide, visitors have reported a wide range of phenomena at the Mansion. Tales of phantom guests sitting on chairs and misty white apparitions appearing throughout the mansion are often told. Candles are said to mysteriously light of their own accord and the smell of cigar smoke fills the area in the non-smoking environment. Guests have claimed to have felt someone stroking their hair in the night and receiving phantom phone calls. Personal items have been known to disappear or be moved
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Mount Misery Road, West Hills, New York - Not far from the populated built up areas of Long Island, the small hamlet of West Hills sits quietly in an amazing country setting surrounded by a nature preserve. The community is filled with very old well-to-do homes, hidden behind groves of trees, along with horse farms and paddocks. There are no street lights, telephone poles or cable lines; and roads are narrow, including that of Mount Misery Road. Though residents have long tried to change the name of the road, most likely to stop the late-night tourists, hey have been unsuccessful due to resistance by historical societies. There have long been paranormal legends along this historic and narrow path including ghostly faces seen in the trunks of trees, strange lights playing over the woods, and misty apparitions that appear to drivers. Reports of the "Lay in White" are often told, where visitors have seen her walking on the side of the road, but when they turn around, she is gone. There are other reports of a phantom hanging from a bridge, the result of a long ago suicide. Others report a phantom demonic-like dog that lurks in the wood and a group of men dressed in spotlessly clean black suits. A graveyard ghost named Mary allegedly haunts an old cemetery along the side of the road. Myrtles Plantation, St. Francisville, Louisiana - Built in 1796 by General David Bradford and first called Laurel Grove, the antebellum plantation near Baton Rouge operates as a bed and breakfast today and offers historical and mystery tours. Said to be one of the most haunted homes in America, an number of theories abound as to why it is so haunted. But, when one learns the history of this old building, it becomes more clear. First, it was allegedly built on the site of an ancient Indian burial ground and after the house was done, ten murders were committed within her walls. There are number of strange events that occur within the mansion including handprints in the mirrors, the sound of footsteps on the stairs when no one is their, strange smells and objects that move or disappear. there are allegedly a number of spirits that remain within the building including a French woman who wanders from room to room, a ghost who sits at the grand piano playing the same chord over and over again, and a young girl who only appears just before thunderstorms.
But, the most famous apparition of the home is a woman named Cloe. A slave, she became her master's mistress, and when he tired of her, she began to eavesdrop on the family. When she was caught, she had her ear cut off and sent to the fields to work as punishment. As revenge, she poisoned a family birthday cake, which killed the family's two children and the mother. The other slaves, fearful of the plantation owner's wrath, dragged Cloe out of the house and hanged her. The spirit of Cloe, as well as the two children and the mother are said to remain within the house.
The Queen Mary, Long Beach, California- Resting in Long Beach Harbor is the HMS Queen Mary, a colossal ship that was bigger, faster and more powerful than the Titanic. The 1,000-foot ship began her life when the first keel plate was laid in 1930 at the John Brown shipyard in Clyde, Scotland. The depression held up her construction between 1931 and 1934, but she was finally completed, making her maiden voyage on May 27, 1936. After 1,001 successful Atlantic crossings, she was permanently docked and soon became the luxury hotel that she is today. Today, the museum-hotel ocean liner is said to be called home to a number of ghosts including ghostly children playing by the pool and the spirit of a seventeen-year-old sailor killed while escaping a fire. More odd occurrences have been made in a number of first-class staterooms. Here, reports have been made of a tall dark haired man appearing in a 1930’s style suit, as well as water running and lights turning on in the middle of the night, and phones ringing in the early morning hours with no one on the other end of the line.
In the third class children’s playroom, a baby’s cry has often been heard, which is thought to be the infant boy who died shortly after his birth. Other phenomenon occurring throughout the ship, are the sounds of distinct knocks, doors slamming and high pitched squeals, drastic temperature changes, and the aromas of smells long past.
 Saint Augustine Lighthouse, St. Augustine, Florida - First build by Spanish settlers during the 1600's, ghost stories about the lighthouse intrigued visitors for decades. The present lighthouse was built in 1874, replacing the first one, which was about 1/4 mile away, that was lost due to tidal erosion. In 1824, it became an official U.S. lighthouse. Today it serves as a museum preserving and interpreting Northeast Florida's rich maritime history. Several ghosts are said to haunt the historic lighthouse including three young girls who died while playing in a rail car used to bring supplies up the hillside during construction of the new lighthouse. While five children riding in the car, something happened and all of them fell into the water. Two were saved but three drowned. Visitors today often report hearing a female crying, "Help me!" Several other people died at the lighthouse over the years and a number of strange events occur today that suggests some of them might remain. These include mysterious light, footsteps from unseen people, the apparition of a man, and cigar smoke.  Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado- This old hotel was built in the early 1900's by F.O. Stanley, who created the Stanley Steam Engine -- a steam powered horseless carriage. The majestic Georgian style hotel opened in 1909, catering to the rich and famous. In addition to its regular guests, the hotel is also said to play host to a number of other worldly visitors. The most notable is F.O. Stanley himself who is most often seen in the lobby and the Billiard Room, which was his favorite room when he was still alive. Not to be left out, his wife, Flora Stanley also haunts the hotel, continuing to entertain guests with her piano playing in the ballroom. Employees and guests have reported hearing music coming from the room, and when they take a peek in there, they can see the piano keys moving. However, as soon as someone walks across the thresh-hold to investigate further, the music stops and no more movement can be seen upon the keys of the piano. There are tales of other ghosts as well including that of a small child, who reportedly Stephen King saw when he stayed at the hotel and wrote The Shining.  Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Louisville, Kentucky - The Waverly Hills Sanatorium opened in 1910 as a two-story hospital to accommodate 40 to 50 tuberculosis patients. Though considered the best site at the time for treating the disease, the procedures were primitive, doctors experimented, and used illegal drugs. Tuberculosis sometimes ravaged the mind, causing patients to go insane. More than 6,000 patients died during the time that the Sanatorium was open. It closed in 1962. Currently, there are plans to turn the historic building into a hotel even though it is said to be one of the most haunted hospitals in the United States. Visitors experience cold spots, disembodied voices, and ghosts roaming the halls. The spirit of a little girl has been seen on the third floor solarium playing hide and seek with visitors, a small boy has been spied playing with a ball, and an old woman has shown herself running from the front door with her wrists bleeding screaming: “Help me. Somebody save me!” Other phenomenon includes rooms lighting up when there is no power in the building, doors slamming of their own accord, cries and screams, and at least one report of a ghostly hearse driving up to drop off coffins. Winchester Mansion, San Jose, California - The Winchester Mystery House is a well-known California mansion that was under construction continuously for 38 years, and is reported to be very haunted. It once was the personal residence of Sarah Winchester, the widow of gun magnate William Wirt Winchester, but is now a tourist attraction. An extravagant maze of Victorian craftsmanship, visitors can wander through 110 of the 160 rooms of this Victorian mansion, designed and built by the Winchester Rifle heiress Sarah Winchester. Under Winchester's day-to-day guidance, its "from-the-ground-up" construction proceeded around-the-clock, without interruption, from 1884 until her death on September 5, 1922, at which time work immediately ceased. Over the years numerous strange events have been reported such as ghostly footsteps, banging doors, mysterious voices, cold spots, and Sarah Winchester herself, has been spied many times. 
Ohio State Reformatory, Mansfield, Ohio- The energy in the "Hole" (aka solitary confinement) area was bad -- several men had died in that area, some of them murdered. I also came away from the East Cell Block completely exhausted by whatever still lingers there. In the warden's apartments, where the wife of a warden was shot to death in a mysterious accident, I was confronted by a very young inmate who seemed to think I could somehow get him out of jail. As I left the prison, this inmate followed me out and started whining at me to "get me out of here!" Then he jumped on my back in a kind of ghostly choke-hold, trying to keep me from going. I managed to shrug out of his grip, but it was one of the creepiest experiences I've had in ghost hunting.
 Franklin Castle, Cleveland, Ohio- now sits derelict and no one knows what the future will bring, but it can easily claim the "most haunted house in Ohio" title. It was built by a wealthy merchant, Hannes Tiedemann. There are dozens of rooms and corridors including a secret room found to contain human bones. Uneasy residents-and few stayed very long--have heard babies crying and mutterings in the walls. Some reported being overcome by horrible feelings of sadness or as if they were being taken over by another's personality. The Tiedemann family experienced many deaths in the house, but the ghosts are harder to pin down. Legend says that Tiedemann hung a young girl -- a relative or a servant girl or a mistress, depending on the story -- and it is her sad, black-clad figure that is seen on the balcony. |
Bachelor's Grove Cemetery, Midlothian, Illinois - Largely abandoned since the mid 1960's, this 1800s-era cemetery is well-known for its haunted stories and ghost sightings. The small cemetery in the Chicago metropolitan area, is located near Midlothian and Oak Forest, Illinois in the Rubio Woods Forest Preserve at 143rd Street & the Midlothian Turnpike. Victim to vandals over the years, many of the tombstones are toppled and rumors circulate that the cemetery has been the location for satanic and occultist groups performing ceremonies. Over the years, numerous stories have been told of glowing balls, sightings of apparitions; strange noises being heard including moans, squeaks, and groans; and voices. Paranormal investigators report strange photos, anomalous recordings and sightings of unbelievable creatures. Near the cemetery is a quarry pond that is also said to be haunted. The foul, dark, algae covered pool is said to have been used by Al Capone and other gangsters as a dumping place of their murder victims. Other reports tell of the ghosts of a farmer and his horse who were drowned in the pond as well as another unknown "two-headed" ghost.
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