America’s Most Haunted

Alcatraz   A former prison situated on an island off the coast of San Francisco, CA.   The more active locations are the hospital ward, cell block “D”, the utility corridor, and "the holes".  Although no executions were ever carried out in this prison, there were many murders and suicides within its walls, so it is not surprising that there are numerous reports of strange voices, noises, smells and cold circling winds.  Cell 14D is supposedly always freezing cold, even in warm weather.  The prison was closed in the 1960's, and now hosts tours year round.  Prison guards and tour guides alike have all reported strange ghosts and experiences on Alcatraz Island.

Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, At the edge of the Rubio Woods Forest Preserves near Midlothian, Illinois, lies this peculiar, notoriously haunted  cemetery.  It is known for its paranormal activity such as; a Madonna in white, a ghost farmhouse, and a phantom farmer, horse, and plow.  Balls of red and blue light are said to zip around both in the cemetery, and on the gravel path leading into the cemetery.  The cemetery is not accessible by automobile, and trespassers risk hefty fines for getting caught there at night.

The Myrtles Plantation   A ghost hunter’s dream, located thirty miles north of Baton Rouge, LA, is the famous Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, LA.  This sprawling haunted plantation boasts the ghosts of a former house slave named Chloe, and the owner’s children, who were poisoned to death accidentally (well, sort of) by the housegirl.  Both of these apparitions have been photographed and are well documented in the paranormal world.  The current owners have daily tours, and they have 11 rooms where they provide B&B.

Northern State Hospital - Near Seattle, in Sedro-Woolly, Washington lies what was the Northern State Hospital, a psychiatric facility which housed mildly to criminally insane patients. It was one of the only facilities of its kind to operate both as a farm, and an insane asylum, often employing some of the patients to do various chores and the like. It opened in 1910 and closed for good in 1976. There is reported to be approximately 1500 unclaimed souls buried there, many in unmarked graves, and an additional 200 unclaimed cremated remains were found, when the present owner took possession of the property. Paranormal reports from the site include; the sensation of being scratched, or pulled, extremely tall shadow people, or dark ghostly figures, an apparition of a nurse, frequent crying and screaming, tapping, and threatening voices are all reported from within the structures. The owner of the property recently contacted TAPS trying to have the haunting disproved, due to the constant stream of sight-seers and novice ghost hunters, trespassing and in some cases, destroying his property. TAPS came up with conclusive video proof that Northern State Hospital is indeed haunted. The owner was concerned, and warns that anyone caught breaking in will be arrested immediately.

The Stanley Hotel - Perched up high in the great Rocky Mountains, is the small community of Estes Park, Colorado. Estes Park is home to the legendary Stanley Hotel. The Stanley is one of the most haunted hotels in The United States, and one of the most well-known. Its notoriety comes, in part, to being the hotel in which Stephen King stayed at length, while writing his horror masterpiece The Shining. And in fact, the hotel in the book was portrayed keeping the Stanley Hotel in mind. Stephen King himself is even said to have seen the ghost of a little girl here. Other reports include a haunted servants’ quarters, children are heard when no children are staying, and even reports of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley themselves, with Mrs. Stanley returning to play her own piano. It seems as though the Stanley Hotel has embraced its haunted reputation, and runs tours in the evening hours.

Waverly Hills Sanitarium   Nestled amoungst the trees, high on a hilltop in Louisville, Kentucky rests Waverly Hills Sanitarium.  The hospital itself was closed in 1961 and reopened as a geriatric home is 1962.  As a sanitarium, it is said that patients were treated kindly, but with the outbreak of tuberculosis in the pre-antibiotic times, death tolls were staggering.  They used to send the bodies down a tunnel underground, as so not to upset the living patients and have them lose all hope.  The hearses would wait at the bottom of the tunnel to load the bodies.  As a nursing home, the facility was closed due to patient abuse.  The current owners run tours, overnight excursions, and Halloween attractions to help pay for restorations.  They are scheduled to host a heavy metal concert with multiple bands in the fall of 2007. 

The White House   The home of our president and first lady, and located in Washington D.C., is “The White House”, which is reportedly very haunted.  Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands once stayed overnight in the Lincoln bedroom, and was awakened by knocking at the door.  When she opened the door, she found herself face to face with Abraham Lincoln’s ghost.  There is a demonic cat that is said to occupy the sub-basement.  The appearance of the cat has preceded tragedies such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and the stock market crash in the 1920’s.

America's Most Haunted Locations

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