This is the 8th and final day of our 2020 Halloweek!
We bring you the Ghost Hunter’s Guide to the U.S. Part 3! This includes the last 17 states and some of their most haunted places!
Check out the Ghost Hunter’s Guide to the U.S. Part 1 here.
This features the first 17 states.
Check out the Ghost Hunter’s Guide to the U.S. Part 2 here.
This features the next 17 states.
Without further ado, here’s the Ghost Hunter’s Guide to the U.S. Part 3!
Oregon: Heceta Head Lighthouse, Florence
The Heceta Head Lighthouse located in Florence, Oregon, is home to a ghost named Rue. Her husband was the lighthouse groundskeeper, Frank DeRoy, during the 1890s. Frank and Rue had a daughter who died tragically on the premises. Now, the lighthouse is a refurbished bed and breakfast spot where guests can stay in the groundskeepers quarters. Many guests have claimed to smell flowers and see the imprint of a woman sitting in bed and then mysteriously vanish moments later.
Pennsylvania: Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia
This prison opened in 1892. With the intent to focus on reform over traditional punishment, it became the home for testing various reform techniques resulting in horrific treatment of its inmates. It was one of the first prisons to implement true penance. Some of its most notable inmates include Al Capone, Freda Frost and Leo Callahan. The former jail does offer night tours as well as an online alternative.
Rhode Island: Biltmore Hotel, Providence
The Biltmore Hotel belongs in any ghost hunter’s manual. In 1918, a Satanist named Johan Leisse Weisskopf financed the construction of the Biltmore hotel. After its completion in 1922, he used the elegant building to educate the public about Satanism. The lessons included weekly sacrifices of his pet chickens, purification rituals, and, rumor has it, human blood sacrifices and murders. When prohibition was underway, the hotel’s basement doubled as a speakeasy, which mobsters would frequent.
Now, almost a hundred years later, the spirits of the tortured souls who fell victim to Weisskopf and the numerous mobsters haunt the halls. Specters have been known to appear and then vanish. The sounds of cacophonous parties permeate the rooms. Most famously, the ghost of a wealthy financier who committed suicide by jumping from his 14th floor window has been witnessed. Guests on lower floors have reported seeing a male body plummeting past their windows, but when they rush to their balconies to look, there is nobody on the ground below.
South Carolina: White Point Gardens
The White Point Gardens in Charleston are deceivingly gorgeous, with canopies of Spanish oak trees, sprawling grass, and vibrant flowers. However, its dark past is marked by an unobtrusive monument standing in the quiet, northeastern corner of the park. The words engraved on this monument list the 30 pirates who were hanged in this park, with their bodies thrown into the marsh beside the park. Between 1718 and 1849, there were 200 total lives that were ended due to the much-publicized hangings in this park. Some were pirates, many were slaves, and others were common criminals. Many visitors have reported feeling random cold spots, seeing spirits, and orbs of light. The most common sighting is that of the pirates who still roam this park, waiting for their ship to return for them.
South Dakota: Bullock Hotel, Deadwood
Located in Deadwood,South Dakota,a town known for lawlessness and crime in the 1870s. The Bullock Hotel built in 1886 by Seth Bullock. To this day, the hotel is still open, and guests claim to have had paranormal encounters in the hallways of the second and third floors. Experiences tend to impact idle hotel employees especially if they whistle or hum.While guests claim that their showers turn on their own as well as guests’ belongings being moved on their own.
Tennessee: Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park, Germantown
This beautiful, picturesque park is the home of the ghost of a man known as the Pigaman. While he was among the living, he worked at an explosive plant. There was an accident and he was horribly disfigured during an explosion. He now wanders the park wearing the face of a pig, and the tales that surround this tortured soul have said that he is waiting for his next victim. There is a bridge in the park called Pigman Bridge. If you park in the middle of it, flash your headlights, and call out “Pigman” three times, he is known to appear.
Texas: Yorktown Memorial Hospital, Yorktown
A former hospital located in Yorktown, Texas, is currently abandoned but open for tours. The hospital was founded by the “Felician Sisters”, a Roman Catholic Church in 1950. This hospital served primarily as a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. It is reported that over 2,000 people have died. The facility closed in 1980 due to poor conditions. The building’s caretaker has witnessed dark apparitions, glowing eyes, and talking dolls in the former childcare area.
Utah: Ben Lomond Hotel, Ogdon
Built in 1891 under its former name “Reed Hotel”. Several years later it was renovated and renamed, and then renamed “Ben Lomond Hotel” in 1931. At the time it was one of the only hotels to host travelers and businessmen in the town. Its haunted history dates back to the prohibition era, when guests who frequented the hotel wanted to rebel by creating an underground tunnel that would act as a speakeasy bar with sex workers, and criminal activity. These tunnels enabled drug and alcohol smuggling throughout the state.
It is said that there are two areas of the hotel that have the most activity. In room 1011, a woman on her honeymoon died by drowning in the tub unexpectedly is rumored to roam the room to this day. In room 1102, many guests have heard disembodied voices. A woman lost her son and was so overwhelmed by the guilt she lived the rest of her days in the hotel room.
Vermont: Hartness House Inn, Springfield
Located in Springfield, Vermont, the Hartness House Inn is a former mansion turned inn that is known for its extensive history. The property is home to a haunted underground tunnel created by James Hartness, a notable inventor. The tunnels included a working library, study, lounge and bathroom. Unexplained occurrences include the electricity going out for no reason, items will go missing and show up in another location.
Virginia: St. Albans Sanatorium, Radford
The St. Albans Sanatorium’s haunted history dates back to the 1700s. The sanatorium was built on Native American land which brought European settlers to the property. In July 1755, a battle took place between a group of Shawnee Indians and European settlers resulting in the colonization of the land and the death of five hostages. Years later in 1892, the St. Albans Sanatorium was built. There are numerous areas on property that are hot spots for paranormal activity. Specifically the rooms where they did various electro shock therapy and some patients were blasted with fire hoses as part of ‘hydrotherapy’. The basement is another popular spot for paranormal activity, known to be haunted by two females, one who was a child of a hospital patient and a woman who was murdered near the St. Albans Sanatorium.
Washington: Northern State Mental Hospital
The Northern State Mental Hospital was established after the Western State Hospital was criticized for unsanitary conditions and overcrowding in 1912. The former mental institution was once home to over 2,700 patients during the 1950s. It is rumored to be haunted by former patients who died during procedures like trans-orbital lobotomies. Some buildings are off limits to the public and no longer in use, while other buildings on the property are in use.
Washington D.C.: The White House
Many people say that ghosts are the spirits of people who stick around in this life because they have unfinished business. The presidents of the United States are no exception to this rule of thumb. The most famous and frequently seen apparition in the White House is that of Abraham Lincoln. Many former presidents and First Ladies including Eleanor Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, and Theodore Roosevelt have seen his spirit haunting the Lincoln bedroom and other spots. There is a portrait of Mary Todd Lincoln that was painted after his death, but a ghostly silhouette of her husband has appeared standing behind her. Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands one night heard footsteps outside of her bedroom where she was sleeping. She opened the door to see Lincoln wearing a frock coat and top hat. She fainted on the spot.
Late one evening when Winston Churchill was staying there, he got out of the bath and walked into the bedroom, completely naked. Lincoln was leaning on the mantle next to the fireplace, Churchill, though shocked, managed to retain his wit and said, “Good evening, Mr. President. You seem to have me at a disadvantage”, to which Lincoln chuckled, and then vanished. Lyndon Johnson also had a tender moment with the president. He was in great distress over the Vietnam war. Lincoln came to him and Johnson, seeking guidance from someone who had been in a similar position (the Civil War), asked him how to handle the situation. Lincoln replied, “don’t go to the theatre”.
Many tourists visit the White House every day with no idea that it is a popular ghost hunter’s destination.
West Virginia: Abandoned Amusement Park, Lake Shawnee
Some genius had the brilliant idea to build an amusement park atop a Native American burial ground. However, the hauntings started before the amusement park was built. Mitchell Clay brought his family to this area during the late 1700s. In 1783, a Native American tribe kidnapped his son, Ezekial, and slaughtered two of his other kids before burning Ezekiel at the stake. Clay sought revenge and killed several of the Native Americans.
Years later, in the 1920s, a man named Conley Snidow purchased the land and built an amusement park. It wasn’t long before things started to go awry. Around 6 people died during mysterious circumstances, and the park shut down in the 1960s. 20 years later, Gaylord White bought the property to start construction on a new neighborhood. During the preliminary groundwork, construction workers unearthed bones and ancient artifacts, which revealed it to be the site of a Native American burial ground. Construction ceased and the amusement park remains. Visitors have reported hearing chanting, footsteps, and voices of children. One visitor even found himself locked in a ticket booth that had no locks.
Wisconsin: The Pfister Hotel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
As a historic landmark, the Pfister Hotel is home to professional basketball and baseball players in Milwaukee. Many players have had paranormal experiences while staying at the hotel. One player heard disembodied voices and then his iPod began wildly shaking. While others have claimed that they have seen apparitions of the hotel founder, Charles Pfister throughout the premises. This hotel earns a place in any ghost hunter’s travels.
Wyoming: The Historic Plains Hotel, Cheyenne
The Historic Plains Hotel is the home of three spirits who were all involved in a double murder-suicide. According to the legend, a newly married couple was at the hotel on their honeymoon when they got into a fight. It is rumored that the husband left and was found with another woman, the wife killed them both before turning the gun on herself. All three spirits have been seen opening and closing windows and doors and throughout the hotel.
Does anybody have a ghost hunter’s guide for their hometown?
If you think we missed a popular spot known for ghostly activity, we’d love to know about it! Be sure to tell us in the comments below.
Happy Halloween!
Be sure to visit our other Ghost Hunter’s Guides from 2020!
Check out the Ghost Hunter’s Guide to the U.S. Part 1 here.
This features the first 17 states.
Check out the Ghost Hunter’s Guide to the U.S. Part 2 here.
This features the next 17 states.
Some other interesting resources to whet a ghost hunter’s whistle:
World’s Creepiest Unsolved Mysteries
A Haunted History of the Ouija Board
The Magical History of Halloween
