In honor of Halloween this month, I found an article on scenicstates.com detailing the most haunted places in America.

10. Whaley House (San Diego, California)

In 2005, LIFE Magazine called the Whaley House “the most haunted house in America.” Built in 1857 atop a former graveyard site, the property has been turned into a residential house, store, courthouse, city theater, ballroom hall, school, and community center. Before construction even began, the site where the house stands has reportedly been haunted by the ghost of convicted robber “Yankee Jim” Robinson, who was hanged in 1852 from a gallows that stood on the property. Thomas Whaley then bought the property and built his house there, only to hear the heavy footsteps of a large man in boots haunting the home for more than 100 years. Guests, visitors, and employees who worked in the house have reported sightings of the Whaley family ghosts, as well as the family’s dead dog running in the house. Since 1960, the Whaley House has been operating as a museum, allowing self-guided day tours and hosting guided evening tours.

11. The Dock Street Theatre (Charleston, South Carolina)

Like many things in Charleston, SC, the history of the Dock Street Theatre is rich and super interesting. The building itself dates back to 1809 and was originally constructed as theater. When the Great Fire of 1740 (which destroyed many of the buildings in Charleston’s French Quarter) also burnt down the theater, a hotel called Planter’s Inn was built on the same location. By 1930s,  the structure got back to its roots and converted back to a theater in the 1930s. Legend has its, Nettie Dickerson, a former prostitute who frequented the hotel in mid1800s, has been roaming Dock Street Theatre. According to stories, then-25-year-old Nettie was struck by lightning while standing on the balcony of the Planter’s  Inn. From then on, sightings of Nettie dressed in a red gown had been happening along the second floor of the theater, . Another resident ghost of Dock Street Theatre is Junius Brutus Booth, a renowned 19th-century actor who used to frequent the inn.

12. House of the Seven Gables (Salem, Massachusetts)

If you’ve ever read the famous 1851 novel, The House of the Seven Gables, this is the house that inspired that book. Yes, the author Nathaniel Hawthorne born in Salem and have known the gothic-like house growing up.As you may have guessed, the house in question has been shrouded with tales of ghost sightings and paranormal activities told by employees working there throughout the years.

SOURCE: SCENICSTATES.COM

In honor of Halloween this month, I found an article on scenicstates.com detailing the most haunted places in America.

7. Myrtles Plantation (St. Francisville, Louisiana)

Named after the crepe myrtles that grew all over the property, Myrtles Plantation was built in 1796 by General David Bradford and is known as one of the most haunted homes in America. For starters, the house is rumored to be on top of a Tunica Indian burial ground. Since its construction, Myrtles Plantation has allegedly been the scene of at least ten murders, but historical records can only confirm the 1871 murder of William Drew Winter, an attorney shot by a stranger and died on the stairs trying to stagger back in the house. Perhaps the most notorious ghost tale is that of a former slave named Chloe (or Cleo in some versions), whose owners had her ear chopped off for eavesdropping. She allegedly retaliated by poisoning a birthday cake, killing two of the owner’s daughters. Chloe was in turn killed by the other slaves, perhaps fearing their owner will take out his rage out on them. However, there are no records of a slave named Chloe or Cleo ever living on the plantation; the owner’s daughters who were allegedly poisoned actually died of yellow fever, according to medical records.

Today, the former antebellum plantation is now home to a bed and breakfast as well as a restaurant. Day and night self-guided and private tours are offered to guests who want to know all about the history of the plantation and its significance.

8. Braley Pond (West Augusta, Virginia)

Braley Pond is a picturesque camping and fishing spot located in George Washington National Forest, just outside of West Augusta, Virginia. It has always been known as one of the most haunted campgrounds in America, what with stories of apparitions floating over the creek, splashing sounds on the otherwise still pond, disembodied children’s laughter, and the sound of horses’ hooves when there aren’t any animals for miles. Though these ghost stories and rumors of suicides and missing hikers have surrounded Braley Pond, it’s the 2003 gang murder of Christopher Kennedy that added to the notoriety of this campground. Kennedy was lured to the pond by his fellow Crips gang members who then stabbed him multiple times. Paranormal experts who have entered this area since the murder have reported feeling nausea and a slime-like sensation crawling up their back, as if the evil in the area manifested physically and attacked them.

9. The Stanley Hotel (Estes Park, Colorado)

No list of the most haunted places in America will ever be complete without the Stanley Hotel. Estes Valley was once the Rocky Mountains’ best-kept secret until 1903, when F.O. Stanley’s doctor recommended he spend a summer here to improve his tuberculosis-stricken lungs. He and his wife Flora resolved to come back here every summer, but soon missed the trappings of city life and the sophistication of East Coast society. Thus construction began on the Stanley Hotel, a posh place to stay for those who want to spend time in the mountains with amenities common in city hotels. Eventually, Estes Park became more developed and was declared an official municipality in 1917.

Paranormal experiences have frequently been reported since the hotel opened. Mr. Stanley may be seen strolling the lobby, Mrs. Stanley sometimes plays the piano in the music room and if you happen to stay in Room 217, you may or you may not find your bags tidily unpacked. In the 1970s, Stephen King and his wife Tabatha stayed one night at the Stanley. The eerie surroundings and the haunted history of the room they stayed in (Room 217) inspired him to write the book The Shining. Because of the popularity of the book and its movie adaptation, the Stanley’s reputation for being a paranormal site reached wider audiences and actually helped keep the hotel open.

SOURCE: SCENICSTATES.COM